AN: Hello, fanfiction and Harry Potter fans. I do not own Harry Potter but feel free to enjoy this or hate it. If you enjoy it, please leave a lovely comment, if you hate it, then leave some constructive criticism, thanks!
Can You Take the Jump?
Chapter 77
TW: smut 3
…
"Who are you," a rough voice asked, hoarse from unuse.
The tension in her body eased as a familiar scent came from the person behind. Their touch was not foreign, their warmth was enveloping. Her body knew who the attacker was before her mind could even catch up.
"You're awake," she let out a sigh of relief. "I was getting worried there." She whispered, a mix of surprise and concern in her voice. She could feel the tension radiating from him.
"Hello, Sirius."
…
The cloud that had covered the moon, the only source of light in the dark hut, slowly blew away from the wind, revealing their faces to each other. It was the first time they'd seen each other in months. It was almost as though they were seeing a stranger, that was how much the two had changed in the long, yet short period of time.
Though still handsome, Sirius's normally joyful eyes filled with a tumultuous mix of emotions conveying a depth and complexity that hadn't been there before his capture and subsequent torture. The arm holding the knife dropped as the realization of who was in his grasp seemed to hit him like a wave. His breath caught, and a myriad of emotions played across his face.
"Hermione," he finally spoke, his voice rough and unsteady. He stepped back, creating a small but palpable distance between them. His eyes searched hers, a mixture of vulnerability and regret etched in their depths as the weight of her past betrayals sat heavily on their chests like an elephant.
"I thought... I thought you were someone else," Sirius finished lamely. Those didn't sound like the words he had wanted to say, rather, he ran out of courage to speak what was truly in his mind. His leg twitched towards her but stopped suddenly. His gaze dropped to the floor, unable to meet Hermione's eyes. The gravity of the situation hung in the air, the shared history and the wounds of the past laid bare between them with barely a few words spoken.
Hermione, swallowed hard before responding, "You shouldn't be standing already, you've been lying down for quite some time."
As the weight of the moment settled, a silence enveloped the hut, broken only by the faint popping of the dead fire. She had kept a small fire going to ensure Sirius's comfortable warmth during the summer evening's chill, but he had put it out to conceal his surprise attack. She reached out to help him back onto the bed, but instead, he grabbed her in an instant and threw his arms around her. One arm wrapped around her waist and the other hand cusping the base of her head. It was as though he couldn't get close enough, rubbing his face into the crook of her neck, moving his arm to feel more of her, and breathing her in to triple-check that she was real. Though unexpected and tense, she returned the hug, equally tightly.
They stayed like that for a long time.
…
The morning light trickled into the hut as she blew on the tea he had brewed for her and sipped it with contentment. During their time as roommates, Lily had taught Sirius how to make tea. Remembering how she enjoyed her tea from their time dating, Sirius had gone through multiple trials and errors so that he could make her perfect cuppa.
She bit her lip as she watched him cut firewood right outside the window. Shirtless and sweaty was such a sexy combo. The sun shined on his glistening chest, highlighting all the areas of definition. His long hair was tied up and out of his face as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Perhaps it was wrong for her to stare at him this way, but she also knew that he had chosen that exact spot to cut the firewood because it was in perfect line with her sight from where she sat to drink her tea and watch the outside world. Besides, she was watching him respectfully, with admiration for his recovery and health… Yeah…
It had been precisely 3 days since Sirius opened his eyes from Heather Bones's medically induced coma.
The first night awake, Sirius was like glue, stuck next to her every minute and every hour, as though she'd disappear if he gave her a millimetre of space. He didn't ask questions, he didn't talk, he just hovered, stared, and touched her as though he was checking if she was real and not a ghost. Neither of them got much sleep that first night as they simply took in each other's presence.
