A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you guys are enjoying this story! This will be the second to the last chapter and reviews are still loved and appreciated! Lyrics from "One More Night" by Maroon 5
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"So I cross my heart and I hope to die, that I'll only stay with you one more night"
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Hermione groggily awoke in Ginny's guest bedroom a few hours later and stretched out lazily like a cat. She felt both rested and troubled at the same time as the memory of her emotional night flooded back to her. She called out for Ginny and heard the red-head tromp down the hallway before peeking into the room. James had a bottle in his mouth and she looked relieved to see her friend up.
"How are you feeling? You missed the party…" she giggled.
"What party?" Hermione asked, brushing her messy hair out of her eyes as she sat up.
"Remus, Teddy, and your husband dropped by. Teddy played with James a bit. They wanted to see you but you really needed your sleep. Sirius said he'd be waiting for you at home…" Ginny said with a hopeful tone, trying to smile at her best friend a bit but Hermione wanted nothing to do with the news.
"He can go to hell and take Remus along with him if they were trying to convince me that everything is okay. Because it is certainly not okay!" she decided, getting up and brushing past Ginny in the doorway of the room.
"Okay then…well…you also got some letters from George. I took the liberty of reading them and then burning them, since I am his sister after all…" Ginny kept up, following Hermione as she slouched towards the kitchen.
"What did the letters say?"
"The first two were angry ones, and the last couple were sappy and rather pathetic. But he'll get over it. He's a big boy."
"Mhmm…" Hermione started to fix herself some toast. She was more than aware of the time and she had made up her mind about Sirius, which meant she had errands to run.
"Are you even listening to me? I thought you would be happy that Sirius came over here. For Merlins' sake he even went in the room and bloody cuddled with you. He was teary-eyed the whole time. 'Mione I think you should go home and see him," Ginny suggested, bouncing James to burp him.
"No," came the cold reply from Hermione's lips as she shoved some half-done toast in her mouth to avoid saying anything else.
"I want you to be happy!" Ginny said helplessly.
"You didn't even want me with Sirius in the first place! And now all of a sudden you are on his team!? Did you not see what a wreck I was last night? That was the final straw. I'm done with your brother and I'm done with him. I don't care if I am single and alone for the rest of my life but I will be Mrs. Granger-Black not a day longer!" she huffed, her curly, unruly hair whirling around her as she walked towards the floo. Performing some quick spells to tidy her clothes, smooth out wrinkles, and refresh her face; she then threw some powder into the floo and took off saying "Ministry of Magic".
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"Fuck Moony, I feel like I am going to die," Sirius groaned. He was laying in his and Hermione's bed at Grimmauld place. Remus had tried his best to make his friend feel comfortable but his withdrawals were hitting him hard.
"You drank more than I thought you did…it's going to be hell for a while. But I'm sure Hermione will come home soon and she can take care of you. I'm proud of you Padfoot. I really am," the werewolf gave a small smile at his friend, who looked like complete shit. He was pale and said he felt downright awful.
"Well it's about time I grew up and got ahold of myself again. I did it once before—so it shouldn't be so bad," Sirius gave Remus a weak wink before the Professor said goodbye and took a sweetly slumbering Teddy with him.
Sirius thrashed under the covers for a while, trying to get comfortable but it was hard. He badly wanted to drown himself in drink again to make the pain go away, but all he could picture was Hermione coming home and being so happy and proud of him. They would make love (or at least Sirius would give his best effort in his current condition) and everything could go back to normal.
When he heard the door downstairs open and then close about an hour later, the animagus couldn't contain his excitement. The tell-tale click of her heels reassured him that it was her and he rolled out of the bed and slowly took the stairs one by one. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her, but when her eyes met his they only held sadness.
"I'm so glad you are here…" he said, reaching the landing and he was momentarily embarrassed of his voice. He knew he sounded sick and old.
"I've taken care of everything, all you have to do is sign on the dotted line…"she said quietly, handing him a manila folder. He took it from her as he scrunched his eyebrows and opened it. After scanning a few lines of it he realized they were divorce papers.
"'Mione…"
"I thought you at least deserved me coming in person to tell you. But I promise it will all be quick and painless and you can be rid of me," her voice cracked and it gave away her sadness. But she stood resolutely in the middle of the foyer.
