A/N: I've started a new story. Let me know what you think.
Moony's Angel, Thanks and are you ready for a trip to Italy?
When Did I Fall In Love?
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The ideas are mine, but the characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing with them. I'll return them as soon as I'm done. Alexia and Justine are my own characters.
Summary: Eight friends take a trip together, the pair that went as just friends find each other along the way. With the help of the other couples will they allow themselves to be happy? SB/HG story.
Chapter 1: Planning for Italy
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been out of school five years. Harry and Ginny were making plans to be married in the fall. Harry was an auror and Ginny was teaching Charms at Hogwarts. Ron had been playing Quidditch, but had to give it up when he fell. He tore his knee up so badly that even the healers couldn't repair all the damage. Ron chose to work with his brothers in one of their joke shops. They had expanded the business and now owned three stores. Ron began dating Justine Bond, right after school and they married two years later. She was in the same year as the trio, but she was in Hufflepuff, and now worked at St. Mungo's as a healer in training. Hermione was also an auror, but she mainly dealt with crimes against muggles. She had dated a little, yet had not found that one special man.
Harry and Sirius had planned a four-week vacation to Italy as a last fling before Harry and Ginny married. Remus, who was working for the ministry as a consultant and his wife Alexia a fashion designer for witches, decided to join them, they had been married three years and decided this would be a great get-a-way before starting a family. Harry asked if they could make it a group vacation instead of just two of them. Sirius knew Harry couldn't be away from Ginny that long, so they invited everyone.
Ron, Justine, Remus, and Alexia accepted immediately. Hermione, however took a little more persuading. She told Harry she would feel like a fifth wheel because everyone else would be going in pairs. Harry convinced her that wasn't true. Sirius hadn't had a real relationship since being brought out of the veil by the ministry so he would be there alone as well.
Hermione still wasn't sure, so she sent Sirius an owl asking if her would meet her at the Leaky Cauldron the next day for lunch.
Sirius arrived at 11:55, to find Hermione seated at a table drinking tea and reading. He walked up behind her, kissed her gently on the cheek, and sat down across from her. "Hi, Hermione. How are you?" He asked before telling the waitress he'd have what she was having.
Hermione closed her book and smiled at him. "I'm good, thank you. How are you doing? Are they keeping you busy?" She knew he was keeping busy; after all, he was the Director of the Ministries department against the use of Dark Magic.
"It has been a busy few weeks, but since Malfoy and his band of merry men have been put in Azkaban, it's slower. Slow enough I feel comfortable taking a month off for this trip," he said. The waitress came and took their food order.
Once their order had been taken, and the waitress had gone, Hermione looked him over, trying to decide if she really wanted to ask. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. This trip to Italy."
Sirius looked at her puzzled. Harry had told him everyone was going and he'd already made reservations in hotels in four different cities. "What about it?"
She sighed and looked up at him. "I'm not sure my going is such a good idea. Everyone is going in pairs; I'll feel like an outsider. They'll have more fun with out me tagging along."
"I don't agree and not everyone is taking someone. I'm not taking someone. You tagging along, as you call it, will give me someone to hang out with when the others decide to get all romantic." Sirius smiled and winked at her.
"Hang out with you?" She asked teasing him.
"Yeah, I'm not so bad, and if the age thing bothers you, you can tell everyone I'm your father. You don't have to have a significant other to enjoy this trip." His eyes were dancing, but there was a hint of sadness in his tone as he made this comment.
This made her a little sad, but at the same time it made her smile. It seemed he could always make her smile. She thought about going with the group all throughout lunch. She really wanted to go, to spend this time with her friends, and maybe things wouldn't be so bad if Sirius was going unaccompanied. "Sirius, I don't know what it is about you, but you have this way of making me see things completely different at the end of a conversation than at the beginning."
He smiled and raised an eyebrow at her, "So does this mean you're going to go with us?"
Reaching across the table she touched his hand. "How could I resist being able to spend time with you?" She laughed out loud at the look on his face. "Yes, that means I'm going. I have to tie some things up, but I'll be ready to leave on Saturday."
"Bloody brilliant. Harry will be thrilled." The pair talked for a while longer. Then Sirius suggested that since they were both going back to the ministry that they go back together.
Ginny and Hermione both took Friday afternoon off to go shopping for new clothes. Hermione said she hadn't bought anything new for months and she needed new things especially a bathing suit. As they shopped Ginny asked, "Harry said you almost decided not to go with us, why?"
Hermione was looking at bikinis; she pulled out a pretty pink crocheted one. "What do you think of this one?" As she held it up she wondered what Sirius' reaction would be when he saw her in it. Then she wondered why she cared what he thought.
