Chapter 6

Sirius woke up with a vicious headache. It rivaled waking up after the war with a massive head injury. It was ten times worse than any of the hangovers he'd had while in school. He vaguely remembered the details of the night before. He and Remus had gone to Saucer's Cup, competed in trivia night, won it (thanks to Remus, really), and had been bought drink in reward. A lot of drink.

Remus had cut himself off at a more reasonable time than Sirius, and they'd gone home together, as they often did, with Remus carrying him and depositing him in his bed, making sure he was on his stomach before he left him, so that if he vomited (he did), he wouldn't aspirate and die.

Good friend.

Sirius reached over to his bedside table and felt for his hangover potion. He grabbed it with his hand and brought it to his mouth. He took a disgustingly long gulp and waited for it to kick in. To his disappointment, it only touched the pain. There was only so much magic could do, but he was grateful for even that. He wasn't sure how Muggles coped.

He stood up from his bed and changed into a pair of loose shorts and tee shirt. He wasn't planning on going anywhere today, so this was fine, even though he was normally a man who liked to dress well. With a loud yawn, he opened the door to his room and ventured into the darkness of the hallway. He flicked on the light switch and saw that Remus's door was open. He padded over and saw his friend wasn't in his room. The bed looked like it hadn't been slept in, not that that meant much. Remus was fairly clean and kept a low footprint, both as a roommate and as a man.

He turned around and made a pit stop in the bathroom to relieve his bladder before he continued on to the living room. He wasn't there either, to his disappointment. The men had something of a tradition. After a night out drinking, Remus would cook them breakfast, and Sirius would nurse his cup of coffee as they went over the events of the night before, since they often split up for at least a portion of the night. Often times, it was Sirius who would share his stories of conquests, but sometimes, Remus had gotten on with a bird, which always made Sirius rather happy for his friend.

With a sigh, Sirius waved his wand and fried up his own eggs. As he orchestrated his utensils to cook for him, he couldn't help but let his mind wander. Remus was doing research, so it was very likely that he'd woken up early and returned to France.

... but there was also the chance that he had gone to Hermione.

His eggs slid in front of him, and he looked at them with disdain. He'd lost his appetite. And Sirius Black never lost his appetite, especially after a night out.

He magicked over a clear bottle of liquor and twisted the cap off with ease. He poured a decent amount into his coffee and took a swig. The burn of alcohol and bitterness of coffee stung his throat but did nothing to ease the weight of the truth.

His best friend had fallen in love.

Sirius knew that Remus had a crush on Hermione, but this was different. He'd realized it last night when his friend had apologized. He knew innately that this was probably the reason for his friend's betrayal. Remus hadn't meant to betray him. He did it because he was insecure and wanted to live beautifully for a few days, before Sirius inevitably took her away.

Sirius shook his head. He knew his friend's thoughts well, regardless of how ridiculous they were. So when he came to him with his wolf tail tucked between his legs, Sirius was hit with the stark reality of being right once again. Remus's eyes shone like never before. He looked youthful and invigorated. He was like a teenager again, completely smitten.

Last night, with the aid of drink, his self-control probably lapsed, and he'd gone to her.

She, disappointed at Sirius's chronic commitment issues, had most likely taken him in with open arms.

Or more than likely, it didn't even matter to her that Sirius had canceled. Since she had come back from France, things were different than the first time they'd shagged. She was not whole-heartedly vested. She was conflicted, which meant that she had started to return feelings for the werewolf.

They would fall in love with each other. He knew they would. He didn't fully understand why they hadn't yet. They had more in common than anyone else he knew, and they were both kind but sharp people. Anyone who had taken even a basic psychology class knew that while opposites might attract, similar people stayed together and often built lasting relationships.

This was an issue for two reasons. The first reason was that Remus had chosen a girl over him. It was Hermione Granger, war heroine, his Godson's best friend. They would have a wonderful life together, probably with a child or two, and two people he loved would be happy. But that left him alone again. Remus had promised him, while he was in the darkest of pits, that he would never leave him alone. He'd already broken that promise last night, and this was just the beginning.

