A/N: Here it is! Chapter 50! I want to thank everyone for bearing with me
for so long. I can't believe it. Never in my life did I imagine that not
only would I write 50 chapters of a fic, but I'd want to continue, and
people would want me to continue. Now, as to how long this chapter took me,
my apologies. My laptop met with a. sticky end. Apparently orange juice and
laptops do not mix. It has died, and there will be a service held for it
soon. Along with it died my chapter, what I hadn't sent to my betas. Oh!
That reminds me. Thank you so so so much to all of my betas. I can't tell
you enough how much I appreciate everything you've all done for me. This
chapter is for you. On to the chapter! Angie
Sirius Black woke up to hear the raging thunderstorm, and stood up quickly. He knew how Hermione felt about storms, and this one was worse than normal. He scowled slightly, dressing almost instantly. He glanced around for a shirt, growling when he couldn't find one quickly. Not bothering, he pushed open the door, heading to her room.
Knocking sharply, Sirius received no answer. He frowned a bit, before knocking again. A few minutes later, Sirius sighed, concluding that either she didn't want to see him or wasn't there. He scowled slightly, deciding that while he was up, he might as well get some food.
Sighing again, Sirius headed down to the kitchens, stopping outside the Great Hall when he heard crying from within. Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at the door. Figuring that, as a teacher, it was his duty to investigate, he pushed open the door, glancing around. He didn't see anything at first, though he glanced up at the ceiling to see it a strange magenta.
Staring up at the ceiling in surprise, he jumped when he heard the door slam behind him. He sighed, annoyed with himself for being so tense. Hearing a soft gasp from the other side of the hall, Sirius walked over, tilting his head, prepared for almost anything.
What he wasn't prepared for, however, was to see Hermione lying on her back on one of the benches, wand pointed up at the ceiling, changing it colors. Tears were streaming down her face. Eyes wide with worry, Sirius knelt down next to her.
"Mione." His voice was soft, affectionate. She jumped a bit, just staring at him for a moment, tears still flowing freely. She set her wand down, the look in her eyes one of a guilty child caught with their hand in the forbidden cookie jar.
"Sirius." She spoke after a long time, one slender hand reaching slowly for his. Sirius smiled softly, taking her hand.
"Aye, I'm here, love." Sirius smiled again, kissing the back of her hand gently.
"I need you, Sirius." Her voice was still soft, scared. Sirius sighed again, standing up and scooping her up into his arms, sitting back down.
"I'm here, darling. I'm not leaving. You're safe." His voice was gentle, loving, reassuring.
"I love you, Sirius." Curling up into his chest, Hermione closed her eyes, the tears slowly stopping. Smiling gently down at her for a moment, Sirius started to sing softly.
Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination
Silently the senses abandon their defenses
Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it; sense it, tremulous and tender
Turn your face away from the garish light of day
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And listen to the music of the night
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before
Close your eyes; let your spirit start to soar
And you'll live as you've never lived before.
Softly, deftly music shall caress you
Hear it, feel it secretly possess you
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness which you know you can not fight
The darkness of the music of the night
Let your mind start a journey though a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before
Let your soul take you where you long to be
Only then can you belong to me
Floating, falling sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night
You alone can make my song take flight
Help me make the music of the night
Hermione smiled softly, hearing him sing. She sighed, wiping a few tears away. Sirius shook his head, wiping the tears away himself. Kissing her forehead gently as the song ended, Sirius hugged her tightly. Hermione leaned up to kiss him gently, her eyes reflecting pure love. He smiled, kissing her forehead again.
"I went to your room to find you, love. But you weren't there..." Hermione smiled faintly, blushing a bit.
"Aye, I came down here when the storm started. I've been amusing myself with the ceiling..." Sirius glanced up with a grin.
"I'd noticed... Now come with me... Change it back, love, and we'll go up to my room." Hermione blushed again, before changing the ceiling back to normal. She tried to stand, but Sirius' grip was too strong.
Raising a questioning eyebrow at him, Hermione struggled, but Sirius shook his head. He stood up, still holding her, apparently intending to carry her all of the way upstairs. She giggled softly.
