Chapter 8 - Confessions
Sirius spent the following week much the same way that he had the previous. About the only positive he could note was that his painting skills were improving daily. Hermione's marigolds were ready and waiting, but Sirius couldn't make himself call her. He decided to wait until the next time she came to visit. The painting of the garden with the shed was also complete and Ginny had insisted that it hang next to his other painting in the library. The two were similar, but held subtle differences. They were bookends on the span of his current life. On Thursday a bored Sirius found himself wandering near the Ministry once again and his thoughts kept drifting to Hermione. Realizing that he was looking around for her, Sirius berated himself and strode purposefully out of the neighborhood. He returned to Grimmauld and spent the rest of the day moping and reading. Soon a new week dawned and after dinner Sunday night Harry made a request of Sirius.
"Sirius, Ginny and I have a favor to ask. She said that you've been great with James. You really seem to enjoy him and she appreciates being able to go out for brief errands without packing him up. The two of us haven't been out in almost a month and I was wondering if you would watch James on Friday night?"
"Sure Harry, no problem. He's really quite an easy baby. The nappies aren't fun, but I've survived a few so far. I hope you've got something indulgent and fun planned. You both deserve it."
"We're going to a local Muggle restaurant that is having an open mic night with some local bands."
"Sounds like fun. You really have adapted to switching between the magical and Muggle worlds."
"Well, it isn't a stretch for me. I was raised Muggle until Hogwarts. Ginny has taken a bit more to adapt, but she's always been adventuresome."
"Hmm, yes. Hermione and I were discussing something similar. She also walks the line between the worlds, especially with her parents. I must say that I find it intriguing, especially since I've been spending more time out in the main part of London and observing Muggles."
With their date set and a babysitter arranged, Ginny and Harry decided to call it night. Sirius stayed up drinking firewhisky and staring at the fire, lost in his thoughts.
Monday was a depressingly boring day for Sirius. He enjoyed his painting, but after a few hours he needed a break and wandering the city was no longer intriguing. Ginny had noticed his mood and decided to broach the subject over dinner.
"Sirius, you know how happy I am that you are painting again. I do wonder though, you seem to be getting bored. You are certainly welcome around here, but I wonder if you need a change of scenery."
Sirius sighed. "Maybe Ginny, but I think I've seen more of London than any non Muggle born wizard ever has."
"Actually I was thinking of something else. Why don't you head down to Wheezes and talk to George? You don't need money, but he always can use an extra pair of hands. Even if it's just a couple of hours. I think it might be a good change for you."
"Hmm, that's an idea Ginny. It would be hard to get bored at Wheezes."
Ginny laughed, happy that her idea seemed to be well received. Harry said nothing, but smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze. She knew that he had been worrying as well, but had tucked his concern away as he often did.
The next day Sirius did indeed take Ginny's advice. After only a couple hours of painting, he changed and made his way to Diagon Alley. As he approached the shop, he could see it was absolutely packed. Smiling to himself, Sirius gradually pushed his way through the crowd toward the ginger head that topped above most of the crowd.
"George! I just decided to stop by and see how business was. Looks good."
"Oy, yes Sirius. I certainly don't want to complain, but some days it's hard to keep up."
"Well, I've been a bit of a mope around the house and Ginny finally had enough. Said I should come over and see if you have anything to keep a set of idle hands busy?"
George's eyes lit up and he turned to talk to two employees. Then he turned back around and took Sirius by the arm to lead him out of the crowd. They entered the back storeroom and the noise dropped, allowing Sirius to think again.
"Sirius, your timing couldn't be better. We actually do need help. You don't know the stock well enough to work out front yet, but I've got boxes of items to be stocked that I haven't gotten to. Would you mind? I can pay you my standard salary. I've been meaning to hire someone else, but haven't found the time."
"I didn't come looking for pay George. I need a mental break. So, why don't you show me your stocking system and what needs to be done?"
George spent the next half hour with Sirius showing him around before returning back to the main shop. The storeroom was arranged quite logically and Sirius soon had his wand out directing objects around the room and onto their appropriate shelves. About an hour in, a young witch came back looking harried.
"Hi! I'm Verity. George said you're Sirius. I need more bottomless cauldrons. We were supposed to have received the shipment a few days ago."
"Indeed. I saw those a while ago. One moment."
Sirius turned and rounded a row of shelving. He spotted the boxes in question and waved them on out to Verity.
"Excellent! That was fast. Thanks Sirius." Verity said as she darted back out to the shop.
Sirius waved and returned to his task. Twenty minutes later a tiny, middle aged wizard appeared.
"Hi, I'm Tom. We need more Love Potion number 9. I can never find anything back here, but Verity said you could help?"
Sirius nodded, disappeared between the racks and came back with the box Tom needed. The wizard enthusiastically thanked Sirius and ran back out to the shop.
Sirius continued with his task, while every twenty or thirty minutes someone would appear asking for something else. Sirius was able to fulfill all requests except one. Despite an extensive search, the shop was completely out of blackout telescopes. Finally, in the late afternoon George appeared and called a halt.
