I'm flying with these updates! I know you probably want to hear some of the stories in theMarauder book, but that will come next chapter so stay tuned
To Love a Marauder
Lunch following Sirius and Hermione's subtle flirtation over cleaning happened to be dreadfully uneventful. To Sirius' misfortune, Ginny was busy chatting animatedly with Hermione about some beauty tips she had read in Witch's Weekly, a terribly vapid teenage girl's magazine. Hermione couldn't help but respond to the young Weasley's enthusiasm, even though her mind was dabbling in much different thoughts...thoughts concerning a handsome wizard sitting across from her.
"So do you think the Clearicus Charm will help with small blemishes?" Ginny pressed to her bushy haired friend. Hermione, who was staring blissfully at her tea, had not been paying attention to a word the red head had said in the last minute or two. Her fake interest in the conversation had shriveled away and she had succumbed to swim in her thoughts.
'Could this plan possibly be going any worse? I'm supposed to be trying to find out information for Harry's benefit and instead I'm flirting it up with his godfather. Merlin, Sirius must think my teenage hormones are going crazy if I've stooped to the level of toying with a man almost twice my age. It's pathetic, thats what it is. Me, Hermione Granger, becoming attracted to convict Sirius Black. What bollocks.'
"Hermione?" Ginny asked when noticing her lack of response regarding the question she had just presented to her. Hermione seemed to hear her name amidst her foggy ponderings and snapped her head up from over the tea cup.
"Huh, what…did you say something?" she tried to hide the fact that she was caught off guard, not paying attention to a word that was said to her.
"I asked you if you thought the Clearicus Charm would work on blemishes," Ginny repeated , this time looking at Hermione with raised eyebrows. She silently wondered what was on the mind of her witty friend that caused her to completely space out. Hermione gave Ginny a wary smile, hoping to hide the fact that she was utterly flustered.
"I suppose it would work if used properly. It's not a very strong charm, but I'm assuming it would be effective on fairly small blemishes and minor cases of acne," Hermione figured as she felt her self rising to the top of her game. Even though she had thoroughly composed herself ; she made sure to keep her flickering eyes away from Sirus' direction. He had been awkwardly quiet for quite some time and it was causing nervousness in the Gryffindor lioness.
"You'll have to perform it on me later then. I'm not too confident when it comes to casting spells for the first time…especially one on myself," Ginny told her. Hermione shook her head in agreement, stirring her tea absent mindedly.
"I'm fairly sure that Miss Granger here will be able to leave you with a blemish free face, theres no doubt about that," the husky voice of Sirius Black annoucned, his silent vigil now broken. Hermione looked up at him to see his twinkling grey eyes complimenting her. She blushed furiously and cleared her throat.
"Why thank you Sirius, that's awfully nice of you to say, but I'm afraid that even I mess up spells the first time I do them," Hermione replied modestly. Ginny pushed her lightly on the shoulder and giggled.
"Yeah right, Herms. You were practically born to do this stuff," the Weasley said. Sighing, Hermione decided it best not to argue with the girl because it would only result in more flattery which she was incapable of accepting. She did however, find the courage to look up from her tea and survey the empty table she sat at that now only held her, Ginny and Sirius. The other three Weasley boys had finished their food so fast that Molly insisted they come help her clean the living room. Hermione didn't feel like waiting anymore for Mrs.Weasley to come collect them in the kitchen, so she decided to help out with the cleanup of dinner.
"Are you finished with your plates?" she asked Ginny and Sirius. They both looked down at their empty platters and nodded.
"Jeez, are you that excited to continue cleaning?" Ginny said exasperatedly as Hermione leaned forward to collect their dishes. Ginny quickly got up from her seat and tpicked up her plate as well as Hermione and Sirius'.
"I'll finish the dishes; you two can go back to cleaning. I'd rather do this then have to deal with Mum anyway," she told them walking over to the sink. Hermione looked at Sirius and shrugged.
"Shall we?" she proposed to Sirius. Hermione took a second to mediate on how easily she became relaxed with him the instant Ginny had left. He held up a finger to signify 'one moment' and picked up his cup to drain the rest of his tea. Once he had determined it fully empty, he slapped it on the table and stuck out his arm in mockery.
"We shall, M'lady," he said, waiting for Hermione to link arms with him. Hermione took the offered arm and laughed lightly, trying to ignore the electric shocks running through her body as a result of his mere touch. She subconsciously inhaled the familiar aroma of cinnamon and spice that Sirius emitted and smiled to herself.
'He is probably the best smelling dog in London. Scratch that, in the bloody world.'
When she came back down from her cloud, she realized they had stopped in front of the staircase. Sirius was looking at her quite peculiarly, taking heed that she had been enthralled in her thoughts. He gestured her forward.
"I don't think we can climb the stairs like this," he commented quietly, referring to their linked arms. Hermione shook her head and felt yet another blush rise to her cheeks. She hastily detangled their arms.
"All better. Now you go on ahead. You're always letting me go through doors and walk up stairs first,," Hermione said firmly, swatting away his drawn hand. He smiled and leaned against the wall.
