Chapter 12 – Confessions
Several hours later Sirius woke and felt much more awake than he had previously. Hermione was still sleeping soundly next to him and he felt positively giddy waking up next to her. On the few occasions when he had actually spent the entire night with a woman he had always made an early exit before there was any chance of one of them laying a claim to him. Now he found himself completely willing to remain in bed all day and let Hermione lay complete claim to his body and soul. 'So much for not getting involved Sirius' he said to himself. Now he was more than involved. 'If only James could see me now. He'd probably have some witty comment about it taking long enough. And what would Lily think of him getting involved with their son's best friend?' Sirius set aside personal thoughts of friends long gone and decided to focus on the present. His stomach had started to rumble and his brain was mentioning that Hermione would probably be hungry as well when she woke up.
Sirius carefully climbed out of bed and started searching for his trunks. He found them hanging off the corner of the dresser and pulled them on. He made a quick stop in the bathroom before making his way to the kitchen. His first task was to clean up the dinner dishes. They'd gotten too distracted and completely forgotten about the mess they left behind. The kitchen wasn't tiny, but it was small enough that within minutes he was familiar with the layout. Once the cleaning was done, he set about determining what was available for breakfast. He found Hermione was well stocked and immediately started mixing up a batch of scones. Once those were in the oven, he started the teapot and then set some bacon crisping on low. He was just starting to slice some tomatoes when he felt arms wrap his waist. Smiling, he turned to greet his lover with a deep kiss.
"Morning love. I was hoping to get you breakfast in bed, but looks like I'm late."
"How could I sleep with the smells coming out of here? Do I smell scones?"
"Yes indeed. Why don't you go sit and I'll bring you tea."
Hermione yawned and gave him one more peck before settling on a kitchen stool. Sirius fixed her tea and took it to her before turning back to his cooking.
"You're full of surprises Sirius. I had no idea you cooked."
"Well, I can do a few things. Nothing fantastic and French like last night, but I manage the basics. Harry's grandmum taught me when I stayed with them."
"Does Harry know? Those are the kind of stories he needs to hear."
"No, I don't think I've told him. There are probably a lot of things I need to tell him. I've been thinking about James and Lily a lot lately."
"Really? What about them?"
"Oh little things. Like how Lily would love to see me riding the Tube. She used to be our Muggle studies instructor outside of school. Then, when I hold little James, I think about his grandfather and wish James was the one holding him instead."
Sirius grew quiet as he pulled the scones out of the oven. After a couple minutes letting him think, Hermione came back over and hugged him, laying her head between his shoulders. Sirius turned around and held her, drinking in her warmth. They said nothing until the bacon started to sizzle and Sirius had to quickly grab the pan to keep it from burning. He began to dish the food and they retreated to the dining area for brunch. After a couple of bites, Hermione looked up.
"This is excellent Sirius. Your scones are amazing. So, now that it's almost eleven, what do you plan on doing with the rest of your day?"
Sirius looked at Hermione. She was holding a piece of scone in one hand while delicately sweeping crumbs off her lip with two fingers of her other hand. She caught him staring and smirked at him and Sirius knew that now was the time to do something he had never done before.
"Hermione, I need to talk to you. About last night, us, this…"
Hermione set down her scone and a look of concern crossed her face. Sirius realized what she was thinking and reached out to grab her hand in reassurance.
"Hermione, last night was amazing, but more than that you're amazing. Even before we made love I was falling for you. I think from the minute you collected me at the Ministry. I was in awe of you, of the woman you've become. I still am in awe of you. I tried to deny what I was feeling, but when I kissed you after the symphony I was done for. I didn't admit it to myself, but I was. I tried to convince myself to not get involved, you were too good for me. Well, you still are, but I'm involved now and more than that. I need to tell you something I've never told anyone. Hermione, I love you. I love your brilliance, your sense of justice, your fierce loyalty, your quirky humor, your love of art, your crazy hair, and your divine body that makes me want to stay here all day and pleasure you. I know I don't seem trustworthy. I know my reputation, but that's done. James always said it would happen some day and I told him he was crazy. I think I need to go to Godric's Hollow and pay up on an old bet. Stupid bloke always did get the last laugh. I don't know how you feel, but I don't want you to think that you are just another passing fancy. You're too good for that."
