CHAPTER THREE

"Sirius?"

Hermione had just woken up and muttered the Animagus' name with her sleepy voice. Her bushy brown hair was even messier than usual but she hadn't noticed it yet. The sheets were tangled on her pale, and surprisingly, bruised and slightly reddened skin.

The handsome man wasn't in his bed anymore, but the curve of the matress was still warm. Hermione panicked at first, believing she had no clothes to go out of the room, but was relieved to find her tank top and sleeping shorts she had gathered on the floor. She quickly slid in them.

She judged by the faint light coming from behind the curtains that it was only dawn, she didn't know Sirius was an early riser. In fact, he was known for sleeping till at least 9. The door creaked when she opened it. Hermione swiftly got out of the room and tiptoed downstairs, but she didn't take the direction of the living room with the fireplace like she had did last night. She had a feeling she would find Sirius in the kitchen.

Hermione had taken her wand with her, a nely acquired reflex. She tought about trying to fix her hair, when she almost bumped into the man she was looking for as he went out of the kitchen.

"Wow! Easy there, Hermione!" Sirius said.

Hermione blushed and lowered her wand. "Sorry Sirius... I really am." She apologized.

Sirius carefully looked at her. It strangely felt, at first, as if they had never done anything intimate the two past nights, as if they had just remained Harry's best friend and his godfather, nothing more. But when his eyes lingered on Hermione, Sirius couldn't help but feel a warm twist in his stomach. He resisted the urge to smile for no reason and handed to her what he had in his hands.

Hermione took the cup with appearingly some black tea in it. She questionned the handsome man with her brown eyes, still not completely awake.

"Thanks but... What is it? It looks like a potion."

Sirius felt awkward. He looked at the floor while murmuring: "Yes. It's a contraceptive potion."

"Oh." Hermione blushed.

Just having this warm cup in her hands reminded her of their embrace, of all the kisses of the previous night. She looked at it a few seconds, not expecting a good taste. She then gulped it with tightly shut eyes: she was right, it was beyond disgusting. When she was finished, her mouth twisted like she had just swallowed the most acid lemon juice in the world.

"Merlin... It was awful." Hermione had a little laugh. She pointed her wand at the cup: no one could know what she had drank. "Tergeo."

A frown of worry crossed Sirius' face. "Do you feel alright?" he asked.

"Yes... Don't worry about last night."

"I meant that, but also in general. How do you feel, Hermione?" he asked calmly.

Hermione was now the one to look at the floor. She didn't want to think about her situation now. She had thought it through enough, prepared the plans, the potions, the cloak, the tent... She had taken care of everything to leave on the hunt for Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. Everything was engraved in her mind, and these few days before they left were not to be sullied with such thoughts.

"I know you three are up to something. I can't stop you. But if you want to talk about it..." he began.

"I can't tell you anything, Sirius. I really can't, even if I wish I could! It's..." she had one trembling breath. "It's so hard..."

Sirius took her in his arms. She wouldn't cry again, no, she would't! His warmth was so comforting, so comfortable, it felt like an invitation to cry on his chest. She bit her quivering lip and held him.

"It's fine. Don't tell me anything, then. But I'm always here for you if you need me." Sirius said in a husky voice.

Hermione had a real, happy smile she couldn't stop from appearing on her lips. Sirius felt it against his bare torso and felt warm inside. He loved to breathe and to feel her soft figure against his heaving chest. Her bushy hair was tickling his skin. He enjoyed every detail of her he could see and feel, even her smell. He held on to her stronger than before, because it was at this moment he realised she was soon to go.

Hermione suddenly had a shiver in all of her body. A knot was forming itself in her stomach, and her throat felt tighter. She had a growing urge of throwing up.

"Sorry but.. I feel really bad..." She slowly pushed Sirius aside.

"Oh... It's the potion. It can have this kind of effect." Sirius answered.

"Ugh... I think next time I'll look for a spell." she smirked.

