So yea...trying to not let the cool reception of last chapter get me down... But HUGE Thank yous to: GhostWriter1864, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, Raven that flies at night, and abishop47. I really can't express how grateful I was when you reviewed. You four are absolutely wonderful people.
I hope you all like this chapter; one more until Hogsmeade!
Please, please, PLEASE review, I would really like to break 100 if not more with this chapter.
Hermione woke the next morning to find that she and Sirius had slide down the raised side of the couch and were both now lying flat on the deep cushioned seats of the sofa. Sirius' arms were wrapped securely around her, and Hermione was turned into his side with her hand lying gently above his heart. Her head had ended up in the crook of his neck and Sirius' lips were almost brushing her temple. The realized closeness made her heart begin to pick up speed again; as it had the previous night behind the tapestry. It was agonizing and exhilarating all at the same time. Hermione knew that any kind of relationship with Sirius would be very complicated, but the mere thought of her birthday kiss still brought color to her cheeks and a smile to her face.
Sirius shifted a bit beside her as she carefully lifted her upper body in an attempted to devise a way to stand up without waking him. His clear grey eyes fluttered open and found Hermione's easily. Sirius pulled her back down onto his chest; Hermione laughed at the huff of air that escaped his lips as she plopped down on top of him. She propped her head up with a hand as she gazed at the Marauder in front of her.
"Thank you for staying last night," Sirius said as he tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"You're welcome. Though I think next time we should probably just sleep on the floor. More space." Hermione looked around and found that the floor in front of the fire seemed roomy enough.
"There's going to be a next time?" Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her; Hermione pushed a pillow into his face as she suppressed a laugh and finally stood up.
"Can I ask you something a bit strange?" Hermione asked as she sat down in one of the mismatched chairs and began to pull her shoes on.
"Anything, Hermione." Sirius flashed one of his award winning grins.
Hermione was still shocked at herself for divulging her real name to him, "Well, we obviously fancy each other, but our situation is …unique. Are we sure that we want to continue even with all the complications that will eventually arise?"
"Can we review the complications, please?" Sirius asked through a hearty laugh.
"Well, I'm from the future. I'm twenty years younger than you. You're my best mate's godfather. You were in Azkaban. You…"
"Wait, what? I was in Azkaban?" Hermione halted ticking off each issue on her fingers as Sirius interrupted her.
"Oh…yes. But that shouldn't really matter, I think it should be easy to avoid when the time comes." Hermione hastily answered. She really needed to keep better track of what parts of the future had been shared and what hadn't.
"Do you have any other lovely surprises?" Sirius mumbled as he cupped his forehead, "Anyone trying to kill me? Do I have a deranged wife who might come after you?"
Hermione suppressed a chuckle, "No, nothing really like that. And I'm afraid Azkaban may have interfered with any personal life you had in the previous timeline."
Sirius nodded his head as he mulled over his possible future, "But you're planning on saving me from the magical prison, so I can have a personal life?"
"Yes. And also so you can be a bigger part of Harry's life." Hermione gathered her robes and prepared to leave the little room. And if I can save you from Azkaban, there has to be a way to save you from the Veil.
Sirius stepped in front of the exit and slyly trapped Hermione in his arms, "And what if, despite the complications that might arise, I still wanted to pursue a relationship with you?"
Hermione took a moment to remind herself to breathe, "Well, if it doesn't work out you'll still have to keep my secret and help me change the future."
"Such a pessimist," Sirius roughly claimed Hermione's lips before she could retort. He placed his hand gingerly at the back of her neck and deepened the kiss before Hermione was able to pull back. She blinked several times before Hermione regained her composer. Sirius laughed, almost barked, as he watched her steady herself in his arms, "And what if this all works out. What will we do then?" He threw caution to the wind as he jumped with both feet into the complex relationship. Sirius had never bothered worrying about the future before, but he was eerily comfortable with talking about it with Hermione.
Hermione thought about what would happen if she could save Sirius and was able to return to her time, "We would have a lot to explain to Harry then." Hermione smiled as she met Sirius' gaze.
