Final chapter...I think
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They apparated to right underneath the arch du triumph...Sirius grins and pulled her down the pedestrian tunnel
"Sirius, where are we going?"
"To the French equivalent of Diagon Alley...its called Rue...something or other... its just two bricks this way"
He stared at the wall in the dimly lit tunnel for a moment the smiled...took his wand out and tapped the fourth brick to the left 3 times...the wall folded into itself, reveling a brightly lit alley way
"Welcome to Ruelle des Rêves Magiques"
"I thought you didn't know what it was called" Hermione said with a smirk
He winked at her "I knew...just wanted to keep the suspense going"
she laughed and followed him down the brightly lit street...they soon came to a neon clad building that said "Grande ColouR" and had a line of eager people wrapped around it a block and a half long.
Sirius walked passed the line and went strait to the bouncers
"Hi there, I have a reservation, the name is Sirius Black"
The bouncers gave him a haughty look of distain till they heard his name...then they went pale...
"yes sir, I see we have you as a long term VIP on the list, please have a drink at the bar and we shall show you to your see post haste" they shuddered as he walked past with Hermione.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked as they sipped there drinks
Sirius gave a sad smile "before I 'disappeared' I had given money to front this place. Ever since they found out I am back from the dead, they have been petrified of me...particularly of me being displeased...I guess being a walking corpse has its privileges"
Hermione could see he was trying to joke about the burden of his reputation, that he was a monster from the grave...but it wasn't working. She looked him in the eye
"Sirius...you are a good man and to hell with what anyone else thinks...besides, you being "back from the dead' will probably get me a better dinner anyway." she quipped
Sirius broke out his best grin" well... membership has it privilages...there is our table now" and they went to sit down.
The room was larger than she expected with a dance floor in the center. The Grande Coloure's claim to fame was the ever-changing dining room surrounding the dance floor. Once every 15 min the entire décor of the place would change entirely. So one minute you could be sitting in and Irish pub style, the next a posh New York sushi bar, or even grandma's kitchen...At the moment, Hermione noted with irony, it was the great hall at Hogwarts.
"This must bring back memories for you Sirius."
He looked around with a look of nostalgia. "Yah, I can remember many a food fight I started in these rooms, James always despised my aim...it was deadly!"
She grinned" well I don't know about that, my aim wasn't too shabby either."
"My dear, I am shocked. Hermione Granger starting a food fight?
"Well not exactly a food fight...but I sucker punched Draco Malfoy once and broke his nose."
He bust out laughing" Now that's a true Marauder talking. You would have done well with us back in the day." as he raised his glass to her.
They were seated at a small table for two by the wall near the dance floor. There was no dancing at the moment, just soft ambient piano music creating an elegant atmosphere, in spite of the fact the scenery had changed again and it was now an Irish pub style background.
A very tall thin waiter dressed all in black approached the table. He had short white blond hair that was so pale in the candle light that it seemed to glow and shimmer as he moved. He gave them a haughty smile.
"Bonjour Mademoiselle et Messier. Bienvenu et..."
Sirius smiled and waved his hand. "If it's alright with you, could we do this in English? My French is rather rusty."
The waiters perfect smile crack for a fraction of a second. Then he turned it up a notch and with a flourish, pulled out his wand and tapped his throat two times.
"But of course. What ever shall please Messier. We, of course, want your evening at the Grande to be a grand one." and he let out a small twittering laugh at his own joke.
Hermione and Sirius shared a look. Sirius gave a wicked grin. Hermione smirked, kicked him under the table, and silently mouthed "be nice". Sirius rolled his eyes and turned towards the waiter.
"We very much appreciate your consideration. Let me tell you how I want this evening to proceed. We are going to put ourselves into your capable hands. Now I happen to know the Lady has a fondness for French seafood while I, myself, am a great fan of Indian Cuisine, the hotter the better. I've sure with your superior taste, you should have no problem finding an appropriate meal for each of us, choosing from the chefs specialties of course. And since nothing as vulgar as money should ever get in the way of a dining experience, I hope you will not hold back your opinions on what would be the most suitable wines for the occasion. I have absolute faith in you, messier..?"
