Title: One Year Marriage
Disclaimer: Do I look like the second richest woman in the world? If I was, why would I waste my time writing fan fiction. I would have my peasants do it for me.
Summary: Marriage Law Challenge. AU. The war was over, and everything was right once more. But the Ministry found a new way to stop discrimination, A Marriage Law. A Sirius/Hermione love story that will capture your hearts.
Ship: Sirius/Hermione
Warnings: Now the time has come where the story will probably be Mature, for language mostly.
Chapter 10 - Finding Her
It was just the two of them now. Harry and Remus had been the last to depart, and both of them reassured their best friend's that everything was going to be alright.
The tension was thick in the air. Both refusing to meet each other's eyes. It was a bit uncomfortable. Unable to stand the really drawn out silence any longer, Hermione spoke up.
"So," she said, finally looking at Sirius, waiting for him to say something.
Sirius' twitched when he heard the sound of her voice, it was almost as if he was broken out of a trance.
"Yeah so," said Sirius, not knowing what else to say. His hand absentmindedly flew to his hair brushing it back without realizing he was going it.
Hermione eyes followed his hand as he combed his hair back, he always did that when he was nervous. She smiled at him, which earned her another nervous look from the older man.
"I have an apartment. For you know, the thing." mumbled Sirius, unable to say the word 'Wedding', it still frightened him.
Hermione gave a cough of a laugh, at his discomfort. This had to be the first time she saw Sirius up close. The last time when they were this near each other was almost 5 years ago, when she used to fancy the Sirius he used to be.
Sirius' eyebrow arched as he heard her laugh. He truly hadn't heard her laugh, ever, to be honest. But he didn't think his nervousness was funny. He frowned at her.
"Think it's funny I can't say the 'W' word?" asked Sirius, who was holding back a smirk.
This time Hermione laughed out loud, and before she knew it Sirius joined along.
To Hermione, this was one moment where Sirius didn't insult her, aggravate her, or hurt her. It was rare, she liked it. It was nice seeing him laugh, he hardly laughed anymore, mostly due to the wedding she guessed.
Silence took over them again. 'Damn these stupid awkward moments' thought Hermione, almost viciously.
But this time it was Sirius who broke the silence, the smirk still on his face. But this time the smirk was more kinder, but an arrogant smirk nonetheless.
"So don't you want to see the apartment?" asked Sirius, capturing her light brown eyes.
Sirius noticed that if he looked close enough into her eyes, he could see specks of grey and green. Just as that thought entered his mind, he quickly shook it off. Why would he care what color her eyes were. It didn't matter.
Hermione smiled and nodded her head, but then frowned.
"How do we get there?" asked Hermione.
Sirius smirk grew darker, his eyes glinted, and a evil mocking chuckle escaped his mouth.
"Broom or Motorbike," said Sirius, smirking at Hermione.
Her eyes widened. THERE WAS NO WAY IN HELL SHE WAS FLYING!
She noticed that Sirius smirk grew more and more triumphant by the minute. Cheeky bastard.
"Can't we apparate?" asked Hermione desperately, she didn't care if that smirk ate his face, she was NOT flying. No way in hell.
Sirius' smirk grew more defiant, the curve of his bottom lip twisted mockingly.
"Can't apparate, it's warded. And in a muggle neighborhood, so you can't apparate anywhere near there," replied Sirius, humor evident in his voice.
Hermione's nostrils flared. "You think this is funny? I hate flying. I have a freaking phobia!" yelled Hermione, her cheeks becoming bright red.
"You do know that we can ride the Motorcycle on land." said Sirius, finally laughing at her.
"I don't care! That Motorcycle is dangerous!" said Hermione.
Sirius rolled his eyes, he had thought for a moment that maybe she would give in the Motorcycle idea. But alas, he thought wrong, she was still the frigid girl he met 7 years ago.
"Look, if you don't want to go on the bike, that's fine with me. I really didn't expect any better. Take a cab home then." growled Sirius, his mood rapidly changing.
Sirius reached into his pocket, without even glancing at Hermione and pulled out a muggle pen, and a piece of parchment. Quickly, he jotted down the address of their new apartment, and shoved it in Hermione's hands.
"There," said Sirius harshly. "Get there nice and safe," sneered Sirius, and with that he apparated out, completely ignoring the watery eyed girl he left behind.
