A/N: Many thanks to Muggle Jane and Krissy for looking this over for me. Thank you all for the amazing reviews! xx

Disclaimer: The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

Chapter 22

They landed on the doorstep of number twelve. Sirius quickly opened the door and they stepped inside. Once inside, he turned to Hermione. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, Sirius, just a bit shaken up." She caught her breath and realized her body was trembling slightly.

"Come on, I'll make you a cup of tea." He took her hand and led her back towards the kitchen. She took a seat at the table as he went about preparing them both tea.

"I didn't expect to see him today," Hermione said after a few moments of silence. "I feel like an idiot."

A smirk appeared on Sirius's face. "I very much doubt you're an idiot, Hermione. You're far too smart to be one."

"But I didn't feel smart back there," Hermione protested. "I felt like a small child in need of protection. When I heard his voice…" she trailed off. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. "I just froze, Sirius. I didn't know what to do."

"Hermione, you don't ever need to be afraid," Sirius assured her, placing a cup of tea in front of her. "I will always keep you safe. I promised I would."

"But what if it happens again? He's obviously planning something… He practically admitted it."

Sirius shrugged. "You'll be with Harry or Ron. Hermione, please don't worry. You're my wife, and I'm your husband. Nothing will change that."

She took a sip of her tea and let out a content sigh. "Ah, I needed that."

"A cup of tea always cheers me up," Sirius responded.

"You don't strike me as a tea drinker," Hermione said with a smile.

Sirius flushed. "Er, I may put a little something extra in mine to make it more… potent."

Hermione arched her brow.

"There's nothing wrong with that!" he protested. "Besides, that certainly calms my nerves."

"I never got that book," Hermione stated abruptly, frowning.

Sirius watched her carefully. "Hermione, its fine. I'll order it by owl and have them send it to Hogwarts."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. It's not that big of a deal," Sirius responded. "Now what would you like to do? We've got three hours before Tonks and Remus come over for dinner."

"I think I'd like to sit in the library. Would that be all right?"

"Of course it would," Sirius said, standing. "Do you want me to walk you there?"

Hermione shook her head. "I very much doubt anything will happen to me in my own home." She froze at her words. Yes, she supposed Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was her home now.

Sirius looked incredibly pleased with himself. "Yes, Hermione, this is your home now. Feel free to decorate it as you will. Merlin knows the house needs a feminine touch."

"All right." She stood and gently kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later, love."

Sirius wrapped his arms around her before she could walk away. "How about a proper kiss, wife?"

Hermione flushed at the closeness of their bodies. She could feel her cheeks grow warmer with every passing second. Looking at Sirius, she saw he was staring at her intently. Standing on her tiptoes, Hermione gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She then moved out of his embrace and headed towards the stairs.

She groaned when the moth-eaten velvet curtains flew open. She placed her hands over her ears and braced herself for Walburga Black's curses. Sure enough, she could hear the screams and insults even though she had blocked her ears.

"Mudblood scum!" she screeched. "Dirtying the house of my fathers!"

Hermione moved forward and started to tug the curtains shut.

"Disgusting freak!" she spat at Hermione, spittle flying from her mouth. "Scum of the earth."

Hermione paused, looking at Walburga carefully. She knew the portrait was stuck to the wall by a permanent sticking charm, but there had to be something she could do.

"Listen here, you vile woman," Hermione said, her voice low and menacing. She pointed her wand at the portrait. "I'm going to find a way to remove your painting, mark my words."

"Mudblood scum," Walburga hissed. "I'd like to see you try."

Determined to find a way to get rid of the ghastly portrait, Hermione headed to the library. She perused the books on the wall until she found the one she needed. It was A Guide to Household Charms. She hoped that there would be something in there that could be of some help.

Hermione curled up in the red chair near the fireplace. Pointing her wand at the fireplace, she started a small fire. She made herself comfortable and opened her book.

Sirius glanced at the clock and realized that it was almost time for Tonks and Remus to arrive. He was glad they decided on getting Thai take-away instead of cooking. Tonks offered to pick it up from the Muggle restaurant down the street on her way here. They had gotten a bit of everything as no one was sure what Hermione liked.

"Better go get her," Sirius murmured to himself. "No doubt she's gotten herself lost in her book."

He headed up the stairs to the library. He had heard his mother yelling earlier and had wondered how Hermione had taken it. Hopefully she wasn't too upset. His mother could be a cruel woman. She always had been, even when Sirius was a child.

"Hermione, there you are," he said when he saw her curled up in a chair, a book lying open in her lap.

"Sirius," she responded, smiling when she saw him. "There's something I want to ask you."

He took a seat in the chair near hers. "Ask away."

Hermione closed the book and shifted in her seat. She gave him a smile that showed she was clearly up to something. "You said this was my home, right? And that I could do what I wanted with it?"

"Yes?" Sirius answered carefully. He didn't like the wicked look that had appeared in her eyes.

"Good, I want to show you something." She stood and headed out of the library, Sirius following close behind. They walked down the stairs and stopped in the hallway. "What do you see?"

Sirius arched his brow at her. "My mother's portrait, along with a lot of my other annoying relatives, and some creepy House Elves' heads."

"Now imagine it gone."

"I'm sorry, what?" Sirius asked, looking at her. "What do you mean gone?"

"I mean gone," she repeated. "The whole wall gone."

"But then it won't be a hallway," Sirius pointed out.

"We don't need a hallway. Haven't you ever heard of an open concept? If we get rid of this wall, then we'll have the living room opened up wide. The kitchen and living room won't be separate anymore, making the space feel larger. Besides, it would really let some light in."

Sirius glanced at the wall, considering her words. "Where did you come up with this idea?"

