Chapter 7 – Encounters
Sirius spent the next few days alternating between painting and wandering. The days were beginning to drag as Sirius contemplated what he wanted to do. On Thursday a pleasant surprise changed the usual routine at Grimmauld Place. Shortly after Harry arrived home from the office, there was a knock on the door. Sirius was in the hall at the time and went to answer it. He was pleasantly surprised to find Hermione on the doorstep. She was dressed in slim khaki trousers with a simple scoop neck blouse in a moss green. Her hair was slightly unkempt after a long day at the office and her eyes looked tired. Sirius took a moment staring at her and thought that she really needed to lighten her workload. As he kept her waiting, Hermione smiled at him.
"Um, can I come in Sirius?"
Sirius came out of his stupor. "Wha? Oh, yes, please Hermione. Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."
Hermione stepped in and Ginny came down the hall to greet her friend.
"Hermione! This is a welcome surprise. I'm glad you're here, you haven't been by in too long."
"I know Ginny and I really should visit more. This evening I didn't have a choice. My neighborhood is on lockdown. Police are looking for a shooting suspect and think he's in the area. So I figured it was a good excuse."
"Like you need an excuse! Quisi..."
At Ginny's call, the house elf popped in and looked at her mistress.
"Quisi, one more for dinner please."
"Yes mistress."
The house elf popped out and Ginny put an arm around Hermione as she led her friend down the hall to the living room. Sirius followed behind and soon the four of them were ensconced with glasses of wine while they waited for dinner. The conversation swirled around current events and then Ginny inquired about how things were going at the Ministry. Hermione refilled her wine before answering her friend.
"Everything is fine at the Ministry. The usual issues. Centaurs are the most bleeding difficult creatures. Then there are the house elves, who I wish would be a bit more difficult and stand up for themselves. It's a balancing act. I actually have a meeting in Hogsmeade with Lonker, the lead elf for Hogwarts. Just a standard check in. I could send Graeme, but I enjoy meeting with the elves. So, how are things here? How are you adjusting Sirius?"
"Oh, I'm alright Hermione. Just spending time getting familiar with freedom. Nothing exciting."
"Actually Hermione, we discovered Sirius has a hidden talent. Remember the watercolor in the library? He actually painted that. He recently started painting again as well."
"What? I never would have guessed. I'm impressed Sirius. That watercolor is quite nice. I think it's the nicest thing Harry found in the house."
"Well that's not surprising, considering everything else was my parents. The painting was one of the few things of mine that didn't get burned or tossed. I haven't painted in years, but I'm enjoying it again. It's very relaxing, lets me think."
Conversation switched back to other news of the Ministry and then Quisi was calling everyone to dinner. Sirius enjoyed the meal and the time spent with friends. He may have been unsure of his future, but at least he had good friends to support him. As dinner wrapped, Sirius looked over at Hermione and couldn't help but smile. She was finally relaxing and the candlelight flickering on her face made her glow. Sirius' mind began to wander until he chastised himself, 'No Sirius! You don't even have your own shit together'. As Sirius pulled his gaze off Hermione, her voice suddenly called to him.
"Sirius, before I pop back over and see if I can get into my flat, can you show me some of your paintings?"
"Um, well, I've only been working on them for a few days, but alright."
"No worries Sirius. I don't expect Monet. I'm just curious."
Sirius led Hermione out to the garden to the shed that he had claimed as his temporary studio. During the day the single window was well positioned to allow him a good amount of morning sun. He had several small canvas studies that were partially complete. They were mainly practice canvases where Sirius had experimented with color and shape. Then there was a larger canvas that was almost complete and detailed a bunch of marigolds from the garden. Finally, the canvas on his easel was a larger view of the whole garden, including his studio shed. He had spent several afternoons taking his easel out to the garden to work on it and thought it was coming along well. Hermione stopped in front of the easel and stared for a moment.
"Wow Sirius. I'm impressed. Considering how long you were away from painting, you're catching up again quickly."
"Thanks Hermione, but…"
"No! No buts. Just take the compliment. I won't say it's perfect, but you're quite good. I tried painting once, but didn't have the talent for it. I really wanted to be successful, but there are some things that books can't help with."
Hermione turned and looked at his other canvases and her eyes settled on the marigolds.
"Ooh, this one is lovely Sirius. I see you're not quite finished yet. Do you plan on finishing it? I'd buy it if you did. It's the perfect colors for my flat, which is in great need of decorating."