Just as he apparated out, he felt a guilty twinge in his stomach, and Harry's voice rang out in his head 'Don't hurt her Sirius'
Cursing under his breath Sirius apparated back to the spot where he left Hermione.
When he reappeared, she was gone.
"Fuck!" muttered Sirius. He ran his hand angrily threw his hair again.
Damn it. Why did he have to lose his head so quickly, and why the hell did he have to leave her there by herself? Sirius cursed again his frustration, pacing back and forth. 'Where could she have gone?' thought Sirius angrily.
"Damn Harry, and his fucking promise. What would he say when he finds out the first thing I did to his best friend is make her cry." said Sirius out loud.
He could stand everything, but seeing his godson disappointed at him would make his heart break. He promised his godson something, and he was already breaking it.
Sighing, Sirius began to ponder where Hermione might have gone to. His first thought was to apparate to the Burrow.
'Oh good gods. The fucking Burrow' thought Sirius. He would dive into a pile of Blast-Ended Screwts before going their. Molly and the spitfire redhead would rip him from limb to limb. Ah well, he was in Gryffindor for a reason right? He took out his wand, just in case, and apparated to the Burrow with a pop.
The inhabitants of the Burrow were all seated around the dining table, conversing quietly. The men, which consisted of Ron, Fred, and George were on the side talking about Quidditch, while Molly kept on huffing about the wedding that occurred earlier today.
"What do you think he is doing to her?" asked Molly, for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the last 5 minutes. The men ignored her, so she turned her complaining to Arthur. Whom, just sat quietly and read the evening Prophet, nodding occasionally to indicate that he was listening. Truly he wasn't, but he wasn't going to let his wife know that.
"Mum, do you really think Sirius is shagging Hermione in their wedding bed?" asked Fred, while George snorted.
The only person that didn't find that funny was their mother. Whom huffed out her chest again, and began battering Fred and George, while Ron sniggered on the side.
The roar of Molly Weasley abruptly stopped when they heard a faint knock on the door.
Arthur looked up from the newspaper, and then to his wife.
"Was that the door dear?" asked Arthur, timidly almost afraid that his wife would start yelling again.
Molly glared at her husband. "I don't know. I thought I heard something," gritted Molly. Her anger still not vanishing yet.
Arthur sighed, and just then he heard another knock. Molly began to rise from her seat, when Arthur held up a hand.
"I'll get it Mollywobbles." said Arthur smiling at his wife. Molly's skin burned, and she glared at her husband, while the twins and Ron sniggered.
"Get to bed!" roared Molly, glaring at her kids.
Sirius reappeared, his eyes took in the slanted, disfigured shape of the Burrow. He still wondered why the Weasley's had that ridiculous looking house, it wasn't as if they were dirt poor anymore.
Sirius slowly, and hesitantly walked toward the Burrow, his heart pounding very fast. It was like he was slowly walking into death's lair. Gods, how much he loathed Molly Weasley, that woman was absolutely dreadful. She made McGonagall seem like a fairy princess. Sirius laughed aloud at the thought.
His legs halted in front of the battered entrance door, and Sirius knocked. He could hear a familiar screech of Molly Weasley, ranting god knows what. 'Does that dreadful woman rant all the time?' thought Sirius, as he knocked again.
He waited tapping his foot impatiently, if Hermione wasn't here he really didn't want to waster more time. He wanted to find her as fast as possible, so Harry wouldn't find out about his screw up already. Sirius stared at the battered door, glaring at it, until it suddenly flung open revealing a balding Arthur Weasley.
Arthur's immediate smile faltered a bit as he took in the form of Sirius Black.
Sirius' heart stopped pounding as hard, as he took in the form of Arthur Weasley, thank god it was him who opened the door, and not the shrieking banshee.
Without wasting time, Sirius got straight to the point, "Arthur, have you seen Hermione?" asked Sirius.
Arthur looked at Sirius, a frown now replacing the smile that been on his face earlier.
"Weren't you suppose to take her to the new apartment you purchased?" asked Arthur, still frowning.
Sirius whom didn't appreciate Arthur's frown one bit said "Well, she kinda disappeared on me."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "And why did she disappear? I swear Sirius, if you did anything to her, rest assured that the whole Order will be out for your blood." whispered Arthur.
"Who is at the door Arthur?" came a shrill voice from the kitchen of the Burrow. Arthur's face turned red.
