Leather and Lace

by Ava Miranda Dakedavra

Finding himself 20 years in the future, as well as the last of the Marauders and an apparent criminal has left Sirius shaken. Throw in a blood spell, an impending sickness and maneuvering life with Harry, Ron and Hermione and you've got Sirius Black making the best of things in the be all end all of bad situations.

17. Them Dirty Bones

I don't even really have an excuse for how long this took me to bang out - it sat in my Docs folder for the longest time, and then all of the sudden I had the sudden urge to finish this chapter. I apologize ahead of time, but it may be some time before the next chapter arrives. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I've returned to school (in the middle of a pandemic, no less) and alot of my free time is devoted to reading literary works within two days' time. (By the by, does Jane Eyre ever, you know, pick up? It's interesting, but my god, is it dense. So wordy.) Anyway, I love you all, take care, and I'll see you in the next chapter.

"And I've made friends with arms wide open/ I've been broke and I've been broken/ I've found love and all that goes with it/ I don't know how but I did," Mike Waters, "Them Dirty Bones"

---

To George's credit, he'd thrown a massive banger. Grimmauld Place was the liveliest Sirius had ever seen it, with multicolored streamers cascading across the ceiling and loud music thumping the floorboards. It was packed with every former Order member that could attend, and every Gryffindor that had been in Harry's year.

Sirius had spent most of the night so far chatting with the eldest Weasley boys, Bill and Charlie, as George was busy with his chaotic hosting techniques. Yet when the two broke off to speak to their parents, Sirius wandered off through the throngs of people, finding the majority of Gryffindors packed in the den and crowding around the couch.

"How in the world are they sleeping through a George Weasley party?" Dean Thomas questioned, his arm loped around Seamus Finnegan's shoulders.

"They're exhausted," Neville proclaimed, "Ginny said the three of them's been working nonstop on Harry's case."

"Thought they were all just sloshed," Parvati Patil said, her hands busy braiding Lavender's ringlets of hair.

"Like Hermione would get so drunk to fall asleep on Malfoy," Seamus snorted.

Sirius peeked over the back of the couch, finding Hermione curled up into Draco's side, the two of them fast asleep. He looked to the side, and saw Ron passed out in the floor with his head propped against the couch cushions, his mouth gaping open.

"So that's where they've been," Sirius scoffed, startling a few that hadn't heard him come in.

"Since the party started," Neville said, turning to Sirius with a grin. "Not the jealous type, are you?" he asked teasingly.

Sirius snorted, glancing back down at his wife - still not used to thinking of her as such - and his cousin. "Hardly, I think they'd vomit at the mere suggestion of something going on between them."

Neville laughed, leaning against the couch and sipping from a beer bottle, "Sounds about right, think any of us would do the same. Although, apparently Malfoy's earned some brownie points with the girls for what he did for Harry today."

"Do you know if he's single, Sirius?" Parvati asked, finishing off Lavender's braid neatly.

Sirius couldn't help but laugh, "I'd have to ask."

The two girls sighed before breaking off from the boys, saying something about finding the other Patil twin, which surprised Sirius as he hadn't known there was another one. Dean and Seamus made some excuse about it being late and needing to find Harry before they left, and soon it was just Sirius, Neville and the slumber party taking place on the couch.

"So how's things with Ginny?" Sirius asked, leaning against the wall to speak to Neville.

The other man sighed and fidgeted with the label on his beer bottle, "They're going so well, which is terrifying." At Sirius's shocked expression, he began to anxiously wave a hand, "No, not that, Ginny's amazing but - she's got so many brothers, and they all rather frighten me."

Sirius choked on his drink with a laugh, wiping it from his chin as he watched Neville pale and clutch his drink for strength. "Well, they all seem nice, especially my business partner."

"Yes, but you aren't dating their little sister," Neville said before his face screwed up, "Although, hang on, you did practically marry their little sister."

Sirius hummed, looking to the back of the couch, "Yeah, I know Hermione and the Weasleys are close."

