A/N: I deeply apologise for how long it took me to write this chapter. I have no excuse other than how turbulent my life has been recently. I have begun to write the next chapter so hopefully I'll finish that soon. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I found it very difficult to write for some reason.
As always, reviews would be greatly appreciated, if only to tell me if you think I'm going in the right direction with this story? Any inconsistencies etc? I'm trying to stay consistent but sometimes it is very hard haha.
- MissPennyLockhart
The two weeks following Hermione's rescue, were some of the hardest she'd ever faced. Her mind was constantly occupied with the age old question, should she stay ... or should she go. Granted, they still hadn't found a way for her to be sent back but it was only a matter of time.
Sighing, Hermione drew her knees to her chest and traced a finger down the rain spattered window. It was a Saturday evening and instead of being in the common room with her friends; enjoying the time she had left with them, she was sitting on the wide windowsill that framed one of the larger windows in the girl's dormitories. Although a bit bruised, Hermione was physically fine following her kidnap and imprisonment but it had made her uneasy and she was finding herself less able to join in with the others. She had become withdrawn and she knew it, the only person that seemed to be able to bring her out of her shell seemed to be Sirius and he'd been unusually distant from her, following her release from the hospital wing. She had known that the truth would hurt him but she hadn't realised that after admitting his love to her, he'd pull away. Blinking back tears, Hermione gazed out into the grounds, the shadowy outlines filling her with a sense of longing. If she were back with Harry and Ron they'd no doubt be out on those exact grounds, carrying out some plan or another.
The opening of the dormitory door snapped Hermione out of her thoughts and she turned her head to see Lily standing in the archway, her brow furrowed with worry for her friend.
"You don't need to check up on me Lily. I'm fine." Hermione sighed, turning her head back to the window, her breath fogging up the window even more than it was before. Lily frowned and crossed the room, stopping beside Hermione and pressing a hand to the stone wall.
"I know I don't need to check up on you Hermione but I want to. You're my friend and you can say what you will but I know that you aren't fine. I can see it in your eyes, they've lost the sparkle they had before the ... um ... the incident." She whispered, reaching out to squeeze Hermione's arm gently. "Just let me in. I'm your friend; it's what I'm here for 'Mione." She pleaded, the nickname slipping from her mouth before she had a chance to stop it. Her eyes widened, she knew it was what Sirius called her and she saw her mistake take effect as her friend's eyes widened and began to rapidly water.
"L-Lily." Hermione stuttered out before lurching over and falling into her friend's arms, tears streaming down her face as she choked out a sob. "S-Sirius hates me doesn't he?" She sniffed, stumbling over his name. Lily sighed, hugging Hermione to her, silently cursing Sirius for the idiotic way in which he was behaving.
"Hermione, Sirius does not hate you. I'm damn certain of that, he's just a bit upset at the moment. I think you need to talk to him." Lily soothed, stroking her friends hair. Hermione however, shot her head up and pulled out of Lily's arms, drawing her knees up to her chin.
"Lily! How on Earth am I meant to talk to Sirius when he's all but avoiding me?" She bit out frustratedly, wiping furiously at the tears falling down her face. "He promised me he was fine with the fact that I'd hidden my identity but he's gone back on his word. I don't know what I can do." Sighing, Lily reached across and brushed a stray curl out of Hermione's eyes.
"Oh sweetheart, Sirius is male. They're particularly dense when it comes to the feelings of the opposite sex. Not only this but you're the first girl that Sirius has ever actually been serious about and I think he's terrified because he knows that inevitably he's going to lose you." She cooed, kissing the side of Hermione's head. "I'm going to go downstairs and send Sirius up; I can't have my best friend feeling like this. He'll come up here, just wait there." Lily smiled, squeezing Hermione's shoulder and flouncing out of the dormitory.
Hermione bit her lip, no matter how much she wanted to talk with Sirius again, she didn't particularly want him to feel forced into speaking to her. Drawing a heart on the steamed up window, she laid her head against the cool glass, not even flinching when the dormitory doors opened and she heard Sirius' familiar heavy footsteps slowly padding towards her. Her heart was pounding and her eyes were filling up, she couldn't will herself to look at him, not until he spoke to her.
