A/N: Many thanks to Muggle Jane and Krissy for looking this over for me. Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I know a lot of my updates have been slow, and for that I apologize. I do try my best to write when I can and I promise I won't ever abandon a story! That being said, I hope you all enjoy this update. 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 23

The next morning Hermione awoke to the feel of kisses being pressed to her neck. She let out a sleepy moan as she rolled over to face Sirius. "Good morning," she murmured before kissing him.

"Good morning," he said, quickly positioning himself above her. He moved his lips to her neck and kissed her soft skin there. "Mmm, you taste absolutely delicious." He nipped at her skin, causing Hermione to giggle.

"What are you doing, Sirius?" she asked as his hands moved lower down her body.

"I intend to make love with my wife, since she insisted on being a tease last night," Sirius purred. His hands grasped the bottom of her shirt and swiftly pulled it up over her head. "Beautiful."

"But, Sirius!" she squealed, covering her chest. "We…"

He silenced her with a kiss. "Hermione, there's nothing wrong with this. It's perfectly all right for us to have sex more than once."

She blushed intensely at his words. "Are – are you sure? I know this isn't like a real marriage."

Sirius let out a growl at her words. "It is a real marriage," Sirius insisted. "You are my wife, Hermione. Don't you ever forget it."

"I won't forget it," she mumbled, embarrassed. "I didn't mean that you weren't my husband, I just—"

He silenced her with a kiss. "Hermione, stop rambling and over-thinking. Please, just feel, all right?" She didn't respond and he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I just thought that we were a real couple."

"We are!" she insisted, frowning. "I'm sorry, Sirius. Can't you see this is complicated for me?"

He sat up and covered her naked chest with the blanket. "I know, Hermione. It's complicated for me too. I don't want you to feel that I'm pressuring you into a sexual relationship."

"You're not!" Hermione said, sitting up in bed. She still held the blanket up to cover herself. "Sirius, I know you're not pressuring me. I don't feel like you are."

"Well, now I feel like I have been. I thought you were feeling the same way as I was…" He turned and headed towards the bathroom.

"Sirius!" Hermione cried, standing up from the bed and chasing after him. She let out a frustrated scream when she saw the door was locked. She tugged on it a few times before summoning her wand. "Sirius, open it before I open it myself!" She could hear the water running.

Had he seriously started taking a shower? He really walked away from her and took a shower when there was so much they obviously needed to talk about. Her heart clenched painfully.

"Sirius!" she shouted once more. Pointing her wand at the door, she shouted, "Alohomora!" The door unlocked and swung open.

Hermione stepped inside the bathroom and saw that Sirius was indeed in the shower. She made the decision before she even realized it. She slipped her underwear off and placed her wand on the counter. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the shower.

"Hermione," he murmured, his eyes wide when he saw she had joined him in the shower.

"I want you," she whispered, looking into his silver eyes. "Please don't ever doubt my desire for you. I… I care for you more every day, Sirius. Please don't push me away."

"You care for me?" he asked, the water running down his body.

"I do," she insisted. "I really do, Sirius." She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him hungrily, their teeth and tongues colliding as they moved back against the shower wall.

"You're so sexy," he murmured, his hands going to her waist. "Do you know how sexy you look right now? With the water running down your curvaceous body?"

Hermione slid to her knees and grasped his erection. She took him into her mouth and Sirius let out a moan, his head lolling back. The water splashed down his chest towards his cock, which was disappearing deeper and deeper into her mouth. Her hands gripped his thighs, her nails digging in deeper with every passing moment.

"Fuck," he cursed, feeling his bollocks tighten. "Oh, fuck, Hermione."

She released his cock from her mouth with a pop! Peering up at him, she grinned. "You look rather attractive from this angle."

"And you look sexy as hell from this one," he growled, peering down at her. "But come up here, I want to feel you."

Hermione stood and allowed Sirius to maneuver her so she was now facing away from him. She placed her hands on the shower wall to brace herself as he moved his hand lower and slid two fingers into her. She arched back into his chest, one of her hands reaching around and grasping his thigh. "Sirius," she whimpered as he increased his speed.

