A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Very much appreciated.... Continue! Here's
another chapter for you! It has a little more love as well....
Sirius gasped.
"His name is WHAT?" Sirius exclaimed. Hermione was rather taken aback by his sudden yelling.
"James." She answered, slightly confused at Sirius's sudden mood change.
"But how do you KNOW that's his name? He never told you..." Sirius asked, still utterly bewildered that Hermione had known this random deer by the name of James.
"Well he sort of did, Sirius. Goodness, what does it matter to you if the stag's name is James?" Hermione asked in defense of the poor stag.
"BeCAUSE Hermione!" Sirius yelled getting slightly frustrated now with Hermione's inanity. "Hasn't Harry ever told you? Harry's father was an Annimagus! Harry's father was my best friend! Harry's Father's name was James and his Animagus form was a stag! Don't you see?" Sirius finished with a loud sigh as he turned away running his hand through his hair in irritation. Hermione gasped and look at the window for a moment which was directly behind Sirius as if trying to remember something and then turned to face Sirius once more. She had a look of sudden enlightenment on her face.
"Oh! Sirius. I never even thought of that... Because, well James always visits my window... and- and- well, he's just my deer friend. He's never turned into a human or anything. That would be—that would be – well, impossible! He's just... James!" she replied. Sirius was staring at her now as if waiting for her to say more.
"He.. he... Oh my! Sirius, no... He couldn't possibly be an Animagus. I told you before! He's just a stag who eats my plants sometimes... I just talk to him about pretty much nothing... I mean, really..."
"How did you find out his name? Did you just decide to name him that?" Sirius asked intently.
"No, no, I didn't name him. He already had that name." She answered as Sirius glared at her with confusion. "It's because, Okay. The very first time I saw him in my yard I was kind of afraid, but he walked towards my window and just looked at me and something about the face he made let me know that he was nice and wouldn't hurt me. I asked him his name. Then, I was rather amazed, he walked up to one of those trees up the hill you see and knocked on the tree with his head forcing several leaves to fall to the ground. Then he looked at me as if waiting for something, I assumed he wanted me to see the leaves so I walked towards them. They had fallen in the form of the letters J-A-M-E-S. I thought it was just an accident or my eyes were being idiots. But, from then on that's what I've called him." Hermione finished with a satisfying look on her face. Sirius was amazed. He didn't understand what this meant. If everything Hermione said was accurate, then that meant that this stag just had to be James. However, if Hermione was wrong and just thought that the leaves had spelt out James' name, this still was no ordinary animal.
"We'll need to look into this," Sirius told her.
"Okay. But he only comes every couple weeks," Hermione said worriedly. Sirius sighed.
"Well there's nothing we can do except wait." Sirius said still kind of anxious about the whole incident.
"Don't worry about it Sirius. What should we do to get your mind off it?" she said rubbing his back to comfort him.
"I – oh I don't know," he answered looking down. "You want to go for a walk?" he asked her looking up again.
"I'd love to."
Sirius and Hermione decided to go for a walk up the hill in hopes that they would perhaps run into James. Sirius and Hermione started walking up under trees, around stumps and rocks and on top of leaves covering the muddy ground. At one point Hermione slipped and Sirius grasped hold of her hand to prevent her from falling. They never let go. 'It's just a friend sort of hand-holding,' they lied to themselves.
"So how's life, Hermione?" Sirius asked swinging her arm back and forth gently as he held her hand.
"Oh, it's all right. I always miss Harry and Ron in the summer, though. I'm always pretty lonely in the summer actually. But, hey I shouldn't be talking. Last year you were ALL alone in Grimauld Place for the entire summer," she said sympathetically. "That surely couldn't have been easy for a energetic man like yourself." Sirius laughed at this statement.
"It wasn't so bad. I got used to it. Hey, I had Kreacher right? But anyway, Have Harry and Ron been all right?" Sirius asked.
"Oh, well I haven't talked to them for a while. I owled them a few days ago before you arrived so I should be expecting a response any time now." Hermione had been missing her two best friends. They had been through so much together at the end of their fifth year and they hadn't been able to talk much ever since.
They continued their walk up the hill and ended up reaching a downhill point to their delight. After quite a long while they decided they should turn around. They began walking back when they realized that they didn't recognize this new path.