"Hermione." Sirius mumbled, noticing her visibly stiffen as he said her full name. He knew he'd been an arse but knowing that the girl that you're in love with would leave and not come back wasn't something a man could easily deal with. He had been incredibly hurt but when Lily had come storming into the common room and none too gently informed him that his girlfriend was on the verge of hysteria and that it was all his fault, he knew that he'd been am incredibly selfish git.
Sighing, he stepped forward and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, praying that she wouldn't shrug him off. He was mildly relieved when she didn't but when she turned around to face him, his heart twisted painfully. She was to put it simply, a mess. Her hair was more unruly than usual, her normally happily sparkling brown eyes were glassy with tears and she bore a wounded expression which was emphasised by the dark purple circles lining her big brown eyes. He gasped, choking out "Mione." Before pulling the suddenly sobbing witch into his strong arms.
"H-how could you do this to me?" She whimpered, her sobs shaking her small form that was tightly wrapped in his arms. "Sirius Black you promised you were fine, why did you lie to me!" She bit out, turning her head away from his searching eyes.
"'Mione, I know I promised but you have to understand what I'm going through. I know for certain that I'm going to lose you at some point in the near future. How do you think that makes me feel?" He asked, coughing to cover the break in his voice. "I'm in love with you and it hurts like hell, the thought that we can only be together for a little while."
"I wish you'd have come to me Sirius, I know how you feel. I feel exactly the bloody same. Do you not think it hurts me to know that the one person I've come to love the most in the world is someone that is going to be ripped from my life purely because of circumstance." She choked out as he pulled her up from the windowsill and into a proper hug, crushing her tiny body against his.
"I fucking love you 'Mione. My 'Mione." He sobbed, the tears now falling unrestricted from his eyes.
"I love you too Sirius." She whispered back, pulling his face down to hers and kissing him soundly on the lips.
"I'm so sorry for being an arse. I was too caught up in my own feelings that I didn't think about yours."
"You're right, you are an arse." Hermione sighed before reaching up and kissing him chastely on the cheek which she belatedly noticed was darkened with day old stubble. This surprised her as Sirius was generally clean shaven. "But you're my favourite arse and I find that I cannot bring myself to be mad at you Sirius Black." Smiling slightly she brushed the tears from his cheeks and kissed him lightly on the lips, heaving a shuddering sigh when he caught her face in his hands and kissed her hard.
Pulling away, Sirius rested his forehead gently against Hermione's, looking her unwaveringly in the eye.
"How about you and I take a trip to Hogsmeade. Just us, I think after all of this we deserve some uninterrupted time alone. We won't get caught, I promise. James, Remus and I always go out."
His tone was verging on pleading and the look in his eyes made Hermione want to comply with anything the marauder said. She was well aware of his ability to persuade.
"But Sirius – look at me, I'm a mess." She muttered, pulling her head away from his and struggled to run a hand through her hair.
"You're beautiful love, as you always are to me but if you're that bothered get Lily to cast some glamour charms on you. I could do with a shave as well." He smirked, running a hand lightly across his unshaven jaw. "Either way we're going out. So I'll send Evans up and we'll go in an hour." He confirmed, in a decidedly more cheerful way than earlier, wiping his face so as to remove the last remnants of the tears on his face.
Hermione nodded slightly, a small smile crossing her face.
"Hermione you look stunning." Grinned Lily, joy crossing her face unabashedly. She was so happy that her best friend was happy again, even more so that Sirius was happy again; she'd never seen him in such a state before and it worried her more than she'd care to admit.
"Thanks Lils, you have to teach me those charms though." Hermione grinned, standing in front of the bathroom mirror and taking in her appearance. Compared to the state she had been in an hour earlier, the reflection was that of utter perfection. Her perfectly made up face showed no trace of the distraught fatigue that it had previously, her bushy hair fell in thick curls down her back and the shift dress and flats that she was wearing enhanced her tiny figure. Hermione reached across and pulled Lily into a much needed hug, the two girls grinned at each other and Hermione coughed, smoothing down the dress.
A knock at the door startled the girls and Hermione walked over, opening it to reveal a sharply dressed Sirius. Hermione's eyes widened at the sight of him, dressed in a pair of black jeans, a long white shirt and black leather shoes. Smirking at her reaction, Sirius caught her hand and kissed it gently.
"Milady, would'st thou care to escort me to yonder Hogsmeade on this fair eve?" Hermione blushed slightly but grinned at the handsome marauder in front of her. The Sirius Black charm never failed to affect her, no matter how much she attempted to hide it.