"It's just Kingsley, Molly. He just wanted a quick word." lied Arthur.
Sirius smirked. Even the husband was afraid of her. This was another reason he despised marriage.
"For your information Arthur, Hermione just disapparated after I told her to wait for me while I get a cab," lied Sirius smoothly, he didn't want Molly running after him with a pitchfork. Not that she would get really far, the woman was rather big, Sirius sniggered at the thought.
Arthur raised his eyebrow, indicating that he didn't really believe Sirius.
"Well whatever it is, you better fix it soon. Find her, if Molly finds her before you do, well you know what will happen. Hermione is like a daughter to her." warned Arthur sternly.
Sirius would have snorted. Who the hell was this man to scold him? The only person that had an ounce of control over Sirius was Remus, and he hardly ever listened to him. Without a goodbye Sirius apparated to the next place.
Sirius reappeared in front of the Granger residence. Argh. 'She was probably crying her eyes out in her mum house' thought Sirius, as he cringed. He stood in front of the house. 2760 Baker Place. Sirius didn't know what to say, Hermione's mother had actually defended him, and here was the first day of her wedding and Sirius already made her cry. Damn it. But Sirius knew he had to find her before Harry found out.
Slowly he raised his hand and rang the bell. No answer.
He waited for a few seconds and rang again. Sirius' ears picked up a scuffling noise from inside the house, and seconds later the door slowly flung open revealing a woman with graying curly hair. Sirius' hand shot up to his hair again. 'This is uncomfortable' thought Sirius, as he looked at the elder women. Mrs. Granger smiled at Sirius, and greeted him.
"Hello, Mrs. Granger," said Sirius. He made a face, and paused. "Is Hermione here?" asked Sirius, hoping that she would leave him in front of the door to go fetch Hermione, and thrust her on to his side. But he could only hope.
"Hermione? Isn't she suppose to be with you Sirius?" asked Mrs. Granger raising one eyebrow.
His hand found his silky hair once more. "Well yes, but she said that she wanted to either come see you, or go to the Weasley's and then come home," lied Sirius, quickly thinking of a cover story.
Mrs. Granger really didn't look like she believed him. Her lips pursed. "You haven't lost her, have you?" asked Mrs. Granger worriedly.
Sirius waved his hand. "Of course not. I just thought I check here first," said Sirius, trying to smile reassuringly at the elder woman. She said nothing. Sirius couldn't help but feel that she wasn't buying his story. Ah well.
Without even a goodbye Sirius disapparated.
Sirius rematerialized in front of Number 13 Grimmauld Place. He stared blankly at between Number 11 and 13, and imagined Number 12 Grimmauld Place clearly in his mind. No sooner that he had thought it, a house began to immerge between houses 11 and 13. A battered steel door appeared in front of him, and he pushed the door open.
His footsteps echoed through the battered, slightly frightening house. Sirius' voice echoed through the house.
"Hermione," he called, wishing she was at least here. But no answer.
Sighing, he ran up the creaking stairs. Sirius looked through every bedroom, closet, and bathroom. No Hermione. He even checked Kreacher's den, still no Hermione. Swearing loudly, and kicking the nearest object, which actually happened to be Kreacher, Sirius strode back down the stairs and out of the house.
This was getting bloody tiring.
"Dumb bitch," muttered Sirius to himself, as he exited Grimmauld Place.
Sirius reappeared in front of Remus' house. This was his last hope, and if this failed, well, he would have to check Harry's house. This was turning out to be the best night of this fucking life.
He rudely began to bang on the door. Sirius heard something break from inside the house, and he banged harder.
"Coming!" yelled a feminine voice. 'Great, Tonks was there. 'Just what he needed, a female breathing down his back' thought Sirius, rolling his eyes. Why couldn't Remus get the door and make this easier on both of them.
The door creaked open, and the head of Nymphadora Tonks peered through. Her eyes venomously narrowed once they look in the appearance of a disheveled Sirius Black, still in his dress robes from the wedding.
"What are you doing here?" asked Tonks, looking at him skeptically.
Sirius rolled his eyes. Auror's were too damned nosey for their own good.
"Go get Remus," barked Sirius warily. He was damn tired already. It was probably two in the morning. Yes, he probably went to sleep at 6 in the morning everyday, but today was rather exhausting.
Tonks' nostrils flared inconsiderably. She reminded him so much of Snape right now, he would have laughed if he wasn't so bloody well pissed.