Sirius mentally felt a surge of warmth, but didn't say a word. Was she considering a next time, or was she just saying this because of the disgusting potion? Not being very optimistic at the moment, and annoyed of being locked up all day, Sirius didn't want to believe in the first option, which would mean so much more than simply having sex.

"I think I might go to my own room..." said Hermione unsurely. "It would be weird for us to be caught together."

"You're right." said Sirius. "Try to have a little sleep, then? You look tired, even a bit pale!" he jokingly said.

She lightly punched him and giggled.

"Okay. Good night then."

She began to walk towards the staircase, but instead she stepped back and kissed Sirius on the cheek. He smiled and grabbed her by the back before she left again and kissed her fully on the lips. Before she could get lost in one of his kisses again, she ran upstairs.

Sirius stood there for a few minutes, his mind fuzzy, before sitting by the dying fire. He slid his wand out from his pants and threw a gesture of it towards the curtains to lift them. He saw the sky was still dark from the night, coloured by the light touch of dawn. He too hadn't had a lot of sleep and considered falling asleep to the warmth of the fire. But as he was looking at the sky, he suddenly felt a weight fall on the couch, next to him.

He spun and saw Hermione's orange cat. He smirked and began to pet Crookshanks, earning him a loud purr. The cat nestled in Sirius' lap, where it was the warmest because of the fire. Sirius thought this cat had always liked him, he remembered how it had shown him where Pettigrew was hiding and helped him to enter the castle by stealing Neville's password list. Poor Neville, thought Sirius...

He spent quite some time petting Crookshanks and getting lost in his own thoughts. Remus was the first to go downstairs to have some breakfast, but he also looked very pale. It was never easy for him to sleep well the night before a full moon. He had only talked with Sirius of the place he would stay locked up during the night. His face brightened as he saw Sirius.

"Oh, Sirius! I thought I was the only one awake..."

"I didn't sleep well either, my friend."

"I must tell you something..." began Remus. A frown of worry crossed his already worn-out face.

"Yes?"

"Tonks wants to stay with me this night. She says some company will be the best for me, but she doesn't know what it really is. I'm still too unpredictable..."

"But you have your potion, right?" said Sirius. "The wolfsbane potion?"

"I still have some left, but with Severus gone, it won't last long... That's why I won't take much of it, I want some spare..."

"You're right, it's too dangerous to stay with you. But do you want me to stay, though?" Sirius asked.

"No, don't worry." said Remus with a sad smile. "I'll manage well alone. I just ask you to keep an eye on Dora, I'm almost sure she'll try to stay with me."

"Don't worry, I'll be watching." said Sirius, patting his friend in the back.

No one really talked to each other during the day, a general tiredness seemed to have taken its toll on most of the inhabitants of the 12th Grimmauld Place. Hermione had mostly stayed with Harry and Ron, vaguely discussed the plans they had already talked about a hundred of times. Sirius spent the rest of the morning sleeping and had missed lunch. He had read a book in the afternoon and spoken with Remus, but as each day he spent in his family house, he had the feeling he had lost his day. This feeling was growing because of its cohabitation with the thought of him fucking Hermione.

When the sky began to go dark and the air felt colder, the entire Weasley family had arrived to the house. Bill and Fleur's wedding was to happen in a few days too, and they wanted to share this piece of happiness with their friends during theses dark times. This evening was to be an Order dinner, but a lot of the members who had been invited didn't come. It wasn't a surprise, since Moody's death, everyone was being more careful.

Mrs Weasley had brought a great amount of food, which Harry and Ron were cautiously ogling. The three set the table with Ginny for the dinner while the guests were chatting.

"What are we eating tonight?" asked Hermione to Ron.

Ron's eyes lit at the mention of eating.

"Mum made some delicious stew! And I think there's some pie for desert."

Hermione smiled. She knew of Ron's passion for food, and understood Harry too: being deprived of food for all of his childhood must have made him uncomfortable with so much food around, but also desirous to have it.

