A/N: Not the longest chapter, but I really wanted to update. I'm all excited. I went to Harry Potter: the Exhibition in Chicago, and I was blown away. Some of the details, that you would never notice while watching the movies... it's just incredible! I had to come home and write something, and I knew I needed to update this story.
While talking about that little outing, I have to tell you... I GOT SORTED!!! They picked two kids and one adult out of my group, I was the adult, and they had me get up, sit on a stool, and put the sorting hat above my head so it was barely brushing. I am a Slytherin (I asked for it because re-reading the books I'm getting way into Snape's story). It was worth the jeers about being a Slytherin. The hubby bought me a keychain and scarf for my 'new house'. It was a blast! If it's ever coming by you, I really recommend you go. It was so worth it.
Anyways, off my little advertisement, and on with the story. As always thanks for the reviews, and enjoy.
"'Mione?" Sirius said, staring at the spot she had Disapparated from, swaying slightly and looking confused.
"Oh, shit," Bill muttered, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder supportively.
"What just happened?"
"I think she overheard part of our conversation, mate."
"But... I wasn't saying anything bad about her!"
"You said you didn't expect the relationship to last," he pointed out.
"Because I thought she would wise up and leave me! Not because I don't want to be with her. Hell, I'm the luckiest damn wizard on the planet to have her love me." He sounded like he was about to break down.
"Have you told her that?" Bill said calmly.
"I've told her I love her."
"Not the same, man. She wants to hear your deepest feelings, not the same thing over and over. It makes it sound like you're just repeating the words you think she wants to hear."
"Where did she go? I need to find her!" he looked around in a panic.
"I don't know. She just left. She looked really mad. You might want to give her a day or two."
"I might not have a day or two. I'll go to Hogwarts, she's probably there." He started turning on the spot, but Bill grabbed his arm to stop him.
"No way. You're too drunk to Apparate. You'd probably land in some poor grandmother's living room or splinch yourself."
"But I have to find her! I need to talk to her. I need to tell her what happened!"
"I'll go talk to Harry and Ron. See if they've seen her. But if they don't know promise me you'll let Harry take you to Grimmauld Place and you can go groveling in the morning."
"Whatever. Just go get her!" he collapsed in a chair, his head between his knees, though it was impossible to tell if it was because he was upset or because the spinning room finally caught up with him.
Sighing Bill walked out of the kitchen into the garden. He asked George, who was closest, to keep an eye on Sirius and to keep the Marauder away from any more alcohol. He wandered around the party until he found Harry talking with Ron, Kia, Ginny, and Arthur.
"Harry? A moment, if you could," he asked.
Looking confused Harry gave Ginny his drink and walked over to her older brother. "What's up?"
"You may need to tend to your Godfather for a little while."
"He fucked up in front of Hermione, didn't he?" he groaned.
"Expecting this?" he looked quizzically at the raven-haired boy.
"Expecting that the liquor might catch up to him if he didn't watch himself," he shook his head. "He's not known for keeping his tongue after having a couple."
"He's not known for keeping his tongue at all," he pointed out.
"What did he say?"
"He was telling me how he knew Hermione was much too good for him. And he insinuated that he expected the relationship to end in her dumping him rather than marriage. He seems to have very low expectations of the relationship."
"Hermione is head over heels about him! Why would he think that?"
"The insecurities that come with dating a much younger woman. Is she doing it for the thrill? Is she doing it for the money? When is something younger and much more attractive going to come and steal her heart?"
"Hermione wouldn't do it for the money. He should know that. And if she wanted money and someone younger and more attractive Krum was still interested."
"You know that. I know that. Sirius is still insecure. You're lucky. You know Ginny was crazy about you before you were the Savior and all that, she loved you even when you were unpopular. Sirius can't see what Hermione would ever see in a guy like him. I don't know how much Hermione overheard, he had been going at it for quite a while, but it's obvious she overheard at least some of it."
"He's being a bloody idiot."
"Yeah, I know. And right now he's a drunk bloody idiot who needs a place to sleep it off for the night with someone who won't let him Apparate into the river or something."
Harry sighed. "I'm on it. Just let me tell Ginny what's going on." He walked back to the group, looking slightly irritated.
"What's up?" Ron asked.
"I have to go baby-sit Padfoot. He apparently said something dumb that Hermione overheard and she ran off."
Ginny groaned. "Where did she go?"