Neville nodded, glancing over his shoulder to check on the sleepers, before continuing. "I think the Weasleys are the only family Harry and Hermione have left, but you didn't hear it from me. And they're always keen to adopt a few honorary kids, so don't be surprised if come Christmas I see you across the Weasley dinner table in matching jumpers."

Sirius gave another laugh, joining in with Neville, when suddenly the resemblance struck him. "Frank!" he shouted, watching Neville's eyes go wide before he slapped a hand over his own mouth, both carefully listening for any sign of movement. Once Neville looked, breathed a sigh of relief, and pulled him slightly into the hall, did Sirius speak again.

"You're Frank's kid, aren't you?" Sirius asked, watching Neville become very interested with his shoes.

"Yeah," he admitted.

"Mate, that's brill!" Sirius exclaimed. "Frank's a stand up man, why are you embarrassed?"

"I'm not embarrassed of him," Neville said with a sigh, "It's just...not a happy story."

Sirius blinked, seeing that Neville was trying not to meet his eye. "Is he…?"

Neville looked resolutely at his bottle, "St. Mungo's, with my mum. Janus Thickey Ward for irreparable spell damage."

"Oh Merlin, Neville, I'm so - "

"No, I'm sorry," Neville insisted, finally meeting his gaze, "I didn't realize you might have known them, which is silly because you were all in the Order together, but...I should have said something sooner."

"Hey, not your fault," Sirius said, knocking him lightly in the shoulder to get him to quirk some semblance of a smile. "Not like everyone wants to offer up the bad parts of their life upon meeting someone."

Neville huffed a small laugh, still looking down, when Ginny rounded the corner and gripped his arm.

"Hey, there you are," she said easily, as if she hadn't noticed Neville's entire face lighting up. "Having fun?"

"Loads," Sirius answered for him, sharing a knowing grin with the other man.

"Great, so - don't be mad," Ginny began, Neville already groaning. "Mum wants to re-meet you. Like, this instant."

"Ginny!" Neville spluttered, "I - we - we're not even dating yet!"

"Are we not dating yet?" she mused. "Could've sworn we were…"

"We - well - yes, fine, we're dating, but - !"

"Great, then you've got no issues re-meeting Mum," Ginny chirped, already tugging him away as Neville stammered out excuses, still confused how things had progressed so quickly. He looked to Sirius for help, who only smiled and waved him off.

Sirius moved back into the den, where Harry and Hannah were, both standing at the back of the couch and grinning down. Sirius joined them, loping an arm around Harry and ruffling up his hair.

"Your wife's snuggling another man, Sirius," Harry said conversationally.

"I'm still not used to that," Sirius sighed.

"Harry was just catching me up to speed with everything," Hannah whispered, at least being courteous to those snoozing below them. "Sorry I missed the trial, one of my girls went into labor and that was exciting enough to warrant not checking a clock."

"No harm done, apparently everything was under control," Harry assured before looking quizzically at the pair on the couch. "Although don't ask me what possessed Malfoy to act the way he did."

"Felix Felicis," Sirius supplied, grinning at their shocked expressions. "Perfectly legal if Draco took it, we checked, don't worry."

"That makes no sense," Harry scoffed, "Draco's idea of a lucky day is seeing me behind bars for life."

At this, Sirius and Hannah shared a glance and a grimace. "Harry," Hannah began gently, "By the sound of it, Draco took the potion to ensure you would be found innocent."

"Nonsense, Malfoy would never," Harry dismissed immediately.

By this point, Sirius was tired of whatever imaginary slight Harry had against Draco, and gave a noisy huff that brought Harry's attention. "Look, mate, I love you dearly, but this has got to stop. Draco has been nothing but helpful the entire time I've been here, and you've been nothing but rude to him. I told you before, whatever happened in the past is in the past. Hermione and Ron have forgiven him, as well as a majority of your classmates, so why can't you?"

Harry gaped owlishly at Sirius, and Hannah was watching the exchange with rapt attention behind Harry's shoulder. "Sirius, you wouldn't understand, he -"

"Testified at your trial?" Sirius supplied.

"Invited you to that charity ball," Hannah offered.

"Saved my life multiple times over since I got here."

"Helped Ginny and Neville get together."

"Helped Hermione, to my knowledge, during the aftermath of the war when she needed it most," Sirius declared.