She draped her arms around Sirius' neck and realized that her watch was not in place. "Oh no, where is it?" They found it between two cushions on the couch and Hermione screamed when she read the time; Lily was going to kill her.
Sirius and Hermione raced through the halls back to the tower. They passed a few housemates as they hurried back; some catcalls were made but were ignored by both Gryffindors. When they finally arrived in front of the Fat Lady, Sirius quickly whispered, "See you in a bit Blondie," before he sprinted though the portrait hole and up the boys' staircase.
Hermione ran as fast as she could up to the girls' seventh year dorm room. She almost toppled over when she opened the door and came face to face with Lily.
"Where have you been Mia?!" Lily's emerald eyes were a mixture of rage and concern. Hermione ducked into the room; quickly sidestepping the fiery redhead. She dropped her robes on the floor and grabbed some muggle clothes as she leapt onto her bed and drew the curtains around herself for privacy as she changed out of her uniform.
"I am SO sorry Lily. I lost track of time. I know you were probably worried sick, but I didn't mean for you to be concerned," Hermione pleaded from behind her curtains.
All of the other girls in the dormitory were already down in the Great Hall so Lily could yell without hesitation, "Are you MENTAL? Someone attacked you last week and you thought it was a good idea to wonder around the castle at all hours of the night?"
A mental scene of a slightly older Lily gently scolding a small black haired boy filled her mind; Hermione had the urge to laugh and cry simultaneously. "I appreciate the motherly concern Lily. But I promise I'm fine," Hermione said in a forced steady voice. She pulled back the curtain and jumped down from the bed; Hermione was now dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and the black shirt that Minerva had given her to cover up her scars.
"Well, maybe I'm also cross because I needed you here this morning," Lily's cheeks turned a bit pink as Hermione noticed that her future friend's mother was still in her pale blue pajamas. Hermione smiled as Lily quietly admitted, "I don't know what to wear today."
The two girls rummaged through Lily's clothes attempting to find the perfect first date outfit. "You do realize that it doesn't matter what you wear, right? James is probably going to be too distracted by the fact that you're actually on a date with him to care," Hermione laughed as she found a plain green v neck and tossed it to Lily. "I think simple might be best."
"I guess comfortable would be good too," Lily said as she slipped behind her bed and changed into her favorite shirt.
Hermione threw Lily a pair of dark, worn looking, jeans to complete the outfit. Lily emerged from behind the curtain looking stunning but still herself, "Less is definitely more for you Lil." The redhead's face colored in response. Hermione pulled her own hair up into a ponytail and grabbed her light sweater and beaded purse before they went down to breakfast.
The girls made a point to sit away from the Marauders so that Hermione could help calm Lily's nerves. And when James walked over to ask the redhead if she was ready to leave, Lily appeared genuinely composed. Hermione smiled to herself as she watched Harry's parents walk out of the hall. She made a mental note to ask Lily about the date later and maybe write some of it down for Harry; just in case.
Hermione felt someone sit down on the bench next to her, "Will you finally admit that you meddled?" She could hear the smirk in Sirius' voice without even setting eyes on him.
"Never. They were always meant to happen. I just eased her mind a bit." Hermione turned to find Sirius inches away from her face. "Bloody… Sirius, personal space. Please," she laughed a little as she tried to push the Marauder back.
"Yes, well if you recall, we slept together last night. Personal space doesn't really exist anymore," Sirius tried not to laugh as Hermione glared at his flippant word use. "But I actually needed to talk to you about Remus. He's still in bed and feeling horrid. He mentioned something about a potion you had made. I told Moony we'd bring him some breakfast and the potion after we saw the lovebirds off."
"Of course. What about Peter?" Hermione looked around the table for the other Marauder.
"He actually just left for Hogsmeade with a Hufflepuff. And the other lads in the dorm are gone too, so Remus should be able to rest easy in the tower until tonight."
Hermione gathered some more food on her plate and wrote out a quick note to the house elves to request the meal be delivered to Remus as soon as possible. She rose off the bench and took Sirius' hand automatically. There were a few murmurs from the neighboring house tables; they had not been very outspoken about their relationship outside of Gryffindor Tower until now. Sirius wore a goofy grin as they exited the Great Hall.
