Chapter 21: The Offer
Hermione screwed her eyes up tight in an attempt to block out the dim light coming in from her windows around the curtains. Her head was fuzzy and pounding, and she reminded herself there was a definite reason she did not drink to excess on a regular basis.
Knowing it wouldn't it get any better from just laying there in denial, she sat up slowly and swung her feet over the side of the bed, fighting back the sudden nausea that came along with the movement.
Opening her eyes to slits, she noticed a small bottle on her bedside table that didn't belong. She picked it up and squinted at it. Hangover Potion. Definitely not something she regularly kept in stock. She smiled as she downed the potion in one gulp, knowing Sirius must have brought it for her.
As her head cleared and her headache faded, last night's events came back into focus in her mind.
Had Sirius really confessed to being in love with her? She knew he loved her, as she loved him, but in love? That was different. Is that really what he meant?
She thought it was. When had that happened? Everything between them was changing so fast, but to be in love after a few short weeks as a couple seemed fast, even though they had been friends for years.
What should she say to him? She couldn't say the same. Her feelings for him had certainly deepened, as had her attraction, but she wasn't in love with him. At least she didn't think so.
But she didn't think she'd ever been in love. So, she didn't have anything to compare her feelings for Sirius to. No matter the case, she was not ready to say those words to him, and she hoped that didn't mess things up between them.
She slipped her dressing gown on and made her way downstairs. Sirius was in the kitchen, frying bacon at the stove. Not exactly his usual forte, and the sight made her smile. He was already dressed for the day, hair still damp from the shower.
"Morning, love," he said with a smile, kissing her cheek as she walked past him to fix herself a cup of tea. She noticed the new endearment immediately but decided not to comment.
"Did Remus stay at Tonks' last night?" She asked instead.
Sirius shrugged, "I guess so. It wouldn't surprise me if he moves in over there before the wedding. But it's just an Apparation away," he quickly added when her face fell.
"I know," she replied softly, leaning up against the counter as he slid the cooked bacon on to plates already loaded with eggs and toast. Then he shifted over a few feet to stand in front of her. She smiled and set her teacup down as he leaned down to give her a proper good morning kiss.
When he pulled back, she could clearly read the emotion in his eyes. She suddenly felt like she had to address what had been said the night before. She couldn't quite meet his eye as she began, "Sirius... About last night, I, umm..."
"Remember that, do you?" Sirius asked. Her eyes shot up to his, and she tried to hold back a flinch at the sad smile he is on his face. "You were pretty far gone. I wasn't sure if you would."
"Umm, I do. I just, umm, I don't really know-"
He cut off her fumbling, "You don't have to say or do anything. I just didn't want you to think I was rejecting you. I wanted to explain why I wasn't going to... join you."
She did cringe then as her drunken invitation was repeated back to her. She was glad he had denied her. She didn't want their first time to be that way either.
"I just want to make sure everything is alright between us. That it's ok with you that I'm not... not quite there yet," she said, voice barely more than a whisper.
Sirius nodded and kissed her forehead, "I'm in this for long haul, love. There's no rush."
Hermione felt relief flood her, and she wound her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face in his hair. She felt him squeeze her back, and she smiled.
Later that day, Sirius' prediction came true. Remus and Tonks showed up after lunch and announced Remus would move into her flat the following weekend.
When Hermione got misty eyed at the news, Remus laughed and hugged her, "Hermione! I'll still see you all the time!"
"I can't help it!" Hermione exclaimed through her tears, then laughed. "I told you I would cry when it was your turn to move out!"
She moved to hug Tonks, who whispered, "I'll take good care of him."
Hermione nodded. Then Sirius added, "At the very least, you'll see him once a month. He'll still be spending the full moon here with me in the basement."
Remus chuckled at the worried look Hermione shot him, "I promise we'll see each other more than once a month."
"We'd better," Hermione said threateningly.
