Here is the next installment, along with (if you check my page) the beginning of an adorable drabble series. You lucky ducks! In return, I ask you for reviews on both of them, and don't think I won't know. I have seen that this story is gaining popularity, and I hope that you will review so that I can gauge your opinions and improve the story.
Thanks kids!
Blackbird Fly
Seven
The following day was, thankfully, a Friday.
Hermione woke up first, due to her meticulous tuning of her biological clock for the past seven years. She was not surprised to wake up, though she was certainly surprised to wake up against a softly snoring Severus, her head tucked into his chest and his leg thrown over hers. Isolde had curled up at the couples' heads, napping like a cat on her pillow.
Hermione yawned loudly before arching her back and stretching, her head fuzzy from lack of sleep. The yawn woke Severus, who was treated to a splendid view of her bosom as her back arched and her breasts pushed into his hard chest. He groaned a little, alerting Hermione to his conscious state, causing her to flush.
"Don't be embarrassed," he said quietly. "It's nice waking up like this." Severus looked at her meaningfully, his forehead touching hers.
Hermione looked up at Isolde, who was beginning to stir quietly, her ring spilling out from beneath her shirt. Her attention was diverted when she felt arms slip around her waist and tug her closer. Hermione was so close to him now, their lips barely touching one another. She felt them skate over one another as she said, heart hammering against her ribs, "I like this too."
Isolde woke quietly at that point, on guard when she heard the lowered voices. Her blood-colored eyes softened as she saw the entwined figures of Severus and Helene laying together, his arms around her and hugging her as though he would never let go. They widened as she saw Severus respond, and she quickly put her head back down and pretended to sleep, though her full attention was concentrated on the two near-lovers.
A single thought began channeling through her mind, beating it into her minds with drums: kiss her, kiss her—just kiss her, Severus.
Her prayers were answered when Severus slowly, tentatively pressed his lips on hers, his eyes slipping closed as they made careful contact.
Hermione felt her soul leap out of her, as though the kiss was pulling it to him. It was a heady feeling to kiss Severus, especially since they had been dancing around the sexual tension elephant for the past week. It was with regret that she pulled away gently, her arms wrapping around his neck and pulling his head to her shoulder. She could feel him smile.
Isolde chose that moment to wake up, giving a satisfied little hum as she stretched, cat-like. "Sleep well?" she asked brightly, snickering under her breath as they blushed; furious spots of color were appearing on their cheeks. She hopped off her pillow and said, "'Lene, borrow what you need if you want. I'll see you both at breakfast," over her shoulder as she went to the closet to get a uniform and robes. She skipped to the lavatory down the hallway, whistling as she went.
That day went astonishingly slowly, due in part to the lethargy instilled in the three by their impromptu sleepover. Hermione and Severus spent most of their time in classes on auto-pilot, each reliving the kiss repeatedly and trying to plot for another in the very near future.
The Hogsmeade weekend was coming, and it would be a welcome break for all concerned. The older students (those in fourth year and up) were planning to shop for costumes for the Masquerade at Swann's Costume in Hogsmeade. Swann's, besides being the best costume shop in Hogsmeade, also had only a select number of each costume, and when the customer bought the costume, his or her name was placed in the ledger and the duplicates were taken off the racks. It was a very convenient system, especially when you were trying to plan a blind date for your best friends or when you were trying to get the hard-to-get girl.
Sirius had lived up to his word, talking to Isolde rather than just stalking her; it did, however, come in handy, as he now knew a great deal about her and her habits. It wasn't uncommon to see him taking the adjacent table in the library or see him waiting for her after classes.
Isolde didn't respond well most of the time. She didn't trust people easily, being both a Slytherin and a social outcast of the highest order. It was rare to see her speak to anyone but Snape and Helene, and the idea of her speaking with one of the Gryffindors, not to mention a Marauder, was absurd. Sirius knew that he couldn't get too friendly too quickly, or else she would run away; nor could he treat her like the other girls he had "liked" in the past. Ever since he had been the shoulder she had cried on, albeit unknowingly, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her; the way she had turned her beautiful red eyes on him in the Great Hall was amazing. He had to know her, at the very least.
