CHAPTER 10

Hermione could hardly hear the muffled sound of banging on the door. She unwound herself from Sirius's arms, rubbed her eyes, and walked over to it. She creaked the door open a tiny crack, squinting in the sunlight, and saw a frantic James Potter in the hallway.

"I was wondering how long it would take one of you to wake up!" James said. "If my mum finds you and Sirius in the same bedroom, she'll throw a fit."

Hermione's eyes widened.

"I'll just head downstairs. Let me get dressed," she said in a whisper, and James nodded before disappearing down the staircase.

"Morning, love," Sirius said, rolling over and looking at her.

"Morning," she said, sitting on the bed and kissing him on the forehead. "We've got to get up before James's mum realizes you're in here with me."

"She loves me," Sirius said. "She wouldn't say anything. James is just worried that Caroline would put two and two together on where Lily slept."

Hermione laughed and pulled the blankets off of him, making him whine in protest.

"Get dressed, Black," she said, pulling her sweater down over her head.

He gave her bum a bit of a smack before opening the door and looking down the hall both ways, and then he dashed across to his bedroom to get dressed.

Hermione made her way down the stairs to the breakfast table, where Mrs. Potter was enthusiastically serving breakfast to her guests. It reminded Hermione terribly of Mrs. Weasley, which sent another wave of homesickness through her. She loved being here, with James and Lily and Remus, and most of all, with Sirius, but she missed Mrs. Weasley and Ron, and she especially missed Harry. He was her best friend, and she was beginning to feel a bit lonely without him. Sirius thundered down the stairs moments later and slid into the seat next to Hermione, squeezing her hand and making her forget about what she missed. She helped herself to pancakes as Mrs. Potter spooned them onto her plate.

"Happy Christmas Eve!" Mrs. Potter said happily.

After breakfast, Remus and Lily both headed home to their families. Lily kissed James chastely and Flooed home to her parents. Remus hugged Hermione and clapped Sirius and James on the shoulder before he, too, disappeared into the flames. Remus would return after Christmas to spend the rest of the holidays with them, but without him and Lily around, the house was quieter. And, without Remus and Lily's calming influence, Hermione got to spend the morning watching Sirius and James as the best friends and brothers they were, including one or two heated arguments.

"You cheated!" said James in outrage.

"How is that cheating?" cried Sirius.

"You can't just take my queen like that!" yelled James.

"It was a fair move!" said Sirius loudly, and James flipped the chess board in anger.

"Boys!" bellowed Mr. Potter, and they both froze like guilty first years. Sirius and James were now looking at each other sheepishly, and Hermione was covering her mouth to suppress giggles. Mr. Potter continued. "We're heading to Diagon Alley this afternoon for a bit of last-minute Christmas shopping. Would you lot like to join us?"

"Yea, Dad, that'd be great," James replied, picking up the chess board and resetting the pieces, handing Sirius his king as a peace offering.

"You take your chess seriously, hm?" asked Hermione with a grin.

"What can I say?" said Sirius, shaking his long hair out of his eyes and giving her a mischievous look. "Thank goodness we're heading to Diagon Alley. I hadn't gotten you a gift yet."

Hermione laughed and sat on the sofa next to Sirius.

"Sirius, I… I'd love to get you something, but I haven't got any money," she said, embarrassed.

"Oh, love, you don't have to get me anything," he said with a winning smile, but she must have had a skeptical look because he continued. "Listen, I've got plenty of money. Tell me what you want me to have and we'll buy it."

"Doesn't that ruin the surprise a bit?" asked Hermione.

"All right, then, let James take you to get it," offered Sirius. "I'll pay him back."