On the second day, he finally started asking the questions that must've been building in his mind for quite some time. They spent the entire day talking and giving each other tender caresses such as a hand on the cheek, hand holding, tucking her hair behind her ears, etc. She told him more than she thought she would. She spared him from most of the details about her time in Knockturn Alley and her job there, but she told him that she hid with Polyjuice and spent time in sketchy areas to collect information about equally sketchy people. She told him that she had travelled around the continent (to find Greyback and Horcruxes) and returned when she received word from her Slytherin boys that he was in trouble. She told him of Avery's death, and he relayed her friend's apology and the story of his bravery.
"An acknowledgement of bravery to a Slytherin from a Gryffindor is the highest of praise from you Lions," she gave him a small laugh. "He'd probably try to play it off cool, but it would probably make his day. Hell, his month."
Sirius watched the sadness grow on her face. He knew that Slytherin friendships were different, it was less obvious and more closed-off, but he also knew that the two had spent a great deal of time with each other since 1st year as Potions partners, then grew as friends over the years despite their animosity. Although he had betrayed her trust, Hermione deeply mourned for him, showing Sirius that they had a much closer relationship than he knew of.
He soothed her sadness by telling her stories of his time without her. How his 6th year went with Lily and the Marauders. The pranks they pulled, the way James finally asked Lily on a first official date. The times and laughs he and Lily shared living together in the summer. Lily's engagement. The second day ended as she fell asleep in his arms as he told her about the ongoing details of Lily's wedding.
It was now their third day, and Hermione was feeling… frustrated and very very hot.
Don't misunderstand, she was glad that they were taking it slow, rebuilding trust with each other, talking out the things that needed to be talked about, but at the same time, it had been so fucking long since she last had actual sex. Sure, she created elaborate scenarios, images, and feelings in her clientele's minds as Angel, but thankfully none of it was real. She wanted good sex, safe and consensual, mind-blowing sex. The sex they used to have. It didn't help that he was now standing outside in the sun, cutting up pieces of wood for firewood on a SUMMER DAY, and his skin was shining perfectly in the sun's rays.
He had gained weight during his week of unconsciousness thanks to Hermione's intense care. It was as though his body knew he was no longer imprisoned, soaking up her care like a sponge. It didn't matter that he only ate food in liquid form to prevent choking, he was likely eating more than he had during captivity, and Hermione had made sure to stimulate his muscles through neuromuscular electrical stimulation to prevent atrophy so by the time Sirius woke up from his coma, he was looking quite good. Then again, Sirius Black looked good even at his worst.
He also worked out for almost two hours a day since he woke up, claiming he felt stiff from all that time in captivity and in a coma. Gods, he was already getting definition in his chest and arms. Men's bodies amazed her. For a woman to gain that much muscle and definition it would take weeks, Sirius managed to do it in a few days. She watched a bead of sweat travel down his chest, over his lean abs and hide below the waistline of his trousers. Hermione suddenly felt very very thirsty, making her wish that her hot tea was an ice-cold drink instead.
Gods, what was she thinking? His poor man has been through hell and back, imprisoned, tortured, and barely managed to escape with his life! He was a person, not a-a-a sex toy!
"No, not a sex toy, but a very sexy person though,"Ginny Weasley covered the whole window with her head as she ogled at Sirius. "I don't blame you for wanting to jump that."
"Gin! Nobody is jumping anyone."
"But you should, I mean, for three days and two nights all you two have been doing is holding hands and sleeping in that tiny bed together. Not even a kiss! Merlin, Hermione. You're not a bloody Saint or a nun."
"He doesn't trust me. He shouldn't trust me. I left him and everyone else. There's no way he would ever trust me like that."
"Yet he still loves you."
"Hermione! Look!" She turned around to see Sirius walk in dragging the pile of firewood he had chopped outside.
"We'll certainly not freeze during our cold and freezing summer evenings," she let out a laugh despite her sarcastic response. "But with all that firewood, I suppose I cook loads of food without worrying about the fire going out."
"Well, if you don't like the wood, I also brought this." He pulled out a bouquet of wildflowers from behind his back. He walked over to her and placed the gorgeous flowers on her lap after a chaste kiss on the cheek. He sniffed the tea in her hand and smiled, satisfied. "Is there more tea for me, love?"