"Aye, exactly what it looks like, my beautiful Juliet. Carrying you up to my bedroom." He tossed her a saucy grin, and she giggled once more.
Sirius grinned again, leaning down to kiss her quickly, before heading up towards his own room. Thankfully, they met no one, for it would be awfully hard to explain exactly why Sirius was carrying Hermione like a bride. Sirius set her down once they were inside, kissing her quickly.
"I used to be afraid of storms, you know." Sirius said thoughtfully. Hermione looked at Sirius in shock and disbelief.
"You were?" Her voice was laden with disbelief. Sirius nodded.
"Aye, I was. And then my cousin Andromeda got me over it, the same way I'll get you over it."
"Oh really? And how is that, may I ask?" Sirius laughed softly at her expression. Kissing her gently, he smiled.
"Make it fun, of course. Though, my plans differ a bit from what she and I did, thankfully." Sirius shuddered slightly, before conjuring a blanket, marshmallows, graham crackers, and of course, chocolate. Hermione raised her eyebrow again, and Sirius grinned, conjuring a pair of roasting sticks.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you've never had S'mores before..." He teased. Hermione laughed softly.
"Aye, I've had them before, I wasn't sure that you had, though, Siri." She kissed his cheek lightly as she took a stick and a marshmallow from him.
Hermione giggled softly after making and eating her first Smore. Glancing down at the chocolate, she muttered a spell, softening it a bit. While Sirius was distracted, she smeared some of it on his cheek.
Sirius gasped in mock horror, diving for the chocolate and painting it on her face like war paint. Giggling again, Hermione swiped some of it on his shoulder, before putting a handprint right in the middle of his chest. Diving for her, Sirius pinned her hands above her head, a mischievous glint to his eyes. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers.
Hermione awoke to soft kisses planted on her bare shoulder. A soft smile crossed her lips as she opened her eyes. Seeing her wake caused a similar smile to touch his lips.
"Morning, beautiful." He muttered, still kissing at her shoulder. She laughed softly, remembering the events of the night before. It had been her first time, and she was thrilled that it had been with Sirius, the man of her dreams. Yawning sleepily, Hermione laughed softly at herself. Sirius smiled a bit more.
"Mmm, morning." She said quietly, cuddling against him. Sirius pulled her closer, leaning down to kiss her lips. She laughed softly, returning the kiss, before gently pushing him away. "Breakfast." She whispered. Sirius started laughing, shaking his head, before getting up.
"And they say I'm the one who's always hungry..." He teased. Hermione stuck her tongue out, before dressing quickly, glancing shyly at him. Sirius laughed again, pulling her into a kiss.
"Breakfast." She repeated, a bit firmer this time. Sirius shook his head with another laugh, before holding the door open for her. A few minutes later, they were seated at the staff table in the Great Hall. Sirius seemed slightly confused when an owl dropped a letter to him, and Hermione tensed a bit. The writing was quite obviously female, and it wasn't from his mother. She was far from thrilled about this already, especially because the letter was addressed to "Dearest Sirius". Not a good sign.
Sirius, however, didn't seem to notice that fact, and ripped open the letter, reading it eagerly. Hermione licked her lips, and forced herself to eat her breakfast, ignoring Sirius and the letter. That became incredibly difficult to do, however, when she saw Remus watching Sirius like a hawk. Apparently he knew the writing, and wanted to know the contents of the letter.
As eager as Remus seemed to know what this woman had to say to Sirius, he kept his eyes down on his plate when Sirius looked up. He seemed torn between wanting to know, and dreading it. That seemed a bit strange to Hermione.
"It's from Marie." Sirius finally announced, having seen the strange looks he was receiving from everyone. Remus' behavior got just a bit stranger, when he suddenly stood up.
"I. have a few things to prepare before class." He said vaguely, before starting out of the Great Hall quickly. Hermione and Ginny exchanged confused looks, and Ron watched him leave.
"What's gotten into him?" Ron asked. Sirius sighed, scowling a bit.
"That would be one hell of a long story." Sirius muttered.
"We've got time." Ron said simply.
"Alright, but not here." Sirius said, glancing up. He stood, pocketing the letter, and starting for the door. Sure enough, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione followed him, though Hermione was wary. Sirius led them up to his chambers, and to Hermione's relief, the evidence of last night had been removed.
