Sorry for the long wait. I've been sitting on this chapter for a while, never entirely happy with how it was turning out. But I suppose the best way is power through instead of remaining stuck and making you all wait so long. Still not entirely happy, but it gets the job done and hopefully the next chapters will spark more fluidity. Thanks for your patience ^_^
~ silverstorme
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: THE TRAITOR & MATCHMAKER
"Fabian!" Hermione exclaimed, heading straight into his arms. "Where's Gideon?"
"He's in there with Pettigrew right now. Though I must say I didn't expect the entire cavalry."
The marauders shuffled their feet uncomfortably behind Hermione. They all decided to make a trip out together to see Pettigrew once Moody had let Hermione know they could. Yet the closer they got to his holding cell, the more nervous they became.
Lily shrugged. "They deserve answers. Besides, seeing us all at once might unnerve him just enough to get what you need from him."
Gideon stepped out of the room, the heavy metal door swinging closed behind him.
"Good luck," he told them wryly. "He's a real piece of work."
Taking a deep breath, James squared his shoulders, bravely leading the others into the room.
"You're not going with them?" Fabian asked Hermione once the door closed behind the bunch.
"No," she shook her head. "I think they need this closure, and I don't really have anything to say to him."
"You guys look horrible by the way," Hermione observed wryly.
"We've been holed up here for the last few days," Gideon sighed. "Those bastards have valuable information, we just need to get them to talk."
"That and you've been sleeping on my couch since you don't technically have a home to return to," Fabian added dryly.
"What?" That was news to Hermione. "What does he mean, Gideon? Was there another attack?"
"No- not at all-" Gideon sputtered.
"Brother dear has oh so graciously offered his flat to the McKinnons," Fabian smirked, shrugging innocently at his brother's glare.
"It's only temporary," Gideon argued, his face tinged red. "What was I supposed to do? They needed a safe place to stay!"
Hermione bit back a smile. "Oh of course, that's rather chivalrous."
"Oh chivalry has nothing to do with it," Fabian laughed. "I think he's rather pleased knowing a certain witch is sleeping in his bed every night."
Gideon smacked his twin's head. "Get your head out of the gutter."
"Oh please," Fabian ruffled his hair straight. "I know how you think, brother mine. We've both been rolling in the same gutter since birth."
"So..." Hermione could no longer hide the shit eating grin spreading on her face. "Marlene. Since when?"
"Not you too," Gideon groaned.
Fabian and Hermione chuckled, enjoying Gideon's squirming. Hermione was rather glad at this news. Marlene seemed like a decent witch, and Gideon would be great to her given the chance. Besides, that would keep her out of Sirius' way. As much as she despised herself for feeling relief at that, she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit it.
"How've things been going with the interrogations?" Hermione asked soberly.
"Well Pettigrew grovels for his life every time we step in the room," Fabian scoffed in disgust. "But he doesn't seem to actually know anything of value. We even tried veritaserum."
"And Malfoy?"
"Shut up tighter than a grove of devil's snare." Gideon shook his head. "He's even immune to veritaserum. Must've built a tolerance with all those false testimonies in front of Wizengamot."
"Do you think he could help?"
"Oh he's a bloody gold mine, all right," Fabian confirmed. "But he's not talking unless he wants to."
"I might actually know something that could help," Hermione said tentatively. "Mrs. Malfoy and her son were recently taken into protective custody by the Order. She might be able to convince him to turn."
"Why would she," Fabian asked dubiously. "More likely they'll try to regroup and escape."
"I don't think so," Hermione said. "She's determined never to go back to the Death Eaters- she's too good a mother and she's scared about her son's life."
"Might be worth the try," Gideon shrugged. "We don't have any other ideas."
~o~o~o~
The trio were discussing logistics of bringing Narcissa into the fold when the door to Pettigrew's cell slammed open. The surprised trio stared in surprise as a tall figure stormed past them straight to the exit, his dark coat billowing behind him. Hermione looked back to see the rest of the Marauders filing out Pettigrew's holding cell.
