The thought hit Harry just as his eyes opened slowly from a dreamless sleep. He was going to marry Hermione. Heart leaping in a mix of panic over what he had done and excitement over how great he knew his future was going to be, Harry sat up in his bed, slipped on his glasses, and stared out the window, watching the sunrise. An instant rush of happiness hit him and he nearly fell out of bed. Quickly, Harry pulled on his bathrobe over his p.j.'s and rushed out of his room, nearly colliding with Hermione in the hall. They looked at each other awkwardly for a minute, as if not knowing what to say.
Harry spoke first. " Good Morning, love."
" Good Morning," Hermione replied, smiling brightly. A periwinkle blue bathrobe was hanging loosely over her nightdress and it slipped down to her shoulders as she leaned up to give him a good morning kiss.
Harry smiled and intertwined his fingers through hers, leading her downstairs. Sirius was sitting at the breakfast table alone, sipping coffea and reading the Daily Prophet, just like he had done many mornings before. As he led Hermione over to the table, Harry felt an odd sense of familiarity settle over him. Everything was pretty much the same as usual. Sirius would be sitting, awake earlier than the rest of them, drinking his coffea and reading his paper. Then Harry and Hermione would enter, they'd have a nice breakfast, and Narcissa would join them later. Except this time, Harry and Hermione were no longer just boyfriend and girlfriend, they were engaged.
" Good morning you two," Sirius greeted them cheerily, pushing a plate of waffles toward them.
Neither Harry or Hermione accepted them. They glanced at each other nervously before looking back over at Sirius. Harry cleared his throat. " Where's Narcissa?" he asked. He preffered to share the news with both of them at the same time, instead of having to repeat the information twice. It wasn't bad news at all, yet the thought of saying it was giving him butterflies in his stomach at the moment.
Sirius arched his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak but a shuffling of feet behind him made him close his mouth in silence. He glanced over his shoulder, smiled at his wife, then turned back to them. " There she is now," he said slowly.
" Have I been expected?" Narcissa asked curiously, sitting down in a chair besides Sirius, and pulling the plate of waffles closer to her.
" There's something Mione and I want to tell you," Harry spoke up, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He could feel Hermione gripping his hand tightly underneath the table, and felt slightly better.
It was Narcissa's turn to raise her eyebrows. She stopped chewing on a waffle and looked at them closely. She then shot a Look at Sirius before turning back to Harry and Hermione, sensing the tone of seriousness in Harry's voice. " It's not..bad, is it?"
" Well, if you look at it differently it is," Hermione piped up next to Harry, and he smiled.
" What is it then?" Sirius asked, the Daily Prophet lying forgotten on the table. Both of his hands were gripping his coffea mug tightly.
Harry took a deep breath. " We're getting married."
There was a short silence, then the kitchen errupted into cheers and shouts of celebration; it sounded as if a small parade had just burst through the kitchen door. Harry and Hermione sat there, stunned, as Narcissa and Sirius whooped with happiness -- which they had never done before, Harry realized(the whooping, not being happy part) -- jumping up and hugging each other, before turning to bombard Harry and Hermione with many, many hugs and congratulations.
Harry's face hurt so much from smiling. He felt so relieved that Sirius and Narcissa were extremeley happy for them, even though he knew they would be. The celebrating died down a couple minutes later, and, after finishing off a particularly good breakfast, Harry brought Hermione to the foot of the stairs.
" Mione, wait for me upstairs in my room, will you?" he asked, gripping her hands tightly in his. " I've got something I want to talk to Sirius about."
Hermione cocked her head to one side and looked at Harry curiously, but didn't say a word. She just nodded after a moment, turned, and headed upstairs, disappearing into Harry's bedroom, the door clicking shut behind her. Harry waited a moment, then turned and headed back into the kitchen, where Sirius and Narcissa were sitting, talking animatedly to one another.
They stopped when they noticed Harry had entered. Sirius stood and clapped Harry on the back as he walked towards them.
" Congratulations, Harry!" he said jovially.
Harry smiled meekly. He wanted to talk to Sirius in private, but he couldn't bring himself to say so. It might hurt Narcissa's feelings, and that was the last thing Harry wanted to do. As if sensing Harry had something important to tell him, Sirius took Harry by the arm, led him out of the kitchen, and into the family room, where they were in private.
" Something up, Harry?" Sirius asked.
Harry nodded, looking around the room at the nice furnishings, wondering where to start. He could feel Sirius' eyes, as if boring into his head, trying to find out what he was thinking. Harry turned and started speaking.
" I'm really sorry for getting engaged so early. I mean, I know I'm only seventeen..but I really love her, Sirius, I really do. And I might just lose her so I got all panicky and I just proposed. And I know the four of us have just started living here together, and here I am -- I mean, I know you knew Hermione and I were together --, but here she is coming over and then suddenly we're getting married. And sorry to say, I haven't had much of a childhood..living with the Dursleys and all until a couple months ago..and if it feels like I'm suddenly..gone, I apologize because that's what I think it might feel like to you and Narcissa. But Narcissa really has Mal -- oops, I mean Draco..and then if -- "
" Harry, stop." Sirius put up a hand to Harry's face, a small smile present on his face. He took hold of Harry by the shoulders. " I understand. You don't have to explain." His face changed expression suddenly, and Harry wondered if his godfather was going to cry. " I..I understand what your childhood must have been like. And all Narcissa and I can do is take care of you until you're ready to be on your own. I know the Dursleys were just..cruel. But believe me, you are welcome to live here as long as you like..don't feel like you have to move off and live with Hermione all of a sudden. You're a good boy, Harry..I'm proud to have you as my godson. And I'm sure..I'm positive James would have the biggest smile on his face if he was here to hear you tell us you're getting married." And with that, Sirius pulled Harry into a hug, a very fatherly hug that Harry had never experienced before. Uncle Vernon barely touched him unless to attempt a blow at him, and Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley, Ron's father had hugged him before..but it was nothing special to how Sirius was hugging him now. Harry suspected, as he gripped Sirius' shoulders tightly, that this was how his father probably would hug him too, if his father was alive.