A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters
This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Auction Day 21 Sirius Black
Word Count: 2362
Cover Image created by DarkAngelOfSorrowsReturns
Ginny set the plate on the drying rack and sighed. No one had warned her life would be like this. Honestly, if she'd realized just how boring being domestic was, she would have probably run screaming the other way. She'd married Harry after the war, everyone had expected them to. She'd thought she loved him, and in a way she did still. But the excitement had died entirely now that the wizarding world was safe.
For a while, Ginny found that adrenaline high on the pitch playing chaser for the Harpies. That had come to an abrupt end when a rogue bludger had knocked her from the skies. She still had gaps in her memory. She and Harry had talked about kids, almost nonstop it seemed, but then the universe had decided it hated the pair of them and Ginny found out she was unable to bear children. That blow had finally caused the wedge between them.
Now, she stayed home and played house wife while Harry was an auror. She wondered if her life would ever be exciting again, or if this was all there was? She checked the oven, the roast was almost done. A quick glance at the clock told her Harry was currently traveling, which mean he would be home in a moment. She put the dish towel down, drained the water, and walked to the front door.
"Ginny, I'm home," Harry's voice called. Ginny smiled slightly. While things were Harry weren't great, she was still happy to see him, but she realized it was in the way she would be happy to see one of her good friends, not the man she was supposed to love.
"We're having roast for dinner," Ginny answered seeing Harry stepping inside. He was followed by someone.
"Good, I hope there's enough for a guest. Things are the ministry have gone completely insane," Harry said, stepping aside so their guest could enter the house. Ginny nearly fainted at the sight of the man she, and everyone else, had believed dead.
"Harry, is that..."
"Sirius Black, alive? Yes," Harry answered. "There was an incident in the DoM, and the veil was destroyed. We're still trying to piece together what happened, but after that, Sirius here appeared. He's been thoughtly examined, quizzed, questioned, and anything else we can think of, Ginny. He's really Sirius," Harry stated. Ginny nodded, unable to stop staring at Sirius. He still had long hair, but he was a bit more clean shaven. He was thinner and wearing a set of basic black robes. Ginny wondered what had happened to the clothing he'd been wearing when he'd vanished.
"Ginny? Are you alright?"
Ginny snapped back, flashed Harry a smile.
"I'm fine," she answered. "Just going to go get another place setting," she said, darting back to the kitchen, her heart pounding. She remembered the crush she'd had on Sirius as a teenager, how she had tried to kiss him, how his death had been a complete blow for her. And now, here he was, standing in her house. She grabbed another plate and set of silverware, turned, and found herself facing Sirius.
"Harry said something about helping you?" he asked.
"That's... um, right. The roast is in the over, care to grab it?" she asked, wondering why her thoughts were racing. Yes, she knew things with Harry weren't perfect, but why the bloody hell did her mind have to start thinking about what Sirius looked like under those robes?
"Sure," Sirius answered, crossing the kitchen, nearly running into Ginny, who felt her face flush brightly.
"Still have that crush on me?" he joked, making Ginny blush even brighter. She was sure her face matched her hair by this point.
"You remember that," she whispered.
"I also remember you cornering me under the mistletoe and trying for a kiss," he added, giving her a wink.
"That was... years ago. I mean, I'm married now, and you're... well, how old are you?"
"Same age as when I died – thirty-five. Harry told me I've been dead over twenty years?"
"Yes, it has been that long," Ginny answered, realizing they were nearly the same age now. All the arguments about her being a child, about her being too young to feel like she did, those were all gone now.
She became very aware that she was standing against the wall, Sirius in front of her, Harry in the other room. For a moment, her body begged her to kiss him. She took a step forward. Her eyes met Sirius', how many nights had she dreamed about those eyes and the wizard to whom they belonged?
"I could never break you and Harry up, Ginny. He's my godson."
"Right, right," Ginny said, breaking eye contact and slipping past Sirius. She grabbed the pot of potatoes off the stove.
"You said the roast was in the oven?"
"Yes, if you could grab it please," she replied, carrying the potatoes to the dining room, trying not to think about what had almost happened. Could she really throw away her marriage of over ten years because of a crush she'd had as a teenager?
Dinner was awkward, with Ginny and Sirius trying not to look at each other while Harry talked about his day at work, randomly throwing questions to either of them. Ginny tried to listen, but instead, her thoughts wondered to what was going to happen to Sirius now?
Harry still owned Grimmauld Place, although they weren't living there. Occasionally Harry talked about it, but neither really wanted to live in a place that included Walburga Black's portrait yelling at them. They still hadn't managed to find a way to undo the sticking charm she'd used.
"How long are you going to stay with us?" Ginny finally asked, half afraid of the answer. The longer he was here, the harder it was going to be resist.
"A few days to get my affairs in order, make sure the old place still recognizes me, although Harry assures me it should be fine. I don't know if I'm going to stay there though, not even sure I'm going to stay in Britain. I mean, there's a whole world out there and things around here... they're different than I remember them. There's too many people missing," he added sadly. Ginny nodded, thinking about everyone they'd lost since they'd lost Sirius.
"I'm going to buy myself another motorbike, since I heard my last one got destroyed?"
"Yeah, it kind of crashed and burned," Harry answered. Ginny thought about that motorbike sometimes, how she had tried to repair it, having managed to find most of the pieces. Her dad had tried to help her, not understanding that it meant more to her than just fixing a motorbike.
"Not a big deal. I'm sure I can find something similar," Sirius laughed.
"I could go with you, help you look?" Ginny offered. "I've nothing to do most days while Harry works," she added, giving Harry a smile. It felt fake on her face.
