Remind Me
Chapter 1
Life loving Sirius Black was perfection. Now that they knew what they had was real, the sex was better, the cuddles were better, everything was better. Initially a few of their friends had been apprehensive about their relationship becoming more serious, but had soon seen that they couldn't argue, they were just too happy to ruin.
Hermione had managed for the first time in two weeks, to actually sit down and have breakfast before heading to work. She was working a desk job in the Education department of the Ministry, hoping to eventually get a position at Hogwarts when a Professor retired. She was followed into the kitchen by a very sweet looking Sirius, who was trying hard to convince her to come back to bed.
"No, Sirius! I'd like to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea and some toast before work, I'm sick of feeling like I have to scoff it down or I'll be late – and I've been late enough, before you say it's okay to be late once in a while!" She threw him a mock glare as she headed for the bread, neither noticing Harry sitting at the table drinking tea and looking at the paper.
"And I would quite like to eat my breakfast without hearing you two frolicking right above me for once" Harry announced, putting down his paper.
"Oh, Harry! Good morning! Can you really hear us? Oh, I'm so sorry, never again, I promise!" Hermione flustered, her cheeks flushed.
"Sit down my love, for I shall make you breakfast" Sirius said regally, pulling a chair out from around the table. She helped herself to the teapot on the table after thanking him.
"Honestly, quite glad I only have to be here six more months before Ginny and I marry – then we can move into our new home" Harry said with a laugh. Mrs. Weasley had refused to let Ginny move out of home until she was married, and Harry felt it was wrong to live in her dream home without her.
"Oh I can't wait to find my dream home, Ginny's so lucky!" Hermione gushed, and Sirius turned from the oven to look at her.
"And what is wrong with my home?" He said harshly, making her bite her lip before she turned to face him.
"Nothing, it's just I've always dreamed of the white picket fence, so to speak. A nice yard and big bright bedrooms for my children, a place a family can call home, feel safe and loved. A family home, not just a house." She said softly, looking at the floor.
"Children?" he asked dumbfounded.
"Look, you've burnt the pancakes, and I have to leave now anyway. Can we discuss this later? I'll be home about 2." She said quickly, jumping up and placing her tea cup in the sink. She tiptoed up to kiss his cheek and smiled, heading for the floo and disappearing before he could say a word.
"Kids? Fuck Harry – I don't think I can be a Dad" Sirius flicked his wand to sort out the mess in the frying pan and sat down, slumping over the table.
"Surely, you assumed that eventually Hermione would want a family, Sirius?" Harry said softly, and Sirius shook his head in his arms. "You'd be a great father Sirius, haven't you done a great job as my Godfather?"
"I wasn't even there for 12 fucking years, how is that great? I love kids, I'd love to have my own, but I don't think I can be a Father, what if I screw up? What if Hermione stops loving me, I won't see them!" Sirius exclaimed, sitting up and getting himself a cup of tea.
"Hermione won't stop loving you unless you do something stupid. Honestly, I can't wait to be a dad, even though I have no idea how to be one. Ginny said its instinct more than skill. I wouldn't worry Sirius, just go with it. Get out of this horrid house, find a house Hermione can't live without, put a ring on her finger and make a tribe." Harry stood and placed his cup in the sink before standing next to the floo and putting on his cloak.
"Right. Well, I'm going ring shopping then" Sirius declared, and Harry shook his head with a laugh.
"Already Sirius? Mate, I wasn't telling you to start popping out kids and getting married right now" Harry ran his hand through his hair, looking worried.
"Going to take a few months to come up with some way to propose, can't have Hermione thinking I'm cheap" Sirius sais with a grin and a wink, picking up the newspaper and opening it to read.
Sirius strolled Diagon Alley, not paying attention to the numerous stares he received – people who still saw him as the mass-mudering Azkaban-escapee, and the women who stopped to admire his still youthful good looks. He quickly entered the little jewellery boutique at the end of the alley and hoped no-one had noticed exactly what Sirius was up to.
"Good Afternoon, Lord Black, how may I help?" The old man behind the counter called out to him. Sirius shuddered, how he hated that title. He guessed that there was some sort of detection charm on the doorway that revealed true identities, for security reasons .
"Sirius is fine – none of this Lord business. I'm looking for an engagement ring" He said, getting straight to the point. The door dinged behind him and he spun to see Harry standing there with a grin.
"Figured you'd need a hand. Took the morning off work to help." Harry said simply, and Sirius grinned gratefully.
"Our rings, Lord Black, Lord Potter." The shopkeeper signalled to a counter to the left, where the two men headed eagerly. It seemed like only a few days since they'd been in here picking a ring for Ginny. "May I ask why you don't use a ring from the Black Family, sir?"
"There was one I liked, my great-grandmother's ring. But I'm not sure what protections would be on it. My love is a muggleborn, you see, and it wouldn't have surprised me if my ancestors put some nasty curses on those rings." Sirius said grimly, looking down at the sparkling diamonds, looking for the ring that screamed Hermione to him. Something simple, but still beautiful and extravagant. He looked over the rings, not finding a single on he liked, until, in the top corner of the cabinet covered in shadows, was the one he needed. "That one. Can I see it?"
