Hermione hummed quietly to herself, moving her hands expertly to pin her hair back in a braid. While doing so, she took a long look around the library. She had always liked Grimmauld Place for it's library. It was colossal, and barely anyone ever ventured inside, which meant that Hermione usually had it to herself.

On this particular day, she had snuck out of the Burrow once again to retreat to Sirius' house. Mrs. Weasley was becoming a bit weary of the habit that was forming, probably suspicious about Sirius and Hermione becoming too friendly. Honestly, though, there was nothing the woman could do. Even if she protested the marriage, Hermione had to marry Sirius, and she was bound to try and get along with him.

"Here you are," a voice said, making Hermione jump. She turned to see that it was Sirius who had scared her. Of course it was him, he was the only other person in this house. He entered the library, taking a seat in the armchair beside the couch that Hermione was currently occupying. She noticed that he held some papers in his hand, and a large manilla envelope.

"What's that?" she asked, closing her book and placing it on the coffee table.

He arched an eyebrow at her, "Have you forgotten that we're buying a flat?" shifting through the paperwork, he chuckled, "These damn muggles make you sign so much stuff."

The witch perked up, looking over the papers. She had forgotten about this... the paperwork. It was strange, to think that she was buying a house with Sirius, but then again, everything that happened lately was strange.

They had decided on the second flat, finally. It was Hermione's favorite, and after a second visit to check it over, Sirius decided that he liked it as well. It was perfect; with a nice modern living space, a wonderful study, and a decent fireplace for Sirius to enjoy. Now, all that was left was the paperwork, then they would officially be homeowners.

"Why are we even doing this the muggle way?" He asked, squinting down at a section of fine print.

Hermione chuckled, "Muggle real estate isn't that bad."

Sirius huffed, "I need a drink," he murmured, summoning a glass and some Firewhiskey with a flurry of his wand.

Hermione pursed her lips, "Come on, lets get this over with." She grabbed a quill and began looking through the papers, signing wherever it was called for, and then handing it to Sirius to sign.

It was truly a strange moment. Here they were, buying a flat together. The wedding was in a week. Soon, she would be Mrs. Hermione Black, living with Sirius and trying to keep up the act of a couple in love. The worst part was that they were supposed to have a child together. She was supposed to get pregnant! Hopefully, they would get out of this silly law before that point in time. If there was one thing Hermione was sure of, it was that she did not want to get pregnant.

Glancing over at Sirius, Hermione wondered what kind of father he would make. She shivered, hoping that they would figure out how to overturn this law before that point. Surely, Sirius wouldn't be that bad, but a large part of her mind knew that he hated the idea of being a father right now. He wanted to meet the woman of his dreams, surely, not marry some bushy haired know-it-all who was also twenty years younger than him.

She sighed, looking over the papers one last time. There was one more line to be signed. She quickly scrawled her name, and then slid it over to Sirius. He stared at it for just a second, took a gulp of his firewhiskey, then signed it.

"I guess that's it then," he mumbled, leaning back into the armchair.

Hermione took a deep breath, then reached for his glass of firewhiskey, gulping some of it down and feeling the burn trace down her throat. She looked over to find Sirius watching her with an amused expression.

"I needed that," she mumbled to him, reaching for her book once again.

He watched her for a long moment, and she desperately tried to focus on the text in her hands. Before she could think on his stare for much longer, he stood up and grabbed the papers, leaving the room.

…

Harry and Ginny's wedding was set to happen three days before Sirius and Hermione's. As the day approached, Hermione found herself becoming more and more anxious. Her wedding was only in a few days, and between her parents, her fiance, and Mrs. Weasley, she was receiving far too much stress. The only person that was supportive was Ginny, and even she had been somewhat absent because of her own impending marriage.

Finally, the day of Harry and Ginny's wedding came. It was a small ceremony outside the Burrow; the exact same place that many of the other weddings would be taking place. Hermione was the maid of honor, and found that her anxiety was only raised by seeing how gleeful Ginny was. Sure, she was happy for her friend, but she couldn't help thinking about how she wasn't in love with Sirius, and how their wedding would be so different than Harry and Ginny's.

How could she ever pretend to be this happy when she knew that it was all a lie? When she knew that Sirius would never love her and she would never love him? It was a dreadful thought.

After the ceremony, everyone gathered for a reception. There were a lot of people from the Order, all of which were aware of the fabricated relationship between Sirius and Hermione. Still, however, some were unaware, and Hermione was once again forced to put on a show of how in love she was with Sirius.

She found the man in question sitting at a small table with Remus, Tonks, and Teddy. Upon her approach, a large smile split across his face, "You look nice," he murmured, kissing her cheek in greeting.

Hermione blushed, once again wondering how he had become so good at acting. He always had the perfect little affectionate gestures. If it wasn't for her own poor acting, she was sure there would be no question about the validity of their relationship.

"You do too," she said warmly, noting that he did look dashing in the robes he wore. Surely, though, he would look amazing in the suit he'd be wearing for their own wedding as well. They had decided to do it the muggle way, mostly to appease Hermione's parents.