She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss before she was interrupted by Mrs. Potter, who was calling them to the fireplace to head to Diagon Alley. They stepped into the fireplace one by one and arrived in Diagon Alley. It was bustling with activity as shoppers finished their Christmas shopping. Stores were brightly decorated with twinkling lights and Christmas trees, and several choruses were singing carols in the street. The three teenagers took off together and wandered through the streets, stopping in store after store. Sirius and James picked out some sugar quills and a box of chocolate frogs for Peter, planning to send them by owl on Christmas Day. Sirius grabbed a mirror that praised one's appearance for James ("he'll love it," Sirius said with a laugh). Hermione found a book called Defence Against the Dark Arts: Teaching and Learning for Remus (though she really hoped the Wolfsbane potion would be his gift) and a scrapbook kit for Peter (she hoped it might remind him the importance of friendship). Then, James appeared at her elbow.

"I'm to take you shopping, am I?" he said with a sideways grin that reminded her so much of Harry it hurt.

Sirius waved her off, and she and James ambled the streets of Diagon Alley together. He had his hands in his pockets, kicking rocks down the road as he walked. He was taller than Harry and broader across the shoulders, but his snarky sense of humor was very familiar. When James spoke of Lily, though, he was forthright and heartfelt.

"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me," said James. "I hope she'll marry me when we leave Hogwarts."

Hermione felt warmth bubble up in her chest and smiled. Finally, she and James found themselves in the dodgier end of Diagon Alley, and Hermione walked past a tattoo shop. Remembering the dog that branded his shoulder, she wondered if he would want another one. Hermione tried desperately to remember Sirius in her own time, and whether she had ever seen any tattoos, but she had never seen him without his shirt on. She shook her head and pulled James inside.

"A tattoo shop?" James asked.

"Sirius has a dog tattooed on his back," Hermione said.

"Oh, yea, that's right," said James.

Hermione asked for a certificate that would allow him to get any tattoo he wanted, and James threw a few galleons on the counter to pay for it. Hermione tried to remind him that Sirius would pay him back, but he waved her off.

"It's really no trouble," said James. "It's worth it. You make him really happy."

She grinned madly. They left the store. They met Sirius and the Potters and Flooed back home. Their evening was filled with party games and delicious food and Christmas singing. It wasn't long before they were all climbing the staircase to go to bed. Hermione fell asleep thinking about how delightful Harry's grandparents were, and how completely unfair it was that Harry hadn't even known them.

The next morning, when she woke up, she lay on her back, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Christmas Day ahead of her, a Christmas unlike any other. She thought of all her previous Christmases: at her parents' flat with family, at Hogwarts with Harry and Ron, at Number 12 Grimmauld Place with… Sirius. Suddenly, the tears wouldn't stop flowing. She missed her family, her friends. She missed home. She couldn't bear to think about the future, about what she'd have to face when she returned. Soon, the door to her bedroom creaked open. She wiped tears from her face and looked up to see Sirius entering. Upon seeing her red, puffy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, his face fell.

"Hermione, love, what's wrong?" he said, flying to her side and dropping onto the bed beside her.

She collapsed against his chest sobbing. Hermione felt she had never done as much crying in her life as she had these last few months.

"It's all right," said Sirius, stroking her back.

"I'm sorry," she said in a choked voice.

"Nothing to be sorry about," said Sirius, and he looked at her. "Would it help to talk about it?"

She just looked up at his grey eyes, so full of compassion.

"Tell me about your family," he said.

Suddenly, the dam broke, and Hermione began to talk. She couldn't reveal the truth to him, so she invented a home: a brother with messy black hair and a temper, a cousin with seven children and a clock that told her where every member of the family was, and Muggle parents who were dentists.

"Dentists?" asked Sirius.

"They take care of people's teeth," she explained, and he looked rather horrified.

"What, like when you can't look after them yourself?" he asked, and Hermione laughed.

She told so many stories, and though she had to change the details, the heart of the stories remained. Sirius laughed in all the right places and hugged her in all the right places.

"What happened to them?" he asked at last, in a quiet voice.

"They… they're gone," she said, her breath catching in her throat.

"Voldemort?" he asked.