Hermione was starting to stress out about her own wedding to Sirius. Though they had already made all the arrangements, and everything was ready to go, the two weeks leading up to the day were hectic and stressful.
She cried in earnest when she said goodbye to Remus as he left Grimmauld, no longer her roommate. But he had just hugged her close and told her he would see her the following Saturday to walk her down the aisle. Tonks said they'd have everyone over for dinner after their own wedding, once everyone was settled in to their new realities.
Hermione was also slightly worried about what Sirius had planned for their honeymoon. All he would tell her was that they would be leaving the morning after the wedding and would be coming back Thursday morning, to have enough time to prep for Remus and Tonks' wedding on Friday.
She took Thursday and Friday off work leading up to the wedding, though she didn't really need to. She had realized that, after three years of working at the Ministry, she had only taking two sick days and no vacation. And if the Ministry was forcing her to get married, they could damn well pay for her to have a little break before the wedding.
She was surprise when Sirius told her that he had also taken the same days off. He asked her to go to Diagon Alley with him for lunch on Thursday.
She enjoyed her lunch with him at the Leaky Cauldron. The fervor around their engagement had died down considerably over the last month, but people still looked their way from time to time, but she was used to that though after all the years of being the famous Harry Potter's best friend.
After lunch, Sirius said he wanted to stop by Gringotts. She told him she would wait for him at Flourish and Blotts, but he asked her to accompany him. Though she thought it strange, she was shocked when they arrived and Sirius informed the goblin behind the desk that he wanted to add her to his vault, so that she could access if anytime without him.
She looked at him with wide eyes but waited until the goblin shuffled away grumbling to get the required paperwork before turning to him and hissing, "This is not necessary! I have my own money!"
Sirius shrugged, completely unphased. "Not necessary, no. But I want it. I'm the last Black. If something happens to me, I want to ensure that the Black family fortune goes to my wife. This will do that."
She huffed but was secretly pleased. Not that she would be rich once she married him, but that he trusted her enough to give her unlimited access to his fortune.
He misinterpreted her silence as anger, and continued, "You don't have to do the same. I wouldn't ask for access to your vault."
She shrugged, uncomfortable, "It wouldn't matter. There isn't much there." She cursed herself at the blush that crossed her cheeks. She shouldn't be embarrassed at her lack of funds. But her disappointment in her lackluster career had always been a sore spot for her.
He looked at her intently, and then started to say, "There's something else-" but he was cut off by the return of the goblin.
After signing off on several sheaves of parchment, the goblin handed her a key with a glare. He asked if they wanted to visit the vault today and Sirius nodded.
Hermione groaned to herself. She knew the Black vault was one of the oldest, therefore probably one of the deeper ones in the bank, and she dreaded the trip down there.
Once they loaded into the cart, she tried desperately to stay calm. But as soon as it took off, she grabbed Sirius' arm tightly and closed her eyes, trying to keep her lunch in her stomach where it belonged.
Sirius wrapped an arm around her and held her steady until the motion stopped. She was grateful for his support and even more so when he helped her out of the cart and kept his arm around her. Her legs felt like jelly, and she wasn't sure if she would have made it into the vault without him.
They left the goblin behind and Sirius lead her to the large, heavy door that guarded the entrance. He inserted his key, and the door began to creak open slowly.
Dropping his arm, he looked at her intently. "Don't touch anything in there but the gold. Anything else-jewelry, artwork, trunks, books-anything. Especially book," he gave her a pointed look. "There is a very real possibility that anything in there is cursed and will cause harm to a muggleborn if touched.
Hermione nodded and asked, "How do you know the gold is safe?"
"I've had it checked. I didn't want to run the risk of killing some hapless muggleborn shopkeeper with cursed Black gold." He shrugged, then gestured his arm for her to enter the vault ahead of him.
As they stepped across the threshold, sconces lit all along the walls to light the space, and Hermione's jaw dropped. It was cavernous. And completely filled.