"I think you'll turn every male head on the beach, but you didn't answer my question." Ginny said grabbing some clothes to try on.
The ladies entered dressing rooms side by side. "Ginny, I thought about not going because everyone else has a significant other. I didn't want everyone to feel like they have to entertain me."
Ginny came out of her dressing room to show her friend the shorts and top she had picked out. "Why would you think we would have to entertain you? Besides Sirius isn't taking anyone."
Hermione looked at her friend. "That looks good on you, you should get it." She looked at herself in the mirror trying to decide if she really wanted to buy something that showed so much skin. "I talked to Sirius, and actually he's the one who convinced me to go." She turned to look at Ginny. "What do you think of this suit? Does it reveal to much?"
"Is there something going on between you and Sirius?" Ginny asked, in a tone that was more teasing that serious.
"No! Sirius is Harry's Godfather. He's a friend to all of us." Hermione cried, aware that she was protesting a little too much, and she had been thinking more and more of the handsome pureblood.
"Well show up in that bathing suit and you'll unquestionably get Sirius' attention and the attention of every man within 100 miles." Ginny laughed. "Actually it looks great on you. Buy it. Give the old guy a thrill." Both women laughed as they headed for the counter to pay for their new clothes.
Harry thought Saturday would never arrive. He bound down the stairs carrying his suitcase. Everyone was going to meet at Sirius and Harry's house, then use a portkey to get to the hotel. The group would visit four cities while in Italy, starting with Rome, then heading to, Pisa, Florence, and ending up in Venice. He looked around, but his godfather was nowhere insight. "Sirius, come on the others will be here soon."
A few minutes later, Sirius appeared at the top of the stairs. "Harry, relax. We have a few minutes, besides we aren't on a time schedule." The older wizard came down the stairs with his bags and set them next to Harry's. He was about to say something else when the doorbell rang and a pop came from the family room.
Harry answered the door to find Hermione, while Remus and Alexia appeared in the family room. Everyone gathered in the foyer to wait for Ron and Justine. Once they arrived, Remus and Harry put everyone's luggage in a trunk, and then cast a spell that shrunk the trunk and made it light enough to put into Remus' pocket. "Is everyone ready?" Remus asked.
After all had acknowledged they were, Sirius brought another bag, much smaller, about the size of a make-up case and placed it on the entry hall table. "All right. Everyone get your partner and place a hand on the bag." Hermione looked around the room, a little out of place, but smiled when Sirius reached for her hand and pulled her to stand in front of him. He placed one hand on the bag and the other he laid protectively on her waist. She looked up at him and gave him an embarrassed smile. Sirius looked at the other couples. "Ready?" He saw them nod. Before Hermione knew what was happening she felt the familiar pulling of her insides and then blackness as they traveled.
When Hermione opened her eyes again, she was standing in the lobby of a beautiful hotel with her friends. Sirius' hand had moved from her waist, to be replaced with coldness. She looked around spotting the lounge, then finding the restaurant, pool, and workout room. She found Ginny and the other ladies and waited for the guys to come back. "This is a nice place. I wonder where Harry found it." She asked.
"Harry didn't," Alexia said. "Sirius' family owns this one and the other three we are staying in." She saw the shocked expressions of her traveling companions and continued. "Remus told me that Sirius' family owned several businesses that he didn't know about until a couple years ago. He's been discovering them little by little."
A few minutes later, the men came back with four room keys. "I asked for five rooms, but things got messed up. We are all on the same floor; Harry and Ginny are in suite 1004. Remus and Alexia, you are in suite 1002. Ron, you and Justine are in suite 1003," he turned to Hermione. "You're stuck with me in suite 1001." Sirius smiled when he saw the expression of uncertainty on her face. "Don't worry, we are sharing a suite and a suite only. It has two bedrooms in it." Relief engulfed her and it showed.
The group went to their respective rooms. Sirius opened the door to the apartment like suite that would be home to Hermione and himself for the next week. He stepped aside to allow his roommate to enter first, then stepped in and closed the door. He heard Hermione whisper "WOW".
"Well what do you think?" He asked. Looking around, before opening the doors of the two bedrooms.
"Sirius, this is beautiful." Hermione said. The room they were standing in was huge. It had French doors that led to a large balcony. To the right were a bedroom and a kitchen that was fully stocked and a dining area. On the left was the living area, complete with sofas, chairs, a desk, muggle stereo, and television. It also contained a fully stocked bar. Past the living room, sat the other bedroom. Each bedroom had it's own bathroom. Together they explored the suite. One of the bedrooms was done in mauve floral. It had a king size bed, dresser, desk, and vanity. It also contained a muggle television. The bathroom had a garden tub with a freestanding shower next to it. There were two sinks with lots of mirrors. Hermione thought it was a woman's dream bathroom. The other bedroom had everything the first had, except the tub and shower were all together and this tub had Jacuzzi jets. The room and bathroom were decorated in a blue and green plaid. It seemed to be geared more towards a man.
