A/N: Another chapter for Rebirth instead of From Darkness to Light, hope no one is disappointed by this. I just want to get this finished, I am so excited for how it proceeds with everything else in canon. Although, I will likely leave the Hallows out...not really wanting to add the second treasure hunt in Hermione's future. The horcruxes will be enough, in my opiniong.
Hope you enjoy this one, we have a bit of time jumping in this chapter, don't think you need to hear about every day, week, or month of our heroes.
-oOo-
Chapter 15
Lily and Hermione left Charlus' study in search of the boys. Fortunately, they did not have to search far as they came across them as they turned down the hallway. It seemed that the boys had been on their way to find them, having grown impatient, just as Dorea had predicted.
"Lily!" James cried out, interrupting whatever Sirius had been saying to him to run toward his girlfriend. She burst into giggles as James peppered her face in kisses, announcing how much he missed her.
"It's only been a few days!" she laughed.
"Yes, a few days too many, witch," James announced, stifling her response by planting his lips on hers.
"Well, I think we should leave them to their disgusting display," scoffed Sirius with mock distain. Hermione snorted at Sirius' comment, she, and many others, had found him in the same embrace and worse with other witches throughout his time at Hogwarts. Her heart clenched at the memories, a pit forming in her stomach remembering catching him, just last year, with a witch trying to unbuckle his belt in a broom closet.
She shoved those thoughts away; she couldn't control his past and he said he wanted her now. For some reason. And she would enjoy it while it lasted, before he remembered all those other witches and how they were better than her. They were beautiful, confident, they weren't know-it-alls, or ice queens, they didn't have vile words carved into their arms.
Hermione didn't like feeling sorry for herself, Granger didn't either, but she didn't see it as self-pitying if it was true. She was not feeling sorry for herself, only presenting simple facts. Sirius Black was not a one-witch woman, and she the ice queen of Ravenclaw, the branded mudblood, could not be the reason that ended. It made no logical sense. So, she would enjoy the nonsense while she could.
Granger certainly would have. She had loved the Weasley twins' shop that opened during a war. The nonsense those boys got into was incredible, and Granger had always admired it. The only time she hadn't, was when they targeted the unsuspecting first years that had no prior experience with the Gryffindor pranksters.
Thus, Hermione McCallister, pushed the thoughts of other witches, Dumbledore, and Granger from her mind as she felt Sirius reach for her hand and intertwine their fingers. For now, she would enjoy Yule and the presence of her friends and the arrival of Lily. She would worry about everything when she returned to school, when she knew that with the Marauders upcoming graduation, they were even closer to joining the Order.
They would be fighting for an entire year without her, while she was stuck at Hogwarts.
She would worry about everything then.
-oOo-
Hermione and the boys showed Lily as much of the Manor and the estate they could that day. She was just as entranced by the pond in the centre of the maze as Hermione was and both decided to stay and watch it while boys played a quick game of Quidditch.
Before dinner, Remus dragged Peter off to help him with something, leaving the two couples alone. James took Lily's hand and led her into the maze, away from the spying eyes of his parents in the manor. Sirius took Hermione's hand and started leading her to a part of the garden they had yet to visit. She let out a gasp as she saw where Sirius was taking her.
It was a flower garden, filled with wildflowers. The scene was like a storybook, complete with a large, old oak tree with a swing hanging from a branch. It shouldn't be possible, such a scene in the middle of winter on Yule. Yet, with magic, she could see it with her own eyes.
Sirius couldn't stop watching her, his smile growing as he saw the awe on Hermione's face. How anyone thought she was an ice queen, when her emotions were so easily read on her face, when her happiness was so easy to find. She managed to still find happiness in everything, even after everything she had been through. He was upset with himself for never seeing it before, he could have had so many more years with her. He could see why Regulus fought so bloody hard to keep their friendship. He had known how incredible Hermione was, he had fought tooth and nail to keep her, and in the end, he had not been able to. Sirius hoped his brother didn't hate him or resent him for being able to have what he couldn't.
Hermione let go of Sirius' hand and ran ahead to bask in the sunlight within the bubble of warmth that was Dorea's meadow. Quickly removing her blue winter coat, she ran around in a circle, her face up towards the sun, her arms spread out at her side, fingers grazing over the tips of the flowers. Sirius could not help but stop and admire the beauty that was Hermione McCallister. Hearing her laughter and watching her spinning, he felt his smile grow and his chest expand.
The little bookworm Ravenclaw had worked her way under his skin and dug her talons into his heart. He wanted to be able to make her laugh and smile like that every single day. He would join the Order and fight every Death Eater and pureblood that thought she was less than them because she had muggle parents. She was better than all of them, she was everything to him.
Shaking his head from his thoughts, vowing to protect her and make her laugh as often as he could, he started walking towards his witch.
"Sit on the swing, I'll push you," he called out to her. Hermione stopped spinning; her laugh caught in her throat as she remembered she had an audience. A light blush appeared on her cheeks, embarrassed that anyone but Reggie and Barty saw her squealy girly side. When he said nothing and continued smiling at her, she pushed her embarrassment aside and grinned at him before running over to the swing. Barking out a laugh, Sirius followed her, standing behind her so he could start pushing her lightly.
