Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (challenges & assignments)

Auction: Day 25, Auction 2 - Hermione/Sirius

Summary: Hermione is looking for the perfect book to start reading and Sirius wants to help her find it...

W/C: 762

A/N: Hopefully this small slice of life fluff isn't too bad.

The Right Book

Hermione traced her fingers along the spines of the books in the small library of Grimmauld Place. She kept looking at the various titles, waiting for the right one to 'speak' to her. She'd been in a terrible reading slump lately, not even a good non-fiction book was helping.

Sirius, already in the library, busy going through the books they had over recent weeks, glanced at her as he swiped his wand over the cover, a quill hovering a piece of parchment started scribbling the title down. "Everything alright, my love?" he asked when she sighed heavily.

She looked over her shoulder at her boyfriend of the last year, giving him a doleful smile. "I'm struggling to find a good book to hook me in." She turned sharply to face him. "Maybe I should help you organise the rest of the books?" She'd offered before but he was concerned about curses his parents might have put on them.

Picking up the small pile from the coffee table he was working on, Sirius got up from the couch and went to her. He placed them in a gap on a nearby shelf. He pulled her into a tight hug. "Hello, by the way. How was work?" he asked, having not seen her for most of the week.

Hermione rested her cheek on his chest, the soft material of his shirt smelt of his aftershave. She could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady, and it relaxed her. She loved hugging Sirius, he always made her feel safe from everything in the whole world. "Stressful, but nothing I can't handle."

Sirius kissed the top of her head. "As always." He pulled back, rubbing her upper arms, nodding his head at the pile of books he'd put down. "Why don't you have a look through them, see if there's anything that catches your eye."

"Okay." Anything was worth looking at this point. She just wanted to read and get lost in a different world for a bit. She frowned when Sirius leant an elbow on the shelf and watched her start to go through them. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," he said quickly. Too quickly. "Maybe flick through them. Sometimes I find seeing if the chapters are short or long can help. You don't have to get too invested if they're short chapters."

"Sirius?"

"Hermione?" he replied with a smirk.

"You're waffling."

"Am I?"

"Are you trying to prank me?" she asked, putting the top book back down no the pile.

"Nope."

He said it without blinking. He was telling the truth. "What are you hiding?"

"I'm just trying to help you find the right book. That's all," he said, amusement in his grey eyes.

She knew he wasn't lying about that, but she wasn't sure on why he was so invested. Usually he was trying to steal her book away because she wasn't giving him enough attention.

"Okay," she said, not fully convinced she was safe to start flicking through them, but she did.

Sirius started moving closer with each book, almost like he was too restless to stay still. At one point she thought he was going to start flicking through the pages for her. There was definitely something hiding in a book, so by the fourth one out of nine, Hermione stopped going through the pages, instead settling for only opening the front cover.

She found it in the seventh book.

Hermione squeaked, nearly dropping the book in surprise. She didn't even know she could make a noise like that. She looked at Sirius, who appeared to be holding his breath and stared at her expectantly and wide-eyed. There, carved out in the book, was a small square no bigger than two inches wide. And in it was a delicate antique ring with an oval shaped sapphire.

"Is this…" She couldn't finish the question, her throat dry and her heart racing.

Sirius reached over to take the ring out of its hiding place. She watched the ring, not noticing him take the book away and put it back on the pile. It felt like the world was tilting as Sirius got down on one knee.

"Hermione, will you— oof!"

Hermione had practically rugby tackled him to the floor, showering kisses all over his face.

"Woman! I hadn't finished my question," Sirius berated with a laugh, now flat on his back.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, sitting up, nearly elbowing him the stomach. "As you were."

Sirius sat up, crossing his legs and facing Hermione, holding the ring up between them. "My darling girl, will you marry me?"

"Yes! Of course I will!"