Notes:

Hi lovelies!

Okay, I can't help but try and update on a weekly basis, even if the chapters are a bit shorter than what they have been. As always, I apologise for any and all mistakes!

For this chapter the only warning I have is that things may get a little bit heated once again :')

I hope you enjoy~!

Chapter 40: Lovers

Sirius let out a content sigh as he shifted a little in the bed he had found himself in. It was the same every time he met up with her. It was like they couldn't help themselves. Not that he was complaining, he was always up for a workout. Especially if the workout included her. And sex. Loads of sex. There was no shame in that. He was a man with needs, after all.

"Mm," another content sigh was heard, this time from the woman in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her to him as she put her head above his heart. Soft, delicate fingers traced one of the tattoos on his chest. It had surprised him, at first, that her fingers had been so delicate. As soon as he learned she was a medic, the surprise had subsided and it turned into awe. He'd always admired people who were able to save a human life without the use of magic, which is why he did respect Muggles for being able to do that.

"Alright, love?" He asked softly as he stroked her bare back.

"Looking for compliments?" She asked in return, he could feel her smirk as she said it, making him grin as well. She always did know how to turn the mood into something playful.

"Of course not, Tsunade. Don't be ridiculous. I know it was good. I never leave a woman wanting." Sirius replied cockily.

The blonde woman responded with a loud laugh as she placed both arms on his chest, resting her chin on her arms. "Good to know your ego is still intact after all those months, Sirius."

"Ego?" He asked, pretending to be affronted. "Not at all! I just know I'm skilled." He laughed as well, as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "All jokes aside, you good?"

"Mhm," she hummed.

"But?"

Another sigh came from her as she moved from his embrace. She gave him a smile before turning and sitting up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. As she sat there, Sirius let his eyes wander. He never had expected to end up here with her, not after their initial meeting. And what a meeting it had been, he thought.

"I have to go." Tsunade said instead, not answering his question. She moved to stand up but before she could, Sirius reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Stay." He said. Sirius never asked. He never begged. He knew begging wouldn't work, it never did. And he knew, deep down, she wouldn't stay. Yet, he felt it couldn't hurt to try.

"I can't."

"Can't, or won't?" He challenged.

"Can't." She pressed. "If sensei finds out I'm here, there'll be trouble." Sirius let go of her arm. It was a weak argument, he knew. He understood, though, in a way. But he couldn't help to question her decision. Besides, they both knew that the leader of the village already knew she was here. So why even bother saying otherwise?

"And what's the worst that can happen? That you have to start doing missions again, or work in the hospital? That you have to save lives?"

Tsunade stood up and gathered her clothes, walking around the room collecting every item they had thrown across the room. She didn't say a word as she got dressed. Didn't even look at him. Once she was dressed, he watched her look around the room they had rented one more time. Making sure she didn't leave anything behind. He knew the drill by now. Didn't mean it didn't sting.

In the meantime Sirius had propped up the pillow against the headboard and leaned against it as he watched her move around. Locking her gaze on his, she approached him once more and sat down. It was quite the contrast. Her being fully dressed. Him being fully naked, under the blanket of course. He cocked his head at her, waiting for her to say something.

"I'm sorry."

"I know, love. I just wished we didn't have to sneak around like teenagers." Merlin help him, he didn't want to be anything like Hermione and the brat. It was ironic, in a way.

"I know. Me neither, but… I'm not ready. Not yet."

Sirius nodded in understanding. He knew, after all, what she struggled with. He could tell her all of it. That he did know. That he understood. That she didn't have to worry. "I'll be here." He said instead. Because he knew a lot of things about her situation. Which meant he also knew that after everything, she still needed time. And he would give her as much as he could.

"I know. Thank you." Tsunade leaned towards him, making her intention clear. He tilted his head and met her lips. It wasn't a passionate or hungry kiss like they had shared when they set foot in this room. Nor was it a slow one like they had shared after they had both finished. No, this was one with a promise. They'd see each other again, in the nearby future. She never could stay away from him for too long.

"Stay safe. And try not to gamble away all your money, hm?"

"Well, I do have to maintain my nickname," she said with a chuckle.

"Please, you and I both know that's not the reason why your nickname is 'the Legendary Sucker'." He said with a smirk. Tsunade barked out a laugh at that and flashed him a matching smirk.

"Count yourself lucky for knowing about that. If you're good, I might practice on you some more next time." And with a wave she left the room. Never a goodbye. In all their encounters, she had never said those words. When he had tried in the beginning, she had stopped him immediately, telling him to never utter those words. If he didn't say it, it was never really goodbye. He'd see her again, no doubt about it. He just didn't know when.