"Where's Black going?" Fabian asked curiously.
The Marauders stared after their friend in concern. The door slammed as Sirius walked out, and he immediately transformed, breaking into a sprint on four paws. James moved to rush forward, but Remus stopped him.
"Let him go, he needs time."
James sighed in frustration but nodded reluctantly.
"You could say that didn't go too well," Lily said grimly.
"Shouldn't someone go with him?" Hermione asked in concern.
"He'll be back soon enough," Lily shrugged, pulling a wand out of her coat. "He forgot his wand."
"The idiot left without his wand?" Gideon exclaimed. "Not like we're in the middle of a war or anything."
"Lily had to take it from him so he couldn't hex Pettigrew before we could talk to him," Remus filled them in.
"So what happened?" Hermione asked. How badly could things have possibly gone that Sirius stormed out in the middle of a war forgetting his own wand. He was a wizard for Merlin's sake, one doesn't just forget their wand.
"Well at first he was just begging us to forgive him," James said sadly. "Sirius was not having any of that. It was almost heartbreaking, really... well, at least until he stopped the charade."
"Oh no..." Hermione mumbled, having a bad feeling.
"He blamed us," Remus said curiously. "Seemed pretty bitter about it too. Said we always underestimated him. That he was never meant to be a lackey."
James scoffed. "We treated him like our brother, and he thinks-" James looked to ceiling in heartbroken anger. "He certainly hid it well."
"I really am sorry it turned out this way," Hermione told them.
"We should've listened to you sooner," James shrugged weakly. "It's our own fault. Maybe Frank and Alice would still be alive if we did."
"Don't do that," Hermione warned him sincerely. "It's dangerous to linger in the past. You couldn't have known."
"I hope Sirius comes back soon," Remus said. "You lot aren't supposed to be out and about this long," he gestured to the Potters.
"I can wait for him," Hermione offered. "Go back to Potter Manor."
"You sure?" Lily asked carefully. "I wouldn't want to leave you alone."
While Lily seemed cautious of Hermione's renewed faith in Sirius, Remus merely smiled serenely.
"I'll be fine," Hermione waved off.
"I'll be here for a little longer too," Fabian cut in. "So don't worry about her being alone."
"In that case, you might need this," Lily handed Sirius's wand to Hermione.
They disapparated away in a flurry, leaving Hermione with the Prewetts.
"I might need to pop out for a moment," Gideon said.
"Checking on MacKinnon?" Fabian smirked.
"Oh shut it," he mumbled as he too disapparated.
Fabian turned to Hermione next, the mischievous gleam still bright in his eyes.
"So Black is it?"
Hermione cocked her head in confusion. "What?"
"Somehow you two end up pushed together time and time again." Fabian observed, shrugging innocently.
"I'm just waiting to return his wand." Hermione rolled her eyes.
"He hovers around you, you know? More so recently than ever."
Hermione looked at him doubtfully. "He does not."
"Like a moth to a flame," he confirmed. "You might not notice, you usually keep yourself surrounded by people. But I have." Fabian seemed entirely confident in his assertion.
"Well it's nothing like that," Hermione shook her head adamantly.
"Trying to convince me or yourself, love?" Fabian grinned gently.
"Sirius Black apparently finds interest in anyone in a skirt," Hermione shrugged. "I wouldn't really romanticize that if I were you. I'm certainly not falling for it."
Not again.
"He chases skirts," Fabian clarified. "I've certainly never seen him watch from afar like a lost puppy."
"You're mad," Hermione laughed half-heartedly, her heart beating faster.
She didn't know what Fabian was playing at, but she wasn't trying to get her hopes up again. They'd just gotten to a place where she felt some sort of normalcy with him. Sirius seemed more mature since the raid on Pettigrew's supposed hideout. Much more like the Sirius she knew. Despite their stolen kiss in the abandoned hall of headquarters, Sirius didn't seem to have any romantic intention. He'd never mentioned it again.
"You sure?" He quirked an eyebrow playfully. "Would you bet on that?"
"Absolutely."