"Ah, fine choice! Goblin-made, white gold with diamonds mined from the Arctic. One of our finest" The jeweller said, pulling the ring out and placing it on the cabinet in front of his two customers.
"It's beautiful. Very Hermione" commented Harry, looking at the ring. The white gold band was clustered with a light pattern of small diamonds, then set in the middle was a claw that held one of the clearest diamonds he'd ever seen. It wasn't too over the top, it was stunning, but simple and practical.
"I'll take it" announced Sirius, pulling out his chequebook from inside his cloak. Thirty seconds later he was signing it with his elegant scrawl and handing it to the jeweller, who look very happy with himself. "Don't you ever tell Hermione how much that cost" he told Harry with a wink, placing the ring box in his pocket.
"Make sure you take it to Bill and get some charms put on it" Harry said as they left the store together, heading for the Leaky Cauldron so Harry could apparate back to the ministry.
"I'll stop in at his place on my way home. He's off work at the moment with the kids while Fleur's in France with her mother." Sirius said as they reached the apparition point. They bade each other goodbye and apparated, Harry back to the Ministry where he was a top level Auror, and Sirius to Shell Cottage to see Bill.
Hermione flooed into an empty kitchen at Grimmauld Place and looked up at the clock. 1.30pm. A little earlier than usual, but it was weird not to see Sirius sitting at the table, eating a late lunch. She headed up the stairs, poked her head into an empty library and drawing room before heading to the bedroom to get changed. She hated wearing robes day in day out – muggle clothes at home was a must. A nice pink summer dress was perfect for the hot June weather. Sirius was still nowhere to be seen though, where on earth was he?
Hermione found a book in the library and headed down to the kitchen to make some tea, read and wait for him to appear. On entering the kitchen she found her ginger-headed best friend dusting the ashes off her dress, having tripped in the floo again.
"What are you doing here Gin'?" She asked, confused.
"Hello to you too. Thought my best friend might like a visit." Ginny replied with a mock glare, sitting down at the table and looking at the book Hermione had just put down.
"Sirius is out, thought I'd do some reading until someone gets here to distract me. Haven't even started it yet" Hermione said with a laugh, placing a tray on the table with a fresh pot of tea, two cups, sugar and milk. "What's your Mum doing to make you run?"
"Harry made the mistake of mentioning that I needed to decorate at our house. Mum took that as a plea for help. The floral wallpaper she wants for our master bedroom is ghastly" Ginny said and both of them giggled.
"I couldn't imagine how much fun I'd have decorating my own house. I think Sirius intends to stay here. I don't think I can handle this house for the rest of my life." Hermione said grimly.
"Ew, I could barely handle the summers we spent here. It's not a place for children. You'd have to watch out for Dark crap everywhere." Ginny frowned down at her coffee with disgust.
"I'm pretty sure Sirius doesn't want kids." Hermione said shortly, stirring another sugar into her tea quickly.
"Serious? Oh, fuck. Are you sure? He's great with Bill's kids – and Teddy. Can you handle that though, I know how much you wanted kids" Ginny looked at Hermione with worry as tears pooled in her eyes.
"I don't think I can. I want kids so desperately, one day. I think if he said never I couldn't stay with him, even though I love him so fucking much. Why the fuck does life never work out!?" She exclaimed, rubbing tears from her cheeks. Hermione didn't swear often, so Ginny knew this was stressing her out.
"I'm sure you just got the wrong message. He'd do anything to make you happy 'Mione, he's an idiot if this breaks you up" Ginny said venomously, making Hermione smile.
"Enough of that, I've been thinking about that all day. What are you planning on doing with the house? Red and Gold everything?" Hermione teased, and Ginny eagerly accepted the subject change. She loved talking about her dream home.
"Funny. No, I'm thinking a neutral nursery, and then leaving the other bedrooms relatively plain, to do up once we have kids and know whether it's boys or girls. Apart from the guest room. I like a rich royal red carpet, plain cream wallpaper, and dark wooden furniture. Blue in our room, like the sky. Royal blue carpet, deep blue carpet and white furniture. I want a four-poster bed in our room, with silky translucent white curtains. I'm not sure about the living or dining rooms. The kitchens going to be modern, white walls, white tiles, stainless steel appliances and black benchtops. Thank fuck for cleaning spells." Ginny could talk house for hours, and usually it excited Hermione, but today all she could think about is living in this dark dreary house for the rest of her life.
"The red would look nice in the living and dining areas too – especially with a beautiful mahogany dining table and entertainment suite" Hermione said dreamily, picturing how her and Sirius could decorate their dream home.
"Oh they would! Come shopping with me Saturday! We can go look at paint, wallpaper and carpet samples! I hate going into the muggle world by myself, I must make a complete fool out of myself!" Ginny laughed and Hermione agreed. Ginny stood up to leave and they said their goodbyes as the front door slammed. Sirius was home.