"It's so beautiful!" Hermione giggled, staring out at the view. The entire clearing ahead of her was covered in wildflowers, mixtures of blues, pinks, whites, lavenders, and the lush green of the grass. The edge of the clearing was surrounded by trees, all of which were outside of the bubble of warmth and were covered in snow. It was quite the contrast of spring and winter. She loved it.
"Yes, it is," Sirius replied not looking away from Hermione laughing on the swing. Her curls were bouncing and turning fiery red and gold where the sun hit it perfectly. Her eyes were shining and her was mouth open releasing her musical laugh into the meadow. He wished he had a camera so he could capture the moment forever. He needed to find a way to capture an image from a memory.
He continued pushing her, listening to her laughter until the sun began to set. He was excited for what would happen next, he didn't want to look away from her in case he missed the moment she saw it.
Hermione had never felt so free. She had never been allowed on swings as a child, her mother deeming them as undignified, so Hermione had watched other children play on them in envy. Experiencing it now, in such a beautiful place, feeling the warmth from Sirius' hand on her back, she never wanted to leave. However, the sun was setting, meaning it would be time to go inside and eat dinner soon. She would need to come out and do this at least once more before returning to Hogwarts. She just hoped Sirius would be okay with that.
She was staring out at the trees and meadow as the sun set, a golden light cast over the meadow providing an even more stunning image. She felt Sirius stop pushing her, stopped giving her momentum but never stopped touching her back. When the swing came to a stop, he stepped closer to her, his hand resting on the small of her back. She felt his eyes on her face, she wanted to turn and look into his dazzling grey eyes, but she couldn't look away. There was something in the air telling her to keep looking, that something was going to happen.
Sirius knew the moment it happened, her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped from her lips. Hermione was staring at the meadow as the sun set and darkness came over them. However, the darkness only lasted for a few moments. The meadow lit up; bright lights began moving through the wildflowers. They were fireflies but they weren't just giving off a yellow colour, they were ranges of colours that matched the flowers. He saw the lights reflected in her eyes, the small bugs giving him a perfect view of the amazement and happiness showing on her face.
"Potter Manor feels like a dream," Hermione whispered reverently into the night. Sirius couldn't help but agree, she was here with him. He was terrified that he would wake up and find out all of this was nothing but a dream, that he was back in his sixth year when all she did was scream at him. He loved riling her up, but he loved her smile being directed at him more. She had never smiled at him before this year.
"Best dream I've ever had," Sirius said quietly, trying not to startle her. He knew she was entranced and had likely forgotten he was there. He saw her jump slightly, proving he was right. She didn't scowl at him though, or berate him for frightening her, no, she looked up at him with the same adoration that she had stared at the flowers. Her expression didn't change or dampen when looking at him, and he felt his heart rejoice at that fact.
They didn't break eye contact, they didn't speak, they just continued to stare at one another. The lights of the fireflies provided a glow over both their faces, hers was giving off a pink tint while his was purple. Sirius stared down at her, her eyes never leaving his, not even when he began to lean down toward her. The only time he saw her eyes glance away, was to look at his lips moments before they crashed down on hers. When their lips connected, both let out a sigh. He held his lips to hers for a moment, her lips soft against his. He leaned back and looked at her, her eyes were closed, and her cheeks had a light blush, she was magnificent. Her eyes began to flutter and before she could open them, he pressed his lips against hers again.
The first kiss had been light and chaste, but the second kiss was fire and hunger. Hermione's hands were in his hair, her fingers pulling at the soft locks while his were moving over her. He moved his right hand to grasp the back of her neck, tilting her head to provide him a better angle to plunder her mouth and move down her jaw to her neck. His left hand continued to move up and down her side, exploring her curves, his thumb brushing her breast as it moved.
He couldn't get enough of the sounds she was emitting. Small gasps, sighs, and moans.
"Mmm, princess," he groaned into her neck as he nipped and kissed down her throat, "So responsive."
Hermione didn't have a thought left in her head except a voice screaming at her 'don't stop'. She had never felt like this before, had never been able to just let go and feel before. And she could feel everything. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest, her face felt flush, and her centre throbbed. Her knickers were ruined, she knew it.
Sirius didn't want to stop but his back was beginning to hurt from being crouched over to reach her on the swing. He broke the kiss, causing Hermione to release a disappointed grown which was quickly replaced with a surprised squeak. Sirius had picked her up by the waist and spun them around so he could sit on the swing and place her on his lap.
Hermione found herself disappointed that he hadn't positioned her to straddle him, but she wasn't able to consider it for long before his lips were on hers again. While she was disappointed, Sirius was trying to hold back. He didn't want to push her too far, too quickly and had to keep reminding himself that he wanted to do this properly and take it slow.
He knew he was more experienced than her, that she had never been with anyone before. That, and the fact he cared about her so much, he wanted to make sure she didn't regret a single moment with him.
They continued to kiss on the swing as the fireflies danced around them, the sounds of night surrounding them, and the stars shining down on them. As the fire in their kissing died down and it turned into light and breathless chaste kisses, neither noticed the elderly witch that was walking toward them. Sirius pulled himself from Hermione, placed a kiss against her temple and positioned her so that she was snuggled into his side.