"This letter is from Marie, my adopted sister. No, Mione, don't give me that look. I know I never mentioned her, and that's because of how you saw Moony react right then. Marie's two years younger than me, and came to live with us when she was 5. She was one of our neighbors, and her family was murdered. So my mother, being who she is, took Marie in. I was thrilled by it. Marie was sweet, funny, caring. Great. We got to Hogwarts, and in my 3rd year, she joined us. Sort of the Marauder Mascot. We all cared about her, though apparently, in different ways. Jamie loved to be around her, saw her as a little sister, which was only natural, with how close he and I were. Peter saw her as a friend. I saw her as a sister and playmate, of course. And then there was Moony. She meant everything in the world to him. More than the Marauders. But, being two years apart in classes, that made things difficult. They managed, though. And when we graduated, Marie was wearing an engagement ring. 7 months passed, and Marie stopped sending letters to Rem. Her letters to me got colder and colder. Then one day, Rem got a letter from her. In it was the engagement ring, with a short note, saying it'd never work out between them. They haven't talked since, and they've never gotten over each other. He tenses like that whenever her name is mentioned, even now." Sirius said softly. He didn't know what had happened between them, but he still felt guilty for not having done anything years ago. He shook his head, shaking the guilt off. Hermione bit her lip.
"That explains a lot about his personality..." She said softly. Sirius nodded.
"Anyways, this is from Marie. Basically says she's doing fine in Florida, and that she wants to meet you, 'Mione." Sirius said with a shrug. The letter from his sister was no big deal. Amy nodded with a smile.
"Aye, I'd like that." She said. Sirius smiled a bit.
"Alright, cool. And I actually have class to get ready for. C'mon, Ron, you know what we're doing today." He said as he kissed Hermione's cheek, and started for the door. Hermione laughed, heading to her own class, though her mind remained on Sirius, and the previous night. Finally, her classes were finished. She went quickly up to Sirius' chambers, figuring he'd be there. She paused outside the door, however, hearing someone else in there. Shrugging, she figured she was imagining it, and knocked on the door.
Sirius opened the door, laughter in his eyes, which died the instant he saw her. She, however, was stunned. Sirius was in just his boxers, which had obviously been hastily pulled on. And behind him, was a barely dressed Amy.
Sirius Black woke up to hear the raging thunderstorm, and stood up quickly. He knew how Hermione felt about storms, and this one was worse than normal. He scowled slightly, dressing almost instantly. He glanced around for a shirt, growling when he couldn't find one quickly. Not bothering, he pushed open the door, heading to her room.
Knocking sharply, Sirius received no answer. He frowned a bit, before knocking again. A few minutes later, Sirius sighed, concluding that either she didn't want to see him or wasn't there. He scowled slightly, deciding that while he was up, he might as well get some food.
Sighing again, Sirius headed down to the kitchens, stopping outside the Great Hall when he heard crying from within. Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at the door. Figuring that, as a teacher, it was his duty to investigate, he pushed open the door, glancing around. He didn't see anything at first, though he glanced up at the ceiling to see it a strange magenta.
Staring up at the ceiling in surprise, he jumped when he heard the door slam behind him. He sighed, annoyed with himself for being so tense. Hearing a soft gasp from the other side of the hall, Sirius walked over, tilting his head, prepared for almost anything.
What he wasn't prepared for, however, was to see Hermione lying on her back on one of the benches, wand pointed up at the ceiling, changing it colors. Tears were streaming down her face. Eyes wide with worry, Sirius knelt down next to her.
"Mione." His voice was soft, affectionate. She jumped a bit, just staring at him for a moment, tears still flowing freely. She set her wand down, the look in her eyes one of a guilty child caught with their hand in the forbidden cookie jar.
"Sirius." She spoke after a long time, one slender hand reaching slowly for his. Sirius smiled softly, taking her hand.
"Aye, I'm here, love." Sirius smiled again, kissing the back of her hand gently.
"I need you, Sirius." Her voice was still soft, scared. Sirius sighed again, standing up and scooping her up into his arms, sitting back down.
