Touched Your Lips

by Ydream08

Chapter 23

"Hey, Sirius, I think this one's coming for you!" exclaimed Peter. Sirius wouldn't fall for this trick ever again, though.

Last week, James had said the same thing on Monday. When no owl had dropped by, Sirius had caught on to his mate's mischief that repeated for the rest of the week. He would not look up because he had known damn well that James was fooling him again and again. That Friday, Sirius had refused to check the ceiling for the oncoming delivery in spite of James who told him he should, literally begging him, whining and all. When Sirius still refused to face up, to his surprise the haux mail was in fact not. The Potter's owl had dropped a cake on him. Without a box or anything.

Peter whined, "Come on, Sirius! It is James who pranks you like that! I wouldn't do that to you with the morning post. If you don't look up you won't catch—"

It was too late. Something smacked on Sirius' head.

"Ouch." He took the parcel from where it had landed on the cereal bowl after it bounced off his head.

"Wormtail warned you, Pads." James had an evil grin on his face.

"Shut up, Prongs. I won't be able to get married because of you."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Remus asked with a sour look on his face. "I'm not saying James is without fault here… but pray tell, Sirius, how did you come to the marriage bit?"

"I don't trust anyone because of him, that's why."

"That's not why you constantly run away from McKinnon," Peter added.

"I find her stupid, isn't that enough? Why would I go to Hogsmeade with her while I have you guys? I want to stop at the Quidditch shop and I bet she wouldn't like that, anyway."

That's when his parcel was nicked from his hand. "I wonder if yours is from…"

"Hey, James!" Sirius barely caught the box James threw back at him, It didn't escape him, however, that his letter was still in James' possession. "Who said you could open it?!"

Sirius was torn between going after the letter and opening the gift box. He had never received a gift box, and sure as hell, this was one carefully wrapped and had a ribbon and all.

"Who is it from?" Sirius asked as he opened the gift. There was nothing rattling inside, so he wondered what it could be. The moment he saw the red, white and green fabric, he stopped. It couldn't be clothes, could it? Why would there be…

When he touched it, it felt like silk in his fingers, and pulling the garment out, Sirius could not believe his eyes.

It was a Quidditch jersey of the Tuscany Triplechasers. Holding the shirt high, Sirius checked the back to see the name of their Chaser, Arturo Bianchi. He was a seasoned chaser! Unlike Sirius' other favourite French Chaser Alain Brodeur, this man had been on the pitch for over fifteen years. At the age of forty-five, he was fit like any Quidditch player and had kept his game and scores high the last season. Even his decision to retire next year was the hot topic of debates considering his high performance.

Sirius was an absolute fan of the man!

"Sirius." Remus caught his attention. "I'm no expert on Quidditch or anything, but isn't that shirt signed?"

"It is!" screamed Peter when Sirius turned it around to check. Right there below the team name, there was a signature: For Sirius Black, from one Chaser to another. Best Arturo Bianchi

"Is that what's inside!" shrieked James.

Sirius turned to see James opening a similar gift package. He had not realised James had been sent something as well.

Like that, another Quidditch jersey of Bianchi was out.

"Wow, James! Is that signed, too?"

"Hell yeah, it is!"

"Wicked!"

"Who is it from?" asked Remus curiously.

Sirius halted then; who were these from again?

"Gifts from Hermione, of course!" James declared proudly.

"Shut up!" Sirius' eyes popped open in shock. It was from her? His Hermione who was distrustful of everything about Quidditch? "Tell me you were careful on your broom?", "If you win but you get injured, you still have to tell me, understood?", "I don't care whether or not the school provides brooms, I want you to send me the one you'll use so that I can get it checked out or I'll give you a brand new one!"

That's when Sirius realised he hadn't read her letter.

"May I take a look?" Peter asked pointing at the jersey and Sirius happily handed it to him. He himself asked James for his letter back.

"You are luckier Sirius. We both got shirts, but now it seems you have a date to Hogsmeade whether you like it or not."

"What do you mean, Jamie?" Sirius said snorting but James didn't say anything more. He simply handed over the letter.

Dear Sirius,

I want to tell you so many things with this letter but that would take more parchment than all your homework combined (and I'm confident you are doing your homework impeccably).

That's why I wondered if it is possible for us to meet and talk? When is your next Hogsmeade day? I would like to see you as soon as possible! Let me know the date and time in your reply. The Three Broomsticks should be fine.

Hopefully, you like the gift I sent. It was a chance I could not turn down when I came across Mr Bianchi during my trip to Italy two weeks ago. I had a feeling you'd like it.

I will be waiting for your reply.

