            It was like he’d slapped her. All this time he called her his clever witch, all those hours spent discussing the complex research. Was it really all a lie? Hermione slumped back in her chair and stared out the window in the adjacent dining room. The curtains were drawn, just a sliver peeking through. She gazed absently into the night as Sirius set two steaming mugs on the table, followed by a plate of expired chocolate wafers.