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Enough with the torture, right?

Siriusly Wicked

..

"She deserves better than you, you know?"

The unbearable woman had finally managed to corner him, after several failed attempts throughout the night, and probably thought that would be a nice opener.

"I do know that, actually." He kept his tone neutral. He knew his calmness irked the fiery matriarch and if she was set on making him uncomfortable, he wasn't going to make it easy for her.

"Then why not let her go? Let her be happy!" Her face was growing redder by the seconds, clearly not used to the indifference of her opinion.

"As far as I know, and I know this because she has told me, I make her happy," He replied simply.

"That's because she's had your relationship in a bubble. What do you think will happen when this goes public? Do you imagine the public will be thrilled to learn that the Golden Girl is dating a Death Eater?" He had to admit her snarking was impressive for a Gryffindor.

He didn't bother correcting her about status, never having taken the mark, despite his father's wishes.

"I imagine she'll do what she wants, regardless of what the public makes of her choices."

"And her family? We are all she has in this world now, you know? Do you think you'll ever fit in, that we will ever approve?" The attack was progressively growing louder and he wanted it to stop before Hermione took notice.

"Do not confuse me for a man who will give up his happiness for something as petty as approval." He finally regarded her with the full weight of his stoic stare. At Mrs. Weasley's indignant sputter he interrupted quickly.

"Don't misunderstand me, I would very much prefer it if you happened to approve, or simply let Hermione know that you won't object. However, if you don't, I have no intention of giving up the witch. I am hers for as long as she'll have me and nothing you say will persuade me otherwise."

The conversation was over; he had nothing else to add. He decided to avoid further confrontation by looking for the witch in question. As aloof as he tried to come across, he was worried now. The rest of the Weasley clan had treated him with a modicum of civility, with the exception of Ronald, who insisted on throwing glares his way every few minutes.

However, what had really sparkled his curiosity, was the undivided attention Charlie Weasley was paying him that night. Before, during, and after dinner, the redhead seemed to have his sole focus on him. The Tamer hadn't been rude at any moment but there was something in his eyes that unsettled him.

The eldest Weasley had been paying close attention too, thought he had been more subtle about it. William, he believed, seemed most interested in his interaction with Hermione. He could feel the weight of his eyes whenever he would lean close to whisper something in her ear, or when he held her hand in his.

Potter had been the most pleasant of all, to his surprise. There were no glares or scathing comments coming from The Boy Who Lived. Truth be told, if anyone in that room had a right to hate him, other than Hermione that was, for his past behaviour, it was him. And yet, the green-eyed-man seemed to have left it all behind him. Potter seemed very interested in what he had made of his life after the war. He was the only one to ask any questions about his present life, as well as some about his future.

The search for his girlfriend was proving to be harder than anticipated, as she could not be found in the living room, dining room or kitchen. He was headed outside when he paused in his tracks when he heard his name in a conversation, coming from the yard.

"Theodore is an interesting choice." The voice belonged to William, if he wasn't mistaken, and seeing as he and Hermione were the only two missing from the gathering inside, she was the recipient of the comment.

"He's a good man, Bill. I'm… very fond of him." Theo knew that she loved him, he could see it in her eyes but she had yet to say it. He had fallen in love with her after their second date, already halfway there before she even agreed to go out with him. Hermione knew, though, there had been no need for him to say it and furthermore, Theo didn't want to scare her off by saying something she was clearly not ready to hear.

"That's an interesting choice of words."

"You seem to find everything about tonight very interesting."

"You know what's also interesting? How quiet Charlie has been. That's been very strange, don't you think?"

Theo was missing something. There were very strange looks being exchanged all over the table during dinner.

"Don't even go there, Bill. He's over me, I'm over him. It's been two years for Merlin's sake, I had hoped that by now the rest of you would stop expecting us to get back together." Hermione sounded exasperated, but underneath he could hear something else. Something that sounded much like nervousness, uneasiness.

"I think you should speak for yourself."

"Oh, and I suppose Charlie asked you to say this? Yes, this is very much like him. Sending messages through his brothers to confess his hidden feelings for me." She scoffed and he could hear the reprimand and sarcasm in her words.

"His feelings for you have never been hidden but if you'd like to go with denial, I suppose that's fine." Theo could almost hear the smile on the redhead. William was trying to rile her up, for some reason.

"I think your family, particularly you, Ginny and Mrs Weasley are the ones in denial! He broke up with me! How's that for denial? If he had wanted to be with me, he would be. So, just save your fantasies about making me a Weasley to yourself, yeah?" William had managed to get under her skin, Theo could hear the annoyance in her voice.

He tried his best not to let it get to him, that she had been in a relationship with someone that was clearly more suited for her. The idiot, however, had been stupid enough to let her go, so they couldn't have been all that suited, nor Charlie Weasley all that smart.

"We're all allowed a single day of stupidity, don't you think? After three years of relationship, don't you think you owe him that?" It seemed the elder Weasley agreed with Theo's inner thoughts, in that Charlie had been stupid to break up with someone like Hermione Granger.

"True, a single day is not a crime."

There was a pause and Theo could feel himself drowning in apprehension. Three years. They had been together for three years. Could William talk her into rethinking her relationship with him?

"But what about the days that followed, or the years? It stops being the stupidity of a single day when you renew it every day thereafter." The sadness in her voice made something inside Theo clench painfully. Did his girlfriend still have feelings for her ex?

"I think neither of you knew how to take it back. You can't say you fought for him."

"And why, exactly, would I fight for someone who didn't want me? I did that once. Before Charlie I dated someone who clearly didn't appreciate me and I… I made a lot of mistakes. I won't ever make them again. I know my worth, Bill, and I won't accept anything less than what I deserve."

"And is Nott what you deserve?" Theo held his breath involuntarily.

"He doesn't think so, but he is. I think the war and all that came after warped his perception of his self worth but he is… magnificent, even if he doesn't see it." The knot in Theo's throat was a clear sign of a coming cold.

"I won't disagree with you. You are, after all, the brightest witch of our age."

"Of my age! Professor Lupin only said of my age, not the age!"

"I'll stick to mine, if it's all the same to you." Theo could hear movement so he retreated quickly behind the door. "You know I only want what's best for you, right? I agree that you are the person best equipped to decide what that is… despite what my mother thinks."

Theo could hear them laughing softly and decided to move to a less unsuspecting place when he almost ran into Charlie Weasley.

"I suppose I shouldn't expect anything else from a Slytherin, but you'll find that spying on her never goes down very well."

Before Theo could come up with a reply, the Tamer had walked out in the direction of his brother and his ex-girlfriend. Theo could hear him speak from where he was.

"Hermione, can I have a word?"

AN: Today's rec is The Gnarled Tree of Time by Silk Lily. Sirimione WIP. Now, I love this fresh take on it and I ship them so badly. And by them I mean this Hermione and this Sirius… seriously.

It's stories like this that make me want to say 'Fuck it' and post all the time turner stories I have gathering cyber dust. I mean, I want to play too!