"Where are we?" Hermione asked Sirius hoping he had the slightest clue.
"I haven't the faintest idea," Sirius stated matter-of-factly. Hermione began stomping down a hill in annoyance when she slid and landed on he back. She let out a loud "ugh!" as Sirius rushed to help her. Hermione attempted to get up after first rolling onto her stomach as Sirius put his hands on her waist. But Hermione fell again forcing Sirius to fall as well. The both of them laid there for a moment staring at each others muddiness before they burst out laughing at the situation.
"Great." Said Sirius with a sarcastic grin on his face. "We're muddy, we're in the middle of a forest, and we have no idea where we are." Sirius flicked a huge chunk of mud out of his hair.
"Crap," said Hermione staring over out at him.
"Literally," said Sirius still trying to get the mud out of his hair only forcing more in. Sirius moaned in frustration and collapsed in the mud now allowing the entire back of his head to be soaked as well.
"Here, let me help," laughed Hermione. She leaned over him and he looked into her beautiful bronze eyes, which were focused on his hair. She brushed some of the chunks of mud out of his hair with her semi-clean hand. Suddenly, realizing Sirius was gazing at her pensively, she stopped. She gazed back. His eyes were strong and passionate. He slowly placed a hand, still only slightly dirty, around her neck, not taking his gaze off of hers. Then, placing a hand around her waste Sirius rolled her over so that she was on her back and he was on top. Sirius realized this was his moment to prove his feelings to her. He leaned down closing his eyes and kissed Hermione softly on the lips and kept it for two or three seconds. Sirius lifted his head up and opened his eyes for a moment to see if it was right. She just looked at him affectionately and he kissed her again; this time with passion and promise. He kept his eyes shut not wanting to ruin the moment if it was only a dream. He slipped his arms around her waste and held her close and she put her hands behind his neck and kissed back longingly. She pulled him closer to her, closing the small gap that was left between them. After a few more wonderful moments, they both broke apart and looked at each other. Sirius was breathing hard and Hermione was holding her breath, when suddenly she breathed it out in one word: "no," she whispered.
Sirius gasped.
"His name is WHAT?" Sirius exclaimed. Hermione was rather taken aback by his sudden yelling.
"James." She answered, slightly confused at Sirius's sudden mood change.
"But how do you KNOW that's his name? He never told you..." Sirius asked, still utterly bewildered that Hermione had known this random deer by the name of James.
"Well he sort of did, Sirius. Goodness, what does it matter to you if the stag's name is James?" Hermione asked in defense of the poor stag.
"BeCAUSE Hermione!" Sirius yelled getting slightly frustrated now with Hermione's inanity. "Hasn't Harry ever told you? Harry's father was an Annimagus! Harry's father was my best friend! Harry's Father's name was James and his Animagus form was a stag! Don't you see?" Sirius finished with a loud sigh as he turned away running his hand through his hair in irritation. Hermione gasped and look at the window for a moment which was directly behind Sirius as if trying to remember something and then turned to face Sirius once more. She had a look of sudden enlightenment on her face.
"Oh! Sirius. I never even thought of that... Because, well James always visits my window... and- and- well, he's just my deer friend. He's never turned into a human or anything. That would be—that would be – well, impossible! He's just... James!" she replied. Sirius was staring at her now as if waiting for her to say more.
"He.. he... Oh my! Sirius, no... He couldn't possibly be an Animagus. I told you before! He's just a stag who eats my plants sometimes... I just talk to him about pretty much nothing... I mean, really..."
"How did you find out his name? Did you just decide to name him that?" Sirius asked intently.
"No, no, I didn't name him. He already had that name." She answered as Sirius glared at her with confusion. "It's because, Okay. The very first time I saw him in my yard I was kind of afraid, but he walked towards my window and just looked at me and something about the face he made let me know that he was nice and wouldn't hurt me. I asked him his name. Then, I was rather amazed, he walked up to one of those trees up the hill you see and knocked on the tree with his head forcing several leaves to fall to the ground. Then he looked at me as if waiting for something, I assumed he wanted me to see the leaves so I walked towards them. They had fallen in the form of the letters J-A-M-E-S. I thought it was just an accident or my eyes were being idiots. But, from then on that's what I've called him." Hermione finished with a satisfying look on her face. Sirius was amazed. He didn't understand what this meant. If everything Hermione said was accurate, then that meant that this stag just had to be James. However, if Hermione was wrong and just thought that the leaves had spelt out James' name, this still was no ordinary animal.