"And that's the limited information that we both know," Hannah said before laughing at Harry's sullen face. "Oh, don't pout, Harry, you know we're right. Look, just give what we said a decent bit of thought and maybe give Draco a chance, at least to show you how much he's changed. If he's an utter prat to you, then you can consider us wrong and tell us all so."

Harry seemed to mull it over in his head, his jaw set and gaze unfocused before he shook his head, returning to the snoozing trio. "We should maybe get them home, it can't be good for their necks to sleep like that."

"I'll get Ron," Hannah offered, moving and crouching down to gently shake her boyfriend awake. "Ron, sweetie, c'mon - we need to get you to bed."

Ron grumbled and fussed and turned away from her, leaving Hannah with a cross look on her face. Harry shook with laughter, setting his drink aside and scooting her out of the way.

"Ron, mate, wake up - you're missing breakfast," Harry chided, and Ron awoke so suddenly and with a snort that Hermione began to fuss.

"It's far too early for breakfast, Ronald," Hermione grumbled into Draco's shoulder, making the other man open his eyes and blink around blearily.

"Where are we?" he asked hoarsely, rubbing a hand over his face, apparently unbothered by Hermione's heavy weight at his side.

"Grimmauld Place," Sirius supplied disdainfully before quirking a grin, "In the middle of a party, no less."

"Oh, I'll never hear the end of it from George," Ron groaned as Harry hoisted him up off the floor.

"C'mon, bed, all of you," Hannah chided, taking Ron's arms and steering him towards the Floo. "Goodnight all, happy to see you aren't in jail, Harry!"

Harry chuckled before turning his attention to Hermione, who was still snoozing against Draco, despite his slight annoyance at being a pillow.

"Better to just carry her home, Potter," Draco mentioned, lounging against the armrest of the couch. "I need to speak with Sirius, anyway."

Instead of arguing, Harry nodded, stooping down to gather Hermione up in his arms before apparating away. Once the two were gone, Draco sat up straighter, trying to pull out a kink in his neck.

Sirius plopped next to him with a sigh, wishing he'd thought ahead and gotten more to drink. "Alright, what's the bad news?"

Draco looked at him oddly, still trying to sort out his hair, "How do you know it's bad?"

"It's always bad news these days," Sirius said with a grin he didn't mean.

"With everything going on, I haven't had time to go over recent developments with you," Draco said before pausing and looking at him pointedly, "Namely, how they affect you and your curse."

Sirius stared at the amber liquid in his glass, before nodding him along.

"If Hermione isn't compatible, we'll start to see a rapid yet steady decline of your health in the coming month," Draco said, perched at the edge of the seat and angled so he could see Sirius better. "Followed by death."

Sirius snorted, tilting his glass and taking a long swig, "Your bedside manner is impeccable."

"I'm not one to lie, Sirius," Draco said solemnly, "Not about this."

Sirius nodded, combing his hands through his hair, setting the empty glass on the table in front of him. "I know, and I appreciate that, I just…" He looked around the room, a little lost, before shrugging and looking pleadingly at his cousin. "I don't know what else to do."

Draco nodded, his hands clasped together. "That's why I need a blood sample from the two of you, to test what degree of compatibility the two of you are. Maybe we have some wiggle room, and the requirements of the curse can be fulfilled before you're bedridden."

Sirius sighed, knowing he and Hermione would have plenty of hurdles to figure out, yet grabbed Draco's arm when he made to stand. "Don't tell anyone," he pleaded, looking up into his neutral expression. "Not even Hermione."

It wasn't that he wanted to keep information from everyone, but he couldn't stand being looked at like a dead man walking. All of that pity and worry and concern - he'd rather chuck himself off a cliff than deal with that.

Draco, for his part, seemed to understand, as he nodded and swore his silence on the matter before disapparating himself.

Sirius looked around, finding himself alone and far more drained than he would've expected before remembering that he did just come out of the hospital that morning. Merlin, that'd seemed like days ago.

He found himself returning home for this first time in nearly a week, passing Harry in the hall on his way to his room, kicking off his shoes and collapsing onto the unmade bed, sleeping better than he had in days, knowing Hermione was doing the same just down the hall.