Silently, Dorea watched her second son cuddle into the girl he obviously loved. She knew she had to disturb them and inform them that Yule dinner was about to be served, but the moment was too perfect. Wandlessly, she summoned her wizarding camera and cast a silencing charm around herself. She quickly took a few photographs of the couple sitting together on the swing in her spring meadow.
Charlus had created the meadow just for her after she had told him her favourite memory of them had been when he had first told her he loved her. He had told her in a wildflower meadow, in spring, both sitting on a tree swing staring at the sunset. Every anniversary they went into the meadow, and it was like they were young lovers again. She still loved her husband with her whole heart, and it only grew for him every day.
To see her second son, fall in love in a wildflower meadow, just like her and Charlus, brought her such joy, tears sprang to her eyes watching them. Both had such traumatic experiences, yet they found one another and comforted each other. Neither were broken down by their circumstances, both continuing with brave and happy faces, and even their mischievousness could not be diminished, she thought happily.
Deciding she had watched them long enough and happy with the pictures she had taken, she called out to both. The couple jumped in each others' arms, in surprise, but laughed it off and started heading toward her. They stopped for a moment to put Hermione's coat back on, Dorea smiled as she watched Sirius gently rebutton her up and press a kiss to her nose. Hermione blushed and giggled up at him, swatting him away teasingly. Sirius laughed and threw his arm around her shoulders continuing their walk to Dorea and the manor.
"I see you showed her the meadow," Dorea smiled at them as they reached her.
"It is truly magnificent, Mrs- Dorea," Hermione piped, her face growing red as she once again almost addressed the Potter matriarch incorrectly.
"Thank you, Hermione," Dorea said, reaching her hand out and placing it gently on Hermione's forearm, "I know it will take time to call me Dorea, do not fear if you make a mistake." Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Dorea to understand her fear, let alone comfort her for it. Her face went red, and her eyes cast down as she nodded her thanks to the elder witch. Sirius watched with concern but a look from Dorea told him not to say anything, so he continued leading Hermione to the dining room.
When they arrived at the dining room, they found Lily and James already sitting there with Charlus, Peter, and Remus. As it was a pureblood manor, with house elves, Hermione was expecting a feast that would put shame to the Hogwarts Welcoming Feast, however she was happy to discover she was quite incorrect. Instead of reminding her of the Hogwarts feast or an extravagant meal one of her parents' rich friends hosted, it was a meal that reminded her of Mrs. Weasley's table.
Covering the table were various foods but nothing was in excess. There was something they could all enjoy. Even Remus had had a special plate made of rare steak, as the full moon was the next day. Lily and Hermione watched in disgust as James piled his favourites on his plate, baked ham, mashed potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding, and then proceeded to cover it in gravy. While everyone at the table, bar Remus, had used gravy, they had all been reserved in their use.
"James, you are eating a Yule soup, not a dinner!" Lily had shrieked, Hermione nodding adamantly, a look of disgust on her face as she stared at the gloopy mess on the plate across from her. The other members of the table chuckled at the girls' distain, each of them used to James' food preferences.
Over dinner, James regaled tales of his adventures that year to his parents, his chest puffing out when his parents informed him how proud they were of his Head Boy role. Lily told the Potters of ideas she had implemented into the prefects' roles as Head Girl, her love for James showing when looking at him, telling them how helpful he had been. Remus and Peter talked about their classes and wrangling in James and Sirius, much to the amusement of Charlus and Dorea. Although, both admitted that it was the girls who had managed that task much more efficiently.
Sirius laughed throughout the meal and threw in comments here and there to add to his friends' stories, however, apart from that he did not try and dominate the conversation. He sat and listened with his arm over the back of Hermione's chair, his fingers playing with the curls he could reach. Hermione sat quietly, taking in everything she was hearing, laughing throughout, but otherwise, she just sat and let the happiness and comfort wash over her. She had never experienced such a heartwarming evening before, and it just made it all the better knowing it was Yule.
Watching Granger's memories, while informative and eye-opening, could also be heartbreaking. It was like watching a film about happiness and love but never experiencing it yourself. Yet, now, on this day, Hermione McCallister was experiencing a moment like Granger's memories. She was experiencing a happy, loving, family-filled, Yule.
The only way this could be better, was if she had Barty and Regulus.
-oOo-
Once dinner had finished, the Potters led them all into a family room and announced it was game time. Traditionally, the Potters played board games every Yule, drinking eggnog, eating treats, sitting in front of the fire, and playing music. Hermione was glad to hear that Dorea Potter was not a Celestina Warbeck fan and chose instead to listen to classical music and - surprising both Lily and Hermione - muggle Christmas music.
"Do not look so shocked girls, muggles have incredibly diverse and incredible music, while we wizards are limited to such few musicians," Dorea had smiled at them both.
"Yeah! Like that band, Queen!" smiled Sirius, "Merlin's beard, what I would give to see them live."
"I'm sure in the summer we can go to so many concerts!" replied James excitedly, "Lily and Hermione, you must know all about it!"
"I do keep up to date with muggle music every summer, I'm sure I can easily get some tickets after getting off the train. I could even ask my parents to watch the papers and owl me if something good comes up," Lily replied thoughtfully.
