Infatuation. Sirius Black had never been one to be the one doing the crushing. Back in his days at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he had been the one having to fight off the crowds of girls stalking him in between classes. They were the ones who would fight to sit next to him and would babble incoherently at being within a ten mile radius of him. He had turned heads wherever he went and he always had a line of girls waiting to be his escort for one of the many annual dances. A Friday night never came about where Sirius Black didn't have a date. For Sirius to be the one doing the chasing was preposterous and simply unheard of…well, that was until now.
Sirius had come a long way since his days of Hogwarts where he was the one having to hide from the girls. During Valentines Day of his seventh year, one girl actually tried to get him to drink a love potion by sneakily disguising it had pumpkin juice. If Sirius hadn't been forewarned by Lily Evans, he would've made a fool out of himself. Sirius simply wasn't the one who did the chasing, he was always chased and often had to hide in order to get a breather from the insane fan girls. However, things changed when he first met her. At first, he hadn't felt any feelings of infatuation or anything of the sort for her. Heck, she had been a tiny, third year in Hogwarts who had the bushiest hair he had ever seen and was being followed around by a certain red-haired Weasley like a lovesick puppy.
When he first met Hermione Granger, he hadn't exactly been in the mood to admire a girl half his junior. Heck, he hadn't even been interested in meeting girls while he was on the run. All he had wanted was to get away from the dementors who were chasing him, wanting to suck his soul out of his body. His godfather, Ron Weasley and she helped him to escape and the first thing he had ever said to her was a simple thanks. She had nodded frantically at his pathetic thanks and ushered him away, claiming that he didn't have much time and to get as far away from there as he possibly could.
To say that it hadn't been love at first sight would have been the understatement of the century. The fact that she was demanding him to get as far away from her as possible didn't help matters either. At the time, she had been a brave little know it all who didn't have any idea of what the real world was. Her entire world was centered on helping her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, and books. He wasn't exactly around the girl a lot to notice this himself at first, but he had heart about her strange obsession with anything thickly bounded stored away in a library.
After his godson and his friends helped him to escape, he kept in touch with Harry James Potter through owls. Harry often whined about how Hermione had her nose too deep in a book to even notice Ron's advances towards her. Of course, Ronald Weasley was anything but a ladies' man or a charmer. Ron's idea of confessing his feelings for Hermione was telling her that she was, indeed, a girl which was something that Sirius could tell just by looking at her for a mere second. Then, Sirius didn't even feel anything towards the girl except gratitude for having saved him and pity since she had to deal with the pathetic courting attempts of the youngest male Weasley.
As the years went on, Sirius grew older, as did the three young Gryffindors. Sirius also noticed the way the way that his godson's best female friend grew into her figure and was turning into a lovely, young lady. He had gone a good three years without laying eyes on her and the pathetic attempts at descriptions which his godson repeated failed at didn't do her justice. When his name was finally cleared with the Ministry and he could come out of hiding after all those years was the first time that he was actually able to relax and look at his life. When he could finally sit down and look at his own life, what he saw didn't impress him. What had he done since graduation of Hogwarts?
His best friends had all died, save Remus Lupin, his godson was the only real family he had left and all he had was the inheritance money that his family had unknowingly left him. Since there were no other surviving Blacks after the final battle, Sirius was the one whom the Ministry chose to give it to. While Sirius had offered to give the money to Tonks seeing as how they were distant cousins, she had politely declined his offer. She was currently doing rather well with her little family in northern London with her husband, Remus Lupin. Sirius couldn't help but feel a little jealous that his best friend had a wonderful life – an amazing wife and a son who adored him. Why couldn't Sirius have that?
Well, he figured it had something to do with the fact that he had been on the run for so many years that he had forgotten what it was like to have a real woman by your side. Being cooped up in his house, hiding from Ministry officials didn't exactly get you a lot of dates or give you the chance to meet many women. Perhaps that was why he started to ogle his godson's best friend. He remembered it very clearly – the moment he had first noticed Hermione Granger not as a little know it all Gryffindor who was in over her head but as a beautiful, young woman who was easy on the eyes and absolutely breathtaking.
