It's pretty AU. Just a little. Not much. I think.
Let it be known that he has never stopped. Let it be known that once he sets his mind on something, he never stops until he has it. He may take a few stops along the way, but he never ever stops.
Too bad he had to set his mind on dating her.
Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, September 11, 1971, Gryffindor Tower Common Room…
"Oh gosh, Lily!" she struggled harder, tugging at the gunk that had grown a brain and was attacking the redhead's hair. The girl in question had tears running down her face, but was glaring at the four boys looking at her in fear.
"You three are dead," Lily Evans vowed, making the innocent one, a boy with light brown hair and a lanky frame, relax as his friends stared at him in envy. Her freckles were prominent against her pale skin, her green eyes flashing in anger. She was just an inch or two taller for her age, her arms crossed as she sat on her knees.
The girl tugging on Lily's hair gave a loud, unfeminine grunt. Her hair was bushy and curly, her own freckles dotting across her nose and cheeks. She was small for her age, something the boys liked to pick on her for once they knew her well enough.
"Lily, we're going to have to cut it," she said, opening her eyes and stabbing at the gunk – which was 'om-nom-nom'ing on Lily's hair – with a quill.
"No!" she wailed, tears coming to her eyes, "My mum will kill me!"
"It's either your mum or this thing!" she yelped as it tried to snap at her hand.
Lily thought it over for a moment before sighing, "Alright. Just get it over with."
"Somebody hand me some scissors?" the girl asked. A second year by the name of Frank Longbottom walked over and handed her the shiny metal shears and dashed back to his spot behind the upturned table. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, snipping away at the hair.
"Watch out!" one of the four boys yelled, making the girl shriek as the gunk lunged for her own hair. She ducked, being dragged in behind the table by Frank as Lily whirled around and yelped a spell. It froze, started floating into the air to have compulsions until it exploded over the whole room. The portraits complained as the children yelled and ducked for cover, those not hidden being splattered. Once there was a quiet moment, the older kids stepped out and looked to see that Lily, Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew had all hidden in the girls' staircase, gripping onto the brick as it was a slide at the moment. The only one completely covered was Sirius Black.
There was a loud, musical sound, recognized only as a laugh. Sirius opened his eyes and glared at the curly haired girl, who was grinning at him with her brown eyes sparkling.
"You'll pay for that laugh, Granger," he vowed as she stood up and made her way over to him.
"I doubt it, but - " she smirked, "- we'll see."
Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, December 14, 1972, Charms Hallway…
She smirked at him again as he glared, his back rigid as he clenched and unclenched his fists. How this one girl could get him so twisted up, he could never figure out. She rocked back and forth on her heels, getting a little closer to him and then rocking back, only to repeat the action.
"I doubt it," she said, flashing a sly smile now, "I really, really doubt it."
"Ha," he barked, giving her his own smug grin, "We'll see."
She hummed, giving a quick glance over his appearance. His hair was messy, but not as messy as James'. It was a dark black, his eyes a steely gray. His Gryffindor robes were just above the ankle, although they'd fit fine at the beginning of their second year. His tie was undone, as he'd never learned how to tie one and never really found a need for it. But, as it was part of the dress code, he let it dangle on his neck. She grinned again, "We'll see."
"This is stupid," Lily said from the doorway, rolling her eyes.
"That's what makes it all the more fun!" James beamed, adjusting his glasses.
"What are we doing?" Remus asked, blinking around as he finally pulled his face out of his book.
"Nothing, Remus," everybody chorused, making him shrug and turn back to his book.
"Look, there he is," Peter whispered gleefully as Hermione fled to stand in the doorway with Lily, James tugging Remus up and practically throwing him into the empty classroom. Peter soon followed, leaving Sirius to grin madly as Frank walked around the corner, gesturing madly to Alice Prewett, a girl in their year who looked as if she were ten.
"So, as I was saying – oh, hey Sirius," Frank was grinning, "What're you up to?"
"Oh, nothing, you know. Hey, Alice, mind if I do something real quick?" Sirius asked, turning to the girl. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering what prank he'd pull on her. "Great!" He leaned in, his lips puckered and his eyes closed, reaching for her lips when something smacked him over the head. He snapped back, noticing from the corner of his eyes that everybody in the doorway was snickering at him.
"Sirius Black, just who the hell do you think you are?" Frank asked angrily, a book in his hand, "You just don't go and kiss pretty girls like that, especially not Alice!"
"Y-you think I'm pretty?" Alice blinked at Frank, turning scarlet. Frank slowly turned pink, staring at her wide-eyed.
