Chapter 18: Questions and Answers.
There was a small stream of sun shining brightly through the tiny opening in the closed drapes as Hermione Granger began to awaken. She felt a contentment she couldn't remember ever feeling before. She also felt a soreness she'd never felt when she tried to move. At first she wasn't sure what would have caused her to be sore where she was experiencing the pain, but the memories of last night came flooding back as she heard the breathing of the sleeping form behind her. Smiling to herself, she wiggled closer to him, she loved the feel of his naked body next to hers, the skin-to-skin contact sent a special energy through her. She slowly turned in his arms so she could watch him sleep, but was surprised by the smile spreading across his handsome face. This told her he wasn't as asleep as she thought.
"Good Morning, Love." Sirius said as he kissed her on the forehead, and moved to get out of bed.
She looked at him in shock, "Where are you going? Was it something I said?" she asked watching him walk across the room, comfortable with his unclothed state. He had a great body; her eyes never left it as he walked.
Stopping at the bathroom door, he turned around and she could see all the muscles in his arms, chest, stomach, and legs. She could also see how well endowed he was. Noticing where her eyes had stopped as they traveled over him, he smiled and winked. "You can play with that when I get back, right now I need to relieve myself and brush my teeth. Don't go anywhere." He turned and closed the door.
Hermione lay back on the bed laughing. She thought she should probably follow his lead when he came out, but she wasn't sure she could walk. She really was sore, but it was a good ache. Even with the pain, she knew that she wanted him again and intended to have him before leaving the bedroom. Moving to the edge of the bed, she sat on the side. She then stood and reached for the robe at the foot. She wasn't as relaxed with her nudity as he was; she wondered if it was something that came with age and experience. She knew he thought she had a magnificent body; he had expressed this more than once.
Sirius came out and she walked past him slowly. He reached for her, pulling her close and kissing her. When she winced, he let go of her. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
She moved back into his arms and kissed him. "It's okay. Things are fine." She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him, but she wasn't about to start keeping secrets. "I'm just a little sore this morning."
He pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I hurt you. I'm so sorry." She could see the fear in his eyes that he might have actually done some damage.
Stroking his handsome face, Hermione kissed him again. "No, no, love. You didn't hurt me. You were… you are wonderful. I'm fine." She pulled away from him with an evil glint in her eyes. "Now I'm going to go to the bathroom and freshen up, when I come out I expect you to be ready."
"Ready for what?" he asked as she closed the door.
"Just get back into bed." She said from the other side of the door. He heard the sounds of flushing and water running, then the door opened and she approached the bed. Taking off the robe, she climbed in next to him. Before he could capture her in his arms, she pushed him on his back and straddled him. Again she winced, but she didn't care. Just the thought of what she was going to do to him made every second of the soreness worth it. She kissed him hard. She wanted him to know she was in charge this morning and he seemed willing to let her. Finally leaving his lips, she let hers travel. Kissing and sucking each exposed inch of flesh. She stopped at his nipples, playing with them with her teeth, tongue and lips. She could feel him becoming more and more aroused as she went lower on his body. The knowledge of what she was doing this to him excited her. She could feel her own excitement building. She knew she needed to get her emotions in check. This was for him. He had made sure all three times last night were for her, now she wanted to pay him back. She wanted to let him know he was loved as much as she was.
Lower she moved until she was kissing and licking the skin above his penis. He reached for her and she pulled out of his reach. "Just lay back and enjoy, I know I'm going to." With that she took him into her mouth. She heard the intake of air and felt his whole body tense then begin to relax as she found the correct pressure to pleasure him. She knew she was pleasing him by the way his hips were moving with her. She had never done this before either. She wasn't sure what to expect, but soon he stopped moving and again reached for her. "If you don't stop, I'm going to explode and I don't think you want that the first time you give oral sex."
Moving back up his body she looked at him, "Was it so bad you could tell it was the first time?" She wasn't hurt just inexperienced and wanted to know how to improve.
Sirius laughed, a deep sexy laugh that told her he was not laughing at her. "Oh no. You were… I don't know what to say. The only way I would have known it was your first time is you told me." She looked at him like she was trying to remember when she might have told him. "You told me the first day we went to the Marauder's Hole. The day we started to get heavy. When we were talking about our experiences. You told me you hadn't gone past feeling a guy up through his jeans." Recognition dawned across her face.
Hermione had had enough talking she wanted him. She kissed him again and moved up a little farther to straddle his waist. She looked him in the eyes as she raised herself up and positioned her opening to take him into her body. Slowly she lowered herself until the tip of his hard erection was inside. She thought it would hurt more, but she was so wet and ready she slid down the full length. Taking his hands and placing them on her hips, she rose up and lowered herself until she was in a steady pattern. Sirius began to move with her and soon they were moving together like lovers who had had years of being together.
