CHAPTER 9

Christmas holidays were fast approaching. It was hard to believe how long she'd been in the past, and how accustomed to her new life she had gotten. But Hermione was not looking forward to the prospect of spending Christmas at Hogwarts alone. The holidays were giving her a pang of homesickness. She was missing her parents, missing Harry and Ron, missing home. She sat in her favorite chair in the Common Room working on the last Transfiguration essay she had to complete before the break. She paused when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Sirius," she said, looking up to see his handsome, aristocratic face.

"Hello, love," he said, bending down to kiss her neck. "What are you working on there?"

"Just trying to get this essay finished," she said.

"It's not due til next week," said Sirius incredulously.

"Well, I had a few other things I wanted to work on before the holidays," Hermione replied, trailing off.

Hermione had been in the library more often than not of late, trying to trigger a memory about the Wolfsbane potion. She was researching potions ingredients endlessly, trying to come up with a formula that might be right. She had decided she would spend some extra time in Slughorn's classroom trying to remember the recipe. If there was anything she could do to help Remus, to make up for what she had put him through, she wanted to do it.

"Hey, Hermione," Sirius said, kissing her neck again. "What are you doing for the holidays?"

"Oh, nothing," she said softly.

"Really? Not going to visit family or anything?" Sirius continued.

"I… I don't have any family," she whispered.

Sirius's face was suddenly stricken. He slid down next to her, grey eyes searching hers.

"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry, Hermione," said Sirius, grasping her arm. "I've complained about my parents and my brother a dozen times or more, and I've never even bothered to ask about yours. I didn't mean to bring up anything sad or painful for you. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, no, it's all right," she said with a sad smile, kissing him gently on the cheek. "It's nothing, anyway. I may just stay here over Christmas."

"Well, that's unacceptable," Sirius said, a grin splitting his face.

"What do you suggest, Mister Black?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Come to James's with me," said Sirius, looking her straight in the eyes.

"What?"

"Come to the Potters. Lily's going for a couple of days and so is Remus. Peter's off to stay with his folks, but the rest of us will be there," Sirius continued. "Please? I've lived with the Potters for two years now. It'd be like you were meeting my family."

Hermione blushed violently and was unable to speak.

"So, you'll go then?" Sirius asked excitedly, and she just nodded, grinning.

"Wonderful, love," he said, kissing her briefly and hopping up to go tell James.

I'm going to meet Harry's grandparents, she thought to herself, shaking her head. How horribly unfair this is! For a moment, she wished Harry could have come back instead of her, to meet all the people he should have known, but changed her mind quickly. Harry would not have had the foresight to not interfere with the past. If Harry had come back, he would have murdered Pettigrew and Snape and ended up in Azkaban.

True to his word, Remus hadn't said a word to anyone about what he'd guessed. He was a kind soul, a true friend. He seemed to keep an extra watchful eye on her, earning more than one raised eyebrow from Sirius, but Hermione was extremely grateful. They didn't talk about it, but it was nice to know that he understood. As the Christmas holidays approached, Hermione vowed that she would give him a Christmas present he deserved, something to pay him back for keeping this secret, and for everything he'd do for her and Harry in the future.

On the last day before the holidays, she asked permission from Slughorn to spend some extra time in his classroom working on a formula she was trying to perfect. He had agreed quickly, only half paying attention to her, and she found herself in the room with one other boy, who was also working on a potion across the room. She recognized him as a Seventh year Slytherin boy, though she had never spoken to him before. Hermione closed her eyes and tried to picture her Potions text. She began trying to follow the instructions in her mind's eye, but remembering the potion, preparing the ingredients, and stirring the cauldron was proving too difficult.

"Excuse me," she piped to the boy across the room. "I say, excuse me!"

The boy turned around and glared at her. Moments earlier, his cauldron had boiled over, and he was wiping away sticky, gooey potion residue from his robes. He looked at her expectantly.

"Could you please help me with this?" Hermione asked.

The boy marched across the room with a sour look on his face and asked her what she was trying to do.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm trying to create a potion that will reduce the effects of Lycanthropy," she said, and he looked at her oddly, like he'd never heard the word in his life. "Werewolves. It's a . . . side project."

The boy nodded, and she began giving him instructions.

"What's your name anyway?" she asked.

"Damocles Belby," he replied.

"Well, perhaps you should write these things down. I'm trying to perfect this formula. If we get it right, we'll be famous!" she exclaimed, and the boy's eyes lit up. Hermione laughed to herself. She could always count on a Slytherin for ambition.

They worked together, Damocles jotting down the recipe as they went and stirring the cauldron according to Hermione's instruction. She kept closing her eyes, picturing page seventy-two of her textbook and trying to remember everything precisely as it was written on that page.