"I'm here, darling. I'm not leaving. You're safe." His voice was gentle, loving, reassuring.
"I love you, Sirius." Curling up into his chest, Hermione closed her eyes, the tears slowly stopping. Smiling gently down at her for a moment, Sirius started to sing softly.
Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination
Silently the senses abandon their defenses
Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it; sense it, tremulous and tender
Turn your face away from the garish light of day
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And listen to the music of the night
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before
Close your eyes; let your spirit start to soar
And you'll live as you've never lived before.
Softly, deftly music shall caress you
Hear it, feel it secretly possess you
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind
In this darkness which you know you can not fight
The darkness of the music of the night
Let your mind start a journey though a strange new world
Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before
Let your soul take you where you long to be
Only then can you belong to me
Floating, falling sweet intoxication
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To the power of the music that I write
The power of the music of the night
You alone can make my song take flight
Help me make the music of the night
Hermione smiled softly, hearing him sing. She sighed, wiping a few tears away. Sirius shook his head, wiping the tears away himself. Kissing her forehead gently as the song ended, Sirius hugged her tightly. Hermione leaned up to kiss him gently, her eyes reflecting pure love. He smiled, kissing her forehead again.
"I went to your room to find you, love. But you weren't there..." Hermione smiled faintly, blushing a bit.
"Aye, I came down here when the storm started. I've been amusing myself with the ceiling..." Sirius glanced up with a grin.
"I'd noticed... Now come with me... Change it back, love, and we'll go up to my room." Hermione blushed again, before changing the ceiling back to normal. She tried to stand, but Sirius' grip was too strong.
Raising a questioning eyebrow at him, Hermione struggled, but Sirius shook his head. He stood up, still holding her, apparently intending to carry her all of the way upstairs. She giggled softly.
"Aye, exactly what it looks like, my beautiful Juliet. Carrying you up to my bedroom." He tossed her a saucy grin, and she giggled once more.
Sirius grinned again, leaning down to kiss her quickly, before heading up towards his own room. Thankfully, they met no one, for it would be awfully hard to explain exactly why Sirius was carrying Hermione like a bride. Sirius set her down once they were inside, kissing her quickly.
"I used to be afraid of storms, you know." Sirius said thoughtfully. Hermione looked at Sirius in shock and disbelief.
"You were?" Her voice was laden with disbelief. Sirius nodded.
"Aye, I was. And then my cousin Andromeda got me over it, the same way I'll get you over it."
"Oh really? And how is that, may I ask?" Sirius laughed softly at her expression. Kissing her gently, he smiled.
"Make it fun, of course. Though, my plans differ a bit from what she and I did, thankfully." Sirius shuddered slightly, before conjuring a blanket, marshmallows, graham crackers, and of course, chocolate. Hermione raised her eyebrow again, and Sirius grinned, conjuring a pair of roasting sticks.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you've never had S'mores before..." He teased. Hermione laughed softly.
"Aye, I've had them before, I wasn't sure that you had, though, Siri." She kissed his cheek lightly as she took a stick and a marshmallow from him.
Hermione giggled softly after making and eating her first Smore. Glancing down at the chocolate, she muttered a spell, softening it a bit. While Sirius was distracted, she smeared some of it on his cheek.
Sirius gasped in mock horror, diving for the chocolate and painting it on her face like war paint. Giggling again, Hermione swiped some of it on his shoulder, before putting a handprint right in the middle of his chest. Diving for her, Sirius pinned her hands above her head, a mischievous glint to his eyes. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers.
Hermione awoke to soft kisses planted on her bare shoulder. A soft smile crossed her lips as she opened her eyes. Seeing her wake caused a similar smile to touch his lips.
"Morning, beautiful." He muttered, still kissing at her shoulder. She laughed softly, remembering the events of the night before. It had been her first time, and she was thrilled that it had been with Sirius, the man of her dreams. Yawning sleepily, Hermione laughed softly at herself. Sirius smiled a bit more.
"Mmm, morning." She said quietly, cuddling against him. Sirius pulled her closer, leaning down to kiss her lips. She laughed softly, returning the kiss, before gently pushing him away. "Breakfast." She whispered. Sirius started laughing, shaking his head, before getting up.