"So beautiful," he murmured, pressing kisses to her wet neck.

"I want you, Sirius," Hermione moaned, pressing her arse back against him. She could feel his erection pressed against her and moaned. "Please."

"Lean forward slightly," Sirius commanded, withdrawing his fingers from her tight heat. He placed one hand on her upper back and pressed down slightly. She was now bending at the waist. Knowing that she was more than ready for him, he pushed into her wet heat from behind. A strangled curse fell from his lips as he did so.

"Oh, Sirius," Hermione moaned. She braced her hands on the slippery shower wall, trying to hold herself steady as he pounded into her. Every thrust went deeper and deeper, causing Hermione's body to tighten in anticipation. She could feel her peak approaching quickly.

"Like this, don't you?" Sirius asked, gripping her hips so tightly he was sure to leave bruises.

Hermione let out a strangled moan. "Oh, please!"

"You're such a dirty slut," Sirius growled. His crude words sent a jolt of desire through her.

"Sirius," she cried. "Faster! Harder!" The muscles in her legs tensed up, before beginning to quiver as she grew closer to her orgasm.

"With pleasure," Sirius replied, increasing his thrusts. One of his hands slid from her waist to the spot between her legs. He flicked her clit a few times, causing her to cry out loudly.

"Fuck!" Hermione cursed, her orgasm crashing into her. She moaned loudly as her body shook in pleasure. She began to move her hips back against him, hoping to spur on his orgasm.

"Hermione," he growled. His balls tightened before he came with a growl. He thrust into her, his cock throbbing as he came. When he finished, he slowly slid out of her.

Hermione panted as she turned around to face him. She led her head rest against the shower wall. "Sirius," she murmured lovingly.

Sirius cupped her cheeks and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Oh, Hermione, you sweet, beautiful witch."

"That was amazing," Hermione said with a smile. "Thank you."

Sirius let out a laugh. "Hermione, there's no need to thank me. Now come on, why don't we get washed up?"

The two of them each took turns washing each other. Sirius paid extra attention to her backside, causing Hermione to swat him away repeatedly. Eventually, she allowed Sirius to excessively lather her with soap. As they finished showering, Hermione couldn't help but admire the sexy look on Sirius's face whenever he looked at her.

It appeared he enjoyed being with her and that thought made her smile. It seemed that things were certainly working out.

Hermione headed down the stairs to the kitchen for some breakfast. Her stomach growled in anticipation. She was starving.

She froze when she saw Dumbledore standing in the kitchen. Sirius was with him, a worried expression on his face.

"Headmaster, has something happened?"

Dumbledore looked at her, the twinkle in his eyes long gone. "I'm afraid, Mrs. Black, that you'll have to return to the school with me now. I know it's a bit earlier than scheduled, but I need Sirius to do something for the Order."

Hermione bit her lip, looking to Sirius. He nodded to her, giving her a sympathetic glance. "All right, Headmaster. I'll just go grab my things." She turned around and headed upstairs, trying to ignore the twisting feeling in her gut.

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Sirius bounding up the stairs. He caught up with her quickly and pulled her in his arms for a hug. He squeezed her tightly.

"Please promise me you'll be careful," Hermione whispered, her face pressed against his chest. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

"I promise I'll be safe, Hermione. Don't worry, okay? I used to be an Auror. I'm more than capable of being cautious." He looked down on her, an impish grin on his face.

"Just, please," she repeated. "I can't get Lucius's words out of my head. This could be a trap."

"I know," Sirius murmured. "Dumbledore thinks the same thing, but we can't take any chances. I need to go. Innocent lives are in danger."

Hermione resisted the urge to cry. She could feel her eyes watering, but did her best to keep her tears from spilling over. She only hugged him tighter, hoping that nothing bad would happen to him.

"Hermione, I'll be fine," Sirius said. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face upwards. "Please, don't cry." He wiped away the few tears that had fallen. "I'll see you next weekend, okay?"

She nodded. "All right, Sirius. Please, owl me as soon as you can to let me know you're all right."