Tonks huffed, and closed the door in his face. Sirius' mouth opened in shock. He couldn't believe Tonks just had the nerve to shut the door in his face.
Before he had a chance to bang on the door again, and start yelling like manic, the door opened again, but this time, Sirius was greeted with the friendly face of Remus Lupin instead of Tonks.
"What did you do now Padfoot?" asked Remus almost warily.
Sirius scowled. Why did everyone always assume it was him that always did something?
"I didn't do anything," muttered Sirius, still scowling at Remus.
Remus looked at Sirius with his I-know-that-you-did-something-stupid look. Sirius' hands fisted his hair again.
"I lost her," muttered Sirius.
Remus' face was expressionless. "What do you mean you 'lost her'?" asked Remus.
Sirius straightened. "It was her fault. Not mine. I was about to take her to my new apartment with my bike, and she was afraid of it, called it dangerous, and refused to get on it. So I told her to take a cab home and jotted the address down in a piece of paper. And then I left her at it," He paused looking slightly abashed but continued on. "Then of course I realized my mistake, and my promise to Harry, then of course I found the little walking brain gone," He paused again. "And now I am in front of your doorstep about to ask you if you have seen her," finished Sirius.
Remus took a while to absorb everything that Sirius said. He wanted to look at both sides but he couldn't ignore what an arsehole his friend was. He shook his head disapprovingly.
"I can't believe you. The poor girl was a wreak as it was. Add that to leaving her stranded on her own wedding day. Nice one, Padfoot," snarled Remus sarcastically.
"So she isn't here?" asked Sirius.
Remus shook his head again.
Fuck. He was really screwed.
"What do I do now?" asked Sirius, his hand again edging itself toward his hair.
Remus looked at him if he was retarded. "Did you check the Weasley's, her house, or Harry's place?" asked Remus.
At the sound of Harry's name, Sirius groaned. He couldn't fucking believe this. He would have to go to the house of the person he last wanted to see. Fuck. If Hermione was indeed crashing at Harry's then she would have already told him about the incident. Shit. The last thing he needed right now was his godson angry at him.
A flicker of sympathy passed Remus' eyes. He knew if their was one person Sirius would do anything for, it was Harry. Sirius would hate to see disappointment etched in his godson eyes. Sirius wouldn't care what anyone else thought, but Harry was different. Harry was his last connection to James. His best mate, his brother, his confidant. Sirius couldn't afford to hurt Harry, not while James was counting on him.
But Sirius knew what he had to do, with luck if Hermione was there, he could fake an apology and take her home. Truthfully speaking he wasn't sorry at all, but he wasn't going to let Harry know that.
After giving Remus a rather moody farewell, he disapparated for the 10th time tonight.
Sirius' body reappeared in front of a rather cozy looking shack. It looked rather small from outside, but Sirius knew better. Harry's house was magically enhanced. Sirius walked slowly toward Harry's house. He took a giant breath and rang the muggle doorbell that Harry had installed, he was still amazed by it.
Sirius waited in silence, until he heard the door slowly creak open. The door revealed a slightly undressed Ginny Weasley. Great, just fucking great, he really need Molly fucking Jr. here. Ginny looked at Sirius with the utmost distaste in her face, and she clearly didn't decide to hide it.
"What are you doing here?" sneered Ginny, her bright brown eyes narrowed.
Sirius raised his eyebrow, it wouldn't do good to goad Ginny Weasley right about now, but he wouldn't be Sirius Black if he let it go.
"Might I ask what you are doing here?" He paused to look her up and down, yes, she certainly filled out in the right spots but he had better. "Dressed like that" he finished, as he indicated her revealing nightgown.
Ginny nostrils flared, and right when she was about to slap Sirius across his face, Harry grabbed her arm. Sirius smirked.
Ginny glared at her finance, and pushed past him and walked inside the house.
Harry greeted Sirius confusingly.
"What are you doing here Sirius?" asked Harry, utterly bewildered why Sirius was here.
Sirius relived a sigh. Thank god, Harry didn't know what was going on.
"Umm just dropping by to see how you were doing," said Sirius smiling a bit too innocently.
Harry still looked at him bewilderedly. "You were dropping by?" asked Harry raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," stammered Sirius.
"At 2 in the morning?" asked Harry.
"Yes," muttered Sirius.