Hermione's eyes brimmed with tears, unable to say anything. Holding onto Sirius' hand she moved around the table. She took his face in both hands and kissed him soundly. Then she pulled back and smiled as she declared herself.
"Sirius Black. I love you. I never expected to have this, but I'm happy."
He kissed her once again and then her stomach rumbled, causing them both to laugh.
"And did I mention that I love your scones?"
Hermione went back to her seat and they resumed eating, staring at each other with silly grins. Sirius felt like a teenager again, maybe fourteen before his conquests jaded him. He couldn't believe what she'd done to him.
"So Sirius, what now? I won't be able to be near you at Grimmauld or the Burrow without someone seeing what's going on."
"You know what Hermione? I was worried that Harry would feel betrayed. Honestly, I'm still a bit worried, but I think he'll adjust. I don't want to hide us. This is not some dirty secret. As for the Burrow, I guess we'll have to face that. Molly worries me more than anyone. I noticed you're basically her second daughter."
"Yes, the Weasleys adopted me unofficially years ago. I think of them as my magic parents. I think Molly won't mind as much as you think. I've taken a couple boyfriends to the Burrow, one who Molly almost hexed. Although, looking back, I see she was right about him. I've had some horrid tastes. Then there was the time she dropped by here and bumped into Kingsley as he was leaving one morning. I don't think I've seen her that upset since the war. That one I don't really know what her problem was. Kingsley's a good man. I think it's just the issue with him being the Minister of Magic and my boss. Upset her sensibilities. No, I think she'll accept us without too much trouble."
Sirius was a bit stunned by her admission. He knew of course that she had plenty of experience. She'd shown that last night. Still, sleeping with the Minister of Magic was a whole other level.
"Kingsley huh? I have to admit that surprises me a bit. How long were you two together? Not that I'm upset, just curious. Of course I realize you've been with a number of men. I am hardly one to complain. I just feel lucky that you're with me now."
"Kingsley and I were just an occasional thing. We went out to a couple Muggle restaurants, but we had to be careful. Mainly he would come here and I would cook and we'd fuck for a few hours before he had to leave. It was convenient. We decided it was starting to interfere with work and stopped. We both knew there wasn't anything more to it. That's been the way with most of my relationships. Ron and Lee are the only two serious relationships I've been in. After Lee I was just too involved with work to spend the time. That's why I'm glad that the department is splitting out. I love my work, but I've reached a point where I want more. And then you appear and turn my world inside out."
Sirius smiled and leaned over to kiss scone crumbs off her lip. Once they finished their brunch, Hermione stood and took his hand. He followed her back to the bedroom where they immediately began devouring each other. Hermione became very aggressive as she pulled his trunks off as they kept groping, kissing and moving toward the bed. When they reached the bed, Hermione pushed Sirius back on the bed. He scooted a little bit and found himself being quickly straddled. Then Hermione grinned naughtily as she lowered herself onto him. Sirius watched himself disappear into her and the sight made him throb. Hermione began a slow rocking, adjusting her angle until she found the right position and began to ride Sirius hard. Sirius growled and marveled at her skill. Then he reached up and began to fondle her bouncing tits while rocking his hips in sequence with her. Within minutes Hermione came powerfully as she screamed and Sirius joined her. She remained clamped on him for several minutes before she finished cumming and released him as she rolled off and lay next to him.
"Fuck Hermione. Nothing docile about you. Bloody hell."
"I'm glad you don't scare easy. Can you believe one guy I dated actually went limp when I tackled him? Couldn't get it up again for the rest of the night."
"Pussy" Sirius growled.
Hermione laughed, rolling over to kiss him. As he reached to pull her closer, she jumped off the bed and beckoned to him.