Kakashi kept his eye on Hermione as she fumbled with her hands. He may not have any experience with relationships, but he had his fair share of sexual encounters. They didn't all end up in actual sex, but he wasn't a stranger to it either way. Therefore, it didn't bother him as much to talk about it, to even accept it would be something that could happen. Sex was just that, sex.

Hermione didn't seem to think of it like that, at all. With their bond stronger than ever at this moment, it wasn't hard to read her. She was nervous, embarrassed, ashamed and even scared. For her, he understood, this was an incredibly big deal. So he knew he had to tread carefully, he didn't want to upset her about something as mundane as sexual intercourse. He knew he'd have to find the cause of her fear. They needed to talk this through. Before he did so, he figured he'd make it easier for her to read him too. A little. Raising his hand towards his mask, he lowered it down to his neck. It was the least he could do.

"What are you scared of?" He asked, figuring to get straight to the point.

"I'm not scared," she replied.

He raised an eyebrow and continued to stare her down. "Yes, you are. You're scared of something. I want to know what."

"It doesn't matter."

"It does if it concerns the prospect of us needing to have sex before we lose our minds." He stated bluntly. Kakashi watched her as she opened her mouth to reply, before she opted to not respond. He shifted in his chair to fully face her and got a little annoyed when she refused to meet his gaze. "You do understand the severity of our situation, right?"

Hermione huffed in response, weaving a hand through her hair. "Of course I know."

"Then why are you being so difficult?" Kakashi just didn't understand what the issue was. Couldn't she see that he was trying here? For the both of them?

"I'm not." She said pointedly, he saw her eyebrows raise in annoyance but still she refused to meet his gaze. He had quite enough of that, now. Reaching out, his hand came up under her chin as he forced her to look at him. Even then it took a few moments before she would look him in the eye.

"You are. And I'm trying here. I'm trying to help you so that we can figure this out in a way that works for the both of us." Kami help him, he didn't think he'd ever be in this situation, coaxing answers from her. He actually seemed to be the relationship expert in this setting which terrified him, because he was anything but. She was supposed to be the one that knew about this stuff. So how the hell did they end up here?

"It's nothing." She stressed, this time she kept his gaze, as if willing him to believe her. But he didn't. He knew she was lying. He could feel it. So the moment she uttered those words, he was on his feet, back turned towards her.

"Damn it, Hermione. Give me something! Give me anything. Because whether you like it or not, it will have to happen at some point and I'd rather not be known as a fucking rapist for doing something against your will!" He yelled at her, completely losing his cool. And for the millionth time, he wondered, how the hell she managed to get under his skin so easily. He regretted yelling at her as he turned around and saw her freeze up, eyes wide. He really hadn't meant to yell at her this time around, but it honestly just happened.

Just as he was about to apologise, however, she beat him to it. "I'm sorry. I didn't- I just-"

"Hermione-" he sighed.

"No. You're right. I'm sorry. Please don't think that I think that of you. Because I don't. Think that, I mean. I know you're not like that. It's just that, well, I'm probably making a big deal out of this, but I'm not - damnit." She closed her eyes and sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "I'm not making any sense, I know."

Kakashi didn't speak. He wanted to give her the time she needed to get it out, whatever it was. By now he had an idea of what this was about, he just didn't want to force her. This was about trust. And if there's anything they would need, it would be trust. She needed to trust him with this, as she would have to trust him with her in the nearby future.

When she spoke next, her voice was soft, a near whisper. Luckily he didn't have to strain his ears, as he could easily hear her. "I haven't done anything like that before. Not really. I mean there was… when I was.. No. But it- it terrifies me. I mean, I've read about it in books, of course. I mean, I was curious and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about and honestly, reading about it didn't sound at all appealing so I never really got around to it. And I realise now that sounds very odd, it's not like I would plan a thing like that, but it was never the right time or it never felt right and-"

"Geez, Hermione. Take a breath once in a while before you run out of air." Kakashi said jokingly, successfully stopping her from rambling even more. He was right, then. This was about inexperience and trust, mostly. He knew for a fact that reading about it wasn't at all like how it was described in a book, although he was quite curious as to what kind of book she had read in order to find out about having sex. Was it a romance novel? Or did she read something that explained the actual act in a scientific way? Speaking of reading. "Oh, I almost forgot." He said as he reached into his pocket and procured a wrapped object. She actually looked quite cute like this, stunned into silence. Wait, cute?

"What?" She looked at him in confusion, before her eyes dropped to the gift in his outstretched hand.

"Your belated birthday gift." Kakashi clarified after clearing his throat.

Her hand slowly reached out and took the gift from him, carefully turning it around in her hands. "Oh, right."

