DISCLAIMED: (01/21/09)
Fandoms: Harry Potter, Final Fantasy X(10 Years before initial storyline)
Pairings: Hermione/Sirius, possibly Rikku/Auron
Rating: Mature (Eventually)
Summary: A twist on the Hermione as an Unspeakable and retrieving Sirius from the Veil. Nothing is what it's meant to be. This'll change all that. Crossover with the Final Fantasy X world, Lord Braska's period. WILL contain Rikku.
-Chapter 八-
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"Sirius!" Hermione shouted angrily. "What on earth is the matter with you?!"
He tumbled to the ground, his body shaking with laughter, as she landed gracefully several feet behind him.
"You do not leap off a cliff on the assumption that I will be able to catch you!" she continued as she stormed towards him. Since he continued to laugh, she pushed him over with her boot. He fell to the side rolling on his back.
Folding her arms, she stared her nose down at him.
Sirius merely smiled. "But you did indeed catch me, my dear."
"That," she said kicking him in the side, "is not the point!"
Sirius groaned, still laughing as he rolled to his injured side.
"Fiery wench," he muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, my dear."
"Sirius!"
Barking out another laugh, he got to his knees, lifting himself upright as Hermione turned on her heel and stormed away.
"Aw, Hermione," he said between laughs. "Come on, love. Don't be like that."
She didn't respond, just disappeared into the foliage.
Auron, Braska, and Jecht caught up with them then. Jecht barked out a laugh.
"What the fuck did you do now?"
Sirius looked back at them before sighing, getting to his feet.
"I believe she finds me a tad reckless."
Auron snorted. "A tad?"
The stiff monk hadn't been too keen on their party's newest edition, and still wasn't. However, they did have their uses. Sirius' funds and arsenal of weapons proved useful in and out of battle and Hermione's strange magical powers saved them all from serious injury and consequential delay several times already. He'd never seen anything like the things she could do. Had she not seemed so down to earth, admonishing Jecht for his drinking and swearing like a mother hen, and asking as many questions as she could of him and Braska about their training, he would have thought she was some sort of mystical sorceress.
What was their greatest strength though, was their entertainment value. Braska never laughed – not since his wife died several years ago. He was always calm and serene, but never joyful. Since Sirius and Hermione had joined their ranks, Auron would find his friend chuckling under his breath whenever Hermione put Sirius in his place or he would make a double entendre that would usually take her a minute to catch.
Even Auron would catch himself, turning his laugh into a gruff bark. He only shortened it as Jecht liked to bug him about the stick slowly dislodging from his rear whenever he did. The man was vexing to say the least. Why Braska allowed them to pick up the drunk stray with a foul mouth from the Bevelle prison was beyond him.
Sirius grinned as he brushed the dust from his pants. "You know her temper, Auron. Explodes at the drop of a hat, that one."
"Hn." Auron grunted. "You know this as well. Which is why I can't understand your need to provoke her." He lifted a brow. "You know she could blast a hole through you, if she wanted."
Sirius' grin was boyish. "That is the thrill of it."
Jecht snorted, crossing his arms. "How so?"
Sirius headed over to the treasure chest, his whole reason for his death-defying leap into mid air. "Knowing a woman could kill you with the lift of her finger, and still she doesn't." Winking at them over his shoulder, he added, "Makes a man feel loved."
Braska chuckled. "Oddly enough, I think I see your point."
Sirius opened the chest, picking up a strange crest, eyeing it. "Aye?"
Jecht shook his head with a grin. "I've done some crazy shit for love but I don't know about that."
Auron came forward. "What have you found?"
Sirius glanced at him over his shoulder before standing up slowly. "I'm not sure. A crest of some sort."
Braska stepped forward, eyeing the item. "A Star Crest. They're used to create one's ultimate weapon."
Jecht looked bemused. "Ultimate weapon?"
Sirius frowned. "For who?"
No one seemed to know.
Auron spoke up then. "Perhaps Hermione might have some idea."
Sirius winced. "Of course she would."
Jecht barked out a laugh. Clapping a hand on the man's shoulder, he said, "Good luck, man."
"An apology first, might be best," Braska added with a quirk of his lips.
Sirius sighed, pocketing the crest as he turned to take the long way back to higher ground. They were currently outside the Djose Temple having finally made it down the long Mi'ihen Highroad. The temple was surrounded in an electric barricade while a Summoner was inside, making the floating stone wall impenetrable. As that seemed to be the case at the moment, they were scouting out the surrounding area while they waited.
As Hermione had grown more acclimated to her surroundings, Sirius found joy in irking her 'delicate sensibilities' as he liked to put it. She was intolerant of Jecht's foul language and he found she was a force to be reckoned with when angry. However, Sirius simply found her beautiful in her enraged state and tried his best to get under her skin whenever he could.
When they trained together at night, he would deliberately hold back. At first, he had done it simply because he didn't want to hurt her. But she could immediately tell and grew irked that he would go easy on her 'because she was a woman' or some such nonsense. Seeing as he was in a no win situation, he would play at attacking harder, pulling back when she'd get in a strike, claiming he was still going easy on her. Her eyes fairly glowed in anger at that point and wind would ruffle the wisps of hair that escaped from her plaits.
