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CHAPTER 2
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Sirius knocked hesitantly at Hermione's door. "Are you there?"
"Huh?" Hermione's voice came like a disoriented groan from the other side of the door.
Usually the young woman sounded so polished and put together...and didn't she usually wake up earlier than him? It was already 10:30 am.
Then Sirius chuckled to himself as he realized little Miss Perfect had probably woke up with a hangover after drinking with Ginny all last night. He'd heard the girls giggling and crying and doing weird girl-shit bonding as they had shared a bottle last night in the living room...Not wanting to interfere on a delicate female bonding ritual, Sirius had given them space, but he couldn't help overhearing some weird crap Ginny had said. Like about Hermione needing a wizard with a proper wand...Sirius couldn't miss hearing that when Ginny had practically shouted it down the hall, where conveniently, his room happened to be.
"Why don't I come in?" Sirius suggested, feeling emboldened.
"No. Uhm no, thanks," Hermione said with another groan.
Sirius chuckled. "C'mon I know you were drinking last night, no need to be embarrassed."
Yet as he walked into the room and opened the curtains to let light in, he noticed that Hermione looked seriously sad, not just hung over. It worried him.
He sat down on the edge of her bed as Hermione strained her eyes against the sunlight and self-consciously began to tame her messy hair into a bun.
"Why'd you have to come in here?" Hermione asked grumpily.
Sirius watched in amazement as she put the finishing touches on her bun and suddenly she sort of looked cute...for a hungover chick without any makeup on and wearing what looked like a bag of potatoes. Good lord, this woman had terrible taste in pajamas...
"Uhm." His jaw clicked shut. "I was worried. Ginny told me..."
Hermione's eyes looked wide awake now as a panicked look appeared on her face. "Ginny told you what?" the brunette asked in apprehension.
"Calm down. Nothing, nothing. Uh, she told me you had a bit to drink last night after your breakup and I thought I'd offer you the remedy." His eyes lowered to the floor where he noticed she had left last night's knickers on the floor before she'd obviously drunkenly collapsed into her bed. His eyes narrowed at the pink lace and cotton cute get up. He realized he was staring too long at the floor and met Hermione's eyes again. They seemed sad and slightly red like she'd been crying all night. "I have hangover potions, in the cupboard of the kitchen. Why don't you come down and have a bite to eat, you'll feel better?"
Hermione pursed her lips, staring uneasily at him. "Okay," she said after what felt like a long awkward pause.
"I'm sorry about your breakup," Sirius couldn't help adding.
"Alright." Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Good to know you care."
"Oh I don't care."
"What?"
Sirius's face broke into a gentle smile. "I'm teasing you Hermione, calm down. I do care but perhaps it's for the best you broke up with Ron."
"Why would you say that?"
Sirius tried to think of a suitable answer for running his mouth like that. "I'm not sure yet. But I don't think he was right for you."
"Oh." Hermione's mouth fell open as if she missed something very obvious that everyone else around her could see. So much brainpower yet Hermione had been unable to see where she went wrong romantically. A bit ironic.
Sirius licked at the corner of his mouth. "Why don't you come down now?" he tried to cajole her. "I'll make you toast."
Hermione smirked. "I can make toast myself, Sirius. All you have to do is put it in the toaster."
"Never was one for cooking." Sirius winked at her. "No need to be snide though."
"Sorry." She unmistakably blushed.
He left the room to give her privacy and change...and probably put on a fresh pair of knickers.
Wait what was he thinking?
Sirius get your mind out of the gutter, he warned himself. Yet he couldn't help thinking of the pretty pink undergarment several more times as he moved about the kitchen and got the kettle going and the Hangover potions out for her.
He wondered what type of knickers she might be wearing this time.
~o~
Hermione hurriedly got dressed into her regular outfit of jeans and a cardigan sweater, but then looked at herself in the mirror and didn't like it. Too frumpy. Why on earth did she own like 10,000 pairs of jeans and knit sweater that all looked the same? No wonder Ron had ended up criticizing the way she dressed and saying she never made an effort.
Not that Sirius would care. They were just friends, or not even that, mutual friends with Harry in common. She and Sirius weren't close.
