My deepest apologies for taking so long to update. As a peace offering, I will post another new chapter tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Warning: it starts to get a little bit mature toward the end.

Chapter 9

It was hard for Hermione to get used to: having someone to sneak off and make out with, having someone that would walk up behind her and wrap his arms around her when nobody was looking, having a wonderful little secret that made them both smile like idiots anytime they looked at each other. She loved the way Sirius made her feel, and she was so happy that she had finally let her reservations go. Surprisingly, James, Remus, and Lily were none the wiser to Hermione and Sirius' escapades. The couple had snuck off to be alone at least a hundred times in the first three weeks of December. They were terrified that their friends would accidentally find out and be angry that it had been kept a secret, but they needed it to be a secret for just a little while longer. Hermione couldn't deal with the repetitive explanations of how it happened just yet, and she couldn't deal with Lily's need for every detail of the relationship. Sirius couldn't bear the thought of James comparing their two girlfriends or their two relationships. He also expected that Remus would threaten him to be good to Hermione and act like he knows her so much better than Sirius.

"You're eyes are gorgeous," Sirius whispered to her while he twirled one of her curls around his finger. They sat hidden in a back corner of the library.

"My eyes are plain brown, Sirius."

"No they're not. They're a soft brown like honey, and when I look into them, I see so many things about you. I learn things through your eyes."

She gave him a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek. "You're so kind."

"How much longer before they notice we're gone?" he asked.

"Probably a few minutes," she answered in a somber voice.

He pulled her in for one last passionate kiss and let his hands run over her sweater and across her breast. She let out a tiny gasp as he held her breasts in his hands. She let him knead them for a few moments before she broke the kiss. "Sirius, we can't get caught up. We have to go back before they get suspicious."

"Okay, okay."

As they made their way to the Gryffindor common room, they formulated their plan for telling the others. "I say we tell them one at a time. It will be easier to handle that way," Sirius suggested.

"But if we do it that way, we run the risk of someone getting told before we can get to them. What if we tell James, and then he just tells everyone else without giving us a chance to explain. We need to just have everyone in the sitting room, Charlus and Dorea included, and simply say that we're mad for each other and we want to be together even if our time is limited."

"Oh, we're mad for each other, are we?" he joked as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She stopped in the hallway and turned to him. "I am mad for you, Sirius Black."

"I'm mad for you too, Hermione."

"Hey guys! Where have you two been?" James hollered from across the common room as the pair came through the portrait hole.

"Hermione was helping me with my charms paper," Sirius replied quickly.

They settled down into empty chairs by the fire. "Did you hear what happened?" Lily asked. Sirius and Hermione both raised their eyebrows. "Dumbledore expelled Crabbe and Goyle. They were caught performing some extremely dark magic."

"I don't see how Dumbledore is going to fix a war by expelling a couple of students," Sirius remarked.

Hermione frowned at him. "Dumbledore seems to be under a lot of stress. I'm sure he's dealing with the situation in the best way he can."

"I just don't think Crabbe and Goyle really care about getting an education, is all."

Remus jumped in to help Hermione. "By expelling them, Dumbledore has made an example. He has shown everyone that he will not stand for the use of dark magic under any circumstances, and there are certain individuals that do value their education and might stop their use of dark magic in order to keep it." They all knew he was talking about Snape.

James said, "Dumbledore is far wiser than any of us will ever be. He has a plan, and it's probably a damn good one. We have to have faith and remain loyal to those who do good, Sirius."

Sirius bowed his head for a moment, embarrassed that he had been so quick to criticize. "You guys are right. I'm sorry." He looked at his secret girlfriend and forgot for a moment that the others didn't know yet. "Will you forgive me Hermione?"

"Of course, Sirius." Then, while his head was still lost, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Time seemed to freeze as Hermione pulled away quickly and the other three stared at them.

"What is going on?!" James exclaimed.

Remus contemplated them for a moment with narrow eyes and then said, "They're together… and from the looks of it, it's been that way for a while now."

Hermione and Sirius remained speechless.

Lily's face was turning red with anger. "So that's why you two always seem to disappear at the same time! You've been hooking up?!"

"Well, we haven't quite gotten to the hooking up yet," Sirius finally said.

Remus snorted and Hermione said "Sirius!" with a furious tone to her voice.

"How long has this been going on?" James asked.

"Three weeks," Sirius answered quietly.

"You've kept this a secret from us for three weeks?" Remus sounded more disappointed than angry. He looked to Hermione, hurt etched across his face.

"I wanted to tell you Remus, but Sirius and I just needed time to get used to this before it was made into such a big deal. I'm sorry."

