Hermione was downstairs fishing through the cupboards and the
refrigerator for something appetizing to eat. She called over to Sirius,
"What do you want me to fix for dinner?" she yelled as her words echoed down the hall.
"I don't know," he responded. "What do you have?"
"Um..." she called back. "I could put in some frozen pizza if you want. It's pretty good."
"Sounds great," Sirius said. He was starting to get hungry and thirsty as well. He stood up and headed for Hermione's bathroom to get a glass of water. It was cluttered in all sorts of debris: lotions, perfume, hairbrushes, make-up, toothpaste, etc. But Sirius actually liked it that way. It reminded him of the days back in high school when he'd go sneaking up to the girls dormitory with James under the invisibility cloak in search of anything interesting a teenage boy would love to get his hands on.
Sirius grabbed a light blue glass and filled it up with water and chugged it down. Wiping his mouth, he headed down the hall to the kitchen where Hermione was sitting on the counter swinging her legs back and forth and waiting for the pizza to cook.
"Hey, Sirius," She said to him as he walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, you," he grinned walking towards her as he lifted himself onto the counter as well. "So, are you enjoying this? Or... would you rather I'd not have come..." Sirius asked out of true curiosity. He had been wondering whether or not this had been a good idea: to come to Hermione's house. After a while, he realized that Lupin would have been glad to take him in for a few months until he found somewhere to go.
"Oh, it's been wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed, hoping she hadn't sounded too excited.
"Really?" Sirius asked. "Because I--"
"No, no of course. I love having you here to keep me company. I hope you decide to stay..." She paused. "...For a while." She ended holding her breath. Sirius nodded.
"I'd hoped you'd felt that way," Sirius breathed with a sigh of relief.
"Yes. Well, you know, after the past three days I've decided that we should owl Harry and Ron soon. And Dumbledore as well, perhaps." Hermione stated. "You know, they will be nothing but thrilled to find that you are safe." Sirius's heart slightly fell. He had thought about this. He knew that she was right, but the other part of him wanted anything but this. He knew if they did this then he would no longer be spending the summer with Hermione.
"Yeah you're probably right." Sirius said. "Except..." he added. Hermione looked at him waiting for him to continue. He thought fast. "Maybe we shouldn't just yet. Because, you know there's a chance the letter will go astray. And if the ministry knew I was alive they would right away begin to search everywhere." He finished in one breath. Hermione looked at him thoughtfully.
"I hadn't thought about that." She answered. "You're probably right. We should travel by floo powder to the burrow once we decide the time is right." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief.
Right then the oven beeped and Hermione jumped up to retrieve an oven mitt. She placed it over her hand and pulled out the cheese pizza. It smelled delicious.
"I've never had pizza before," Sirius said to Hermione's surprise.
"Are you serious? Never?"
"Yup," he asserted truthfully. "Never in my life. Never really even had a chance to you see. Hogwarts would never serve food like that, and I was sent to Azkaban pretty much... right after I graduated, so..."
"That's just sad. Well here, I hope you'll like it," she said gesturing his plate to him, which she had placed two slices of cheese pizza on. Sirius lifted it up in his hand and took a bite. 'Delicious!' he thought.
"Wow. That's excellent," he said to Hermione. "My compliments to the chef." Sirius winked at her and she laughed picking up her own piece. After he had finished his two pieces and her as well, they headed back to her room. Sirius hopped onto Hermione's neatly made bed and lay against the pillows. He gestured for her to lie down next to him. She hesitated at first. What was this? Then he said "Come on, I don't bite," which gave Hermione no other option. She crawled over to him and lay down. They sat there for a few moments in silence and then Sirius spoke up.
"Hermione, I have a question," Sirius said and she looked sideways at him as he spoke, a strand a black hair drooped across his eye perfectly. "Why is it you got into Gryffindor when you're so damn smart? Ravenclaw seems like it would have been the place for you."
"I... well, I don't know exactly," was her response. "I guess... I just... I'm pretty defensive of the fact that I'm a muggleborn and I'm not at all ashamed to stand up to it. And, also, I've been through a lot, so I guess the fact that I've stood strong through it all helped me to get sorted into that house. I don't know, it's rather confusing." She yawned and laid back on the pillows. Sirius soaked this all in. She'd been through a lot? Hmm...
"What sort of things have you been through, Hermione? If you don't mind me asking, that is..." She didn't respond. He turned to her and she was sound asleep. He smiled slightly. He lifted the extra pillows from behind her neck allowing her to get into a laying position. He then pulled the covers she was laying on out from under her and pulled them over her beautiful sleeping body. He ran his fingers down her cheek and her neck letting his fingers trace her smooth skin. She looked so incredibly peaceful. A strand of gold curly hair was lying down her cheek and he moved it away gently. Bending down towards her he placed a soft kiss on her cheek and he decided to stay in bed with her. 'Just to sleep,' he promised himself as his pulled himself under the covers now. Turning off the light, he turned to her again. Her beautiful sleeping face had only dim moonlight on it now. He leaned in again, now just about place his lips on hers, when he saw it once again. Across the room outside her window was a dark shadow of a figure. Only this time, it didn't move.