Sirius awoke with a mouth full of cotton and the sun in his eyes, and his trousers wrapped around his legs uncomfortably. He grumbled and wrestled with them, tugging the stupid button up off and over his head before he flopped gracelessly back into bed, flicking a wrist at the blinds and hearing them shutter to close before his room was doused in darkness.

He was content to slip back into unconsciousness when he heard faint voices filter in under the door. He strained for them, picking out Hermione's voice easily before realizing Ginny was accompanying her.

He thought for a moment or two, wondering if he really wanted to see Hermione and face the awkwardness that would bring, when the smell of breakfast came wafting through and his stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

Groaning, Sirius got out of bed, plucking jeans from the floor of his bedroom and a hoodie from his dresser, not even bothering to tame his hair before he wandered down the hallway and towards the kitchen.

"I haven't had a moment to think about anything other than Harry's trial," Hermione admitted as he neared, slowing his steps in an effort to listen in before he entered.

"Understandable, Harry has a way of making things about him," Ginny said good naturedly, "Like the Triwizard Tournament."

"Just like - oh Merlin," Hermione gasped, and Sirius rounded the corner to find her pale as a sheet. Ginny looked at her worriedly, glancing to Sirius to see if he knew what was going on, only to be met with twin looks of confusion. "I haven't told Viktor."

At this, Sirius paled and settled himself in one of the empty chairs. "I don't want to be here when you tell him," he croaked, reaching for a plate of pancakes and pulling them towards him.

"Let's worry about one thing at a time, Hermione," Ginny soothed before quirking a grin at Sirius. "And you - those were comfort pancakes. Although -" she softened and gave him a knowing, sad smile, " - I suppose you might need them too."

"Like you could take these away from me," he scoffed with a grin, letting her know that he wasn't the one to be worried about right now. It seemed that now that Hermione was thinking about something other than Harry, she was a mess of nerves, given by her bitten lip and twitchy fingers.

Almost as if he'd been summoned, the Floo roared to life, and the three heard the heavy footfalls that normally accompanied the large Bulgarian. They each turned to see him in the doorway to the kitchen, the Daily Prophet in one hand before he tossed it onto the table, smashing a stack of pancakes.

"GRANGER WEDS RESURRECTED BLACK HEIR, POTTER CONFIRMED INNOCENT" stared back at them before syrup began to bleed through the pages.

"Hermione," Viktor began calmly, although the way he was eyeing Sirius made him wish he'd at least taken the fork full of pancake out of his mouth. "A vord, please."

Hermione, to her credit, merely stood and excused herself from her friends, walking out into the living room with Viktor and sliding a pocket door shut, leaving Sirius and Ginny alone.

They barely glanced at each other before they were at that door in an instant, Ginny wrestling with something in her pocket before she pulled out an Extendable Ear. She offered one end between her and Sirius, and they waited patiently.

"I'm so sorry you had to read that from the paper, Viktor," Hermione began diplomatically.

"Vhen?" He questioned, and at her silence repeated himself. "Vhen did you marry him?"

Hermione sighed, obviously trying to recount days, and answered, "Last Friday."

"The day you - is that vhy you left the press conference?" Hermione must've nodded, because they could hear Viktor beginning to pace. "You have had every opportunity to tell me so, that you vere seeing him, before - "

"Sirius and I haven't been seeing each other, Viktor," Hermione replied stubbornly. "I would never do that to you."

"No, but you vould marry a man at the drop of a hat," Viktor scoffed angrily.

"He was dying, I couldn't just let him!" Hermione argued, her voice rising.

"And you kept it from me!" Viktor continued as if he hadn't heard her. "You have been married to this man for a week and have not told me!"

"Harry had his trial, and I had to prepare for that, and make sure -"

"Do you even care about me, Hermione?" Viktor roared, and Sirius saw Ginny grip her wand out of the corner of his eye, and stepped back from the door himself, shoulders set. "About us? I -"

He was silenced by the pocket door sliding open, a furry black head poking its way out before squeezing the rest of his body out into the living room, immediately bounding for Hermione and where she sat on the couch. Viktor blinked, staring at the animal as it climbed onto the cushions next to her, not hearing Ginny shut the door behind him.