Remus and Tonks were both watching Hermione and Sirius' interactions closely. Then again, it seemed like everyone was doing so lately. Hermione and Sirius always had to prove themselves... it was stressful to say the least.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked suddenly, arching his brow.

Hermione chewed her lower lip, nodding. She had to say yes of course. They had a part to play, she was forced to dance with her fiance.

Sirius guided her out onto the makeshift dance floor. It was very similar looking to the setup of Bill and Fleur's wedding. Hermione briefly remembered that night, and how it had quickly turned into a disaster. They were lucky that the war was over, even if there were still Death Eaters out there on the loose, at least they had some semblance of peace. She didn't mind the marriage law that much when comparing it to the war she had grown up around.

Sirius was an excellent dancer, but she didn't expect anything less of him. He had a strange talent for always looking refined, but then again, maybe it was just in his genes.

"So, about your parents..." he began, one hand on her waist and another clasped in his own hand. It was a very intimate embrace, another sign of his impeccable acting.

Hermione groaned inwardly, but kept her face quaint for the people around her. She had spoken to her mother three times so far. The first time, Mrs. Granger had been outraged. The second time, she had accused Hermione of many things, one of them being that she had somehow gotten herself knocked up. It took awhile to convince her mother that she was, in fact, not pregnant. The third time, Mrs. Granger had calmed down significantly, but still decided that she refused to attend the wedding. Hermione had been about to hang up, before her father had taken over the line, and assured her that they would both be at the wedding.

"My mum's still angry, but my dad seems fine with it. I think he'll calm her down before the wedding." Hermione said quietly.

"Don't worry, love, I can be quite a charmer when I want to be," Sirius mumbled. He moved so gracefully, guiding her along. For one surreal minute, Hermione let herself believe that this was all real. Sirius was her fiance, and was smiling at her lovingly. It was so real, so genuine. He even had her fooled for that short little minute.

Hermione chuckled, "I sure hope so."

She may have been putting on a somewhat happy face for the crowds, but within her mind, Hermione couldn't help all the terrible thoughts. Her mother could be positively vicious if she wanted to. She had to get married in only three days. To Sirius Black. For the past few days, she had started up a habit of lying in bed at night and worrying about blowing her cover of the false relationship.

There was also, of course, the problem of work. After a small investigation, significant evidence had been discovered that proved just what Draco had suspected: Lucius Malfoy was involved. On top of this terrible marriage law, Hermione also had to worry about Lucius and his other Death Eaters causing trouble. A part of her believed that it was all related in some way...

Before Hermione knew it, the song had ended. "Come on, I think Harry and Ginny want to see us," Sirius said quietly, leading the way over to their friends.

Hermione followed, but felt herself blanching when she saw that Ron was there, along with another girl. She immediately recognized her from the pictures in the Prophet. It was Maria... Ron's fiancee.

She must have made some sort of sound to notify Sirius, because the man immediately stopped, leaning down slightly to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry, just keep smiling."

Hermione grimaced, despite his attempt to cheer her up. "Let's just get this over with..." She sighed.

"Hermione!" Ginny squealed, attacking the girl with a hug. She was actually giddy with happiness. When the bride was close enough, she spoke again in a whisper, "You did very well out there dancing... I think you've got everyone fooled."

Hermione smiled, and congratulated her friend once again. Meanwhile, Harry and Sirius launched themselves into some sort of conversation about the future and married life. Sirius held her hand while he spoke, a gesture that made her heart flutter for some strange reason. Harry was intently focused on the man, admiration evident. She was pretty sure that sooner or later, a story about Harry's parents would come into their conversation. Sirius knew that Harry just adored stories like that.

"Er, Hermione," Ron said, catching her attention once again.

She looked over to him, where he stood beside Ginny. The tips of his ears were red with embarrassment as he put an arm around the girl beside him.

"This is Maria," He said flatly.

Maria was pretty. Her long brown hair framed her face perfectly. Hermione had to notice that Maria was much prettier than herself. From the slickness of her hair to her slim frame. She smiled at Hermione, a beaming, bright smile. She was nice, it seemed... and pretty... and Ron looked smitten.

"Nice to meet you," Hermione smiled despite herself, gripping Sirius' hand menacingly. She noticed Ron give a little disapproving frown in the direction of there clasped hands. Oh well, the boy could hate it all he wanted, it was his fault that he had run off with Maria when he could have saved Hermione from this damned law.

Before conversation progressed much further, Sirius managed to pull Hermione away, bringing them both back to where Remus, Tonks, and Teddy were seated.

"Thanks," Hermione whispered up to him, still holding his hand tightly in hers.

...

AN: I've a few things to address...

First, I'm terribly sorry for the delay. I lost my motivation for this story, but I think I've got it back now. Second, I know that this chapter is short, but it makes it easier to update that way. I'll try for longer chapters in the future. Third, I'm thinking about moving this story up to an M rating for the future chapters. Any thoughts?

Next chapter is the long awaited wedding! Please review. I want to hear what you guys think. Plus, reviews always make me update faster...