Looking into each other's eyes, it amazed Sirius how well they fit together. They seemed to be able to feel what the other was feeling. He could tell she wasn't going to last long. He moved just a little to get a better angle to stimulate her. Reaching up to fondle and stroke her breast, he watched her; he wanted to see her face when she reached her peak. He watched the various emotions that crossed her face and he knew when she was ready. Placing his hand back on her hips and thrusting still deeper he sent her over the edge.
Hermione felt herself fall into an orgasm so intense she thought her insides would explode. What power did this man have on her? She felt him thrust stronger and deeper as she rode him still contracting. She could tell by his breathing he was ready as well. She opened her eyes and as she continued in her release, muscles gripping tightly around him, he climaxed. Him watching her, her watching him, each finding the other beautiful as they came together, reaching the top then descending together to an exhausted but satisfied state.
Sirius pulled her closer and kissed her. He started to move, but she told him to be still. She wanted to stay like they were for a while. Her lying on top of him with his softening member still inside of her, she was lulled to sleep with the rhythm of his breathing and the beating of his heart.
Through fluttering eyes lids Hermione noticed the clock on the nightstand; it was 10:30. Had she really slept that late? Reaching for Sirius, she found his side of the bed empty and cold. Where could he be? It was to quiet for him to be in the bathroom. She crawled out of bed, grabbed his shirt off the chair pulling it around her. Leaving the master suite, she went into her room to get some panties and some shorts. Once decent she headed down the stairs, stopping at the bottom, where she heard noises coming from the kitchen. Slowly she peered around the corner to find Sirius leaning over the stove, Alexia on one side of him and Remus sitting on the counter in the corner. From her vantage point, she could see and hear everything, but they couldn't see her.
"So are you going to tell us why you're in such a great mood this morning?" Remus asked with a knowing look and evil smile. "Does this have anything to do with why Alexia and I put all those candles out for you last night?"
Sirius, who Hermione noticed was dressed only in a pair of long silk pajama bottoms, didn't answer, he didn't even look up at his best friend, he just kept stirring whatever it was he was making.
Remus jumped off the counter and headed for the door. "Well then, you won't talk to me, you leave me no choice. I'm going upstairs, I'm going to find Hermione, and I'm going to find out what happened last night."
Before she knew what was happening, Sirius was in front of Remus stopping his movements. "Oh no you don't," he turned his friend back around and directed him to a chair before taking the one across the table for himself, and motioning for Alexia to sit between them. "What do you want to know?"
Remus and Alexia smiled at each other then looked at Sirius. Alexia was the first one to speak. "We want to know what happened last night. How dinner went?"
Remus interrupted, "Dinner, hell! We want to know if you two had a good shag last night."
Sirius tried to look shocked, and this caused Hermione to reveal herself when she broke into laughter. All three looked up as she entered the room and took a seat on Sirius' lap. She kissed him passionately, "Good Morning, Love. I woke and you weren't there. I missed you." She then turned to Remus and Alexia. "You want to know whether we shagged last night? Oh yes, several times and again this morning. It was the most incredible experience of my life."
"Details!" Alexia exclaimed.
"Sorry, but I don't kiss and tell." Hermione giggled. She then leaned into Sirius, "What are you cooking?"
"Merlin, I forgot." He picked Hermione up and stood. Placing her in the chair he'd gotten out of he went back to stirring the sauce in the pot. A few minutes later he dished up breakfast for everyone.
Not long after Remus and Alexia left, Hermione went to take a shower and dress for the day. Sirius cleaned up the mess he'd made, then went to shower himself. Meeting back in the living room, they decided to spend the day at home. Hermione wanted to invite her family over, but determined later in the week would be better.
The couple sat in the library later that day; he was reading a book his grandfather had loaned him, while she studied for her Auror entrance exam. Hermione looked up from the desk where she was and watched, as he read completely absorbed in the contents of the book. He looked so relaxed and happy. She hadn't seen him look this much at peace since Christmas. Her thoughts went back to last night and something he'd said. She remembered him telling her that he wanted to make the room they made love in their room, she wondered, did he want to make the house theirs as well? He'd given her a key and told her he wanted her to feel free to come and go as she liked, but was he trying to tell her something without coming right out and saying it? She sat watching him for a several minutes, mulling over things he'd said and done. Deciding she needed to know, to plan for her future, her future plans depended on him and what he wanted or didn't want, she stood and walked to where he was.
He watched her as she took the book from his hands, laying it on the table beside him. She then straddled his lap, kissing him, before putting her head in his shoulder and hugging him tightly. "Sirius, you know you make me happy, don't you?"