"Ah, I take it you aren't use to being around a true gentleman then?" he asked her, his eyes glistening with amusement. She opened her mouth to speak but paused instead.
'I guess being around Ron and Harry doesn't exactly count as being with gentlemen. In fact, they are the complete opposite. It will truly be a historical moment when Ron holds a door open for me, let alone walking up a staircase first.'
"No…I guess I haven't been around the type of boys I would consider gentlemen," she confessed, watching Sirius bark with laughter as she spoke. Hermione wasn't exactly sure what was so funny, but she took the liberty in admiring his laugh. It was deep,throaty, sincere and terribly attractive.
"I'm sorry," he managed to say once his laughter subsided. He sputtered out a cough and wiped his eyes of any stray tears that had formed due to his laughter.
"I just pictured this image of Harry and Ron in top hats and dress robes, acting like high class society; sipping tea with their pinkies up,using walking canes and all that goodness," Sirius mused. Hermione couldn't help but grin when she pictured that image in her head. It was possibly the silliest thing she could picture the boys doing and it made her understand perfectly well why Sirius found it so entertaining.
"Well, now that you've put a lovely picture in my head," Hermione started up the stairs, "I think we should be getting back to work."
"Do we have to?" Sirius said from behind her in an upset whine. Hermione thought for a split second that he sounded just like he would twenty years ago. She turned around once she reached the top stair to face him.
"What, you don't want to spend time with me?" she asked him with a fake pout. Once the words left her mouth, she instantly regretted them. What she ha said , in her opinion, made her sound like a silly little girl clamoring for the affections of a young boy. It was nothing like the intelligent witch she truly was. Meanwhile, as Hermione inwardly cursed herself, Sirus was taken aback at her posed question.
'That doesn't sound like something Hermione would normally say. It's so …flirtacious and spontaneous. Gods, the worsts part is that I think I liked it.'
"I didn't mean—"she tried covering up her damage but was stopped by Sirius. He bounded up the final step to find himself face to face with her.
"I would love to spend some time with you, "he said to her in a low and breathy voice. Hermione felt her knees buckle as she struggled to remain calm and confident. The air between them seemed to be limited, Hermione observed, as she tried to clear her head. Finally, she stood up a little taller and looked into his eyes, forcing herself to act in total seriousness.
"Well then you will have to….catch me first!" she squealed her last words and turned around to flee down the hallway. Sirius eyes widened for a moment and he shook his head in a weak attempt to dislodge the shivery feeling that plagued him ten seconds ago. However, he didn't miss a beat once he came to his senses and he took off down the hallway running after her.
"Got you!" Sirius exclaimed once he sprinted into the spare room they were cleaning. He had expected to see Hermione on the floor, catching her breath but she was not there. He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. The only noise he could hear was his own panting as he spun slowly in a circle in the middle of the room.
"'Mione?" he asked the emptiness.
No response
'Where the hell did she go?'
"I guess I'm just going to have to sit here and clean all by myself," he emphasized his last words as he sat down onto the floor. Sirus did nothing for a few seconds, hoping his statement would draw Hermione out into the open. However, a whole minute later, he had determined that she was not in the room and he resumed his sorting.
"Old wand, broken plate, shredded robes," he muttered out loud, throwing the objects into the pile in front of him.
"Mismatched socks, moldy Floo Powder vase, "he continued, tossing these things in as well.
"Useless textbook," he added, picking up the book to throw into the pile.
"ARE YOU MAD!" a high pitched voice shrieked and the frazzled figure of Hermione lept out from behind a stack of boxes to tackle Sirius. He gasped in shock as she wrestled the books out of his hand.
"You scared the living hell out of me!" Sirius yelled, clutching his chest. His heart was pounding rapidly, but in his head he had an inkling that it wasn't because he was scared. It was because Hermione was currently sprawled onto him, keeping him pinned to the floor.
"How can you throw out a perfectly fine textbook?" she said furiously, untangling herself from Sirius and moving away back to the seat on the floor she had claimed earlier. Sirius got up and threw his arms up in the air.
"Maybe because it's a bloody Divination book that I don't plan on using any day soon," he shot back in a harsh voice. His chest clenched as he felt himself wishing he hadn't spoken in that tone. Hermione turned a shocking color of red and looked down at the book in her lap, her mouth opening slightly.
"Oh….D-D-Divination?...I'm so sorry, Sirius," she whispered at a barely distinguishable level. Her eyes looked up and met his. Sirius was certain that she was about to cry, and he bit his lip.
"Look, Hermione I didn't mean to yell at you. I was just a little pissed that you scared me like that," he told her softly, giving her a small grin. She looked down at the book again and sniffled.
"You did a good job though, nearly thought I would have a heart attack," he said kindly, with a small chuckle. He reached out and touched her arm lightly causing her to look up. She seemed to relax a bit and picked up the textbook in her lap.
"I didn't mean it. I just wanted to jump out and scare you…but when you said you were going to throw a book out I got a little….carried away," she garbled, giving him an innocent look at the end. Sirius felt an odd flip-flop in his stomach as he looked at her quivering lip.