Sirius clapped Frank on the shoulder, "I think my work here is done. Now Frank, just remember, you just don't go and kiss pretty girls…but I think this one will let you. Now." He whirled around to the group, frowning as Hermione smirked, "Granger, I believe you owe me some money."
She winked at him as she walked out to the hallway, walking backwards as she made her way, "Sorry Sirius. I never said I'd give you any money. I said I would if we made a bet on it, but I never did."
He gaped at her before growling, taking a step towards her, "Granger."
"Tah!" she giggled before running off, leaving him to chase after her.
Yonkers Community Theater, Yonkers, England, August 15, 1973, Row 3…
Sirius sighed, flipping his head to shoot James a bored look. James nodded back, glancing at his mother and her Muggle friend Georgia. The two older women had decided to go and see Georgia's hometown version of Hello, Dolly! Sirius had never heard of it before and was just a little curious, but would never admit it to James, who had apparently seen it three times before, on a television screen, in London and in Harrelton. But being in a pureblood family who refused to have anything to do with Muggles, he'd never really seen a Muggle play.
"Shh," Mrs. Potter said with a smile, shushing the two silent boys as the lights dimmed.
"It's Mum's favorite play," James whispered dully, setting his chin on his fist as his eyes closed to go to sleep. "Poke me if I start snoring."
With a nod that he couldn't see, Sirius turned his attention to the stage. A man was arguing with an older man, talking about somebody named 'Ermengarde.' Once the younger man had left and the barber had given up on shaving Mister Vandergelder, a young woman ran up to him weeping. Sirius squinted at the girl, thinking she looked familiar in some way.
"Oh but Uncle!" she wailed before being told to go pack for New York. Even the voice sounded familiar. Maybe she'd played in a wizarding play before. James even found the voice familiar, opening his eye and arching an eyebrow at Sirius before closing it again with a shrug.
Hello, Dolly! was apparently a musical, and a catchy one at that. Ermengarde was told, along with her boyfriend Ambrose, to go to a restaurant in New York to enter a dance contest. Ermengarde then left for a good chunk of the play. Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker went to New York and met Irene Molloy and Minnie Fay – who was played by the same girl who played Ermengarde. Throughout the play, any time Ermengarde or Minnie was shown, he'd squint at her and wonder who she could be.
The lights came up, making James snort and blink his eyes open. Sirius expected this was their chance to leave, but the cast ran out on stage, the woman who played Dolly Levi leading the way as a score of 'Just Leave Everything to Me' played in the background.
"Thank you all for coming tonight!" she said, "I'm Sofia Hampton, and I played Dolly Levi! Mister Horace Vandergelder was played by a charming Mister Sam Wright!"
Sam stepped out and beamed before taking an elaborate bow, stepping back into line with a twirl.
"Mister Cornelius Hackl was played by handsome Mister Jonathon Nichols!"
Jonathon leapt out and did a flip with a grin, stepping back into line as well.
"And Ermengarde and Minnie Fay were played by our own darling little joy – only just turned thirteen – Miss Hermione Granger!"
Sirius and James leapt up as Hermione stepped out, twirling as she grinned at the audience. The man who played Barnaby swept her up in his arms and flipped her around one, setting her back on her feet as she gave a quick curtsy, still in the last dress Minnie had worn.
"Don't you know a Hermione Granger?" Mrs. Potter questioned as they clapped.
"Oh Hermione's such a doll," Georgia gushed, "Most lovely thing you'll ever meet!"
"Hey, Mrs. Potter," Sirius said, leaning over James to smile at his mother, "Would you mind too much if I stayed behind to see if we really do know her?"
"Oh not at all," she shook her head, "James, would you like to stay with Sirius?"
"No," James said with a frown over at his friend, knowing he was plotting something, "I'd rather not. It's awkward seeing people from school that you're not really close to outside of school."
"Suit yourself," she shrugged, "We'll be at the café across the street when you're ready."
"Hey, Hermione, you going to take off your make-up?" Sofia asked, plucking a fake eyelash off.
"No," Hermione said, shaking her hair, the smooth and tamed curls bouncing around. Her eyelashes had been lengthened, her lips painted on so that they popped out. She looked like a porcelain doll in jeans and a tank top, a tie-dye bag slung over her shoulder. "I think I'll walk around town. And besides – you did such a good job on me, Sofia; I'd hate to wipe it off now."
Sofia laughed, "Well, stay safe, Honey. See you Monday!"
She waved as she walked out of the backdoor, going down the sidewalk. Seeing that there wasn't anybody around, she grinned and began to hum before she began to belt out the lyrics to a song, tying a royal blue ribbon into a portion of her hair.
"I'll be wearing ribbons down my back this summer! Blue and green and streaming in the yellow sky! So if someone special comes my way this summer! He might notice me passing by!" she sang.