"Why yes good sir, I would love to join you in the quaint village that is Hogsmeade." She replied, threading her arm through his as he walked her down the girl's staircase. "Wait a minute Sirius, how on Earth did you get up to the girls dormitories, aren't the stairs supposed to turn into a slide?" She questioned, confusion etched upon her face.
"That my dear, is for you to know and you to never find out. It is after all, a marauder secret." He teased, tapping his nose. Hermione sighed and poked him in the side, evoking a very unmanly squeal from him.
"What the hell was that noise?" Queried a confused looking James Potter that came skittering around the corner, almost running into Sirius and Hermione who had reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Ah Hermione!" He started, his face lighting up with a disarming grin as he ripped her from Sirius' arms and hugged her tightly to his chest, squeezing the breath out of her. "I missed you." He pouted, letting go of her as he realised that she was struggling to breathe.
"James I saw you earlier." She laughed, looking at her friend oddly.
"I know but you weren't really there earlier. You were so distant it felt like you weren't really with us." He laughed, kissing her on the head.
"Oh, I'm sorry James." Hermione sighed, guilt marring her words. Sirius squeezed her hand gently.
"Don't be sorry Hermione, it isn't your fault." James grinned before going and sitting back down by the fire next to Remus who was sleeping soundly on the sofa.
"Well we had better get going before it gets too late to go out." Sirius suggested, tipping his head towards the portrait hole. Hermione nodded, tightening her grip on Sirius' hand and dragging him out of the common room.
"Someone's eager." Sirius teased, swatting Hermione's bum as he climbed out of the portrait hole after her.
"I've missed you Sirius, it's quite fitting that I want to spend time alone with you." Hermione admonished, melting into him as he slung his arm over her shoulder.
"I agree with that love." He grinned, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "I can't believe we're actually going out before curfew." He pouted.
"Aw Sirius, aren't you satisfied with breaking the rules half way?" Hermione teased.
"No, No I'm not." He laughed, dropping his arm and grabbing her hand as they quickly walked to the third floor and the statue of the one-eyed witch.
"You're taking me to the Hogs Head?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend who was grinning cheekily back at her.
"Well, you see ... it's a Saturday night. I happen to know that certain teachers frequent The Three Broomsticks. So my beautiful girlfriend, we have less chance of being caught in The Hogs Head." He grinned, taking Hermione's hand tightly in his and leading her into the shadowy tavern.
Hermione's eyes widened in wonder. The few times she'd been into the pub, she had been far too concerned about the reason she was there to notice the decor or the colourful customers that seemed to be loitering around the darkened corners, clutching pints of mead. Shaking his head in amusement, Sirius tugged Hermione into a small booth that was slightly disconnected to the rest of the room and went to the bar to get them drinks.
Sitting back and taking an unobstructed glance around the bar, Hermione was shocked to see that more than one pair of eyes was upon her; each in a decidedly leering manner. Quickly averting her eyes to the battered wooden table in front of her, her fingers grasped the edge of the seat tightly. She was unused to attention from unfamiliar, slightly creepy older men. With constantly being surrounded by male friends, men generally didn't make it a habit to look at what could cross into dangerous territory. It made her nervous that they were and she silently begged Sirius to hurry up and return to her, lest one of the old men took it upon themselves to keep her company.
Glancing up, she saw that Sirius was indeed heading back over to her. Breathing a sigh of relief she grinned broadly at him as he joined her.
"Eager to see me there love?" He teased, winking at her as he handed her a glass of what suspiciously looked like Firewhiskey.
"Very, the men in this place give me the creeps." She pouted, moving closer to an obliging Sirius.
"Ah well beautiful, your big strong boyfriend is here to protect you now." He stated, puffing out his chest in a show of 'manliness'. Snorting in a very unladylike fashion, Hermione smacked him in the stomach and kissed him on the cheek.
"Manly, sure." She laughed as Sirius shot her a dark look.
"I am manly." He protested as he took a mouthful of Firewhiskey. Imitating him, Hermione also took a drink of her whiskey and found herself spluttering and feeling instantly light headed.
"Oh my, I really should have started drinking Firewhiskey when my friends did." She muttered sheepishly as Sirius tried to hold back his laughter. "Laugh all you like Mister Black; I have nothing to be ashamed of."
"Except that you can't drink to save your life." He laughed. Not one to be told that she can't do something, Hermione raised an eyebrow at her smirking boyfriend.
