Sirius sat by the fireplace with a glass of muggle brandy in his hand. He sighed happily. It was Christmas Eve and the war was over. He was so glad that his godson, Hermione and Ron made it through the hard times. Everyone from the Order survived beside Mad-Eye Moody, whose last words were: "Constant vigilance, Potter. Ginny Weasley is hunting for you." Well, Harry didn't mind young Weasley's attention –Sirius smirked to himself. He was quite sure that it was Ginny's lacy knickers he found under his godson's bed yesterday. The moment was quite uncomfortable for Harry, who tried to explain someone pokes fun at him. Really, James Potter's son was such a bad liar!
-"Harry, as your godfather I can't ignore it. It is a big thing, you know. You have to be responsible and respect her. If she says no, she means it. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
Harry nodded, blushing furiously.
-"Good. Are you proud of me? I did everything a responsible adult would do in this situation."
-"Sirius, you are not a responsible adult, during the War you pouched Voldemort with the cucumber, from Hogwart's greenhouse." –Harry laughed at this memory.
-"No evil wizard can send death curses in my godson's direction, without facing the horrible consequences."
-"Sirius, can I ask you something?" – Harry suddenly looked like a man, not the boy Sirius knew for six years.
-"Go on, buddy."
-"When do you know that you really, well, love someone?"
Sirius wanted to make up a joke and give up this conversation, but he looked at Harry's serious face and he knew that he expects a sincere answer.
-"When you love someone, you think she is perfect. You love the way she bits her quilt, when she furiously writes an essay, you love her hair and her face without any make up on. You want her body and her mind and her soul. You are envious of every glimpse she sends in other's man's direction. You let her go, when you know she is too good and too young for you."
-"Do you think I'm too old for Ginny? Well, she's only a year younger."
-"Of course not. Sorry, I was thinking about someone else."
-"Sirius, are you ok?"
-"Of course I'm ok. I have to go check on pudding. Remember what I told you and don't suck her earlobe too hard. There was a girl I made up with on my Seventh Year and…"
-"Sirius, please. I don't want to hear it."
-"Oh, sorry, Pup. I suppose you don't want to hear a story about your dad kissing McGonnagal during the Yule Ball. Moony wet himself, because he had laughed so hard. We were all so fucking drunk. And when we are talking about Firewhisky, you know that if you drink too much, you can have problem with you know"
-"Get out, you hurt my ears." –Sirius laughed and he left his Godson's room.
-"Sirius, can you help me with the decorations?" –asked Hermione looking at him. –"Stop being such a useless prick. Is this brandy you hold in your hand? Molly told you not to drink in this house. It gives a bad example to her sons."
-"This is MY house, Miss-Perfect. No woman can give me orders in here." Besides, if Molly wanted Ron to be a good boy, she should have thought about it earlier. It was Sirius who found him in one of the London's clubs with Lavender Brown on his lap, both drunk and giggling uncontrollably.
He thought that she would go mad, but instead she smiled shyly.
-"You think of me as a woman, not a girl anymore?"
Sirius looked at her curved body, in a skin-tight jeans and white sweater and gulped.
-"You will always be a girl in my eyes, Hermione." –he lied, thinking about the girl, who rescued him in her third year, not being the same person that was looking at him now.
Her once bushy hair were now waist long and straight, her eyes were of course still chocolate, but now there was something wild and dangerous in a look she send him. Hermione's lips were opened a little and wet, like they were inviting his tongue to discover… You old pervert, Sirius told himself, trying to calm down, she is too young and too good for you.
It doesn't matter that you love the way she bits her quilt, when she furiously writes an essay, you love her hair and her face without any make up on. You want her body and her mind and her soul. You are envious of every glimpse she sends in other's man's direction. You love her and that's why you have to let her go.
There were thousands of man in the wizard society, who weren't accused for a crime and it didn't matter that he was cleared from all the charges. There were people who still didn't believe his innocence. Hermione deserved better, not a man who spend nearly half of his life in Azkaban, not a man with prison tattoos on his torso and arms, not a man who slept with half of Hogwart's students during his boyhood.
He looked at her face covered in tears.
-"Why are you crying? –he asked bewildered. He didn't understood why these words hurt her so much.
-"What if I tell you that I don't see only Harry's godfather in you? That I see a man, and I hoped, oh, how stupid I was, that one day, you will see a women in me. Passionate, wise and beautiful, as I am."
With every word she approached him closer and closer.
" Willing to fulfill every desire of your heart, Black." -The last words she whispered in his ear. He felt the Guarlain perfumes he gave her on her birthday. The word was spinning now, his heart was beating fast, he could not breathe.