However, this would be the first time that he had to ask her help and right after he peeved her off rather sorely. He admitted he had no idea if she would really catch him when he jumped but he decided on the spur of the moment to take a leap of fayth, as it were. Suicidal maybe, but with the healing magic in this world, his chances of survival were much higher.
The point was he knew he could trust Hermione with his life now. Even when she hated him, she was still willing to jump off a cliff after him should the need arise. Now he just had to apologize. Grovel at her feet if need be. He smiled at the thought, knowing she'd have to forgive him.
When he reached the clearing and looked around, however, what he saw made him see red. A sturdy but handsome looking blond was currently showing Hermione his wares. Actually, it looked more like he was inspecting her face, if his hand lifting her chin was any indication. Storming across the clearing, he pictured several rather inventive ways to separate blondie from his offending appendage.
"Hermione."
She turned, blinking at the sudden appearance of Sirius. Blondie released her chin then and that was the only thing that saved his life at that moment.
"Yes? Can I help you?" her tone cool.
He placed a possessive hand on her waist, smiling tightly down at her. "We were worried about you, running off like that." Shifting her towards him, he stepped slightly in front of blondie, his free hand lifting to Hermione's face. Softening his tone, he said, "Are you alright?"
Hermione stood there, gaping up at him. Caring Sirius always did this to her. She could barely fend off charming Sirius, but this . . . .
"I . . . ."
"I'm sorry about what happened," he said, his voice whisper soft. "I should've been more careful. Forgive me?"
Hermione stood there dazed, his thumb softly caressing her cheek as he stared at her with soulful eyes.
"A-alright . . . ."
Sirius smiled, his head lowering. Someone clearing their throat loudly interrupted his descent however.
Sirius turned to look behind him, Hermione glancing past him, looking sheepish. Blondie had his brow lifted at them.
"Were you interested in those runes?" he asked her.
Hermione blinked, having totally forgotten about the other man with Sirius' appearance.
"Oh, right. Yes, actually."
Sirius frowned, as she pushed him aside, looking at a tome blondie held out before him. Standing behind her, he looked at the open book over her shoulder.
"Would the lady's husband care for one as well?" asked blondie.
Hermione's head lifted at that. "Oh. Actually, he's . . . ."
"What are they?" Sirius interrupted his voice gruff.
"Runes. Tattoos with different magical properties," the other man explained. "Some are for protection, some for luck, some for battle prowess."
"How much for a protection one?" Sirius asked.
Hermione glanced between the two men, her expression bemused.
"Depends, actually." The man flipped to the middle of the tome. "These are simple and hurt the least giving you minimal protection."
Hermione came to herself, going into learning mode. "Minimal protection? Like from . . . ."
"Minor wounds," the man shrugged. "Mainly flesh wounds. The heal rate is 100%. Anything stronger than that, you'll need more protection or really powerful healing magick. Oh, and not to mention the pain while you're healing."
"You're saying it minimizes the pain ratio as well?" Sirius asked, lifting a brow.
Blondie nodded with a grin. "These," he flipped to another page, "minimize heavy wounds pain by half, healing rate sped up by 75%."
Hermione gasped as she saw the beautiful, intricate designs. If she looked hard, she could see faint traces of runes mixed in intermittently among the ink. The one that caught her eye reminded her of one of those spiral wind dials her aunt Nell was always so fond of. Broad sweeping lines curved around each other, creating an almost 3-D effect. It was large, however and the only place she could think of it fitting was her back.
"How much is that one?" Sirius asked, pointing to the one she'd been eying. Her eyes shot up to him quickly before turning to the man as he answered.
"10, 000 gil."
Sirius whistled low. He had that kind of money, that was not the problem. He just thought the price was rather exorbitant.
"How about 5,500?" he haggled.
Blondie blinked before smiling. "9,500."
"6."
"8, 5."
Sirius' jaw twitched. "How bout you take 7,500 and I forget how you had your hands on my wife."
Hermione watched the interplay between the two men with something akin to fascination. She blinked as Sirius called her his wife, his tone lowering dangerously, making the other man gulp. She watched him glance down briefly before looking at Sirius.
"I-I'm sorry." He stuttered. "I didn't see any tattoo, or I wouldn't have."
"Do we have a deal?"
Coming to her senses, Hermione turned to Sirius. "Wait."
Biting her lip, she looked up at the man. "How long has the current Summoner been in there?" she nodded to the temple.
"They entered only just before your party arrived, my lady."
"And how long do they usually take?"
He shook his head. "It depends on the Summoner. Some take a few hours. Others take days."
"How long would this take?" she said, pointing to the desired tattoo.
"Five hours." He glanced nervously at Sirius. "Tops."
She glanced up at Sirius. "I don't want to hold up Braska."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Let me take care of them."
"But, Sirius . . . ."
"We've more than earned our keep so far, Hermione," he interrupted. "You are invaluable to them and if you plan to continue doing so, you need better protection."