The guests progressively sat down to the large table that was taking almost the whole room. Hermione sat next to Tonks, the seat next to her remained empty, since Harry and Ron sat together next to Fred and George who had stories to tell about their shop. The seat next to Tonks was also empty, but Ginny faced her. They were chatting too.

The table was almost full, but the same two seats remained empty. A few minutes later, Remus and Sirius entered the room, smiling, silently talking. Hermione's cheeks flushed red when she saw the dark haired man. His eyes crossed hers quickly, but focused soon after on his conversation with Remus.

As expected, Remus sat next to Tonks, and Sirius took the only remaining seat, the one next to Hermione. What a coincidence, she thought. She stiffened as Sirius pulled the chair under him. She couldn't help but remember the love they had been making and closed her eyes at the feeling.

"Oh, hi Hermione!" said Sirius in a low voice, with a playful tone.

"Oh, uhm... Hello Sirius!" answered Hermione.

She sounded so awkward Sirius couldn't repress a chuckle. Mrs Weasley served everyone with food with a flick of her wand, but Hermione wasn't very hungry. She discreetely passed some of her stew under the table to Crookshanks. A loud purr could be heard, but everyone was discussing things with their neighbour, and no one saw what Hermione was doing. Except for her neighbour, Sirius. He had witnessed the whole scene and pet Crookshanks as he came under his chair to ask for some food.

Hermione began to eat. The stew was good, but she really wasn't hungry, and the chatter all around her was giving her a headache. As she took a mouthful, she suddenly jerked at the contact of something on her thigh. She almost choked on the stew and muttered:

"Crookshanks!"

"Are you looking for your cat, Hermione?" purred Sirius in her ear.

Hermione froze: Sirius lifted the tablecloth, the orange cat was resting on his knees. So what had touched her...

She glared at Sirius, her cheeks probably redder than wine. She heard a light chuckle from him, but concentrated on ignoring him. Why was he suddenly more playful?

Hermione resisted the urge to jump out of her chair when she felt Sirius' hand cradle her thigh. She stiffened. His hand then rested on her thigh, creating a comfortable warmth on her skin. The jeans she wore were made of rather thin fabric, making his touch rather enjoyable. A sudden heat nestled in her lower belly. The affection she felt for Sirius had chosen this moment to resurface.

She almost put her nose in her plate, concentrating on the hand resting on her thigh. She felt Sirius move it towards the inside, dangerously close to her pussy. This place of her body in particular was almost lit on fire when Sirius' hand stroked it. He teased the apex of her legs for a few minutes, then withdrew his hand back to pet Crookshanks.

The young witch was redder than the tomato sauce of the stew. The emptiness Sirius' hand had left frustrated her greatly. She was about to silently kick him under the table, when Molly brought another plate with her wand.

"Desert!" Molly announced.

A piece of pie was magically deposed in front of all the guests. Everyone ate joyfully, but Hermione couldn't even swallow a piece. She was flustered and frustrated, and walked out of the room as soon as a few people did so too.

She walked up the stairs: it was dark upstairs, and the corridor leading to the small room she slept in was even darker. All of the guests were busy downstairs, she could maybe find a little piece of loneliness up here. As she let herself slide down the wooden wall,she heard some light footsteps climbing the stairs. She stood up and awkwardly walked again along the corridor.

"Hermione!" silently called a deep voice.

She froze and spun: of course, this person had to be Sirius.

"What?" she snapped.

"Sorry for what happened to dinner... I didn't mean to anger you!" he tried.

With the absence of an answer, he kept on.

"I thought it could be funny..." he jokingly said.

Hermione didn't know how to feel. She eyed him cautiously as she stepped closer to him, and drew her finger pointed on his chest.

"Did it cross your mind that we were at a dinner? With people?" she ironically asked.

"Of course! This was all the fun." he growled in her ear.

Hermione couldn't be angry with Sirius. She had had her part of enjoyment, she couldn't deny it. And this low growl was reminding her how frustrated she had been, and how much she had been thinking about their embrace.

"Did you like it when I touched you... Here?" asked Sirius, gently caressing the inside of her thigh.