He reached over to the bed where he left his shirt and pulled it over his head, but when she didn't immediately respond, Sirius turned around to see her walking over to him.
"Hermione? Is there more tea or should I brew more?"
Fuck it.
"Hermione, hello? The te—"
He never got the chance to finish his sentence since she crashed her lips onto his. Both of them synchronously moaned at the contact. They were like a light switch, any lust between them that had been turned off was now turned on, illuminating every corner of their minds with wretched horny thoughts.
Gods it felt good to kiss him again. The dormant creature inside her purred at the contact, happy and warm. Sirius's lips moved with hers with eased practice as though they had done this for years and never stopped. It felt marvellous, the passionate pressure pushing her body towards hers as his hands slid over her body. She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving into all of this again.
Their tongues battled for dominance, fighting in a way they never actually did with each other. No their battlefield was the bedroom and it was there where they would let their bodies do the talking and determine the winner and loser.
Sirius couldn't remember why he had been hesitating. He was sure it had been a reason, but now all he could think was more. He wanted her. He wanted this so much it hurt. He would give her everything, letting her consume everything that he had and was, as long as he had her.
After months of longing, searching, and waiting, it was happening. This was real. They were real.
"I want you," Hermione gasped against his lips.
The groan from Sirius came from deep in his throat, reverberating through her body. She felt animalistic with need. Her blood rushed through her and heat pooled between her legs and her lower stomach. They were a couple that had their issues and needed a lot of work, but this? This was never their problem.
"Right now, I need you right now," she murmured. "Please?" Her voice was needy in a way she normally never was.
"Fuck," Sirius lifted her and threw her onto the bed. "I thought I'd never get to hear you beg again."
The arousal she felt was feral. She looked into the dilated blacks of his eyes, knowing hers was the same. "I need this. I need to feel you in me."
Sirius growled and grabbed her legs. Hermione enthusiastically wrapped her legs around his familiar waist, clinging to him tightly. She could hear his heavy breathing, lust drenched in his stormy grey eyes.
He ran his hands up her body, under the oversized men's shirt she wore, his rough hands touching the soft skin of her stomach. His thumb just grazed the underside of her small breasts before travelling down to the waistband of the boxer shorts she had worn to bed. There wasn't much women's wear in the hut, so she had to make do with the little necessities they had on hand, but Sirius didn't seem to mind as he slowly tugged them down. Her legs unlocked as he knelt between her legs, her hips lifting to remove the boxers.
She leaned back and gulped audibly with nervous excitement. Her hands spread out, touching their white soft sheets.
He touched the scar on her legs. It was a cursed injury from Fiendfyre that resulted in a scar that would last her a lifetime. It wound had been so deep and severe that despite the best potions and healing techniques, it had warped the shape of her leg, pink fleshy portions were abnormally stretched over patches of transferred skin that had come from various other parts of her body.
She tried to cover it with her hands, but Sirius grabbed her wrists and placed it above her head.
"Don't. It shows your bravery and brilliance, the day that no one had to die. It's beautiful."
She watched him kiss her there, but she felt nothing, the nerves on that part of her body had been burned off, she felt no pain, no pleasure, just nothing.
Noticing the change in her expression, he changed tactics and placed himself between her legs.
"Oh, my love, aren't you just the prettiest in pink," he joked.
She felt herself twitch when she felt his breath touch her. "Sirius," she let out a small whine.
"Shhh, I get to enjoy this."
He started at her knees, kissing both the inner sides as his warm large hands roamed her body, feeling every inch they could, like a blind man seeing through touch. His lips travelled painfully slowly up her inner thigh, but instead of touching where she wanted, no, needed, his hand moved around to squeeze her arse and give them a playful slap.
The sudden sensation made her gasp and arch her back, pushing her cheeks right into his hands. Sweet Merlin, how did she live without this for this long? But now she had it. She finally had him, only for him to have to return to the outside world. To his rightful place.
He flicked her sensitive swollen nipple. Hard.
"AH!"
