Look at the Stars

Soon after her last class Hermione found herself confronted by Sirius, whom she'd been trying to avoid all day.

She tried to politely excuse herself, but Sirius quickly said, without any sarcasm, "I owe you an apology, dear."

Hermione said nothing, but stopped and looked at him, silently allowing him to continue.

"What I did was despicable. . . not only subjecting you to the gossip of your students, but invading your space personally and emotionally." Sirius was so earnest that Hermione allowed herself to relent. His voice was thick with emotion as he continued, "I like to think of myself as your friend, and my conduct was miles from where a friend's should be. I should be the one who makes you feel better, not the one who hurts you. Please, Hermione, let me be that for you."

Hermione just nodded her head and accepted his unspoken offer to embrace. She kissed her friend's cheek and whispered in his ear, "I forgive you."

"I'm going to stop now. I really am. How bad has the gossip been for you?"

Hermione pulled away to see his face. "It was a major topic of conversation, I must say. . . but once I explained to them that we were merely trying out a potion that requiring the mixing of two people's saliva at a certain temperature, and that we were sadly ill-equipped to make the transfer any other way, they understood."

Sirius laughed uncontrollably at her ingenuity, and Hermione grinned proudly. "You're a genius!"

"Thanks. And as for you. . . well, I've met dumber. . ."

Sirius pretended to be upset, and showily quivered his bottom lip. "Such high praise."

Hermione, though distracted by his rather enticing lip, kept her composure. "Oh, you deserve it."

"Since I'm so brilliant, will you go to the ball with me?"

"I thought I already answered that question."

"I thought you might have changed your mind."

"Maybe." Hermione twisted her lips in consideration.

Sirius quickly morphed into his black dog form and looked up at her pathetically with watery gray eyes. Hermione scratched his ear. "I wouldn't want to go with anyone else."

He morphed back before she had a chance to remove her hand. "Except Snape."

"Yeah. . . but that goes without saying," Hermione played along, jerking her hand off his ear.

"He's just so. . ." She lowered her voice to a whisper, "hot!" Her eyes danced with sarcasm.

"Kinda like me, huh?"

"Yeah. That's right," Hermione said flatly, before both of them burst into fits of laughter.