Hermione looked up at him. It was as easy an explanation as any, so she just shrugged. He wrapped her in a tight hug, kissing the side of her face.

"I'm so sorry, love," he said, and he wiped her face. "Hey, listen, it's Christmas. Let's go downstairs and see the Potters, eh?"

Sirius thundered down the stairs, Hermione close behind, to find an enormous pile of presents underneath the Christmas tree. He had her by the hand, dragging her toward the tree. He was pointing out a handful of presents with her name on them. Thankfully, the Potters had known exactly what to do when he'd told them that Hermione had no family left and thus, no Christmas presents. Mrs. Potter poked her head in from the kitchen.

"No peeking!" she called. "Come in for breakfast, then we'll do presents."

"All right, fine," said Sirius reluctantly, giving Hermione a grin. He dragged her by the hand into the kitchen, where the Potters were all three sitting at the table.

"Happy Christmas!" Mr. Potter called happily from his place at the table.

"Happy Christmas," said Sirius happily, and there was a chorus of Christmas cheer around the table.

Everyone ate breakfast astonishingly fast, including Harold himself, eager to open presents in the sitting room. Sirius watched as James opened Lily's gift, a tub of broomstick polish and a book on the history of Quidditch. James shouted his excitement, hopping up immediately to send Lily an owl, and Mr. and Mrs. Potter smiled at each other knowingly. Everyone took turns opening gifts. Hermione blushed furiously when she realized how much the Potters had purchased for her, including a veritable library of books and several beautiful new sets of robes. Then, Mr. Potter looked at Sirius with a glint in his eye.

"I have something special for you and James," he said, rubbing his hands together.

"Harold, what did you . . ." Mr. Potter said, but he had already thrust a tiny package into Sirius's hands.

James came over and sat next to Sirius as he unwrapped his gift, and when he opened the box, he saw a small set of keys. Confused, he looked up at Mr. Potter, who was positively shaking with excitement.

"Go outside! Go outside!" he cried.

"Harold, you better not have . . ." said Mrs. Potter.

Sirius stepped outside, everyone piling out behind him, and his eyes went wide when he saw his present.

"WHOA, SIRIUS! A real motorbike!" James shouted, running up to the black and chrome motorcycle. "Dad, you're incredible!"

"Harold, I can't believe you-"

"Oh, relax, Caroline. No one will know," Harold said dismissively.

"Wow, thanks, Mr. Potter," Sirius said, almost speechless.

He felt Mr. Potter clap his shoulder happily and heard him say, "Anything for my two boys!"

Sirius walked up to the bike and straddled it, motioning for Hermione to join him. She looked a bit frightened at first, but when Mr. Potter gave her a little bit of a push, she came over to him and climbed on the back. He felt her small arms grip his chest like a vise as he took off. It was incredible. The wind blew his hair, and he was certain it was doing murder to hers. He took her on a quick jaunt around the neighbourhood and then parked the bike back in front of the Potters' house.

"All right, my turn!" James said, practically pushing Sirius and Hermione off the motorbike.

Sirius laughed as he watched James disappear. He took Hermione's hand and headed back inside.

"Here, open your present before everyone comes back inside," he said, handing her the small, black box.

She gasped when she took it from him. Slowly, she opened the box and her eyes lit up when she saw it. It was a necklace, a solid gold chain with a beautiful calligraphy letter "H" dangling from it. She held the "H" in the palm of her hand, staring at it with her jaw hanging open.

"Oh, Sirius, you shouldn't have," she whispered.

"I wanted to," he replied.

He walked behind her and clasped the necklace around her neck, placing a sensual kiss against her collarbone. She turned around and looked up at him with those beautiful brown eyes. He cupped her face in his hand and leaned in to kiss her deeply. She wound her hands around his neck and pressed every inch of her body against him. He had never felt this way about a girl before. This wasn't just a school fling. Hermione was his match: smart, stubborn, and beautiful. She was loyal enough to follow his lead, but bossy enough to tell him when he was going the wrong way. Sirius was already thinking about Christmas night, sneaking into her bedroom to have her again, but it was more than just lust that drew him to her. He was falling in love with her. Hermione pulled back from his kiss, her hands still threaded in his hair.

