Chapter 17 – Settling In
The next morning Sirius woke to the sounds of the shower. Realizing it was Monday he knew it must be early and Hermione was preparing for work. It felt incredibly right to be where he was, waking up with his nose against her pillow breathing in the scent
of her fruity shampoo. Sirius smiled and stretched before getting up to use the loo. He took a brief minute to ogle what he could through the steamy shower door. He was tempted to join her, but he knew that shower fun was not something for work mornings.
Pulling himself away, he headed for the kitchen to start tea and porridge. While he waited on the tea, he fed a loudly insistent Crookshanks. As the tea finished and he stirred the porridge, Hermione appeared and wrapped her arms around him.
"Morning love. You're going to spoil me."
"Well I did promise your mum I'd care for you. Anyway, it's nothing fancy."
Hermione turned him around in her arms and showed him her appreciation. After a long minute, she reluctantly pulled back.
"I better stop or I'll make myself late to work."
Sirius sighed and nodded as he turned to finish their tea while Hermione dished porridge. They were almost ready to sit down when an owl arrived at the kitchen window. Hermione went and collected the Daily Prophet and put a sickle in the pouch on the
owl before she turned around and set the paper down. Gathering her porridge, she joined Sirius and opened the paper to scan it quickly.
"I don't usually get a chance to read the Prophet straight through, but I do try to scan it each morning so that I have a warning on anything big before I make it to the office."
"That reminds me. You never explained to me about your parents receiving the Prophet. I've never heard of muggles receiving the Prophet before. The papers are supposed to be printed with ink that won't be visible to muggles in case an absent minded wizard
leaves one lying around."
"Oh yes, I needed to talk to you about that. After my parents were recovered and came back from Australia I had a lot of explaining to do. I actually had never told them about much of what happened at Hogwarts, for fear that they'd pull me out. Once I
told them everything they were really mixed up for a while. They were hurt a lot more than I realized by my years of keeping secrets from them. They wanted some way to keep up on news from my world. A few other muggle borns expressed the same from
their parents, so a solution was reached. A select handful of muggles who are parents to witches and wizards receive the Prophet daily, but always one day behind the current edition. The delay allows a charm to be placed on each specific copy linking
that copy to one or two individuals only. So, if my parents leave a Prophet on the coffee table and someone comes over they see nothing but an old blank piece of newsprint. My parents settled down quite a bit once they knew that I wouldn't be able
to keep secrets anymore, not that I need to now."
"Wow. Interesting. That's some complicated charm work to code each copy to individuals. How did the Prophet manage that?"
"Um, well, the Prophet wasn't really enthusiastic about the idea. The Ministry was involved."
"The Ministry? Or perhaps one particular witch who works at the Ministry and had a vested interest in finding a solution?"
Hermione shrugged and dug into her porridge. Sirius shook his head and smiled at her.
"Love, you never cease to amaze me. I don't know how I got this lucky."
Hermione leaned across the table and kissed him. "I think we're both lucky."
Hermione finished scanning the front page and then flipped through a couple more pages as she ate her porridge. When she reached page four, she dropped her spoon and let out a small squeak as she turned the paper toward Sirius. The headline that caused
them both to stop eating read: Sirius Black, Pure-Blood Heir, Becomes Painter. The article was brief and basically detailed that Sirius had been seen painting on the street and that his paintings had been spotted by a reporter when they went
shopping at the notable Grandy's. The reporter also went into detail describing several of his works before finally stating that 'while Mr. Black's skill is obvious, it is a peculiar profession for someone of his standing.' Once he finished
reading, Sirius sat back and sipped his tea.
"Well, I guess this shouldn't surprise me. The Prophet always has made good print off of me. Of course, I gave them reason to in my younger days. They're probably upset with me for being so boring lately."
"Still, what do they mean 'someone of his standing'? It's not like you hold office."
"It's because I'm pureblood from the oldest lines. Myself, Lucius Malfoy, Flora Greengrass, a few others. We don't have royalty in our world, but a few of us come close, at least as far as some are concerned. That's what I was explaining to your mum.
There are quite a few people who may not have followed Voldemort but still idealize the idea of pureblood. It's all shite really when you consider that keeping the blood pure has meant keeping our lines way too tight among cousins. It's part of what
I tried to walk away from. Unfortunately, I am the last of the Black line and I can't escape fully. Hermione, you need to understand that being with me will bring you under scrutiny, especially since you are muggle born. I'm surprised that I haven't
been paid a social call yet. When I was younger I was constantly being asked around to various parties and events. Of course, they weren't the type of parties I preferred and I stayed away as best as possible. I don't want to hide us, but I also don't
want you subjected to their scrutiny."
"Love, I may not fully understand what being a pureblood means, but scrutiny I am used to. I was one third of the 'golden trio'. After the war Harry, Ron and I couldn't go anywhere without cameras flashing. One time at a Ministry party, there was a reporter
who caught Ron and I in a compromising position in a bathroom of all places. She hid in a stall and photographed us in the bathroom if you can believe it. I think I can handle the scrutiny of being with my pureblood prince."
Sirius took Hermione's hand and began kissing each finger.
"I love you. I hadn't thought about what it must have been like right after the war. I guess with everything you've been through, taking me on won't be so bad."
Hermione smiled, kissed Sirius one more time and then left for work. Sirius spent the next several hours painting before gathering two finished watercolors and his two acrylics and leaving the flat to visit Grandy's. Nathaniel was happy to see him and
greeted Sirius enthusiastically.
"Sirius old boy! I see you brought me something else? Excellent! How about that article in the Prophet? Already had a couple curiosity seekers come through the shop this morning. Oh, and one of your paintings sold on Friday. Fellow I mentioned was interested
before came back after thinking on it. Tried to talk me down, but I refused. In fact, your paintings are the least expensive in the store. I decided to start low and see what the reaction was, but now I think it's time to raise them up to the level
of some of my others. Let's go talk in the back. We'll need to add your new items to the contract list as well."