"Vhen did you get dog?" Viktor asked, narrowing his gaze at Padfoot, who was pressing his entire length against Hermione's side and staring the man down.

Hermione sighed, rubbing a tired eye, and answered, "A month or so ago. He comes and goes."

She stood, huffing in annoyance when Padfoot stood with her, pressing himself against her legs and getting between her and the large man. "Would you stop that?" She snapped, sighing when he only moved to her side. "Yes, Viktor, I cared for you very deeply, but the situation has created circumstances that are beyond my control."

Viktor grew somber, his hands falling to his sides, and he seemed defeated. "So you no longer care for me, as you had?"

At this, Hermione sighed, looking to the dog at her feet, "I...anything more between us runs the risk of killing Sirius, and I can't…."

Viktor nodded, backing towards the fireplace, "Then he is lucky, to hold your affection."

"Viktor, that's not what -" but he was gone before she could finish her sentence. Her face crumpled up into something broken and defeated, and she was on the couch and crying into her hands before Ginny could get the door open.

Padfoot watched as Hermione sobbed, first into her hands and then into Ginny's shoulder, wondering how best to go about this. Realizing that he hadn't been nauseated or pained by Hermione's touch in this form, he jumped up and squeezed into what little space was between Hermione and the couch, pressing his head up under her arm and into the hug with Ginny. His actions made the girls huff a laugh, before the sobbing and the comforting continued.

Half an hour passed before Hermione devolved into sniffles, pulling away from Ginny and wiping her eyes.

"Oh, Hermione," Ginny sighed, passing her a handkerchief and petting her hair, "You've been through enough these past few days. Go take a hot shower, I'll get started on lunch and we'll work on getting your mind off of things."

Hermione nodded, departing from the couch with puffy eyes and red nose, and Sirius watched her go.

"Now," Ginny declared, standing and turning her sharp eyes onto Sirius, "You and I are going to have a chat, while you help me with lunch."

Sirius gave a hefty sigh before standing, stretching back into his human form and trying to pop out a few kinks in his neck before following Ginny into the kitchen. With a flick of her wand, a can flew out of the cupboard and began opening itself to be dispensed into a saucepan, and a myriad of vegetables marched out of the fridge and towards the chopping block.

"How are you doing with all of this?" Ginny asked as she watched a particularly misshapen squash toddle along.

Sirius sighed, practically melting into the countertop as he contemplated. "It hasn't set in yet, I don't think."

"How do you think you'll feel once it does?" Ginny questioned, crossing her arms and ankles and reclining as well, her face sympathetic yet analyzing. Sirius wasn't sure a mixture would've been possible, but there Ginny went doing it anyway.

"I dunno," Sirius huffed, running his hands through his hair, "Don't get me wrong, I like Hermione - but it's very different to go from friends and roommates to suddenly being married and expecting - well I'm not expecting anything, but the curse - " he cut himself off with a cough, wincing at the pain in his ribs. "Arranged marriages aren't really my style, and that's basically what this curse entails."

Ginny hummed, shrugging along, and seemed pensive. "What's Malfoy saying?"

At this, he frowned, tugging on a fistful of hair anxiously. It was a habit James had started, and it was one of the few things about his friend he'd managed to keep. "Nothing until Hermione and I have our blood tested - although going by the way things started, I doubt we're looking at anything good."

Ginny worried her lower lip, watching the knife slicing away at the vegetables before the slices arranged themself artfully in a small glass baking dish. "Is - well, don't take this the wrong way, but - will Hermione be okay?"

Sirius blinked, tilting his head and deliberating, "I think so - at least on the curse end of things, it won't affect her at all. Being married to me on the other hand…" He grinned teasingly, and Ginny seemed to relax.

"I'm sure things won't go too bad, you're both understanding of the circumstances," she reassured with a flippant hand before grimacing, "Too bad about her and Viktor though…."

"Yeah, I thought that was going rather well," Sirius murmured softly, drawing designs in the permanent coffee stains near his elbow. "She seemed happier, at least."

