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CHAPTER 5
~O~

When Hermione returned home to Grimmauld Place, carrying three shopping bags and a bag of curry takeout, she was embarrassed to be caught by Sirius at the door, before she could store everything away.

He opened the door of his house and smiled when he saw all the bags she carried. "Shopping trip?"

"Don't get any ideas," she warned him but couldn't help blushing. "I'm not usually like this. Ginny pressured me to buy some new things."

"I wouldn't dare to tease you, Miss Granger," Sirius said and teased her more for it. "I wonder what new things that might be?"

He had a mischievous glint in his eyes that made Hermione blush even more. If she didn't know better, she'd think Sirius thought she had gone lingerie shopping or something. He seemed very interested.

However, when he tried to open one of the bags (carrying the red dress) to see what was inside, she yanked the bag back before his eyes could be laid on it.

"That's private!" she stammered.

Sirius opened his mouth to say something but then his jaws clicked shut and he licked his lips. "Of course, excuse my manners."

Hermione lowered her eyes to try to keep from flushing more.

Yet he flirtatiously kept smirking at her. "I hope I will find out on my own what those contents of the bag are...Perhaps while you're wearing them?"

Hermione nearly died and went to heaven at his word, but she managed to hold it together. Perhaps Sirius had been drinking and that was why he being rather lascivious.

She shrugged off his comment and tried to ignore his flirtatious tone. "Perhaps. If the occasion arises, Sirius, but I don't think that will happen."

His eyes darkened and then neither of them said anything of the matter again.

"Here," she reached out her hand carrying the last bag. "This bag is for you. Takeout."

Sirius grinned as he took the bag and opened it. "Yum. Curry?"

She nodded.

Things went back to normal and the easy camaraderie that had developed between them as they had dinner.

"Oh by the way." Sirius frowned. "Ron, I think, has sent you a bunch of letters. He must've found out you're here."

Hermione grasped her forehead. "Merlin." She'd hoped Ron wouldn't know she was here, but obviously, he had guessed easily. Either that or he was also sending letters to her old flat and perhaps even her parent's house. She'd also told Ron she needed to have a no-contact period at least for a few months, so things could settle down between them. She hoped eventually...they could be friends again. Yet not now, not so soon.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine." She reached out to grab the pile of letters but Sirius held them a bit longer.

"If you don't want to read them, Hermione. I can burn them now if it would make you feel better."

"No." She shook her head. "I better just read what he had to say."

"What could he possibly have to say that's worth reading?" Sirius asked rhetorically. "He's already wasted enough of your time, hasn't he?"

"I don't know," she stammered and clawed at the letters. "I just need to see what he wrote. Otherwise it will bother me."

"Telling him to bugger off might help more."

"I'm not at that stage yet."

"You seemed to be doing fine til the arse wrote," Sirius began but then stopped himself.

"Sirius, please."

Sirius nodded, looking utterly defeated. He handed over the letters.

"Thank you." She bit her lip guiltily before exiting up the stairs with the bunch of letters clenched in her hand.

As soon as she was in the library, she sank into a chair and opened the letters one by one, pouring through their contents.

His letters were each really long and reminded her too much of the Ron Weasley she had first fallen in love with...the humourous, caring best friend who knew exactly who she was and what buttons to press...The friend that let her down catastrophically.

Ron's long-winded apologies and pleas for her to return to their flat, however, didn't make her want to take him back.

They only made her sadder that such apologies needed to be said or written in the first place. That so many awful things had happened between them. Between two people that had been so close.

More than anything, she felt sad...and partly relieved too...that Ron finally admitted in the letter he'd changed ever since the postwar fame got to his head. Yet wasn't he just saying that now to try to get her back? He'd never admitted it before.

Her eyes welled up with tears.

~O~

Sirius waited below, wondering how long Hermione was going to take reading those letters. Surely Ron's letters weren't Shakespeare, were they? The twit wasn't going to convince her to go back with him. Hermione was too smart for that, surely. She knew Ron didn't deserve her, right?

He walked in agitation several times through the parlour before he said 'fuck it' and went to see what was the holdup in their previously nice evening.

He found Hermione in the library, her shoulders slumped over in a defeated pose as she held the letters, tracks of tears down both her cheeks.

"What happened," he demanded in a low growl. Inwardly he swore Ron's name and regretted ever letting the letters pass through to her. He should've burnt them.

"Nothing." She wiped at her eyes as she turned around to meet him. Yet her eyes were red rimmed and puffy.

"Like hell nothing." Sirius sat down across from her and glared at her. "Do you want to tell me what the twit told you? I can go after him. We know where he lives too!"