Eventually, Sirius would be completely alone.

The second reason that this courtship didn't bode well for Sirius was less sinister but just as selfish. Sirius had started to develop feelings for the young witch. He didn't love her, but he could.

He stared at the murky waters of his mug and searched for an answer to a question that was unasked, its formational parts swirling in his head and seeking to combine into the form he was desperately avoiding. When he could clear his mind no more, his inner voice finally prevailed.

Would he give her up for his friends' happiness. Or would he turn this stupid little bet into something more serious and fight for his own chance at happiness? And if he chose the latter, would he even have a chance?

Remus was going back to France. He would be there until after the full moon and then not much longer after that. If he was going to try in earnest at Hermione's heart, now was the time, while he could take advantage of her attraction to him.

Sirius wanted so badly to prevent the trademark Black smirk that slipped onto his lips. It was something he'd inherited from the dark wizards and witches from his family. It was a mixture of cockiness, the willingness to fight, and the knowledge that he could be successful. When he felt the darkness take over, all his self-doubt disappeared.

If he truly wanted Hermione, Remus was probably right in fearing him as competition. As much as the light part of his heart acknowledged his friend's merits and had spurred Remus to have self-confidence, the darkness told him that he would always win. He was Sirius Black. As much as he pushed it down, he still was who he was. He was charismatic, wealthy, noble and classically handsome.

The Pettigrew situation was a mistake of youth. The adult Sirius always got his way.

He was who he was. And who he was couldn't help but want to win the battle, partly because of his feelings, partly out of spite that Remus had abandoned him, and partly just to win.


Hermione woke up with arms wrapped tightly around her. She smiled at the warmth, despite the fact that blankets had fallen to her waist. She reached a short limb toward said blankets in an attempt to bring them higher, but she was unable to stretch far enough while navigating around his arms. When she attempted, she was met with a firmer grasp.

Slowly, she started to twist her body so that she faced him. His grip loosened enough to let her do just that, and when she accomplished her goal, she was rewarded with clear blue eyes and curved lips. The sunlight kissed his tan skin through the gap in her curtains.

"I've never seen you this tan before," she remarked, lazily streaking her fingers across his chest.

"I'm not usually the outdoor type of person," he replied with a broader grin. "Except when I'm quite a bit hairier, and it's much darker outside."

She laughed and accepted the kiss that he placed gingerly on her lips.

His rough hands traveled from her waist to her hips, and his strong arms rolled them so that he was on his back and she was straddling him. Her still exposed nipples perked up to the cold air, and Remus took this as an invitation to fondle them. Hermione couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips, high and mewling.

Remus's member responded by beginning to harden. She could feel it rubbing against her bum, and her own nether regions began to respond. She rubbed against him, feeling him grow bigger as he continued to play with her breasts.

Hermione leaned down to kiss him again, sliding her tongue into his mouth to play with his. She felt her heart swell with emotion, waking up like this, with someone as kind and loving as Remus.

Remus reached his right hand around her thigh and grasped his hardened cock, guiding it toward her slick opening.

Hermione moaned softly and disconnected her lips from his. She sat up and ran her hands hungrily over his firm chest. She could see the same fire in his eyes that she felt in her body, and without a word, he thrust into her.

"Oh God," she exclaimed, closing her eyes and throwing her head back.

Her unkempt and tangled, slept on hair fell behind her shoulders and swayed against her back. She opened her eyes when she felt Remus's hands leave her hips and instead glide over her hands, offering her support. She took this cue and held onto his hands, using this support to push against as she circled her hips.

She felt the heat rush through her body, his gaze hungry as he alternated between her bouncing breasts and her flushed face. She could tell in his eyes that the wolf in him wanted to take over. He was controlling himself so that she could get her pleasure first.

Not that he had ever been a selfish lover.

She could feel her climax slowly building, her walls starting to clench around his cock. She opened her eyes again to see him still watching her. His sandy hair looked lighter in the morning's sun, and yet his normally clear eyes had darkened despite the light. She couldn't resist bending down for another kiss, her hands leaving his and tangling in his hair, her breasts bouncing against his chest.