"Hey, don't go beating yourself up," Ginny insisted with a firm look, marred by a gentle smile, "You didn't force her to do anything. Believe me, there's no forcing Hermione - once her mind's made up, she's doing it - and it's normally the best option too."

"Part of me is still guilty," Sirius admitted, chin perched on his forearm as he stared at the proceedings of lunch. "Like nobody should have to be going through all of this mess just for me."

"And the other part?"

"Glad it's not Orion," he snorted, grinning at Ginny's laugh. "The old man was an arse, hateful and a blood purist and all about keeping the power in his hands."

"He wouldn't last a day," Ginny agreed. "Believe me, Sirius - we all would rather have you here than any alternative."

Sirius hummed, not necessarily doubtful of her answer, but instead thinking that he still wasn't quite worth the trouble. An unwanted Pureblood heir who was only there because the curse was placed upon him as a newborn, and his mother had no idea that he would turn out to become everything she hated.

No, if Walburga Black had any foresight as to how her firstborn son would've turned out, she wouldn't have cast the curse at all. Sirius was not her idea of a proper Pureblood, let alone one as oh-so-refined as the standards set in the 'noble and most ancient House of Black.' They'd gotten into epic rows before he'd finally packed his trunk and left - Regulus had had the good sense to stay out of the warpath, and Orion had been waiting on the sidelines to get his chance to smack him around.

"What was it like, growing up in your family?" Sirius asked abruptly, pulling Ginny from her own thoughtful silence.

It was something he used to ask his friends - James had discussed how much he loved his parents, but how hard it was being the only child and seeing them grow old. Remus had mentioned that he felt his mother was particularly burdened by his affliction, and his father had blamed himself and kept his distance, which left him with the unfortunate circumstance of feeling disconnected from his father when his mother fell ill and passed the summer before their third year. Peter had talked about his mother, and how she described his late father, and all of the aunts and uncles that had rallied around to help raise him.

It was Lily who'd sat on the steps leading to their new house at Godric's Hollow, watching the sun set beyond the horizon, and admitted that she didn't feel like she belonged in her own family - her parents loved her, sure, but it was the massive rift between her and her sister that had solidified the feeling.

"We're not as close as we once were, and I feel she envies me for going to Hogwarts," she'd admitted, picking at the blazing red nail polish she'd painted on her fingers the night previous before turning to look back at Sirius. "My parents would say otherwise, but I know - I'm too different from them all."

Sirius had released a breath, gave a one shouldered shrug, and had announced, "You get me, Lils."

Now, however, Lily and the others were gone, and he was left awaiting Ginny's answer as she oversaw the proper placement of the vegetables in the baking dish.

"Loud," she murmured before giving a laugh and shrugging, "No, it was...well, you grew up knowing you were loved, even if you did just have a screaming match with someone."

Sirius quirked a grin, but let her continue.

"It was a bit odd, trying to find myself - I'm the youngest of seven, and the only girl. It's hard to be your own person, while also trying to fit in with the rest - Ron struggled with it the most, I think, when we were younger," she said before shaking her head, "I wouldn't trade it though. I wish I could have more of those younger days back."

He softened, settling his chin in his arms, and asked, "Fred, yeah?"

She brightened, while also seeming to have a heavy cloud hanging just above her, "Yeah, Fred. It's hard - I know George feels it the most. He has to look at him every day, without him being here."

Sirius nodded, knowing how the lone twin felt. He saw George start every time he passed a reflective service, or caught sight of a sullen moment before he seemed to right himself and carry on. "Wish I could've met him," he murmured, and looked up to find Ginny smiling.

"He would've loved to meet you - he would've thought this whole Prima Natus, married to Hermione thing hilarious," she said before scoffing, shaking her head fondly, "He was like that. Thinking things were funny when they maybe weren't supposed to be." She halted, a dark look passing her face, but the smile only softened. "He was laughing when he died. Percy, of all of us, had made a joke, and he'd been laughing."

Sirius pondered it for a moment or two, before exhaling softly, "If I could pick a way to go out...that would be it. Laughing."