Yet why had Sirius walked into her bedroom this morning? That had been so invasive and awkward. Even if Sirius had been trying to be helpful and acting out of concern for her breakup...Sirius was usually standoffish around her. What had changed?
Hermione bit her lip worriedly and hoped Ginny, for Merlin's sake, hadn't tried to meddle again or tell Sirius something embarrassing about her.
Though she had an awful feeling Ginny had ran her mouth in some way to Sirius.
Hermione sighed as she slipped into a cuter non-sweater top and jeans that were a bit better fitting. She looked herself over in the mirror and thought she probably didn't look half bad for a hungover witch wearing no makeup and with her hair only in a bun.
Not that Sirius had ever seen her with makeup or wearing something nice. The only times she did that were events or charity balls when she had gone with Ron. Sirius hadn't been there. She wondered if Sirius secretly thought she was a plain-jane without any redeeming qualities besides her brain. Well, what did it matter, if Sirius thought that? Perhaps it was better Sirius thought of her as a plain non-sexual being...nothing like the glammed up, loose tarts he was usually spotted entering hotels or alleys with. At least she had a brain...not that she cared what Sirius's tastes in women were.
Hermione glumly made her way to the downstairs kitchen where Sirius already sat, waiting, drinking a cup of coffee while he read a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"You made it to the front page!" Sirius said, as she sat down at the opposite side of the wooden table.
"What? Oh dear god, I hope you're kidding."
"Not at all. Since when do I kid?" Sirius smirked.
She outstretched her hand so she could borrow the paper from him. Their hands touched as the newspaper switched owners and she felt a slight tension in her stomach.
But that was soon over-swamped by her anger when she saw the headline and article exploiting and sensationalizing her personal life: "Golden Trio no more! Golden Couple Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger break up after three years of Saving the World and Running Charities!"
"I wish to god we had been able to kill Voldemort anonymously," Hermione murmured and pushed the paper back to Sirius. The damn paparazzi were so sneaky, with magical tactics of surveillance, that no wizarding celebrity really knew when they were going to strike or report on something they previously had thought private.
"Sorry," Sirius said and passed her a plate of toast. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm no celebrity, but ever since they found out I'm innocent, they can't stop writing about me or who I date either."
"Yes but at least your dating life is exciting. They've been waiting for something to happen with me. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction."
Hermione bit into a piece of toast and found it was surprisingly tastier than her own toast. As if only Sirius touching the toast had somehow made it taste better. She wondered what might be his secret, but then shook her head. There could be no secret, could there? Toast was toast.
"Would you really have stayed with Ron just to stay out of the papers?" Sirius asked with a raised brow.
"No, not really. Yet I didn't think the paps would know about it by the next day. Ron and I broke up over an owl letter. Though we'd been living apart for weeks...I don't know how the papers found out so fast."
"Rumours circulate quick."
She grimaced. "Good. I'll keep that in mind when I start dating again."
"You're ready already?" Sirius asked hesitantly.
Now why did he sound so surprised? Hermione wondered.
She shrugged and fixed an eye on him. Did Sirius think she was a prude?
"I didn't think I would be ready for months. But now that I think about it, I think it might be a matter of weeks. If only to help me to forget."
"Weeks?" Sirius sounded surprised again.
Again she fixed him with a scolding look. "Are you implying that's too quick?"
Sirius chuckled. "I haven't said anything. I'm just surprised. Ginny seemed to think..."
"Oh good god, what did Ginny think?"
Sirius bit at the inside of his cheek. "I think she thought that you might never get over her brother, like you might need some help."
Hermione laughed this time with him. "No. I'd been debating it in my mind to break things off with Ron for months now. I think what happened with his addiction to pornographic moving pictures, including ones sent from Lavender, was just the kicker I needed to finally leave." She casually bit into another piece of toast then washed it down with a sip of tea.
Sirius however looked like he wanted to spit out his coffee. "Beg your pardon? Ron and Lavender? Pornographic what? Explain this please."
"Sorry!" Hermione realized she hadn't explained properly and this part of her breakup had thankfully not been included in the Daily Prophet. "I don't like to talk about it, honestly, so don't tell anyone...But, er, well, Ron had a bit of an addiction to pornographic magic images. He was looking at them all the time. He was obsessed and I soon found out he was even soliciting ones from his fan mail...including his ex, Lavender."