"I wouldn't know," Hermione shrugged, "I was only allowed to attend orchestras and plays, if I was permitted to attend."
"Your parents sound like the worst Sacred Twenty-Eight purebloods," scoffed Peter, immediately paling as he realized who he speaking to.
"It's okay, Peter," Hermione replied, seeing her friend's discomfort, "You are right, after all." Peter smiled at her shyly, he wasn't as close to the girl as Sirius, James, and Remus. Sirius, obviously, because he was dating the witch, James had taken her under his wing as a sister, and Remus could talk to her about magical theories and ideas that he just couldn't. He liked her though, she helped him with homework and never got impatient with him when he didn't understand, however, he was nervous talking to her in case he ever stuck his foot in his mouth about her past. It made talking to her difficult for him, he was just so nervous around her all the time, he was thankful she never seemed to hold it against him though and continued to encourage him with warm smiles.
Hermione directed the conversation to school and what they were going to do after they graduated, effectively removing the attention from her and her parents. She knew Granger had memories of Peter betraying his friends, but she didn't want to treat him like a traitor when he wasn't one. She hoped her inclusion and help she gave Peter would change his fate, would lead him to not betray his friends. While she was working towards changing it, she would never let her guard down, she would never forget, she would always be prepared for Peter, or anyone else to betray them.
She had to be.
As the night wore on, they played many games and laughed through the night. Dorea and Charlus stayed with them until they grew too tired and retired to bed, leaving the six of them to continue late into the night. They all fell asleep in the family room, none of them wanting to get up and trek to their beds where they would each be alone. Instead, they piled on the floor and fell asleep together. Lily and Hermione lay together side by side, with James wrapped around Lily, and Sirius around Hermione. Remus slept horizontally above them, while Peter slept at their feet.
Dorea and Charlus found them the next morning, where Dorea, once again, summoned her camera and captured her children all together, their own little family.
-oOo-
The days following Yule, the boys and Hermione showed Lily the estate, everything they had shown Hermione when she arrived. The day after Yule, however, Remus had to endure his transformation. Dorea and Charlus had a small guest house on the other side of the property that they warded and made comfortable for the werewolf Marauder, much better than what his parents provided for him at home. Sirius and the boys stayed with Moony overnight in their animagus forms, sneaking around so the girls would not discover their secret. Although, both James and Sirius were starting to think they should inform their witches, as neither liked keeping secrets or lying to them.
After the full moon, James and Sirius took the girls for a stroll to the muggle village with some hot cocoa that they purchased. Hermione adored the small village, it reminded her of Hogsmeade, and she told Sirius that she had always wanted to live in a cottage home, in a small quaint village. Sirius could see her living in one of the homes they walked past, the ivy growing up the walls, sitting in the garden with a small stone wall surrounding the property. He could see her laying in the grass giggling as he and a small child ran up to her and tackled her to the ground, peals of laughter escaping the child as his mother tickled him.
Sirius wanted that. He had never envisioned himself married with children, but with Hermione it felt right. It felt so right that he almost couldn't wait for that day. He wanted to know with certainty that that future was possible for them, yet he knew if he brought it up it would scare her off. Once again, he had to remind himself to take it slow, do it properly.
Each night, Sirius brought Hermione back to the meadow and they sat on the swing together watching the sunset and fireflies. Some nights there were heated kisses, while others were chaste kisses and cuddles. It didn't matter, it was perfect every night.
The day before they were to return to Hogwarts, they all joined the Potter parents in the family room again and played more games into the night. Both parents made sure they stayed up later, neither excited about saying goodbye to their children the following day.
"What a wonderful Yule we had this year," Dorea sighed happily as she and Charlus got ready for bed.
"It was wonderful, wasn't it?" smiled Charlus, leaning down and kissing his wife's cheek, "Our boys found themselves wonderful witches."
"Oh, they certainly did!" gushed Dorea, before sobering, "Both have had such hardships thought. Lily has a sister that treats her so poorly, and did you hear about her Slytherin friend that she lost?"
"Yes, the boy that our boys disliked," replied Charlus. He had spoken to his son many times about his behaviour regarding Lily and her Slytherin friend, yet it had done no good as his son and his friends continued to torment the boy. It had resulted in Lily being hurt and James had come home that summer devastated that he had been the cause. While he had wanted Lily to stop being Severus Snape's friend, he had not considered how much pain it would cause Lily when it ended.
"I am glad our boys understand now, I am just sad that that was what it took," Dorea said disappointingly, "Lily though, while she has had difficult times, Hermione, poor girl is still terrified to refer to me as Dorea."
"At least she can look at you," said Charlus sadly, sitting on the end of the bed, his elbows on his knees.
"Oh Charlus, dear, it will take time," Dorea comforted her husband, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
"I know, it took time for Sirius," he sighed, "Perhaps I will have Moody over more next summer, that way I am only with her when in the presence of someone she trusts."
"That is a wonderful idea, my love. Ask him to move into one of the guest suites and hire him to train our children. He has been talking of retiring for a while now, perhaps this will give him something to consider. He could never stop working; however, he is losing patience working for the ministry."