"Is that a challenge?" She demanded, eyes narrowing slightly.
"If you want it to be gorgeous." He countered, winking at her. A spark of competition entered Hermione's eyes and taking a deep breath she quickly downed her drink and slammed the empty glass onto the table, clenching her eyes shut as she willed the burning to go away. Sirius smirked and tossed his drink back without flinching and motioned for the bartender to bring more drinks over. Grumbling the old bartender glared over and with a flick of his wand sent a bottle of Firewhiskey and two shot glasses, earning a raised eyebrow from Hermione.
"Shots? Really?" She queried, blanching slightly.
"Not afraid are you?" He teased, stroking her hand gently.
"Not on your bloody life." She snapped back, a determined look passing across her face. Sirius smirked, filling the two shot glasses and sliding one over to Hermione. As she picked hers up warily, he grinned and picked up his own, chinking their glasses together.
"Cheers." He grinned before downing his drink.
"Cheers." She mumbled back, nonplussed as she gulped back her shot, making a disgusted face which had Sirius in hysterics.
"I told you I could hold my drunk ... uh, I mean drink." Hermione giggled, grasping Sirius' arm as they stumbled out of the Hogs Head, a second bottle of Firewhiskey swinging from Sirius' hand. Sirius grinned broadly and leaned over, placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
"'Mione we both know that you can't hold your drink. You're drunk whereas I, I'm only slightly tipsy." He boasted, stumbling slightly over his own feet as he let go of Hermione's arm, which earned him a snort of laughter from Hermione.
"In your dreams Black." She retorted tartly, despite her drunken demeanour. Making a grab for the bottle of Firewhiskey, Sirius laughed and slapped her hand in a manner that reminded her distinctly of Molly Weasley when she shooed her children away before dinner was ready.
"Oi! Grabby hands, off." Sirius chastised, winking at her. "I have plans for this bottle." He smirked, winking at her.
"You do, do you?" Hermione asked, amusedly.
"I do, follow me and I shall reveal all." He teased, trying to create an air of mystery. Hermione rolled her eyes and with a slight stumble, she grabbed hold of Sirius' hand and allowed him to pull her down a dark alley towards the Shrieking Shack.
"The Shrieking Shack?"
"As suitable a place as any to get even more rat arsed." He grinned; Hermione nodded slightly in agreement and gave him a dubious look.
"How exactly are we going to get in Sirius? I thought the only entrance was through The Whomping Willow?" She asked, confusion evident.
"Ah you see, that's not true. The back door opens too, nobody ever attempts to break in though because of the 'ghouls'." He laughed, making half quotation marks in the air, whilst simultaneously gripping onto the bottle of Firewhiskey for dear life and holding Hermione's hand tightly. "However, I have a different path to get there." He grinned.
"You have to teach me the way." Hermione murmured, her eyes wide in wonder at the difference in scenery.
"There's a lot you want to know tonight isn't there darlin'?" Sirius teased, tugging her arm so that she began to walk alongside him.
"Well Sirius, I have a very inquisitive mind." She grinned, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his lips before turning her head and grinning as they strolled along one of the darkest alleys she'd ever seen in Hogsmeade.
"Good." He muttered before tugging her along as he broke into bigger strides.
"Christ Sirius if you keep up this pace I'm going to have a heart attack."
"'Mione sweetheart, now is not the time for argument. We're in a very dodgy part of Knockturn Alley after nightfall." He murmured, smirking slightly as her pace quickened. "I thought that would get you moving." He laughed, grunting as she swatted his arm, her breath coming in quick pants as she kept up with his long legged strides.
"I've never been this way to the Shrieking Shack before." Hermione said, her eyes squinting in the dark in an attempt to see where she was.
"That's because you're a good girl and only the most dastardly rogues know of this area." Sirius quipped.
"Oh, well how do you know about it then?" Hermione teased. With mock hurt Sirius made a harrumphing noise and poked his tongue out at her.
"The Black family is notorious for its dark ways unfortunately, Father brought my brother and I down this area quite a bit when we were younger, back when I wasn't a disgrace to the family name. His whore lived around here somewhere." Sirius sighed, shaking his head as if to rid himself of the painful memories. "Anyway, enough about me, we're here." He whispered, handing Hermione the bottle of Firewhiskey.
Looking around her in the dim light that was filtering from some of the windows that were scattered along the buildings, Hermione looked up to see The Shrieking Shack looming above her, protected by a thick wooden fence that wrapped right around the back of the house.
