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"Sirius?" Hermione called out to the seemingly empty house.
She had just arrived to the cottage after spending the first few days of the holiday break with McGonagall. The two witches had simply relaxed and enjoyed each others company… and lots of tea and brandy was drunk as stories of difficult students were explained and vetted. Hermione had loved every minute of time with her pseudo aunt, but she couldn't express how excited she was to finally spend some alone time with Sirius.
It felt like it had been ages.
They had made a huge effort to spend weekends together; Hermione flooing to the cottage on weekends where she work didn't require her to stay at the castle and Sirius flooing to Hogwarts when he didn't have an Order mission to tend to. But a day or two together simply wasn't enough.
Hermione brushed off some of the emerald ashes from her thick woolen coat and tried again, "Sirius?"
The living room was spotless and completely vacant; her voice even echoed a little as she attempted to find her boyfriend. Hermione furrowed her brow slightly, she found that she didn't like the huge house so empty and silent.
She had been ecstatic by the prospect of having the cottage to themselves for a whole week; Remus and Peter had gone to spend the holiday season with their families. But now, the witch found herself wishing for at least a little bit of a ruckus.
As Hermione walked down the hallway to the kitchen, her sight began to blur.
She grabbed the side of her head as a searing pain stretched over her scalp. She slumped against the wall in an attempt to stay upright as she waited out the pain. But just as the prickling pressure seemed to be subsiding, Hermione's vision completely blacked out.
She was still in the Cottage, but there was an unrealistic quality to the house now. As she looked around the room, the picture in front of her rippled, as if she was watching an old damaged video tape. It was dark and dreary; all the lamps had been extinguished, the very opposite of what she had just walked into. Hermione slowly pivoted around and found that all the lovely furniture was covered in drop clothes and every surface was blanketed in almost an inch of dust and debris.
"Hermione, what is this place?" Harry's voice was uncharacteristically quiet and airy as he spoke.
She heard a far off version of her own voice answer, even though she her mouth hadn't opened, "This is the house that Sirius and I shared when I was in the late 1970's." It was eerie hearing her voice waft, as if disembodied, around herself, "You've actually been here several times, Harry. You even had your own room…"
The wizard next to her was difficult to see. He fell in and out of focus and Hermione had difficulty even seeing the outline of his face. But she knew it was Harry, and there was a notable sound in his voice that made Hermione's chest tighten uncomfortably, "... How come I don't remember?" Harry walked around her and looked out over the sea of white covers and grey dust.
"It was a long time ago," Hermione saw her reflection in the mirror over the mantel. She did not think she looked very different, but her eyes seemed to carry so much sadness... "I'm guessing that Sirius didn't come back here often after I had to leave."
Harry chuckled but his voice now sounded hallow, "No. I guess he tried to avoid anything that would remind him too much of you. But he kept busy. He always told me that he had a lot of promises to keep but he enjoyed taking care of them." Harry turned to face Hermione and suddenly came into perfect focus; she choked back a sob as she looked at those familiar green eyes, "I was one of those promises, wasn't I?"
Hermione nodded her head and felt tears begin to stream down her face, though she wasn't entirely sure what had happened or why she was crying.
The wizard smirked slightly and the playful emotion almost reached his eyes, "It's nice to know that you were looking out for me back then too… strange, but nice all the same."
Hermione's vision came back into focus to the real world as the strange dream state slowly evaporated. She found her face damp from tears and Hermione quickly made her way into the kitchen and washed her face at the large sink. She hurriedly dried off and attempted the expression of happy excitement that she had originally been wearing when she entered the house. Hermione was still facing the sink and gripping the edge of the counter tightly when Sirius finally arrived.
"Hey, Love," he swept into the room carrying a few paper bags filled with something wonderful smelling. The wizard wrapped his arms around Hermione and hugged her tightly from behind as he brushed a kiss against her blonde curls. Sirius stopped short when he felt the rigid stance of the witch's body, "Hermione… what's happened?"
Hermione shook her head, "Just a time travel thing… I'm sorry, just give me a minute to recover…"
Sirius gently pulled on her arms until she had turned around to face him, "No. You need to tell me what's been going on. Is this why you were avoiding me for a time? You're sickness has gotten worse?"