Love,

Hermione Dagworth-Granger

Orion woke up to the soft noise of water running. Next thing he noticed was sunlight streaming through the window. He groaned and shifted underneath his blankets, and wondered if it was already time to wake up.

There was a slight chill on his neck. Touching his shirt to find it somewhat wet, probably with sweat, Orion sighed. Potions and medication had quickened his recovery after the setback from the flare-up of the curse three days ago, but he had been having headaches and sweaty nights. He needed rest more than anything, though. So he was in bed more often than not.

The door to the bathroom opened to reveal Hermione. She shyly smiled upon seeing him awake. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Orion replied unable to resist mimicking her smile. Since her confession from yesterday, they hadn't talked much but maintaining the greetings gave Orion a sense of normalcy.

All the things she had told him… It was hard to take them in. He could have cared little about her time-travelling (not like the magical world lacked its oddities) yet what she described the future as, and the things she had to do to protect their world… War. That was a big word. Orion had never imagined political differences would lead to such an extent. He always imagined himself to be away from it all either way, but there was a sense of sadness knowing their good days were, in fact, nearing the end.

Then, of course, the actual core of her confession was her heritage. She is a Muggleborn.

Orion had recalled the day they first met. Evan had introduced them and invited her to their dinner table (he and Evan had lost contact, now that Orion thought about it. It was about time he penned him a letter). At that dinner table, Orion constantly argued with himself whether she could be anything but a pureblood. Walburga had thought the contrary, but Orion's personal wards surrounding Grimmauld Place revealed the young woman to be of the purest blood.

Still, yesterday, Hermione had talked in detail about how she had been a target because of her heritage as a Muggleborn and being the best friend of Harry Potter (the future son of Sirius' friend, apparently). She had described her years in Hogwarts to him. She had told him he was right, that she was a Gryffindor through and through. She told him she had been a part of a mission to take down this Dark Lord… and along with Potter, they had achieved this. The Ministry (Orion had never heard of three Ministers succeeding each other in such a short time but considering the corruption, it should be expected) had entered a new era where Muggleborn rights were accepted and favoured while publicly any 'pureblood mania' was condemned.

It all sounded like paradise for a Muggleborn as she claimed herself to be. So, Orion was confused about her presence in these times when she deemed it to be 'old-fashioned and prejudiced'.

An accident, Hermione said.

Orion should be thankful for that accident, otherwise, he would not be in the same timeline as Hermione, the woman he loved.

And, yes, he loved her. There was no other explanation for why her confession about her heritage had not repulsed him as he imagined it would.

How could it?

How could it repulse him while memories flooded his mind? Memories of her laughing with him… sharing her ideas, her thoughts, her insecurities... her kissing him... her making love to him…

Memories of her with Sirius… his son smiling brightly at seeing her… hugging her… his son finally talking to him, about Quidditch, about his school, about Hermione…

Still, her lies about her identity had put a rift between himself and Hermione for the time being. A cordial one, if he had to describe it; and even that, had surprised him further.

"Do you want help getting to the bathroom?" Hermione asked when Orion finally found it in him to sit up in bed. At feeling the sting of his injury, Orion was reminded that getting out of bed would indeed be an accomplishment.

He nodded instead of forming his words, not trusting his voice. They had argued yesterday. He had hurt her on purpose, too… then why was she helping him? Not an elf or anyone else. It was her by his side.

She was helping him indeed. She came around his left side and let him put his arm around her shoulders to lean on her for support. She waited patiently as he adjusted his stance.

It didn't exactly hurt to walk, but Orion was afraid it would.

Blushing fiercely, Orion halted them at the door of the bathroom. "I need to sit down at the..."

He winced even at the thought that he was about to sit down without aid. His abdominal muscles contracted in dreadful anticipation to make it worse.

"That's fine," Hermione said neutrally. "I will help you."

She would have waited outside the door if he didn't need her.

Orion didn't know what to think or what to do other than to stay standing. His bladder was pressing him and so was the bloating in his bowels.

"I will pull down your bottoms and boxers, is that okay?" Hermione asked. She squeezed his hand but didn't look him in the eye, which instantly erased any impression of kindness she had shown towards him.

Was she unable to look at him now? Was he so repulsive in this state? He was weak, he knew that. But it was unthinkable for him that he was looked down at by a Muggleborn. Maybe he hasn't accepted her heritage so readily, after all.

Orion gritted his teeth at the last thought.

"Let me be," he hissed and removed his arms off her.

"What? Why— I can help…"

"DON'T!" Orion snapped this time but once he faced Hermione, he saw her directly looking at him. Had he imagined that she escaped his gaze?

Indeed, she focused only on him now. Her mouth was hanging open, eyes wide and both brows down. She looked as if he had slapped her.