The heat came back as fast as it had left earlier. Hermione gripped his wrist, keeping his hand in that position. Sirius didn't need an answer. He put his arms over Hermione and slowly pushed her towards the wall, where there was no escape allowed.

"So... I guessed you liked it." he purred.

He kissed her against the wall, pushing his warm body against hers. Her soft lips were so delicious to capture, he moved his jaw against her skin. A silent whimper escaped Hermione's mouth when she felt him being hard against her thigh.

Some footsteps followed by discreet laughter suddenly echoed in the dark corridor. Sirius had an audible chuckle and pushed Hermione in the nearest room, which luckily, happened to be his. The two didn't move until another door was closed.

"It's Remus," said Sirius. "He's with Tonks, obviously."

"Assurdiato." said Hermione, pointing her wand at Sirius' door.

"This spell is very useful, where did you learn it?" he smirked.

"Uhm... Harry found it last year in the book of the Half Blood Prince."

"What?!" almost shouted Sirius. "You've used Snivellus' spell?!"

"Yes..." said, Hermione, slightly ashamed.

"You know what?" began Sirius, deeply looking into Hermione's brown eyes. "For once, I'm very thankful of this son of a bitch."

He then pushed Hermione on his bed. She giggled and began to unbutton her shirt, but Sirius' hand stopped her.

"Why all the hurry?" he asked huskily. He took Hermione's hands and placed them just above her head, without releasing them. He supported himself with his other arm while kissing the girl under him like a hungry predator. The warmth they created between their two bodies was the same inside them, moving their bodies with the same desire, with the same love.

Sirius rocked his pelvis against Hermione's jeans. His eyes darkened with lust as they kissed. He dropped her hands, but made her understand with a single look that she was not to move. His hands undid her jeans and slid them down her legs. She questioned him with her brown eyes, but as an answer he took off her underwear.

Hermione didn't exactly see what Sirius was doing, but she soon felt something very warm and hard fall against her thighs. Sirius had unbuttoned his own trousers and was breathing heavily. He went down for a deep kiss. Hermione's lips were hungry for Sirius' contact, for he poured all of his desire into his kisses.

The tip of his length was against Hermione's already wet pussy. Sirius had a shiver when he felt this wetness, it had to be so warm and tight inside. While kissing the girl, he slowly pushed himself inside of her. He had to break the kiss to groan.

"Aah..." he groaned in Hermione's ear.

Hermione gasped as she felt his cock entirely fill her. Her body was shaken by a spasm of pleasure: it was so good to feel Sirius inside of her again.

The Animagus was less gentle than before. He quickly began to thrust into Hermione, lifting her legs and her hips as he gripped them. He pushed himself so deep inside of her Hermione could feel his balls hit against her ass. His moans and groans in her ear were threatening to send her over the edge. This feral Sirius had a terrible hunger for her, and she enjoyed the urgency with wich he fucked her.

Hermione's inner walls were more and more tightening on his cock. Each slide in or out was spreading hotness in her body, creating a sweet burning sensation in her pussy. Sirius put two of his fingers in his mouth and licked them, then lightly stroked Hermione's clit. Hermione had a louder whimper.

A sudden wave of pleasure spread in all of her body when she crossed Sirius' eyes. She had a series of little gasps, each more high than the other. Sirius pushed her stronger than before on his cock: he moaned and bit the skin between her neck and her shoulder. His pelvis thrust brutally against her thighs and asscheeks, echoing in the clapping of their sweat-ridden skins.

Hermione felt from her insides a spasm run along Sirius' member. The warm liquid spread inside of the girl as she went down from her peak. Sirius almost fell on her, he had come so harder than before he could barely support himself above Hermione. He rolled next to her, this time he was the one to have a large smile on the lips. He gently touched her cheek and kissed her.

Hermione's mind was fuzzy, she already seemed to be drifting into sleep. She was about to close her eyes, a happy Sirius being her last picture, when someone knocked on the door. They froze.