He had been sitting in his godson's new flat at the kitchen table. Harry had invited him over to show him around since he was rather proud of his latest accomplishment – getting Ginny Weasley to move in with him. Of course, that meant that Ronald Weasley would have to live with his sister and her new fiancé. Well, Ron didn't find that idea appealing and had fled to the Burrow, deciding it would be much safer to reside in his childhood home along with his mother and father rather than with his sister and his best mate. Well, he had been in the middle of a deep conversation with Harry about the prospect of flying muggle ducks which were called pigeons when the front door had opened with a loud 'bang'.
Harry and Sirius glanced at one another and in unison; they jumped up and whipped out their wands. Sirius was the first one to exit the kitchen and enter the living room. "Whose there," he barked harshly before getting a clear view of who had trespassed in his godson's apartment. He blinked in surprise for the most amazing chocolate brown eyes were staring back at him in bewilderment. "Sirius," the female spoke and it brought music to his ears. How did this angel know his name? Well, he quickly snapped out of his daydreams when Harry stepped beside him, lowering his own wand and rolling his eyes at the female. "Geez, Hermione! Scare us half to death why don't you," he playfully scolded her, but nonetheless drew her into a bear hug.
Sirius, however, had been rooted to the spot, unable to take his eyes off of the striking brunette. That was Hermione Granger? The last time he had seen her she had been thirteen years old with wild, bushy hair and wide brown eyes which had deep circles under her eyes. Well, for one thing…the circles were gone so he figured that meant she wasn't as stressed as she had been in school. Her hair seemed to have calmed down drastically for instead of the frizzy bush that had been a sorry excuse for hair; she now had sleek dark brown curls that framed her angelic face beautifully. Her deep chocolate brown eyes weren't widened in fear as he had remembered her as, but were softened as she glanced from Harry to Sirius and then back to Harry. She had grown a good three inches since the last time he had seen her, but she was still rather short. She couldn't have been any taller then five foot three and since he was well over six foot, he had to gaze down at her.
He allowed his own ice blue eyes to give her a once over and he held back a groan which would have voiced his approval and acceptance of this change. Suddenly, he found himself wanting to lock his godson in the closet and have his way with this stunning beauty. What was wrong with him? She definitely had curves now and since filled out rather nicely. She now had hips and he found himself watering at the thought of placing his hands on her hips while kissing her full, pouty lips. He blinked rapidly at the thought and shook his head wildly to get the image of his godson's best mate out of his head. This was wrong, so wrong. He was a pervert who was eyeing his godson's best girl friend as if she were a piece of meat. Just how long had it been since he had a woman? Too long, he figured.
And so, seven months, three weeks, twelve days, three hours, twelve minutes and ten seconds later, Sirius Black found himself in the dining room of the Burrow seated at the large dining table. He felt rather trapped since he was seated between the two Weasley twins who were taller than him. It would mean a lot of chair scuffling and flexing his body in ways he didn't even dream of in order to escape the confinements of his place at the table. His eyes automatically drifted across the table and settled on the one girl who had long since stolen his heart oh so many months ago. At first, he had been sure it had simply been lust. She had caught him in a weak position and it had just come as a shock to him to see that she had grown up. Well, what else would happen in a few years' time?
He simply hadn't been expecting her to be so…grown up and mature. He had since then spent a lot of time with her and they were good friends now. They had intellectual conversations and he found that he loved the way she rambled on and on about the things she was most passionate about. He also adored her determination and dedication to her studies and found that she had went on to become a Healer at St. Mungo's which he thought was suiting for her since she was the motherly, caring member of the Golden Trio. He adored the way she hadn't given up with her fight for houseelves's rights and continued fighting for their freedom, even if her own best friends didn't support her campaign. He wasn't sure when he had fully noticed how deep he was falling for her, but he knew it was shortly after hearing about her and Ronald.
