CHAPTER 21

Sirius leaned against the cool raining of Hermione's balcony, and tilted his head forward. The lights of the city below him sparkled optimistically, like little stars against a murky blue background. The road, a ribbon of bright, moving lights, wound its way sluggishly to his left and curved out of his sphere of sight. The air was cool and a touch breezy. He thought it might rain in a few days.

He inhaled languidly from his cigarette, and then craned his neck and peered into the apartment. Hermione had vanished into the bathroom and was taking one of her signature long, hot showers. The first time he had bathed there, he had yelped out in pain as the water struck down on him at the highest possible heat level. Now, he had taken to checking the setting first.

He smiled softly to himself and extinguished his cigarette against the small ceramic ashtray on the floor. There was something remarkably comfortable about this apartment: it felt more home than Grimmauld Place ever had. Although, if he were to be honest with himself, it wasn't just the apartment. It was more of what it symbolized: him, and Hermione, and their constant fight against anything that got in his way.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise as this thought flickered across his mind, but soon recognized the truth of it. That was essentially what they were doing, wasn't it? They were fighting against the Ministry, against their forced marriage, against the army, and sometime along this entire fight, they had become closer than he ever could have imagined. Sometimes, he thought that the way he felt about her had nothing to do with the slight picking up of his heart when she smiled, or the way his skin became hot when she touched him. It had much more with the fact that he was comfortable around her: that he liked sitting with his arm wrapped around her huge head of hair, that he liked sitting in the morning and having a cup of coffee for her, that he liked eating with her, and feeding her wine straight from the bottle. It was much more than just the attraction, he realized.

It was more because Hermione was his best friend.

As he thought this, Sirius suddenly became aware of a warm, happy feeling that was slowly soaring in his stomach. He realized how fucking lucky he was. He cared for her deeply, he had known that, but with this last revelation came another: he loved her. It was a slow, hot feeling, something that had crept into him with the time they had spent together, the things they had gone through. It was something secret, almost like a talisman, giving him strength. Because with it came a sure, strong certainty: that Hermione and he were meant to be together, and that that was never going to change.

It was a strange feeling. Never before had Sirius felt so damn sure about something. Never before had he cared so much about someone. He allowed a small smile to cross over his face, and then cupped his chin in his hand, his eyes raking the horizon, and his mind still full of these clear, simple thoughts.

'Thinking much?' asked Hermione. He turned. She was standing behind him with a slightly amused smile on her face. He had grown accustomed to her smiles, and was quick to recognize the slight upward tilt of one corner of her lip, the way her eyes crinkled up with laugh lines. She was dressed in a cream colored robe that was tightened firmly at the waist, and her long, wet hair was pinned back in a chignon: one of her favorite methods to ensure it didn't dry into a mess. He took a step towards her and inhaled deeply. She had obviously just slathered on some of her favorite moisturizer, because he could smell peaches and vanilla. He could feel the heat from her long shower radiating off her body.

'I do, sometimes,' he said, modestly. She laughed, and wrapped her hands around his arm, leaning gently against him.

'I haven't seen you this thoughtful in a while. Is something wrong?'

He shook his head, took hold of her hand.

'No. Nothing's wrong. What were you doing?'

She shrugged. 'Laying out my clothes and binders for tomorrow. It's going to be an early morning.'

'You better get to bed early.'

His voice, when he said it, was tight and a little strained, and Hermione shot him a look. She said, 'Have you made dinner?'

'It's on the table. Come on inside, we can eat.'

He led her inside by the hand, and as he entered the room, the heat from her body seemed even more palpable. It rushed off her like steam from the shower, and touched his skin in a sensitive, feverish way. He took a deep breath, and closed the balcony door behind them, knowing it would only intensify the feeling.

It did.

'Sirius?'

He turned to face her. Her voice was so cautious, almost inquiring, and her eyes were strangely hopeful.

And then he understood.

In a sharp movement, he yanked her closer by her hand, and wrapped both his arms around her back, kneading them into the sensitive skin of her shoulder blades. She strained her neck up and their lips met with a sort of hot urgency that he hadn't felt in a long time. He pulled her closer, and let his tongue trace the contours of her lips, learning by touch the parts of her that he had already learned by sight. She whimpered very softly- a low, broken noise that pierced through him- and opened her mouth. He was all over her then, pushing, pulling with his tongue, tugging at her willingness until she whimpered even louder, and he realized that she had turned to putty in his hands and that he was practically holding her up.