"Come Sirius. I've got a walk in shower. One of the reasons I picked this flat."
Sirius grinned and bounded after her. They spent the next half hour exploring new angles when Hermione used her wand to levitate herself. After a while they eventually got clean and Sirius went to locate his clothing. After quick anti-wrinkle and refresh charms, they didn't look bad. Hermione was still getting ready, so Sirius left to clean the kitchen. As he finished, Hermione appeared wearing a pair of tight black jeans, a low v-cut black and red blouse and black boots.
"Bloody hell Hermione. I thought you said you wanted to get out of the flat sometime today. How do you expect me to not attack you when you wear that?"
"Control yourself big boy. Good things come to those who wait. Now, let's get out of here. I saw a flyer about a street fair a few blocks from here. It sounds like fun."
Sirius sighed and tried to get himself under control as he took her hand and left the flat. They walked a few blocks in the general direction where Hermione thought the fair should be and soon heard the sounds that directed them further. The fair hosted a plethora of street vendors, artists and busking musicians. Hermione and Sirius wandered throughout, stopping occasionally if a musician was particularly good. The day had a bit of a chill and Sirius found them large, cream topped cups of hot chocolate. Then he enjoyed kissing the cream off her lips, causing a few whistles from the crowd. Sirius had worried when he saw all the young people that he would look like an old man out among youngsters, but instead he noticed several of the younger female crowd paying close attention to him. Hermione also noticed and made a point of putting her arm around him and sliding her hand in his back pocket possessively. As they reached the end of the fair, Hermione turned and looked at Sirius as he pulled her into a hug.
"Sirius, I was supposed to go into the office and work on paperwork this afternoon, but I've decided it will wait until Monday. Please stay with me for the weekend."
"Of course. How can I deny a lady? Although, I think I should pop over to Grimmauld for some clean clothes."
"Alright, but don't take too long."
They ducked down an alley and Hermione apparated to her flat before Sirius apparated to Grimmauld. When he arrived, he was glad that Harry and Ginny were out. He wasn't ready for explanations quite yet. He did inform Quisi that he would be out until Monday morning. Then he collected a few things and popped back to Hermione's flat. They spent the evening alternating between loving, long conversations in bed and brief snacks as needed. Sirius hadn't shagged so much in a single night since he was a teenager and surprised himself with his stamina.
On Sunday they made it out by ten in the morning. The day was rainy, perfect to visit a museum. They spent most of the day at the National Gallery. Hermione had been several times, but it was a first for Sirius. The place was too big for a single day, but they made a good attempt. After they left the gallery, they found a nearby pub that neither was familiar with. They were pleasantly surprised with the excellent stew that was a specialty of the owner and ordered two large bowls with slabs of bread. Hermione stuck with wine, while Sirius downed a couple of pints. They had a small, cozy booth toward the back and stayed huddled together, talking long after their food was finished. Eventually Sirius grew restless and started kissing Hermione. She responded by feeling him up under the table and he quickly paid the bill before hustling her back to the flat.
Monday morning arrived too soon and Sirius was awakened by an alarm when the sun had barely started to peek through the drapes. He groaned and reached for Hermione, only to find an empty bed. She was standing to the side and smiled down on him.
"Sirius love, I have to get to work. You can stay as long as you want, but I need to shower and get out of here. This week is going to be crazy, but then it will get better. Like we discussed, I'll come by Grimmauld for dinner and we'll talk to Harry and Ginny. I'll owl you when I know what day."
Sirius sat up and pulled her in for a brief kiss. Then he released her, knowing she had to go. She turned to go to the shower and he fell back to sleep. A half hour later Hermione was ready to leave. She stepped over to the bed and planted a kiss on his cheek before reluctantly leaving the flat. A couple hours later Sirius woke and took a shower. Then he decided to change the bed. Even with a few spells, it was looking decidedly worn after a their long weekend. With the flat straightened up, he gathered his things and apparated back to Grimmauld.