Sirius's P.O.V.
Sirius forced himself to ignore her turned away face and the disgust that it was obvious she felt for him. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, pushing away all thought as he focused on feeling.
As usual, that didn't work as well as he'd hoped. He thoroughly enjoyed the feel of the soft young woman beneath him. But her dry passage was slightly rough. Had he not gone so long without, he doubted if he would be able to get off at all. It was just another sign that she clearly didn't want him.
Grunting, he pushed the thought aside and instead turned his attention to the soft little breasts pressed against his chest.
"Mmm," he hummed, pushing up to his elbows. Opening his eyes, he bypassed her blank face and zipped to her rosy nipples. He reached over to squeeze one, leaning down to taste it, so sweet. Switching from one bouncing mound to the other was enough to finish him, well within the new time limit.
He rested his chest against Hermione's, affording her what little modesty he could.
"You have ten minutes to clear out," the Ministry witch announced coldly from her corner, not yet removing the barrier.
Groaning, Sirius pushed up and moved her shirt to hide her breasts. He sat back on his haunches, fixing his boxers, then reached to slide her skirt down to her knees again. Without looking, he handed her the rest of her clothing while she fixed her bra and buttoned her shirt.
Sirius pulled his clothes back on, purposefully keeping his back to Hermione so she could shimmy her knickers and tights back into place. When he saw her slipping her shoes on, he turned and waited patiently for her. She stood, a little shaky and he offered her his arm. She took it, cheeks turning a soft pink; she confused him.
They had just had sex and she was almost completely absent from it. And yet, here she was blushing at taking his arm. He wondered if perhaps there was some part of her that appreciated him as a man, as long as it didn't involve the bedroom. Sirius couldn't help but speculate if she would react the same to a younger, more attractive man.
Sighing, he led her out of the room.
"Would you like me to walk you back to the Tower?"
"No," she blurted quickly. "Er, no thank you. I'm just…I have to…I should-"
"That's fine. You don't have to explain yourself to me." He put on a fake grin and easy going attitude. Secretly, he was wallowing. And he couldn't wait to get home and succumb to it.
Two weeks had gone by and Sirius was growing frustrated with Hermione's lack of participation. It was only made worse by his longing for companionship. Over the short period in which she had shared his home, he had grown accustomed to seeing her there. In fact, he had even begun to enjoy her company; especially the way she could be in the same room and not chat his ear off. He was far from in love, but he had to admit, at least to himself and most likely Remus, that he did fancy her. If only she'd stop being so damned cut off!
Growling, he tapped the skillet too hard, causing his bacon to flop out, onto the floor.
"Hello," Remus called from the doorway.
Sirius sighed and dropped into a chair, ignoring the mess he'd made. "Remus," he greeted.
"I see everything's going well."
"Oh, yes, brilliantly."
"Mm-hmm." The werewolf threw him a sour look. "Dora is pregnant again."
Sirius paused, turning slowly to see his friend smiling while cleaning up the mess. "Well done, mate."
"Yes, well, it's all in the timing, isn't it."
"I obviously wouldn't know."
"Be patient, Sirius. Do you really think if she were to fall pregnant now, that it would really help the situation?"
"Maybe," he grumbled. "I'm sure she'd be relieved to take a break from those blasted 'sessions'."
"Possibly. But it's doubtful that hormone overload will endear you to her."
Sirius harrumphed and stabbed at the sausage Remus sat in front of him. "Well, then, can you tell me what will?"
"I'm afraid I don't know."
They ate breakfast quietly together, and left the dishes for the aging Kreacher. Moving to the sitting room, they pulled out the Wizard's chess set. It wasn't long before Sirius realized that Remus was destroying him. He had just reached out to knock over his king when an unexpected sound carried from the kitchen.
Sirius?" The soft voice sounded slightly garbled.
He flicked his king over and left for the kitchen, brows furrowed. There she was, in the fireplace. "Hermione?"
"Sorry about this," she sniffled, red eyed and sad.
"What happened?" Fear for his godson tightened his belly. "Harry?"
"No, no, he's fine," she assured him in a watery voice. "It's my aunt." Tears welled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "She's died."
"Oh, I-I'm so sorry." He started to reach a hand into the fire, but stopped, not wanting to add to her stress.
She nodded her head, and turned to wipe away the tears. "We're excused from Friday's session."
"A small miracle," he mumbled, receiving a slight, short-lived grin.
"Yes, well…I'd like to floo to you. Your house, I mean, before I Apparate to my parents' place. It's much closer and I don't feel comfortable Apparating so far in this state." She refused to make eye contact.
"When?" She nibbled her lip.
"Tomorrow morning, if that's alright. I don't want to get in your way."
"Don't be ridiculous. Come now if you'd like." Her eyes flew to his. "Love, this is your house too; you don't need my permission."
"I'd still prefer it," she whispered, looking down again.
He sighed. "Come home, Hermione. Tonight." He watched as she seemed to be deciding. "Please? This old house gets lonely." He said it in a casual tone he didn't feel.
She smiled a little and nodded acceptance, lifting his heart. "Give me an hour."
"Of course." And she disappeared, taking her head back to Hogwarts. "Remus!" he hollered, going back to the sitting room. His friend was waiting patiently for his return. "Time to go."
"I'm sorry?" Even though unsure of what was happening, he stood to leave.
"Go home to your wife."
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes." He sighed. "No. Hermione's aunt died, so she's coming home. Within the hour!"
"That's-Sirius you realize she'll take offense if you're smiling about her aunt's death?"
That sobered him up a bit. "you're right. Sorry. I'm just not thinking. Well, I am thinking, just not about the right things." He gripped Remus by the collar and shook him lightly. "This could be my chance."
"For what exactly?"
"Nothing devious enough for that particular scowl." He paused, feeling the excitement taking him over again. "I can show her that I'm here for her. That I want to be her husband. That I can be what she needs."
"Can you?"
Sirius paused, pushing his giddiness aside. "I can try." He released his friend. "Now out with you! My wife will be here soon," he practically sang. He wasn't too worried about his joyous feelings; as soon as her sad little face was back in front of him, he would be in control again.
He would have four days and nights to spend in her company; to be near her with no sexual pressures.
"Sirius?" She was in the kitchen again and Remus was already gone, taking his leave unnoticed.
"Yes, love?" He trotted in, expecting just her head again, but she stood awkwardly waiting. "That was fast. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
"No, no thank you." He took her bag from her nervous hands and gestured her the rest of the way in. She went straight for the sitting room and dropped onto the squishy couch. "I can't thank you enough, Sirius. They were all so…supportive and kind and I couldn't stand another minute of their pity," she finished viciously.
Sirius grimaced, he could definitely understand that. With a flick of his wand, he sent her luggage up to the room she had occupied over the summer. A little unsure of himself now that he was indeed faced with her grief, he sat in the chair to her left. He relaxed into his chair and took a sidelong look at her.
Hermione sat stiffly, hunched at bit, and the slowly her face collapsed into sadness. One moment she seemed alright, the next she was sobbing into her hands. They were silent, pain wracked tears and Sirius felt helpless to stop them; he sat frozen with indecision. Finally, he moved to console her, but she was already on her feet.
"I'm sorry. I think I need to be alone." Hermione dashed from the room, leaving a speechless Sirius in her wake.
A/N: A couple of you expressed that you'd like to know what Sirius thought about all of this, so there you go. Hope you liked it.
Thanks for reading! Please review.