Remus grabbed her hips tightly again, thrusting upward rapidly. She gasped into his mouth and moved her head to the crook of his neck. Her pillow and his skin could barely muffle the scream that accompanied her release.

He continued thrusting through her orgasm, and she could feel him cum deeply into her.

It was the first time she heard how deeply he could moan.

She collapsed on top of him, his member still continuing to pulse and release inside of her for a few seconds longer, while her breasts heaved against his chest, her hair draped against his shoulder.

Remus wrapped his arms around her waist again and bent his head to kiss her hairline.

"Thank you," he said softly.

She lifted up her head to meet his grateful, playful eyes. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips.

"I'm glad you came last night," she admitted softly.

"And this morning," he quipped, closing an eye as she swatted at him. "But honestly, so am I."

She beamed at him, and they stayed like that for a few minutes, in their blissful bubble, isolated from everything else.


It was late in the morning when the two finally got out of bed. They were both morning people, so it was unusual for them to linger, but Hermione was so comfortable with Remus that she let the unusually hot summer outside influence her mood, despite her flat being rather chilly. Since working at Hogwarts, she'd never spent the summer lazily as many of her other colleagues did. She preferred to research and study the way Remus did.

At the moment, she was actually working with the Australian Ministry of Magic, where illegal imports of magical creatures were threatening native non-magical animals. Australia's ecosystem was very fragile, and populations were previously threatened by other non-magical animals, so she couldn't even imagine the sort of impact the stronger magical creatures could have. Additionally, the Muggle authorities were starting to notice a marked decrease in some of their native monotremes which could not be explained by current threats.

Hermione, and their Ministry, feared the implications of this. Generally, Muggles didn't notice magic, because they didn't want to. Scientists were the outliers. They sought out the unexplained. If they discovered magical creatures, it could out the entire magical community. It could threaten wizards' and witches' well-beings.

Because of the time difference, Hermione was normally in contact with the Aussies in the morning. This morning, she had missed that call. (Well, she had sent them a quick scribble rescheduling it; she wasn't a monster who just dodged something completely.)

"What animals specifically are causing the problem?" Remus asked, still shirtless, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Pigmy Puffs."

She shot him a glare when he nearly spit up his drink from laughter.

"I'm sorry," he said, trying to disguise the amusement in his voice. "I'm assuming we don't all declare our pets when we visit Australia, and then suddenly one or two gets loose, and we all know the breeding habits of the Puffskeins."

"Exactly." She sighed, shaking her head. "Australia has an international apparition border, to where foreigners have to go through customs. They check pets. How are they being smuggled through?"

"Australians returning from abroad have to go through the same border control? I wouldn't be surprised if parents bought their children the creatures without realizing the consequences."

"What I reckoned at first, but their Ministry showed me their wards. They're airtight and include anyone who tries to apparate from outside them, including returning Australians."

Remus scratched his chin.

"How about Muggle means? Boats and airplanes?"

Hermione looked down at her hands, blinking several times before a smile grew on her face.

"You're a genius!" she exclaimed. "Normally we'd know if magic was being used around Muggles, but in international waters, it's not monitored as well. They must be smuggling them in through Muggle channels!"

Remus took another sip of his coffee, quietly enjoying her reaction.

"You know, the Pigmy Puffs are naturally dying out right now, because they're not suited to the heat. But if we figure out how the smugglers are doing it, we can try to prevent other, more adaptable creatures from permanently invading the Australian ecosystem," she said excitedly. "I wish you were available to help us. It's an interesting project."

"I'd love to help you, Hermione," Remus stated with amusement in his voice. "Your passion for both practice and theory never ceases to amaze me. Your energy is contagious."

Hermione blushed brighter than she had during any of their lovemaking in the past twelve hours.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Normally I get a very different reaction. Ron used to call my 'energy' tedious."

She didn't like to speak ill of her friends, and Ron was still one of her best. He had been as good of a boyfriend as he was able, but his distaste for her love of academia and puzzles was something that eventually drove a wedge between them. She was still left with insecurities that sometimes made her hyperconscious of how easily 'passionate' could translate into 'annoying.'

