6

When Sirius finally woke up, he already knew it was late by the way his head was aching and by the fact that he didn't want to get up, even though he wasn't feeling sleepy.

The feeling was familiar and made his mental clock shout "it's past noon, you lazy tosser!" along with the knowledge that he would have to get up. Hermione, probably, already was.

It was, of course, that thought that made his eyes pop open, reminding him everything about the previous night starting with the embarrassing parts. He groaned covering his eyes with his arm, wanting to bid the image to hell. Further down the pit the better.

He couldn't. It was as if they were carved into his skull; the images of Hermione and the feeling that those images gave him when he had been alone. The early morning of the night that he shagged another woman, too.

He was a lost cause, wasn't he?

What a wonderful morning, isn't it?

"Morning, Lily," he mumbled. "Why so chipper?"

I just enjoy seeing you miserable, Lily chimed and it was followed by an echo of laughter.

Sirius sighed and thought about what Hermione had said. Could these voices be real?

Coming around finally, I see, joined Tonks' voice between the laughter. Was it weird that it made Sirius think that how wonderfully she'd get along with Lily?

Not weird at all, Lily said. We are.

"Excuse me, but it will take a little longer for me to take your word for it," Sirius said pushing his cover and getting up.

What? At worst we are your inner voice, Lily said.

Never bad to listen to yourself, either, dog-man, Tonks joined in.

Yeah, mate. If you can't take it seriously, take it Sirius-ly.

Naturally, it was James that said it and Sirius groaned freely. James hadn't made that pun since they were sixteen when he was alive. Unlike Sirius, it seemed, death didn't improve James' maturity.

Stuck forever at twenty-one. Died young, had a good-looking corpse, James said. It does have its advantages.

Sirius did manage to not retort aloud, but it didn't help with these voices a bit since he knew they could all hear his thoughts. Let's ask Harry what he thinks about that.

He wasn't sure if the room temperature really dropped low upon his thoughts or if it was his guilty conscience that had that effect on him. Sirius wasn't that much of a stranger of feeling guilty for his thoughts alone, but this was a new level of it.

"Sorry," he mumbled, not knowing if he should be saying sorry at all. He was truly sorry, but was it because saying something that would hurt James, or was it because he was the one that initially thought it?

It's alright, the voice whispered and it echoed in Lily's voice as well.

The simple sentence resonated in Sirius' head as he silently got out of the room without dressing for the day.

Could it be?

"Oh!"

Sirius turned smiling at the voice.

"Morning sunshine," he said with a grin. He wasn't sure what actually made Hermione blush this time.

She scuttered in with tiny steps and stood beside Sirius at a safe distance, just on the edge of being close to him. Sirius' heart hit his chest in loud thuds twice.

"Hi," Hermione said. "Oatmeal?"

"With banana and honey, and some nuts if you want."

Hermione hummed pleasantly. "I hung your jacket to the portmanteau," she said. "And no nuts, thank you."

"As you wish, love."

When Sirius glanced at her face with the corner of his eyes he saw that Hermione was staring at the bowls he was preparing and still had a tint of red on her face. He grinned.

"I hope that it's my naked chest that got you so pretty in pink."

Hermione turned beet red and looked at him like a rabbit caught on the light.

"What?" she blurted in a sweetly high-pitched voice that made Sirius laugh, which he was sure that Hermione was glad because it broke her stupor. "You animal!" she exclaimed and hit his arm with a closed fist that actually managed to hurt him.

"Ouch," he said, turning his body in a defensively. Sirius wasn't feeling like stopping with his teasing though. Just start already. "Caught you, did I?"

"Erase that nasty smirk on your face, Black!" she said angrily. "And, for the record, no. I do not care about your chest the slightest, naked or dressed."

That, Sirius had to admit, hurt a bit more than it should since he knew that there was no way that Hermione would accept that she was blushing because of his scarcely dressed self even if she did. The human mind was weird, though, and Sirius had always been a little too vain.

"My dear maiden," he said dragging his words as he poured honey over the bowls. "I would never dare to call someone as sweet as you a liar." He put the honey jar aside and placed a spoon in each bowl. "As I am a gentleman." He took the bowls and held them between each other. "But we both know," he said as he turned and looked her dead in the eye returning to his regular voice. "You are big fat one."

Hermione took one of the bowls harshly and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I have no idea why I don't hex you to silence," she grumbled. "For forever."

Sirius continued to grin at her as his mind assessed the situation in front of him. He would either take a step further or backtrack.

Just start already.

"Because you like my voice too much, kitten," he whispered invading her personal space as walked past her towards the kitchen table.

It was a lucky thing that Hermione was a blusher since it made it slightly easier to assess the situation aside from it being a pretty sight. It was even luckier that she also didn't back down.

"Don't you forget that this kitten has claws, Black," Hermione said and put her bowl on to the table with a thud. She sat down rather indelicately in her chair.

She still had picked the chair right across him on the long table.

"Oh, I haven't," he said with a grin. "In fact, I can't wait for them to come out."

Hermione actually harrumphed at that making Sirius let out a single laughter.

"You are lucky that I actually like you," she mumbled, taking the playfulness out of his system. Sirius actually smiled at that.