Let her go –a voice in his head, which sounded much like Molly Weasley's whispered.
-"I can't Hermione, I'm sorry." –he was so fucking sorry.
He left her crying under the Christmas Tree.
Sirius woke up early because of the loud shouts.
-"Ginevra Weasley, Harry James Potter, what do you think you're doing?" – Molly's voice rang.
Sirius got out of bed and went to Harry's bedroom just to find everyone, who stayed in Grimmauld Place number 12 during the Christmas, gathering around the bed. There were: every member of Weasley family, Hermione, Lupin, Tonks, Professor Dumbledore, Snape and his fiance, a Spanish Potion Mistress, which he met during the International Annual Conference of Potion Masters.
Sirius made his way through the crowd and looked at the bed. He started to laugh so hard, that his abdomen muscles started to hurt. Molly shot him a murderous look.
Harry was lying beside Ginny, blanket around them, Harry wearing a Santa Clause Hat, and Ginny the reindeer antlers . They were still sleepy, and Sirius saw the moment realization hit his godson.
-Ekhm, hello, everyone." –he said, panic in his voice.
Ginny opened one eye and closed it in a moment:
-"It is a dream, isn't it sweety?"
-"Always a troublemaker, Potter?" –Snape smirked, but Harry knew now that Snape hated him only half-heartedly.
-"Enjoying a sleigh ride?" –Remus muttered under his nose, which made Sirius bark from laughter once again.
-"Welcome to our family.-
"-because now mum will make you marry her." –said the Twins, winking to Harry.
"-Well, this way Sirius would marry half of the Hogwart students and staff." –said Dumbledore, receiving a look from Molly. "Lemon drop?"
-"You will marry her, Harry Potter. Remember my words."
-"Now, let's leave them alone." –said Sirius and all the party left. Harry shot a thankful look in his godfather's direction and went back to sleep, muttering in Ginny's hair:
-"Good show. We are getting married, honey. I knew it will work, my pretty, sexy, little virgin."
-"You know the rules, Harry Potter. I'm not easy to get." –Harry felt a rush of excitement over the next great adventure of his life.
-"I love you, Gin."
-"I love you too, sweety."
Christmas Eve dinner was great. Kreacher and Dobby made a lot of delicious dishes. Everyone decided not to talk about the morning incident, because they just knew that if Molly decided that there will be a wedding, well, it is inevitable. Sirius would have defend Harry, but from the sheepish look on Harry's face, he knew, that his godson desperately didn't want to be defended.
Everyone seemed quite happy, beside Hermione, who looked defeated. She tried so hard, she fought for him, now it was over.
Sirius wished James was there for him to tell him if he had done the right thing. He would know what to do, James always gave him good advice. Well, maybe not always good, but he didn't regret any mischief they have done together. Moony was also great, but Sirius didn't think that he would be able to talk about love with Lupin. They could talk about the war and Harry's safety, but not about heartaches. "Oh, James, what I would do to have you here?"
During the dessert there was a quarrel between Sirius and Snape about the duration of the Third Gobblin War. When everyone looked at Dumbledore to tell them who is right, the old wizad said happily over his pudding: "I don't know. I hate history." Sirius wanted so badly to prove that the Slimmy Git, who started to be his friend (but shh, Sirius will never, ever admit it)was wrong, that he decided to go to his room to find a history book.
He found it on the bottom of his school trunk and opened it on the Third Gobblin War. There was a piece of paper there. Sirius looked at it and his heart stopped.
Padfood, don't worry, it wasn't so bad. Dad was pissed, but we dreamed for so long to fly on the brooms over the Great Canion... Let's always follow our dreams, mate. By the way, do you think that Professor Sinistra enlarged her boobs? Prongs
That was a fragment of their conversation. Sirius knew what he is supposed to do. He thought about James' short life. It wasn't perfect, but he knew one thing for sure. His friend wasn't a coward. He followed his dreams. He worked hard to be with the girl of his dreams, he build a loving family, he become an Auror and he died like in the way he would be proud of. The tragedy happened, but James was a hero in his eyes, because he was brave enough to follow his dreams and live the life he wanted to live.
Around midnight Hermione felt someone climbing on her bed. She turned around. His handsome face looked at her with hunger and happiness in the black eyes. The eyes of Black.
-"I'm ready to unwrap my present, Miss." –he whispered and he took her in his arms. Hermione smiled widely.
When Sirius woke up on the Christmas Day, the girl beside him was still asleep. He looked at her manicured hand wrapped around his torso, covered in tattoos, and said: "Thanks James." Was it only his imagination or James' photo on the side-table blinked to him? Sirius blinked back and whispered: "Mischief done."