"You didn't need to yell," Hermione managed to point out.

Orion's stomach twisted with guilt. He didn't mean to...he just… he didn't want to be injured for Merlin's sake! He didn't want Hermione to help him. He didn't want to need assistance to the bloody toilet.

He wanted to be a man.

And about Hermione… all he wanted was to hold her, kiss her and keep her. Not shout at her.

Why had she needed to lie to him? Why was she from the future? Why couldn't she be the long lost daughter of the Dagworth-Grangers?

"I…" Orion knew he had startled her when he shouted. For no reason other than his injured pride. "I apologize. I didn't mean to shout."

He only now noticed the bathroom made a cruel echo of their voices. Perfect.

"I'm sorry," he repeated sincerely and watched as Hermione's defence crumbled in acknowledging his honesty.

"I'll accept it." She nodded but a smile didn't form on her face. At least her eyes were soft. "Do you want my help?"

Distrustful of his voice, Orion nodded.

Hermione had removed his clothes more than a few times already, but this was different. Without any sexual agenda, this intimacy was foreign waters to Orion.

She hesitantly reached for the buttons of his nightwear. Glancing at him to proceed, Orion's heart swelled at seeing a smile grace those lips as their gaze held.

Not a word was spoken as the buttons came loose.

Orion didn't know when the air shifted, but Hermione had taken a step towards him that caused his breath to hitch.

She was almost embracing him as her hands travelled to the back of his bottoms. Her fingers grazed the skin beneath the garment, which only hastened his bloodstream. How she managed that, Orion didn't know, but somehow her palms were so light over his buttocks that it gave him goosebumps; and at the same time that her hands descended, his bottoms came down as well— if it weren't for his half-erection that proved an obstacle.

"Forgot about that," Hermione whispered into his chest, her eyes searching his in innocent playfulness.

Of course, once the bottoms were down, she took a step back. Clearing her throat and all to act like what has just happened, had not in fact happened.

"Maybe this will help," Hermione muttered and drawing her wand, she transfigured the trash can into a grab rail. "I'm not sure the height is right, but it should be useful."

"Okay," Orion said, unsure how to reply.

Dismissing Hermione's short play, he turned around careful with his right side and held onto Hermione as he slowly sat down on the toilet, right hand waiting to grab the rail at the first opportunity. It wasn't as hard as he feared, but it hurt nevertheless. Not so much as he expected getting up would cause.

"I'll be outside. Call for me when you're done."

Orion took a few breaths to calm himself when he was alone. His erection had to be eased so that he could pee, Salazar, help him.

As he waited, he listened to Hermione. There was a rustling noise, and the sound of a window opening, so he thought maybe she was magically tidying up the room.

Not wanting to waste time here, Orion took care of his business and cursed every muscle that had to contract to make the actions happen. It hurt.

"Hermione!" Orion had managed to thankfully wipe his own ass when he was done. Damn if it hurt. "Could you—"

"Coming!" And she was there with a quick smile. "Here, let me help."

With a groan, Orion rose to his feet. Hermione pulled his trousers up to his thighs, but once they were within reach, Orion grabbed them out of her hands to dress himself. Cursing, Orion tried to hold on to the shred of dignity he had left.

Keeping to his side as he washed his hands and face, and then brushed his teeth, Hermione remained silent.

Once they were out of the bathroom, Orion saw that the bedsheets were changed and the window was open to air the room.

"Why don't we change your shirt?" Hermione asked, flicking her wand to summon a new shirt for him.

Orion accepted the shirt without a word and changed by himself. That he could do. Afterwards, Hermione propped up his pillows and he leaned against it. Blankets over his legs, all was set.

"Dobby!" Hermione called. "Could you come in here please?"

When Dobby brought their breakfasts as per request, Hermione reminded Orion as usual, "Don't forget to drink your pain potion after you're finished with your breakfast."

Afternoons were generally uneventful. Orion did not feel like walking around today. Not while he had to have assistance to leave for the garden anyway. He wasn't recovered enough that Hermione would let him go around the Manor alone.

He lounged by the bed and tried to read as Hermione did. However, he wasn't allowed to read a newspaper or letters from his hotels.

Hermione would say, "Nothing is urgent and it is Friday after working hours. What is wrong with reading books, anyway?"

It wasn't in Orion to disclose that he did not enjoy the book she has selected for him. Murder mysteries were not his cup of tea.

Any other day before the attack he would have liked to pull Hermione into witty banter that would end up in amazing sex, but Orion had not come to a decision about their relationship yet.

He was unsure if there was anything to decide on, truthfully.

What were his choices? Leaving Hermione was definitely not one of them. Yet, Orion was afraid Hermione would not accept what he had in mind: Live as nothing had changed. He had been doing a splendid job overlooking the detail of her blood status, anyway.

