A/N: Wow! Thank you guys so much for all your kind words, faves and follows! I'm over the moon by how well recieved the first chapter was, you guys are awesome! I hope you'll like the second chapter just as much :)
Big thank you to my beta Amanda Quick, she really helped me out big time with making this chapter better.
Enjoy this chapter guys, please leave a comment with your thoughts and I will see you next week with some new content whooo :)
When Helen Granger gotten word of her daughter's new job, she joined heads with Lily Potter to organize a little celebration dinner. They had invited Sirius and Ginny over as well, and the company of eight sat around the table in the Granger's cosy living room. Helen and Lily had outdone themselves with dinner, there was literally something for everyone as the table was stuffed with food. There were chicken wings, roast potatoes, sweet potatoes, multiple vegetables, mini steaks and more. It reminded Hermione of the dinners she had been to at the Weasley home. Molly Weasley always cooked tons of food, not that she had much of a choice with such a big family, but it was always a wonderful and vast array of food.
'To Hermione, let's hope she won't go crazy working with Sirius,' James joked, holding his glass of wine up, ready to clink it with the others.
'Hey!' Sirius huffed. 'To many more bike repairs, a clean office and some good company at the shop,' Sirius added to James his toast. He winked at Hermione and everyone brought their glass together and yelled out a 'cheers!'
'I couldn't be more proud of you Hermione, this is the perfect job for you,' her father Richard said, smiling fondly at his daughter.
Sirius, while seating next to Hermione, draped his arm over her shoulder. 'That's what I've been telling her. You've got a talented girl Richard, she will be a real asset to us.'
'Ever since you offered Hermione the job, you have been kissing her ass. You do realize that she said yes, right?' Ginny chuckled at Sirius.
'I do, but she hasn't started yet and I can't afford for her to change her mind,' he smirked.
Hermione looked at him with raised eyebrows.
'So you're only saying nice things because you want me t- hmpff' Sirius silenced Hermione by pressing his free hand against her mouth.
'Hush now kitten, you know that's not true.'
This time it was Richard Granger who looked at the man with raised eyebrows. 'You're calling my daughter, kitten? You do know that she is way too young for you. You could have been her father,' he said seriously, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Sirius' face paled. While removing his arm from Hermione's shoulder, he missed the twinkling, teasing look that was in Richard's eyes. Richard knew Sirius cared for his daughter, he also knew that Sirius would flirt and tease in jest with any woman, no matter her age. While looking at his daughter, he could see that she was biting her lip in effort to contain her laughter.
'You- I – Err,' Sirius stuttered, looking for a good comeback.
The table fell quiet which made Sirius even more uncomfortable. He was shifting in his chair looking around at everyone staring at him, he kept opening and closing his mouth as if he were a fish, but no words were coming out. Hermione almost felt sorry for him, she'd never seen him like this. Sirius was always so confident.
'I, uh, I didn't mean it like that Richard, you have, um' he swallowed quickly 'a very beautiful daughter, I don't see her that way. I only call her kitten to tease her, that's all,' Sirius finally said.
Richard grinned mischievously at the uneasy man. 'I was just trolling you Sirius, I didn't think you would freeze like that. It's almost suspicious,' he winked.
Sirius letting out a relieved sound, wrapped his arm back around Hermione saying, "I care a lot about Hermione, but I think about her more like a little sister. A hot little sister, yes, but you don't have to worry about me trying anything,' he smirked, his eyes alight with mischief.
There was the Sirius they all knew. Everyone snickered and went back to their food.
The next day Hermione went to the shop to sign her contract and get a head start on cleaning both her new office and the shop itself. It was another quite hot summer day and Hermione wore her favourite denim shorts with a simple red tank top. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun and she had her Ray Ban sunglasses balanced upon her nose.
'Good morning Padfoot,' Hermione greeted the black dog as she walked inside the shop.