He was so close, but completely avoided her aching, needy, and practically dripping pussy and came face to face with her with a disappointed frown.
"I can feel your mind wandering. Focus on me. Only on me. On us." He pinched the nipple once more, making her gasp again. "I'm going to fuck you until you can't even imagine living without my cock. You're never getting away from me ever again."
He took that nipple into his mouth, sucking it with a moan and flicking his hot wet tongue over it.
"I saw you gushing down there, is that for me?"
She bit her lip, nodding, as the pulsing heat made her want to squeeze her legs tightly together, but she kept her legs apart, awaiting instructions from her very handsome boyfriend.
"Do you want me to touch you, Hermione?"
"Yes."
"Do you want me to taste you?"
"Oh gods, yes."
"Such a dirty little slut."
"For you. Only for you."
"Oh, love…" his voice was strained, but she could tell he was very happy with her answer. He leaned down and trailed a line of kissing from her hips and lower. "You deserve a treat for that."
"You're so fucking beautiful." She heard his trousers unbutton and a shuffle of clothes that hit the floor. She peeked down to see his erection, hard and weeping. He stroked it with his hand while situating his face right between her legs. He ran a single finger over her slip and Hermione swore she felt a jolt of pleasurable electricity run down her entire body.
"Such a pretty pink pussy." He used his fingers to spread it apart. "I could sit here for hours and play with it. Make you come until you go numb. So soft, and so very warm unlike the rest of you. And so—" he placed the tip of his finger in her entrance, "fucking—" he circled the entrance, "wet." Sirius inserted the long finger all at once. So consumed with her own pleasure, she didn't even hear herself panting like an animal in heat. Her heart was beating madly, blood racing making all the symptoms of sexual euphoria that much more heightened.
"Easy, easy." He placed a hand on her hip, which had been moving without her knowledge. "If you're riding anything into the night, it's going to be my cock, my love, not my finger."
"Urmphh," she let out an incomprehensible groan.
"You must've missed me," his finger moved inside her, searching for that one spot he knew would send her over the edge within seconds. "Your pussy is quivering already and I'm not even there yet." He said as he pushed against her G-spot.
Hermione let out a high-pitched moan.
"I've missed you," she admitted breathlessly. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too," she could hear his smile as his breath hit against her once more. He rewarded her with a second finger, pushing deeper than before.
Fire shot through her, burning through all of her worries and anxieties. She could see him stroking himself along with the pumps of his finger.
"Fuck me."
Sirius groaned and latched his mouth onto the soft skin of her thigh, sucking on it and then biting down.
She lifted her hips, meeting his fingers, trying to get them deeper and faster for the release that she knew would cleanse her mind and fill her heart.
Sirius ran the rough pad of his thumb over her clit and knew she was already close.
"You're mine. Only mine."
Her body seized with pleasure, the orgasm coming unexpectedly fast. She choked on her gasp as the large wave overtook her body, her pussy clamping down on Sirius's fingers, but he didn't stop. He maintained the same movements, riding out her orgasm and keeping her arousal high. His lips were on her again, kissing the bite mark he'd made and sucking on it.
"Good, my love, very good." Sirius's voice was soft and gentle as he kissed up her thigh and onto her lower stomach, but Hermione couldn't focus on his attention as blood roared in her ears and her wild heartbeat tried to relax.
As though he was upset with the lack of attention from her, Sirius was quick to take back the focus by placing a soft kiss on her highly sensitive clit.
"Ah!"
The little shit chuckled, then ran his tongue over her clit.
"T-t-too soon!" It was still so tender from his attention before that even the lightest sensation erupted with sweet pain.
He did it again, even slower this time.
She whimpered, fingers gripping his hair, unsure whether to push him away or hold him there forever.
Another.
Her hips bucked up, following his movement. Gods it was happening again. Record time.
"Sirius!"
He clamped his mouth over her and quite literally ate her out. Her body fell into nothingness, everthingness, as she shook with overwhelming pleasure. His poor head probably lost some of its beautiful hair as she unnecessarily held him there, suffocating him.