"Right," said Harry sarcastically. "Now tell me what really happened," said Harry exasperatedly.
Sirius groaned, and painfully retold Harry about his horrible night. Harry neither said anything nor interrupted him.
After Sirius finished and Harry took a deep breath.
"So you mean to tell me that you abandoned my best friend on your wedding night?" asked Harry, a frown crossing his face.
Sirius bowed his head and nodded.
"Go find her then," said Harry, he paused. "I am not mad, nor disappointed. I am just realizing how difficult this is gonna be for you. I put too much hope in both of you. Neither of you are compatible, you two are just wrong for each other, even for friendship. I don't care anymore. You guys don't even have to talk, just go find her, and make sure she is safe Sirius. Do you want me to come with you?" asked Harry softly.
Sirius could hear the disappointment clearly in Harry's voice, and it broke his heart. Damn, why was he just a git all the time? He couldn't get along with his fake wife, and he was the one who suggested friendship. He sighed again and clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"I'll look all-night if I have to," said Sirius as he disapparated with a pop.
He checked everywhere, she was no where to be found. He checked all the stores in Diagon Alley that were open this late. He checked if she stayed in the Leaky Cauldron, she hadn't. He checked with Remus, Arthur, and Harry once more. And now they were looking for her as well. It was now 6 in the morning and still no sign of Hermione. Fuck. This was all his fault, he made this happen. Why did he have such a short temper, why did he have to be so god damned arrogant, why the hell did he have to send her off like that? And now she could be anywhere, and it's all because of him. What if she was hurt, what if something bad happened? Damn. Now Sirius was really worried.
His usually shiny silky hair was now a bit tattered, his fine dress robes were wrinkled, and he had huge bags under his eyes. He was tired, all night searching for her everywhere, but yet she was no where to be found.
Sirius didn't even realize he was tired anymore, he forgot about that a while back, now all he truly cared about was finding Hermione.
True, he didn't honestly like the girl, but he didn't want to harm to come to her. Damn it, all he wanted was to find her, and take her home.
His hand again found it's way into his hair. His hair was wet because he was sweating. Sirius was a mess, he even began to stink a bit.
His feet was walking mindlessly, as Sirius staggered behind. He lost his train of thought, guilt was weighing in hard in his stomach, he felt slightly sick. His mind kept on digging up the most horrible possibilities. His torturous mind imagined Hermione beaten and bruised, or Hermione knocked out in a alley, or worse even raped. He shuddered at the possibility. Gosh. But he kept reminding himself that it was now 6 a.m., it was morning. Someone is bound to find her soon.
His feet carefully dragged him probably to a place he really wanted to be. The Hogs Head.
A fire whiskey would do him really good about now. Yes. That is what he needed. After one shot of fire whiskey he would again be off looking for Hermione. The fire whiskey would be a energy drink for him, and anyone who saw him would agree.
His feet carried him in front of the bar where a bearded Aberforth Dumbledore stood. Sirius approached him and grunted at Aberforth who took that as an indication to get him fire whiskey.
Aberforth plopped the fire whiskey down in front of him, and walked toward his only other customer he had this early. But Sirius didn't pay attention, his attention was at the fire whiskey bottle he was about to devour. He needed this to clear his head, to forget.
Sirius took a gulp, nearly drowning half of the bottle. He cracked his neck as he felt the stingy liquid run down his throat, and then with a final burn it fades. He wasn't even close to light headed, it takes him at least four bottles to be tipsy. He paused, after all these years he still hated the burning taste of fire whiskey, so why did he continue to drink it? To cleanse his mind. Fire whiskey was like Occulmency to him, it blocked all train of thought that ran through his mind.
Sirius took another sip, but this time a smaller quantity. He again felt it burning his insides but he didn't care, it relaxed him, and he needed relaxation about now. His eyes automatically closed, as he felt his troubles dimming away. He re-opened his eyes and took in his surroundings, maybe he'll have one more bottle and then go back to Hermione hunting, or maybe Harry will probably find him here and tell him that Hermione is safe and sound.
Sirius' eyes scanned the bar. There was no one else in the pub except for him, Aberforth, and a witch who looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on who she was. She had her back turned towards him, and next to her sat 3 empty fire whiskey bottles. Sirius would have never thought that a woman could take that much alcohol in her system, and still be seated on a stool.