"We both are," huffed Charlus, "We are expected to stop Death Eaters, that are trying to kill us with Unforgivables, with stunning and disarming spells. We are also not allowed to capture to interrogate, only to imprison. How can we fight a war with such limitations? Even Dumbledore is against using deadly force, with his belief that even a Death Eater can reform. He thinks rapists, murderers, and torturers can be reformed but not a sixteen-year-old girl that is friends with a couple of pureblood kids?" Charlus roared.
He had once trusted the ministry and Dumbledore to be able to right the wrongs of pureblood ideologies, yet both were disappointing him. Dumbledore was forcing him to question his loyalties, ones that he could not afford to in the middle of a war.
"My love, we know that there are problems on both sides. Both are too extreme, Voldemort and his Death Eaters want to destroy everything, while Dumbledore believes there is good in everyone that he deems acceptable. Both are two sides of a single coin."
"Then what do you propose?" he looked to his wife searchingly, he just wanted his family to be safe. He wanted this war to be over before his son left his sanctuary at Hogwarts, but he knew it wasn't possible.
"We continue with what we are doing. We fight with Dumbledore, not for him but with him," Dorea spoke with conviction, "We always do what is best for our family and never trust anyone blindly with our family's safety. If James and Sirius are joining the Order with Lily, Remus, and Peter, then we look out for them. We make sure that they share everything with us, and we will discuss each mission. If there are concerns, we address them.
"Albus Dumbledore may be the leader of the Order, but he is not infallible. He cannot force us to commit to missions, he cannot make us do anything we do not agree with. We just must remember that, remember that he is not all-knowing and can make mistakes, and we make sure that none of those mistakes are our family."
Charlus stared at his wife admirably, she was his strength and his heart. He moved towards his wife and pulled her into a passionate and loving embrace. Kissing her like they were children once more. He was nothing without her.
-oOo-
The five Gryffindors and one Ravenclaw returned to Hogwarts without incident. Classes resumed and Hermione was once again alone, her new friends all in a different year and House. She tried once more to reach out to Barty and Reg a week after returning, but once more it failed.
Her days were filled with classes, glares from her classmates and most of the female population, and meals at the Gryffindor table. Sirius made sure to find time for just the two of them where they sat and talked, laughed, and kissed until Hermione had to return to her common room.
The weeks flew by and finally the first Hogsmeade weekend of the new year had arrived. Sirius and James made a big show of asking both of their witches to be their date in front of the whole school. Both girls said yes, giggling at their wizards' antics. Neither noticed the three wizards leaving the Great Hall. Reg and Barty upset at missing out on more happiness in their best friend's life, while Snape was envious of the girl, he loved dating his enemy.
Hermione became even more experienced with her wandless and nonverbal shield charms as the female population escalated their hexes and spells, using her as target practice. She kept it to herself; however, it didn't take long for Lily to notice and inform the boys. Thus, began the pranking of witches throughout all four houses.
The day of the Hogsmeade visit finally arrived and Hermione made sure to dress warmly but in something nice. She donned a pair of high-rise bell-bottom jeans, a shirt, and knitted, striped vest overtop. She put on a little bit of lip gloss, blusher, and mascara, trying to look natural and not a face caked in makeup.
As she left the Ravenclaw Common Room, she deflected two tripping jinxes and a confundus charm, and smiled at an emotionless Barty. She hadn't seen her old friend in the common room recently, unaware that Barty was only there to see her head off to her first date. He may not be able to be part of her life, but he would watch from a distance. He would always keep an eye on his sister.
Hermione met Sirius in the Entrance Hall where he stood with James and Lily, where he greeted her with a quick kiss to the lips.
"You look beautiful," he whispered against her lips.
"You look quite handsome yourself," she smiled, a blush brightening her cheeks even more than the blusher. Sirius was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a denim jacket, he looked like that movie star that every muggle female was in love with, in the fifties, but with longer hair rather than a coiffed style covered in gel. All he needed was a leather jacket, and from Granger's memories, he certainly got one along with a motorbike.
"Come on, gorgeous, time to explore the village!" he smiled, wrapping his arm around her waist. She smiled and leaned into his side, ignoring the glares of all the witches around them. Unfortunately, Sirius did not miss them, "Are they still bad?"
"Nothing I can't handle," she replied, walking up to the carriage Lily and James had saved for them.
"That's not the point, princess," Sirius growled, sitting himself in the carriage beside her, across from James.
"It will die down at some point," replied Hermione dismissively.
"The jealous witches are still attacking you?" Lily asked with concern.
"I have been handling them for the last six years, I am fine," huffed Hermione, "It's just a little worse than normal right now."
"Exactly, you shouldn't need to deal with this at all, let alone the last six years," Lily said worriedly.
"Look, it will stop soon. If it doesn't, I doubt I will be dealing with it next year. You will all have graduated, and the girls will move onto a different wizard. One I will not be attached to," Hermione explained calmly, pushing down her frustration.
"No, you will only be attached to me," Sirius announced, kissing the side of her head.
"Exactly," Hermione replied, smiling up at her wizard. She wasn't sure if they would make it as a couple next year, she was still surprised he was with her even now, but next year, without him, she would understand if he found a new witch. She didn't expect him to wait for her to graduate.
