Anything But Mine

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own anything in the Harry Potter universe. The only thing that belongs to me is the idea and Brenda. This is for entertainment purposes only.

Summary: SBHG. Sirius has fallen for her. The only problem is that she married someone else. I just don't see how you could ever be anything but mine.

A/N: There are NO spoilers in here for the Half-Blood Prince. It is a wonderful book that I have already finished, but I understand a lot of you haven't, so I am pretending I haven't read it yet.

Chapter 3 - Can't let Go

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Do you even realize
The sorrow I have inside
Everyday of my life
Do you know the way it feels
When all you have just dies
I try and try
To deny that I need you
But still you remain on my mind

No I just can't get you out of my mind
I never can say goodbye
'Cause every night
I see you in my dreams
You're all I know
I can't let you go
Even though I try
I can't let go of something that I need so badly
You're all I know
I can't let go

Can't Let Go - Mariah Carey

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"The party is wonderful!" Fred yelled over the sound of the music to Hermione.

She smiled as she looked around the room. "You are right. Ginny and Tonks did a wonderful job decorating!"

"You did your part Hermione." Ginny said, walking up to her. Ginny was wearing a soft blue dress that fell just below her knees and she had her hair up in a twist.

"You look wonderful Gin." Hermione said, smiling at her friend.

"Yeah Gin, you look great." Fred chimed in, grinning at his sister.

Ginny shook her head at Fred before turning back to Hermione. "You look wonderful too!"

Hermione looked down at her dress. She had chosen a black dress that ended mid-thigh. It had spaghetti straps, and was normally something Hermione wouldn't dream of wearing, but she wanted to do something to make herself feel prettier.

"Thanks!" she said to Ginny, as they walked away from Fred. "Where's Harry?"

"I don't know, probably off with Sirius somewhere." Ginny replied, her voice lower now that they were away from the music.

"Sirius is here?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, he got here about twenty minutes ago." Ginny said.

"I am going to ask him to give me away at the wedding." Hermione said, her heart sinking as she thought about the wedding.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ginny asked, noticing the change in her friend's behavior.

"Fine. I'm going to go find Sirius, I'll catch up with you in a little bit." Hermione said, smiling at Ginny as she walked away.

She paced the room, looking for Sirius or Harry. A flash of blonde caught her eye, and Hermione turned to see a pretty witch walk in, smiling at Fred and Bill as she made her way to the punch. Hermione saw Ron break away from his mom, going over to greet the witch immediately.

She raised an eyebrow as she watched Ron greet the woman, just as Harry and Sirius walked up.

"Hey 'Mione, whatcha staring at?" Harry said, following her gaze.

"Who is she?" Hermione asked, her voice weak.

"Oh, that's Brenda. She works at Fred and George's shop." Harry explained. "Her and Ron are just friends, I wouldn't worry about it."

Sirius could tell by the way Hermione's jaw was clenched that she was worrying about it. He turned back to Ron, who was still chatting with the woman. Sirius fought the urge to go rip Ron's head off. Didn't he notice his fiancée was standing ten feet away from him?

Harry was watching Ron also, and Sirius didn't miss the anger that flashed over his godson's face.

"Do you want to dance 'Mione?" Harry asked her, trying to keep the smile on her face.

"Sure." she replied, taking his hand. She smiled at Sirius. "Keep a dance open for me Sirius, I wanted to ask you something."

"For you, anything." Sirius said, his voice playful although he was being completely serious.

He watched Harry lead her out on the dance floor. She looked incredible in that black dress, her hair down and flowing around her shoulders. Sirius shook his head, he needed to stop.

Sitting down in a chair off to the side of the table, where he could still keep an eye on Ron and watch Hermione dance, Sirius let his mind wander. He could still remember the moment he knew he was in love with her.

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(Flashback - One Year Ago)

"Happy Christmas Sirius." Hermione said, her face red as she handed him a package wrapped in bright blue paper.

"Hermione, you didn't have to get me anything." Sirius said, his voice tight.

"I wanted to. It's not much, but it made me think of you when I saw it." she said.

They were alone in the kitchen at The Burrow, everyone else was outside throwing snowballs. Sirius had come inside to start making hot chocolate, and Hermione had followed him, claiming she was tired of Fred aiming for her every round.

