...
And ooh… how it changed my mind,
Changed everything, about that,
Come on girl,
It feels so good, loving you, yeah…
It's so good, the way you do the do…
It feels so good, and I need Oxygen,
Little bit of heaven doin' 24-7 again…
Yeah, again and again…
(It) Feels So Good-Steven Tyler
...
Sirius knew it was very painful-he'd done it fifty-nine times himself-but Hermione was very good at hiding the pain as he used his wand to tattoo a star onto the skin of her wrist. It was right over the words "Mudblood" carved into her skin by his stupid cousin. He hoped he could pay her back for this. She was definitely going to pay.
"Done," Sirius finally said, setting down his wand. He chuckled. "You can open your eyes now."
Hermione opened one eye, and then the other. She relaxed her teeth from their harsh grimace and she looked down at the pretty little star on her wrist. She grinned. "It's wonderful." She wrapped her arms around Sirius, and he held her close for a few moments before they heard a tapping at their window, and Sirius had to let go to allow the owl passage into their home.
"Who's it from?" Hermione asked, sitting back in a chair to admire her tattoo.
"Remus," Sirius replied, quickly scanning it over its contents. "He wants to know if it's alright to have an Order meeting here tonight."
Hermione nodded. "I don't see why not."
Sirius turned the letter over, quickly scrawled his reply, and sent the owl on its way.
…
A few hours later, after the Order meeting, Sirius sat outside of Hermione's bedroom, wanting so badly to tell her what Remus had told him, but wanting so badly to be able to run away with Hermione and never look back. He couldn't do this. He couldn't leave her behind! Not now! Not after what had just happened.
Sirius was sighing and about to get up and go into the room when the door swung open, knocking him on the back of the head.
"Ow!"
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, sliding out of the crack left over and kneeling next to Sirius. "I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sirius muttered. "I'm…" he sighed. "Fine."
"Did I hit you hard?"
Sirius shook his head. "No. Honestly. I'm alright. I just…"
"Yes?"
He sighed. "Hermione, you respect anything I might have to do if it's for the Order, right?"
"Of course." Her eyebrows scrunched up as she tried to read his expression. "What's going on, Sirius?"
He sighed again. "Harry, Ron, Remus and I are going on a mission."
She nodded understandingly. "Okay. That's not so bad."
"I'll be gone for three months."
Her face fell a little bit. "Oh…"
Sirius nodded. "I don't want to leave you, I really don't, but I'm the only one free to go."
She nodded. "No, I understand. I told you, I respect your Order work. When do you leave?"
"In two days."
Hermione nodded, then smiled. "That leave plenty of time."
He cocked his head to the side. "For what?"
She leaned in and kissed him, hard.
Sirius's eyebrows rose. "Oh, I see." He grinned and lifted her up, carrying her into the bedroom.
The next two days they had all to themselves. They hardly left each other's sides. To Sirius, there was nothing better.
…
Aloha! I'm pretty sure I'll be finishing this fic up in the next few days. I hope those of you who've stuck around since the beginning are enjoying what I've got for you! ^^