By the time she released him from her grasp, she was delirious with pleasure. It was incredible. He sat up, with a smug smile, his face shiny from her juices. Her limbs were too heavy to move, so she just lay there catching her breath.
"Thank you," she said, in between breaths.
He laughed, watching him do so almost felt as good as the orgasm itself. Almost.
His hand moved to her breasts if you could even call them that. Any curvature she had in the past was lost. She had lost a lot of weight during her time away, leaving her flatter than him. The sudden sense of insecurity bubbled in her chest, making her want to turn away.
"What?" He asked, somehow always knowing when there was something wrong.
"I'm not… I'm not very… womanly, am I?"
"Hey," He turned her face to him and kissed her softly. She could still taste herself on his lips but found that she didn't care too much. "Hermione, I just ate your pussy. Trust me, you're plenty womanly."
"My my, aren't you sweet?" She rolled her eyes at his answer.
"Sweet? Oh, I'm sorry, were you looking for sweet?" He propped himself up on his elbows and gazed down at her with playful challenge.
"You're incorrigible." Hermione smiled in a way that was just so her that it made Sirius's heart swell. He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers.
Gods, it felt good to kiss her again. Instead of their hurried frantic one as they shared in the beginning, this time it was slow and deep. Hermione ran her hands up into his hair, pulling him down into her as she sunk back onto the bed, under his weight. Sirius was cautious not to crush her under his weight. He pulled back slightly, gazing down at her hungrily. As closed off as Hermione was, he had seen that expression on her face enough times to know what she was thinking behind those hazel eyes.
Without any words spoken between them, she shifted under him, spreading her legs a little wider. She stared at his chest, a close inspection. While he's had sexual partners in the past, none of them seemed to care so much about the details of his body like Hermione did. She studied him like he was a work of art, and under her gaze, his small little imperfections, such as the stretch marks on his chest or the scars on his body from nights with Moony or torture became a part of the masterpiece; priceless and fascinating.
She touched one of the new scars formed from his time in the Lestrange Estate.
"Does it still hurt?"
"No, just bad memories."
She lifted her head and kissed the scar. Fucking hell.
"I thought you were going to die." Hermione's chest tightened at the memory of him in his cell, wasting away in the dungeons. There was still so much that happened that they needed to talk about.
"I was scared I might die too, but I was even more scared that I might die without ever seeing you again. Without being able to tell you how much I love you ever again."
She reached up and touched his face, her cold hands had warmed up from their activities. "Thank you for not dying, Sirius."
His lips enveloped hers, soft and sensual. They both took their time, turning the soft kiss into a deeper one. He opened his mouth to let his tongue move into hers, pressing and tangling against hers.
It felt so good being on top of her. Her skin was cool against his burning flesh, heating by the arousal in his blood. He pulled her towards him, resting his hard and throbbing length against her inner thigh.
"Ahh, Sirius," she breathed out.
It was almost impossible to believe that this was actually happening. He was terrified that this was just an elaborate dream his mind had made up to cope with the horrors of being imprisoned and tortured. His hand slid down her body and over the slope of her waist, just to feel her even more. It was her beneath him. She was real. Hermione shifted under him and brought her legs up and around him, squeezing his hips with her knees.
He made a noise deep inside his throat then reached down to slide himself inside of her.
"Oh fuck, Sirius!" Her pussy was still swollen and tender from her previous orgasms.
"Hermione," he groaned and slowly pulled himself back so that he could slide into her warmth deeper.
They were never a couple who shied away from sex, therefore, they had enjoyed each other's bodies in a multitude of ways. While rough, hard, and fast sex had its own pleasures, their bodies sang at this deep and purposeful pace with their bodies wrapped around each other in every way they could.
"Yes," she panted as her head sunk into the pillow underneath. Sirius quickly got to work by attaching his lips to her exposed neck. His lips sucked a sweet spot just at the base near her left collarbone. "Yes, yes, oh gods yes."