"Henri Duc lac...messier." the waiter replied, staring wide eyed at Sirius
"Messier Henri... thank you... we look forward to your choices." and with that he turned towards Hermione, efectivly dismising him. Henri composed himself and with a short bow went off to talk to the chef.
Hermione waited till Henri was out of earshot then cracked up laughing. "Oh that was priceless... You keep that up and by the end of the night he will be literally kissing your feet."
"Oh don't worry... I have no desire for HIM to be kissing me, literal or not."
Hermione heard the hint and felt her insides melt. She was saved from responding by two covered dishes appearing in front of them and Henri coming over with the wines.
With great aplomb, he removed the cover for Hermione first, revealing a dish of shrimp stuffed crepes with a side bowl of Boulbolinais. To top it off, he handed her a crystal flute of champagne almost as pale as his hair.
Next, he turned to Sirius. And with equal dignity, removes the cover from his dish, revealing a steaming plate of lamb curry on a bed of wild rice with a side of fresh baked naan bread. And to accompany his meal a goblet of sparkling burgundy to finish it off.
"The chef sends his complements Messier Black and hopes you enjoy his selections. I myself carefully selected the exact appropriate wines for your pallet. Please fell free to tap the candle three times and I will be at your side for any assistance... Bon Appetite!!"
The food was perfect, the wine exquisite, the company sublime, and they felt absolutely no desire to see Henri. They were just about finished when the music suddenly stopped and the DJ spoke over sound system.
"Ladies and gentlemen, or should I say Babes and Dudes...its eighties night tonight here at the only place to be in the wearing world. The Grande ColouR!" The audience roared with applause. "My name is Luis Babble, number one DJ on WWN and host of this years Magic Eight Ball coming next month... Now enough of my talking and more of you moving. The first song is by special request of the management, and remember, you can make requests at anytime by talking directly to the candle on your table. Rock On!!"
Sirius grinned and said "let's go!", grabbed Hermione's hand, and jumped on to the dance floor, Hermione jumping up with him. When the first heavy guitar chords were struck, Hermione and Sirius took one look at each other and started laughing hysterically.
Back in black, I hit the sack
I been too long I'm glad to be back
Yes, I'm let loose from
the noose
That's kept me hangin' about
I keep lookin' at the
sky 'cause it's gettin' me high
Forget the hearse. 'cause I'll
never die
I got nine lives cat's eyes
A busin' every one of
them and running wild
CHORUS:
Cause I'm back, yes
I'm back well, I'm back
Yes, I'm back well, I'm back, back
Well,
back in black yes, I'm back in black
Back in the back of a
cadilac
Number one with a bullet, I'm a power pack
Yes, I
give a bang with the gang
They gotta catch me if they want me to
hang
Coz I'm back on the track and I'm beatin' the flak
Nobody'
gonna get me on another rap
Don't look at me now, I'm just makin'
my bed
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way
CHORUS:
Cause I'm back, yes
I'm back,well, I'm back
Yes, I'm back well, I'm back, back
Well
I'm back in black, yes I'm back in black
Well I'm back, yes I'm back
Well I'm back, yes I'm back
Well, I'm back, back
Well I'm
back in black, yes I'm back in black
Well I'm back, back in black
Yes I'm back in black
Out of the sack!
When the song was over Hermione and Sirius were almost doubled over in pain they were laughing so hard.
"Oh my god Sirius, hahahaha... that's...hahaha..god..that was...perfect!!"
Sirius was holding his stomach "I never realized, oh that's my new song, Remus will love it!"
"Need to recover, lets sit and finish our drinks."
"Anything for the Lady... only if you promise that you will request a song..."
"Alright, but you have to too..."
"NO problem. But no peaking." he said with a grin
She laughed and turned her chair around while she sipped he drink. Hermione could barely hear him whisper to the candle. She turned back around when she finished her drink to see him grinning.
