            Sirius held her for a few minutes—or maybe she held him. But when he finally spoke, the emotion had been cleared of his throat. "I don’t want to hurt you, Hermione," he whispered into her hair. "But I cannot bear to lose you the way I lost him. Even if it is just days we have left—a week. Fuck, even hours...you need me for this prophecy, but I need you, Hermione. And I know it’s not fair, and that I am a selfish man, and that you feel things for Malfoy as well. But I need you. Please, kitten. Just until I’m gone."