Sirius growled in frustration as the week passed with incredible slowness, usually only reserved for the maddening period before winter break. Even the distraction of Quidditch practice could not ease his annoyance. (Sirius played beater and was paired with a wisp of a fifth-year girl. She was a half-blood with Malfoy blonde hair...and really, he wouldn't be surprised if she was some kind of bastard Malfoy. But, despite how little she looked, she could really hit the bludger).
"I give up," Sirius told Remus, James and Peter. "This doesn't happen to me. Girls don't just walk away from a chance for a date with me...especially when I've already snogged them into oblivion!" It was hard to admit his shortcomings with Hermione, but he knew that he could trust his friends with this. "Tell 'em, James. I gave her a really a good snog, didn't I?"
James, trying to appease his friend, tried to give him some encouragement. "Yeah, Pads. You were really at the peak of your technique. I was impressed," he said, lamely.
"Well, I don't care now," Sirius said, petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hermione could ask me tonight at dinner to go with her to Hogsmeade and I would just politely turn her down. Wouldn't even discuss it. I won't give another thought to her or her delicious smelling hair or her perfectly formed arse or that hot little mouth..." he trailed off realizing how sidetracked he'd gotten. "Fuck!"
Remus also felt bad for his friend. "Sirius, maybe you just need to get to know her a little better first. I mean, she is sitting next to you in classes now, and at meals, and you seem to be getting on great," he suggested helpfully. "Just give her a little more time."
"Maybe she is playing hard to get," Peter suggested.
"No, I am supposed to be the one that wants to get rid of her! Every other witch would have been panting after me for weeks. But she doesn't seem to give a damn," Sirius said, not at all consoled. Hermione had him feeling completely off kilter. He was sure that it meant she was wrong for him. Better to just forget her now and maybe try to be her friend.
But that would be it.
"Come on, guys," he said, still sounding despondent but trying to wear a brave face. "Shall we go to breakfast?"
It was not long after they found their usual seats in the Great Hall that Hermione joined them, sinking into a seat next to Remus and across from Sirius. She seemed a bit surprised that he had not saved her a seat as he'd done every day that week, but wasn't about to mention it.
"Hey Sirius, I was wondering..." she said, trailing off.
Immediately, his face perked up. He couldn't pull his eyes from her face if he wanted to, hanging onto the next words out of her lips like some kind of pathetic lump.
"Is your invitation for Hogsmeade tomorrow still open?" she asked, finally.
He stared at the very wonderful creature in front of him, doing everything to ignore Moony's green-eyed glare next to her. She was really very pretty, although it hadn't been obvious to him at first. Looking into her dark brown, bedroom eyes, he just couldn't say no to her. "Of course it is!" he agreed, far too quickly. "Just let me know what time we should meet tomorrow."
He knew she would come around eventually.
"Great! Well, Lily, Marlene and I will meet you in the Common Room at noon, then?" she suggested, sweetly. "And you'll bring Remus and James, too, won't you? Mary would come but she's got detention with Merrythought."
Sirius deflated a little bit then at the mention of others being with them, before he thought through the inevitable pairings. "Of course," he said with a smirk. "A triple date. James will definitely be there. And you'll come Moony, right?"
Remus sighed from his spot next to Hermione, but nodded. He was a little embarrassed by his attraction for Marlene, insisting that she was too pretty for him and that he could never offer her a life that she deserved. Sirius was always quick to remind him that it was just a date - no need to start planning the wedding just yet!
"Yes, you know I will, Padfoot," he agreed.
Hermione beamed up at him from her breakfast plate. "Splendid! Marlene will be so excited to hear that you are coming with," she said, before taking a bite of toast and standing up from the table. "Well, I best be off to class!"
With the dizzying brunette gone from the table, Remus glared at him. "What happened to giving up on her? On Hermione just not being worth it?" he prodded.
Sirius shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well, she is rather fit, isn't she?" he asked, his cheeky grin only serving to further vex the werewolf. "And, she asked me so nicely, didn't she? What was I supposed to do? Lie and tell her I had plans?"
James settled into the recently vacated seat and took a bite of the toast Hermione had left behind. "Well, Peter won't be joining us tomorrow. He was caught hexing some fifth year Hufflepuff - of all things! - and landed himself in detention with Filch tomorrow!" he said, annoyed. When he didn't get the usual responses from his two friends, he looked up confused. "What? What did I miss?"
Remus sighed. "Well, Prongs...tomorrow is your lucky day," he said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Sirius has secured a date for you with Lily Evans. A triple date."
"I can't believe you've tricked me into this!" Lily hissed, tugging her cream-coloured jumper over her head. She was obviously trying to seem more upset than she actually was.
Hermione just gave her a knowing grin.
"Come on, Lily! Let's go!" Marlene said, nearly bouncing off the walls. Mary had been so upset to learn about the triple date the girls had planned. Marlene had been too pleased to tease her roommate that she would report back on Remus's snogging skills, triumphantly.
Hermione rolled her eyes at the pair and began to make her way down the stairs. As loathe as she was to admit it, Hermione was also looking forward to her Hogsmeade date with Sirius, though she wouldn't linger on it. It wasn't like anything could come of it. But still, she had never gone on a date to Hogsmeade before and even it if was with four other people, it still made little butterflies dance in her stomach at the thought of the possibilities.