The feeling of her was…indescribable. They fit like a puzzle, meant to be. She was hot and almost tearfully tight, squeezing him so very deliciously. He began to move a little faster, building up with each thrust into her. He moaned into her neck, her hair, her ear, completely enveloping her with himself. Each thrust sent quakes down her spine and between her legs where that white-hot blinding explosion of bliss built with each movement.
"I love you," he growled, his animagus side showing. "I love you so fucking much."
She tightened her legs around him as he drove himself in deeper, running a hand up into his long hair. He rocked his body with hers, moving and matching each stroke. Their small hut was filled with sounds of their cries and moans of pleasure along with the steadily growing pace of wet flesh smacking against each other.
"Oh fuck, I'm going to cum."
"Fucking hell," he hissed, pumping his hips back and forth, cutting off her breath into little gasps. Good Godrick, this was ecstasy. Why did anyone need drugs when they could have sex like this? The feeling rising in her pushed everything else away, quietening her mind through euphoria.
He loved her and felt like bursting with it as he filled her again. He loved her even though she had lied to him, left him, and hurt him. He knew it didn't make sense, but somehow it did. He was hers as long as she would have him.
Hermione's body arched up, pushing into him at a deeper angle. "Sirius! Oh gods, yes! Fuck! Ngh! Mm-fuuu!"
He let out a little puff of a chuckle. The ever-eloquent Hermione Evans was only ever reduced to incoherence when seconds away from orgasm. He found her lips and kissed her just long enough before he pulled back to let out a low groan. "Oh fuck, Hermione. You feel so fucking good, so tight…"
Hermione was losing it. There was no semblance of control. The full sensation of him being inside her was too much, yet never enough. She wanted more. She wanted it all. Her whole body tightened and tensed as a gigantic wave began threatening to flood her entire system.
"Fuck! Hermione, shit! I need you to come for me, love. I can't hold on—"
He slammed his hips and himself into her with three powerful thrusts and she came screaming as her body contracted and an explosion shot off behind her eyes. Her orgasm roared within her so loud that all her normal bodily functions had to momentarily pause.
"FUUUCCCKKK!" Sirius pressed himself into her hard with one last final thrust, feeling the fluttering orgasm coursing through her pussy, milking him for every drop.
Unable to hold himself up any longer, his body fell on top of hers, their sweat and passion mixing as they lay there sandwiched on top of each other. Neither of them had the energy to talk, too busy catching their breath.
Neither of them had ever come this hard before. It was disorienting.
After several minutes of just panting, Sirius finally rolled off of her, his now soft dick shining from her juices. He propped himself up on a shaking arm and glanced down with aroused satisfaction to see himself spilling out of her pretty little cunt.
"You alright, love?"
She didn't need to open her eyes to see the smirk on his face.
"Are you alright?" she asked when she finally peeked a look at him in all his glory but noticed the slight tremble of his arm.
"I've never been better. In fact, the day just started," he pointed to the daylight outside. "We can do this all day." He kissed the corner of her eye, then the tip of her nose, and finally a proper kiss on her lips.
…
It was amazing how easily the outside world could melt away when you woke up whenever you pleased, ate whenever you were hungry and fucked like rabbits whenever you had the time. If it had been their mission to not leave a single space in their hut un-'christened', then they had achieved it three-fold. Once the trigger was pulled, they could not keep their hands away from each other.
The things that 17-year-old Hermione Evans had done would make 32-year-old Hermione Granger blush tomato red. The couple was open and exploratory. There was no position they hadn't tried or angled and no part of each other's body they hadn't touched or even tasted.
Before they knew it, almost 2 weeks had passed since Sirius had woken up from his coma, and they had no plans on when he would leave.
Hermione was feeling selfish. She wanted to keep him here with her, in their little bubble away from the world. In their hut, there was no war, no death, no pain, and no consequences. It was just them and Merlin were they good at being just them. Their mundane days felt fun and relaxing, their repetitive life was a joy. Their sex was never lacklustre and Sirius never stopped being cute.
Life was so perfect that she never wanted it to stop, making dangerous thoughts rear their ugly heads in her mind.