Sirius reached an arm around Hermione and stood the canvas up.
"I'll finish it for you Hermione. And you won't pay me. Call it a gift for a friend."
Hermione turned and found herself mere inches from Sirius as he looked down on her. He backed up as much as the small shed would allow and smiled at her. Hermione's breath caught a bit and she turned away from Sirius as she stepped to the door of the shed. She knew he didn't mean anything by it, but when he smiled like that, she felt like she might melt. They stepped out of the shed and returned to the house. Then Hermione left to check if the lockdown was over. She promised to return if she needed a place to stay for the night. Twenty minutes later, her otter patronus landed in the living room to let Ginny know that she was home and all was well. Sirius retired to bed not long after and tried to drive thoughts of the beautiful witch from his mind.
The next day Sirius decided his first task would be to work on Hermione's picture. He spent most of the morning tweaking small details before deciding that it was as good as he could do and set it aside to dry. He briefly considered what to do next and decided it was time to visit Ron in Hogsmeade. Sirius took a quick shower and then floo'd to the small village. Finding the shop was simple, as it exhibited the same color scheme as the Diagon Alley shop. Sirius entered the shop and was happy to see that it wasn't as packed as Diagon had been. Ron saw him immediately and came over.
"Sirius! Glad you decided to drop by. Let me show you around."
They spent the next half hour moving around the shop while Ron showed Sirius some of his favorite items. Sirius was quite amazed at the level of magic and spellwork that many of the items required. George, Fred and Ron may not have been the highest scoring scholars in the Weasley family, but their brilliance showed in the products they produced. As lunch approached, two of Ron's employees left to take breaks and Ron apologized as he had to go help customers.
"No worries Ron. I appreciate you taking the time for me. The shop is amazing." Sirius said as he waved goodbye and Ron returned to his business.
As Sirius exited the shop, he realized it had started raining and pulled up the collar of his coat. With his stomach rumbling, Sirius began to make his way down to the Three Broomsticks. Halfway there, Sirius spotted a familiar figure crossing the road. He was surprised at first, but then he remembered the conversation the night before about her coming to visit the house elves. Sirius stood for a moment in the rain, berating himself. 'Of course you remembered, why else did you pick today to come to Hogsmeade?' Sirius briefly contemplating apparating away, but then overrode his conscience as he moved down the street to greet the witch.
"Hermione!"
"Hi Sirius. You picked a bad day to visit Hogsmeade."
"Well, it wasn't raining when I arrived. Ron just gave me a tour of the shop. I was getting ready to see if the Broomsticks has any stew ready for lunch."
"Oh, that sounds good. This is perfect stew weather."
"Well then, let's go and get out of the rain before it gets worse."
Hermione stepped to Sirius' side as they rushed the rest of the way down the street and entered the busy pub. They settled at a table and ordered drinks and stew. The stew was thick and hearty with a slab of soda bread on the side. Sirius and Hermione bantered back and forth throughout lunch and Sirius couldn't help but be attracted to her. He had to regularly admonish himself that the young witch was way beyond him. As they scraped the last from their bowls, Hermione grew quiet and looked up at Sirius with a bit of a pained expression.
"What Hermione? Do I have stew on my chin?"
Hermione chuckled. "No. I have a question. I just hope it doesn't come over the wrong way."
"Hermione, we're friends. Just ask."
"Well, I have a bit of a predicament. Several months ago I bought a couple of tickets to the symphony's season opener, which is tomorrow night. At the time I was dating an Auror named Greg. We broke up about six weeks ago and now I have an extra ticket. Harry has to pull a shift tomorrow and Ginny makes a face when I mention the symphony. I was wondering if you wanted to come along? As friends. I don't want to waste the ticket."
"That sounds like fun Hermione. I'd love to come along. As friends."
Hermione smiled and rose from the table. "Well, once again, I have to run. I'll come by Grimmauld at seven tomorrow evening."
"That sounds good Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow."
Sirius left pub and found himself whistling. He apparated back to Grimmauld and continued to mentally chide himself, 'Sirius, stop being so happy. She has an extra ticket. You're going as friends. That's all'. That evening he casually mentioned that he was taking Hermione's extra symphony ticket the following evening. Harry and Ginny both seemed happy with the idea and thought nothing of it as they changed the topic back to the weekend's upcoming match between Puddlemere and Holyhead.