Padfoot barked happily and stood up from his spot beside the counter to greet her with a wagging tail. She scratched the dog behind his ear and looked around for either Sirius or Regulus. The latter walked into the shop within seconds, but he wasn't alone. One of the Slytherin man she had seen two days ago, followed right behind him. He had shoulder length greasy black hair and a rather large hooked nose, he looked grumpy and Hermione shivered when his black eyes met hers.
'Oh Hermione, you're here already,' Regulus said, sounding bored, when he spotted her at the counter.
Giving him an awkward smile, Hermione wished to herself that Sirius was already here. She didn't know Regulus very well, but had always had this feeling that he wore a mask around every except perhaps his brother Sirius. The one time she had seen them together, Regulus had looked relaxed, if she dare say happy even. When he was around other people, he wore the look of bored and cold hearted, maybe even grumpy like the man he was conversing with now.
Not wanting Hermione to hear their discussion, Regulus turned the man away and they spoke in hushed tones. While studying both men, she could tell they looked annoyed, but not necessarily at each other.
'Goddamn, I'll kill him one day,' Regulus growled a little too loud and Hermione's eyes widened.
She was saved by Sirius who jogged into the shop with a smile on his face. In his hand he held an envelope with Hermione's name on it and without even looking at his brother and his company, he ushered Hermione into the messy office.
'Are you excited for your first day Kitten?' he asked cheerfully as he closed the door behind them.
Still a little shocked by what she had heard, Hermione nodded, not trusting her voice. Regulus had sounded furious and seeing as how he was a member, she didn't think he was joking, she fully believed it was a real threat. Part of her wondered who caused him to be so angry and why, the other part wondered if they really killed people.
Sirius waved his hand in front of her face. 'Hello, earth to Hermione. Are you okay?'
She quickly nodded, not wanting to worry Sirius. Besides, she would have to learn to handle this kind of talk, since she doubted it would be the last time she heard threats being called out. The shop was a place where the gang members often came and she imagined most of them to be quite ruthless.
Pushing the thought of the man out of her head, Hermione and Sirius read through the contract and once they finished discussing the final details, Hermione signed on the dotted line.
'So since you're first official work day is tomorrow, here are your keys and your t-shirt, which you are not forced to wear by the way,' Sirius smiled, handing over a bundle of keys and a black T-shirt with the shop logo on it. 'Try to ignore the harsh talk of the members when they're here. Most of it is just big talk, trust me,' he added with a whisper and a wink. It was almost as if he knew what Hermione had heard and she decided he was right, most of them probably had a big mouth but only a small heart.
Before disappearing to the shop, Sirius had shown Hermione where to find the cleaning closet. It held a very old, but reliable washing machine and all of the cleaning supplies. After a mumbled thanks, Sirius chuckled back telling her to call if she needed anything. Hermione didn't even notice as she looked around the office wondering where she would even start. With a sigh she put on the old dusty radio that she had found in a corner and got to work.
After four hours and not having heard a word from Hermione, Sirius brought her lunch. Walking inside the office he was surprised to see that the laundry that was taking over the couch, if you could still call it a couch versus a laundry bin, was neatly cleaned and neatly folded. The papers that had been strewn around the room, covering any and all surfaces, were organized and sorted into colour coordinated folders. Hermione had a ways to go still, but she was making progress.
Smelling the food Hermione looked up from the papers in her hand as her stomach lerched out a rumble. 'You sure know the way to a girl's heart,' she sighed happily as she took the plate from Sirius. 'Damn, that is good,' she moaned after engulfing the first bite like a person who hadn't eaten in days.
'Of course I do kitten. Doesn't mean I will bring you lunch every day though,' Sirius smirked, patting her head before leaving the office again.
While eating her plate of food, Hermione watched the entrance from the office. Man it's a busy day, she thought. In that short amount of time that she took to eat, there had been too many customers coming in.
After she finished her sandwich Hermione decided to get rid of all the junk the Black Brothers had collected in the wrong place. She started with the pile of tires, rolling them outside one by one. Once finished with the tires, she started moving the heavy old engine block. Hermione groaned and hurried outside, afraid it would slip out of her hands.