Fabian threw her a wicked smirk. "Don't slap me," he warned as he stepped into her personal bubble.
"Why would I-"
Before Hermione's confused thought could take root, the tall wizard slid his hands into her hair, tilting his head up to gently press her lips to his. Hermione froze in surprise. His strong, warm presence was comforting, but the kiss was entirely chaste and sent her thoughts racing a million miles a minute.
But before she could even give attention to the thousand questions racing at his unexpected kiss, she felt a deep and raw twisting in her heart. It was too familiar. With a tinge of sadness, she realized why- she hadn't felt this way since she saw Ron snogging Lavender for the first time in a crowd full of their friends. She stepped away from Fabian, his arms releasing her easily enough. Her head instinctively flew to the door, where unsurprisingly, Sirius Black stood frozen.
His coat and hair were glistening with the misty rain outside, but nothing could've warned Hermione of the unprepared shock on his face. The surprise was quickly followed by a frown and a burrow of his eyebrows- dare she hope, disappointment?
"Sorry," he mumbled, backtracking clumsily. Sirius Black was not a clumsy man.
Hermione looked back to Fabian desperately as Sirius walked away. She couldn't help but feel like she'd be letting go of something really important if she just let him leave this time. But she couldn't leave this hanging with Fabian either.
Lone behold, the wizard merely winked at her, his dimples peeking out of the smile he just couldn't hold back.
"Told you," he simply said. "Now go get him."
"You-"
"Set you up yes," Fabian rolled his eyes. "Haven't you heard, I'm quite the matchmaker these days."
"What if I fell for you?" Hermione scoffed, undecided whether she should be outraged or amused.
"Did you?" Fabian raised an eyebrow knowingly.
"No," Hermione exhaled. "It was like if I kissed Harry."
"The baby?" Fabian made a face. "Merlin, witch. You've got some problems."
"My best friend," she finally laughed, punching Fabian lightly.
"Exactly," Fabian smiled. "So go after him. He clearly wants it as much as you do if that reaction was anything to go by."
She shot him a quick grin, running out the door where Sirius had stumbled out not a minute ago. Luckily she still had his wand, so he couldn't apparate. When she stepped out into the misty rain of the cloudy afternoon, she was relieved to see a tall, dark form walking despondently away from the safe house. Not that he could go far; this safe house was placed strategically off the edge of a cliff- leagues away from the nearest village, wizard or muggle. She counted herself lucky that he hadn't simply transformed into his dog form and sprinted away again.
As she approached him, she could feel that resonating desperation inside herself- like a cycle of anxiety, fear, and helplessness rolling into each other. Looking at Sirius and how he didn't even notice her approaching despite his naturally heightened senses, she'd bet Harry's life that was how he was feeling because she herself was rather hopeful at the moment. The thought gave her a slight pause. Why would she feel his emotions so acutely? It wasn't the first time either. She wasn't that perceptive- brightest witch of her age of not. She tucked the thought aside as she called out after him.
"Sirius!"
He froze, sighing when he realized there was nowhere to run. He didn't have his wand, and eventually he'd have to come back and face her anyway.
"Hermione," Sirius greeted stiffly, turning to her.
"You left so quickly-"
"I figured you and Prewett needed some time," he cut in tonelessly.
Yet that aching feeling pulsed within her.
"I don't want you to misunderstand-"
"It's fine," he shook his head. "You deserve to be happy, and Prewett is a decent wizard." He grimaced unintentionally, as if it pained him to admit it.
"He is," Hermione smiled knowingly, watching him closely now. She couldn't help the small satisfaction when he lowered his head disappointedly. "But he can't make me happy- at least not in the way you're thinking."
Sirius's eyes clashed with hers in surprise.
"It certainly didn't look like that," he told her quietly.
"He was just trying to prove a point." She shrugged.
"What bloody point is worth a kiss?" Sirius asked incredulously, his annoyance flaring.
"Well he certainly proved it," she tilted her head at him appraisingly, making him freeze under her gaze. "Why are you so bothered by it?"