The next evening Sirius finished dinner early and then went upstairs to prepare for the symphony. He groomed and dressed precisely while mentally assuring himself that it was a matter of personal pride and had nothing to do with the witch he was accompanying. He picked a suit of black trousers with a two button coat. He paired it with a metallic red silk shirt with a slightly flared collar that he left unbuttoned at the top, showing just a tiny bit of skin. The look was well dressed, but not stuffy and suited Sirius perfectly. A couple minutes before seven he made his way downstairs just as the doorbell rang. He opened the door and couldn't help it as his jaw dropped just a bit. Hermione was dressed in an asymmetrical red satin dress that started on her left shoulder before drifting down and under her right arm. It hugged her curves just right and ended mid-thigh. She had accessorized with simple silver earrings and a silver drop necklace. Hermione couldn't help but smirk at Sirius' reaction, although she wasn't disappointed herself. Sirius looked casually elegant and more than tempting. Mentally shaking herself, Hermione forced herself to speak.
"Ready to go Sirius?"
"Yes Hermione. And might I say you look beautiful."
They stepped out to the stoop, checked for anyone watching and then apparated to an alley near the symphony hall. Sirius casually took Hermione by the arm as they walked and chatted comfortably before entering and being seated. The show started a few minutes later and Sirius found himself thoroughly enjoying the show. At the interlude, Hermione excused herself briefly while Sirius made his way to the bar. Seeing that they had a good pinot grigio, Sirius purchased a glass for Hermione while purchasing himself a scotch. When Hermione returned, she accepted the glass appreciatively. After her first sip, she gave Sirius a strange look.
"Problem with the wine Hermione?"
"No, the wine is quite excellent. A very good pinot grigio, but how did you know?"
"Well, that's what you were drinking at the Burrow and you asked for it at the Broomsticks, where they don't get many requests for Muggle wine."
"Hmm, well, I guess I hadn't realized you were paying attention. Thank you."
The symphony resumed and the second half was equally as good as the first. Sirius had never been to the Muggle symphony before and found himself planning on a return visit. As they made their way to the lobby, Hermione glanced to her left and saw a middle aged woman who was practically devouring Sirius with her eyes. Hermione reached out to hold Sirius' arm possessively. As she did so, Hermione mentally berated herself, 'What the hell Hermione? You're friends, that's all'. Sirius looked at her and smiled.
Seeing his questioning look, Hermione quickly covered. "Can we get out of these crowds Sirius? It's a bit much."
Sirius smiled one of his heart melting smiles and began to weave through the crowd with gentle but persuasive maneuvering. Soon they reached the outside and Hermione breathed a bit easier.
"Want to walk for a bit Hermione? Get some fresh air now that we escaped the masses?"
Hermione nodded and then she shivered just a bit. Seeing the chill pass through her, Sirius took his coat off and wrapped her in it. As his fingers brushed her shoulders, Hermione had to bite her lip to keep a gasp from escaping her lips. Sirius then put a comforting arm around her and they began to walk down toward the river. Hermione settled and found herself quite comfortable up against Sirius. They talked about the music and the city. Hermione spoke about her parents and their home. She also spoke about her double life whenever she would go to visit them. She walked an uneasy rope between the magical and Muggle worlds. As they talked, Sirius was also surprised at her dry humor with some of the stories she told. Before they realized, they had walked several kilometers across and around the city. Hermione paused and looked around.
"Sirius, you won't believe this, but I have no idea where we are. We've been walking and talking and I completely lost track."
"Well if you don't know, then I certainly don't." Sirius chuckled.
"I guess we should call it a night. No one else is around and we should each be able to apparate from here."
Sirius agreed and turned to say goodnight to Hermione. As he did, he found himself once again inches away from her and before he could stop himself, he leaned in and lightly kissed her. The kiss was barely a brushing, but it sent a surge of electricity through Sirius. He pulled back and turned away.
"Sorry Hermione. We should go home now. Thank you for a great night."
Hermione took a moment to recover before she replied. "Yes, thank you Sirius."
Hermione apparated back to her flat, landing a bit awkwardly as she touched her lips. She stood in her living room for a few minutes, not moving while she tried to clear her head.
As soon as Hermione disappeared, Sirius turned and apparated back to Grimmauld. He headed for the living room, in search of some much needed firewhisky, and found Ginny curled on the couch reading.
"Hi Sirius. How was the symphony?"
"Good Ginny. Much better than I anticipated."
"I see you lost your coat."
"Oh, um, Hermione was cold. I'll get it back later."
Ginny looked at Sirius with a strange smile and returned to reading her book.
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