When the three girls arrived in the Common Room, James, Remus and Sirius were already waiting for them.
"Wow, Lily, you look...beautiful," James said, with heartbreaking honesty. It really seemed as if she were the most beautiful woman in the whole world to him.
The pretty redheaded witch muttered a quiet thanks and accepted the arm James Potter offered her. Her cheeks were bright red.
The six of them walked down to the carriages and fell into amicable conversation about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Remus was pleasantly surprised to find that Marlene was quite street smart and good at Defense. She seemed to genuinely enjoy it as much as he did. She had never seemed very studious and wasn't in many of the intense electives that he had chosen, but she was rather intelligent in addition to being bubbly and mischievous.
Sirius had that look in his eyes when he started at Hermione (like he was a little puppy, so eager for any kind words or loving pats or table scraps that she'd be willing to throw his way). Remus thought it was sweet to see his normally suave roommate and friend so lovesick over a witch who was so far removed from his usual type.
When they arrived at the Three Broomsticks, they all sat together at a round table. Marlene was sitting so close to Remus, they almost couldn't get closer. Every now and again, she'd throw Hermione an appreciative look. She eventually moved to hold onto Remus's arm and found that it was just as muscular as it looked. Oh, Mary would be so jealous! Remus's cheeks were a bright pink, but he made no move to move away, so Marlene sighed, content.
Lily and James were also sitting close to one another, chatting quietly about what appeared to be their Heads duties. Still, James was obliging her - nodding along with everything that she said.
Hermione was surprised when Sirius asked her what she liked to do. Sheepishly, she mentioned reading, only to be further surprised when he asked what her favorite Transfiguration book was. It was a subject he was very well versed in and appeared to be his favorite subject. Hermione knew how intelligent he was under his bluster, but was intrigued at how innovative he seemed to be as well. She was embarrassed at how quickly she had dismissed future Sirius, putting all his stories down to troublemaking.
When they finished their good, Lily announced that she was planning on heading over to Scrivenshafts to pick up a few books. James quickly asked to join her and Lily readily agreed.
Hermione smiled at the pair as they walked away, chatting with one another, pleased with her matchmaking abilities.
"Hermione, have you been to Honeyduke's yet? They have the best chocolate," Sirius asked, reaching out his hand to take hers.
She quickly remembered that in this time, she hadn't been yet. "No, I'd love to go sample some," she answered, taking his larger hand.
"Bye Moony! See you back in the Common Room!" Sirius called over his shoulder, wrapping his arm around the petite witch at his side.
Marlene bit her lip and looked over at Remus. "Oh, no. All alone," she deadpanned. "What ever shall we do with all this time to ourselves?" she asked, her grin a bit wolfish.
Remus was surprised, but pleased to let her press her lips to his.
Hermione had a wonderful time with Sirius at Honeyduke's. He was definitely flirting with her, but was surprisingly more attentive than she would have imagined. He bought her a packet of sugar quills, which she had told him were her favorites, and some chocolate bars which she knew were for Remus. He was a great friend.
They had decided to walk back up to the castle rather than waiting for one of the carriages and it didn't take Sirius long to notice that she was shivering, having worn only a short-sleeved dress and knee socks. "You daft bird! What were you thinking wearing that out here in September?" he asked her, teasingly.
She smiled at his question despite herself. "Well, honestly, I was hoping for a bit of nice weather before autumn was officially here. You never know what the weather will be like in September," she told him.
He hummed in agreement, but pulled his burgundy-coloured jumper over his head. Hermione watched in pleasant agony as a sliver of his toned abdomen was revealed to her when his white undershirt stuck to the soft fibers. "Here, you wear this," he said, not waiting for her response and pulling it down over her head, laughing when the static made her hair a bit wilder than usual.
Hermione grudgingly pulled her arms through the sleeves, thankful for the warmth it provided. It was cozy and big on her and it smelled delicious and spicy, like Sirius did. It was a small comfort in this unknown world she had been plunked down into. "Won't you be cold?" she asked.
"Don't you worry about me, kitten," he answered, grinning. "I am sure you'll think of a way you can warm me up."
He wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her tight against his body. Looking down at her, he waited until her eyes had fluttered closed to kiss her. Her lips fit his so perfectly and were petal soft. He lightly nibbled on her lower lip, but she kept them stubbornly closed to his attempts to deepen the kiss. Finally, she pulled away.
"Sirius," she whined, feeling awful. "I don't want to give you the wrong idea. We can't be together, no matter how much I like snogging you."
"Well, then, why can't you, if you like it so much?" he begged.
"You...you don't understand," she insisted. "I can't be involved with you - or anyone really. I just...it will hurt me too much." She wished she could explain everything to him.
Sirius sighed, but grabbed her hand. They started walking towards the castle again, nearly back. They remained silent until they got back to the Common Room. None of their friends had returned yet, Sirius noted, with surprise. He pulled Hermione around to look at him.
"I would never, ever hurt you purposefully, kitten," he said, bringing her hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it, searing the memory of his lips into her body. "But, I can't promise you that I will stop pursuing what's between us. And someday...someday, I will have you," he promised.
Sirius left her standing at the foot of the stairs to the girls' tower. Hermione's heart pounded against her ribs.
Merlin, he was intoxicating.