He picked her up with a little growl, and strode over to the bed, without breaking lip contact. When he put her down on it, she grabbed at his shirt collar and pulled him over her, transferring her lips to the corner of his mouth and then lower, to his jaw. He groaned as she reversed their positions, pushed him down onto his back and authoritatively swung a leg over his hip. With quick, dynamic movements, she moved her mouth to his chin, sucking and biting until he growled, and whispered, 'Don't stop. Don't stop that for one moment.'

'I won't.' she murmured, and dipped lower, disposing of his shirt buttons with a vicious pull and then wrenching it off his shoulders. Sirius threw his head back as her mouth descended on his shoulders, left soft marks over his skin and then trailed down his chest. His memory flashed back to that time on her couch, when her tongue had wrapped itself around his nipple in a similar way, and groaned as she moved lower. His hands came to the knot of her robe girdle, and undid with a swift, decisive movement. The terry cloth fell away, and the next moment his rough fingers were moving over her collar bones, gently touching her breasts and stroking her nipples. Hermione gasped and threw her head back with pleasure as he leaned up and took one of them in his mouth, flicking his tongue over it with gentle, irregular strokes. His hot breath fanned across her breast and she felt the heat inside her body build as she suddenly noticed his rock hard erection. She wiggled her body a little lower, so that she was straddlind it properly, and both of them gasped as red-hot sensations sparkled within them.

'God,' Sirius whispered, his teeth scraping incessantly at her nipple. 'God, you're amazing.'

'You're not so bad yourself,' Hermione whispered. His hands had trailed down her stomach now, had found the waistband of her cotton panties and was playing the hem. One of them dipped lower, and gently stroked her through the soft material.

'You're so wet,' he whispered, as his fingers moved with an irregular rhythm. He could tell that the tension was driving her mad. She had arched her back and ground her legs even closer to him. Deciding he had had enough of being below, he flipped her onto the bed and lowered his mouth to her neck, his hands dipping down to her thighs and his fingers wreaking havoc on the sensitive skin there. She bucked under him, her hips rising for better contact, and she groaned.

'Sirius...'

His fingers hooked into the waistband of her panties, and drew them down her thighs slowly, tortuously. She wriggled in protest as his mouth left her neck and he sat up in bed, transferring his full attention to the task of undressing her. His palms glided roughly against the flat backs of her thighs as he pulled the panties off. He let the material bunch at her knees for a moment or so, slid his hands back up and bending down, kissed the base of her stomach. Then, he was pulling them past her calves, lifting her feet one by one to get the panties off, and kissing the soles of both as he dropped them.

'Sirius...'

'Yes, darling?'

'Don't waste time.'

His face eased into a broad smile at the authoritative tone of her voice, but he complied as she leaned forward, entirely naked and unbuttoned his jeans. He found himself admiring the gentle curve of her back, the clear indentation of her collar bones, the way her breasts were small and set somewhat wide apart. Her stomach was flat, but she had traces of love handles at her hips. He watched the muscles in her thighs flex as she leaned forward, and the next minute her hands were dragging at his jeans, pulling them away. He helped her get them off and then eased her back onto the bed, lying low and letting her feel how hard he was. His black boxers were silky, and he could tell that the sensation of the material on her skin excited Hermione.

He looked down at her face, and saw that she was gazing evenly back at him.

'I think it's high time, don't you?' she asked, with a little smile. Her fingers groped at his boxers, and he silently groaned as he felt them, small and supple, pull them over his legs. He kicked them aside and then lowered himself onto her once more.

'Are you ready?' he whispered.

'More than I'll ever be.'

The first thrust was slow, experimental. He felt her widen, felt the slight tremor that rocketed through her body as he pushed into her. She adjusted her legs and wrapped them around his back, linking her ankles and pulling him closer.

'You're wonderful, baby,' he whispered.

She said, 'Then show me.'

And that was all it took. His pace became frenzied, feverish. Each thrust brought him closer to her and he felt as though he was strangely disconnected from his body, the pleasure taking him somewhere high above. She had her arms wrapped around him, and was biting deeply into his shoulder. Somehow, the pain only spurred him on. His hands came to her hips, holding them down as he took her higher and higher.