"Here, there's one for you, too. It's not nearly as nice. I feel sort of stupid giving it to you now," Hermione babbled, pulling an envelope from her pocket.

"I'm sure it's perfect," Sirius said with a smile, and he took the present from her.

He pulled off the paper and saw that it was a certificate to get any tattoo he wanted at the parlor in Diagon Alley.

"Hermione!" said Sirius.

He stared at the paper in his hand for a moment, astounded that she'd thought of something so intimate, so perfect. His mind was racing, imagining what tattoo he would get next, where he would put it, what it would symbolize. He thought about the fact that, whatever he got, it would forever be a reminder of her. His mouth was hanging open, and he must have had a rather vacant expression on his face, because Hermione was suddenly apologetic, grabbing the paper out of his hand.

"I knew you'd hate it. I can try to take it back," she said.

"No, no! I love it! Truly!" he said, taking the certificate back and staring at it again. "It's perfect."

Sirius leaned down to give her a kiss on her lips and tangled his fingers in her curly brown hair. He was just deepening the kiss when they heard a small cough from the doorway.

"Nice bike, Sirius," James said with a wink, tossing him back the keys.

"We're going to have quite a bit of fun with that," Sirius answered, raising his eyebrows at James, who nodded.

Mrs. Potter had an enormous feast ready for them after they finished opening presents. Ham, turkey, smashed potatoes, casserole, pies, and cakes sat atop the table, and Harold was sneaking wine into all the children's glasses ("You're all old enough, I think," he whispered). They all popped open Christmas crackers, donning paper crowns that told awful jokes ("Why did the painting go to jail? Because it was framed!") Sirius gazed around the table at his found family. Mr. and Mrs. Potter, who spoiled and doted on their son, had taken him in as another son. They treated him like his own parents never had: a kind word, a hand on his shoulder, a compliment. He looked at James, who was everything his brother Regulus was not: loyal, friendly, and his fellow conspirator in everything. Finally, he looked at Hermione, whose cheeks were pink from wine as she giggled with Mrs. Potter. She fit perfectly into his life. His heart leapt to imagine her at this very table every Christmas in the future.

"Excellent meal, Caroline," Harold said, his cheeks a bit rosy from all the wine.

"It was incredible," Sirius added.

"Great, Mum," James said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," said Hermione.

The five of them moved into the sitting room. Mr. Potter waved his wand, and suddenly, a holographic model of the Chudley Cannons match was in the center of the living room. Small, transparent figures of the players flew about the room, and James and Mr. Potter were leaping up and down cheering, with Mrs. Potter looking on indulgently. The match was a long one, and when the score was 180 to 140 with no Snitch in sight, Sirius saw Hermione stand from her seat.

"I'm going upstairs," she said with a smile and a squeeze of his hand.

"Everything alright?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, it's wonderful," she said.

Sirius nodded and watched her bid her goodnights to the room before climbing the stairs. All he could think was how long he'd need to stay downstairs before he could sneak up after her.

(())

Hermione was sitting in her bedroom in the cozy armchair reading a novel when she heard a knock at the door. Her stomach did a flip, hoping it was Sirius, but prepared for it to be Mrs. Potter.

"Come in?" she said quietly.

The door creaked open and Sirius's mischievous face popped into the room. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as he entered and shut the door, locking it behind him. He cast a Silencing charm.

"Reading?" he asked, and she nodded. "Reading what?"

"Oh, it's a novel. A love story," said Hermione.

She returned her attention to the book in her lap, pointedly ignoring the handsome young man making his way across the room to her. He was standing next to her, towering over her as she sat in the chair.

"Scoot forward," he said in a soft voice.