Hermione was unable to hold his gaze. She stared at the top undone button on his long sleeve shirt, "Yes. The illness has gotten a bit worse, but it's progressing slowly enough that I shouldn't have to worry too much right now. It's just…" She couldn't find the words… she still didn't understand what had just happened, "There are just some side effects that have become apparent."
"Are they manageable? Can I help in any way?" Sirius cupped her cheek in his palm and wiped away a stray tear that had escaped her eye.
"Yes… yes, it should be simple enough to manage them. They just seem to reek havoc with my emotions. Just takes a minute to recover," Hermione smiled through the clenching of her stomach. Her mind whirled around as it attempted to decipher the dream like state. She realized that it must have been the house itself that somehow triggered the 'memory'. It appeared to be a view of the future since Harry had been involved, but which future was it from? And why had both their voices sounded so defeated?
Sirius looked anxious, but his voice remained remarkably even, "Please… tell me what's happened."
"I think…" Hermione thought back on her dizzy sells; all the way back to her very first one in the bookstore, "It's difficult to explain, but I think I'm having flashes of the future."
Sirius said nothing for fear of interrupting Hermione's train of thought.
"I was here, back in my original time I believe. And Harry was with me. The Cottage looked like it hadn't been used in years, Harry didn't know this place at all," she swallowed thickly and finally met Sirius's gaze, "Harry said that you tried to avoid anything that reminded you of me. I guess this house is significant after I leave."
"Well, it is our house," Sirius whispered as he wore a sad smile, "It would make sense that I wouldn't want a constant reminder of someone I loved being gone at every turn."
Hermione was silent as she repeated the dialog with Harry again in her head. His wording gave no indication if Sirius was still alive or if Harry was still an orphan. That didn't comfort her in the least. The only thing that she could positively pull from the dream was that she and Harry were very upset about something, they had gone to the Cottage, and… "Ron wasn't there."
Her words came out muffled, "Who wasn't there?" Sirius saw an expression of anxiety pass over the witch's face.
"Ronald… Harry and I were alone in the house. No one else was with us," Hermione felt her stomach flip uncomfortably as she imagined what might have happened to Ron.
"But, if this is the future that you saw… maybe this is just a warning?" Sirius pulled the witch toward him and wound his arms around her, "I'm sure every will be all right."
Hermione wanted to believe him; with every inch of her body she wanted to believe that it was just a warning… But she and Ron had promised to remain by Harry's side through everything. They had basically forced Harry to agree not to leave without them. Her smile was strained as she looked up at Sirius.
"What if I swore to protect Harry and Ronald," Sirius smirked as a mischievous twinkle entered his eyes, "What if I promised to stow them away for safekeeping until you return to your time?"
"They're people, Sirius… not items you can lock in a desk drawer," Hermione knew that the wizard was simply trying to cheer her up. His tactics may have been a bit strange, but she appreciated his antics all the same.
Sirius shrugged as he held Hermione's arm out beside her and straightened his back, "If it will help your peace of mind… I'll kidnap them if I have to." He chuckled as he took a step to the side and carefully lead the witch around the kitchen in a slow waltz.
Hermione shook her head as she grinned, "You'll kidnap my friends… that doesn't sound idiotic in the least."
"I didn't say it was a good idea; but if it will make you feel better, I'd gladly do it," Sirius turned her, caught her waist and had Hermione leaned back in a dip before she realized what had happened.
"I think it would actually make me feel better if you promised me not to do that."
Sirius chuckled lightly again. He was succeeding in his efforts to draw Hermione away from her unaddressable fears, and that's all that really mattered to him at the moment, "I'll promise whatever you like."
But as he said these words, Hermione's smile faltered. She pulled away from his arms, "Then… promise me that you will try to be happy; even when I'm gone. You have to live your life, Sirius. I can't bear to have you avoid places just because of me."
"And if I promise that, will you stop shutting me out?" Sirius realized that this was exactly the opposite that James had advised him to do, but the words had spilled from his mouth before he could stop them, "It's difficult enough knowing that you'll be leaving. Don't pull away from me while you're still here."
