CHAPTER ONE
"NO!"
The loud shriek echoed through Sirius' head and just in time, it made him dodge the red light springing from his deadly cousin's wand. A quick look behind him made his heart skip a beat: he had almost fallen into this thin grey veil, with the ghostly voices. As fast as a tiger, he avoided the next spell thrown by Bellatrix, this time a green light.
"Stupefy!" he growled through gritted teeth.
The red light hit the woman with heavy eyelids in the chest and she fell to the ground, unconscious. At this moment, Remus, his old friend, grasped his coat and pulled him to the ground, saving him from Dolohov's new attack. Sirius saw Remus stupefy him, his eyes wild, his brow covered in sweat.
"Sirius, quick, come with m-"
"CRUCIO!"
Sirius was already too worn out to process where this scream of dementia was coming from, he was hit by the most excruciating pain he had ever felt. He yelled in agony, groaned in pain, and almost couldn't feel his friend's hands on him and the many voices of the Order coming in help. He could only hear the demented laugh of his cousin ringing through his head. The pain slowly faded, but his eyes clouded themselves in black, and before he could protest against death, it seemed it had come to reap his soul itself.
Sirius woke up with his heart beating, cold sweat trickling down his bare back. His covers were tangled on him and half on the floor. It was just a dream. But Sirius knew, it was also a memory. He could still hear the NO! playing in his head all over again, and again. It had been two years since he heard this terrible, heart-wrenching sound. It had been two years since this scream had saved his life.
He remembered opening his eyes in the sofa down in the living room of his family house, at Grimmauld Square. He first had believed he had ended up in Hell, surrounded by house elves heads and troll legs. He had been welcomed back to life by the screeching sounds of his mother's portrait, the dear Walburga Black. Only something wasn't quite belonging to Hell: a soft, small hand was resting on his, belonging to a beautiful girl with brown eyes filled with hope and tears. Sirius remembered the intense embrace of Remus, tears in his eyes too, thanking whoever was there for Sirius being alive. Harry had cried too and hugged him, and the feel of his godson's body in his arms is mostly what brought him back to the living world.
"Sirius!" had half cried Harry, "I thought you were dead!"
"He was only hit by the Cruciatus, Harry. There was no green light." had said a soft, familiar voice. Only this time the voice wasn't shrieking.
"Only?" joked Sirius, earning a few smiles from all the people who were assembld around him. "I thought I almost died!" He leapt on his feet and hugged everyone, and at last, he saw Hermione.
A silent recognition passed through his eyes, and he saw hers sparkle with relief. Without a warning, she threw herself at him. He almost pulled back, not being used to the girl showing that much affection to him, but he gave in to the warm embrace, feeling her body under his arms.
He remembers her softly smiling, then quickly leaving. Slightly later, he had found some wet marks on his shirt, probably coming from silent and thankful tears. His body had always remembered this soft touch, her hands, her sobs against his chest.
Sirius sat up in his bed, untangling himself from his bedsheets and sweeping his sweaty forehead with his arm. His breathing was not as erratic as when he woke up, but he was still exhausted from his dream. A dream he was having almost every night, along with others, but they were all coming from this moment. He often wondered how a single world had the power to make him live or die. Without Hermione's scream, he would have fallen beyond the veil. A part of him had always known it.
Hermione always seemed to be the one to save everyone... And Sirius understood why her friends thought she was so precious, alongside the fact she was one of the greatest people they knew. He remembered having called her "the brightest witch of her age", and it was never more true.
Sirius knew Harry and his two best friends were up to something, his instincts coupled with Harry's strong resemblance to James made him guess Harry was about to leave. After his seventeenth birthday, the Order's escort had come to Grimmauld Square to protect Harry. Sirius was proud to have his godson definitely living under the same roof as him, but deep inside of him, he always knew it was only temporary. Moody's death had worn out everyone, and the mood in the old house was very low. Sirius had been one of the Seven Potters, drinking Polyjuice potion to take Harry's appearance. Of course, still being a fugitive, he could not show his face to the world, even against Voldemort. It was only a matter of days before Voldemort took the Ministry, Harry and his friends knew that.
Sirius didn't need to spy on them to know what they were planning, he knew Harry, Ron, and Hermione were leaving in a week, give or take a few days. He had no intention in stopping them. Having seen death almost take him, he knew more than ever that Harry was on a quest against Death itself, and he secretely planned on helping him in his own way.
A loud creak broke the silence of his thoughts. It was followed by another, then another one. Someone was walking in the corridor, and was taking the stairs down. Sirius' room, though a bit isolated, still allowed him to hear people at night. His senses were heightened due to his Animagus ability, as well as his impulsivity. Therefore, he leaped out of his bed and opened his door the most silently possible.
His feet were bare and, soft as the paws of a dog, he went down the stairs, following the faint light of a wand. He smelled the air, and caught a feminine scent. Sirius slowed his pace. He was in front of the living room's door, slightly opened, and he heard almost silent, soft, tiny sobs.
He stepped further inside and his heart stopped. He could recognise the bushy brown hair between thousands. The girl's silhouette was shaken by choked sobs and Sirius heard her punch the couch on which she was sitting. The light of her wand was now off, the only light of the room was coming from the barely lit fireplace where Hermione had probably cast a spell. Sirius sensed its warmth, unless it was emanating from the young witch?