He still hadn't asked himself why he was going to so much trouble to make her like him.
When Hermione's new Trio sat down for breakfast on Saturday morning, they discussed plans for the Hogsmeade trip. Hermione and Severus had wanted to go costume shopping as a group, but Isolde shot the idea down, her cover story being that she and Helene would take ages to find a costume and Severus would just be bored while they tried on the plethora of colorful costumes. She offered to go with Helene in the morning and Severus in the afternoon, reassuring them that finding both of their would be a pleasure. They all agreed that they would go back to Isolde's room once they returned for some sandwiches and Honeydukes chocolate.
Isolde walked down to Hogsmeade with Hermione, the girls chatting about what kind of costumes they might look for and Hermione trying to learn more about her blind date. Her friend remained tight-lipped, replying to each question with an enigmatic, "You'll see."
Sirius joined them not long after, slinging an arm around Isolde's waist. She looked down at it in surprise, but he refused to move it, and he made sure she knew that. Breaking her limits was one thing, but surely he could nudge them a little, right?
Severus watched with wide black eyes, nearly gasping when Isolde let him keep his arm there without saying anything about it. He just wondered what it meant; Isolde wasn't one of them, and Sirius was one of the people he hated most. How could this end well?
When the group of students arrived at Hogsmeade, Isolde and Sirius separated, but he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before he ran off to Zonko's with the Marauders. Hermione grabbed Isolde's arm, reminding her about the costume shop and wondering (for the umpteenth time since meeting the girl) why Sirius had never mentioned Isolde in the future (Past? Present? Hermione couldn't think straight anymore).
"What kind of costume should I be looking for, Isolde? You haven't told me much about my date, you know," Hermione said, rifling through the costumes hung neatly around the shop.
"I think he would like something a little . . . dark best. A vampire mistress or something like that, perhaps. Nothing too trampy though, he can be a bit old-fashioned sometimes," she replied, scanning the rows for good costumes for her.
"I think I know what you mean," Hermione began, pulling a costume out. "Would this work?" She held up a short purple dress covered in black trim and lace.
"It's a good start," Isolde said as she pulled out a pirate costume, wrinkled her nose at it and put it back.
Hermione hadn't gone costume shopping in years, as she hadn't been home for Halloween since she was eleven, but she was certainly getting back into the swing of it and relishing the joy of feeling like a little girl again. She pulled a few vampire dresses out as well as a few pirate costumes and a devil costume. She disappeared into a dressing room while Isolde continued to pick through the racks.
When Hermione came out in the devil costume, Isolde scrutinized her thoroughly before shaking her head. "It's good, 'Lene, but I think you can do better. Besides, it wouldn't look right with a mask."
The pirate costume was too big and sort of frumpy-looking while most of the vampire costumes were too skimpy. By now, Isolde had commandeered the dressing room next to her, each inspecting the other to see if the costume was good.
Hermione stepped out first with one of her last outfits. It was a long Victorian style dress; the bodice red and tight, hugging her curves. The skirt had a black satin bustle over a red and black patterned skirt. The sleeves were puffed around her upper arms and skin tight to her wrists, ending in a sharp point. She looked good and began admiring herself from all angles in the three-sided mirror.
Isolde squealed when she saw her. "Helene, that looks fantastic! It's perfect for you! Do you like it?"
Hermione nodded. "Will he like it?"
"Undoubtedly. Now that we have agreed which costume you're getting, how's this?"
Hermione crinkled her nose at the Cleopatra costume. "I don't like it. The color's all wrong with your hair and erm . . . new eyes." Isolde's face fell; it was her last costume. "What about that angel costume over there?"
Isolde shrugged and summoned it, returning to the dressing room. She came out, looking a bit sheepish.
"What do you think, 'Lene?"
"It's brilliant, very you."