"That sounds good. We can start tomorrow afternoon. I'm planning on sleeping in," Sirius stated. "Who would have thought being dead would be so tiring?" he asked, laughing. Ginny nodded, she'd always heard you could sleep when you were dead, but apparently that wasn't the case.
"You can sleep in the guest room," Harry said. "It's up the stairs and to the right. If you need anything, Ginny will be happy to help you. Right, Ginny?"
"Of course," she answered, wondering what Harry would say about certain needs she was sure both her and Sirius had. She quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind. She was married, dammit! Harry was sitting right there. Why the bloody hell couldn't her body burn for him, he's the one she was supposed to be with, for better or worse. She remembered those vows, remembered saying them, looking into Harry's green eyes – still the same color as a pickled toad, and promising herself to him. Now, why was she even thinking about this, thinking about how it would feel to have Sirius' hands on her body. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She was nearly certain he was undressing her with his eyes, thinking the same things as she was.
"I should get started on the dishes," she said out loud, anything to get her mind off her carnal desires. She knew Harry would retire to the study after dinner. He often did, to work on paperwork from the job.
"I could help?" Sirius offered, giving her a smile, like an over eager puppy. Ginny returned it slowly.
"Have you ever washed a dish in your life, Sirius?" she joked.
"Nope, but there's a time to learn, right? I mean, how hard can it be? I might have to learn a skill, I mean, what if my charming personality isn't enough anymore?" he asked.
"I think you're plenty charming," Ginny laughed. Harry just sighed and shook his head.
"I've got work to do. Sirius, if I don't see you before you turn in, good night. I'm glad you're back," Harry said, excusing himself to his study. Ginny watched him leave and sank back into her seat sighing.
"You don't love him," Sirius stated.
"We're married," Ginny replied.
"Not the same thing, Red. Not the same thing at all."
"I know, but what am I supposed to do? We've been through so much, I mean, there was the war, the everything that's happened since then. I can't just..."
"Just what?"
"Hop on a motorbike and drive off into the sunset, going wherever I feel like."
"Why not?" Sirius asked, picking up a fork and balancing it on the back of his hand. "If you're unhappy, why continue to be miserable?"
"I made a promise, a vow."
"Vows and promises are meant to be broken. Merlin, I've broken more than I've ever counted. Got any fire whiskey?"
"In the cabinet over there," Ginny nodded. "And what would I tell Harry?"
"The truth. You grew apart, there's nothing left to keep you together. Your heart belongs to another?" he suggested, pouring himself a shot. He downed it looking at Ginny. She scoffed but grabbed the bottle taking a drink directly from it.
"There's a connection between us, still, after everything."
"I've noticed. Harry hasn't."
"He always was a bit... obtuse," Sirius laughed, taking another drink. Within the half hour, the bottle was empty and Ginny was sitting in Sirius' lap.
"We could blame this on the alcohol," she muttered.
"We could, you could show me the guest room, help demonstrate how soft the bed is," he whispered in her ear.
"I shouldn't," Ginny whispered. "I shouldn't even be entertaining the idea of you and me. I mourned you, mourned my crush on you never being fulfilled, I put all that behind me. I married Harry."
"Did you ever love him?" Sirius asked. Ginny stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.
"I loved the idea of him, The thrill of it all, hell, I loved his hero complex, the whole saving the world thing. It was exciting. I thought he was exciting. Now... he's happy to live a normal boring life."
"You want more."
"I do, Sirius, I want so much more than just this," Ginny admitted, throwing her arms out to indicate the nice house, the husband with a steady job, the normalness of it all.
"Then come with me, Ginny. I'll get my bike, you'll pack a bag and you'll ride away with me, into the sunset," he stated. Ginny hesitated, thinking about it.
"Stop thinking, Red. Stop thinking and just do, thinking's what got you into this mess. The wrong guy, the wrong situation, right time to start doing what you want and not what the world expects of you."
Ginny blinked, nodding her head slowly.
"Fine, tomorrow afternoon, but I want some say in the bike," she said after a moment.
"Agreed. Good night, Red," Sirius whispered, kissing her forehead.
Ginny rose early, grabbed the small bag Hermione had enchanted for her years ago. She glanced at the empty side of the bed. Harry had to be at work early again. She sighed. Was she really going to do this? Going to leave the man she'd married?
"Having second thoughts, Red?" Sirius asked, leaning against the doorway. Ginny nodded slowly.
"A little bit. I mean, I... I'll leave him a note, but how's he going to feel learning I've run off with you?" she asked.
"Hopefully not mad enough to come after me for stealing his girl? I've had a couple jealous guys after me before, let me tell you, it's not fun."
"That doesn't help."
"Does it help that I know he didn't come to bed last night? That he stayed up all night in his study? I think he cares about you, Red, but like you, I think it's something from the past he's trying to hold on to."
"Really?"
"Really? Now, breakfast, then off we go?"
"Yeah, let me just grab a few more things," Ginny whispered, looking at the room.
"You can change your mind, you know?"
"I know, and knowing that, and that I'm about to find my own happiness does nothing to change the mixed feelings."
"You'll always have that, what could have been feelings I call them. Breakfast?"
Ginny laughed, grabbing her bag and following Sirius into the kitchen.
"I wrote Harry a note," Ginny stated, scrambling up some eggs with bacon. "I told him everything, from the moment I first saw you, the crush, how I feel we've grown apart, how I want more. I hope he understands," Ginny whispered. They ate in mostly silence, but for once, the silence wasn't something Ginny minded. She liked sitting with Sirius, liked just being in the same room with him. They finished breakfast without saying a word and headed out the door. Ginny left the note for Harry on the table, hoping he wouldn't be too upset.
"Ready then, Red?"
"Ready," Ginny answered, giving Sirius a smile as they walked out the door and into their new lives.