"Hey," Sirius tried to be the friendliest he could.
Hermione was as fast as a cat. She grabbed her wand and pointed it at Sirius, a frightened look on her flustered face, but it was replaced with a curious expression as soon as she recognised the Animagus.
"I'm so sorry Sirius!" she said, "I really thought I was alone." Her voice was slightly shaky.
She put her wand back at her side and wiped her eyes, looking away from Sirius for a moment. Without asking, he sat next to her, slowly, carefully. He saw with amusement that Crookshanks was between her legs. When he noticed Sirius, the cat meowed and installed himself on Sirius' knees. He smirked and stroked the cat.
"I remember when he was my only friend at the castle, when you and Harry were in third year."
Hermione had a little smile. Sirius suspected she didn't dare to talk much, for her voice still carried the weight of her tears. She squatted closer from Sirius to pet Crookshanks, earning more purring from the orange animal.
"It must have been good to finally meet Harry." she finally said after a long silence.
"Yes, even if our first encounter wasn't... Well... It wasn't conventional. It felt terrible to see Harry hate me." he solemnly said. He had only spoken to Remus about this moment. Sirius could always remember the relief when he had seen his old friend.
"He needed to put a face on the reason for his parents' death. There's not only You-Know-Who." Hermione explained.
Sirius looked at her. She was still hiding her face with curtains of bushy hair, and when she realised his eyes were fixed on her, she defiantly gave him his stare back. Her act of courage didn't last long. Staring into the ocean of Sirius' eyes only seemed to remind her why she had come here, and a choked sob echoed in her throat. Her eyes filled with tears again, and Sirius' heart felt terribly hurt at this picture.
Their knees almost touching, Sirius protected Hermione in the warmth of his arms, of his chest, in the safety of his beating heart. This heart that could have stopped beating two years ago, if it wasn't for this no. His embrace felt safe, the hair of his beard tickled Hermione's face. At first surprised by Sirius' warm act, she curled in his lap and chased Crookshanks from his spot. The cat angrily meowed and invested the other side of the couch.
It felt good, to have Hermione silently sobbing against his chest. Sirius held her firmly and rubbed her back with his hands. She was now on his lap, she could hardly be closer to him. A warmth had ignited between their torsos, separating their bodies seemed impossible. Hermione's silent crying slowly ended, and she lifted her head to look once more into Sirius' deep eyes.
These eyes were shining with courage and affection, but they also carried his past in Azkaban. Staring too long in those eyes was something people usually avoided to do, but Hermione kept on fixing them, not quitely noticing their faces inching closer and closer.
Hermione's warm and soft lips shyly approached Sirius'. Her breath on his sensitive skin was driving him insane. Both of their hearts almost stopped in shock, and as soon as Hermione dared to kiss him, Sirius, unleashing the fire that was burning deep inside of him, deepened the kiss like a hungry predator. He moved his jaw against Hermione's and brushed the girl's lips open with his tongue. He almost immediately felt his lower abdomen tense and get warmer at this sweet intrusion.
Hermione answered him with equal tenderness and hunger, deepening every kiss when she felt his lips dart onto hers. She cherished his beard tickling her skin and his hot breath giving her goosebumps. He was diving onto her almost tiger-like, as if he had just caught a delicious and beautiful prey. Sirius' hands grew uncontrollable, and wandered on Hermione's body. He stroked her sweet neck, her curvy hips, and grasped her delicious butt.
Hermione felt this fire ignite in her lower belly, and saw herself lose control over her own body. Sirius' hands made her feel hot everywhere they touched her, and her mind was clouded by terribly aroused thoughts. She pressed her hands against Sirius' chest, and found his lower back, circling it with her arms and pushing his pelvis down to her. At her gesture, Sirius bit her lip and moaned in her mouth. He rocked his hips against hers, earning him a purr like one he never had before.
Suddenly, something cracked in Sirius. He opened wide eyes, breaking away from the dream he was living. He slightly pushed the girl away, ignoring her pleading look. He took his hands off her back painfully.
"I can't do that." he whispered to himself and Hermione.
"Sirius I'm..." began Hermione, arousal still present in her voice.
"It's my fault, Hermione. I'm sorry. I... I shouldn't have done that."
Sirius' face was torn by guilt, his beautiful eyes hidden under a deep frown, his black hair wild on his shoulders. He shot one last look at Hermione and left the room, quickly going back up without even trying to conceal his footsteps.
The young witch hadn't quite processed what had just happened. She hesitatingly brushed her lips with her fingers and the places he touched her to check if it was real, but her arousal soon turned into frustration, and frustration turned into even more intense sorrow. The sobs she had chased soon came back, and stronger this time, because she cried for two different reasons. First one: she was scared to death of Voldemort. Second: she had hopelessly and desperately fallen in love with Sirius Black.
[A/N]: Hello there! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and therefore understand the smut-direction it is taking. I don't know how long this story will be, but there is a plot, and not only smut. It might be pretty dark, so don't pursue reading if you're not into this. I cover you with kisses and flowers if you liked it (or not), and see you soon for the next chapter! ;)