"Did Ginny not tell you I came by to see you?"
"No," she lied. She had been trying to push that fact out of her mind when she was signing the paperwork at the Ministry.
"But I did…I laid with you and I said I was so sorry and I will tell you it all again. I fucked up Hermione. I've been a shitty husband and I know I don't deserve you but at least let me have some say in this before you up and leave me like this!" Sirius said desperately. He wanted so badly to tear up the papers in his hands but he held them stiffly instead.
"Although I appreciate the apology…and I owe you one too of course, about George….but it's been over for months now Sirius. We can't get back what we had. You don't know me anymore…"
"But I want to. Let me…" he breathed.
"I've made up my mind Sirius. I'm so sorry, but I really do need your signature," Hermione asked again. She was trying to be brave. She had always been taught to stick to what she believed in. And she believed that Sirius didn't love her anymore-although what he was saying sounded so much like the old Sirius that it was confusing her.
"I've quit drinking," he offered.
"You tried that before, and how well did that work out for you?" she put her hands on her hips stubbornly and he frowned.
"I want to get better for you and for Teddy and for James…."
"But you won't." she replied harshly and he snapped, his temper taking over. He walked into the kitchen and she followed tentatively.
"Fine, I'll sign your bloody papers…" he mumbled, reaching for a pen and finding the place for his signature. He signed it slowly and with a flourish before closing the folder and handing it back to her with a satisfied smirk.
"Thank you Sirius. I'll have someone come and collect my things," she said softly, turning to leave. She knew that she was dragging her feet for some reason. She couldn't move very fast. Something was keeping her and she didn't know why. It was over and yet it wasn't as easy as just a simple signature.
She was nearly at the door when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She stopped in her tracks and waited and after a second his other arm slipped around her waist and turned her to face him. He didn't give her a chance to say anything, he just kissed her.
Hermione had wondered what it would feel like to kiss Sirius for the last time. She had thought their last kiss had come quite some time ago…but she was in awe of this kiss. The divorce papers dropped out of her hand and lay forgotten on the floor as he pulled her close to him.
One arm wrapped down under her arse and pulled up her leg to wrap around his waist. The other followed suit as Hermione gave a little jump into his arms and he carried her up to their bedroom. He was an expert at maneuvering the stairs with her in his arms—as it had happened many times before the last six months of pain.
They hadn't had sex in six whole months. The desire was evident between them as they kissed, but it was tinged with other things-anger, sadness, hope, finality. It was the most emotional kiss they had every experienced.
When they were in their bedroom he set her down on the bed and crawled on top of her, his pains forgotten. He felt like a new man. He felt like his wife was back and he wanted to worship the ground she walked on for not leaving.
Hermione, on the other hand—was facing an entirely different set of feelings. She had come there to get a divorce and now she was about to have sex with her husband after being desperate for his touch for months. But she was stubborn. And heartbroken. And she knew that sex wasn't the answer.
"Just one more night Sirius…" she whispered. He broke away from kissing her neck and stared at her with sadness in his stormy grey eyes.
"One more night," he nodded. It nearly tore him in two but he understood. Maybe one day they would come back together again and be the perfection he knew them to once be. But tonight, all that mattered was saying goodbye, and doing it well.
Their frustration quickly manifested itself into them divesting of their clothes quickly and with as much tearing of fabric as possible. He thrust himself into her the moment she was free of her panties and they gripped each other tightly as he rocked inside of her.
There was nothing extra, just pure raw lust and passion. It was the passion that had always been in their relationship, and the intensity of it shocked both of them. It had been so long and she came for him over and over, screaming out his name before he finally lost himself inside of her.
There was no cuddling or kissing. That would have made it too hard. They fell into a dreamless sleep and awoke twice more in the middle of the night for repeats—each getting more desperate and frantic than before. By the morning they were sore and scratched from each other. Hermione woke first, grabbing a fresh outfit out her drawer and slipping it on after a hasty shower. She kissed her sleeping soon to be ex-husband and said a silent, tearful goodbye before packing up a few necessities and walking out the door of Grimmauld place.
A/N: I know it is sad..but there is still one more chapter! Please review if you read!