"Two counterclockwise and three clockwise. Be very careful, Damocles," she instructed.

Soon, the potion was bubbling a familiar shade of white. Hermione let out a sigh of relief.

"I think it's right," she said.

"How will we know?" Damocles replied.

"Here, you take this vial to Slughorn and see what he thinks. Maybe he can test it," Hermione said, and then she added, "You don't have to tell him about me. I don't really want to be in the Slug Club."

She smirked at Damocles, who actually smiled back and disappeared with his vial. Now to really find out if it works, she said, bottling a precisely measured dose and heading back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

James and Sirius already had their trunks at the bottom of the stairs ready to go. Peter was dragging his down the stairs, and it was making a loud thump on every step it hit. Sirius, shaking his long hair out of his eyes, swished and flicked his wand at Peter's trunk, and soon it was levitating. Peter pushed it along down the staircase. James was absently throwing a Snitch into the air, and Amanda Jones was catching it every time it flew too far out of his reach. Hermione approached them, pulling Sirius aside.

"Sirius!" she whispered close to his ear. "I have a potion here. I've been working on it for hours."

"What's it for?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know if it will work, so please don't get anyone's hopes up, but I think it may diminish the effects of Lycanthropy," she said, and when Sirius gave her a blank look she rolled her eyes and added, "Werewolves!"

"What?" Sirius said, astonished.

"I don't know what it will do just yet," Hermione added. "But next full moon I want Remus to try it."

"Absolutely. He'll try it if you made it. Probably wouldn't come near anything James or I brewed. He knows us too well," he said with a wink. "Come on, get your things. We're off to the Potters."

Hermione bounced up the stairs and found Lily frantically packing her trunk. There was a mix of Muggle clothing and Wizard robes scattered about on Lily's bed, and she was wringing her hands as she stared at all of her options.

"Lily, are you alright?" she exclaimed when she saw that Lily was nearly in tears.

"I've never met James's parents!" Lily said shrilly. "What if they don't like me?"

"They'll love you, Lily," Hermione said reassuringly, but she had a wave of worry herself as she began packing her own trunk. These were Harry's grandparents! And a Sirius said, they were the closest thing Sirius had to a family! What if they didn't like her?

(())

When Sirius arrived at the Potter's doorstep, he felt like he was home again. He had only lived there for two years, but it felt like a home in a way Number Twelve Grimmauld Place never had. He held his arm firmly around Hermione's waist while James opened the door. James's father opened the door. He was tall and lanky, and he was probably in his late fifties, but his eyes twinkled youthfully and he had a brilliant smile. He embraced James warmly before turning to Sirius.

"Sirius, old boy, who've you brought?" Harold asked.

"This is Hermione Granger," Sirius said, pushing Hermione forward. "She's my girlfriend from school."

"Pleasure to meet you. I've heard about you. James mentioned he had a new friend in one of his letters," Mr. Potter said, and then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Thanks for checking over all his Transfiguration essays."

Hermione beamed with pride, and Sirius laughed. Sirius began leading Hermione around the Potters' home. It was large, not as large as the manor where Sirius had grown up, but the Potters were wealthy and it showed. There were rare paintings and beautiful Wizarding artifacts in glass cabinets. Yet, unlike Grimmauld Place, their home was cozy and comfortable. The sofas were plush and comfortable, with pillows stacked two deep. There were dozens of photos of James. As their only child, there was no doubt that they doted on him. Sirius laughed to himself. It was no surprise James had been an arrogant prat for the first six years at Hogwarts. Sirius led Hermione into the kitchen, where Mrs. Potter was already fussing over Lily and how beautiful she was.

"Oh, and this must be Sirius's girlfriend!" she cried, running over to Hermione and smiling happily. "My, Sirius, she's lovely."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Sirius said, grabbing an apple from the kitchen table and tossing it in the air once before taking a bite.

Mrs. Potter immediately turned to Remus, who was trailing behind him nervously. He shoved his friend forward into the kitchen, clapping him on the back. Mrs. Potter beamed at him, squeezing him in a tight hug. Remus was looking at Sirius with panicked eyes as he patted Mrs. Potter's back and muttered a greeting.

"Remus, dear, it's so good to see you," Mrs. Potter said as she squeezed him. "We love having you here."

"Thanks for inviting me," he replied nervously. "You know when the-"

"Full moon is, yes, of course. We have the attic all prepared," Mrs. Potter said, pursing her lips but patting Remus on the back.

Sirius sighed. The poor man would never be able to escape his affliction. He wrapped his hands around the vial in his pocket that Hermione had given him, wondering if it would be able to bring Remus any peace. He and Hermione separated at the top of the staircase. She disappeared into the bedroom across the hall with Lily, and the girls shut the door. Sirius dumped his things onto the small bed in the room that he and James shared.