When she didn't argue further, he turned to the man, pulling out his gil.
The blond man watched them curiously. "Begging your pardon and I do mean no disrespect but . . . why don't you have the traditional tattoo?"
Hermione's brow wrinkled about to ask him what he was talking about when Sirius answered.
"We are newly weds and . . . ." he allowed the man a peek at his weapons to show he did not wish for him to speak of them to anyone, ". . . . we are not exactly friends with those in power at the moment."
Blondie blinked before nodding slowly. Sirius' hand moved to his weapon, causing the other man to hold up his hands, shaking his head.
"No, no," he said anxiously. "I understand completely." He looked at them sheepishly. "I actually had my heart set once on a beautiful girl I met in Luca. She turned out to be the daughter of a governor in Bevelle. Said they'd come for my head if I ever came near her again."
Hermione's heart went out to him as his voice dropped at the end. "I'm so sorry."
He shook his head with a sad smile. "It's fine now. But if you like, I can do your marriage bands free of charge while I'm at it. Make everything nice and proper."
Hermione's eyes widened as she took a step back. "Oh, no, we couldn—" she was stopped by Sirius' chest as he still stood behind her.
"Actually, can we do a variation?" Sirius said, causing Hermione to look up at him with a frown.
"Could you take her tattoo and put a smaller version wrapping around my wrist?"
Blondie nodded slowly. "Sure, I think I could handle that. However, it's more difficult so I would have to ask . . . ."
"An even 10,000 for both," Sirius declared.
The other man bowed his head. "You have a deal."
Meanwhile, Hermione was shaking her head in horror.
"Sirius!" she said whirling on him as blondie turned to get his equipment ready. "Are you mad!" she said in a furious whisper. "We're not married and a tattoo is rather permanent!"
Sirius smiled down at her. "I know. You think I do not know this. For this, I know."
She narrowed her eyes. "If you think I'm going to let you double-talk your way out of some sort of explanation, then you—"
"My darling," he interrupted placing a finger over her lips, halting her tirade. "It is not a traditional set of marriage tattoos, but since your top shows your back and my wrist is readily available for viewing, it will hold sway when we get into company who are decidedly less friendly towards women than blondie over there."
"But when we go back—"
"You mean when you go back, where tattoos are merely a barbaric custom?" he said, lifting an eyebrow.
She worked her jaw, angry at his stubbornness. "What kind of place is this anyway? Tattoos instead of wedding bands? It's ludicrous."
Sirius smiled, knowing he had her. "First of all, only a select few can even afford jewelry here while marriage tats cost equivalent to that of a marriage license on Earth. Secondly, marriage here is for life – they don't believe in divorce."
Too many questions concerning the wiseness of such a belief, Hermione simply shook her head. Looking back up at him, she asked tiredly.
"Why would you willingly bind yourself to me?"
Lowering his head, he held her gaze. "We are already bound, coming from the same world. I am merely trying to protect you the best way I know how until I can return you to my godson."
". . . As your wife." She deadpanned.
He lifted his head slightly, his mouth twitching at her disbelieving tone.
"Few men would bother the wife of Sirius Black. There will be dangerous men the further north we get and with your penchant to wander off, this is the simplest recourse. And besides, it isn't a real marriage until we speak the vows. No one will know but us. You must play by their rules here, love."
"What about Braska and Auron and Jecht?"
Sirius shrugged. "We'll tell them the truth."
"You trust them then?"
"Don't you?"
She nodded. "But with this?"
"They are outcasts, Hermione. Who would they tell?!"
Hermione sighed. "This is just…so weird. Had somebody told me I would be effectively binding myself to Sirius Black for the sake of protection, I wouldn't have been able to stop laughing."
Sirius looked affronted. "Why?"
Hermione looked at him wide-eyed. "Because you were a scoundrel and an Azkaban escapee. You were in no shape for any sort of commitment with anyone! And from all accounts you eschewed school rules, playing pranks on the teachers while I practically lived in the library! We were nothing alike!"
Sirius lifted a brow. "And now?" He'd address the issue of where she learned all of this about him later.
Hermione gestured to him, her head shaking as she frowned, trying to find the words out of the corner she'd painted herself in.
"You're…different. But that doesn't mean this isn't any less bizarre," she added.
"Excuse me," said the tattooist, causing them to turn to him. "I should get started as soon as possible."
Hermione folded her arms across her middle, looking away. Sirius watched her. He made to move towards her, but she backed away.
"Do his first," she said with a shake of her head, her voice sounding lost. "I'll be back."
Sirius frowned, watching her turn and walk away. He made to go after her, but blondie cleared his throat.
"Sir?" he spoke hesitantly. "A storm's coming in tonight. I have to start now if we plan on finishing…. You still want to get one, right?"
Sirius sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "Yes, I do."
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A/N: Poor Sirius=( Doesn't understand his own motives, no, no he doesn't. . . . Next chapter will be mostly Hermione's POV and . . . Rikku! I'm still trying to get Hermione back in character and I hoped I managed that somewhat with this chap.