"I like you, too, witch."

Hermione's face softened at that and looked at him with bright eyes. Sirius would count the seconds that passed by if he wasn't too busy watching the lines of her face.

Merlin, can they be more sickening? Sirius heard Regulus complaining.

Leave them alone little Black, Lily chimed. Or I'll haunt you.

Like you aren't already.

I think they are cute, Tonks said.

Of course, you think they are cute, Regulus was saying. But you married Lupin, so forgive me if I don't take your word into account, cousin.

Sirius must have shown something on his face because Hermione spoke in a soft tone.

"You are hearing them again, right?"

Sirius nodded and ate a spoonful of oatmeal.

"What are they saying?" she asked.

"Regulus was expressing his distaste over Tonks' choice of husband," he said, not revealing what the voices were actually talking about.

"Regulus?" she asked curiously, and then she was thoughtful for a second. "Do you think he means it?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at her. He thought about it. It had sounded like playful banter. Would the brother he knew think a werewolf a worthy husband? Would he care about a half-blood having a worthy husband?

"I- don't think so?" he said lamely.

There was a loud snort in his head. It felt angry.

Fuck you, Sirius.

Sirius sighed. "Seems like I offended the little one." He looked at Hermione. "I don't think I know my little brother well."

I'd say.

Hermione shrugged. "Isn't that normal?" she asked thoughtfully. "I mean, when was the last time you two actually had a conversation?"

"My last day at Hogwarts," Sirius said and pushed his bowl away, no longer feeling hungry. "Graduation. I said something about how sorry I was that I wasn't going to be available to make his life miserable anymore. He had said he hoped never to see me again. 'Because if we did Sirius, I do not think it will be in an environment fitting for civilians.' I figured he was Marked, then."

I was, Regulus said with a calmer voice.

Sirius nodded at the voice. He knew he had been so. He remembered the chill and the anger he had felt.

"Well," Hermione began and actually started to eat. The movement caught Sirius' eyes. "In that case, I don't think he should be offended by your lack of knowledge about his personality. I mean, I doubt he knows you too well, either." She stopped and seemed to be thinking over what she just said. "At least before he died. It doesn't count if he knows you now. He basically has an all-around access to your mind." She looked around, her eyes roaming over the kitchen as she was trying the assess where would Regulus be. "That's cheating, you know."

There was once again, laughter echoing in Sirius' mind that actually made him smile alongside them.

Tell that chit of yours to eat mother's sour face.

It was unfortunate that was the moment Sirius had begun eating his next bite. His laughter made him choke.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked as Sirius started to cough. He waved his hand nonchalantly to make her stop from reaching to help him.

"Yeah," he said, barely breathing. He coughed a several more times. "I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing," Sirius said, yet he was unable to hold his smile back. "I just don't think Regulus actually appreciates you calling out his cheating habits."

Hermione snorted.

"Like I asked his opinion," she said indignantly. "Wanna-be ghost."

The clear insult towards one of the voices in his head, the gleam in her eyes and the seriousness of her voice was too much for Sirius. He started to laugh, loud and uninhibited, still coughing in between.

Hermione grinned at him and even joined his laughter. Sirius decided that he loved her playful side. Her angry side, too. Come to think of it, he enjoyed many layers Hermione had shown since he returned from the veil.

Since your mind could actually clear the dark thoughts and stop misinterpreting everything she said?

It was Remus that spoke this time, and Sirius found himself agreeing with him. There had been a time that Sirius thought Hermione positively insufferable. But she had grown up, hadn't she? And Sirius…

You grew up, too, Lily said. Now you had time for it.

His laughter now gone, Sirius leaned back in his chair. He looked at Hermione.

"You really think they are real?" he asked.

Hermione finished swallowing her food and he could see that she took her time with it, too, undoubtedly to ponder upon what she was going to say.

"I'm not really sure," she said. "There are ways to test it, of course, I was thinking. Until then, I definitely think that it is a very relevant possibility that we can't ignore or cast aside."

"Test it?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I mean… Based on the information, you know. Things you don't know, but others do. We could ask them, and see if there is any reality to it," she stopped her thought process abruptly, even that was a visible action for her face. She got solemn. "Not sure if we should, though."

"Why not?"

"We don't know the repercussions," she shrugged. "Do you want to know?"

The question was clear. Could he handle it if they were? Could he, if they were not?

His lack of answer must have been enough for Hermione.

"See," she pointed to him. "Exactly. Just don't let it stop you from having a good life, and it'll be fine."

Just start already.

Sirius nodded.

"I won't," he said. "You'll be around, won't you?"

With that, her blush was back, making Sirius wonder if she even realised how easy it was to put some colour on her face, but she didn't try to hide it, this time. Instead, she smiled back at him.

"Yep, right alongside with you."

Love and many thanks to Kreeblim Sabs for Alpha-Reading this story!

I didn't have much time to post or respond to reviews this last month. I moved to a different city, and preparations for that while juggling work takes time and energy, as you'd guess. But now I'm sitting on my new flat, on my new bed, and writing these words. Life is, once again, under control -at least, as much as it can.

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and leave me a review!

Love you all!

Synoir