Isolde wore the garb of a fallen angel, tattered and grey, setting off her coppery blonde hair and ruby eyes. It was an off the shoulder floor length dress, the shredded lace train a sharp contrast to the tight gathered silk covering her upper body. There were no sleeves, just a pair of tattered straps (one hanging off of her shoulder for effect) and the costume came with a pair of wings made of the same tattered lace. Isolde was crowned with a halo of grey roses.
She joined Hermione in front of the mirror, twisting and turning to make sure she looked good from every angle.
"Other girls don't stand a chance with the way we look!" Hermione crowed.
"Eat your hearts out, boys!" Isolde agreed, their voices carrying through the store where the other students were shopping. The girls were chastened by the glares they got from the shop owner, so they quickly dressed and bought their costumes and masks, each wearing a smug smile.
Severus's morning was nowhere near so easy.
He picked up a new quill and some ink and parchment for school before stopping by Honeydukes and getting some chocolates for them to share tonight and a few of his favorite treats for later. That done, he spotted the Marauders by Zonko's before they saw him, so he did them a favor and charmed them to sing everything they said to the tune of the Meow Mix jingle, complete with cat ears, a tail and a weakness for tuna and fish.
That was good.
What had happened afterwards was not.
Rabastan Lestrange and his little gang of Death Eaters had ambushed him out of nowhere, shoving him into an alleyway and up against a stone wall. Severus found a wand pointed in his face, his head throbbing from where it had hit the wall.
"Severus," Rabastan purred, "I certainly didn't want it to come to this, but our Lord wants an answer. You have great potential, Severus, and your cause needs you; your people need you. Join us, friend."
"Is this the way you treat friends?" he responded testily, looking pointedly at the arm holding him to the wall and the wand in his face.
"No. This is reserved for the potential traitors.
"Then why treat me so brutally if you need me so badly, or is that a lie?"
"You have the power of a Pureblood (Severus didn't bother to correct him), the mind of a Ravenclaw and the heart of a Slytherin: the recipe for a powerful wizard."
"Tell your Lord that I must meet with him myself to hear such promises from him," Severus said roughly, shoving Rabastan's arm away from him and glaring at the crowd dangerously. Rabastan gave him leave to exit the alleyway, the Slytherins dispersing in two directions: Severus to the Three Broomsticks, and the others to the Hog's Head.
Sirius Black and the Marauders swaggered out of Zonko's, each laden with bags of proper pranking materials, the tails and ears charmed out of them by Lily Evans (they all still had a craving for tuna and catnip). Their next stop was to meet Lily by the Three Broomsticks before heading to Swann's to get their Halloween costumes.
It had already been decided that they would be dressing separately, although their Wizard of Oz ensembles had made quite a splash the year before (Lily was Dorothy, Remus was the Cowardly Lion, James was the Scarecrow, Peter was the Tin Man and Sirius was Toto). Lily and James already knew what they wanted to wear: Lily would go as Hugh Hefner (complete with bubble pipe) and James would be her Playboy bunny. Remus and Peter would decide when they got to the shop and saw what was still available while Sirius would wear a costume to match Isolde Chase's.
While the others began shuffling through the racks to find their own ensembles, Sirius went over to Mr. Swann, his innocent face fully in place.
"Sir, I was wondering if you could tell me what costume my girlfriend, Isolde Chase, got for the Ball. I was hoping we could match, you see, and I wanted her to be surprised," he said courteously, making use of the manners his mother had drilled into his head before he ran away.
"Isolde Chase," the man said, running his finger down the ledger. "Ah, yes; she chose the fallen angel costume; quite a pretty girl too. Striking eyes—never saw anything like them in my day. I would look for some kind of devil costume if I were you."
"Thank you, Mr. Swann." Sirius bowed his head in respect before going off into the racks of costumes.
He pulled out before heading back to try them on. He met James as he was going into his dressing room and had a good long laugh at the sight of his friend in bunny ears and frilly knickers with a bunny tail, though the matching spike heels that just screamed, "FUCK ME!" were the icing on the cake.