'That looks like a man's job Princess,' a voice called out just as she felt her fingers slipping.
Hermione cursed softly and sank to her knees in attempt to save the engine and let it rest on her knees. Before she knew it, two hands reached for the engine and lifted it from her. She instantly knew it was Draco, without having to look. She recognized his voice and his nickname for her. Indeed looking up, she was looking into the amused eyes of the blonde boy, only he wasn't alone. Next to him was a gorgeous girl with long brown hair. She smiled warmly at Hermione and reached her hand out to help her stand. Hermione stared at the tattoo on the girl's wrist in fascination, it was a gorgeous snake, almost as gorgeous as the girl herself.
'Oh err, sorry,' Hermione murmured when she realized she let the girl waiting, and she grabbed her hand.
'No worries, I get that a lot. She's a beauty isn't she,' the girl said smirking as she touched the snake on her skin with her fingers.
Draco rolled his eyes beside her. 'Can you tell me where this thing goes?' he asked Hermione, nodding at the engine in his arms.
Hermione flushed, she completely forgot he was carrying that for her.
'It goes over there,' she quickly said, pointing at the pallet Sirius had put there for her. 'Thank you,' she yelled after him as he took big strides towards the wooden thing.
The girl chuckled next to her. While waiting on Draco to return, Hermione let her gaze wonder over her once more. She was obviously part of Slytherin, with the tattoo and all, but she looked nice. She was sure the girl could turn in a monster whenever someone pissed her off though.
'I'm Hermione,' she introduced herself, not knowing what else to say to the girl.
'I know, Drake told me all about the pretty girl, who snapped at him for almost hurting Black's dog,' the girl grinned. 'Oh, I'm Pansy by the way. I'll bet you'll see us a lot now that you work here, Drake and I often get sent here to pick up stuff. Well, like the parts for our bikes of course.'
Stuff. Yeah right. Hermione was sure she meant something else and she didn't know that she ever wanted to find out what that stuff was.
'Nice to meet you, I'll guess I see you around then,' Hermione said, slowly starting to walk backwards.
When she turned around fully she bumped into a hard chest and two hands grabbed her hips to steady her.
'Woah, steady there Princess. Is this your way of thanking me? If you wanted me to touch you, you could have just asked,' Draco joked, looking down at her with a smirk.
For the second time Hermione's cheeks heated up and she placed her hands on Draco's chest to push him away from her, even if she kind of liked the feeling of his hands on her.
'Or you want to touch me, damn woman make up your mind,' Draco chuckled as he released his grip on her.
'I don't know what you're talking about,' Hermione murmured embarrassed and quickly walked around him to hurry back inside.
She heard the sound of a slap behind her and it took a lot of will power not to look around. She guessed Pansy had slapped Draco's arm. Or face. She looked like the kind of girl to do that.
'Great, now you scared your princess away,' she heard Pansy laugh.
His Princess?
Hermione wanted to stop and listen to his reply, but they would notice if she did. Draco was utterly handsome and his eyes, oh his eyes. She could stare at them all day if he would let her.
'Get it together Hermione,' she whispered to herself, hitting her own cheek softly.
She didn't know the guy, she only saw him for a few minutes with both times combined and he was in a gang for fucks sake. 'But he's the first guy you actually felt attractive to' a little voice whispered in her head. It was true and she was afraid that the more she'd see him, the more she would want him. WANT HIM? Shit. This was already getting out of control. It probably was his bad guy vibe she was attracted to, what girl wasn't? Yeah that must be it.
Hermione collected the scattered tools in the office to distract herself and put them together in a bucket, so she could bring them to the shop later. She grabbed another bucket and filled it with hot water and detergent that smelled like lemons.
'Hermione, are you in here?' Pansy shouted behind the door, knocking too.
Before she could answer however the door already opened and Pansy popped her head inside.
'Sirius told me to get you, he needs your help,' she informed Hermione, opening the door completely.