She scooted forward in the chair and felt him step carefully behind her so that she was seated between his legs. His chin rested on her shoulder, and he gave her a soft kiss in the crook of her neck.

"Read it to me," he said.

"Hm?"

"Read it," said Sirius. "I want to hear."

"Oh," said Hermione, a bit embarrassed. "It's not… it's… it's a bit obscene."

She heard him chuckle into her ear.

"Even better," said Sirius.

She began to read, trying not to let her voice falter as she felt his kisses against her neck, his strong, muscular arms wrapped around her, his body pressed against hers from behind.

She found that she couldn't wait a moment longer. She pulled him closer to her. Reginald tore her bodice from her body-

"Tore her bodice?" asked Sirius with a chuckle.

"They don't call them bodice rippers for nothing," said Hermione, snapping the book shut and setting it aside.

She could feel Sirius's hands on her breasts, roving her body and sliding down her stomach until they paused at the junction between her thighs. She leaned back into him, arching her back and stretching her neck to give him more access there. His fingers gripped her more firmly as he nipped the sensitive skin at her throat. Hermione whined and felt him harden behind her.

"What do you want?" he growled against her neck.

"You," she whispered. "Please."

"Shall I tear your bodice, or do you want to take it off yourself?" said Sirius, and she could feel his smile against her neck.

"Oh, you!" said Hermione, and she gave him a half-hearted slap on the arm.

Hermione stood from the chair and turned to face him, casting a quick contraception charm on herself. Sirius was pulling off his shirt and trousers until he was naked in front of her. She pulled her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra. He watched with a feral gaze as she tugged her jeans down over her hips, his hand absently stroking himself as he stared at her. When she was clad in only her panties, he leaned forward and grasped her body, pulling her close and letting his fingers ghost across her clitoris. She moaned and felt her knees go weak.

Sirius pulled her panties down and kissed her between her legs, fingers gently exploring her folds before slipping inside her and making her cry out. She was desperate for him. She pushed his hands away from her, leaving him momentarily stricken, but when she pushed him against the back of the chair and climbed on top of him, he growled, and his grey eyes clouded with lust. His erection was resting on his belly, and Hermione grasped it and positioned it at her entrance.

"What do you want?" she teased.

"You," he said in a gravelly voice.

She pushed down on him an inch, until just the head of him was inside of her.

"You want me?" said Hermione deviously.

"Fuck, Hermione, you're torturing me," he said in a strangled groan.

Hermione grinned wickedly and dropped her hips another inch. His fingers were so tight against her skin that she thought he'd leave bruises. Slowly, very slowly, she pushed her hips down until she was flush against him. They both cried out. Sirius pulled her lips to his and kissed her fiercely as she began to move up and down on his shaft. His erection pressed deliciously against the sensitive place just inside her vagina, and she moaned into his mouth. His hand descended between her legs, his thumb making small circles against her clit as she rode him.

"Fuck, baby, you feel so fucking good," he whispered.

Her nerve endings were on fire as she approached climax. She could feel him growing harder inside her, his moans erratic as he fought to last long enough for her to orgasm. She sat up, her hands on his shoulders as she rode him faster and harder.

"Fuck, I can't…" he said urgently. "I'm going to come…"

She felt him spasm inside of her, and the pressure of his engorged erection sent her over the edge. She was crying out and digging her fingernails into his shoulders as she came. Hermione slowed, riding him once, twice more before collapsing against him. His fingers stroked her back gently as he panted.

They sat still for a long time, waiting for their hearts to calm, and then Hermione sat back, smiling at him. His eyelids were half shut, a sated man. Carefully, she lifted off him, mindful of their mixed fluids threatening to drip out of her body.

"I should probably go," said Sirius after a while. "As much as I'd love to stay here with you all night."

Hermione smiled and nodded. They stood, pulling their clothes back on. Sirius gave her a lingering kiss.

"I'll let you get back to Reginald and the torn bodice," said Sirius with a grin.

She gave him another half-hearted slap as he left the room.