Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter… sucks to be me still.
The next chapter is here. Thank you to everyone that has been reviewing. I'm loving them! Hope you love Sirius' visit… don't worry there's more drama to come trust me!
Chapter Eleven.
Sirius looked straight at the young witch who stood before him. She too had obviously been out the rain. Her white blouse was pulling slightly against the curve of her stomach. In the two months since he'd seen her she had certainly started to fill out more. It was strange for him to see her in such a way. On the one hand he saw the innocent young girl who he had helped to overcome her grief, and in the other he saw the young woman who was being forced to grow up before her time... and all because of his reckless decision.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked awkwardly, taking in a deep breath. "You shouldn't have come. Go home." she said as she began to shut the door.
"Wait... Hermione... just hear me out." he said gripping the door in front of him. "A few minutes. That's it... ?"
She paused taking in his appearance. Like her he was wet from head to toe, his hair sticking to his forehead and cheeks, his eyes resembling the storm outside. Something in them told her that she needed to hear what he had to say. "Alright" she spoke slowly "A few minutes." She pulled the door back making room for him to step inside. Scraps of parchment still littered her desk along with the remnants of the sweets she'd been practically inhaling over the past few days.
Sirius stared at her as she moved across the room to a large dresser. Pulling out some dry sweat pants and a clean sweater, she gestured to the bathroom. "I'll just be a minute." Her voice had a slight uncertainty to it. He nodded his head in response and began pacing the length of the room. He had come here on impulse, not knowing what he intended to say, just knowing that he needed to see her. He needed to get everything out that had been bubbling up inside of him since the end of the Christmas break.
Hermione pressed her back against the bathroom door. Why was he here? What on earth had possessed him to come to see her after all this time - it had been two months for Merlin's sake! She pulled the drenched clothes from her body and slipped on the grey sweatpants (her jeans had stopped fitting around a month ago) and baby blue sweater she had taken from her dresser. Not yet ready to go and face what stood on the other side of the door, she used a drying charm on her hair and twisted the curls up into a bun at the base of her neck. She gave herself a once over in front of the mirror. "Calm down and take deep breaths" she told her reflection, before exiting the bathroom.
Sirius turned around to face her as she came back into the room. His breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of her. She was a beautiful girl... woman. Her skin was glowing, whether it was from being out in the rain or... her condition he didn't know. She was staring at him expectantly and it wasn't until she uttered his name that he realised he'd been staring at her much longer than he should have.
"Sirius?" Hermione asked, growing slightly uncomfortable at the strange look on his face.
"I didn't really - I mean it never seemed real before... that's why I had to come. To see it for myself. To be sure." he finally said, looking up from her stomach to meet her eyes.
She stood still, letting his words sink in while he stared questioningly at her. Questioningly? To be sure? Sure of what... that he was the baby's father? That there was a baby? Not wanting the thoughts to circle her head yet again she turned back to her visitor. "Well as you can see... it's real. Six months real to be exact." Seeing him pale slightly at her statement she continued "Sirius I don't expect anything from you. I never did. Not after that night." her breath hitching slightly. She couldn't stand to be in such close proximity to him. It hurt her too much.
There was sadness and fear in her eyes. He knew that she didn't really want him to leave. He didn't want to leave, for reasons he was still unsure of. She looked so small and unsure of herself. So vulnerable to so many evils. He couldn't leave her here like this, without him here to protect her. Summoning up all of his determination he walked towards her in three strides, and took her in his arms.
Hermione felt like all the stress and anguish in her body that she had been holding onto had been swept away. She hadn't felt this way in six months... since the last time Sirius had held her. All she wanted to do was give into his embrace right there. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and across his lips one more time, but she knew she wouldn't - couldn't. "Sirius you should go." the young witch said firmly as she pushed away from him, her hands and eyes on his chest. "You can't just come back when you feel like it - things don't work that way. It wasn't right for you to do this."
"Not right for me to do what Mi? Care for you? It's no secret that you need it." His voice was growing impatient. "I can't even hug you now?"
"No you can't hug me Sirius! Are you so selfish that you can't see..."
"Me selfish?" he snapped. "You weren't even going to tell me that you were having my child Hermione. What exactly were your plans before the entire Order blew your cover."
"Just go Sirius!" She yelled at him.
"No I will not go!" His voice deep, as he took her wrists in his hands. "I want to know. I need to know." She stood silent in front of him. "Tell me!" He practically growled.
Her head snapped up in immediate defiance, her eyes brimming with angry tears. "I didn't know what I was going to do!" She sang out. "I was confused... Don't you get it Sirius? I was in love with you... you made me fall in love with you and then you... you... you threw me to the curb like I meant nothing to you. How the hell was I supposed to tell you I was pregnant? If you didn't want me, then you sure as hell wouldn't have wanted a baby with me."
She was shocked at how quickly the truth had come out. Her hand flew to her mouth, tears running down her cheeks. Sirius stood still, one of her hands still gripped in his. He thought he was doing what was right. Distancing himself from her. Things had gone too far with them. She'd fallen in love with him… her feelings running much than he'd ever anticipated… and now he had hurt her more than he could have ever imagined. He felt sick to his stomach. But it was Hermione's eyes which rolled back in her head as she began to crumple before him. Quickly Sirius swung an arm under her knees, the other firmly wrapped around her waist as he balanced her in his arms, before she had the chance to hit the ground.
"Hermione? Mi! Wake up! Hermione?" His voice was growing panicked as he tried to wake her. Doing the first thing that came to his head he tightened his grip on her and headed for the Hospital Wing. Willing his legs to move faster, he couldn't help but blame himself for whatever was going on. If they hadn't been arguing then none of this would have happened. He shouldn't have come... just like she said.
He burst through the set of doors, yelling out for help. He carefully laid Hermione on the nearest bed, before turning towards Madame Pomfrey's office at the far end of the room, just as she was exiting it.
"Sirius Black?" she asked in disbelief. "Well what on earth are you d-" But she was cut off by Sirius before she could finish her sentence.
"It's Hermione! Something's happened - She collapsed and now I can't... We were arguing and she - the baby - " He rushed, unable to find words enough to convey the seriousness of everything that had happened.
Thankfully Madame Pomfrey did not need to rely on Sirius Black in order to remedy the situation. She nodded once and pulled her wand from her pocket, muttering an incantation as she swept over Hermione's body to find any physical injuries. Finding nothing, she crossed the room to the potions cabinet. "We'll revive her with this, and then put her out again." she said turning to look at Sirius. "It's exhaustion. Quite common during pregnancy. It would have been a build up of things, so don't go blaming it on today alone. Whatever you two were arguing about was probably just the final tap... she takes on too much for such a young woman" she said with a sigh "Head Girl, top of her year, battling You Know Who and now... yet another responsibility" she said softly looking at the young witch's tummy, before administering the potion.
Hermione stirred, her eyes opening a little. Sirius spoke softly to her as he tenderly soothed her in her confused state, brushing stray curls from her face. "Everything is fine. You're fine, the baby is fine." he said moving his hand to rest on the bulge sitting low on her frame. It was the first time he had felt the child since learning of it's existence. He looked back up to her face "Madame Pomfrey's just going to give you something to help you rest alright?" Her hand squeezed his as Poppy gave her wand a quick flick as Hermione's eyes drifted closed.
Sirius' hand was still on Hermione's stomach. He watched as he felt Hermione's tummy move with the rhythm of her breathing. He turned around to hear the mediwitch's voice once again and she retreated back to her office "Well now we know who the father is... You can stay if you would like Sirius."
"...I'm not going anywhere" Sirius whispered more to Hermione than the exiting witch.
