Chapter Two: Siriusly?
"I never meant to start a war. I just wanted you to let me in, and instead of using force. I guess I should've let you win."
-Miley Cyrus: Wrecking Ball
Hermione's first morning at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was quite uneventful. The only other person awake when she left for breakfast was Marlene. Hermione had arisen before the dawn, as was her routine. She showered, dressed, and bid Marlene good morning before slipping out of the dorms, then out of the portrait hole.
Hermione sat at her table, there were only a small handful of other students awake at this hour, and she reveled in the morning sunlight portrayed by the enchanted ceiling.
Hermione reached out to take a piece of toast off of the serving plate in front of her when a pale white hand encircled her wrist. "Ah-ah," came the voice connected to the hand. "That's my toast," Sirius Black sat himself down next to her and proceeded to pry her toast out of her fingers and stuff it into his mouth.
"Sirius," she began, breathing through he nose, to keep calm. "If you must insist upon annoying me to no end, I must insist that you cease to exist. I'm not in the mood."
"Someone's not a morning person," Sirius said as a wide smile stretched across his face.
"On the contrary Mr. Black. I am a morning person. I just do not seem to be a Sirius person," Hermione said with the utmost seriousness.
Sirius chocked on the pumpkin juice he had been sipping, and his eyes bulged out of his head a little. "Did you just make a Sirius pun?" he snorted. "Siriusly?"
"Siriusly," Hermione replied, a small smile lighting up her aristocratic face.
"I like you," Sirius proclaimed boldly. "You make jokes about my name, and I like it."
"Thank you Mr. Black," Hermione said, picking up her books, and marching out of the Great Hall in search of the library. Leaving in her wake a dazed Sirius, whose head was full of Hermione and swirling with the scent of her lavender and rosemary perfume.
Her first potions class went well, except for the fact that it was with the Slytherin's.
They didn't outright harass her, but it got quite close. Due to the tutoring her father insisted upon Hermione breezed through her first potion and was released from class early as Professor Slughorn sung her praises.
The minutes flew by until Lily joined the seat beside her in Transfiguration. "So what exactly are we doing in this class?" she asked.
Hermione turned to face Lily with disbelief before she remembered that the girl was a muggleborn. "Just watch that cat on the desk," She told Lily.
No sooner had she said that, Professor McGonagall transformed into her human form. "Good afternoon class," She said surveying the young witches and wizards that filled her class.
"Today we're going to learn begin to learn the art of Transfiguration," She told the class.
"We'll be transforming needles into matches," She set about passing out a few needles to each student. She then taught the incantation to the students and they began to get to work. Several minutes later Hermione had not only managed to completely change her needle into a match, but she could also change it back into a need. "Very good Miss Black. Ten points to Gryffindor."
And so it happened that Hermione was released form double Transfiguration with Ravenclaws ten minutes into the period and without any homework.
"How do you do it?" Remus Lupin asked Hermione whose nose was currently immersed in a book.
"Do what?" Hermione asked without looking away from her book.
"Oh, I don't know; You always released early from class, and without any homework! You somehow manage to wrap every teacher here around your skinny little fingers, and you master every spell that gets sent your way within seconds. Take your pick!" He huffed.
"It's called finesse, Mr. Lupin," She said looking up at him with a bored expression covering her face. "Ask your every-so-elequent friend Mr. Black if you'd like a lesson, for I'm afraid I cannot seem to spare the time."
After that, Remus no long spoke to the Blackest jewel of them all.
Second year went off without a hitch, but the beginning of third year brought a whole new load of problems. It brought the fascination of one Sirius Black, as Hermione blossomed even further with the onset of puberty. She had shot up a whole foot since first year, putting her at a comfortable five and a half feet. She was still willow slim, with skin of cream and roses, and long midnight hair. Her eyes, framed with thick lashes grew to an even more vibrant silver, and like most Black women she was quite well endowed.
All of this had attracted Sirius' attention, and instead of expressing his affection for her in the normal way he would any other bird, he'd chosen to annoy her no end, this made the Gryffindor Princess hold the Black heir at arms length all term.