"Sirius, I do hope you aren't expecting me to climb this fence! I'm wearing a dress!" Hermione tutted, looking for a gate but seeing none.
"Of course not beautiful, patience is a virtue, just wait and see." He smiled, taking her hand in his and kissing it gently before quickly taking his wand from his pocket. "Stand back and watch." He commanded causing Hermione to step back a few paces in curiosity.
Standing before the fence, Sirius had a look of intense concentration on his face. Hermione had never before seen him look so wholly focussed on one thing besides when he was looking at her. With a few carefully placed taps and a muttered incantation, the wooden planks that made up the fence began to dislodge themselves and slide apart leaving a gap in the fence big enough for a person to get through sideways.
Beckoning Hermione to follow him, Sirius twisted sideways and sidestepped into the grounds of The Shrieking Shack. As Hermione entered the grounds, the hole that they'd entered through instantly sealed up as though it'd known how many bodies to let through.
"Wow." Hermione gasped, it didn't matter how long she'd existed in the Wizarding world, she was still in awe of the things around her.
"Yeah kind of immense isn't it?" Sirius whispered.
"It is, I've never seen it from this angle, or in a calm situation before." Hermione whispered back, suddenly aware of how close she was standing to Sirius.
"C'mon." Sirius grinned, taking her hand again and leading her to the back door of the looming house. With a quick Alohomora they were inside and Sirius quickly locked and warded the door, just in case.
"It seems different somehow, compared to the last time I was here. Which I suppose was in the future so I can be forgiven at being shocked at how clean it is." Hermione trailed off after catching the bemused look that Sirius sent her.
"You're rambling." He laughed before leaning forward and kissing her soundly on the lips.
"Sorry." She blushed, turning her head away from him. Sirius shook his head and cupped her face in his hand.
"Don't be sorry gorgeous, I like my way of shutting you up." He winked, causing her blush to deepen.
Heading into the heart of the house, Hermione discovered that Sirius had already planned the night. In the living room, a plush rug that was scattered with big comfy cushions was spread across the floor in front of the roaring fireplace. Heavy blackout charms were cast upon the windows so that no light escaped the house and got them caught.
"Did you plan this Mister Black?" Hermione gasped, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears as she set down the bottle of Firewhiskey. Sirius stood there, rubbing the back of his neck and looking incredibly nervous.
"Uh yeah, I mean ... I'm not used to all of this romantic stuff so I dunno. Is this okay?" He asked, his nervousness at the situation and her reaction obvious. Hermione grinned broadly at him and threw herself into his arms, kissing him quickly.
"Oh Sirius, its perfect. I love it. If anybody didn't know your reputation, you'd earn one for being a secret romantic." She teased as he stroked her face gently.
"Only when it comes to you love." He whispered huskily before claiming her lips thoroughly with his own, earning a gentle involuntary moan from Hermione. It was evident that they were both extremely drunk when Hermione fell to the floor, pulling Sirius down on top of her. Giggling, she leaned up and continued kissing him, her hands exploring the muscled planes of his chest eagerly.
"You have such a nice chest." Hermione practically purred, her voice shooting straight to Sirius' groin.
"'Mione gorgeous, I think you had better stop touching me like that." He murmured, stilling her hands and raising up off of her slightly to look into her eyes.
"Why?" She challenged, a spark flaming in her eyes.
"Because if you don't stop touching me like that then I can't ... won't be held responsible for my actions." He growled, leaning down and nipping her lips gently.
"Maybe I don't want you to worry about your actions." She retaliated, raising a defiant eyebrow.
"You're drunk Hermione, you don't know what you're saying." Sirius argued, finding it harder to argue as she ran her foot along the back of his leg and squirmed beneath him.
"Like hell I don't Black, I'm probably the most sensible drunk you'll ever come across now shut the fuck up and kiss me." She growled, dragging his head down to hers and kissing him roughly.
Moaning into her mouth, Sirius brought one hand up to hold her face as his other hand began to roam the soft curves of her body.
"Sirius, I want you, tonight, here, I want you." She whispered.
"A-are you sure 'Mione? Once we start I don't think I'll have the willpower to stop." He replied huskily, dropping kisses over her face.
"I've never been more sure." Hermione grinned, pulling Sirius' face down to hers once more as they began to undress eachother.