Hermione shook her head and held back a watery smile. "Not necessary, Sirius. He just...Ron says he's sorry for everything he's done and wants me to come back. Says he realizes what I said was true: fame changed him and he wishes he could take it back, to get back to how things were between the two of us, before the damage and temptation caused by fame." She sniffed and wiped at her nose. "Ron say's he's been crying every night since I left, actually."

Sirius laughed bitterly. "That's convenient! Now he has a moral conscious and is a sensitive butterfly once you're gone? But Ron wasn't rolling around in agony when he was playing you for a fool. You can't go back to him, Hermione."

Hermione exhaled loudly and dabbed at her eyes. "No. I know. That's why I am never going back to him. Even if I can accept his apologies one day...I do think he would've carried on, if not caught. Despite what he says, he likes the attention."

"Of course he would!" Sirius said quickly. "And does!"

Hermione heaved her shoulders. "Maybe all men...are like that. Given fame. Except Harry, perhaps."

Her brown eyes held a defeated, forlorn look in them.

Sirius felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. Did Hermione really think she was on the same level as Ron? That he'd cheat on his partner? Not that he had long term relationships, to begin with, to make cheating an issue.

Sirius grimaced. Perhaps that's why Hermione thought he was a cad and disrespectful to women. Though the witches he dated were all on good terms with him. They had no qualms or complaints. They enjoyed the fast life as much as he did.

"I don't think you understand," he began.

She turned to him. "No, you're right, I shouldn't have read them."

"Pardon?"

"The letters. You warned me, I should've listened to you. Sorry Sirius." She took out her wand glumly. "Incendio," she whispered as she pointed at the letters with her wand and they shriveled up into burnt ashes.

That wasn't what he going to say but now Sirius felt guilty that he'd flirted with her when she'd arrived earlier. She probably thought he was a complete womanizer and only wanted to get in her knickers for a cheap thrill.

He wanted to tell her that not all wizards are like that...but he couldn't quite bring himself to say the words. Not when his own actions didn't exactly speak volumes of the truth of his words. Sirius knew he hadn't exactly let his post-war fame go unused either. Although twelve years in Azkaban and then three years in house arrest were his excuse for his outrageous behavior...When he saw the defeated look in her eyes, he couldn't quite find it in himself to make excuses for himself or tell her that she was wrong.

"Nevermind," he said gruffly and grabbed Hermione's hand. He really was stuck as her friend, from here to infinity, now because of all the damage that idiot arse Ron caused. "I have a surprise for you. Something to take your mind off all this."

"Really?" Her eyes lightened with hope for the first time since the topic of the letters. "What is it?"

Sirius didn't answer but led her downstairs by the hand to the parlour where he set up the muggle movie player and screen.

"Thought you'd feel more at home."

"Sirius..." Her eyes widened. "You didn't have to do this."

Sirius crossed his arms as he plunked down on one of the comfy sofas. "No, I didn't. But I find I don't actually mind your muggle movies, particularly the Cary Grant ones. He's a funny chap. I watched one while you were gone."

Hermione gaped at him in astonishment. "How'd you know?"

"Harry told me."

Hermione laughed and that expression of restored hope and humour made everything worth it to Sirius. Even if he sorely regretted that he might never see or touch...well nevermind. Now was no time to be selfish.

Hermione grinned. "Which one did you watch?"

"Charade."

"Okay I'll choose the next one."

"Bossy pants," Sirius rolled his eyes but he was enjoying this back-and-forth with her. At least she no longer was shedding tears over the redheaded git.

"Arsenic and Old Lace," Hermione said. "You might actually like it because the Brewsters might...well no offense...remind you of your own crazy family."

"No offense taken, I am related to Bellatrix after all, queen of the nutters." Sirius winked but then stopped himself from being too flirty.

They watched the film and laughed their heads off...but Sirius had to remind himself to not sit too close to her on the couch or do the old put-your-arm-around-her trick. Though it was hard to concentrate sometimes with Hermione sitting so close to him and watching the way her long legs stretched out.

~o~

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a/n: aren't they cute together! but why cant they figure out how to make this work, is it too soon still? btw great movie anything with cary grant. i know its an old films but honestly he's amazing.

thank you to everyone who reviewed and hope everyone is staying cheerful. btw if you like alternative viewpoints please check out the videos by Dollar Vigillante on youtube, i think he might be onto something. and even if not, freedom of speech, should allow him to say whatever nonsense he wants to say! Goo-gle and yt alogortihms need to stop censoring debate or anyone with a different pov. since when is having different opinions not allowed or a crime? i thought a democracy was about being able to have different viewpoints and being open to debate. but increasingly that is not happening unfortunately.