"Sirius? Sirius, are you all right?" Hermione leaned over the sunken figure of Sirius Black.
"Yeah, I'm all right. That Polyjuice Potion has a kick, doesn't it?" he said, struggling to get to his feet.
"Sorry I should have warned you about that." Hermione looked at the man in front of her. Although he looked and talked like Peter Pettigrew, she knew it was Sirius. "Are you okay to walk?" She grabbed his arm, helping him to his feet.
"Yes, I’m fine." Finally stable, with both feet firmly on the floor, he had time to take in his surroundings. The room was dark; the only light was coming in from a small window in the ceiling. He could see the chains that, until a few minutes ago, bound him to the floor. There were different wizarding and, to his surprise, Muggle devises for torture. The door was made of heavy wood; there was a small opening at the top of the door through which Sirius could see two dementors. He looked to the corner where the unconscious form of Peter lay.
"We need to get out of here. I don't want to look at that for any longer then I have to." He stared at Peter.
"All we have to do now is get past the dementors and you'll be safe to go back to Grimmauld Place," Hermione explained, checking to see if the dementors had noticed anything.
"Wait--you’re not coming with me?" Sirius asked, looking away from Peter.
"I can't, if I disappear the same time you do, Voldemort would know it was me that helped you escape." She turned around, went to the corner, gathered the torturing devices up, and put them in her bag.
"And what if he tells Voldemort?" Sirius pointed to the unconscious body of Peter.
"I've performed a Memory Charm on him. He won't remember a thing." She was searching through her bag for something.
"Memory Charms can be broken," Sirius warned her. He was starting to get nervous; he began to pace back and forth in the small room.
Hermione pulled a vial from her bag and went to Peter. "I know that, but I have to stay to protect Harry." Sirius stopped to look at her. "That's why I'm here in the first place." She looked up at him. "Besides, Voldemort already trusts me more than Peter."
"Then why has he sent Peter with you?" Sirius pointed out.
"Peter captured an enemy of Voldemort. This was his reward," Hermione clarified.
"His reward was to see me tortured?"
"Well he does hate you and you did try to kill him" Hermione said, annoyed. "Look Sirius, we don't have time for you to interrogate me. The potion only lasts for an hour." It had already been twenty minutes since he had taken the potion.
"I'll go, but if I don't hear from you in two hours, I'm coming to get you," Sirius told her.
"Fine!" Hermione opened Peter’s mouth and poured the liquid down his throat. "Lets get out of here." She stood and put the vial back in her bag.
"What was that?"
"A Muggle anesthetic. My parents are dentists; they use it to numb their patients’ mouths. That way even if they break the memory charm they won't be able to understand him," she said proudly, about to open the door.
"Wait one more question..." Sirius saw her roll her eyes as she turned around. "The dementors are going to sense that a healthy man is in the room."
"And…" Hermione looked at him.
"Well, how do you plan on tricking their senses?"
"Peter's not as healthy as you think. When he screws up, Voldemort punishes him more then the others. Actually you’re better off then he is."
"Ok, lets go."
When Sirius left Hermione, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't want to leave her alone with Voldemort. He didn't even want to leave her alone with Peter, but he knew she has been there for two weeks and she wasn't hurt... yet. 'She knows what she's doing. She's a smart girl, she'll be all right,' Sirius tried to convince himself, but the feeling in his stomach just grew.