"Hey, Sirius," James said.

"Yea, mate," he replied.

"Any chance you'll switch beds with Lily tonight?" he asked, trying to be nonchalant but blushing furiously.

Sirius let out a barking laugh.

"Sure," he replied, grinning as he thought of the prospect of sharing a room with Hermione.

That night at dinner, the Potters were full of stories of interesting things that had happened to them while their son had been away at school. Sirius loved being around them. It was so different than the home where he grew up. His mother, Walburga, would be more likely to spend the evening in silence, or if she must speak, she would only talk to Regulus, ignoring Sirius's presence entirely. Hearing James's parents tell their stories, the room lighting up with laughter, was music to Sirius's ears.

"Well, Caroline and I went to this place where Muggles keep rows and rows of food. I mean, you walk in and there's an entire aisle of lettuce!" Harold said, laughing.

"A supermarket?" Lily offered.

"Yes! That's it! It was called Saint Berry's," Harold began again.

"Sainsbury's," Hermione interrupted.

"Yes, precisely! And we bought a large bunch of radishes, as we can never find them in Diagon Alley," Harold said. "The shopkeeper had quite a time when we pulled out Galleons at first. We told him we were Canadian."

Everyone at the table was laughing uproariously. Sirius kept a hand on Hermione's knee under the table as they ate. Mrs. Potter came by with second helpings, and Sirius took some eagerly. As much as he loved the food at Hogwarts, there was nothing like Mrs. Potter's home cooking.

"I've got cake!" Mrs. Potter called, levitating in an enormous chocolate cake with her wand. "Who wants some?"

Everyone murmured in amazement, and she guided small pieces to each person at the table before making one for herself.

"This is amazing," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair and wondering if he would need to unbutton his pants.

"Well done, Mum," James added.

"It was fantastic," Lily added with a grin.

They spent a few minutes chatting at the table before Mr. Potter stood from his chair.

"Alright, kids, we're off to bed. Not as young as we used to be," said Mr. Potter, and then he turned to James and whispered. "There's a bit of leftover wine in the cupboard over the sink. You kids can have it if you keep quiet. Your mother would kill me."

James grinned evilly and winked at his dad. Mrs. Potter kissed her son on the top of his head, making him duck down and fuss with his hair angrily. After his parents disappeared down the hallway, James pulled out the wine from the cupboard. He immediately poured everyone a glass and they raised their goblets to toast.

"To good friends," Sirius said.

After a couple of glasses of wine, they were all climbing the stairs and laughing. Hermione giggled while Sirius held her hips to keep her on from tipping over. James was carrying Lily behind them, serenading her as he barely balanced her in his arms. Sirius turned to see Remus following at the back, grinning madly at his two friends. Remus said good night to Hermione and Lily, earning a kiss on each cheek from them both, and headed upstairs to his bedroom in the attic. Lily began to follow Hermione into their bedroom, but James grabbed her around the waist and pulled her the other way.

"Nope, not that way," he said, pulling her into his room and shutting the door.

"Now, where on earth will I sleep," Sirius said to himself in a mock surprised tone, staring at the door that James had slammed behind him.

He turned and saw Hermione smiling at him, her head tilted to one side, as she stood in the doorway of her room.

"Oh, here's an extra bed," he answered, pushing past Hermione and pulling her into the room, closing the door behind him.

(())

Sirius fell backward onto one of the beds, and when Hermione began to crawl into the other one, he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. She sunk down on the bed, sitting next to him as he lay on his back, stroking his hair lightly as he rested his hand on her leg. She couldn't believe she was snuggled into bed with Sirius Black.

"Come lay next to me," he asked, scooting over to make room.

They lay next to one another, on their sides facing each other. For a long moment, she just stared at him, his beautiful grey eyes sparkling. Hermione couldn't believe they had been dating for months. It simultaneously felt like an instant, and like a decade. She ran her hands across his chest, feeling his muscular form underneath his shirt. She felt his hand touch her face, pulling her toward him. She could feel his breath on her mouth before he kissed her, and then his lips met hers. With a groan, he deepened the kiss, pressing every inch of his body against hers. She felt herself relax as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. She rolled onto her back and he crawled on top of her, his shaggy hair tickling her face when he kissed her. She smiled and held it back with her fingers before he started kissing her once again.

They were interrupted by what sounded like a giggle from across the hall. Sirius fumbled for his wand on the night table and pointed it at the door.

"Imperterbatus," he called, and the room was silent.

He set his wand back down and resumed kissing her. She held the sides of his face and felt one of his hands travel down to her hip, feeling the curves of her body rise and fall as she relaxed in his arms. When his hand began to snake up to the fastenings of her trousers, she stopped. She wanted him to continue. She wanted him to stop. Competing desires warred in her mind.