Sirius had always known how close she was with Ron and the way he used to follow her around like a lovesick puppy. Heck, there had been times when Sirius had been tempted to just give the poor boy some advice as to how to win the girl's heart. Well, he was certainly glad he hadn't given him the advice or else things may have turned out differently. Well, regardless, it seemed that Ronald had finally done something right since the two of them had been dating for a little over two years. Of course, Molly Weasley was thrilled at the prospect of having even more grandchildren and she loved Hermione like a second daughter. Sirius heard stories from Harry that Molly was already talking marriage with the young couple who didn't show any signs of wanting to settle down just yet. Whenever Sirius spoke to Hermione, she spoke of how she wanted to travel the world and how she had so much she wanted to accomplish and in just too little time to do it in. Well, he couldn't remember her mentioning that one of her lifelong dreams had been to settle down with Ron Weasley and have a bunch of red-haired babies and to have a life like Molly Weasley. No offense to Mrs. Weasley, of course, but Sirius had never thought of Hermione as the settling down type.
He couldn't see Hermione being that traditional soccer mom who quit her job and ignored her education to tend to the needs of her children and her husband. Sirius couldn't see Hermione giving up everything she had worked so hard for to take care of a bunch of rowdy Weasley kids. Well, Sirius wasn't exactly sure if Hermione could picture herself doing that but perhaps he couldn't picture her doing that because he didn't want her and Ron to end up together. It seemed that everyone was against him since they were all cheering Ron and Hermione on to the three year mark which apparently had some sort of significance in the Weasley family. Sirius saw his godson send him a warning look and he couldn't help but wince and glance down at his plate, taking a sudden deep interest in his steak.
He had been caught staring…again. Sirius wasn't sure when but sure enough, Harry had caught on to his little crush and had confronted him about it. Harry had warned him to stay away from Hermione since he felt that she belonged with Ron. Why couldn't they see that he was so wrong for her? He didn't appreciate her and she needed someone that would travel the world with her. She needed someone to test her wit and to challenge her intellect. She needed someone that would make her laugh, not someone that would make her cry. She needed someone to stand by her side, not someone who would try to push her out of the spotlight or at times shove her in it to shield himself. Why couldn't they see that Ronald Bilius Weasley wasn't the guy for Hermione, but rather he was instead? Hermione and Sirius. It even had a ring to it, for christ's sake.
Sirius had been rather confident in the fact that he believed that Hermione would soon realize just how wrong Ron was for her and would end things with him. Well, his hopes were quickly crushed when he caught sight of Ron reaching hesitantly into his pant's pocket. Sirius raised an eyebrow and craned his neck to get a better look at what the git was doing. His breath caught in his throat when he saw a small, velvet ring box in his hand and the way he turned to Hermione, who sat next to him, with a small, hopeful smile on his face.
Sirius watched in horror as Ron cleared his throat to get Hermione's attention. She slowly turned to Ron, about to tell him off for interrupting her conversation with Percy Weasley about the rights of house elves but she stopped in mid word. "R-" was all that came out as her eyes widened in horror at the sight laid out before her. Sirius understood her look for one of horror, but Ron and all the other Weasleys mistook her took for one of disbelief and happiness.
"Hermione, love," Ron said, not even bothering to get up from his seat and bend down on his knee. Sirius couldn't help but think to himself that if he were to propose to Hermione, he would've gone all out and gotten down on both knees if it would make the girl happy. "These two years have been the happiest of my entire life. I don't want things to end and you'd make the happiest man in all of London if you'd marry me. I promise to love you forever and give you the life you deserve. I also promise to settle down with you and have a bunch of redhaired freckle faced know it alls with you," he said, smiling goofily at her. Sirius scowled when he noticed Ron didn't even wait for Hermione's answer as he reached forward, attempting to put the engagement ring on Hermione's finger.
Everyone's jaws dropped, including Sirius's, when Hermione ripped her hand away from Ron's as if she had been burned. It seemed that she wanted to get as far away from there as possible and she glanced around the room, looking for an escape route. "I-I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head furiously and she got up from her chair, slowly placing her napkin on the table and running towards the front door. It seemed that she was unable to even muster what was going on as she slammed the front door shut to the Burrow without even once looking back. Sirius hid his smirk behind his napkin as he glanced around the table at everyone's expressions.