Ginny looked to him, searched his gaze, and then nodded with a smile. "I'd like to think he would've thought the same," she murmured before suddenly blinking rapidly, sniffling as she swiped at her eyes. "I didn't come here to cry, Sirius, I came here to comfort."

"So sorry - I have that effect on the ladies," he said, grinning when she laughed.

Lunch was just coming out of the oven when Hermione returned, her hair wet and dripping onto her t-shirt, her eyes red and puffy. When she was handed a plate and told to sit down, she only gave a soft smile and did as she was told, eating in silence as Sirius and Ginny bantered around her in an attempt to keep her mind busy.

"Not to put a damper on things, but when will you two be going by to see Malfoy?" Ginny asked eventually, Hermione heaving a monumental sigh before looking to Sirius imploringly.

"Whenever you want to - you know I never have anything going on," he stated with a shrug.

Hermione mulled it over, chewing thoughtfully before announcing, "I suppose sometime this week. I'll owl him about the day."

"Well, whenever you go, we'll have dinner at the Burrow to get your mind off of things," she said as she stood, gathering their empty plates and sending them to the sink with a flick of her wand. "You can even invite the Ferret - he's won over enough Weasleys that he can sit at the dinner table with us without bodily harm."

Hermione gave a short laugh, and Sirius found himself grinning beside her. "He'd hate that - I'll be sure to drag him," Hermione stated with a small smile.

"Excellent," Ginny said, scrutinizing her spellwork with a careful eye before turning back to Hermione and Sirius and softening. "We're your family, we're here for you if you let us," she said before pointing an accusatory finger in Sirius's general direction, "That goes for you, too - don't think you can worm your way out of it."

Although a joke about weaseling his way out of it came to mind, Sirius only smiled and settled back in his chair, "Wouldn't dream of it."

And he couldn't. It might not have been the family he'd been born into, or the family he'd picked out for himself so long ago, but it was a family nonetheless. A good family, from the sounds of it, and that sounded nice and long overdue.

Ginny left later in the afternoon, after ensuring that her comfort had begun on its track to smothering, and Hermione had collapsed into the armchair with a boneless quality that made Sirius fear for her physical safety. That couldn't be good for her neck.

"D'you want tea?" he asked, seeming to startle her out of her quiet reprieve.

"Yes, please," she said, and Sirius left to see to the task. When he returned and handed her a mug, carefully passing it off without the slightest touch, Hermione looked up at him thoughtfully. While the silence stretched on, Sirius sipped at his own mug and regarded her just as well.

Wife. Huh. The word rolled around in his head, not seeming to fit. It was just a word, floating this way and that, with no association. Maybe some flowers and white lace - but not an actual, living person. When he'd been fifteen, he'd been convinced he would never marry to live his days as a bachelor alongside his friends. Oh, how things had changed.

When he thought of Hermione, he thought of a very dear friend. Books, forgotten mugs of tea, that spiderweb of notes she had concerning his affliction that sprawled along the dining room wall. He thought of her kindness, of her quick wit and dry humor, and how she'd pelted a couch cushion at him upon their first proper meeting.

Yes, Hermione was a very dear friend.

Just not a wife.

"I don't have the mental capacity to deal with everything between us right now," Hermione admitted, looking up at him with a sadness creeping up in her eyes.

Sirius smiled, shaking his head as he sat down on the couch next to her, "Neither have I - but I do have the mental capacity to lend a listening ear. Or we can sit in silence, too - dealer's choice."

She huffed a laugh, curling up in the chair to face him, and gave a small smile as she stared into her mug. "Silence, for a bit. I may talk later."

"Fine by me," he answered, and it was.

They sat in silence for an hour or so, Sirius reading one of his motorcycle magazines, and by the time he looked up it was already getting dark. He looked to Hermione, finding her fast asleep with her hands clutching an empty mug, and carefully stood to extract it from her grasp. He deposited the mugs into the sink, returning to gently place a blanket over her form before reclaiming his seat once more.

When they each woke up, it was in the middle of the night, and they'd barely said two words to each other as they sought the solitary comfort of their beds.

Hermione had carried the blanket around her shoulders along the way.