"We'll need to look into this," Sirius told her.
"Okay. But he only comes every couple weeks," Hermione said worriedly. Sirius sighed.
"Well there's nothing we can do except wait." Sirius said still kind of anxious about the whole incident.
"Don't worry about it Sirius. What should we do to get your mind off it?" she said rubbing his back to comfort him.
"I – oh I don't know," he answered looking down. "You want to go for a walk?" he asked her looking up again.
"I'd love to."
Sirius and Hermione decided to go for a walk up the hill in hopes that they would perhaps run into James. Sirius and Hermione started walking up under trees, around stumps and rocks and on top of leaves covering the muddy ground. At one point Hermione slipped and Sirius grasped hold of her hand to prevent her from falling. They never let go. 'It's just a friend sort of hand-holding,' they lied to themselves.
"So how's life, Hermione?" Sirius asked swinging her arm back and forth gently as he held her hand.
"Oh, it's all right. I always miss Harry and Ron in the summer, though. I'm always pretty lonely in the summer actually. But, hey I shouldn't be talking. Last year you were ALL alone in Grimauld Place for the entire summer," she said sympathetically. "That surely couldn't have been easy for a energetic man like yourself." Sirius laughed at this statement.
"It wasn't so bad. I got used to it. Hey, I had Kreacher right? But anyway, Have Harry and Ron been all right?" Sirius asked.
"Oh, well I haven't talked to them for a while. I owled them a few days ago before you arrived so I should be expecting a response any time now." Hermione had been missing her two best friends. They had been through so much together at the end of their fifth year and they hadn't been able to talk much ever since.
They continued their walk up the hill and ended up reaching a downhill point to their delight. After quite a long while they decided they should turn around. They began walking back when they realized that they didn't recognize this new path.
"Where are we?" Hermione asked Sirius hoping he had the slightest clue.
"I haven't the faintest idea," Sirius stated matter-of-factly. Hermione began stomping down a hill in annoyance when she slid and landed on he back. She let out a loud "ugh!" as Sirius rushed to help her. Hermione attempted to get up after first rolling onto her stomach as Sirius put his hands on her waist. But Hermione fell again forcing Sirius to fall as well. The both of them laid there for a moment staring at each others muddiness before they burst out laughing at the situation.
"Great." Said Sirius with a sarcastic grin on his face. "We're muddy, we're in the middle of a forest, and we have no idea where we are." Sirius flicked a huge chunk of mud out of his hair.
"Crap," said Hermione staring over out at him.
"Literally," said Sirius still trying to get the mud out of his hair only forcing more in. Sirius moaned in frustration and collapsed in the mud now allowing the entire back of his head to be soaked as well.
"Here, let me help," laughed Hermione. She leaned over him and he looked into her beautiful bronze eyes, which were focused on his hair. She brushed some of the chunks of mud out of his hair with her semi-clean hand. Suddenly, realizing Sirius was gazing at her pensively, she stopped. She gazed back. His eyes were strong and passionate. He slowly placed a hand, still only slightly dirty, around her neck, not taking his gaze off of hers. Then, placing a hand around her waste Sirius rolled her over so that she was on her back and he was on top. Sirius realized this was his moment to prove his feelings to her. He leaned down closing his eyes and kissed Hermione softly on the lips and kept it for two or three seconds. Sirius lifted his head up and opened his eyes for a moment to see if it was right. She just looked at him affectionately and he kissed her again; this time with passion and promise. He kept his eyes shut not wanting to ruin the moment if it was only a dream. He slipped his arms around her waste and held her close and she put her hands behind his neck and kissed back longingly. She pulled him closer to her, closing the small gap that was left between them. After a few more wonderful moments, they both broke apart and looked at each other. Sirius was breathing hard and Hermione was holding her breath, when suddenly she breathed it out in one word: "no," she whispered.