Arthur and Molly Weasley glanced at the door longingly; almost hoping that Hermione would come rushing back in. Ron was staring at the rather small diamond in his hand with hate and disgust, probably thinking that she had wanted a bigger diamond. If Ron thought that Hermione was that shallow, then Sirius realized he didn't know his best friend at all. Hermione wasn't shallow at all; instead she wanted to travel the world and to help people. Sirius noticed that Harry was glancing at him emotionless, almost trying to read his mind. Sirius blinked back and wondered why Harry was staring at him.
He had nothing to do with Hermione's decision, heck she hadn't even been looking at him when she refused Ron's proposal. He quickly replayed the events in his mind and realized that she had looked at him when she saw the ring. She had snuck a glance at him before shaking her head and drawing her hand back as fast as she could. Sirius bolted out of his seat at this sudden realization and mumbled his apologies and ran towards the door where Hermione had exited only moments before. He found her walking down the road that led from the Burrow to town, running a hand through her hair and mumbling incoherently under her breath. Sirius thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"Hermione," he asked gently, his voice causing her to stop completely. She slowly turned to face him and groaned which shocked him. "What's wrong," he asked defensively, wondering that maybe he had done the wrong thing in following her here.
"Ron sent you," she said accusingly, narrowing her eyes at the long haired Black heir. "I'm not going back. I don't want to marry him and have kids," she said, ready to go into one of her usual rants, but Sirius cut her off with a look.
"You want to travel the world and help everyone in it. You don't want to settle down, you want to explore the pyramids in Egypt and meet the Queen of England. You want to do everything and anything that you set your mind to," he told her, as if it were the obvious thing in the whole entire world. "You're not the next Molly Weasley, Hermione. You're you, Hermione Granger, most brilliant witch of her age," he said, smiling kindly at her and noticing the way her eyes widened in shock. He admired the way that this kind of shock was a pleasant one and not the one she had displayed on her face when Ron showed her his attempt at a proposal.
She nodded furiously, unable to take her eyes off of him. "I want to do it all. With you," she said, offering him a small smile, timidly pushing a strand of her dark locks behind her ear.
He couldn't help the smirk that played at his lips. "Of course you do, I'm pretty irresistible if I do say so myself. And I want to travel the world with you. How could we do that if you're tied down to Weasley and popping out redhaired gits like there's no tomorrow," he asked, his voice laced with amusement. However, there was some truth to his words.
"You're the only one who understands," she breathed out, glancing up at him with soft eyes and a wide smile. "The three year mark is when the Weasley men propose to their girlfriends. I'm pretty sure Molly put Ronald up to it," she informed Sirius and he winced. So that was why Ron hadn't even gotten down on his knee – it wasn't even a heartfelt engagement.
"I always thought that a girl as brilliant as you would have to be dazzled," he said, a familiar mysterious glint dancing in his own eyes. "Like being proposed to with a dozen fireworks going on in the background while flying on a broom and with the biggest rock imaginable. Plus, I've always seen you with a brunette. No offense to Ron and all, but you're not a Weasley kind of girl," he said, the smile now gone from his lips as he studied her expression.
"Yeah," she said, this time she was the one smiling with the familiar sparkle in her brown orbs. "I've always seen myself as a Black kind of girl," she said confidently, rather impressed with the way he dazzled her. Dazzling was good, wasn't it? Well, it sure as well beat being shocked and terrified by Ronald.
"Odd," he responded playfully. "I've always seen myself as a Granger kind of girl," he said and with that, he closed the gap between them and lowered his lips to hers. It didn't take long before the fireworks were going off inside both of their heads and they were seeing stars. Sirius dug his hands in her thickly wounded locks and Hermione pressed her body up against Sirius's. It seemed that both parties were just as willing as the other and it also seemed that both had wanted this for quite a long time.
Sirius wasn't sure what was to come of the future and if they would last forever, but he was aware of one thing…there was no way in hell she was marrying Ronald Weasley and if he had anything to say about it, the only way she'd get married was to him.