Sirius stepped back into the living area and let Hermione explore on her own. She joined him on one of the sofas several minutes later. "You take which ever room you want and I'll take the other," he said.
Hermione smiled a brilliant smile. "You should choose. You're paying for the room." Sirius wouldn't let the others help him pay for the hotel since it was one he owned. He hadn't told them he wasn't paying for the rooms it was a perk of owning the hotel.
"Well I think since you have to be stuck with me, you should. Personally I don't plan on spending a great deal of time in the bedroom anyway. Sleep and shower is about all." Sirius said absent-mindedly reaching over and pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. It dawned on him what he was doing and pulled his hand away as if touching her would burn him. Looking at his hands he apologized. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that."
Hermione smiled and laid her hand over his. She found she liked the sensation touching him or being touched by him brought her. "Sirius, it's okay." She kept nudging his hands until he looked up at her and smiled. "If you don't mind I think I'll take the mauve room".
"That's fine with me." He stood and pulled her up. "Why don't we unpack, freshen up some and go see if the others want to get something to eat." Being the true gentleman he was, Sirius carried her baggage into her room for her then left her alone closing the door behind him.
An hour later, they met in the living room. Hermione watched as Sirius walked out of his room dressed in black jeans, a light blue pullover and white trainers. His short hair neatly combed was still damp from his shower. She wondered to herself, when did he begin to look so good, when did she start noticing how hot Harry's godfather was. Before she could pull herself together, there was a knock on their door. Hermione opened it to find their six traveling companions. "We're getting hungry, do you two want to get something to eat?" Remus asked.
"Actually, we were just about to come and get all of you." Hermione said.
"WOW!" Justine exclaimed. "I thought our room was big, this one is huge."
Sirius laughed, "Well, I figured since Hermione has to be stuck with me, she might as well have the best suite in the place."
"I'm not stuck with you. I chose to come and I knew that would mean spending time with you. Besides to be able to stay in a place like this one, I'd stay with Snape." Hermione said moving to stand closer to Sirius.
Teasing her, he moved away. "I don't think I like being compared to Snape."
Everyone laughed as they left the room to find a place to eat. They decided to go to a little café south of the hotel. Some of the places they would be going to would mean they would have to act and dress like muggles. The only one who seemed to have a problem doing this was Ron. Everyone did his or her best to teach him before the trip. This would be a test, because the café Alexia picked was a muggle place.
Before arriving they decided that they didn't have to do everything together. That people could go and do what they wanted. So after lunch Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Justine wanted to go shopping, while Remus, Alexia, and Hermione wanted to go to the Coliseum. Everyone looked at Sirius to see what he wanted to do. He had been abnormally quiet throughout lunch as if something was bothering him.
"What?" he asked when he finally noticed everyone looking at him.
The entire group laughed. Ginny was the one to speak. She moved to where he stood, put an arm around him. "Sirius, old man, we are deciding what we want to do. Some of us want to go shopping, and the others are going to the Coliseum. Do you want to do one of those or is there something else you'd rather do?"
Sirius looked at the whole group. He was really getting tired of being called old man. That was the third time today someone had mentioned his age. He didn't know what all the hype was about Remus was older than he was, but they didn't seem to notice that. "I'd really rather not go shopping." Was all he said.
Remus smiled, "Well then it looks like you're off to the Coliseum with Alexia, Hermione and I." He turned to Harry and the others. "Do we want to meet for dinner or just catch up with each other at the hotel later tonight?"
"Since we don't know how long any of us will be, why don't we just check in with each other later tonight. We can decided then what we are doing rest of the trip." Harry said.
Everyone agreed, bide each other farewell and went their way.
Hermione was in awe of the monument they were observing. She listened as their guide tried to tell them about the structure, but he was new and getting it all wrong. Finally Sirius looked at his three friends. "Let's explore this on our own. I can tell you about this place." The others agreed and they ventured off on their own. As they strolled and observed Sirius began to tell them about the Coliseum. "This is the most ancient monument of ancient Rome. They began building it in 7.5 A.D. and completed it in 80 A.D. The opening celebration was a full day of bloody games. According to legends, five thousand animals were slaughtered. Prisoners condemned to death were torn to bits by ferocious animals. Other animals were killed by archers and there were fights between gladiators." They walked a little more. "The Emperor had a box in the center where he could decided the fate of the gladiators with a simple gesture. There was an underground area that was used to organize the games; it was also used to create the settings for the various games. In 438A.D. the games were suspended and the Coliseum was gradually abandoned."
