CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
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February 2010
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When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and that's exactly what Sirius and Hermione needed to do. Which is why he and Hermione had come to a muggle travel agents to book a holiday in Paris for the both of them. The trouble was, Hermione was having a bit of an issue trying to explain to the dimwitted woman before her that she absolutely, positively did not need to book aeroplane tickets.
"But how are you planning on getting there?" The bimbo asked and Hermione grit her teeth.
"We have other arrangements made, as I've told you." Hermione ground out and the woman giggled in stupidly high pitched tone, very obviously flirting with Sirius.
"What kind of other arrangements?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him and Hermione glared as she moved even closer to Sirius, smiling when his arm wrapped around her shoulders and holding his hand in such a way that would very obviously display her engagement ring.
"I was under the impression that we were under no obligation to tell you anything Miss…"
"Oh you can call me Nita, love." She winked and Hermione actually heard herself growl.
"I give up," Hermione snapped, "come on Sirius, let's go to a more upmarket agent."
Sirius instantly knew that she was asking him to take her to a wizarding agent and nodded as he stood up, helping her into her jacket. They crossed the store away from the girl and just as they got to the door, Sirius turned around and showed the girl his middle finger. Hermione broke into a massive grin and pulled him away from the shop.
Sirius tugged her down a side alley and apparated them to Diagon Alley, where he led her into the travel shop and found a, thankfully male, agent to help them. Whereas they had been stuck with the vapid muggle woman for over an hour, they walked out of the travel shop ten minutes later with the arrangements made for a week in Paris during the Easter break.
"Do you want to go to Flourish Blotts, love?" Sirius asked, draping his arm around her neck and she nodded, "your wish is my command."
"Where do you want to go?" She asked as they strolled up the alley and Sirius shrugged.
"Maybe Weasleys, pop in and see how George is doing?" He suggested and she nodded.
"Alright, you head up there and I'll meet you when I finish here?" She said as they came to a stop and sighed when he frowned, "I promise not to talk to any strangers or go off to see some puppies a man tells me are in his van."
He had laughed loudly and given her a very enjoyable kiss goodbye before she walked into the shop, chuckling. After wandering around the aisles for a while, she stopped at the parenting section and her eyes were drawn to an interesting modern book on the bottom shelf. She dropped to her knees and pulled it out, discovering it to be called 'Magical Adoption: What You Should Know'. She smiled slightly as she stood up and crossed to the cash register, before leaving with her new book in hand.
It wasn't until she reached the bottom of the slight hill up to the joke shop that she noticed there was something of a commotion going on outside. Closing her eyes briefly and hoping that Sirius wasn't involved, she rushed up the hill and pushed her way through the crowd, groaning when she saw that Sirius was very much involved, but he was the victim it seemed, as Ron had him pinned to the cobbled street.
"What the bloody hell is going on?!" She screeched, rushing forward and shoving Ron as hard as she could in the side, throwing him off balance and away from Sirius, "how dare you!"
"How dare I?" Ron spat, shocked as Hermione helped Sirius up, relieved when George ran out of his shop to take his weight as she squared up to Ron, "how dare that girlfriend stealing bastard show his face in this shop?"
"Girlfriend stealing?" Hermione gasped before laughing, "how did you even reach that conclusion?"
"We were fine before he came back!" Ron said, pointing at a bloodied and bruised Sirius, who snorted even in his state.
"No we weren't!" She screamed, "two years, Ron. Two years I tried and tried to have a baby for you. It didn't matter that it tore me up inside every time you called me useless, or a failure, oh no! None of that mattered because everything was always about you. Do not blame this on Sirius and do not blame this on me, you lost me through your own unbelievably selfish actions."
When she was finished shouting, the crowd gathered around them were totally silent as Ron gaped at her. She was breathing heavily and she felt her eyes stinging but she refused to cry, not over Ron, not any more. She took a few steps closer to him and his eyes were wide as she jabbed a finger in his face.
"If you so much as think about hurting me any more I will never talk to you again, Ron Weasley," she snarled, turning her finger to point at Sirius, "that man, that wonderful man, has made me happier than I have ever been. Can I have children for him? No! Is that my fault? No! Has he ever made me feel bad about it? Not even close. Don't you ever, ever do anything to hurt me or him ever again or I will hex you so bad you won't know what month it is, letalone the day of the bloody week!"
The crowd slowly started to disperse as George shooed them along, dragging a very faint Sirius into the shop and through to the back, gathering up healing supplies. Hermione followed and collapsed against the wall, sighing as she slumped to the floor, holding her head in her hands. The adrenaline was leaving and she felt shaky and weak when Lee appeared in front of her, thrust a cake at her and then left.
"I hope this doesn't turn my hair green." She muttered, hearing Sirius chuckle weakly as she bit into it.