"I'm not-"
"Don't bother denying it," she warned knowingly.
"I- I..."
"Why did you kiss me that day at headquarters and leave?" Hermione pushed for answers.
Sirius could feel the slight panic tinged with guilt at her prompting. He knew it wasn't fair to her to lose control like that and try to take it back. But it was for her own good; Hermione needed space to settle and starting anything between them would only confuse her, especially since it would likely lead to her finding out about the bond eventually. Despite how much he wanted her, he couldn't be selfish with her anymore.
Little did he know, the bond was stronger than he'd anticipated, and Hermione could pick up on the passing guilt, making a quick mental note of it.
"You told me," he began hoarsely, finally finding his voice. "You told me you didn't want anything more than friendship, and I wanted to respect that. I thought you meant you weren't looking for any relationship, but I understand now you just meant me. Fabian is a good guy, Hermione."
"Sirius," Hermione spoke gently. "Fabian and I are not together, nor do we want to be. His point was to prove to me you want me as much as I want you."
His stormy grey eyes flew to hers in surprise. "But you said-"
"I know what I said. I was still hurt and guarded," she sighed deeply. "Besides, you were still grieving for the Longbottoms. It wasn't a good time to try and start something after all that miscommunication."
"So what changed your mind?" He asked intently. He had to know it wasn't simply because he bound himself to her. Even if she was unwittingly being influenced by it.
"You did," she smiled softly. "For a while, I was scared that despite having known you and Remus in my time, that I didn't truly know the men you were today because you were so different. Especially after the whole Pettigrew thing. I suppose I tried to create those boundaries so I didn't set myself up to be disappointed."
"I'm so sorry," Sirius blanched. He hadn't quite realized how scarring it might've been for her to receive such a defensive side of them when they were a few of the only ones she was truly familiar with from her time.
"It's okay, I know you are," she assured quickly. "But these past few days... I don't know, you just remind me a lot of the Sirius I remember. I didn't even know if that'd ever be possible since my Sirius grew out of some rather extreme circumstances."
Sirius smirked slowly, the hope returning to his eyes. "I see... and your Sirius, is he someone you could see yourself trusting?"
Hermione blushed, not even realizing she's referred to Sirius as hers.
"I already do," she assured confidently.
As she took a step forward, Sirius immediately stepped back- the spell broken.
"Hermione," he said regretfully. "You deserve better, you deserve time to find your place, your people. I can't be selfish with you," he admitted softly.
Hermione could feel the guilt pulsing through him again. Sirius knew it was from keeping the bond from her- which he hoped to do for the rest of her life since he'd never wanted that burden for her. But Hermione, only being privy to his rawest emotions, studied him hesitantly.
"It's not selfish if we both want the same thing," Hermione said softly. "Unless it's going to be like last time and you run to another woman at the first sign of trouble."
Sirius flinched slightly, the thought not even crossing his mind until she reminded him. If he were being honest, he'd never even thought of going to Marlene as a betrayal to Hermione. In his mind, sex and loving had often been so separate. He almost laughed at the irony of it. She was still scared he might walk away from her when he'd literally just bound his soul to hers in the most ancient magical way possible. He'd already known his attachment to her ran deeper than he'd admitted to himself, even before the bonding. But could he learn to openly love the way this witch deserved? He'd never had the best role models for love.
"Sirius?" She asked in growing concern.
Sirius sighed at her weakening hope. If he could do it for anyone, it had to be her. He'd never felt this strongly, this intensely before. Not about anyone.
"I won't ever give you reason to doubt my loyalty again," he swore seriously.
"Good."
She stepped into his welcoming embrace, feeling for the first time in months like coming home.
~o~o~o~
So during my course of writer's block, I published a one-shot (Bill x Hermione). It's basically a "what if Hermione didn't mesh romantically with the marauders." It kind of follows the entire premise of Promise to the Past. Either way, it was inspired by a review of someone who loved how little Bill Weasley became Hermione's knight in shining armor when the marauders were being jerks.
Short and sweet, please go check it out :) It's called 'Full Circle'