A/N: Second chapter! It's short, but I wanted to get it out. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews! Please, keep it up:D
Hermione yawned and stretched in bed as the dawn light filtered in through the spaces between the curtains. She thought about the previous night and blushed madly as she sat up and looked over at Ginny, who was still in a deep sleep. She was almost tempted to hide away in her bed and not face Sirius again, but then she realized that he would probably not be in the least bit awkward about what had happened the night before. It was this thought that compelled her to do the same. She wanted him last night and she still did, that hadn't changed at all, so why be shy about that? No, she would be the bold lioness and continue along the path she started down in the wee hours of the morning.
Sirius sat nervously at the breakfast table as Molly cooked and people slowly came down and settled in. He was afraid that Hermione would not show herself, or that she would avoid him steadfastly. He wasn't just scared about losing what they gained last night – why should he be? – but he was also afraid of losing their newfound friendship. Hermione offered him something he hadn't had in a very long time: conversation that was both light and deep, serious and silly, and friendship. Sure, he had much of that from Remus, but it was different with Hermione. She didn't expect him to act like a grown-up; it was as if she understood that he was 12 years behind in the life department from his time locked up. She also knew what it was like to be thrust from childhood to adulthood very suddenly, what with the way this war was going and how she had inadvertently got stuck in the middle of it. He just hoped she wouldn't become awkward and distant.
He glanced at Remus out of the corner of his eye. Remus had simply given him a stern look that said 'We need to talk' that morning before Order members began piling into the house. He would want to know what was going on, but Sirius was glad he didn't have time to answer earlier because he didn't quite know it all himself.
Hermione bounced down the steps and meandered into the kitchen. Arthur sat at the end of the table reading the paper while Ron sat beside him blearily sipping at some juice and eyeing his mother's cooking hungrily when he wasn't stealing glances at Fleur, who sat beside him. Fred and George sat on the other side of their father, and Bill across from them by his fiancée. Then sat Sirius, playing with a fork idly, as he seemed to be deep in thought, eyes on the table, and Remus and Tonks sat beside him.
"Morning, Hermione!" Molly beamed from the stove. "Have a seat, dearie. Breakfast is almost ready!" Everyone seemed to notice Hermione and said their 'Good Mornings' which she replied as she moved down the table and sat across from Sirius.
"Ginny still asleep?" Molly asked with a sigh. As Hermione nodded she looked at the twins. "Go on and wake her, then." She turned back to cooking and the two pushed their chairs out and stood up, leaving the kitchen at once. Hermione reached for the pitcher of juice, but Sirius grabbed it first.
"Allow me," he smiled and she thanked him as he poured her a glass. "Sleep well?" She could see a slight nervousness in his eyes as he asked her this.
She smiled meaningfully and replied, "Quite," before smirking and picking up her glass to take a sip as Remus looked over at her before Tonks pulled his attention back. Literally, as she placed her hand on his chin and turned him back to face her. Hermione surmised that whatever Order business had taken place must have been good, because everyone seemed to be in slightly higher spirits than normal. Fred and George came back in followed by a grumpy and barely awake Ginny and George ran to answer a knock on the kitchen door as Ginny sat beside her. Alastor Moody limped into the kitchen with a growled 'hello' and sat beside Tonks who turned to talk to him a moment before turning back to Remus.
Molly magicked plates of toast and eggs, bacon and sausages, waffles and pancakes, and other sorts of breakfast items onto the table and everyone began to fill their plates. With their food finally before them the group began to eat and chat, discussing the news, talking about what was left out of the paper, new happenings at the Ministry and so forth. Hermione stretched her leg out, accidentally kicking Sirius and apologized, but he smiled that it was okay. With a wicked thought she stretched her leg out again, this time touching Sirius' foot. He glanced over to her, but Molly began asking him some question and he turned back to her. Slowly she ran her big toe and the side of her foot up his ankle and back down, watching him tense as he continued conversing with the matron. She continued doing this, sometimes running her foot higher, sometimes stroking his foot with her toes and fighting back a grin as he responded in kind. Ginny, getting food into her system, finally started to wake up more and started talking to Hermione, who kept glancing at Sirius every time she turned back to her plate to grab a bite. As she licked egg yolk off her fork she noticed Sirius, who was no longer having the conversation with Molly, was watching her, though he had his head down and was trying to hide it. Hermione glanced around and realized no one was looking so she ran her tongue up over the fork and was rewarded with Sirius hooking her ankle with his and tugging it lightly. She giggled, making it seem like it was at something Tonks had said to Ginny and winked at Sirius who winked back.
After breakfast everyone was relegated cleaning tasks, which they were to take up at once, and began to work on the house. Hermione noticed that Sirius offered to help them with the doxies in the front living room, a task he would have normally avoided. He worked side by side with her, spraying stray doxies that she missed before they got a chance to bite her, all the while laughing and hopping around and having a genuinely good time. They finished by early afternoon and decided to take lunch outside so as to get out of the doxycide fumes for a bit. Everyone piled outside except for Molly, who set about preparing some sandwiches, and Hermione and Sirius. He told her that he just had to check on Buckbeak and he'd be out, while Hermione said she needed to use the restroom first, which she did. The two of them ambled up the stairs and she paused at the doorway to the loo. "I'll be right up," she whispered and smiled before slipping inside and closing the door. Sirius stood there grinning a second before he continued on upstairs.
Hermione did her business quick and then hurried up the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible, pushing open the door and slipping into the room. She closed the door and turned around to find Sirius right there. He slipped his arms around her and wasted no time in pressing his lips to hers. She kissed him back eagerly with a soft moan, their tongues dancing sinuously with one another as she tangled her fingers in his hair and he ran his hands along the sides of her body and over her back. After a moment they broke the kiss and he pressed his forehead to hers, sighing and planting soft kisses on her lips before she turned and opened the door and they both made their way down the stairs and outside.
A/N: Please review!