It took Hermione from third year to fourth year to beat Sirius off with a stick, and then somehow the summer between fourth and fifth year Sirius himself shot up to a comfortable six foot two, and he lost near all interest in Hermione. He was too busy in the beds of every slag in Hogwarts.
It was then, in the winter of her sixth year, eight days before Christmas to be exact, that Hermione stepped off the train to come home for winter holiday's she was greeting not by her father, Alphard, but by her Aunt Walburga. "Hello Aunt," Hermione addressed the Black Matriarch.
"Hello Hermione Dear," Aunt Walburga smiled quite sinisterly at the third year. "Your father owled to say that you'd be spending the Holidays with us at Grimauld Place."
Hermione followed her Aunt as she collected Sirius who for once was on his best behavior. Sirius had began to grow his hair out shaggy, to make girls like him even more than they already did. Sirius was followed closely by Regulus, who had been sorted into Slytherin. He had steadily became the Prince of Slytherin over the years, just as Hermione had secured her place as the Princess of Griffyndor.
"Come, Come, Sirius, Regulus," Aunt Walburga beckoned.
The darkened halls of Grimmauld Place beckoned to Hermione. After having spent a week here, she could sense the power encased in those walls, and she was drunk off it.
"Hermione," Aunt Walburga said from the Kitchen. Kreature stood on a high stool stirring a cauldron of what looked to be stew.
"Yes, Aunt," Hermione answered, poking her head into the kitchen.
"Take a seat," Aunt Walburga motioned for Hermione to sit in the empty seat in front of her.
"I know I mustn't ruin any surprises, but I wanted to clue you in on your Christmas present," Aunt Walburga looked as though she was pleased enough to purr like a cat.
"What sort of present?" Hermione asked her Aunt.
"The best kind," Aunt Walburga answered simply. "Your father and I have been in talks for some time to work out a deal. I just signed your marriage contract yesterday. You're to marry one of my sons," Aunt Walburga looked delighted.
"I see," Hermione watched Aunt Walburga carefully. "And which of your sons am I to marry?" She asked her Aunt.
"Why, Sirius of course!" She exclaimed. "I'll probably marry Regulus off to one of those three daughters of my cousin. But you, you my dear, you have the blood of Salazar Slytherin in you. Your mother was a Prince, and to be half a Black on top of that, nothing could be better for the House of Black!"
"That's quite gracious of you, Aunt," Hermione said trying for her sake to stay calm, as her worst fears had been realized. She was only sixteen and her father had already married her off to her cousin! "May I ask the terms of our Marriage contract?"
"Oh course girl! Your father provided quite the dowry for you, and in return we've decided that you must marry before you've been out of Hogwarts a year, and have at least one heir before you've been out of Hogwarts for five years."
"And there are no other terms?" Hermione asked, confused. Generally in pureblooded marriage contracts there were terms about infidelity, and when the marriage had to be consummated, also, often the contract even dictated where they newly wedded couple had to live.
"No, dear Girl. I've come to love you in the time you've been here with me. And I've always desired to have at least one daughter, maybe now I'll get one," Aunt Walburga said wishfully.
Hermione took a moment to survey her scary Aunt. Like most Black women she had pale skin, black eyes, dark, perfect curly hair, and a willow slim body with wide hips. If what Aunt Walburga said was true Hermione was very lucky to have such a liberal mother-in-law.
"When will my fiancé learn of our contract?" Hermione asked.
"Christmas Eve, he's expected to give you your engagement ring Christmas morning."
"I'm so excited!" Hermione exclaimed, playing for a moment, the role of a perfect pureblooded girl.
"As am I. Hermione, As am I," Her Aunt looked down at her, for once smiling a genuine smile.
A/N: so, in this fic, Eileen Prince married Alphard Black, Severus Snape, essentially doesn't exist. It's actually quite central to the plot, and I'll delve more into that in the next few chapters. I'm sorry if it seems like this is moving quite fast. I wanted to cover her sorting, and sort of breeze through the first few years to get to her betrothal. It slows down slightly from here, and doesn't really qutie stop this rapid-fire pace until her seventh year at Hogwarts has ended. This fic, is pretty much my interpretation of Maurauder's Era Wizarding Britain through the eyes of Hermione Black and company. So Please enjoy!
~Elena Louise