Sirius fell silent.
Harry had far too few friends, and he did not want his arrival to drive a wedge between Harry and Hermione.
But he still felt uneasy about trusting Hermione completely.
After all, he had heard plenty about this girl's reputation while he was on the run.
"Instead of wasting your time with me, why don't you go look for that rat?"
Hermione's voice rang out again, interrupting his thoughts.
"I still have shopping to do. I don't have time to stand here talking nonsense with you."
Sirius froze.
"You know what I'm after?"
Hermione chuckled, her feline eyes gleaming.
"You just want to find the man who betrayed Harry's father, don't you? Don't forget, I'm a Seer."
Sirius was silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"I need your help."
He had taken this opportunity to approach Hermione alone not just to observe her, but, more importantly, to find someone who could help him.
Lupin was trustworthy, but being a werewolf made him too unreliable. There were always a few days each month when he was unavailable.
After thinking it over, he had decided to trust Hermione.
After all, Hermione had saved Harry many times over the past two years. She was clearly more dependable than Ron, who was useless and even kept their enemy as a pet.
Besides, even if Hermione did have some ulterior motive, he could not possibly stop someone with her power. He might as well be upfront with her.
Hermione tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Well, that's simple."
She stretched out a pink paw and gently licked it.
"Just follow my lead."
Watching Sirius disappear, Hermione the cat sighed helplessly.
"What a hassle..."
She rubbed her feline face.
She had only wanted to shop in peace and enjoy