"Sirius, I don't know if I can-"

"Then we don't have to, love," he said, moving his hand from her trousers instantly, and kissing her gently.

"Oh, Sirius," she said, and she pulled him close to her and kissed him in earnest.

As much as he pretended to be a playboy, a scoundrel, Sirius was a gentleman. Knowing that he would stop at her weakest protest only made her want him more. The desire for him finally won out in her mind. She let her own hand drop to his belt and began pulling it off.

"Love, we don't have to do this," he said in a breathless voice, but she silenced him with a kiss.

"I want to," she whispered.

He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the scars he still bore from his fight with the werewolf. Hermione leaned forward and kissed his chest, touching each cut with her lips, knowing that he sustained those injuries to protect her. He lay on top of her and brushed her curly hair away from her face, kissing every inch of her collarbone, her neck, and her face. Soon, he reached down to help her pull her own shirt up over her head, pausing for a moment to simply gaze at her form. Her breasts barely peeked out of her lacy bra. She was embarrassed to be looked at so thoroughly, and he kissed her to assuage her nervousness.

Their kisses became more urgent, passion rising in her as she pulled him close. The feeling of his skin against hers was electrifying. She could feel his erection in his trousers, and she began tugging at them to pull them down. Suddenly, he was naked before her. Sirius Black was naked in front of her. He pulled her panties down, and then, his fingers slipped between her legs. She moaned in surprise and pleasure. She had messed around with Ron once or twice, but he had just fumbled around a bit, never finding the right spot. Sirius, on the other hand, was clearly rather experienced in women's bodies. He touched her gently, expertly, and her body trembled. She could feel his breath against her face.

"Does that feel good?" he whispered.

She whined in answer. There was no facet of her body that he ignored. His fingers rolled around her clit, then dipped inside to feel her wetness. His lips found her neck, her breasts, her lips. Then, his face descended, his mouth between her legs.

"Sirius!" she cried as she felt the press of his tongue against her. It didn't take long. She was thankful he had cast a silencing charm on their door because her moans would have woken the entire house.

Sirius came up grinning like he'd just won the Quidditch Cup, and Hermione smiled bashfully at him. Suddenly, he had positioned himself between her legs. She was kissing him passionately and trembling with desire and with nerves.

"Hermione, have you done this before?" he asked, laying on top of her, kissing her softly.

She bit her lip and shook her head. Ron had always wanted them to be together, to take the next step in their relationship, but Hermione had been reticent. She never really loved him; they weren't a good match.

"Do you want to stop?" Sirius asked quietly and sincerely.

She grinned mischievously at him and shook her head again. Her mind raced at the idea that she was about to lose her virginity to Sirius Black, but truly, it felt like she had found the person that she didn't even know was waiting for. She picked up Sirius's wand from the bedside table and had him cast a contraceptive charm on her before continuing. He reached down between them, and she watched him grasp his erection and guide it toward her. She took a deep breath when she felt the head of it at her entrance. He looked back at her face, searching her for permission, and she nodded. He kissed her as he pushed himself into her, groaning in pleasure as he did so.

Hermione expected pain, but there was only a brief sting as he pushed farther inside her. He pulled back and then thrust forward again, each thrust going deeper. When he finally was fully sheathed inside her, she saw stars. Her eyes rolled back and her hips shuddered as she softly whispered, "Sirius."

He groaned when he heard her murmur his name, suddenly pushing inside her faster. She could hear him panting next to her ear, words tumbling from his lips. "You feel so good, Hermione. Fuck, you're so tight. Merlin, I'm not going to last…" She was whimpering beneath him, and with one hand on either side of his face, she pulled his mouth to her lips to kiss him. A few more thrusts and he was groaning into her mouth, shivering and stilling inside of her. They lay still for a long moment, catching their breath, grinning madly at each other. Slowly, he pulled himself from her body and rolled onto his side, pulling her close. She snuggled into his chest, feeling him absently trace a pattern on her back with his fingers.

Hermione had never felt so . . . perfect. He was perfect. They were perfect. Once was not enough for Sirius. They made love until late in the night, until he finally collapsed next to her on his stomach, panting heavily, completely spent. Hermione rolled over so that her head was resting on his back and traced the outline of the lone tattoo on his shoulder blade.

"A tattoo?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"Got it when I turned 17," said Sirius as she ran her finger over it.

"A wolf?" she asked.

"A dog," he replied, his eyes half shut.

He rolled over and pulled her next to him so that her head was nestled in the nook between his shoulder and his chest. And there, snuggled up against him with his arms wrapped protectively around her, Hermione fell asleep.