"We need more food."
Pop.
Their little isolation hut-bubble had burst with the short sentence. Acquiring more food meant that someone would need to go out and get more food.
As the one who mainly cooked, Hermione had known the food was starting to run low several days ago, but managed to get by through scrappy meals. However, she hadn't replenished the food stocks since Sirius's coma days, and a single person's month's worth of food had been shared between two people.
"Yeah… I guess we do." Neither of them sounded very happy at the thought. They both knew they were running away from reality in their little hut.
"I'll head out to grab something from the nearby village."
"We can go together."
"No," she objected a little too quickly.
She didn't want him to see the paper by accident or overhear villagers talking, and then suddenly feel the need to leave. It wasn't that she was delusional and wanted to keep him locked away in their hut forever. She didn't release him from his cell in the Lestrange Estate only to lock him up in a different prison, but… she just wanted a little more time. Just a little more time before reality smashed their door down. Truthfully, reality had been already knocking on their door for days now, but they had both feigned ignorance. Distracting themselves with each other's presence and well…sex.
"No, you should take a bath, and you also promised to do the dishes."
His normally stubborn personality disappeared at the opportunity she was giving him to ignore reality a little longer.
"Sure love," Sirius smiled kissing her sweetly on the cheek. The small action made her heart ache with dread about the idea of going outside. She didn't want to see the world and hear its news. She didn't want reminders as to why she shouldn't be doing this and wasting time with Sirius. It was bad enough that she was ignoring Severus's enchanted coin messages like the bloody plague. She had earned this vacation, hadn't she?
"I'll be quick."
"And I'll be waiting."
To get to and from the village as fast as possible, Hermione shifted into her animagus form. It had been a while since she was her fox-self, but there was a certain level of freedom that came with being an animal. She ran with her four paws while biting on the handle of the basket for their food. The forest was lush around her, filled with sounds of life.
The trek from their hut near the mountains down to the small village near the east coast of Ottery St. Catchpole was always a difficult journey not only physically, but emotionally as well. The Weasley's home existed near the farming edges of the village. The physics-defying home of the Weasleys would be so easy to visit. Molly and Arthur would be home and so would Bill, Charlie, and Percy. She craved that familiar scent from the Weasley home that brought back all the good memories from her past, not just the traumatic ones that her brain forced her to remember.
Knock knock
The door opened to reveal two blonde individuals peering carefully out of their homes. These were dangerous times, after all.
"Hermione," Pandora smiled at the uninvited guest. "I was wondering when you were going to drop by."
"Pandora. Xenophilius." She walked into their home with her empty basket in hand.
"We were expecting you at least a week ago. I was half in mind to go up to the hut myself to drop off the food if it hadn't been for your warning not to try to visit you up there." Pandora told her as she sat her down at their dining table. Xenophilius tactfully grabbed the basket and left the room, most likely to fill it up with all the foods that she needed then brew them both a cup of tea.
In all honesty, this village did not have a store to pick up food as one would in the muggle world or a bigger town or city. Sure there was one pub, where people gathered for drinks or used the public floo, but everyone here grew their food.
The hut, a small space Pandora originally used to rest or shield herself from bad weather and conditions when picking herbs in the mountain, was a space Hermione had rented as a safe house from her dear friend. They were the perfect choice in Hermione's eyes. They were intellectuals who had no interest in wars. They were never listed in any army or mentioned in any battle. They were also purebloods that wouldn't be targeted, so who better to rent a small property from?
"How have you been, Pandora?"
"I think I should ask you that question," her friend reached out and touched her hand. "You look much better than when I last saw you, but many more wrackspurts."
Hermione smiled at the mention of the magical creatures Luna used to mention.
"I'm doing well. I'm struggling between a few options, but I'm sure everything will get clearer soon."
"Yes, rash decisions are the downfall of many great men. I think it's wise to let the dust settle."
"You don't think it's selfish that the world is going to shambles and I'm waiting for dust to settle?"