Hermione blushed. "I was trying to figure out how to get rid of your mother. Unfortunately, the sticking charm is permanent so there's no way to remove the portrait from the wall. So then I started thinking about everything else wrong with the wall. All your family members do is argue and scream, and the house-elf heads are creepy. Getting rid of the wall would solve all those problems." She glanced at him. "What do you think?"

He grinned as he moved towards her. He picked her up in his arms and twirled her around. When he placed her back on her feet, he gave her a quick kiss. "You are a genius! I don't know why I didn't think of that before when I tried removing her portrait."

Hermione blushed even more. "I just figured that might be the only way to get rid of her. But you like my idea?"

"I love it," Sirius replied. "I'll talk to Remus about finding someone to help us remove the wall."

"What about Arthur and Molly?" Hermione suggested. "They built the Burrow, so I'm sure they're both good with constructions charms."

Sirius gave her another quick kiss. "Once again, Hermione, you're a genius. Don't know what I'd do without you."

"Me either," she whispered, smiling at him. She could have been stuck married to Malfoy or another Death Eater. What would have happened to her then? She imagined torture, rape, and other sorts of cruel behaviors. She hugged Sirius tightly, overcome with emotion for just how much he'd done for her. "Thank you," she whispered against his chest.

Sirius returned the hug. "There's no need to thank me, Hermione." He pressed a kiss to the top of her bushy curls. "I consider myself to be quite lucky to have someone like you in my life. You're a very kind woman, and I have to admit, I'm sort of enjoying be married to you." He chuckled. "Who'd have thought?"

Hermione looked up at him, pleased with his words. "Me too," she replied. She was glad to hear that he was enjoying their marriage like she was. It wasn't really that bad of an arrangement.

"Hello!"

They both turned to see the front door open and Remus and Tonks stepped inside. As usual, Tonks tripped over something, causing Mrs. Black to start screeching about "Mudbloods" and "Impurities!" Soon, the other portraits chimed in and it was a loud mess.

"Sorry!" Tonks shouted over the mess. "I've got the food!" She held up a brown paper bag.

"Let's go to the kitchen!" Sirius shouted. He shut his mother's curtains and quickly left the hall. Once they were all in the kitchen, he shut the door. "That wall is definitely coming down."

Remus perked up at that bit of news. "What did you say?"

Sirius grinned. "Hermione had this wonderful idea of bringing that whole wall down. We'll get rid of all my family members in one go!"

"Brilliant idea," Tonks said, placing the food on the table. "We got a bit of everything, Hermione." She unpacked the food while Remus got plates and silverware. Sirius set about getting everyone drinks.

"Smells delicious," Hermione commented, her stomach growling.

"We've got Tom Yam Goong, Pad Thai, Chicken Cashew Nuts, Fried Rice, Green Curry Chicken, and yellow curry." She pointed to each dish as she listed them. "Oh, and there's curry puffs, Remus's favorite." Tonks smiled at Remus.

The four sat down to eat. Hermione put a little of everything on her plate, eager to try it all. She hadn't had Thai food in a very long time. Her parents didn't care for it very much so they rarely ordered it.

Dinner was going well. Tonks was sharing the latest on a raid they had done on a lower status Death Eater family and Hermione was listening intently when something brushed against her upper thigh. She almost dropped her fork when she realized it was Sirius's hand and that it was now moving up even higher.

"All right, Hermione?" Remus asked. "You look rather flushed."

Hermione blushed even more. "It's just the spices in the food. It's rather hot."

"That's curry for you," Tonks said, giving her a knowing wink.

Hermione did her best to continue to eat, but it was difficult with Sirius's hand now drawing circles on her thigh. She refused to look at him, however, because she knew if she did, she would lose it completely. She could just imagine the little smirk on his face right now. She'd get him back, though.

The rest of dinner went by quickly and soon Tonks and Remus were going home. Hermione hugged them each good-bye and thanked them both for coming.

After they left, Hermione let out an exaggerated yawn. She stretched her arms upwards and arched her back. "I'm exhausted."

Sirius appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss to her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder. "It is rather late. Why don't we turn in?"

"Sounds like a lovely idea." Hermione pulled herself from his arms and headed up the stairs. She swung her hips a little more than she usually did knowing that he was watching. She grabbed her things from his — their — room and then headed to the bathroom. She took her time getting ready, making sure she looked great. For her night clothes, she decided on a small tee shirt and some little cheeky knickers.

Checking over her appearance in the mirror, Hermione smirked. "This will teach him to mess with me."

Hermione left the bathroom and returned to the bedroom. She was pleased to see Sirius was sitting up in the bed. He wasn't wearing a shirt so she could see all of his tattoos.

"You look nice," he purred, smirking at her as she sat on her side of the bed. "And you smell lovely as well."

"Thank you," Hermione said, giving him a smile. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before turning over on her side. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight?" Sirius asked, a frown on his face. He scooted closer to her and nuzzled her neck. "Are you sure you want to sleep?"

"Yes," she replied. "You're not the only one who can tease."

"Tease?" Sirius asked. "Awh, come on, kitten. I was only messing around."

"Mmm, and it was entertaining at the time. I'm sure you knew the effect it had on me."

"Oh, do tell," Sirius purred.

"I was aroused," she said, turning over to face him. A small smirk was on her face. "You had me wet between the legs," she purred. "I wanted you so bad."

"Did you now?" He moved to kiss her but she quickly turned away. "Hermione," he whined.

"No, the mood has passed. I'm rather tired now, love, so I'll speak to you in the morning." She pulled the covers up over her. "Sweet dreams, Sirius."

"Damn minx," Sirius cursed before huffing.