Note to self, do unexpected stuff to stop her from overthinking, Kakashi thought with a smirk on his face. This was just too easy.

He watched as she slowly unwrapped the book he had gotten for her, slowly turning it in her hands. "I- thank you. It's in your language?"

"Ah, yes. I know you aren't able to read it yet. But this is a children's book. And I figured it would be helpful. You know, with learning. And maybe, eh, for Teddy. I mean I saw you read to him once, so.. " He felt slightly embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now he wasn't so sure. The look on her face didn't give anything away, at all. This irked him, as he usually found her face easy to read. Was this a good thing? Had he made a mistake?

Her finger slowly traced the line of the picture on the front. She gingerly opened the book and thumbed through it, softly touching the pages. "I really don't know what to say, Kakashi. This is… very thoughtful. Thank you so much." She stood up and quickly closed the distance between them. Hermione raised herself in her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss on his bare cheek.

Kakashi felt her linger, lips hovering over his skin. It was a split second decision, but he made it without second guessing it. He just couldn't get enough of her. He turned his head and captured her lips with his own, his arm quickly snaking around her waist to steady her. Her free hand rested against his chest as she leaned into the kiss. Opening his mouth, he let his tongue trace her lips before she reciprocated the movement. It didn't take long then, before their kiss became even more heated. He walked her backwards, only a few steps, until they reached the table again. Kakashi easily lifted her up on it, moving in between her legs as they kept their lips locked on each other.

Taking the book from her hands, he placed it beside her on the table. He then entwined his fingers in her hair as his other hand rested on her hip. Kakashi felt her hands curl up in his shirt, holding onto him. Tilting her head, he kissed her even deeper. He really couldn't get enough of her.


Hermione wasn't sure what had gotten into Kakashi, but she couldn't find it in her to stop him. Her lips melted against his and as soon as he set her down on the kitchen table, something inside her purred with joy that she could simply focus on him and only him. The hands curled in his shirt, pulled him towards her and there was no resistance whatsoever as he stepped even closer to her.

It became a battle of lips and tongues and the everlasting fight against oxygen. The hand on her hip gripped her tightly as the hand in her hair pulled her head back, making her gasp out. The way Kakashi attacked her neck, told her he knew exactly what he was doing. Knew exactly what spots to go for. Weirdly enough, it made her feel safe in his hands. It almost made her forget what had happened not even five minutes before. Almost.

Because it was mind-boggling to her that not even five minutes ago she was freaking out of the thought of doing anything sexual with Kakashi. The thought still scared her a little. She was so unsure of herself, she couldn't fathom anyone wanting to so anything like this with her. And the words Dolohov had uttered while he tortured her, when she believed he was Kakashi, still stuck with her. It made her even more hesitant believing Kakashi would actually want to be with her. While she knew it wasn't him, she couldn't help be reminded of it every now and then.

It was clear that Kakashi noticed a change in her, as her mind took over. He stopped his attack on her neck and moved back, standing straight as he kept his hooded gaze on her. His hands remained where they were, a soft caress of his thumbs was the only movement he made as he looked at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, once again apologising. Hermione wasn't sure what she was apologising for this time. That she stopped him from continuing. That she killed the mood? She let go of his shirt, holding her hands in her lap as she thumbed the edge of her sweater.

"I already told you not to do that." He said with a sigh, but as she looked at him he didn't seem upset at all. More, concerned? The feeling she got from him through the bond confirmed that it was. He was concerned yet he didn't speak anymore, waiting for her to say whatever was on her mind. And she should. Shouldn't she? Hermione knew that she needed to trust him. That she could trust him. Especially with this. He'd understand, right?

"There's something I haven't told you, I haven't told anyone. Something that happened when… When Dolohov was… You know." She said with a shrug and a wave of her hand, not feeling comfortable to speak the words. "And while my body doesn't remember, doesn't know, because it hadn't happened physically, my mind does remember. I just can't seem to forget it."

"What happened?"

"W-well, as you know, he showed me things. In my mind. He said things. There was a reason I couldn't bear to be near you at the time. He made me believe it was you who inflicted everything. He made me believe you tortured me."

"Right." Kakashi said as he frowned at her.

"I know that wasn't the case, Kakashi. So please don't think I look at you like that. It just pops up in my head sometimes." Having him think that she was scared of him was not something she wanted.

"Are you feeling like that now?" He asked. "With me touching you like this?"

"I- no." She shook her head.

"How about this?" He said as he moved the hand from her hair to cup her cheek. His thumb was softly caressing her cheek. She looked him in the eye as her breath hitched at his touch.

