Veritaserum

Hermione unlocked her flat door and pushed it open, mentally cursing the three inch heels she was wearing. It had been a long day, and her feet were really killing her. She sighed softly, as she thought of climbing into her tub and enjoying a warm soak.

She stepped in, and saw Sirius sitting on her couch, watching her intently.

'Finally,' he said. His voice was cold and hard.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and made sure she saw him do it. She dropped her handbag on the table, and stepped out of shoes, unable to stifle a sigh of relief. Pulling off her gray suit jacket, and throwing it onto the chair, she walked across to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine.

'I was wondering when you'd come,' Sirius said, getting up and walking towards her. He noticed absently how her crisp white shirt was vaguely transparent, so that he could see a hint of something lacy underneath.

'I thought we'd got bored of this little game,' Hermione said indifferently.

His eyes narrowed.

'You think this is some sort of game?'

'Obviously,' Hermione replied coolly. 'Something of the sort that five year olds play. You know, hide and seek, and such.'

Sirius growled. 'You got the hiding part right. I'm sick of you avoiding me all the time.'

'I would have to if you didn't keep following me about,' Hermione responded. She poured herself a glass of wine and drank it quickly. Sirius grabbed the bottle, and took a long swig, before swinging it idly in his hand.

'I'm not a fool, you know.'

'You're doing a damn good impression of it.'

He growled again, in a canine, feral sort of way and drank some more wine. She sat down at the table, her back turned to him.

'I know you're hiding something,' he said, 'I've been around prisoners enough to know when people are lying to me.'

'I'm not lying to you,' she said, wearily.

'You're hiding something. All those prim letters, telling me that everything was all right? It's all bullshit.'

Anger suddenly flashed through Hermione. She got up, and jabbed a finger into his chest.

'Let me get something very clear with you, Sirius Black!' she snapped, glaring up at him. 'We are not the best of friends, and we never have been. In fact, you have practically ignored my presence for most of the time we've known each other. If I have issues, they have nothing whatsoever to do with you.'

He looked calmly down at her. 'So you admit you have issues.'

'I said they were none of your business.'

'They are, if they have something to do with the Ministry.'

'Nothing to do with the Ministry, Sirius.'

'Or Harry.'

'It's not about him either. Harry's a big boy; he can take care of himself. And so can I,' she added, as an afterthought.

Sirius narrowed him eyes. 'I know something's up,' he said.

Hermione laughed in a brittle sort of way. 'How perspicacious of you!'

'I mean to find out what it is.'

'Well, you're not going to.'

She sighed, and took the bottle of wine from him, taking a large swig. She wished that he would just go home. She was feeling so tired.

'Why do you avoid me?' he asked her, still prodding.

'Why do you follow me?' she countered.

'I want to know what's going on.'

'Curiosity killed the cat,' she said, snidely.

'Then it's a damn good thing that I'm not a cat,' he muttered. He sat down on the table opposite her, and watched her drink the wine.

Hermione began to feel a little uneasy.

'Giving up so easily?'

'No,' he said.

She took another swig. The wine tasted funny. Almost- salty.

She frowned and drank a bit more, before quickly realizing something, and swinging the bottle away.

'You put something in my drink!' she spat.

He continued to eye her calmly. Hermione rolled her tongue around in her mouth, contemplating the taste. It was salty, but subtle, something like-

'Veritaserum!' she gasped.

She looked up into his black eyes, which were still watching her patiently, and suddenly she knew.

With a little yelp, she sprang up so quickly that her chair fell backwards, and tried to bolt to her room. Sirius responded immediately, leaping up and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into his chest.

'Let me go!' she snarled. 'Let me go, Sirius Black!'

'I don't think so,' he said, coolly, tightening his grip on her. 'Shut up and keep still.'

'You horrible little-.'

Without thinking, she sank her teeth into his hand, but to no avail. He simply laughed.

'Think you're the first girl to bite me, Hermione? Wrong first time. You're not going anywhere until I get answers.'

Hermione could feel a hot blush creeping into her cheeks as he picked her up bodily and carried her to her bedroom. He locked the door and turned to her. Any minute now, he was going to ask her questions, and then-

'You're hiding something from me?' he said, bluntly. 'Aren't you?'

'Yes.'

There was no help for it. She flung herself onto her bed and hid her face in her hands.