"Granger!" Sirius yelled out, making her jump up and shriek, flying around to stare at him with wide eyes.
She blinked at him as he walked closer, grinning at her. "Sirius? Sirius Black? Wha – what are you doing here?"
"I got dragged here. But the question I must ask is – what are you doing here?"
"I – I was in the play," she stammered.
"Yeah, I noticed. That's what I meant."
"O-oh," she exhaled a little, clutching at the strap on her bag as she looked up at him. "I – I auditioned. I thought I'd get a child's part, but they were short on cast members so they gave me both Ermengarde and Minnie's parts. It was a trip to memorize all of those lines, but Ermengarde's was easy. All she did was cry."
"So how old's Ambrose and Barnaby?"
She grinned a little at him, "Michael is just turned twenty, and Stephen is getting ready to turn seventeen."
"Nice," he grinned, "So is it weird? Them being so old?"
"They're not old," she rolled her eyes, "And Sofia and Monica would kill you for even thinking that of them."
"Yeah," he shrugged before looking down at her, staring at the changes the make-up had made on her. "You never wear make-up at Hogwarts, do you?"
"No, why?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
He turned away a little, feeling a little squirmy, "No reason. Hey, James and his mum are in that coffee shop over there. Want to come?"
"I don't know," she winced.
"If you do, I won't tell anybody that you'll be wearing ribbons down your back this summer," he smirked before grabbing her hand and tugging her across the street. She blinked at the contact, as it was surprisingly nice. But, then again, no guy had ever held her hand before. Maybe that was just the way it felt.
Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, February 12, 1974, Hogsmeade, the Three Broomsticks…
"Lily," Severus said, frowning at the girl, "Lily, are you sleeping?"
"I think she might be daydreaming," Hermione said, poking Lily in the temple with her eraser. She blinked and frowned at the other girl a little before a smile spread across her face.
"Oh I love Valentine's Day," she sighed dreamily as Hermione and Severus exchanged glances.
"Err – it's not Valentine's Day," Severus said.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said with a wave of her hand, going back to underlining things in the unrolled script, "The only holiday coming up is Single's Awareness Day."
Remus snorted from the table across from theirs, tilting his chair back to look at her, "That makes up 'S – A – D', you know that, right?"
She rolled her eyes at him, "Yes, Remus, I know. That's why I said it."
Severus frowned at him a little but turned back to Lily, "Why do you love Valentine's Day?"
"Because I can send chocolates to my sister to upset her boyfriend. And then it'll turn out that there were peppers in the chocolate whenever she or the whale try to eat one," she sighed and closed her eyes happily, "It's such a lovely vision."
"I'd pay money to see that, and I don't even know your sister," Sirius grinned, setting the butterbeers down as James slumped back from being scolded by Madame Rosmerta.
"Pay money to see what?" James asked, sitting beside Remus and taking a butterbeer.
"My sister and her whale exploding with fire," Lily sighed happily again.
James coughed and spluttered as his butterbeer made its way out of his nose as he laughed, Hermione, Remus and Sirius jumping back to get out of the way.
"That's lovely, James," Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Such a catch," Hermione giggled.
"Well that's embarrassing," James said hoarsely, dabbing at his face, "But that was a hilarious picture."
"Where'd Severus go?" Lily blinked, looking at the vacant seat where her friend had sat.
"Don't quite know," Hermione said, shooting glares to James and Sirius to quiet them. She'd once told the two that when they made fun of Severus in front of Lily, she was the one Lily ranted and raved to.
"So, Granger, you spending Valentine's Day with a special someone?" Sirius asked.
Hermione snorted, rolling her eyes and picking up her script to flap it around to get butterbeer off, "Hardly. I am spending it with my cat, though. I guess he's considered special."
"Why not spend it with the most devilishly handsome guy in Hogwarts?" Sirius winked at her.
"Sorry, I'm busy that day," Remus said, dusting off his sleeve. "Potions essay due the next day."
"I meant me," Sirius glared.
Hermione was soon clutching at the table as she laughed, soon becoming breathless. She giggled as she righted herself, swatting Sirius in the arm a little as she passed, "That was a good one. Come on, Lily, I need a new quill."
"Alright, in a minute. You go ahead without me," she said, waving her away. Once she was gone, she rounded on Sirius, "What are you trying to do, Black?"
"Me? Why, whatever do you mean, Lily?" he asked innocently as Remus sat back down.
"Hermione isn't going to be just another one of those girls that you've had since we started third year," Lily shook her head at him, "She won't fall for it, so you best spend your time elsewhere."
Sirius gaped at her as she walked out, watching her go through the windows.
"How dare she!" he scoffed as he sat down.