"No big deal. I know how you are about your precious books," he teased. She pretended to scowl, but then tossed the book into the pile.
"As long as you're chucking Divination books, I've got no worries," Hermione laughed.
At the sound of her laughter, the atmosphere in the room once again became calm and light hearted. Sirius couldn't help but feel terrible for the way he had acted towards her. She didn't mean him any harm in scaring him, it was just a small practical joke. And Sirius more than anyone else knew a thing or two about practical jokes. He went back to sorting the boxes with Hermione as they chatted easily about Hogwarts in the past and present. It was surprising to him at how effortless it was to converse with the young girl. She seemed interested in almost everything he had to say, and he realized that she wasn't at all uptight or stuffy about her studies. She was generally fascinated by learning, and that made Sirius gain even more admiration toward her.
Soon, the minutes turned into hours and the stack of boxes began to disappear. The time seemed to go by almost too fast for the pair cleaning, as they had spent every second divulged in conversation. When dinner time came close, Hermione suddenly remembered something.
"Sirius, why don't you read a story out of the Marauder book?" she asked him, tossing her empty box to the side. Sirius stopped sorting through the box he was working on and stretched his arms over his head.
"I'd rather tell you later tonight. I don't want to be interrupted or anything , and I fear Molly will be calling us to dinner any minute now," he told her. She appeared to be clearly disappointed at his refusal but she shook it off.
"Alright, I guess that sounds fair," Hermione replied, secretly sulking on the inside. She wanted to hear more about the Marauders and the life of young Sirius. He was probably the most confusing, entertaining, and mischievous person Hermione had ever met. Unfortunately, she had an odd feeling that Sirius' childhood wasn't all good times and laughs like he played it off to be.
"Something wrong?" Sirius' voice broke her thoughts. He had noticed her staring off into space with a worried look on her face for quite some time. Startled, took her eyes off the empty bit of wall she was focusing on and looked at him.
"I'm fine, I was just thinking," she replied.
"Knut for your thoughts?" he offered. Hermione shook her head slightly and smiled, reaching out to pat his hand.
"Sorry, but my thoughts aren't that cheap," she joked. He pulled his hand away from under hers and stuck it into his pocket to rummage around. When his hand emerged, he laid his palm out, exposing three gallons, a few sickles, and a couple knuts.
"Is this tempting?" he suggested to her, holding his hand out. She laughed and pushed his hand away.
"As much as I'd love to take your money off your hands," her voice dripped with sarcasm, "these thoughts are rather private." Sirius frowned and brought his hand back, replacing the money in his pockets. Something in his brain brought the emotion of longing over him. He wanted so much to be able to know what she was thinking; he wanted her to trust him. He turned his frown into a smile when he caught her looking at him.
"No worries. Though next time, if I were you, I would take the money and make something up," he advised her with a sly grin. Before Hermione could retort, the deafening call of Mrs. Weasley came.
"Guess that means it's dinner time," Sirius said as he got up and helped Hermione rise as well. She pointed to the ceiling high pile in front of her, reminding him their job was not yet complete.
"Oh right, the spell," Sirius recalled and fished his wand from his pocket. He waved the wand and muttered 'Disentegrio.' In a billow of smoke, the pile in front of them vanished, leaving the room empty aside from the boxes. He turned his wand toward the boxes to cast the spell but Hermione's hand on his arm stopped him.
"May I?" she asked, drawing her wand out. Sirius put his wand arm down and bowed his head.
"Go for it," he offered. She imitated his wand motion and whispered the same spell. The boxes vanished as well, leaving a content Hermione and a beaming Sirius.
"Miss Weasley was right, you were born for this," Sirius observed, making Hermione fiddle with her wand unconsciously.
"Beginners luck I guess," she mumbled. Sirius was well aware by now that the young girl did not take compliments very well. He silently vowed to change this by the end of the summer.
"Now that everythings taken care of, let's go eat. I'm starving, to death" Sirius happily strode to the door, holding it open for her.
"Do all men think with their stomachs?" Hermione asked him as she exited the door, Sirius following close behind. He fell in step with her and reached up to scratch his head, his black hair falling into his stormy eyes.
"Well, it is the only sure fire way to a man's heart," he stated, patting his heart through his dark colored shirt. Hermione was glad the lights in the hallway were dimmed because if not, Sirius would be an audience to the shade of magenta that Hermione's face sported. Even the dark, she could see his vibrant eyes studying her reaction closely. She decided she might as well appease him.
"Then I'll just have to cook you something soon, won't I?" Hermione said in a low yet daring voice. She took a deep breath to find the strength within her to stare Sirius right in the eyes after making her comment to see what he would make of it. To her shock and surprise, he doubled his pace, walked ahead of her, and looked over his shoulder, delivering a simple wink. He then turned his head back around and descended down the stairs, leaving Hermione in a state of perplexity at the top. Her heart was thumping so loud she thought it was jump out of her chest.
'Where in blazes did he learn to wink like that?'