Sirius was more concerned with his best friend's reaction. "James, please don't be mad at me, mate. You know how fragile things can be at the start of a relationship. It was the same way with you and Lily."

"Don't blame me for your secret keeping, Sirius," Lily snapped. She was obviously the angriest out of any of them, and Hermione couldn't figure out why. James saw this too and decided to take action.

"Lily, do you want to go for a walk with me?" he asked kindly.

She looked reluctant to go but also obviously did not want to be around Hermione and Sirius at the moment. When James and Lily had left the common room, Hermione turned on Sirius. "Sirius, I can't believe you. How was it so hard to keep the secret? We only had one more week until break. This is absolutely ridiculous!"

He started to argue back that it wasn't entirely his fault, but she interrupted him. "And that comment about us not hooking up yet, well it definitely won't be happening if you keep that attitude about it."

Remus interjected, "Guys! I'm still here. Could you save your lovers' quarrel for another time?"

"Sorry," they both said.

After that, Hermione read by the fire while Remus and Sirius played chess. They all seemed to be getting along quite well, but Hermione didn't miss Remus' quietness, and she sensed that he hadn't quite forgiven her and Sirius just yet.

For four days Lily barely spoke to Hermione. Finally, Hermione confronted her about it one night before bed. She avoided Hermione's questions at first but eventually broke down and explained her anger.

Lily was still wounded from her friendship with Severus. She had such a close friend that turned out to be keeping major secrets, and it was devastating for her when she finally realized what Snape and his Slytherin friends were up to. Since her split with Severus, she hadn't really made any close friends. She was very close to James, but the dynamic of their relationship was very different. When she and Hermione had begun to spend time together, she felt that Hermione was finally the person that Lily could trust and confide in. To find out that another very close friend was keeping secrets was just too much for Lily. It wasn't entirely Hermione's fault, but Lily blamed her for bringing back such awful memories.

Hermione understood why Lily was holding onto resentment, but she hated all the tension within their friend group. After talking it out and Hermione apologizing repeatedly, the two women were on good terms again. Hermione finished the term with top marks in all her classes. She enjoyed watching Remus and Lily squirm when she got higher grades than them.

Before Hermione left for winter break, she had worked with Dumbledore to destroy yet another Horcrux. This time, they went after the locket, and they figured out a way to get past the potion and inferri without much damage. With two horcuxes destroyed, Hermione felt that she could actually relax with her friends and boyfriend over the break.

Since the cat was out of the bag about her relationship with Sirius, they decided to get a compartment alone on their train ride to London. Hermione had quickly forgiven him for revealing their secret (and for the remark about their sex life), but the comment he had made still made her a bit uneasy. Hermione was still a virgin after all, and she wondered how much long Sirius would keep his patience with her. She figured he had probably had sex with plenty of girls. He probably lost his virginity no later than fourth year. However, his experience hadn't stopped him from being perfectly gentle with Hermione, and she hope it would remain that way even if she never had sex with him before she was due to leave the past.

Because they were all alone with the curtains drawn on their compartment, Hermione was feeling a bit brave and let Sirius take things a little farther than they had yet to go. When his hand dipped below the waist of her pants, her breath hitched, but she allowed him to continue. His fingers made her skin tingle as they slowly continued south. Sirius smiled at her when he felt how wet she was. She blushed, embarrassed for him to know that he was already making her come undone in such a way. He began to rub her clit in a circular motion, and Hermione couldn't catch her breath. Of course she had done this to herself a few times, but having such a handsome man do it to her was something else entirely. Finally, he dipped his index finger into her tight pussy, and Hermione had to bite his shoulder to keep from moaning too loud. She could tell that Sirius was thoroughly enjoying making her feel this way. He pumped his finger in and out of her, rubbed her clit, and then added another finger. Hermione's pleasure was building fast. She was losing control. Sirius sucked on her neck as he pushed his fingers in even harder. With a muffled cry, Hermione had a far more powerful orgasm than she had ever given herself. Her entire body convulsed, and then she came back down. Her face was flushed and her hair a mess. She felt embarrassed when she finally looked into Sirius' eyes, but he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Merlin, you look stunning when you cum, Hermione."

"That was amazing, Sirius."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully, we can do a whole lot more of that over the break?"

"I think I'd be okay with that… you might have to tell me what I can do to make you enjoy yourself as much as I just did."

He looked at her questioningly. "Hermione, you don't have to do anything that you're not entirely comfortable with."

"I know that, but I want to make you feel good, Sirius."

"Well, let's worry about that another time, love. We're almost to King's Cross."

Right as he said that, a knock came on their compartment door, and Remus, James, and Lily walked in.

Sirius and Hermione smirked at each other as they both thought about what their friends might have seen if they showed up five minutes earlier.