"Sirius, you can stop now. We just closed the doors. What a day. I have to thank you. It looks like you got through half the pile. Everyone appreciated your help as well. They said you were able to locate what they needed right away."
"Well I would think I should be able to since I'm the one putting it all away. This was actually kind of fun George. I could come back tomorrow and work on what's left."
George looked overjoyed. "Sirius, anytime you start feeling bored, you're always welcome at Wheezes. In the unlikely event that we don't need you here, I'll send you to Ron. For tomorrow though I would appreciate having you back."
Sirius assured George that he would be back at nine the next morning. Then he said his goodbyes to everyone who was still in the shop before exiting and returning to Grimmauld. That evening Harry and Ginny were both pleased with the positive change in Sirius' mood.
The next day Sirius arrived on time at nine and immediately resumed his work in the storeroom. He worked until lunch and had most of the pile done, so he decided to do something for his protesting stomach. Making his way out to the front of the shop, Sirius stopped to talk to George and let him know he would be back after lunch. George waved him off with a smile and Sirius wound his way through the customers and into the fresh breeze of Diagon Alley. Looking around, Sirius decided to visit a nearby sandwich shop and turned to start walking that direction. Before he reached the shop, Sirius heard a squeal that sounded like his name and suddenly a witch with a mass of purple hair engulfed him in a hug. Sirius choked on her perfume and immediately recognized the scent.
"Gina, hello. It's been many years."
"Ooh, Sirius! I read about your return. I was so sad when I heard about your accident and death years ago. So, what have you been up to? Making up for lost times naughty boy?"
Sirius forced a smile as he looked down on the leering witch. Gina had been his last dalliance and she hadn't changed much. Maybe a few soft lines around the eyes. Hair a bit more of a vivid purple. Same cloying perfume that seemed to not leave clothing for days after. The last time he had seen her was about seven years ago. Mundungus had taken pity on Sirius while he was imprisoned at Grimmauld Place with the Order. When everyone else was out, Dung had helped Sirius apparate straight Bea's flat. Bea was one of a crowd of low level thieves, fences and con artists that Dung was part of. She was throwing a birthday party for someone Sirius didn't know. He hadn't cared, just the chance to get out and party with people who didn't care about his fugitive status was welcome. That night he'd met Gina and made good use of the spare room at Bea's. It was the first time Sirius had been with a woman since Azkaban and she had been thrilled with his enthusiasm. Then, two nights before the Department of Mysteries, Sirius had snuck out once again and met Gina at her place. He'd spent the night and barely snuck back into Grimmauld before the Order returned. Now Sirius looked at her and found himself confused. He should have been attracted to her with the way she was pressing herself into him, but instead he was annoyed. She chattered on aimlessly and Sirius found himself thinking back to his witty conversation with Hermione. Sirius shook himself. It really wasn't fair to compare her. Sirius' stomach rumbled a bit and he was ready to separate himself from the witch. He looked at her and gave her one of his most ingratiating smiles.
"Gina, it's great to see you again, but I've only got a couple minutes break. I need to grab a sandwich and get back to the shop."
Gina pouted as she replied. "Fine Sirius. I guess I understand. I'm still in the same flat. Don't be a stranger."
Sirius watched her flounce off and took a deep breath. Her stupid perfume lingered as he made his way to the sandwich shop. He hadn't planned on eating at Wheezes, but decided it would be best to get back. He took his lunch and ate quietly in the storeroom before completing the rest of the stocking. Shortly before four, George came back to look for something and Sirius caught him.
"George, I've just about finished your pile of stock. I should have it done by the end of the day."
"Great Sirius. You made short work of it, but I have bad news. We're expecting another shipment later tonight. Any plans tomorrow?"
Sirius saw the hopeful look in George's eyes and chuckled. "It seems my plans are to help around here some more."
George gave Sirius a good slap on the back before finding what he had come for and returning to the main shop. Sirius returned to his task and in less than an hour had the current stack of stocking complete. As he finished, Sirius looked around and noticed that the storeroom did have a lot of empty shelves and cubbies still. He had been thinking he was doing well, but now Sirius saw just how low on stock the store had been. Resigning himself to another day in the storeroom, Sirius put on his coat and headed back to Grimmauld.
Sirius actually spent a good portion of the rest of the week at Wheezes. George still insisted on paying him something and on Friday gave Sirius a Gringotts check paying him for his time. Seeing no point in arguing, Sirius accepted and hurried back to Grimmauld so that he could babysit for Harry and Ginny. They left before six, right after Ginny had fed James. Sirius took the baby from her and began to burp him as he shooed Harry and Ginny out the door. Soon he had James settled and leaned back on the couch to wait for Quisi to announce that dinner was ready. Sirius was just dozing off with the baby on his chest when the doorbell rang. He didn't move very fast and Quisi got to the door first, with Sirius coming down the hall behind the elf. As the door opened, Sirius caught his breath when he saw it was Hermione. The elf welcomed the familiar visitor in and she looked up and smiled at Sirius.
