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"And now, what about having a good swim ?" asked Sirius.
The mock Quidditch training was over, and all the players had gathered on the terrace with Hermione and Remus.
"Good idea", answered Hermione. They hadn't used the beach a lot so far, because the weather, though sunny, hadn't been warm enough.
Remus shook his head. "I'm far too comfortable here", he said. "And I want to finish that book."
"I'll join you later, but for now I must take Teddy upstairs for his nap", said Tonks.
"Well, it seems it will be just the two of you", smiled Harry. "Arthur and Molly will arrive soon, probably by floo Powder, and Ginny and I will wait for them inside."
Ten minutes later, Hermione and Sirius were walking down the path leading to the villa's small beach. Hermione realized that it was not the first time she was left conveniently alone with Sirius. It was not suprising that Ginny and Harry, the lovebirds, tended to keep to themselves, especially as Ginny had a hard time hiding that she was not particularly pleased with Hermione's presence. The redhead wasn't completely exempt from the jealous tendencies that seemed to be a family trademark, and it was difficult for her to accept that it was Hermione, and not her, who had shared Harry's adventures and dangers for years. But Tonks and Remus, as well, tended to disappear with Teddy more and more often.
They reached the small stony beach and began to undress. Sirius' burning, admirative look followed her as she entered the water in her red bathing suit, and she had to admit that Remus was right, and that what he felt for her was certainly more than deep affection and gratitude for her efforts on his behalf. As for her, she couldn't look away from his well-toned body, as perfect as the marble statues of the villa.
They began swimming. Hermione had learnt how to swim in the muggle way, of course, and she was very surprised to see that it seemed to be the case for Sirius as well.
"You didn't use the fluctuo charm ?" she asked.
"Of course not", said Sirius, laughing. "One only needs it until they know how to coordinate their movements. When I was a kid, my parents always insisted that we used the charm, even if we didn't need it anymore, so that we wouldn't swim 'like Muggles'. I remember that it was one of the first occasions when I realized how snobish and stupid my parents could be with their obsession with wizards' superiority."
They raced, dived, and then, coming back near the edge, began to splash one another. Suddenly, Hermione's foot slipped on an alga-covered stone under the water and lost her balance. Sirius caught her just in time. The closeness of his bare chest, his rapid breathing near her cheek were too intoxicating, and before she could realize what she was doing, she had taken his face in her hands and kissed his perfect lips. For a few seconds, he froze, but the thought of pulling back had barely crossed Hermione's mind before he was kissing her back passionately, his hands running through her hair, roaming over her back, her hips. Hermione had never been kissed that way, never imagined how perfect it could be, as time seemed to have stopped.
Suddenly, they heard voices coming from the path. People were coming, hidden from sight by a cover of trees and bushy rhododendrons.
"Now you're going to see our little beach", said Ginny's voice.
They abruptly pulled away, Hermione sitting on a nearby rock while Sirius dived back in the water.
As the newcomers, Ginny and her parents, appeared out of the bush and reached the beach, Arthur greeted them with his usual cheefulness. But Molly's smile was obviously forced.