An hour later Sirius left with the payment for his fourth sold work and a revised contract. His paintings were now listing at the new prices of 180 and 250. Nathaniel still was a bit unsure about the more modern works, but Sirius had refused to move and
convinced him to list them for the same. He had also negotiated the commission to 18%, given the fact that the paintings were selling quickly, minimizing Nathaniel's time investment. Sirius may not have enjoyed his popularity, but the article in the
Prophet would increase traffic in Grandy's, giving an added boost to his commission. Sirius returned to the flat after and collected his easel before heading downtown to begin a new painting.
That evening Sirius fixed a simple shepherd's pie that had been one Euphemia Potter's renowned recipes. Although simple, the dish was well seasoned and quite delicious. It also kept well with a warming charm, which was good since Hermione wasn't sure
what time she would be home. Surprisingly, she made it back to the flat shortly after six. Walking in, she spotted Sirius sprawled on a couch reading and smelled something delicious cooking. Sirius looked up when she came in.
"Evening love. You made it home in good time."
"Yes, I made a point of wrapping up as soon as I could. I knew you'd be waiting. It's much more motivating to rush home when I know I've got you waiting. And it smells amazing in here."
Sirius came over and kissed Hermione for a good long minute before pulling back. She took a moment to catch her breath.
"Wow, I am definitely making sure to get home on time. If it didn't smell so good, I be tempted to drag you to the bedroom right now."
"Food now, fun later."
"That had better be a promise."
Sirius laughed and Hermione went to change out of her suit while he dished dinner. While they ate, Sirius delivered his news about his increased commissions, which Hermione was pleasantly surprised by. Then she detailed him on her day and recent political
wranglings among departments. Several other departments were displeased with the allocations her department had received and she had spent a good part of the day attempting to smooth relations. Sirius marveled once again at her ability to work with
all the internal politics at the Ministry. If it had been him, he would have told them all where to stick their bloody ideas. He was definitely better suited to the solitary pursuit of painting. After dinner, Hermione insisted on doing the clean up
since Sirius had cooked. They then took their drinks to the living room and curled up on the couch to read. Hermione rested up against Sirius' chest as they sprawled and felt truly relaxed, which was rare after work. An hour later Sirius set his book
aside and began to lightly stroke Hermione's hair, gradually working down to her shoulder. Taking the hint, she closed her book and looked up at him. Standing, she took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom.
Sirius undressed Hermione slowly, planting hundreds of kisses along her body as he went. In between, she gradually worked his shirt off and the sight of his chest sent a shiver through her. At the same time, Sirius' kisses made their way to her thighs
and she moaned for him. Then he worked his way higher and planted a kiss on her mound before gently opening her folds and driving his tongue into her clit. Hermione gave a small squeak and began to thrust into his face when Sirius suddenly stopped
and began to kiss his way back up her body.
"Please Sirius.."
"Shh love, I have plans for you, but I need to be in you first."
"Then take me already."
As Hermione moaned, Sirius' tongue began working her left nipple while his hands quickly dropped his pants. As Hermione closed her eyes and focused on the pleasure he was applying to her chest, he suddenly picked her up and moved her back to the bed.
Setting her on the edge, Sirius pulled her legs up to his shoulders while leering down on her. Hermione was trembling as she realized how he was positioning her. Then he leaned forward and gave her one more kiss before burying his throbbing erection
in one long, swift thrust. He set a fast pace, knowing her need and that slow loving would follow later. Now they both needed to cum desperately. Within minutes Hermione exploded and came so violently that she would have been thrown off the bed if
Sirius hadn't held her legs. He kept thrusting through her orgasm and finally came shortly after her, collapsing onto her as he clutched the edge of the bed and rode out his wave of pleasure. Once they both settled, they rolled together into the middle
of the bed and lay staring at each other. Sirius felt completely drained and was beginning to doze when Hermione moved down the bed and began to lick his flaccid member. As he began to harden, she took him in her mouth and started to artfully blow
him. Fully awake and hard again, Sirius flipped her over and slipped back into her as Hermione urged him on. The second time for the evening was long and sensual as they traded kisses and caresses between strokes. At one point Hermione urged him to
turn and placed herself on top. She set a pace of long, slow and delicious strokes as she moved herself up and down on him. As she neared her climax, Sirius reached forward and worked her clit with his fingers, pushing her over the edge once again.
As she clamped down on him, he stopped holding back and emptied himself into her once again. Minutes later they were asleep.
The next morning Sirius woke to the sounds of the shower and when he went to pee, a flustered a Hermione came barreling out of the shower and began to rush around the bathroom.
"Sirius love, sorry, in a terrible hurry. I need to be at work in ten. We really must set an alarm before we get distracted in the evenings. By the time you're done with me, my brain is mush and I forget. Not that I'm complaining!"
Hermione softened her words as she reached for her hairbrush and kissed Sirius as he left the bathroom. He went to the kitchen and started tea. When Hermione ran out minutes later, he handed her a travel mug and a bag with a bagel. She kissed him appreciatively
and then disappeared as Sirius sat down and finally had a chance to wake up.
The rest of the week went by quickly and they set a routine as they began to learn to live with one another. Most nights Sirius cooked, although on Thursday Hermione was home by 5:30 and was able to help. Sirius spent his days painting and puttering around
the flat. Wednesday morning was still dedicated to stocking at Wheezes. It was a nice change in the middle of the week. As their first week living together wrapped, Sirius was starting to think that he wouldn't mind being a house husband. Especially
since Hermione was always quite appreciative.