"Hi Sirius. I know I'm unannounced. Ginny's been telling me to come around more, so I thought I would drop in on you all."
"That's great Hermione. You're welcome any time. Unfortunately, tonight you'll have to settle for me and James. Harry and Ginny are having a date night."
"Oh, um, I didn't realize. I can go then…"
"Nonsense. I'm sure Quisi has enough food for the both of us?"
The elf looked up at Sirius and bobbed her head before popping back out to finish dinner preparations.
"There! It's settled. Come, have some wine while we wait."
Hermione smiled and followed Sirius down the hall. James was almost asleep as Sirius transferred him to a bouncy seat and then turned to pour Hermione a glass of wine. They settled and began talking about the events of the week. Sirius was glad that Hermione didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings toward him after what had happened the night of the symphony. Hermione was just finishing her first glass of wine when Quisi called them to dinner. Sirius picked up James in his seat and followed Hermione to the dining room. Dinner was a simple affair of soup and leftover shepherd's pie. The wine continued to flow and Sirius was finding himself quite relaxed and happy in Hermione's company.
After dinner, Sirius took a fussy James back upstairs for his bath and nappy change. Hermione followed and chatted with Sirius while he cared for the baby. His involvement with the baby meant that Sirius didn't notice the soft, appreciative looks that Hermione gave him as she watched him care for James. Soon James was asleep and Sirius cast the baby sensor spell that Ginny had taught him. If James woke up, Sirius' wand would buzz and let him know. Then he waved the last night light off and he and Hermione made their way back downstairs.
Halfway down, Hermione caught her foot on a step and began to slip. Sirius was right behind her and quickly grabbed her by the waist to keep her from falling. The maneuver brought the two of them against each other and Sirius groaned and let go of Hermione as soon as her feet were settled. They descended the last few steps and suddenly Hermione turned and looked at him. She was just inches from Sirius as he stared into her liquid chocolate eyes and noticed small sparks of copper in them.
"Sirius, we need to talk. We probably should have talked after the symphony, but you ran away and I haven't seen you since. We're both feeling something between us. I think you've probably been doing the same thing I have and trying to ignore it, but that only makes it worse. At least for me."
Hermione paused and looked up at Sirius, obviously waiting for him to reply. Sirius blew out a long breath and ran his hand through his hair.
"Alright Hermione, yes, I admit I am quite attracted to you. And, yes, I have been doing everything I can to hold back."
"Why Sirius? Certainly you can see that I'm no longer the young witch you once knew?"
"Of course I can! That's the problem. Look at you Hermione. You're one of the smartest witches ever, enormously successful and beautiful as well. What can I offer you? I'm twenty years older than you. I've never held a job. I'm completely directionless right now. There are hundreds of wizards better for you."
"Sirius, do you really think any of that matters to me? Don't you know me better? And, as for age, you're only thirteen years older than me, you didn't age during the seven you went missing."
"Right, of course. So, you seem to be busy trying to convince me why all my reasons are wrong. If you've been feeling this too, why haven't you said anything? Were you waiting for me to say something first?"
"Not really. Truthfully, if I've wanted someone before I usually don't have a problem telling them so. But you're different Sirius. You're a pure blood wizard. Older, sophisticated, gorgeous. I know your reputation. You could take your pick of witches. Or Muggles for that matter."
"My reputation Hermione is quite outdated. As for the pure blood bit, you know my feelings on that. So, it seems we've both had our own silly reasons for pulling back. What do you want to do about it? I'll be honest, I'd like to try something wonderfully crazy and take you out for a date. I haven't been on one since the first war."
Hermione smiled. "That sounds good, but first I'd like to try an experiment…"
With that, she leaned up and began to kiss him. Sirius responded immediately and pressed into her. He put his hands around her waist and pulled Hermione in tighter. The kiss was electric, liquid, like everything and nothing he had ever dreamed. His tongue traced Hermione's lower lip and she parted for him. As their tongues touched, the tidal wave surged and they both moaned into each other. Hermione grasped Sirius from behind, squeezing his firm bum while Sirius removed a hand from her waist and began to push up her blouse. Then Hermione gasped and pulled back, smiling.
"Wow. Well that experiment went well. I would definitely say there's something there."
"Well then, I know it's short notice Hermione, but would you let me take you out to dinner tomorrow, say around seven? Your choice."
"Sounds excellent. Maybe we should try one more experiment before I go home though."
Sirius smiled and then captured her lips with his. The kiss was as deep and shocking as the first. Soon they found themselves leaning against a wall as Hermione pressed herself into him. As Sirius made his way up to fondle her breast, the sound of the front door opening brought them back to reality. Sirius stepped back as Hermione pulled herself off the wall. Hermione took a deep breath and straightened her blouse. Sirius meanwhile had collected himself and proceeded down the hall to welcome his friends home.
"Harry, Ginny, you're home! I hope you had a good evening."
"Yes Sirius, the food and music was all quite good. How is James? Everything go okay this evening?"
"James is great, already asleep. The evening went fine, nothing unusual."