Disclaimer: Bah. Ich owne nothing.
It was high summer. Burning sunlight streamed through the window of 8 Godric's Hollow, glinting off Sirius's glittery T-shirt as he sat opposite Hermione.
'Check' Hermione's pawn looked nervously up at her as Sirius's knight bore down on him.
'Ouch, that's gotta hurt' winced Sirius as the knight swung his sword and sliced through the pawn's head.
Hermione's forehead furrowed as she looked down at the board. Despite being very clever, she'd never really managed to get the hang of Wizard's chess. She didn't like the way her pieces argued with her all the time. Hermione Granger wasn't used to people telling her what to do.
'Don't move me there you fool, look at his bishop!'
'No, no, no! You need me, I'm the most important piece.'
'Pathetic, do you actually know what Chess is?'
Hermione flicked the disobedient queen across the room. She landed in a jug of orange juice on the sideboard.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. 'Are you all right Hermione? You're looking rather, well not to put too fine a point on it, crap.'
'Thanks' replied Hermione sarcastically. 'Actually I'm on top of the world, everything's zip-ii-dee–do-dah, perfect! I'm as happy as Mr Happy from Jolly-land after too many smiley pills…' Her voice became choked as Hermione descended into sobs. Sirius hurried round to the other side of the table and put his tattooed arm around her. 'Ssh. There, there hun, it's alright.' He rocked her back and forth as sobs racked Hermione's body. She buried her head in his stomach, trying to stifle her sobs. 'Hey steady on, you wouldn't want Remus getting jealous would you?' grinned Sirius. Hermione managed a watery smile.
'How about you go into the lounge, I'll get us both a cup of tea and we can have a talk, how's that?'
Hermione nodded, and thanked the gods that Harry and Ron were out broom shopping with Remus.
Curled up on the velvet red sofa in the godfathers' lounge, Hermione felt a lot better. She gazed around the room. The walls were covered in pictures of Curt Wild, Brian Slade and Pete Burns. She looked over at the photos on the coffee table. Sirius with Remus on their wedding day, laughing and smiling, arms wrapt firmly around each other. Harry's parents, running around the front lawn on Hogwarts, Lily shrieking as James caught her and started tickling her. Sirius and Remus again, Harry standing between them. They were so happy. They both had someone who they loved and whom they knew loved them. What more could anyone want? Hermione was about to burst into tears when Sirius came in, his fingers, thumbs and elbows doing very strange things with teacups, spoons, saucers, cake, biscuits and three sticks of eyeliner.
They sat in silence for a while, each quietly sipping their tea. The grandfather clock ticked slowly and quietly. Rain began pattering gently against the windows, trickling down in countless little rivers. Sirius sat and waited until Hermione was ready to talk. He pushed a whole slice of chocolate cake into his mouth and looked at the cracked ceiling. Suddenly Hermione spoke,
'Sirius?'
Sirius, looked straight at her, 'Yes?'
'I..er… I'm sorry about crying all over your shirt.'
'That's alright. Look Hermione, what is it. I hate seeing you upset like this. Harry's noticed it too, you've been so distant and quiet lately.'
'Harry's noticed?'
'Of course he has, he and Ron are you're best friends?'
Hermione felt ill. If Harry and Ron had noticed, then Ginny probably had to. What if everyone knew and was just laughing at her behind her back?
'Hermione?'
'Ithinkiminlovewithginny'
'What?' Said Sirius, wide-eyed. Hermione took a deep breath and repeated it. Slowly.
'I think I'm in love with Ginny.'
Sirius looked as if he'd just been hit by a bludger. 'Well, that's…unexpected. I had no idea you felt that way about girls.'
'I don't. Well, I mean, I do, but. What I mean is that its only Ginny. I still think Harry's good-looking, and Oliver and people like that. And I don't fancy Parvati or Lavender or anything. It's just Ginny. Whenever I see her I feel hot and cold at the same time, and my stomach starts doing somersaults. I can't stop thinking about her. She's in my head all the time, even when I sleep she's there in my dreams, a constant presence. It's like being haunted. I hate being with her because it hurts so much sitting right next to her knowing I can't have her. But I hate being away from her her because it's like a part of me is missing. I know its clichéd. She just makes me feel so alive; until I met her it was as if I'd never known myself. Now I just know myself too well, but I can't stop.' A solitary tear ran down Hermione's cheek.
Sirius said nothing for a few minutes before taking a deep breath. 'You have to tell her, Hermione'. She made to interrupt him, but he held up a hand and repeated his words, 'You have to tell her. I know how you feel. That's how it was with me and Remus. I fell in love with him in our fifth year, but it wasn't till we left Hogwarts till I finally told him.'
'But you still got together and were friends for all that time.' Hermione protested.
'Yes, but think of all that time, wasted. When I told him, he said he'd felt the same way for years but had never been brave enough to tell me. We were both lusting after one another and yet neither of us had the guts to say. I was terrified, like you, that he wouldn't feel the same way.'
'But I know Ginny doesn't feel the same way!'
'How?' Frowned Sirius
'Well, she went out with Justin at the beginning of the year.'
'You went out with Viktor.'
'Yes, well. That was different.'
'No it wasn't. True, Ginny might not feel the same way, but then again she might be having exactly the same conversation with someone else that you're having with me at the moment. Believe me Hermione, if you don't tell her you'll spend the rest of your life regretting it.
Hermione nodded her head and a fresh wave of tears streamed down her face. She was still in tears when the Remus returned with Harry and Ron. Sirius had had to do some very quick thinking to explain them away.