"We'll just up our game," promised James, "We have a lot of ideas we want to test before graduating. Also, we want to leave with everyone remembering the Marauders, we have a reputation to uphold and all."
Lily and Hermione, who would normally discourage the Marauders antics, couldn't find it in themselves to say anything. Both knew the boys would miss Hogwarts and their childish behaviour, they would need to grow up in the real world, especially dealing with a war, they also knew the targets deserved it. Hermione did have a vindictive side, one that was only amplified by Granger's memories. The only difference being, Hermione never actually followed through with her vindictive impulses while Granger successfully had.
As the carriages arrived in the village, James and Sirius stepped out and held their hands out to help their respective girlfriend. Once in the village itself, the couples went their separate ways; James and Lily towards The Three Broomsticks for some lunch, while Sirius led Hermione to the bookshop. They spent a few hours in the bookshop followed by him taking her around to the other shops, including Zonko's to restock his pranking supplies and Honeydukes for sweets.
When they started to feel hungry, they stopped into the Three Broomsticks and enjoyed talking over lunch and a butterbeer. Remus and Peter ended up joining them after a short while, however, Sirius and Hermione left them not long after to go to the Shrieking Shack.
Sirius told her all about the haunted building, how the villagers were frightened of the nightly howls that came from it. He shared his theories and the theories of others, and while Hermione knew about Moony, the secret being shared officially during Yule when he had to transform, the boys had not shared their Animagus secret yet. Nor had they told her and Lily that the Shrieking Shack was where he transformed during school.
Sitting on a log, staring at the old house, the sun setting behind it, Sirius turned to Hermione, his movement drawing her attention. She looked away from the sunset to Sirius and when they locked eyes, Sirius' hand moved up to caress her cheek. Hermione leaned into his hand, his fingers causing a shiver to run down her spine. His eyes darted from her eyes to her lips and back to her eyes, when he saw the lust he felt in her eyes, his hand moved from her cheek to her curls, gripping them in a fist.
Hermione let out a moan that was swallowed up quickly by Sirius' lips.
Every kiss they shared seemed better than the last, Hermione knew she could never have enough of his lips – of him. Sirius had the exact same thoughts.
He made sure to kiss her as often as he could, he found every excuse. Sweet pecks in the morning, goodbye kisses whenever they had to go separate ways to class, kisses goodnight. However, they rarely had time or privacy to deepen their kisses, to devour one another. But there was nothing and no one stopping them today and Sirius intended to take full advantage.
He swallowed every sound escaping from her, the pants, the whines, the mewls, all the sounds that made his cock stir. He was eating up every sound and breath that escaped her lips. He stroked his tongue with hers, nipping at her bottom lips, exploring her mouth, tasting every bit of it.
Hermione felt her body warming, blood pounding in her ears as he kissed her hungrily. His lips suddenly released her lips, their need for air overcoming his need to kiss her. Sirius couldn't stop kissing her though, he needed to continue tasting her. He moved his lips across her cheek, down her jaw, and onto her neck, nipping at her pulse point. She could hear moaning and it took her a moment to realize that it was her making the sounds, Sirius was no longer silencing her with his mouth.
Hermione fisted his shirt and pulled herself into his lap to straddle him. As she pressed herself up against him, she felt his hardness perfectly against her center, causing a shock of pleasure to go down her back to her center. She ground her hips against him, the pleasurable feeling increasing, and pulling a groan from Sirius. His hands moved down to her hip, his fingers digging in hard enough that they would likely bruise, it felt incredible. He guided her hips, moving them over his hardness, both moaning at the sensation.
"Princess, we need to stop," he rasped, kissing up her neck and back to her lips. He knew if they didn't stop soon, he would embarrass himself, finishing in his trousers was not something he had done since he was a very young wizard.
"Okay," Hermione breathed, her hips continue to circle and grind against him. Sirius dug his fingers in deeper and forced her to stop, but that did nothing to stop the pleasure running through her, she was still pressed up against his straining erection.
It was bliss and torture all at once.
"Let's go up to the castle, it's getting late," he spoke against her skin, unable to stop tasting her. He pressed another light, open mouth kiss against her neck and one final one to where her shoulder met her neck.
He couldn't wait to taste her completely. he knew she would taste of honey ambrosia; she would taste divine. Hermione whimpered in disappointment but stood up and fixed her clothing, Sirius had managed to push her vest up, rumple her shirt, and undo the top few buttons. Her curls were even more chaotic than normal, and her lips were bruised and swollen. Sirius couldn't help the smirk as he looked at her, she looked even more delectable after being thoroughly snogged. His cock twitched thinking of how she would look after a good shag.
Sirius pushed himself up off the ground, wrapped his arm around his witch and together they began their journey back to the castle. He walked her up to her common room and gave her a kiss goodnight, smirking when he saw her blush and smile at him shyly as she walked away from him, glancing back at him over her shoulder. He didn't leave until the door closed behind her and he could no longer see her.