She had always known that Sirius was wealthy, though he usually didn't act it. But he had no problem throwing money around when it suited him. She knew the vault must be huge and contained a fortune, but this was more than she had ever expected.
Her eyes found his. He seemed to be looking at her rather apprehensively. She couldn't quite school her expression of shock. He looked away with a shrug, "I was born to it. I did nothing to acquire it."
"I didn't realize..." Hermione trailed off, looking around again. "I didn't realize there was so much."
Sirius shrugged again, obviously uncomfortable. He walked a little way into the vault ahead of her, then spun around to face her, "Look, I've been thinking about something. And I want you to hear me out and think about it."
"Ok," she said apprehensively.
"When you graduated from Hogwarts, I offered to pay for you to further your education. You turned me down, and I get it. You're a very independent witch and you didn't want to have to depend on me or feel like you owed me anything. But things are different now."
She started the shake her head, but he continued before she could respond, "Please don't say no yet. I know you're disappointed with your job, and you're not the type of person that can be content to just twiddle your thumbs and not make a difference. And you'll never be able to do that where you're at now. You know that."
"Yes..." Hermione agreed. She had had the same thought at least once a day since she started her job three years ago. But every time he had made an attempt to advance her career, she had been rebuffed and told she didn't have the level of training or expertise to go further at the Ministry.
"So, quit your useless job! Find an apprenticeship or go to university. Complements of the Black family vault! You've seen it now. You know there is more here than I could ever spend in my lifetime even if I tried, and I haven't been trying. I make plenty at the garage to live off and I own Grimmauld outright. I don't need any of this.
And once we're married, I want you to consider all of this yours too. So, if you decide to do it, you won't owe me anything. I just want you to be happy with your life. Do what will make you feel... good. Please just promise me you'll think about it."
Hermione considered his words. She still didn't like the thought of living off someone else's money, married or not. But she was all too aware of her own career limitations without additional training. And it was really quite sweet of him to want her to be happy in her chosen field. She nodded, "I'll think about it. And no matter what I decide, I just... I want you to know that I appreciate you wanting this for me."
He blew out his breathe in a whoosh and nodded, smile quirking at his lips. "Good," he said, "I'm glad."
"Now, is there something you needed to get here?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I thought maybe we should look for some wedding rings?" Sirius suggested.
Hermione gasped, hand going to her mouth, "Rings! I totally forgot about rings!"
Sirius barked a laugh, "Not to worry, love. I'm sure we can find what we need. Then I'll bring them to Remus to check over for curses. If you see a jewelry box, let me know. Make sure you don't touch it."
Hermione smiled to herself, pleased with his concern over her welfare, "I promise," she said.
They had found rings, though it had taken some time. After they were done at Gringotts, they parted ways, as Sirius was meeting Remus for dinner. She suspected there would be a bit of a stag night happening, but she wasn't worried.
She had plans herself the following evening with Ginny, Tonks, and Emily. But she had made them all swear it would just be a quiet, easy going night. She didn't want to start her wedding day off with a hangover, even with a potion to eliminate the effects. But she did want to relax and destress before her big day.
The following evening, she kissed Sirius goodbye, knowing that she wouldn't see him again until she was walking down the aisle toward him. She wanted to keep some of the traditions she had grown up believing in, and seeing him before the wedding was bad luck, so she was spending the night at Harry and Ginny's.
He smiled when she got a little choked up, and tucked her hair behind her ears, "Be good tonight, yeah?"
She laughed lightly, "You know me. Always the party girl."
He cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her lightly on the lips, "Tomorrow you become Hermione Black. Are you ready for that?"
She smirked and quirked her eyebrow, "Hmm... I'm ready if you are."
"Most definitely," he murmured, kissing her again.
"I have to leave," she whispered against his lips.
"Right!" He exclaimed, stepping back, "Have fun. And I'll see you at the altar." He winked, and she laughed, turning away.