"No," she said softly. Her heart was beating like crazy at his gentle touches.

"And now?" Kakashi's thumb moved to her lips, tracing them as her lips parted at the touch. Hermione didn't trust her voice so just softly shook her head, feeling his thumb caress her lips as she moved her head.

His other hand moved from its position on her hip towards her arm, his fingers then touched her arm as they made their way up to her shoulder, up her neck and to her face. The back of his fingers caressed her cheek before cupping that cheek as well. "How about now?"

Another shake of her head.

"Tell me when it gets too much. I'll stop straight away." He said. She simply nodded in response, still not trusting her voice.

He moved slowly, making sure she knew exactly what he was doing. His touches were soft and gentle. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind that he wouldn't do all the things Dolohov had made her believe he would. And she knew now, that she could trust him. With everything. He'd proven that she could, hadn't he? She did trust him. With her body and mind. He would keep her safe. She needed to believe he would. And she would.

Hermione closed her eyes as Kakashi tilted her head up, and leaned down to kiss her again. She melted against him as he held her face and kept kissing her. Her hands found their way back to the front of his shirt, using it to once again pull him closer to her. Hermione just couldn't get enough of kissing him. Never before had she felt this way while kissing. The snogging she had done with both Victor and Ron while she 'dated' them was nothing compared to this.

A few moments later, Kakashi broke the kiss, their breaths intermingled as he rested his forehead on hers. Once again his hands moved. This time one trailed from her neck, to her shoulder, down her back. "Is this still okay?" He asked.

"Yes," she responded. She both loved and hated how breathless she sounded. How he managed to take her breath away with a simple kiss that she knew was anything but simple.

His hand trailed down even further, resting on her behind as he pushed her towards him, causing her to open her legs wider to fit his body between her legs. Being this close to him, she felt his hardened length just like she had before, in the bedroom. The groan he released did things to her she couldn't even begin to explain.

"And this?" He sounded just as breathless as she was, now. She moaned in response as she tried to answer him that, yes, this was okay, too. He nuzzled her hair and started nibbling on her neck, making her gasp. His teeth felt sharp against her skin but instead of being fearful, it only added to her arousal. Kakashi chuckled against her skin, "you have to use your words, Hermione." He teased her again, just like before. "Is this still alright?"

"Merlin, yes." She all but moaned.

"You smell so good," he groaned near her ear and she couldn't help but softly moan in response.

A second later he stepped away and she would never ever admit to having made the sound that came out of her mouth. She was never going to admit she whined. Merlin, this man would be the death of her.

"I think this is enough for now," Kakashi said breathlessly.

"Why?" Hermione all but demanded. She couldn't help it, he had made her feel so good and she couldn't help but feel disappointed that he had stopped.

"If I don't now, Hermione, I don't think I would be able to stop." Kakashi admitted.

"Oh." Any other reply died on her lips at his admission. While she wouldn't have minded to continue his exploration of her body to find out what was okay and what wasn't, she couldn't help but feel a huge appreciation towards him, for being so understanding.


As soon as he got dressed, Sirius made his way outside the rented room. He made sure everything was in order, that nothing was left behind. He even threw a cleaning spell across the room, just in case. Pulling up the collar of his coat, he made his way outside giving a small nod to the lady at the front desk before stepping outside.

He had underestimated this shinobi that had followed him before, however, because as soon as he stepped outside, he was greeted by a masked man. "Please follow me, Black-san. The Hokage is expecting you."

"Hello to you, too." He said. When no reply was given, he sighed. "Alright mate. Lead the way."

The masked man nodded and reached out with his hand. "Take it. I'd rather not make the Sandaime wait because you decided to try and disappear again."

Sirius smirked at the sound of the voice of the masked man. "I take it you didn't like trying to find me, then?"

"I did find you." The man said with a tilt of his head.

"Mhm, and how long did it take you?"

"Not as long as you might think. Had enough time to find you and report to the Hokage who I found you with."

Sirius knew. Tsunade had mentioned an Anbu dropping in on their location. At the question if anything should be done about it, Tsunade had simply shrugged and said she didn't care. She couldn't wait any longer. And neither could he. It had been too long since he'd seen her, felt her, made love to- no. Fucked her. He could never admit to her how he had started feeling about her, knowing that he would scare her off. Her heart belonged to someone else. Someone who couldn't reciprocate her love, simply because he was no longer able to.

"Ah, yes. But only after we got naked and fucked each other's brains out. So you didn't find me that fast, now did you?"

The man didn't speak for a moment. Sirius knew he had thrown him off with his comment. Not that he cared, he knew the man knew they slept together.

"Just take my hand, Black-san. I really don't want to keep him waiting."