He felt his heart stop. Where was this coming from? Was he pushing her to fast? His mind was racing as he sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he found his voice, "I hope I do," he said a little unsure. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"
How could he think anything was wrong, she thought as she sat up to look into his dark eyes? "It's not that there is anything wrong, there isn't," she looked down at her hands as they played with the buttons on his shirt. "I guess I'm just a bit unsure about a couple things."
Sirius placed two fingers under her chin and made her look at him. "What things are you unsure of? Tell me please," he kissed her lightly.
"I'm confused about last night." She saw the emotions pass over his features and knew he thought she was talking about their lovemaking. "I'm not talking about our making love. That was wonderful and I wouldn't change that for anything. I'm confused about the key and the whole master bedroom idea."
Again he kissed her, this time with more passion. "Hermione, love, I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. Let me try again. I gave you a key to this house, because I want you to feel free to come and go as you like and I didn't take the master suite, because it's a room that's meant to be shared and enjoyed by two people. I wanted that to become our room, yours and mine together," he took a deep breath and decided now was as good a time as any to have this talk with her. "I love you, you know that. I've listened for months to you and Harry talk about what you would like to have in a house, a home. When the time was right, I went out and looked for everything you two asked for. This house is as close as I could come. I bought this place for the three of us." He looked at her to make sure he had her attention, when he saw he did he went on. "I've been thinking a lot about my future and I've realized I have no future with out you, or Harry. I know Harry won't always be here, but you and I can make this a home for us and a place he can escape to when wants. I guess what I need to know before I go on is if you see yourself with me in the future. Can you see yourself growing old with me?"
"Sirius, I've dreamt of spending the rest of my life with you," she said. "But…"
"But what?" Again his heart stopped.
How could she tell him, she asked herself. Then deciding straight out was the best way. "I love you, and I want to be with you now and forever. I want us to have a future together, but I can't just live with you." Again she looked at her hands and started to slide off his lap. She knew she was hurting him, not physically but emotionally.
He caught her before she could move and held her close. "Who said anything about just living together?" He saw her look up at him. "I want to marry you, and in time I want us to have a family, but right now I want you and only you. I want you to move in here with Harry and me. I want this to be our home as husband and wife. I want to give up my room and you give up yours. I want the master bedroom to be our bedroom."
Did she just hear him say what she thought she heard him say? Did he just say he wanted to marry her? He wanted her to marry him? "What did you just say, I think I heard you wrong." Hermione asked in shock.
Sirius moved her so she was sitting next to him. "Well this wasn't how I had planned all this. I'd planned on talking to your father, taking you someplace nice and romantic, but now is as good a time as any I guess." He pulled a small velvet box from his pants pocket and handed it to her. "Hermione Granger, I love you. You've given me so many things I never thought I'd have. Friendship, stability, understanding, but most important you've given me unconditional love. Will you marry me? You can think about it."
She looked at the ring in the box, and then at him. She saw something in his eyes that made her wonder if he thought she would say no, she saw fear, fear of rejection. She wondered how he could think she would ever reject him, but she remembered most of the people in his life had abandoned him at one time or another. He always seemed so happy and well adjusted, that it was easy to forget he'd not had an easy life. Smiling she kissed him then looked at the ring in her hand one more time. "I don't need to think about it. I would love to be Mrs. Sirius Black. Yes, I'll marry you."
Sirius hugged her close for several minutes; finally releasing her he took the box with the ring from her. "This ring was my Grandmothers. When I told my Grandparents I wanted to ask you to marry me, she asked if I had bought a ring yet, she then asked if I'd like to give you hers." He looked at the ring in his hand with admiration and respect. "This is the engagement ring Grandfather gave her, he's since given her more exquisite ones. She told me she'd put this away many, years ago, hoping one day she would be able to give it to me for my wife." Again he looked at the beautiful pear cut diamond set in white gold, shining brightly in his hand, and back at Hermione, unable to read what she was thinking.
Hermione took his face in her hands and kissed him softly. "Sirius, this ring is beautiful, are you sure Professor McGonagall doesn't want to keep it herself?"
He closed the box and laid it aside, taking both her hands in his. "You'd rather have your own ring, a new ring, we'll go shopping today and you can pick out whatever you want." He kissed her forehead and sighed.
She was really confused. Picking the ring up off the table she opened it. "Sirius, love, I don't want a new ring. I just want to make sure your Grandmother is ready to let this go. It was her engagement ring." She took the ring out of the box and handed it to him. "I don't want to go shopping, I'm honored she thinks enough of me and our relationship that she would like us to have her ring and it would be a privilege to accept it." Sirius slipped the ring on her left hand, kissed it, then kissed her.
Hermione was about as happy as she thought she would ever get. They talked about when to tell people and discussed a date, but decided to wait a few days on the date, but agreed they needed to tell Harry as soon as possible. Once he knew then they would tell family, then friends.