She was snapped from her thoughts by Remus's hand on hers, rough but gentle and warm. She raised her eyes to meet his.

"I dated a girl during my time at Hogwarts who had similar opinions." Remus smiled sadly. "It's not that she sought to be cruel, but when you're in love with someone and spend a certain amount of time with him/her, words sometimes sound crueler than they're meant. And those words can leave scars."

He squeezed her hand.

"You're perfect as you are. And your love of challenges is one of your greatest characteristics." His eyes bore into hers. "It is not a flaw."

Teaching had taught Hermione a great deal about people. She learned that bright, academically-minded people existed in a greater concentration than she thought. The problem was that despite the larger than expected number, they were still the minority, and they often befriended people who were not of the same level. The curse of intelligence, she thought, was knowing that other people didn't understand, and learning to cope with the insensitivity that came from them, because it often wasn't meant as malicious.

This sort of struggle came with most groups of people. Those who had athletic or artistic abilities could often convey how their struggles were different from the average population's, but they generally received more patience from those outside the groups. Academics, she felt, had a disadvantage, because their differences weren't as tangible and easily explainable. She didn't know how to explain the thrill that she felt when solving a puzzle or even reading a good book. She wished she could hold up a Quaffle, a piece of art, or even an elaborate cake, to show her friends. But she couldn't. Research papers and policy changes didn't seem to have the same effect.

It was normally frustrating. But Remus understood, not just because of his extraordinary compassion and kindness, but because he was the same.

As she looked up from his hand and into those crystal clear, sparkling blue eyes, the same color as the sea they'd made love in, the butterflies in her stomach exploded upward, into her throat, rendering her unable to speak.

"I really want to kiss you," he said boldly.

"Then kiss me," she urged breathlessly, her heart beating wildly.

"... but I need to get back to France," he said painfully, clenching his jaw. "We have our testers coming in today... The full moon..."

"Oh," Hermione said stupidly. "I'm sorry. I'd... forgotten."

"I wish I could," he said bitterly, and she instantly felt regret at her idiotic statement.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again, standing up when she saw him stand and flick his wand, his shirt flying through the dining room doorway.

The shirt flew past his hand and onto the dining room table. He crossed the short gap between them and cupped her chin, his face softening. "Don't be."

He gazed into her eyes for another second and then wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in his warm, firm chest. She'd always felt completely comfortable in his embrace, but this was somehow different. It was more intimate.

When he let go, he bent down as if to kiss her, but then seemed to change his mind. When she leaned in to close the gap, he stepped away, and shrugged on his shirt.

"If I kissed you now, I wouldn't be able to stop at that," he said wryly. "My self-control this close to the full moon is not what it is other times of the month."

"I understand," Hermione said, using the last bit of her self-control not to jump him. If he had his lycanthropy as an excuse, she could use her age.

She crossed her arms and followed him toward her fireplace.

He grabbed some floo powder and turned back toward her.

"Wait for me," he requested hesitantly, and Hermione instantly knew the meaning of his words.

She looked down at the ground, hating the fact that the second Remus had uttered those words, steely, grey eyes fought their way to the forefront of her mind, despite her best efforts to suppress them.

He must have sensed her hesitation, because she felt the temperature in the room shift. She didn't need to look back up to see the hurt in his eyes, but when she did, it didn't stop her own heart from breaking.

Then he did what Remus always did. He slapped on a transparently fake, happy smile, coated on top of self-deprecation and sadness, and he attempted a chuckle which never sounded more hollow. He wanted to put her at ease, and so he sacrificed his own feelings yet again.

She opened her mouth to say something - anything to fix what her stupid doubts had done to this vibrant man. But before she could, he spoke.

"I'll see you later, Hermione," he said cheerfully. "Good luck in Australia!"

And with a crackle of her fireplace, he was gone. And she couldn't stop the tears.


Author's Note: You guys, my heart is having a hard time writing this story. This was just supposed to be a porn without plot! And then a fluffpiece. And now there are feels! Is anyone else feeling these feels? :(