"What are you reading?" Orion asked to dissipate his mood. There was time to think. He and Hermione had smoothed over her confession from four days ago without a major talk of it. They were more than cordial now.

"Some research." Hermione understood his expectant silence. "It is about coasts of England, notable caves, beaches and similar natural landmarks."

"Fun," Orion said dryly. Hermione looked up at him to smile but turned to her book eventually.

"Whiny?" Orion called this time. His personal House-elf came instead of the Malfoys'. He trusted their elf with his life -it had saved him and Hermione once- but there was no sense to involve it in his personal business.

Orion's elf, Whiny, popped in the bedroom. Upon seeing him, she burst into tears. "Oh, Whiny is so happy Mister is alright! Whiny does not deserve your presence, sir."

Whiny had been crying every time she had been called the past three days. At first, Orion thought it was because his absence had been far too long and his loyal elf had suspected him to be murdered, however, the tears never stopped at any of her appearances.

"Alright, alright. I told you I don't want to see you crying."

"But these are tears of joy, sir!"

Orion sighed. "I want you to pop into Mrs Macmillan's and ask her next week's program. I shall start to work only after next week, so inform her to rearrange meetings accordingly."

Whiny nodded and disappeared.

"Now that I remember," Hermione caught Orion's attention. In the armchair, she collected her legs underneath her and placed her book in her lap. "I owled Sirius to meet up with him. Their first Hogsmeade day is on the 12th of October. So, I'll see him then."

That was two weeks from now.

"Is this about what we talked about over dinner in Genova?" Orion had thought their conversation that night to be inconclusive but he was not yet up to talking more on the subject.

"Something like that," Hermione replied, which suited him just fine for now.

After a few moments, Hermione returned to her book, which truthfully disappointed Orion. He wanted to talk more. About what, he didn't really care. But the longer the silence stretched on, the quicker for Orion to realize Hermione had not insisted Orion confront Sirius. She acted aloof which made him feel like he was missing something.

That's how he got the idea.

"I want to join you on that Hogsmeade day."

Hermione closed her book this time. "Did you say…?"

"I want to join you and Sirius when you meet up," Orion rephrased. "The three of us could talk. I haven't heard from him for some time now, it would be good to see him."

"Orion," Hermione hesitated. Orion could see she was trying to find a way out of this. "I understand that you want to see him. But can it be just Sirius and me this time? I can't help you with him if he won't open up to me because you're there. It's just that… we'll come to that point, I'm sure."

Because he must have looked sullen, she added, "And it is lovely that you want to see him! Perhaps you could meet with Sirius and Regulus on a weekend— though, Regulus has yet to have Hogsmeade days. We'll think of something."

Orion nodded but he was not content with this predicament.

"It would be unexplainable if the two of us showed up, anyway," Hermione murmured but Orion caught her exact words without fail.

Huh… He had not thought of it like that. Hermione was right, of course. However, the outcome was still undesirable. The fact that she was aware of the restrictions of their relationship, too, made Orion salty. Would they need to hide their relationship forever? How long would Hermione be okay with this?

What would happen if she met someone who could give her exactly that? The freedom to be out in public?

Orion dismissed these thoughts immediately. They were nothing but needling insecurities that could ruin any relationship.

Right now, he wanted to be included in Hermione's life, especially the side that interacted with Sirius. He wanted both of them with him. Regulus, too— it had been some time since he has heard from him as well.

"What about…" Hadn't Hermione said the date to be the 12th? Orion would be healthy by then. "What about you come to me after you've met Sirius? You could have lunch with my son, and over dinner, we could discuss how it went and what to do. You still have a lot to tell me about him."

Hermione smiled affectionately. "I think that's a great idea. We can do that."

Orion offered his hand, palm up on the mattress. Hermione rose from the armchair, book still in her hand, and perched by the bed to take his hand.

It had been many days since Orion had held her hand for the sake of feeling her skin. As his thumb stroked her long fingers, he noticed her shortly trimmed nails weren't painted like in their dates. They were pretty either way. It was unbelievable that these small hands were so strong that when she lent her support to him, Orion was sure he was taken care of in the best way possible.

"I thought you'd never…" her voice ended in a whisper.

Orion looked up to see Hermione forlorn, her brows twisted helplessly and lower lip quivering.

She cleared her throat but still didn't look him in the eye, "I thought you would never touch me again." Releasing her hold of the book, Hermione wiped away what must have been a tear. "I thought… because I'm a Muggleborn… a Mudblood—"

Orion sat up so quickly that he lacked the forethought that his injury would hurt. To hell with it.