The words stung, but Hermione couldn't deny that she had been, at certain times, keeping him at an arm's length. She thought it would make things easier when she had to leave. But not knowing how much time she actually had was causing even more anxiety and strain between them. She realized that she couldn't do that anymore; she wanted to be here, with Sirius, as completely as possible... while she was able to do so.
Hermione hurriedly nodded her head and closed the small gap between them. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed Sirius with such urgency that it shocked him. Sirius quickly collected himself and wrapped his own arms around the witch's slender waist; happily following her lead as Hermione tilted her head to deepen the kiss.
The food was forgotten as the heat of the moment carried them away…
... but neither party seemed to object.
Sirius awoke surprisingly early that morning.
The scent of the freshly cleaned sheets filled his nostrils and brought flashbacks from the night before to the forefront of his mind.
... gripping Hermione's thigh as she sat on the kitchen counter and wrapped her legs around his waist…
… catching the witch by the waist and trapping her against the wall of the hallway as they made their way up the stairs to the bedroom…
… shedding their clothing gradually as they drew closer to the room…
… fumbling as they fell into the bed completely naked but easily finding a synchronized rhythm as they moved together…
… how she had gasped his name as she trembled against his body…
Last night had been eventful to say the least.
Sirius wore a tired yet content smile as he turned his head and let his eyes travel the length of Hermione's body. She laid on her stomach, bare shoulders exposed, with only the thin sheet draped over the rest of her. He traced the line of her back and leaned forward to kiss her forehead before carefully adjusting himself to get out of bed without disturbing her.
The wizard pulled on a pair of soft flannel lounge pants on and searched the floor for the plain white undershirt that he had worn the day before.
"Leaving so soon?"
Sirius smirked at Hermione's playful accusation, "Never. Far too much keeping me right here." He found and put on the shirt before laying back on the bed.
Hermione ducked her head down, but he still saw the faint pink that brushed over her cheeks at his statement. She cleared her throat and met his eyes again, "And what exactly is so important here?"
"Oh, there's a witch I fancy," Sirius began as he pulled Hermione towards him until she was propped up on his chest, still wrapped in the thin sheet, "She's gorgeous, witty… keeps me on my toes. She's far too good for me; and, now that I think on it, she's far too smart for me as well."
Hermione rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Don't exaggerate so much…"
"I'm not. I swear to it," Sirius smirked as the witch grew a deeper shade of pink, "She's absolutely brilliant, no idea why she's put up with me for so long…"
She playfully hit his arm, "It's because she loves you so much. Even when you're being a bloody idiot."
He couldn't help laughing, "Yes, well I love her very much as well. Head over heels, to the point of it being maddening, I will wait for her kind of love."
"And what are you going to do about this very strong, complicated love you seem to have?" Hermione smiled but Sirius saw a tinge of sadness in her expression.
He tucked a strand of Hermione's blonde hair behind her ear and gently stroked her cheek. Sirius didn't call on any extra confidence or courage; he didn't need any of that. In that moment, everything felt right. It was exactly as it should be, "I'm going to make sure she knows how much I adore her. I will tell her every day I have the opportunity to do so." He smiled broadly; the words were so easy to say to her, "And, if I'm lucky, I'll get to marry her someday."
Hermione's took a shaky breath as the words settled around them, "I think… she wants that too; very much in fact. But..."
She shifted to sit up, but Sirius shook his head, "I know, I know… but for the next few days, let's just pretend that the future doesn't matter." Sirius grinned wildly as he captured her lips and rolled so that he was now above her.
He felt the edges of Hermione's mouth tick upward as she wrapped her arms around his torso and played with the hem of his shirt, "Blissful ignorance might be nice for a little while."
… Sirius couldn't remember why he had bothered looking for clothes.
Soooooooo... a little drama, fluff and a dash of steamy stuff.
What are your thoughts, my dear reviewers?
ps. Guest - I was missing Hermione and Sirius too, but there were things that needed to happen with Regulus and Marlene. Hope this chapter helps makes up for it though!
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***Can't wait to see what you all have to say...
Always,
Misha
Ps. Check out the other stories by me: 'Begin Again' (which is now complete!), 'The Bookworm and The Prankster' and 'Penelope Jackson: The Lightning Thief.'