"Shall we dance my lady?" as he held his hand out to her.
"but of course messier" doing a damn good impression of Henri, taking his hand and going out onto the dance floor..
Sultry, dark music started playing as Sirius pulled Hermione to him and started swaying to the music with her..
I
don't know what colour your eyes are, baby
But your hair is long
and brown
Your legs are strong, and you're so, so long
And you
don't come from this town
My head is full of magic, baby
And
I can share this with you
The feel I'm on a cross again,
lately
But it's nothing to do with you
I'm alive
Oh Oh,
so alive
I'm alive
Oh Oh, so alive
This drug makes me
crazy
Makes me see you more clearly.
Oh, baby, now I can see
you.
Wish I could stop,
Switch off the clock,
Make it all
happen for you.
I'm alive
Oh Oh, so alive
I'm alive
Oh
Oh, so alive
OOOOH
OOOOH
Don't know what colour your
eyes are, baby
But your hair is long and brown
Your legs are
strong, and you're so, so long
And you don't come from this
town
My head is full of magic, baby
And I can share this
with you
The feel I'm on top again, baby
That's got everything
to do with you
I'm alive
Oh Oh, so alive
I'm alive
Oh
Oh, so alive
He sang the song to her with a low gravely voice, never taking his eyes off her and holding her close as he moved her across the dance floor. She felt like she was drowning in him. Everything was happening so fast. Just yesterday she was miserable with absente friends and a boyfriend who was cheating on her... now she was on top of the world with the man of her dreams, holding her like he would never hurt her, and never let her go...
Back at Madame Malkins the clock struck 10 o'clock. "Now?" said George, rubbing his hands with glee. "From what I can see, the timing is perfect." said Fred with an identical grin. "On the count of three...1, 2 ...THREE!!" and they both waved there wands with a flash...
"Um...Sirius?"
"Yes, my dear?"
"I'm stuck."
"Uh...What?"
"My clothes...they're stuck to yours."
"Don't be silly...uhm...urg...oh no..."
"Sirius, what's going on?
"I have no idea... its some kind of binding charm...can you move at all?"
"A little..but any further my clothes will rip off..get that look of you face!"
"Sorry...ok...so our clothes seemed to be cursed in some way, who would do this? the wars over..."
"Well thank god there's a lot of people dancing...we wont be noticed for a while...I hope."
"I agree...and this isn't so bad, being stuck to you."
"That's sweet and all Sirius but its not going to be so sweet in an hour or so when we try to leave...or what if we have to got to the bathroom or something...what will we do then!!!"
"ok ok, lets think this out logically... this is a marauder style trick, but I am here and Remus is too nice... who does that leave?"
They both looked at each other and said in unison "THE TWINS!!!!!!"
"You rang?" said the twins as there faces appeared in Sirius' blue glasses, one in each lens so they could both see them.
Hermione was raging "ok... the fun is over. Do the counter jinx...NOW!"
Fred grinned from the left lens.." No can do my dear! This jinx is a specialty of ours, you have to answer 3 questions truthfully and the spell is released, we can't undo it any other way!"
"You two are so dead!!"
George grinned at her from the right lens." from what we could see, this shouldn't be a problem for you two."
Sirius looked pissed off." you mean you've been spying on us this whole time?"
Fred just smiled from the left lens."Don't get all offended. We put a PG rating on the glasses. If things got TOO private they would have fogged right up...though I admit during that last dance they got a bit steamy."
"ENOUGH!!!" Hermione said fiercely, causing a few people to turn their heads on the dance floor for a second. Thru clenched teeth she whispered "Just give us the three questions before we cause a scene."
George, from the left lens..." As you wish. They will appear one at a time on the lenses. As you answer one the next wont will show. Once you finish all three the binding spell will be released and you can go on your merry way. We will leave you now too your privacy...Good Luck!!" and with that they both disappeared from the lenses.