Making his way to his own common room he considered his plans and the talk he had to have with the Marauders. While he had spent the entire day enjoying Hermione and everything she had to say, he had still taken note of every witch that had glared at his girlfriend. He had been watching for weeks, keeping tabs on the ones that would hex Hermione, his previous pranks on those ones had obviously not been enough. They thought the Marauders pranks against Slytherin and Snivellus had been bad? They were in for a surprise. The fact that these girls thought the best way to catch his attention was to be cruel to his witch. They were about to learn that they had caught his attention, just not in the way they wanted.
Sirius had been kind up until now, he had held back because they were girls. But no longer, they were going to experience his wrath, they had to be taught a lesson.
No one hurt his witch.
And when he graduated, became an Auror, and joined the Order…Bellatrix and Greyback better be ready for him.
-oOo-
The weeks turned into months, and Hermione noticed that the witches had finally started leaving her alone. Even in her common room, she found that everyone let her be and stayed silent. Originally, Hermione felt bad when she saw numerous witches averting their eyes whenever she looked at them, as if they were afraid, so she had yelled at Sirius. Albeit half-heartedly, she had to admit that she enjoyed the quiet and safety that she had been granted.
It was the afternoon following their date that the pranks had started. However, Hermione noticed immediately that they were different than the usual Marauder pranks. While some would say their previous pranks were cruel, they were intended to be comedic or embarrassing – more humiliating for Snape – but never malicious or long-lasting.
The girls did not experience the usual Marauder pranks.
Many witches grew long noses decorated in warts, as well as overgrown unibrows, and thin, receding hair that were falling out in clumps. The look was complete with flashing letters above them announcing that they were as ugly as their personalities.
Other witches experienced their skin turning green, eyes turning red, yellowing teeth, and different odours coming from each girl. They also had flashing letters following them, stating that their foul jealousy and envy were showing.
Each transformation would last forty-eight hours, there was nothing that could reverse it, no matter what Madame Pomphrey or Professor McGonagall tried.
A new prank set every few days, there was no schedule and no predicting what would happen to them. Sometimes it was just one of the changes, or it was all of them. One girl, she experienced everything, the long nose, warts, green skin, foul odours, and due to the charms mixing, she was stuck like that for 96 hours rather than the 48, with the smell being the final symptom to end. When she had finally been released, the next batch of charms were set on each witch.
It lasted for weeks.
Both Hermione and Lily had yelled at the boys in the common room on the first day, believing that they had gone too far. However, the boys stuck to their belief that they were enacting fair justice. It was a tense week when the one witch experienced all the changes. Lily was the first to be swayed and managed to convince Hermione to let the boys be, their intervention had worked after all.
Each day, Hermione and Sirius got closer. They were as inseparable as James and Lily, doing everything together unless the Marauders needed to plot something or they had classes. When the boys were off, Hermione and Lily got closer, choosing to spend time in the library studying and learning about each other. Lily would panic about her NEWTS and Hermione would calm her down, promising to continue to study with her and help as much as she could.
While Hermione enjoyed spending time with the Gryffindors, she was worried about how dependent she was becoming on them. This year had been one of her best ever, and while that thought made her happy, it also terrified her. She also couldn't help feeling guilty.
She felt guilty because she was enjoying herself without her brothers, without Barty and Reg, and she knew they were suffering. She didn't know what Voldemort made them do, but every time she saw them she could see what they were hiding. She could see the mask they were wearing, Regulus' was better than Barty's, but she saw their pain clear as day.
Regulus' eyes were strained and deep, dark pools of blackness when they used to be bright and silver and filled with light.
Barty, her poor, sweet Barty, he was always so pale, his hair was longer than it had ever been, pieces falling into his eyes, he was running his hands through it so often it was greasy. It was the tick that made her frightened for her friend the most. His eyes would dart around, his lips would disappear before his tongue darted out to the right like a snake. She never heard him speak anymore, did he still have his stutter or had his anxiety presented in the tick? Did he have both? She hoped not, she couldn't imagine Voldemort having patience to wait for Barty to finish speaking, he would torture him.
She felt incredibly guilty thinking that Barty and Reggie were going through everything they were and she was enjoying herself, feeling content and in love with Reggie's brother. It felt like a betrayal experiencing all this and not having them by her side.
Losing them had resulted in her losing part of her heart, yet she was still living.
That was also in part of what was terrifying her. Her feelings.
She had admitted to herself that she was in love with Sirius, and she spent all her time with him, the Marauders, or Lily. But they would be graduating.
They were leaving too.
Logically, she knew that they weren't leaving her, they were just leaving the school. But her insecurities reared their ugly head and she couldn't think rationally, the little girl that had lost her parents love, had lost her best friends, and had been tortured for who she was, for what blood ran through her veins, she was scared that when they left, they would forget her too. She was scared they would graduate and go off into the world, becoming too busy to visit her on Hogsmeade weekends and not caring to find her after she graduated. She was scared they would realize how worthless she was, a freak and ice queen.
Hermione buried these thoughts and fears down when she was around them, she didn't want them to see the worry on her face. She wanted to enjoy the little time they had left, if this was all she got she wanted to enjoy every moment she could.