"Shhhh." Orion did his best to hide his wince. "Hermione, look at me."

She didn't. Not immediately. Orion had to hold her chin with his right hand and tilt her head so that she would be forced to look at him. Even then, she was stubborn as a goat as she looked sideways.

"I might think you find me ugly if you insist to look elsewhere," Orion teased.

Hermione huffed and pulled her head free of his hold. She looked annoyed. "Don't make it sound like— Quit it. I won't give you any compliments now. This is the worst possible moment for it, arsehole."

"Ouch," Orion whispered while attempting to pull her face towards him again. "Will you look at me now?"

Reluctantly, her red-rimmed eyes found his. It hurt him to see her so upset. Orion enjoyed her brown eyes when they were alight with humour, spark and lust. Maybe even love, he hoped.

"Don't make me into someone I'm not," Orion decided to start with. "And don't ever demean yourself. Not in front of me, not by yourself… never. If you ever do it in a way that would imply I think of you that way… Well, that's an insult to me, too, isn't it?"

Her eyes wavered in shame. Orion wasn't sure what he wanted for her to feel exactly. But he wanted her to understand him, and right now, it was also important to make her feel better.

"Hermione… All the things that you told me about yourself…" Orion knew all that was too unimaginable for her to make it up, but the fact was that it made it more convenient for Orion to ignore them all. For now, anyway. "I will continue to think about them. But one thing that I know is that… As I said, I don't want to lose you."

Orion squeezed her hand tenderly.

Hermione's face split in a crooked smile. "I don't want to lose you either."

A moment passed but Orion saw that he had not fully put Hermione at ease. "So you really don't have any issues… with me being a Muggleborn?"

Orion opened his mouth to reassure her, but he ended up closing it without saying a thing. Of course, Orion was positive he would learn to overlook the detail of her heritage, even come to terms with it, but there was a tiny gleam of hope in him that thought - unbeknownst to her - she could be a pureblood. How could she have passed through his wards in Grimmauld Place otherwise?

"What?" Hermione asked defensively. "Do you have any issues or not? You said you don't want any lies; I don't want any lies either. So that means you have to speak now."

Orion shook his head. She was right, of course. Honesty went both ways.

"Do you remember the day you came over to Grimmauld Place to dinner? Evan had invited you. That day we first met." Hermione nodded affirmatively. "At Grimmauld Place, I have special wards I created myself, which keep any lesser born—" Orion realised his mistake late but he stopped to correct himself. "Forgive me. It won't happen ever again. I meant to say, anyone who was not a pureblood would be kept outside of that house."

"What would have happened if a Muggleborn tried to enter?" Hermione asked, her voice cold - understandably so - from his thoughtless mistake.

Orion took a deep breath. "You understand that under normal circumstances the Black family has no association to Muggleborns so receiving one as a guest is highly unlikely if impossible. That means… if a Muggleborn were to try to pass through the wards, they would be unwelcome."

"I asked you what would happen."

"They would be knocked out. Unconscious." At best, Orion added internally.

"That is… offensive and archaic. It literally causes harm to a person."

"To an intruder," Orion corrected her. Another mistake of him, if Hermione's narrowed eyes were anything to go by.

"So…" Hermione took a few moments to wrap up what they conversed about. "You don't believe me when I tell you that I'm a Muggleborn because I was unaffected by your wards that day."

"That's not exactly true," Orion intervened. He was thankful Hermione had not let go of his hand. He could foresee how this chat would go downhill. "I believe you. But I know what the wards are capable of as well. The two facts contradict."

"Your wards could be defective." Hermione pointed out haughtily.

Orion had caught the glimmer in her eyes. That uncertainty. "You know they are not."

Hermione didn't meet his eyes again but looked down at their hands. Now, it was her thumb that gently moved over his knuckles.

She sighed.

"I wasn't lying when I said I was adopted."

Orion nodded. That could work. That could explain how she could trick the wards into thinking she was a pureblood. Adoption magic was a potent one, and as a Muggleborn if she was adopted by purebloods her magical trace would be accepted by his wards.

Interesting.

"Which pureblood family took you in? Was it really the Dagworth-Grangers?"

If magic accepted her as a pureblood, why should he concern himself with her past? It was proper etiquette to respect the pureblood family who took her in.

"That is a story I prefer to tell you some other day, is that alright?"

Orion crossed his brows. Why would she not disclose this? Orion never deemed 'omitting the truth' as a lie himself, but it didn't sit right with him that Hermione pressed to maintain secrecy on this important subject.

"We are getting to know each other, Orion. And that requires time. I'm not trying to hide anything from you. I have revealed my most important secret already."