"Bleeding hell. Ron is an even bigger prat than I thought."
Hermione's cheeks felt hot and embarrassed. "Yup, well, I tried not to hold his addiction against him. But when he started soliciting them from actual living, breathing people...that's when it crossed a line."
"No," Sirius corrected her. "I mean, Ron is an idiot if he was addicted to that when he had you."
"What?" Hermione felt her cheeks burn more. "You mean...?"
"I'm saying you're more than adequate, Hermione." Sirius gave her a once over glance, rather playfully. And she wondered if he really meant that compliment, or was just trying to raise her spirits?
Either way she felt an uncomfortable bunch of butterflies in her stomach.
"Okay." She tried to laugh off the compliment and the awkwardness she felt inside her at having the Sirius Black compliment her. "Thank you, I guess."
Sirius winked at her. "You're welcome."
Then they went back to drinking their hot drinks and Sirius passed her the Hangover Potion and things felt normal and comfortable again between them. They talked of other subjects such as Harry, her apprenticeship at the Ministry and Sirius's plans after the war.
"You know I thought at one point you might want to join Harry as an auror?" Hermione said casually. Though a tone of disappointment couldn't help slipping into her voice and she felt immediately guilty for trying to preach to Sirius about his lifestyle.
"No, I'm good. Had enough of either trying not to be killed or being imprisoned, after the first two wars."
"Sorry."
"I've been busy with other things," Sirius said with a hint of mystery.
"Oh really?" She rather wished to know if by 'busy', Sirius meant more than his bachelor lifestyle of parties, lavish spending and glamourous, loose women. She always sensed his over the top lifestyle post-war was all about overcompensation for what he missed out on in his twenties. And, well, she rather hoped that phase of his life would eventually grow old to him and Sirius would realize the great potential and talent he wasted while playing around.
"Something at Hogwarts. But I can't tell you."
Hermione chuckled. "I hope you're not going to stay you're thinking of becoming the next Defence Against the Dark Arts professor? You do know the position is cursed."
Sirius smirked, his grey eyes meeting hers. "No. I learned my lesson from Mad-Eye being locked in a box for a year, Snape dying at the end of his post and Gilderoy losing his memories completely. I wouldn't touch that post with a ten foot pole. I value my freedom and memories too much, thank you."
"Then what is it?"
"You'll find out eventually."
"Hmmm." Hermione felt more than a touch of disappointment that he did feel close enough to tell her. Yet she supposed he had his reasons for keeping the topic a secret.
"What about you?" Sirius asked hotly, switching the attention back to her. "We've covered your career. But what about your personal life? What do you want out of a wizard? A family maybe?"
Hermione squirmed in her seat as Sirius's grey eyes stared intently at her, as if he were actually interested to know this information. She wondered why he even bothered to ask. She hadn't thought much about kids. Certainly, marriage had crossed her mind. Yet she had thought she'd already have been married to Ron over a year ago if issues hadn't sprouted up...time and time again.
She shrugged and stared back at him because Sirius was still staring at her. "I'm not sure yet. I guess I'll just know at the time, if it's right or not." Her hand nervously tapped against her knee. "Or if kids are even on the table."
"It'll be easier."
Hermione felt startled. "What? Why?"
"You know now what you DON'T want in a wizard," Sirius said and licked at his thumb. "So that makes it easier to find the wizard who does have what you want."
Was Sirius flirting with her? Honestly, it was so subtle that Hermione couldn't tell for sure.
"Right, I guess so," she hurried to get up and pile up their dishes in the sink. Then with a quick spell, they were washed and she dried them before storing them away in the cupboard above the sink.
As she glanced behind her, she had an inkling feeling that Sirius was staring at her back, but she shook the feeling off.
"I better be off. Thanks for breakfast, Sirius," she said before scurrying off.
~O~
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a/n: Thanks so much for the overwhelming response and everyone who reviewed/fav/followed, I really appreciate it and I hoped you liked this chapter. Please do check out my other story I'm the Bad Guy Duh if you're looking for a fun quick read, I'm updating it today too :)