Minerva watched Hermione and Sirius leave the Hall with uncertain eyes. Dumbledore leaned over and whispered in a low tone, "How is your niece settling in here, Minerva?"
McGonagall turned to the headmaster with a strained smile, "She seems to be adjusting easily, but I'm fearful that she might be becoming too attached to some of the students."
"Perhaps, she is simply acting as she is destined to," Dumbledore placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and excused himself from the staff table.
Professor McGonagall mulled over the Headmasters words and a small, genuine smile began to form.
Hermione and Sirius slipped into McGonagall's private quarters and back to Hermione's personal room to collect another dose of the Wolfsbane potion. She removed the protective charm over the cauldron and waved her wand to produce a small flask; she deposited a cupful of the rancid liquid quickly into the canister.
Sirius took this time to walk around Hermione's room. He examined the bookshelf he had toppled into the previous night and then wondered over to the small dresser with an intricately framed mirror. Sirius noticed, in the reflection, a small picture lying face down on the bed behind him. He glanced at Hermione, who was still distracted by her errand for Remus, and picked up the frame.
Unlike Remus, Sirius didn't mistake the messy haired boy for James. Because of Hermione's stories the night before, Sirius immediately recognized the green eyed boy as Harry. It felt strange to him, seeing his future godson. Sirius laughed at the sight of the redheaded girl next to Harry. An obsession with redheads must be hereditary.
Hermione turned as Sirius laughed; she was a bit uneasy about him looking at the picture. She replaced the shield over the potion cauldron and went to stand next to Sirius. He joyfully greeted her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"You have to tell me about Harry's girl," Sirius chuckled still staring at the picture.
"Her name is Ginny. She's a Gryffindor too; very smart, very quick, and wicked fast on a broom. She is a good friend and they make each other extremely happy, even though both refuse to acknowledge it," Hermione took the photo from Sirius' hands and awkwardly cradled it to her chest.
"Do you miss them?" Sirius asked as he slouched down a bit and tucked Hermione's shoulder under his chin.
"Very much," Hermione answered in a soft voice; she leaned her back into Sirius.
"Even the ginger bloke with his arm around your shoulder?" Hermione could see Sirius' lopsided grin in her peripheral.
She laughed slightly and tried to play nonchalant, "Oh, you mean Ronald?" Hermione released herself from Sirius' grasp and walked over to her bedside table to replace the picture into its hiding place. "He's my other best mate, so of course I do. We did go on a few dates actually."
Sirius' smile flickered. Hermione noticed this as she turned back around. She smiled a bit at the pained expression that he was now unsuccessfully trying to mask. Hermione took Sirius' hands and held them behind her own back. She marveled a bit at her forwardness toward the man in front of her; he had made her quite comfortable here. Hermione leaned into Sirius' chest and looked up at the handsome Marauder; his remarkable grey eyes looking anywhere but at her.
"But… it never amounted to anything. We decided that we were much better as friends and stopped before anything really happened." Hermione smiled brightly as Sirius finally held her gaze again. He released his held breathe and chuckled.
"I think I allow you to have far too much of an impact on me," Sirius mused as he pulled Hermione tighter towards him.
Hermione giggled as she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Sirius' neck, "Are you insinuating that I have some kind of power over you, Mr. Black?"
"It is quite possible, Blondie. But I think I could get used to it though," Sirius' cheshire smile was blinding.
Hermione surprised herself by instigating the kiss this time. She could feel Sirius grinning as the kiss continued, and his smile was infectious. Hermione pulled away after a few breathtaking moments to take in some air. She untangled herself and forced her body to stagger toward the portrait hole. "Come on Sirius, we need to get the potion to Remus for tonight."
Sirius reluctantly followed; but only after he had caught Hermione in one last daze inducing kiss.
Well, I hope THAT can hold you all over until the next chapter! I'm having a lot of fun writing these two and I hope you are all enjoying the story I've trying to weave.
Sidenote: anyone want to draw me some fan art with a young Sirius and Hermione? Or tell me where to find some, I've had no luck so far.
Follow, Favorite and REVIEW! See you all next chapter!
Love, Misha