"And they say I'm the one who's always hungry..." He teased. Hermione stuck her tongue out, before dressing quickly, glancing shyly at him. Sirius laughed again, pulling her into a kiss.
"Breakfast." She repeated, a bit firmer this time. Sirius shook his head with another laugh, before holding the door open for her. A few minutes later, they were seated at the staff table in the Great Hall. Sirius seemed slightly confused when an owl dropped a letter to him, and Hermione tensed a bit. The writing was quite obviously female, and it wasn't from his mother. She was far from thrilled about this already, especially because the letter was addressed to "Dearest Sirius". Not a good sign.
Sirius, however, didn't seem to notice that fact, and ripped open the letter, reading it eagerly. Hermione licked her lips, and forced herself to eat her breakfast, ignoring Sirius and the letter. That became incredibly difficult to do, however, when she saw Remus watching Sirius like a hawk. Apparently he knew the writing, and wanted to know the contents of the letter.
As eager as Remus seemed to know what this woman had to say to Sirius, he kept his eyes down on his plate when Sirius looked up. He seemed torn between wanting to know, and dreading it. That seemed a bit strange to Hermione.
"It's from Marie." Sirius finally announced, having seen the strange looks he was receiving from everyone. Remus' behavior got just a bit stranger, when he suddenly stood up.
"I. have a few things to prepare before class." He said vaguely, before starting out of the Great Hall quickly. Hermione and Ginny exchanged confused looks, and Ron watched him leave.
"What's gotten into him?" Ron asked. Sirius sighed, scowling a bit.
"That would be one hell of a long story." Sirius muttered.
"We've got time." Ron said simply.
"Alright, but not here." Sirius said, glancing up. He stood, pocketing the letter, and starting for the door. Sure enough, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione followed him, though Hermione was wary. Sirius led them up to his chambers, and to Hermione's relief, the evidence of last night had been removed.
"This letter is from Marie, my adopted sister. No, Mione, don't give me that look. I know I never mentioned her, and that's because of how you saw Moony react right then. Marie's two years younger than me, and came to live with us when she was 5. She was one of our neighbors, and her family was murdered. So my mother, being who she is, took Marie in. I was thrilled by it. Marie was sweet, funny, caring. Great. We got to Hogwarts, and in my 3rd year, she joined us. Sort of the Marauder Mascot. We all cared about her, though apparently, in different ways. Jamie loved to be around her, saw her as a little sister, which was only natural, with how close he and I were. Peter saw her as a friend. I saw her as a sister and playmate, of course. And then there was Moony. She meant everything in the world to him. More than the Marauders. But, being two years apart in classes, that made things difficult. They managed, though. And when we graduated, Marie was wearing an engagement ring. 7 months passed, and Marie stopped sending letters to Rem. Her letters to me got colder and colder. Then one day, Rem got a letter from her. In it was the engagement ring, with a short note, saying it'd never work out between them. They haven't talked since, and they've never gotten over each other. He tenses like that whenever her name is mentioned, even now." Sirius said softly. He didn't know what had happened between them, but he still felt guilty for not having done anything years ago. He shook his head, shaking the guilt off. Hermione bit her lip.
"That explains a lot about his personality..." She said softly. Sirius nodded.
"Anyways, this is from Marie. Basically says she's doing fine in Florida, and that she wants to meet you, 'Mione." Sirius said with a shrug. The letter from his sister was no big deal. Amy nodded with a smile.
"Aye, I'd like that." She said. Sirius smiled a bit.
"Alright, cool. And I actually have class to get ready for. C'mon, Ron, you know what we're doing today." He said as he kissed Hermione's cheek, and started for the door. Hermione laughed, heading to her own class, though her mind remained on Sirius, and the previous night. Finally, her classes were finished. She went quickly up to Sirius' chambers, figuring he'd be there. She paused outside the door, however, hearing someone else in there. Shrugging, she figured she was imagining it, and knocked on the door.
Sirius opened the door, laughter in his eyes, which died the instant he saw her. She, however, was stunned. Sirius was in just his boxers, which had obviously been hastily pulled on. And behind him, was a barely dressed Amy.