"Isn't it true, though?" James asked.
Sirius was silent for a few moments, scanning the crowd to pick out familiar faces. "You know…Maria Glaskow's rather pretty."
"She's in fifth year," Peter blinked at him.
"Mmyeah," he grinned, standing up and making his way to the girl in question.
Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, June 5, 1975, Hogwarts Grounds…
"Put him down!" Lily shrieked as Hermione chased after her, wondering how she was going to get her friend to calm down.
"Lily!" James yelped, sending Severus crashing down to the Earth, "Aha – what's up?"
"What's up?" she seethed, "What's up? Only a few moments ago, my best friend was! You – you James Potter, are the most insufferable human being I've ever had the displeasure to meet!"
"Aww, come on, Lily, you don't mean that," he winced.
"No – no, I mean every word," she glared, "Don't you ever hurt him again you – you messy haired, big headed, Quidditch playing toe-rag! I don't even know how your broom makes it off the ground with your huge ego! Come on, Severus."
"No," he said coldly from the ground. "I don't need any help from a Mudblood."
Lily gaped at him as Hermione arched her eyebrows. James growled and pointed his wand at him.
"Take it back," he ordered.
"No!" Lily ordered, glaring at James, "You're just as bad as him?"
"Me?" he practically shrieked, "I'd never call you a – a you-know-what!"
She ignored him and turned to Snape with a sense of formality, as if she were ending a business meeting, "Fine then, Snape. Good-bye." She then walked off briskly, leaving Hermione to stare at Severus.
"What are you looking it?" he glared, "Filthy little Mudblood."
Hermione's eyes widened. Sirius, James, Remus, everybody expected her to snap and kill him. But instead her eyes welled up with tears and she dropped her and Lily's books and robes, dashing off with her hand over her mouth. Snape got up as James was being held back by Remus, Sirius staring after Hermione before deciding to let Alice handle it.
Hogsmeade Train Station, June 31, 1976, Hogwarts Express…
Hermione strained to get the suitcase on to the rack overhead, but Frank stood up and helped her. She turned and smiled at him, sitting down and getting into a conversation with him about dragon eggs. Frank was debating on whether to become an Auror or a Healer. Lily and Alice were getting changed in the girls' bathroom that was on board the train.
"But it has to be kept warm at a certain temperature so – oh, hey Sirius," Frank smiled as Hermione felt a presence next to her. She turned and saw that Sirius was staring up at the ceiling of the compartment.
"Oh Granger," he sighed, settling his head on her lap, making her frown down at him as Frank tried to control his sniggering. "I feel that we may never see each other again."
"Sirius, I'll see you September first, just as I always do. Hell, I may even see you at Diagon Alley. Now get the hell off of me."
"But September first is such a long way away," he pouted.
She snorted and rolled her eyes, "It is not."
"A kiss to remember me by then?" He leapt up and leaned forward, attempting to actually kiss the girl. He was stopped by a shoe hitting his head, making him pull back and yell "Ow!"
"Sirius Black, you get away from her!" Alice ordered, waving Lily's other shoe at him.
"Alright, alright, geesh!" he sighed, stomping out, "Everybody in this compartment is violent!"
Hogwarts Express, Barreling down the tracks in the country, September 1, 1977…
"Oh, go on," Hermione urged, waving her two friends away, "You go. You have a meeting to go to, I get it. I'll see you later."
"Save me a pumpkin patsy?" Alice asked with a sheepish grin.
"Of course. Now go! We wouldn't want our Head Girl to be late to her first meeting," she waved Lily away as she wavered between staying or going. Lily and Alice finally relented and left, leaving Hermione to sigh and savor the silence, her eyes closing as she smiled.
"Granger! There you are!" Sirius beamed, pulling the compartment open to sit next to her, "I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"What a strange coincidence – I've been avoiding you everywhere," she rolled her eyes, frowning at him.
"That wounds me, Love, that really does," he frowned before grinning, "You know, they say that something always changes in our seventh year."
"Umm, our lives?" she arched an eyebrow at him, "You know, the N.E.W.T.s are worth quite a lot and – "
He acted as if she hadn't said anything, "Maybe this is the year you'll finally go out with me." He laid his head on her lap, smirking up at her as he put his hands behind his head.
She smirked back at him, "I doubt it, but – " she pushed him down to the floor, making him look up at her, " – we'll see."
Sirius smirked back. In her eyes, that was considered a refusal. In his eyes, however, that was considered a challenge.
"We'll see."
A/N I don't own anything related to Hello, Dolly! or Harry Potter. And please give me some feedback, I'm trying to work on my writing skills. I feel that they could be better. Thanks, and wishing you with all the luck in the world - Birdie.