Chapter Five: Faithless Night
"Where have you been?" asked Harry as Ron's mouth fell open in disbelief.
Hermione stared. "I was with- working on my- fell asleep." It was the first time in memory she hadn't been able to form a logical answer to a logical question.
Ron stared blankly at her, understanding blossoming on his face, before stomping out of the dungeons. With a hurried "I'll talk to him" Harry followed.
Hermione was still leaning against the door to Snape's dungeon, tears streaming down her cheeks, when it opened two hours later.
Sirius opened his eyes groggily and pulled on a shirt. Who could that be at- he looked at the clock- 1:49 AM? Yawning, he walked to and opened the door.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late. I hope you don't mind?" The lilt in his former fiancée's voice prompted a response from Sirius.
"Not at all," he replied, quite flustered. "Come-Come in." He had never seen her like this. She seemed timid, apprehensive. As she sat on the corner of a chair, a tear ran down her cheek.
"I can't- I'm sorry- I don't- I didn't know where else to go." She stammered. The tears were flowing freely now.
"Rayna..." Sirius murmured, kneeling in front of the chair and pulling her into his arms. Sinking to the floor, she tucked her head under his chin.
Sirius was crying by now as well, and so they sat, tears mixing together, for nearly an hour.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Sirius asked timidly once the tears had receded, provoking a nod from Rayna.
Ten minutes later, the former lovers were sitting across form one another, mugs of steaming tea in front of them.
"I'm sorry, but what exactly were you trying to say earlier?" Sirius asked, yet again, timidly.
Rayna smiled weakly through her resurgence of tears. "I-I'm afraid that I'm too much of a free spirit to follow through with this marriage."
"Do you love him?" Rayna's green eyes flashed as she flicked them upwards to look at Sirius. They clearly conveyed that she would not answer the question.
"Would you like to stay?" Sirius asked, voicing his thoughts.
Another weak smile touched Rayna's lips. "Please."
Rayna rolled over again and looked at the clock. Fifteen minutes. It had only been fifteen minutes. There was no way this could work.
She sighed, and climbed out of the bed. Why had she come here? There was no possible way this could end manageably. Mind racing, she shyly knocked on the doorframe to the rom where Sirius slept. His groggy voice called. "C'min." He smiled at her. "Can I help you?"
"I don't know." She smiled back, sitting on the floor next to his bed and facing him. The silence that fell then communicated more than anything they had said that night. "Sirius..." Rayna began, but was quieted when he put two fingers to her lips. Slowly as if asking permission to proceed, the two fingers slid under her chin and raised her face to his for a tender kiss that quickly evolved into desperate and hungry. Sirius scooped Rayna into his arms, laying her on the bed under him as they shed their robes.
"Hermione?" Snape opened the door.
"Professor, please, just leave this alone," Hermione replied, wiping her eyes.
"I think you can call me Severus-not in class, mind you-and leave what alone and why?"
"Leave tonight alone. Because I don't need you to tell me it was a one night stand."
"Supposed to be a one night stand," muttered Snape.
"What was that?"
"To me, it wasn't a one night stand."
Hermione smiled as much as she could until Snape's lips caught hers in a long, passionate kiss.
Snape yelped, waking Hermione, who was curled up against his chest.
"What is it?" she yawned.
"Headache." He kissed her tenderly. "You should probably head back to Gryffindor Tower."
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked, as Snape grimaced through a fresh wave of pain.
"It's only a headache," he replied, with his best attempt at a smile.
"Good-bye then."
"Good-bye."
She was gone. Snape pulled on robes, a cloak, and a mask, and raced towards Hogsmeade to answer Voldemort's call.
TBC
A/N: Sorry it's been taking so long for me to update. Also, in case you can't guess, this is probably going to be the last purely fluffy chapter for a while. (But not the last one altogether for a while, I'm hoping to update again soon!) Thank you to my reviewers!!
"Where have you been?" asked Harry as Ron's mouth fell open in disbelief.
Hermione stared. "I was with- working on my- fell asleep." It was the first time in memory she hadn't been able to form a logical answer to a logical question.
Ron stared blankly at her, understanding blossoming on his face, before stomping out of the dungeons. With a hurried "I'll talk to him" Harry followed.
Hermione was still leaning against the door to Snape's dungeon, tears streaming down her cheeks, when it opened two hours later.
Sirius opened his eyes groggily and pulled on a shirt. Who could that be at- he looked at the clock- 1:49 AM? Yawning, he walked to and opened the door.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late. I hope you don't mind?" The lilt in his former fiancée's voice prompted a response from Sirius.
"Not at all," he replied, quite flustered. "Come-Come in." He had never seen her like this. She seemed timid, apprehensive. As she sat on the corner of a chair, a tear ran down her cheek.
"I can't- I'm sorry- I don't- I didn't know where else to go." She stammered. The tears were flowing freely now.
"Rayna..." Sirius murmured, kneeling in front of the chair and pulling her into his arms. Sinking to the floor, she tucked her head under his chin.
Sirius was crying by now as well, and so they sat, tears mixing together, for nearly an hour.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Sirius asked timidly once the tears had receded, provoking a nod from Rayna.
Ten minutes later, the former lovers were sitting across form one another, mugs of steaming tea in front of them.
"I'm sorry, but what exactly were you trying to say earlier?" Sirius asked, yet again, timidly.
Rayna smiled weakly through her resurgence of tears. "I-I'm afraid that I'm too much of a free spirit to follow through with this marriage."
"Do you love him?" Rayna's green eyes flashed as she flicked them upwards to look at Sirius. They clearly conveyed that she would not answer the question.
"Would you like to stay?" Sirius asked, voicing his thoughts.
Another weak smile touched Rayna's lips. "Please."
Rayna rolled over again and looked at the clock. Fifteen minutes. It had only been fifteen minutes. There was no way this could work.
She sighed, and climbed out of the bed. Why had she come here? There was no possible way this could end manageably. Mind racing, she shyly knocked on the doorframe to the rom where Sirius slept. His groggy voice called. "C'min." He smiled at her. "Can I help you?"
"I don't know." She smiled back, sitting on the floor next to his bed and facing him. The silence that fell then communicated more than anything they had said that night. "Sirius..." Rayna began, but was quieted when he put two fingers to her lips. Slowly as if asking permission to proceed, the two fingers slid under her chin and raised her face to his for a tender kiss that quickly evolved into desperate and hungry. Sirius scooped Rayna into his arms, laying her on the bed under him as they shed their robes.
"Hermione?" Snape opened the door.
"Professor, please, just leave this alone," Hermione replied, wiping her eyes.
"I think you can call me Severus-not in class, mind you-and leave what alone and why?"
"Leave tonight alone. Because I don't need you to tell me it was a one night stand."
"Supposed to be a one night stand," muttered Snape.
"What was that?"
"To me, it wasn't a one night stand."
Hermione smiled as much as she could until Snape's lips caught hers in a long, passionate kiss.
Snape yelped, waking Hermione, who was curled up against his chest.
"What is it?" she yawned.
"Headache." He kissed her tenderly. "You should probably head back to Gryffindor Tower."
"Are you going to be all right?" she asked, as Snape grimaced through a fresh wave of pain.
"It's only a headache," he replied, with his best attempt at a smile.
"Good-bye then."
"Good-bye."
She was gone. Snape pulled on robes, a cloak, and a mask, and raced towards Hogsmeade to answer Voldemort's call.
TBC
A/N: Sorry it's been taking so long for me to update. Also, in case you can't guess, this is probably going to be the last purely fluffy chapter for a while. (But not the last one altogether for a while, I'm hoping to update again soon!) Thank you to my reviewers!!