When he finished his friends looked at him in shock. "Where did you learn all that?" Alexia asked.
"Everyone thinks I'm old and dumb. They may be right about the old part, but I'm not dumb. I read, I read a lot. I've read all the Coliseum several times." Sirius said and started walking away leaving them standing with their mouths hanging open.
The group caught up with him and Hermione grabbed his arm. "Sirius, no one thinks you're old or dumb." He didn't say anything just looked at young woman walking beside him, then to where her hand rested in the bend of his arm. She held his arm the entire time. The group walked along the Via dei Fori Imperiali toward the Roman Forum. When they arrived, Remus asked. "Do you know a little about this place?"
Sirius smiled. "Sure. This place was built in the 6th century B.C. It was built on marshland that was drained by the creation of sewer and drainage. It quickly became the center of social and political life. Century after century new palaces, statues, temples and courts were added. It's almost a city in a city."
The group explored the forum for another hour, and then decided to walk back toward the hotel. As they approached Alexia found a little shop she wanted to go into. Hermione agreed it would be fun to look around. Remus and Sirius decided to sit on a bench outside.
The guys talked for a few minute and Remus sensed something was bothering his old friend. "Okay, out with it."
Sirius looked over at his companion, "Out with what?" he asked.
"Padfoot, old friend, I know you too well for you to play these games with me. So tell me what's bothering you, you haven't been yourself all day. You've been oddly quiet." Remus stated.
Sirius knew he was off today; he just wasn't sure how to tell his friend. "It's hard to say. I just feel out of place."
Remus smiled at his friend. "Sirius, you are not out of place. This is your trip, the rest of us just tagged along. You do what you want to do and the rest of us will go along."
"That's not right either. This trip is for everyone. Everyone has a say in what they do. Besides I want all of you to have a good time."
"Padfoot, I think part of it is that all of us are here with our wives or girlfriends. You'll find someone. I promise there is a lady out there for you. You might even find her on this trip." Remus knew his boyhood friend was feeling lonely. It had been a long time since he had a real date. He couldn't understand why. Sirius was a good-looking man and fun to be around, but a lot of people couldn't get past the idea he'd been in Azkaban. "Besides what was it you told Hermione? Something like you don't have to have a significant other to enjoy this trip."
Sirius knew he was right. He smiled at his friend, "You're right, you're always right."
In the store, Hermione and Alexia were looking at beautiful authentic Italian scarves. Alexia picked one up and showed it to her shopping partner. "What do you think of this one? It will go perfectly with that little pink outfit you bought Friday with Ginny."
Hermione looked the handmade scarf over. It was off white with dainty pink and blue hand painted flowers. The pink matched the outfit perfectly. "You're right, but how did you know I purchased that outfit?"
"Ginny told me. She showed it to me Friday night when we went to get Remus a suitcase for the trip." Alexia looked at her friend. "Can I ask you something? Something personal?"
Hermione shrugged, "I guess."
"Why isn't there a special man in your life?" Alexia was a very straightforward person.
This question caught Hermione off guard. "I don't know, I just never found someone I felt that way about. I need to be comfortable with them first."
"I guess I can understand that." She looked at the younger woman, trying to decide if she wanted to push or not. Figuring it couldn't hurt, she went on. "You seem to be comfortable with Sirius, have you ever thought about pursuing a relationship with him?"
This left Hermione speechless, she stared at Alexia, and then looked out the window. "Sirius is Harry's Godfather, and he's 18 years older than I am."
"That may be true, but he's also a man. A very handsome and sexy man at that." Alexia countered.
Hermione again looked out the window at the tall, well-built wizard laughing at something. "You have me there, he is both handsome and sexy."
After paying for their scarves, they headed for the door. Stopping before stepping out, Alexia whispered to Hermione. "Think about it. He's not only handsome and sexy, but he's kind, caring and filthy rich." Both women laughed.
All the way back to the hotel, Hermione thought about what Alexia had asked. Excusing herself when they entered their room, she went to her room and flopped on the bed. All she could think about was the words Alexia had said earlier. "You seem to be comfortable with Sirius, have you ever thought about pursuing a relationship with him?" She decided maybe it was worth giving a shot, she had been thinking about him more than usual this past week. She lay there for a while, and then looked at the clock. She had enough time to take a long leisurely bath before it would be time to get dressed and meet Sirius, Remus, and Alexia for dinner.