The startling thing was the familiarity of it. He felt like he had been here before. He felt like he could remember Harry's birthday night if only he tried a little harder. He felt surreal. His hand traced a pattern over her hip bone and then dipped lower until he felt her wetness. A single finger flicked experimentally over her clit.

Hermione gasped. 'Sirius!'

'That's it, baby,' he urged, drawing little circles around her nub now. She had moaned and arched into him, and he knew the motion gave her more pleasure than his thrusts. 'That's it. Relax.'

'Oh!'

She bucked her hips into him so violently he felt himself plunge into her till the hilt. He groaned, and fastened his ministrations.

'Hermione- baby- I'm so close...'

'Oh, god!'

Faster and faster he moved now, his hips and his finger maintaining a frenzied rhythm that was driving them both mad. A thin sheen of sweat covered Hermione's body, he could see damp strands of hair clinging to her brow. There was something exciting about the heat, in the way their slick bodies moved against each other, the way his hard stomach pressed into her soft one. Her hands, which had been over his shoulders crawled up into his hair, and she grabbed a handful and pulled.

'Sirius...'

'Come for me, baby.'

'I-'

'I'm so close,' he whispered. 'I'm almost there.'

She bucked ferociously against him, and he felt her body tighten like a vice. Her neck arched back and she snapped her eyes shut, gasping as her orgasm hit her. Her feet, which were linked over his back, tensed, and he could feel her toes curling. Two seconds later his own climax hit him, and he bit down hard on her neck as he came. Both their bodies tightened against each other for a moment, and he held the position even when it was over.

They lay linked together as their breathing began to slow down. Hermione's fingers, which had been digging into the flesh of Sirius's shoulder relaxed and she flopped back down on the bed. He smiled and rolled off her.

'How are you feeling?' he asked.

She smiled, her face glowing with pleasure, and touched the tip of his chin with her index finger. 'Being chivalrous?'

'Genuinely curious.'

'I'm feeling wonderful.'

'I thought so,' said Sirius smugly, and wrapped his arms around her. There was something ridiculously comforting about holding her close.

'What changed?' asked Hermione.

He thought about it for a moment, and then replied, 'Thinking about it. We've been so busy doing stuff these last few weeks we haven't really had time to think, have we?'

She pursed her lips. 'I've had plenty.' she said.

Sirius laughed. 'You would. I got my first opportunity when I was standing outside today. You know, I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with you.'

Hermione smiled broadly, and gently pressed her palms against the forearms that were wrapped around her torso.

'I'm glad you thought about then,' she said, mischeviously, her eyes sparkling. 'It's high time you realized it, in any case.'

Then, seeing the anxious expression on his face, she burst out laughing. 'Of course I love you, you idiot. I've known that since the day we kissed on your couch. I figured it would take you a while to realize it yourself, so-'

'You little witch,' said Sirius, raising his eyebrow. He bent down, and kissed the tip of her nose. His mouth lingered over her lips, and he whispered, 'You do, don't you?'

'Love you? Of course I do.'

'I'm glad to hear that,' murmured Sirius. He kissed her, and then said, 'You're not your usual self today.'

'I'm not?'

'I would have expected you to be full of a million doubts. A few weeks is a short time to say you love someone, you know.'

'Oh, I've thought about it,' said Hermione, happily. 'And I've decided I don't care.'

Sirius blinked. 'You don't?'

'No, I don't. Love isn't a constant Sirius. It takes some people years to see it, and it takes other days.'

'So it basically took us days?'

'Of course not,' she admonished, with a slight frown. 'It took us years, didn't it? I've known you since I was thirteen!' she leaned forward, and kissed his cheek affectionately. 'We've been through a lot together, Sirius, but we've always been there for each other. And I'm pretty sure it's going to stay that way.'

Sirius bent down and kissed her soundly, moving his lips against hers in ways that made her melt gently in his arms. He broke the kiss, and surveyed her with darkened eyes.

'You are,' he said, 'The most remarkable witch I have ever met.' The intensity of his gaze lessened, and a soft smile crossed his face.

'Ready for round two?'

Author's Note: Have to confess, this chapter wasn't really planned. I thought I would just slip it in when I felt the time was right, and I had had enough of waiting.

Also, this may be very unprofessional of me, but I'm very, very drunk right now.

I've tried to make it not just sex, but also a sort of closeness and intimacy between the two. Something to emphasize the fact that they're also very comfortable with each other.

Review and tell me how you liked it?