Searching her face and finding pure honesty, Orion conceded that it was logical they needed time. Hermione didn't know everything about him either. An example would be that he immensely enjoyed playing pool and had ideas about that pool table which included her, too.

"Alright." Orion grinned. "I will be patient."

Saying that last part, he started to lean into her because being patient did not exclude kissing and touching, which were things the two of them were familiar with already, and he missed it.

Hermione smiled and raised her free hand to cup his cheek.

"Wait—" Hermione said, changing her mind.

Orion didn't like that there remained a few centimetres of a gap.

"The last time we kissed your injury got worse."

"And you said it had nothing to do with you."

"It might have nothing to do with me. It also might be because I lost control while I was otherwise occupied."

Orion smirked. "It is always good to be occupied."

"Orion, I'm not messing around. It's your life."

"Don't, then." Orion reached to keep her exactly where she was. Damn the discomfort of his abdomen, he could do this. He was only mildly tender there. "There is only one way to find out who is right."

"It's risky!"

"Kissing is lovely and there's a certain risk to everything," Orion admitted.

"What about—"

"Concentrate on your magic and I'll do my best to distract you from it. Then we can find out how long it's safe to do this…"

Orion finally met her lips. Hermione giggled and would have probably called out names, too, if he hadn't closed in on her again. The softness of her lips was divine. So was coaxing them open, darting his tongue to get a taste of her and playing the game the two of them loved so much.

It was a compelling urge to bring her closer or push her to lie down on the bed, but Orion did neither. It was too early for that. He might not be strong enough to maintain this lovely exchange without getting hurt in the process.

So he kept his hands on her cheeks and concentrated on kissing her thoroughly. When he fell short of breath, he descended to the column of her neck. He sighed and continued to taste her skin as much as she let him. Her sighs and moans eventually drew him back to her lips.

Orion didn't know how long they kissed for. It felt like an eternity yet when they broke apart, he realized it had not been enough.

"I told you I would be fine." Orion nibbled at her earlobe. Peppering kisses all the way to her mouth, Orion sucked at her lower lip before she could reply.

"Fishing for compliments again, Lord Black?" Hermione teased once he released her.

Orion smiled at her, catching her eyes in a lingering stare. Salazar, she truly was beautiful.

"I should go back," Hermione said.

She glanced back at her armchair, and guessing her intention, Orion had to intervene. "Stay."

Sensing that asking nicely wouldn't be enough (even if this decadent bed could easily have two people lying in), his eyes darted around to stall her and an idea struck him.

There lying next to her on the mattress was her book, forgotten and uncared for. Orion grabbed the spine and opened a random page.

"England's Seafood Coast, the English Riviera!" Orion read the chapter title out loud. "Now, wouldn't I want to hear about this magnificent coast?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Would you? I could bring you a newspaper to read, instead?"

Orion could name a test when he saw one.

"I would rather you come here, to my left side mind you, and read me this breathtaking book."

Hermione glanced a few times at him to determine whether he was joking but Orion showed her his most sincere smile. Lightly holding her arm, he pulled Hermione with him as he propped up his pillows properly.

Giggling, Hermione accepted his arm that was thrown around her shoulders and buried herself in his good shoulder.

"I'm warning you that this will bore you to death."

"Not if we plan a holiday to one of the many coasts you will be reading to me."

Three days after the kiss, Orion couldn't believe how lovelier everything got. Well, the taste of pain potions never got less nasty but he could live with one shot in the morning and one in the evening. Moreover, if Orion wasn't bound to bed (all sexual intentions excluded), it would have been even better. Still, Hermione and Orion were alone except for the House-elves that popped in and out to bring meals. It almost felt like living together.

"What's the matter? You have been staring at those blueprints for a time now."

Hermione raised her head distracted. "Oh, this? It is the plan of the Chateau that I will be turning into a school. There was a detail I forgot about the renovations. Mrs Greengrass pointed out that an auditorium would be essential. I'm afraid we have to take some space from the Common Room if I can't think of any other way."

"Is that the only thing left for the plan to be finished?"

"Yeah, pretty much. We have a soundproof music room, an art room and a sports arena - aside from the Quidditch pitch, of course. The terrace will be used for Astronomy. Chess will be put in the Common Room and the puzzle sets in the Study Area. There is..."

"Here, let me see."

Hermione brought the floor plans to Orion where he sat by the headboard of his bed. For a while, she pointed out the rooms of the floor plans and explained what each would be used for.

"Where is the plan for the basement floor?" Orion asked when he failed to find it.

"Basement?" Hermione shook her head. "I never saw it in the plans. But its ceiling would be too low for an auditorium, wouldn't it?"