Soon they would graduate and join the Order where they would follow Dumbledore's orders. She just hoped she could prevent the future Granger lived. Even if they forgot her, no longer wanted to be her friend, she wouldn't let James and Lily die, Peter could not, would not frame Sirius, and Remus would not be left alone. She refused to live in a world where Sirius would go to Azkaban, where he could fall through the veil.
Sirius couldn't die.
And if Hermione couldn't keep him after he graduated, she would live with that. But she couldn't live in a world without Sirius Black.
-oOo-
Sirius had noticed Hermione's mood changes. He knew she thought he was oblivious, but he watched her enough to know. He watched her a worrying amount if he was honest with himself, but he couldn't look away from her. When she walked into a room his eyes were drawn to her, he felt her presence wherever she went, wherever he was. He loved watching her light up when they caught each others' eyes across a room. He loved watching her read, the expressions dancing across her face as she read the words on the page, her nose would scrunch up if she disagreed with something, or her eyes would light up if she learned something new, she wanted to cross reference. His favourite look was when she glowed after making her friends laugh or when she laughed uncontrollably like it was so unexpected that she was the cause or included. He hated that she felt that way, but the look was pure happiness and innocence.
Needless to say; Hermione McCallister entranced him.
He was also happy to say that the cruel treatment of jealous witches had come to an end, as had the bullying of the wizards in her own house and Slytherin. While the wizards had not experienced the appearance changing pranks, just seeing the girls' appearance had taught them to leave Hermione alone, unfortunately the witches didn't learn as quickly.
It took time, but finally everyone learned that the Marauders were protecting the Ravenclaw witch, and they held nothing back when it came to her.
Therefore, Sirius was very aware when he saw Hermione worrying about something. He was concerned about the pained or fearful and panicked looks that overcame her when she looked to Reggie and Barty or him and their friends.
His graduation was only a month away when Sirius finally gave in and pulled Hermione aside for some time alone. He took her to an empty classroom and after some reassuring snogging, Sirius asked her to tell him what was wrong. Hermione tried to play it off as nothing, but Sirius was relentless. He tried tickling her, he tried kissing her all over the face, both causing her to laugh uncontrollably, but neither caused her to surrender. Finally, he sat down on a couch he transfigured and pulled her onto his lap, running his hand through her curls.
"Hermione, princess," Sirius breathed, his lips grazing the shell of her ear, "You can tell me anything, you know that right? I will always be here."
"You can't promise that," replied Hermione. He had told her this hundreds of times over the months, always trying to reassure her, but the sliver of fear was there and it was constantly growing. The fear of rejection, of abandonment. It didn't help that Granger had those feelings too, especially after Ron abandoned them, it amplified Hermione's own fear. She wished she could trust Sirius' words, though she wasn't sure what could ever convince her.
"I can and I will, princess," promised Sirius, "You forget I'm a Marauder and we always honour our promises." He placed his fingers under her chin and gently turned her to look at him, a serious expression on his face, "Only death could stop me."
Hermione stared at him, searching his eyes for any deceit. Finding none, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Sirius responded to the kiss, but neither deepened it. Both were sharing their feelings for each other through the kiss, trying to show the other how much they loved each other.
Hermione broke the kiss first and rested her forehead against his, looking into his stunning, expressive grey eyes. Sirius looked at her caramel eyes that reminded him so much of firewhiskey, and decided he couldn't keep it from her any longer.
"I love you, Hermione," he spoke with conviction and love. Hermione sucked in a breath at his words, her heart thudding, and her brain going blank.
She stared at him in shock for what felt like hours, but it was only seconds. Sirius started to feel unsure and vulnerable the longer she stayed silent. He had never spoken those words to anyone, not his parents, not his brother, not even the Marauders. He felt it, yes, and he had said a variation of it, but he had never spoken the three little words before.
Hermione was staring at her boyfriend in shock. She had never been rendered speechless before, yet here Sirius Black had managed to succeed at just that. No one had ever told her they loved her before. Sure, Reggie and Barty loved her, had been very affectionate with her, but had never actually said those words, in that context. Granger had had many people say it to her, her parents and friends.
But neither of them had experience with this kind of love.
This wasn't conditional. It wasn't platonic.
Sirius Black was telling her he was in love with her.
Could it be possible that he loved her as much as she loved him? That he wouldn't leave her this summer and forget about her during her next school year because he would miss her as much as she would miss him?
Hermione stared at Sirius unblinkingly, trying to process his words, what he meant with those words. Not one part of her doubted her love for him, it was hearing him say he loved her that short-circuited her brain. It was when she saw his face begin to fall, disappointment showing, that she found her voice again.
"I love you too," Hermione replied quietly.
Sirius felt his entire body burst with happiness. His face split as a smile grew and tears filled his eyes. She loved him back.
Hermione was unable to say anything else as Sirius crashed his lips to hers. They stayed in the empty classroom kissing, their hands exploring over their uniforms, before both returned to their common rooms feeling elated.
Both had believed they were too broken, had experienced too much trauma to find someone to love them. Finding each other had filled that void in their hearts, both saving each other in their own way.
-oOo-
A/N: Please review, favourite, follow, or comment. All forms of love are appreciated! We are moving ahead through our time in school, next chapter will be the Marauders meeting with Dumbledore, their graduation, and the summer with our Hermione and her friends.