"I will," he promised. He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Go on and get your things. I'll wait for you in the hall."

Hermione walked to his… their bedroom. Once inside, she grabbed her bag and made sure she had everything she needed. Glancing around the room, her eyes landed on the bed. It seemed that despite having sex twice, neither time had taken place on the bed. There's always next week, she reminded herself.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Hermione headed towards the kitchen. She met with Sirius in the hallway and gave him a chaste kiss. He held her hand as they walked to the kitchen.

"Ready, Mrs. Black?" Dumbledore asked. When she nodded, he motioned to the fireplace. "After you."

Hermione took one last look at Sirius before stepping into the fireplace. "Headmaster Dumbledore's office!" she shouted, disappearing in a puff of green smoke.

Dumbledore turned to Sirius once she was gone. "I need you to leave immediately. The Witmer family is in danger."

Sirius nodded. "I'll leave at once."

"Good luck," Dumbledore said to him before Flooing away as well.

Hermione headed towards the library. She didn't want to go to her room just yet. Her stomach tumbled uncomfortably. She was worried about Sirius.

Sirius had promised he would be careful and Hermione was sure he would, but she couldn't help but feel like something bad was going to happen. Lucius had certainly threatened them yesterday and then, all of a sudden, there's trouble. Hermione could only suspect that Lucius had set a trap. In fact, she was sure of it.

Nothing I can do about it, she thought sadly. Sirius had already left and the only thing she could do was hope for the best.

She took a seat at her favourite spot in the library. There was a table in the back corner that not many students knew about. Hermione liked to spend her time doing homework there. It was quiet and she was able to get her work done in peace.

"Hermione!"

Looking up, Hermione saw a panting Ginny standing there. "Ginny, hello."

Ginny took a seat. "I had just heard from Professor McGonagall that you had returned." Ginny glanced around, making sure that they were alone. "What were you thinking? Walking around alone like this."

Hermione glanced downwards. In truth she had been so worried about Sirius that she didn't even think about the younger Malfoy. "Sorry, Ginny. My mind was elsewhere," she explained.

Ginny arched her brow. "Oh? Why don't you tell me about it?" Ginny raised her wand and said, "Muffliato."

"Well, Sirius and I went to Diagon Alley yesterday and we were confronted by Malfoy, Sr."

"What?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide with worry. "What happened?"

"He threatened us. Said that neither of us should get too comfortable in the marriage." Hermione frowned. "And then this morning, Dumbledore appears and tells Sirius that he needs to go somewhere on Order business." She shook her head, curls tumbling about. "It's certainly a trap, Ginny. I'm worried about Sirius."

Ginny frowned. "I'm sure he'll be all right. Sirius is more than capable of defending himself. Remember the Ministry? He's quite a skilled dueler."

"Yes, I know," Hermione murmured softly. She glanced at Ginny. "This weekend was just so nice."

A knowing smile appeared on Ginny's face. "Why don't you tell me all about it? What did you do?"

"It was nice. We went to Diagon Alley. He added me to his Gringotts accounts, which I thought was incredible. He said it was because he wanted our children and me to be okay financially if anything were to happen to him."

"That's actually really nice of him," Ginny stated. "It's not required in the law at all. He's just being caring."

"I know," Hermione said, a smile on her face. "It was sweet of him. After the Malfoy incident, we headed back to Grimmauld Place. I decided that in order to get rid of Sirius's Mum, we just have to take out the whole wall."

"Really?"

"Yes!" Hermione said with a nod. "We're going to open up the whole house. It'll be nice once it's finished."

"You're really putting your touch on the place, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Hermione replied. "It is my home after all." She glanced at the time. "Oh, Ginny, come on, it's time for lunch."

"Oh, right!" Ginny said, standing. "I know the boys will be eager to see you're in one piece."

Hermione blushed, shaking her head. "I know they worry, but there's really no need. I am a capable fighter."

"I know," Ginny said. "They're just boys…"

Hermione laughed. "All right. Let's go." The two of them headed to the Great Hall for lunch.