"Can't you combine it with upstairs? At least half of it? I used that in one of my hotels to implement a small stage for weekend shows. Then, on another project, my architect decided to try a certain spell to enlarge the room… Aren't you consulting with someone?"

"We are, but I wanted to take a look at it myself. Do you have the before and after plans of the hotel where you combined the floors? So I can get a better idea?"

"Sure. Whiny!" His House-elf popped without delay. "Could you bring the blueprints of my hotel in Glasgow? Also, please tell Mrs Macmillan that I want a meeting with my architect. Hermione, love, you and Mrs Greengrass could go over it one last time with him. What do you say?"

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "That would be great!"

Orion checked the clock that hung on the opposite wall, but watching the arms of the clock pass the designated time by twenty-five minutes did not leave a good impression on Lucius.

He and Hermione had switched places for the afternoon today. Hermione was supposed to meet with Mrs Greengrass to sort out a few details about the project before the two women had a final meeting with Orion's architect on Thursday of next week.

After half an hour of convincing, Hermione had left Orion by himself so that she could make it in time for her plans. Lucius should have come much earlier than 12.30.

Now it was nearly one o'clock.

Orion wouldn't complain because he liked having a peaceful afternoon to himself. Now that he was better, he walked around his room. With tea in hand, he would stand by the window to enjoy the view. He wondered if he should bathe, but the last thing he wanted was for Lucius to come in when he was in the middle of bathing and be obliged to sit beside him till the end of it.

Shaking his head at the scenario, Orion opted to walk back to his bed and take a nap. It wasn't like he could remove his bandages on his own to bathe anyway. He wasn't sure he was allowed to.

When Orion woke up from that short nap, he found that Lucius had arrived and was currently playing chess by himself.

"No, go back to sleep. I don't accept if you cut in to play."

Orion smiled involuntarily. Would it be like this if he had married younger and had his heir? His son would be a man by now. He would be at the same height as him, played chess with him and worked alongside him.

Orion thought about Sirius and Regulus. Out of all those three things, they could play chess at least. They should do that some time.

"You shouldn't have come," Orion commented happily. "This old man can take care of himself."

Lucius rose one eyebrow. "If you insist?"

That took Orion by surprise. "Will you… leave?"

"It's been over a week since your injury accidentally bled, am I correct?" Lucius hummed as he made another over the chessboard. Then he continued, "You can walk around fine, too. I think the only reason you remain as our guest is that - pardon the expression - dear Hermione is a control freak."

"Huh," Orion stalled. "So… you will go? Just like that?"

"Yes, I'm willing to leave this game unfinished." Lucius added a roll of his eyes. "I heard you are going back to work on Monday; that's two days from now. You better be ready to be alone."

Orion did not reply.

"I have a wife to get to, either way."

Giving his farewell, Lucius left. He must have been bored out of his mind, Orion reasoned.

Thinking about what Lucius had said, Orion couldn't fault the young man though. It was true that Orion felt immensely better. Physically he was capable of everything; only the slight pain over his abdomen remained whenever he woke up in the morning and had to rise from his bed.

Today was probably the last day that Hermione would be looking after him as his Healer.

In the end, Orion didn't stay alone for much longer. After two hours, Hermione swiftly arrived.

"Oh, you're up walking!" she said seeing him standing by the open window, lost in his stare of the view. Orion liked the chill of October. It smelt like snow though there was not a brush of white seen anywhere.

"I was feeling fine. I stretched a bit." Orion saw the panic on Hermione's face so he quickly added, "Nothing much. I was always in the room."

Hermione nodded. Looking around she failed to locate whatever she was looking for. "Where is Lucius?"

"Had to leave early. He had some business."

"Why can't he do as I say for once! Malfoys slack of whenever it suits them..." Hermione rambled on as she shed her outerwear to come and stand by Orion. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm feeling perfect, really."

"Let's check your wound. Come."

This time removing the bandages stung only a little. Finding it in himself to check the wound, Orion was pleasantly surprised to see that it was coloured a healthy pink around the stitches. The closed skin was yellowish-green and remained a bit swollen, but it looked much better than how Orion remembered it.

"We'll remove the stitches in a few days. Maybe next Tuesday?"

Orion nodded along. The violet light was still there, but now it was underneath his skin, only shockingly blinking whenever it came by the stitching lines. He wondered if it would be evident in a dark room.

"I will bandage you just in case, but there isn't any true need. You could even bathe; it wouldn't hurt if water came in contact with the skin."

"Just the thing I need!" Orion sighed joyously. It would be amazing to bathe on his own. Previously, Lucius had helped once and the few other times Hermione had washed him with a cloth in bed.

"I'll get the water running for you."