Sirius took the bow of the small package gently, unwrapping it with great care. Hermione was leaning up against the counter biting her lip, her entire face pink. Sirius couldn't tell if it was from being outside or embarrassment.

Sirius opened the box to find a small snow globe. He gently lifted it out and looked at it, expecting to see a typical house with falling snow around it.

Instead, the snow globe wasn't really a snow globe at all. It was a scene of the night stars, and they were twinkling. He was surprised to see the star he was named after sparkled the brightest.

"I know it's silly…." Hermione's voice was saying.

He turned to look at her, amazed that she had picked this gift out for him. "It's not silly Hermione, it's beautiful." he said, smiling at her.

"You like it?" she asked.

Sirius walked over to her and threw his arms around her, drawing her into a big hug. "I love it." he said. "Happy Christmas Hermione."

(End Flashback)

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Sirius had fallen in love with her the moment he had pulled the star globe out of the box. She had captured his heart with that one gift. He had received chocolates from Molly and Tonks, a scarf from Ginny, a trick wand from Fred and George and a new motorbike from Harry, but nothing had meant as much as that little star globe that was still sitting on his bedside table.

"Are you ready for that dance." Hermione's voice said. Sirius looked up to see her standing in front of him. Her engagement ring was sparkling and it reminded him of that small star sparkling in his hand Christmas morning.

"Sure." he said, slipping her hand into his own. Her skin was warm, and he grasped her hand tighter than he should as they moved across the floor, finding a rhythm.

"You are an excellent dancer." Hermione said.

"Thanks." Sirius replied.

Hermione sighed as she enjoyed being led around on the dance floor by Sirius. He really was an excellent dancer, and it felt good to be moving in rhythm, letting her mind go as she felt the music. His body was strong and hard, pressed against hers. He smelled like wood and sunshine, and it was a very pleasant smell.

"I needed to ask you a favor Sirius." she finally said.

"Sure, what do you need?" he asked, his mouth almost against her ear as they moved.

"With daddy gone, I don't have anyone to walk me down the aisle. I was hoping you could." Hermione said, looking up at him.

His eyes flashed dark for a moment, before he smiled at her. "No problem." he said, his voice a whisper.

She grinned. "Thank you so much!" she said throwing her arms around him in a big hug just as the music stopped. "It means a lot to me, it's just one less thing I have to worry about."

"No problem at all Hermione." Sirius choked out, before smiling at her and making his way over to the punch bowl.

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"Have you seen Ron?" Harry asked Ginny.

"No, not since he got here." she replied.

"Are you two looking for Ron?" Remus asked, walking up with Tonks behind him.

"Yes, have you seen him?" Harry asked.

"He was with Fred and George a little bit ago." Remus replied.

"I wonder if Hermione is with him now." Ginny said.

"No, she was dancing with Sirius when I left her." Harry said.

Remus felt a grin break out on his face. "Hermione was dancing with Sirius?"

"Yeah. She was going to ask him to give her away at the wedding." Harry explained.

Remus felt like someone had thrown cold water on him. He felt Tonks squeeze his hand, and knew she felt the same way.

Sirius would say yes, of course. He couldn't say no to Hermione, no matter what she had requested, but Remus knew it probably cut Sirius deep to be asked to give her away.

"I'm going to find her before she asks, I wanted to do it." Remus explained, hurrying away from Tonks, Harry and Ginny.

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Sirius sat down on the bench, listening to the music from inside as he stared at the sky.

"She already asked you?" Remus asked him, sitting down beside Sirius.

"Yes." Sirius grunted, not looking at Remus.

"And you said yes, of course." Remus said.

"Yes." Sirius grunted again.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Because she asked me to. I would give her the moon if she asked me to. If this is what she wants from me, I'll do it. I need her Remus. And the only way I can have her is as a friend." Sirius explained, his voice deep.

"Why don't I tell her I really want to do it? Then you won't have to." Remus volunteered.

"No. She wanted me to, and I will." Sirius said, standing up. "I'm going home. Tell Harry I said goodbye." he said, before stepping down the path and disappearing with a crack.

"Did she already ask?" Tonks said, stepping outside just as Sirius left.

"Yes." Remus said, the worry clear in his voice.

"Why in the world did Sirius say he would do it?" Tonks asked.

"Because he loves her." Remus simply answered, taking his girlfriend's hand and reentering the party.