Sirius shook his head." I am almost glad I was never in school when they were... the school would have been wrecked by the rivalry."
Hermione rolled her eyes" stop shaking your head so we can see these damn questions and get out of this mess. We only have a little while before the dance floor might close"
There was a tap on her shoulder "Everything alright Mademoiselle?" she turned to see Henri looking concerned and giving Sirius the evil eye.
She put on her best smile" Everything is wonderful. We just had a minor disagreement as to whether red or white wine goes better with a pork casule'. What do you think?"
Henri beamed at her." Depending on the sauce, I would recommend a sweeter white. A buttery chardonnay would be best."
Sirius shook his head in mock defeat " Again you exquisite taste gets the better of me Henri."
Henri looked pleased "Not all has the experience I do messier. Do not feel bad. Would you care for me to lead you both back to your table for dessert?"
Hermione shook her head "Oh no-no. I'd much rather keep dancing." and looked back at Sirius
"We will let you know when we are ready." Sirius winked
"But of course messier" and with a huff walked off the dance floor
"Great!" Hermione sighed "Now he will be watching us...let's get this over with."
Sirius looked at her with admiration" you are a cool liar Hermione...You are truly Marauder...oh wait, here come the first question..."
These words scrolled across his glasses...
"WHO WAS YOUR FIRST KISS?"
Hermione blushed" I should have known...ok, ok...it was my cousin Arnold...I was five and he dared me...your turn.
Sirius shook his head." I have never told anyone...ugh...alright, it was Prof. Sprout."
"What!?"
"I was helping out in the greenhouse my first year and there was some enchanted mistletoe. It was either she kissed me or I would have blacked out, and there was a quidditch match that afternoon, it was only a quick peck and..."
"Its ok Sirius...breathe. I won't tell a soul!!"
"Thank god!..I think even Harry could pass that one up...here comes the next one..."
And these words scrolled across the lenses next...
"WHO WAS YOUR BEST KISS?"
Hermione blushed again." Well that one's not so bad...Victor Krum...at the Christmas Ball."
Sirius grinned "Yah...I heard about that...you will never guess mine..."
"Hmmm... Lilly?"
"Remus..."
"WHAT!?!?!?!"
Grinning like a maniac." It was a late night game of truth or dare in our 7th year...Lilly dared me to kiss Remus, and nobody thought I would... so I decided to give them a good show and Remus played along... I almost passed out...and I think James did, from the shock!"
Hermione was cracking up." Stop it stop it! if I fall down laughing we both end up ripping our clothes off... get that look off your face, we are in public!!" she said giggling still
"OK" he sighed" the pain is almost over...here comes the last one..."
And the words scrolled across...
"WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE YOUR NEXT KISS?"
"um"
"um"
"Ooh...what the hell..." and Hermione grabbed Sirius' face and kissed him for all it was worth
When she let go he fell to the floor. She laughed and helped him back up.
He shook his head to clear it "I'm gonna have to break it to Remus...he has been replaced"
Hermione grinned " Good to know... and I want to be there...and we're not stuck anymore!"
Sirius pouted "Don't sound so happy about it..."
She grabbed him " I didn't say I was gonna let go... you are stuck with me!"
He twirled her around "I am more happy that you can imagine... besides imagine all the havoc we can wreak together..." he grinned like a mad man... and kissed her back for good measure... then lead her back to the table.
He tapped the candle and Henri arrived post haste."Yes"
The bill if you please, we need to be getting on our way."
"The bill has already been taken care of messier by...the twins I believe they wished to be called. They left this note for you." and he departed
The note read...
Dear Hermione and Sirius,
Hope you enjoyed your evening and hope you enjoy many more...you both deserve the best... don't be too mad Sirius... dont want to start a prank war quite yet! And Hermione, we love you like family... always...no matter what...stop him from killing us! Best wishes Fred and George
They both grinned at each other
"They are TOAST!!!"
And left hand in hand, very much stuck on each other, in the very best way possible...
Au Revoir