Still grinning to himself, he tried on the first devil costume. It came with sharply tailored pants and a satin shirt, both black. Over that he wore a black ruffled cravat with red trim tucked into a tight red vest. To complete the look, he wore a full length red cape; he charmed the matching devil horns onto his head using a basic Sticking Charm. Sirius strode out into the shop, earning a wolf whistle from Remus for his trouble. He quickly got himself a black mask to try with the costume and spent a quarter of an hour examining himself in the mirror before buying the costume; he was confident enough that the second costume didn't warrant a glance.
The only one who may very well have done better than Sirius was Remus: he had found himself a Big Bad Wolf costume a la "Little Red Riding Hood," complete with mask and nightdress.
The three met for a quick lunch, and Severus made good on his promise of a butterbeer for Isolde's birthday. They made small talk, Isolde skillfully steering the conversation away from the costumes and the Masquerade. It wouldn't do for them to figure out who their date was yet.
Once lunch had ended, Isolde grabbed Severus's arm and dragged him off to Swann's so that he could find a matching vampire costume for the Ball (a way for her to continue to get her sick kicks, really, and she even planned to transfigure some Blood Pops into a matching corsage and boutonniere). She sent him off to find a costume while she talked to the shop owner, Phineas Swann.
"Mr. Swann, can you tell me where the vampire costume is to match the one my friend bought earlier? Her name is Helene Fermier. I'm helping her date find his costume now," she said politely, watching Severus to make sure he stayed out of earshot. The aging man obliged, pointing her to the back corner.
"Look for a costume with a red vest and long black cape with a red lining," he whispered.
She marched off to where he had pointed, mouthing, "Thank you," over her shoulder. Isolde dug through the rack frantically, too busy to notice the scowl on Severus's face.
"Isolde," he growled in a low baritone, "why are you dressing me up as a vampire?"
"It's kind of ironic, don't you think?" She flashed him a toothy grin. When he continued to glower, she began coaxing him.
"Severus, what fits you better? Besides, have you even read Dracula? The sexual subtext is so obvious a Gryffindor could catch it! Vampires are considered to be quite sexy these days and you would look absolutely dashing. Sweep the girl of your choice off her feet if you wanted . . ." He sighed, thinking of Helene. He wished he had the courage to ask her, but that would require him to not have a date. Grudgingly, he pulled the costume off the rack and went to try it on.
Isolde didn't have long to wait. Severus strode came out of the dressing room confidently, his hair tied back in a leather thong. He wore tight, tailored trousers and a white silk shirt. A red vest and long black cape completed the ensemble. She went over to where the masks were and pulled a black one edged in red ribbon off the display, placing it gently over his face.
"There now, you look fantastic! Go on, get it and enjoy the rest of your day," she said, shooing him back to the dressing room.
She waited until he had bought his costume to leave, watching him break into a run to catch up with Helene, who appeared to have been ensnared by the scent of Honeydukes. Isolde smiled fondly at the sight of him catching her hand and leading her to the Shrieking Shack, which wasn't far off and certainly less crowded than Honeydukes. Sighing, she made her way to a clump of beech trees across from the store, seeing a few low branches to relax on. She slung her bag around her neck before swinging up to the lowest branch, climbing until she was a comfortable distance from the ground.
Isolde slumped against the tree trunk and pulled a well-worn copy of The Count of Monte Cristo outof her back, planning to read until just before sunset, at which time she could get the book she had ordered from the shop, pick up some ink and a leather-bound parchment journal she'd been eyeing before stopping at Honeydukes to get her customary order of chocolates: caramels, darks, milks, peanut butter, truffles . . .
Her plans were only slightly derailed when Sirius Black sat at the base of the tree, having spotted her when he was leaving. He waved his friends on and waited for her to join him, the two of them running her errands before he gave her a dark chocolate angel he had gotten from Honeydukes earlier in the day, claiming it was a late birthday present.
His hand stayed on the small of her back as they meandered up the trail to Hogwarts, warm against her small body.
Severus kept Hermione's hand clasped in his as he showed her the town. At the end of the day, she gave him a soft peck on the cheek.
He'd never been happier.