"Dunno. Probably Hogwarts. She can hide there."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"Nah. Stay here, have fun. I'll see you later, if you're okay to Apparate," he kissed her cheek. "See you, Ron. Nice meeting you again, Kia."
"You, too," Kia smiled, and she waited until he was mostly out of earshot before she asked what was going on.
"Sirius!" Harry called, walking into the kitchen of the Burrow. Sirius was holding a bottle of clear fluid, wobbly even while sitting.
"James!" he slurred. "Come 'n drink with your ol' friend! When did you get back through the veil?"
"What is that?" Harry asked George, who was standing well away with arms crossed.
"Water," George mouthed, but he said out loud, "Clear rum."
"Come on, Sirius," Harry said, helping him to his feet. "Let's go home."
"Is Hermione there?"
"No. She went back to Hogwarts."
"Then let's go to Hogwarts!" he said, trying to break free. "You've got to meet this girl, James. She's amazing!"
"I'm not James, Sirius. I'm Harry. I'm taking you back to Grimmauld Place. We'll try to talk to Hermione tomorrow."
Sirius considered him for a moment. "You're right. You're not James. He would have taken me to Hogwarts."
"I'm stopping you," he said firmly. "If you want to go in the morning, by all means make an arse of yourself." Without another word he Apparated them both to Grimmauld Place.
"Get off me," Sirius growled, pushing Harry away from him. "How come you all are trying to keep me from her?"
"If you haven't messed things up by now, you'll sure as hell mess them up if you go tromping around Hogwarts shouting to see her!"
His shouting woke up Mrs. Black, whose curtains few open and whose usual stream of insults spewed forth.
"Shut up you miserable, horrible hag!" Sirius roared at her. "If you don't stop shouting right now I promise to make as many half-blooded little Blacks as I possibly can! I know you'd much rather the line die out than to see half-blooded Blacks!"
Surprisingly she paused long enough for him to spit on her portrait and wrench the drapes shut. Without another word, and making as much noise as possible, the older man walked up to his room, slamming the door shut as a finale.
"Hermione?" Neville asked, entering their shared common room. She was sitting in an armchair by the fire, a large book lying across her lap.
"Neville!" she said, startled. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "You're home early."
"Ginny told me you might need a shoulder, and she can't get into our dorms without me, so I told her to stay."
"That was very sweet of you, Neville. How was your date with Hannah?"
He blushed. "It was good," he said, shortly.
"That's good. Well, I should probably turn in..."
"You don't want to talk about it?" he asked as she stood.
"There's nothing to talk about. Sirius didn't expect the relationship to last, and so I just fulfilled his expectations."
"I believe the whole story is that he expected you to break it off. So, yeah, I guess you kind of did. But that doesn't mean he wanted you to break it off with him."
"If he thinks so little of my feelings for him that he'd think I'd ditch him because he's too old he deserved for me to call it off!" she snapped, shoving her book roughly back on the shelf.
"Have you ever thought he was just sort of voicing his concerns? Everyone is a little unsure of their relationships from time to time. He sees you, smiling, happy, joking with people your own age, and he thinks 'why is she seeing an old man like me when she could have any younger wizard she wants?'"
"I... He... But... I could not!" she finally managed.
"Yes, you could," he replied, blushing.
"Neville?" she said, suddenly realizing something.
"You were always the only one who was nice to me, who didn't make fun of me. What guy couldn't like you after that. But then there was Ron, now Sirius, and, well, Hannah's more my type anyways."
"But you're one of my best mates."
"And you're one of mine. I'd hope that would ever change. And I'd hope you'd be willing to take a bit of my advice."
She sighed and sat across from him.
"I'm giving you this advice as a man. I shouldn't, I'm letting out some of our little secrets. It's like betraying my gender, but you need it. Let him sit on it a couple days."
"Really?" she asked with a giggle.
"You go and take him back too quickly, he'll forget it ever happened and not learn a damn thing. Make him think about it a few days, see what he's willing to do to get you back. If he gives you up, he doesn't deserve you. If he stands outside the Gryffindor portrait hole singing ballads until you agree to take him back... well, we've all thought he's a nutter anyways, right?"
She giggled again. "If he does that, I'll probably ditch him anyways. He knows I'm not into big professions of love."
"Now that I think of it, I'd kind of like him to do that. I'd love to see him getting chewed out by McGonagall. Think I should suggest it to Harry, who could convince Sirius to do it?"
She threw a pillow at him.
"You're a great girl, Hermione. He'll be begging for you back by morning."