'Is it to do with Harry?'

'No.'

'The Ministry?'

'No.'

'Is it something important?'

'To me, yes.'

He eyed had thoughtfully, and then sat down on the bed beside her. Hermione wriggled away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.

'What is it about, Hermione?'

'You.'

The word came out before she could stop it, not that she would have been able to, anyway. She felt tears pricking the corner of her eyes. Suddenly, she was filled with anger at the way he had tricked her.

Sirius looked surprised. He glanced down at her.

'Me?'

Silence.

'I asked you something, Hermione.'

'Yes.'

'What about me?'

She had to stop it. She simply had to. Desperately, she clamped her hand over her mouth, to stop herself from opening it.

'Don't even think about it,' Sirius growled. He grabbed her hands, and pulled them away from her mouth effortlessly. She was pushed face down into his chest now.

'I said,' he repeated, and she felt the vibrations in his chest, 'I said what about me?'

'I love you.'

There was nothing for it. The words were dragged out from her much against her will, and suddenly, the secret that she had kept for months was lying bare for him to see. She had never felt so vulnerable in her life.

He was absolutely silent.

Abruptly, he pushed her away from him and flung her onto the bed. He got up and strode to the window, looking outside at the dark sky and the few drops of rain.

Hermione crawled under her blanket. Her face was flaming, and tears were already pushing into her eyes. She ducked her head under the blanket, and let them fall, wetting the soft material. She wished that he would just go, so she could nurse her anger and sadness with a bottle of Firewhisky. Hopefully, she thought, she would pass out and never remember this night again for the rest of her life.

He was silent for so long that she thought he had gone. But when he spoke, she realized that he was right next to her, and simultaneously the mattress dipped somewhere near her feet as he sat down on the bed.

'You're in love with me?' his voice was calm.

'Yes,'

Goddamn that Veritaserum.

'How long?'

He sounded nonchalant. She bitterly supposed that girls said this to him all the time. Never mind that she was his godson's best friend.

'Months now,' she heard herself say. 'Six, maybe seven.'

'Why were you so distant?' he asked.

'I didn't want you to know.'

'Why not?'

'You would have laughed at me.'

And there it was, another secret for him to chuckle at. Hermione Granger was afraid that Sirius Black would laugh at her, because she was crushing on him. More tears slid down her face.

'And why did you think that?' his voice was even.

'You're a playboy.' She didn't want to be saying this, but it was coming out, and she couldn't stop it. 'You're a playboy, and you're handsome, and women come to you all the time. You're so much older than me, so much more experienced-.'

His hand grasped her ankle through the bedclothes, and her mouth closed. She cried a bit more.

'If you thought that I'd laugh at you-.' He ripped back the blankets, and she snarled as her tear-streaked face came into view. Effortlessly, he yanked her up so that she was sitting on his lap, and began to wipe her tears away with his palms. 'You were wrong.'

Hermione didn't trust herself to answer without a tremor in her voice, so she kept silent. Sirius continued.

'I wouldn't have done that at all,' he said, calmly, 'In fact, what I would have done-.' His hand glided up the length of her waist and around her back, before coming to a rest at the back of her neck, 'Is this.' And he pulled her to him and kissed her.

His mouth was warm and soft against hers, his tongue gently touching her lower lip. His hand glided back down her back, streaking over her shoulder blades so that she shivered. Blindly, Hermione refused kissed him back through her tears, wondering what he was doing.

He pulled her away, and stared.

'Why aren't you kissing me?' he asked. 'I thought you loved me.'

'I do,' she sniffled, wondering how stupid she looked crying on his lap like this, 'But I don't want some sort of charity kiss.'

'This isn't a charity kiss, you fool.'

'And I don't want a one night and goodbye thing either. And don't call me a fool!'

He chuckled, and brought his lips to her neck. His tongue darted in and out.

'This isn't a one night thing either,' he said, between kisses. 'And if you think that, then you are a fool.'

'The- then what is it?' she gasped, wondering how he knew how to do things like that with his tongue.

'This, my darling little fool,' he said, licking up her neck and to her lips once more, 'Is just my way of saying I love you too.'

And this time, when he brought his lips to hers, she kissed back with every ounce of emotion she had.

AN- Did you like it? Please review and tell! If it was good enough, I'll slip in a couple more chapters.