When Hermione left, Orion removed his pants and socks so he stayed in only his boxers. He could faintly hear Hermione humming to herself. He wondered what she was doing. Not like he had a bubble bath in mind.

Surprisingly, someone who was clearly not Hermione entered the room. With a pop, Whiny had apparated. She was crying again.

"My Lord… Whiny is sorry… Whiny is a bad elf… She does not deserve you when you are such an amazing master… Whiny should punish herself… Punish herself more because she keeps doing it… she keeps listening to the mistress."

Orion tried his best to understand what the poor elf was babbling but all the hiccups and cries did not help.

"Whiny, would you calm down? I cannot understand you!"

It must be because of all the noise they made, Hermione came out of the bathroom to check on him. "Is everything alright?"

Orion looked back and forth and decided on the best course of action. "Could you give us a moment, please? You can come back later if you want to."

"Of course. I'll come back in half an hour. I want to help you to bath, then to bed."

After Hermione left, Orion waited for a while for Whiny's crying to slow down into sad sniffs.

"What happened, Whiny?"

The house-elf hesitated a long time, which was concerning in the light of her loyalty. Whiny should have answered him truthfully without a heartbeat.

"Master will be angry! He has to be! Whiny only hopes he will be less angry at Whiny. She has done nothing wrong! She obeys the House of Black. She obeys Mistress Black."

That would be Walburga. Orion recalled how his wife sometimes took his personal House-elf under her order. Last time would be when she needed Whiny for cooking.

"She made you cook again in the kitchens?"

"No, not the kitchens, master. Whiny must never tell. But Whiny knows what happens will hurt the House. My master will be hurt the most. Bad Whiny, she should have said earlier! I will happily be punished, master!"

"No punishments until you tell me what is going on."

Whiny bit her lips from telling but her conflicting eyes showed that it was not voluntary. Walburga must have warned her to keep silent. Orion knew, even as Head of House Black, he would not be able to overrule Walburga's orders unless an imminent threat to the House. She was a Black by blood as well, not just his wife. Orion had never explicitly ordered Whiny to obey only him. Even as a personal servant, Whiny had always been loyal to the House. Coming to him must have been the best she could do.

"Tell me something you can share," Orion rephrased. It was astounding how much wording meant in the wizarding world. In spells, oaths and bonds, choice of words was important.

Whiny opened and closed her mouth a few times. Sounds coming out occasionally, but it took her a while to think of something. "Whiny saw elves in the kitchen… they cooked for two. Whiny saw it in Grimmauld Place today."

Two?

As far as Orion knew, there was only one permanent occupant of the Grimmauld Place and that was his dear wife.

"Who is it? One is Walburga, and the other…?"

"Whiny can't!" the little House-elf shrieked. Shaking her head, she pleaded him. "Whiny can't help it… she is a bad elf to hide it from you… but she has to be quiet to be a good elf, too!"

"Alright, alright." Orion had to think of something. "Tell me something you know of this person, a piece of recent news."

"Master knows this news! The guest's elder brother will take a daughter from the Black family."

"Rabastan LeStrange?"

Orion knew the LeStrange brothers. They were Lucius' friends. The older one had contacted Cygnus to draw a contract for marriage with Bellatrix; this was what Whiny said as news. Last Orion has heard, the contract was finalised and agreed upon. Yet, he knew nothing about the younger brother, who was apparently the person in question.

"What is his business at the house?"

Whiny caught her ears to pull them down over her mouth. There came a muffled sound, "Whiny can't say, Master."

What business could Walburga have with Rabastan LeStrange? The young man was hardly an acquaintance. So in his status, there was no excuse for his presence in Grimmauld Place. It was outright inappropriate.

All of a sudden, Orion had a suspicion what Rabastan LeStrange's business might be, but it was highly unbelievable for Orion to accept it. Mainly because he couldn't imagine a male on earth who would be interested in Walburga that way. Could it be?

"Does Walburga require me as a husband, especially today?" Orion asked this time, wondering if he had accomplished to go around the magical bond of their House to Whiny. It was an ambiguous question, but as long as Whiny understood his meaning they could communicate.

Whiny caught up with Orion immediately and her joy to be understood by her master shone through her eyes. "Not for four months, sir, according to Whiny's knowledge."

"Alright, Whiny. Do you wish to tell me anything else?"

"No, master. Whiny shall leave you as you wish, sir. She is happy to be of service to her Master!"

Orion nodded and the elf Disapparated.

Long after Whiny was gone, he thought about this new information. There was no reason for Whiny to lie, not that she was capable of it towards him, but if it was the truth, Orion seemed to be in a more leisure position.

It was a liberating feeling to not be obliged to marriage. There remained no 'wife' to be responsible for, at least morally.

Orion wondered when he could be free legally, too.