Around the Bend
.
.
Summary: Sirius has some questions. Hermione doesn't have answers…at least not the ones he wants to hear. Post-war.
AN: Yeah I know this has been done a bunch of times but hey..if its good then use it. Quick little thing I wiped up…not sure if I'll turn it into anything ..it sorta left a bad tast in my mouth
Ps: I own nothing.
.
.
.
.
.
.
----Around the bend---
.
.
tap tap...
tap tap...
.
.
The soft comfort of sleep was slowly drifting away and Hermione clawed at it the best she could.
.
.
tap tap...
tap tap...
.
.
'Mmm bugger off' her half coherent voice answered. The taps turned into the sounds of a pounding fist.
.
.
Bang Bang...
.
.
If she didn't answer it soon, her muggle neighbors would. So reluctantly, she pulled herself out of the couch she fell asleep in. The witch tip toed over the numerous papers, books, and scrolls that littered her living room floor and headed to the door.
.
"This had better be damn important" she muttered as she opened the series of locks attached to her door. She wasn't surprised by who was standing there. Dressed in muggle clothes (better to get around muggle London) stood Sirius Black. Same shaggy hair, same demeanor of arrogance. And of course, the same questions.
"Hermione, we need to talk." it wasn't a request. The brown haired woman side stepped the door, leaving room for him to enter. The ex-marauder stalked in with purpose. Pausing, only to scan the clutter room with his eyes.
"Sirius, its almost," she glanced at her wrist watch "2:30 in the morning. What could be so important that couldn't wait for tomorrow?" The irritation in her voice didn't seem to please him, for his eyes seem to go dark with something that almost scared her..almost only because she had seen it enough times.
"Harry's death isn't important?!" Sirius roared. If the man were in his dog form, he would have snarled too.
She went to close the door. "Hush Sirius. You'll wake the neighbors." she said with a mono tone, as if she had recited those lines over and over again. That set him off. He stepped quickly towards her, grabbing her wrist before it had left the door knob.
"I know, you know." she looked up at the coal black eyes staring down at her. She looked away.
"I don't know what your talking about." She slipped her hand out of his, and walked to tidy up some of her papers.
"I'm not going till you tell me." he crossed his arms, like a child refusing to take his nap. She glanced at him mid-cleanup.
"And what, pre-tell do you want me to tell you?" She would play his game tonight.
"Tell me why you let Harry die!" Sirius shouted. She flinched at his words. Finishing up the last of her mini clean, up she walked the pile of papers in her arms to the table.
"You were there, the four of you. And only you and Remus came back. Why?" He blocked her way to the table. The brown haired witch gave a sigh.
"You know what happened, it's in the repor-"
"I don't bloody give a damn about the report!!" he bawled "Your hiding something from me, the both of you. But when I talk with Remus, I can't get a straight answer."
She sifted the papers in her arms. They were getting heavy. "Maybe because he doesn't know either." she walked around him and placed the papers down.
.
"You.... did something. Didn't you?" Sirius whispered towards her turned form. Hermione took a deep breath, she was waiting for him to say something like that.
"How can you say that?" she turned to meet his accusing glare with her sharp one. "I was friends with Harry and Ron...best friends. How can you even....." she took a deep breath.
"What was it that turned you? Did he offer you power? Knowledge? You were always one to seek out even the most restricted information." He started pacing.
"I sought it out for them." her voice rising in her defense.
With a burst of anger, Sirius swept his hand over the table, sending the papers flying. They fluttered down like snowflakes around Hermione. He lunged at her and grabbed her wrists with a painful grip.
"Tell me what happened!!!" he squeezed tighter. She swallowed her pain.
"WHO WAS THE TRAITOR!?" he screamed into her face. And that was it...she broke.
"FINE!" she shouted, no longer worried about upset neighbors, "you want to know who's responsible? Who lead Harry right into death's hands?!"
She pulled her hands out of his grasp. Tears streaking down her face. "Who was so close to him that not even Dumbledore suspected him?" The anger and pain in her voice made the dark haired man take a set back.
"It was you." she spat the last word. "The veil did something to you...to make you betray us." She took a step closer and he took another one back.
"It took your mind and twisted it. Made you hurt Lupin and Harry. Made you give them up to Voldemort. You were the traitor!" She was hysterical now and he was backed up against the wall. "And the worst thing is..Peter of all people, tried to save him, both of them!"
Peter, still owing Harry a wizard's debt had thrown himself in front of the killing curse.
"No" came the soft response. 'NO!" Anger filling his eyes he lashed out grabbing the witch by the shoulders and throwing her to the ground. He pinned her with his own weight as he straddled her middle, pulling out his wand and pointing it to her neck.
"Lies!" he sneered.
She should have been frightened. A dangerous man, she just accused of trying to harm his own godchild, was pointing a wand at her. But she only laughed.
"What's the matter? The dementors eat away at your last bit of sanity...or did that happen while you were in the veil?"
"Your. Not. Hermione..." his face melted from rage into confusion.
"Please Sirius, don't start with your delusional and desperate accusations." her eyes boar into his. He pocketed his wand, grabbed her neck with one hand and brought his face down to hers.
"What's. Going. On?" every word was said with restrained anger. The tears now gone, Hermione's eyes went dull. Her voice full of sorrow as she replied, "You went mad." The simple answer was said without malice or sarcasm. There was a pregnant silence, then doing the only thing he could think of, he brought his lips to hers. But this wasn't an innocent kiss by any means.
His blunt teeth clamped down on her bottom lips until a copper taste met his tongue. Swirling his tongue in the bitter taste he lick against the crease to gain entry past her now bruised lips. She gave in, and their tongues met in one quick swipe.
He ended the kiss and moved back, their noses still touching. Another silence. She looked up at him for a sign, anything, be it hate or anger or even lust, but she found nothing but a blank expression. A sob escaped her lips, and was swallowed by his. He licked the salty sweetness of her tears as they came tumbling down her now red cheeks. With soft hushes and mutters against her sink his grip on her neck loosened and he stood. Towering over her, this broken man let his eyes rake over her body. Hermione looked up at him with the slightest gleam of hope in her eye, but just as quickly as the assault happened it ended. The same dull blank expression in his eyes returned and he moved towards the door.
When she heard the door click shut, she let herself curl into a ball and weep.
.
.
Sirius Black would be back, just like the last time..and the time before. Asking the same questions about his Godsons death and never remembering the answers she gave before. A Strange case of denial in an endless cycle of pain.
.
.
Once more...around the bend
.
.
Fin