Hermione dropped her cleaning supplies, grabbed the bucket with tools to take with her and followed Pansy to the shop.
'Did he say what for?' Hermione asked, looking at the girl beside her.
Pansy shook her head and the two continued to walk in silence. Padfoot had chosen to follow the girls and he now dribbled in front of them, leading the way. When Hermione stepped foot in the shop, closely followed by Pansy, she was greeted by a sight of multiple motorcycles. Some were absolutely beautiful, while others looked either horrible or very old and used. In the middle of the loft, Sirius was working on a black Harley. His hands were black, he even had a smudge on his cheek and his brows were furrowed in concentration. Regulus and Draco were standing behind him, talking softly to each other. Draco noticed the girls first, his eyes scanned her body and Hermione suddenly wished she had put on something less revealing as her tight tank top and denim shorts. She felt naked and vulnerable under his stare. She crossed her arms over her chest and avoided making eye contact with him.
'Ah Kitten, there you are,' Sirius greeted her when she reached him. He immediately pushed something in her hands and positioned her where he was sitting on the floor before.
'See that? I need you to fix it with those tiny golden hands of yours,' he said, smiling encouraging at her.
Hermione nodded at him and went to work, occasionally asking for another tool. She could feel Draco and Pansy's curious eyes following her every move, but weirdly it didn't bother her this time. She was working, she knew what she was doing and she was good at it.
'I told you she was good,' Sirius grinned to his brother when Hermione stepped back to admire her handy work.
A small smile appeared on Hermione's face and she turned her head to look at the brothers and their visitors. Sirius looked proud, Regulus his face didn't show much emotion, Pansy looked impressed and Draco had this look in his eye that she couldn't quite place. His eyes seemed a darker shade of grey, but Hermione wasn't sure as he stood a little too far away. Sirius handed her a cloth to clean her hands of the black grease that covered the skin of her fingers.
'Do you need anything else?' she asked Sirius, wanting to escape from Draco's piercing eyes.
He hadn't stopped staring at her and it made her a little uncomfortable. Her skin seemed to be burning as well and she just couldn't understand why he would look at here that way. Maybe he thought she was weird?
The raven haired man shook his head and Hermione turned on her feet to leave the shop.
'Hey wait up,' Pansy called after her, jogging to catch up with the girl.
Hermione slowed her pace and waiting for Pansy to join her.
'I didn't take you for a biker girl, you look more like the 'I'd rather stick my nose in a book' kind of girl. It's a nice surprise. Did you see the look on Draco's face when you got your hands all dirty? Priceless! He's going to want you even more now,' Pansy chatted cheerfully, winking at the girl when she got out the last sentence.
Draco wanted her? Well he could come and get her anytime. She was sure she would make a fool out of herself if he ever decided to do just that, but she certainly wouldn't mind. Oh she had to talk to Ginny about this.
'Just so you know, I did work in a bookshop before this,' Hermione grinned, choosing to not react on the Draco wanting her bit. She was sure the girl was only fishing for her thoughts on the blonde.
Pansy barked out a laugh. 'Of course you did.'
The sound of a roaring engine caused both the girls to turn their head and look at the biker that drove up to them. Behind the rider sat a slender woman with blond curly hair that slipped out from under her helmet. The bike stopped a few feet away from them and when the woman removed her helmet and shook her hair free, Hermione recognized her friend immediately
'Luna!' she yelled out surprised.
She had not expected to see one of her best friends here, especially not behind a member of Slytherin. But then, why shouldn't she? Seeing as her boyfriend Theo was of course a member of the snake squad.
'Hello Hermione,' Luna smiled, hopping over to her friend to kiss her cheek.
Pansy looked at the blonde with raised eyebrows before introducing herself, her eyes flashing between Luna and the young man that only now took off his helmet. He smirked at Pansy and smoothly stepped off the beautiful monster he had just arrived on. Luna grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her closer to her boyfriend.
'Hermione, meet Theo; my handsome and extremely sexy boyfriend.'