Sirius' eyes were still on the witch in question. Her hair was straight and silky, with half of the hair up in a elegant twist, coming down in curls, while the rest of her hair stood straight. His eyes then darted toward the witch's figure, he smirked, she was very curvaceous, and her dress was rather pretty. He vaguely wondered why such a pretty witch was in the Hogs Head, at this time, nonetheless. She looked like she had class, from behind anyways, he wondered if her face resembled an ogre, maybe that's why. But when Sirius thought about it again, he realized at a woman so captivating from behind could never be ugly.
He wondered if he could try to chat her up, this might be his only chance, because he doubted he will get a chance to see her again. But then his thoughts trailed back to Hermione, and he knew he couldn't chat up a woman in a guilty stomach.
Sirius took another sip as he continued staring at the woman, he imagined what her face would look like, probably captivating. Then without a guilty lurch in his stomach he actually imagined marrying a woman like that.
Anytime he ever imagined marrying a woman, he figured she would be the most beautiful thing he ever laid his eyes on, and seeing this slender figure in front of him, he wondered what it would be like if it was she that was his wife, instead of Hermione. At least he could fuck her, but not Hermione, she wasn't pretty enough nor had a figure like her, plus she was his godson's best friend.
Sirius finally ripped his eyes from the woman, and looked toward Aberforth, who seemed to be chatting with the woman, and actually consoling her.
He had never ever seen Aberforth talk to anyone, much rather consoling them. Hell, Aberforth didn't even talk to Sirius, and he was in the Order. Wow, that was a sight he thought he never see. Aberforth Dumbledore consoling a witch, and every once in a while Sirius would catch Aberforth glaring at him.
Sirius didn't even have energy to glare back, all he did was stare at the witch and drink his remaining fire whiskey. He wondered if he should talk to her, slip her his floo address, and then go find Hermione. All he knew was that the mystery witch captivated him. It's been a while since Sirius Black was captivated. Usually he finds a blonde with a rack to shag, there is no time for captivation. He couldn't truly remember the last time he actually looked at a woman. Like truly taking in their features, memorizing them in his mind, truly worshipping a woman's body. All he had now was quick, rough, and night long shags with different woman.
Hell, Sirius didn't even know why he was even thinking about all of this, because this witch was probably like any other slag, maybe it was the fire whiskey talking.
After a long, tiring battle with himself, Sirius decided to pursue the witch. But the first thing to do would be to get Aberforth away from her first. And of course to get Aberforth away from the witch was easy, he ordered another drink, but this time a warm butterbeer. Aberforth looked surprised at first, ever since Sirius was back, the only thing he drank was fire whiskey. But the surprised expression on his face was quickly squashed and he went to make the drink.
The only reason Sirius ordered a butterbeer was because it took longer to make. He smirked. He slowly walked toward the witch, taking a seat directly behind her. Her back was still turned toward him, and she smelled of roses, and fire whiskey. Sirius took the time to take in her dress, it was a cream colored dress that was backless, she truly had a nice spine, he had the urge to run his fingers down it, but resisted the temptation.
Sirius slowly brought his lips close to her ear, really close, and whispered "Hello,".
Sirius felt the witch twitch, he still couldn't see her face, it was almost as if she her face was shadowed.
The witch slowly turned to him, her face gaining light as she turned. Her eyebrows were raised, and her lips thinned. Sirius looked at her in wonder, she looked so familiar, so beautiful, he knew her, but from where?
Sirius scanned her face trying to figure out who she was, and the fire whiskey in his system wasn't helping the situation. Her eyes were blurred, she looked immensely tired, she had chestnut brown hair, her eyes were a warm honey brown, and her complexion was a tanned pale. The witch was beautiful, even with the bags under her eyes. And suddenly she spoke, and his whole world shattered before him.
"Sirius?" hiccupped Hermione.
A/N: Ducks tomatoes I am very sorry for the late update, but I have been drowned with work. School has been horribly tiring, as well as work, plus I had a family reunion, so it meant I had no time. I am sorry if the chapter sucked, but it is VERY long. And Hermione, wow, did you expect that? And Sirius was about to chat her up without knowing it was her. See, Hermione is beautiful, but Sirius refused to see it. The Inner Beauty thing again. sighs Sirius isn't that nice is he? Well, I have a reason for that as well. Hee Hee. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and those who didn't I urge you to review. Thanks. See you next chapter. - SiriuslyInLuv71