"Alright, alright, mate. Don't get your knickers in a twist. Let's go." He took hold of the outstretched hand and within a blink of an eye he stood inside the Hokage's office. Desk jobs were never for him, he thought. He knew it was late and night and yet, the old man was still working. It must be tiring.

"Good evening, sir." He figured being polite would be a good way to start.

"Please, sit. Crow, you're dismissed." The Hokage said, switching to English and a second later they were alone. "Hm. I should've known that if you knew Jiraiya, you would know my other student as well." He started.

Sirius figured it wouldn't do him any good to beat around the bush, so he didn't bother. "Yes. I actually met her before I met Jiraiya."

"Oh?"

"Yeah she was the one that found me. When I appeared here." Sirius started explaining, but then stopped. While the man knew of how he got here, he never mentioned what had happened after he had arrived her. And he wasn't sure he wanted to start now. This was getting personal, and he didn't really do personal. Not with someone who could easily use it against him. So he did what he thought was best. He stayed silent.

"I understand your apprehension to tell me anymore. Just tell me this, if you please. She's well?"

"She's Tsunade," Sirius shrugged.

The older man chuckled. "I suppose you're right about that." Then he sighed, "very well. I'll let it slide for now." Sirius knew what wasn't said. They would be watched more closely now, they couldn't screw around now without being on their toes. Not that either of them cared for that. Both were skilled enough to keep themselves out of trouble. Mostly.

"Of course, sir. Anything else?"

"No, that was all. Just… If you go back to Kakashi's home, take the long route." The man said with a wink.

"The kids are at it, again?" Sirius said with a smirk. "Oh, to be young." He chuckled.

"To be young, indeed."


"We're getting nowhere with this." Harry groaned, throwing the scroll across the room. All he'd been doing was searching and researching in a continuous loop. He'd spoken to everyone that could have any idea of where Hermione and Remus could have gone. He'd had hoped to find out more when he had visited Andromeda, but that hope was quickly shattered when she admitted she hadn't seen or heard from Remus either. Shortly after that he went from being an investigator to comforting Andromeda. He really couldn't blame her distress. She'd already lost so much, quite like Harry had. So he had made her a promise, one he intended to keep. He would find Hermione and Remus and Teddy. He'd bring them home to her. But with every passing day he lost faith in keeping his promise. With every passing day he found that there was a good possibility he'd never find them and they would never get back home.

"Take a break, Harry. All you've been staring at are those scrolls for days on end." Ginny said as she came up behind him.

"I can't stop, Gin. She gotta be somewhere. All of them have got to be somewhere." Harry didn't look at her, keeping his eyes on the papers scattered on his desk. Everything looked fuzzy and he frustratingly rubbed his eyes.

"Of course they are, but how can you be of any help to them when you can't even take care of yourself?"

"I've been taking care of myself just fine." He replied with a slight annoyance, he needed to focus and she wasn't helping at the moment.

"Oh really? When's the last time you took a bath?" She asked.

"Yesterday." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Which day was yesterday?" Ginny countered.

"Tuesday."

"It's Sunday, Harry." His girlfriend sighed. "You're losing track of time and while I love you, I'm not going to let you work yourself into the ground." She grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "So, go take a bath or a shower. I'll order us some food and after that we can look at it together, okay?"

"I-"

"Please, Harry." Ginny begged him.

"Er, yeah. Okay." Harry stood up, giving Ginny a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks, love. You're the best."

After an extended shower, Harry admittedly felt a lot better. He needed to listen to Ginny more often. Once he was dressed again, he found Ginny had kept her promise of food and he happily dug in after finding out he was actually starving.

Feeling refreshed and recharged, both Ginny and Harry worked through all the information they had found, creating a timeline and a new list of people to contact. New people were added, broadening their search. He hated to admit even Malfoy made the list. Then again, with his previous ties to the Death Eaters, he was their only chance of finding out why they were at the cottage.

A knock in the door made Harry jump up, wand at the ready. He hadn't even realised he had fallen asleep. Another knock turned his attention to the door. There weren't a lot of people that knew where he was staying, and even less knew how to access the house. Harry made his way towards the front door and took no time opening it.

Of all the people he thought would be knocking at his door, he hadn't expected Aberforth Dumbledore. The man looked down at him with a grim expression. "Mr. Potter." He said in greeting. "I have news. Regarding Hermione Granger. May I come in?"

Harry stood there, speechless and wide-eyed. Finally. A lead.

"Please, Mr. Dumbledore." He said as he let the man in. He couldn't wait to find out what the man had to say.

End of chapter notes:

Please let me know what you think!

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Until next time!