"What do you want me to fix for dinner?" she yelled as her words echoed down the hall.
"I don't know," he responded. "What do you have?"
"Um..." she called back. "I could put in some frozen pizza if you want. It's pretty good."
"Sounds great," Sirius said. He was starting to get hungry and thirsty as well. He stood up and headed for Hermione's bathroom to get a glass of water. It was cluttered in all sorts of debris: lotions, perfume, hairbrushes, make-up, toothpaste, etc. But Sirius actually liked it that way. It reminded him of the days back in high school when he'd go sneaking up to the girls dormitory with James under the invisibility cloak in search of anything interesting a teenage boy would love to get his hands on.
Sirius grabbed a light blue glass and filled it up with water and chugged it down. Wiping his mouth, he headed down the hall to the kitchen where Hermione was sitting on the counter swinging her legs back and forth and waiting for the pizza to cook.
"Hey, Sirius," She said to him as he walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, you," he grinned walking towards her as he lifted himself onto the counter as well. "So, are you enjoying this? Or... would you rather I'd not have come..." Sirius asked out of true curiosity. He had been wondering whether or not this had been a good idea: to come to Hermione's house. After a while, he realized that Lupin would have been glad to take him in for a few months until he found somewhere to go.
"Oh, it's been wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed, hoping she hadn't sounded too excited.
"Really?" Sirius asked. "Because I--"
"No, no of course. I love having you here to keep me company. I hope you decide to stay..." She paused. "...For a while." She ended holding her breath. Sirius nodded.
"I'd hoped you'd felt that way," Sirius breathed with a sigh of relief.
"Yes. Well, you know, after the past three days I've decided that we should owl Harry and Ron soon. And Dumbledore as well, perhaps." Hermione stated. "You know, they will be nothing but thrilled to find that you are safe." Sirius's heart slightly fell. He had thought about this. He knew that she was right, but the other part of him wanted anything but this. He knew if they did this then he would no longer be spending the summer with Hermione.
"Yeah you're probably right." Sirius said. "Except..." he added. Hermione looked at him waiting for him to continue. He thought fast. "Maybe we shouldn't just yet. Because, you know there's a chance the letter will go astray. And if the ministry knew I was alive they would right away begin to search everywhere." He finished in one breath. Hermione looked at him thoughtfully.
"I hadn't thought about that." She answered. "You're probably right. We should travel by floo powder to the burrow once we decide the time is right." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief.
Right then the oven beeped and Hermione jumped up to retrieve an oven mitt. She placed it over her hand and pulled out the cheese pizza. It smelled delicious.
"I've never had pizza before," Sirius said to Hermione's surprise.
"Are you serious? Never?"
"Yup," he asserted truthfully. "Never in my life. Never really even had a chance to you see. Hogwarts would never serve food like that, and I was sent to Azkaban pretty much... right after I graduated, so..."
"That's just sad. Well here, I hope you'll like it," she said gesturing his plate to him, which she had placed two slices of cheese pizza on. Sirius lifted it up in his hand and took a bite. 'Delicious!' he thought.
"Wow. That's excellent," he said to Hermione. "My compliments to the chef." Sirius winked at her and she laughed picking up her own piece. After he had finished his two pieces and her as well, they headed back to her room. Sirius hopped onto Hermione's neatly made bed and lay against the pillows. He gestured for her to lie down next to him. She hesitated at first. What was this? Then he said "Come on, I don't bite," which gave Hermione no other option. She crawled over to him and lay down. They sat there for a few moments in silence and then Sirius spoke up.
"Hermione, I have a question," Sirius said and she looked sideways at him as he spoke, a strand a black hair drooped across his eye perfectly. "Why is it you got into Gryffindor when you're so damn smart? Ravenclaw seems like it would have been the place for you."
"I... well, I don't know exactly," was her response. "I guess... I just... I'm pretty defensive of the fact that I'm a muggleborn and I'm not at all ashamed to stand up to it. And, also, I've been through a lot, so I guess the fact that I've stood strong through it all helped me to get sorted into that house. I don't know, it's rather confusing." She yawned and laid back on the pillows. Sirius soaked this all in. She'd been through a lot? Hmm...
"What sort of things have you been through, Hermione? If you don't mind me asking, that is..." She didn't respond. He turned to her and she was sound asleep. He smiled slightly. He lifted the extra pillows from behind her neck allowing her to get into a laying position. He then pulled the covers she was laying on out from under her and pulled them over her beautiful sleeping body. He ran his fingers down her cheek and her neck letting his fingers trace her smooth skin. She looked so incredibly peaceful. A strand of gold curly hair was lying down her cheek and he moved it away gently. Bending down towards her he placed a soft kiss on her cheek and he decided to stay in bed with her. 'Just to sleep,' he promised himself as his pulled himself under the covers now. Turning off the light, he turned to her again. Her beautiful sleeping face had only dim moonlight on it now. He leaned in again, now just about place his lips on hers, when he saw it once again. Across the room outside her window was a dark shadow of a figure. Only this time, it didn't move.