the_debt_of_time

"Fine," Sirius begrudgingly agreed. "But you get right back here," he said in what
little fatherly voice he could summon up. He thought he could imitate what he imagined
James would have sounded like in this situation but failed miserably. He should have
imitated Lily. That girl's temper would have stopped a rampaging chimaera.
"I promise." Harry smiled and then disappeared through the door after Luna.
"Ron!" Hermione approached the redhead. "Sirius and I are going to go take care
of the cup."
"I'm coming with you," Ron declared.
"No, someone needs to be here when the Order shows up. You need to get them
all up to date. We all have jobs now; yours is to help Neville rally the troops." Hermione
glanced back at the gathered students and let out a nervous sigh. "Maybe figure out how
to get some of them out of here. The younger students shouldn't be fighting a war."
Ron frowned. "None of us should be fighting a war, 'Mione."
"No, I suppose not." She lowered her gaze to the cup in her hand. "All right, let's
get going. Stay safe, Ron." She smiled and hugged him tightly before turning on her heel
and stepping toward Sirius.
As he opened the door for her, Sirius cast a look back at Ron who was joined by
Neville. He gave the boys a nod, hoping that his silent support would be properly conveyed.
"Where to, kitten?" he asked as they moved down the corridor.
Hermione clutched the cup tightly, passing the Sword of Gryffindor over to him as
it was too heavy for her to carry and still move as swiftly as she needed to. "I'm... I'm not
sure. I don't know where in the castle would be safe. Under normal circumstances, I would
have suggested the Room of Requirement." She began to wear her bottom lip between her
teeth anxiously. "Why didn't I think to ask Harry for the map?"
"You are forgetting one very important resource you have at your disposal, Miss
Granger." Sirius grinned, puffing out his chest. "The person who made the map in the first
place. There isn't a passage in this castle that I don't know about. Speaking of which, there's
a perfectly secluded one on the fourth floor behind a mirror."
"Nope." Hermione shook her head. "Caved in years ago. You're forgetting that
Harry, Ron, and I used the map to navigate all those secret passages you're so proud of,"
she said with a bit more snark in her voice than she generally let out.