Pandora laughed. It was beautiful like windchimes swaying in a breeze.
"My friend, you overvalue yourself to this world." She chuckled a few more times. "If taking a few moments to let some dust settle is what makes or breaks this world, then this world is bound to break regardless of your efforts. Trust the people. I promise you that you won't be as disappointed as you imagine."
Hermione smiled with ease, the tension on her shoulders melting at her friend's reassurance.
"You know, I was surprised when you asked me to be your Secret Keeper. I imagined you'd ask one of your other friends, like those Slytherins or your sister. People usually find me a bit odd."
Hermione shrugged. "We're all a bit odd in our own way, don't you think?"
Pandora nodded, "Yes, I suppose you're right."
At that moment, Xenophilius walked in with a basket brimming with food and two cups of tea precariously balanced on his arm.
"Oh no, darling." Pandora quickly took the teas from him before they fell and set them down, but not in front of Hermione. "She's just going to take the food. Hermione's antsy to get going."
She blinked at her words, worrying if she had been rude or inattentive to her friend, showing her secret true desire to leave quickly.
"No Pandora I can sta—"
"But you don't want to." She gave her a warm and understanding smile. "Catching up will have to happen later," she promised as she placed the heavy basket in her arms.
"I—thank you."
"I never had many friends in my life, but I'm glad to know you're mine, Hermione. Oh, and Hermione?" She stopped her before she left through the front door. "That decision you're worried about? I don't know what it is and I know you're not a Ravenclaw, but there's a saying in my House "Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure." You, my friend, have more wit than anyone else I know. Trust yourself. Be kind to yourself. That is how you'll make the right decision."
"Have a good night, Pandora. You too, Xenophilius."
"Have a good night and get home safe."
Home? She wondered as she walked back through the dying sunlight. When had that hut, barely big enough to fit one person become home? When did she last have a home? She thought back to the muggle house she lived in with her sisters and parents in Cokesworth and wondered if she ever truly thought of it as home. No, she was a guest in that place and everyone knew it. She loved her parents and they loved her, but there was a strain in her relationships with everyone and why everything, though cordial, was never truly comfortable.
It wasn't that the hut was special in any way. It was Sirius. She had felt it when they were dating in Hogwarts, but now it was concentrated with fewer distractions to pull them away. The last time she felt something similar to the love and care she felt now was with Alphard.
Her last home was with Alphard, in his bachelor pad flat when it was just him, Pinky, and herself. That kitchen where Pinky would sit her down on the counter and tell her funny stories about Alphard's childhood while he washed the dishes or made dinner for the three of them. Or when Alphard stayed up late to research a disease or a case, so she sat in his office with him reading his medical texts or books of her own. Their living room where they would all enjoy the same tea that she still drank to this day. The chair she would sit on where Alphard learned to do her hair, etc. etc.
"Trust me?" She wondered out loud. "Be kind to myself?" Those were the last things she could do. If she did that it would mean she would keep him there until the end of the war and never let him out. She would be with him saying fuck the world.
"No, you wouldn't." Harry shook his head. "You're twisting her words and you know it. She's saying you're wise enough to make the right decisions, so trust yourself. You've done the best you can and will continue to do so, so be kind to yourself."
"Did you ever want to run away? Take Ginny and leave the wizarding world to rot on its own for the stupid mistakes they've made?"
"I think you forget how much I hated being called The Boy Who Lived." Harry looked up at the sky which was coloured with deep oranges and hints of pink and purple. "So many people died that night to keep me alive, but that name made no honourable mention of their sacrifice. It also labelled me with a title I never wanted, a title that symbolized me as the end of a war that never really finished, not that we knew that in the beginning. But that fact only made me more bitter, like, my parents died, were sacrificed, I lived a shit life with my uncle and aunt, and for what? Just for that no-nosed fucker to come back to life?" Harry sighed shaking his head. "No one could take a second and make sure he died through all magical means?"
"And in those months, running around England in those tents with a Horcrux around our necks… of course I thought about running away. I made elaborate plans on how to do it too, each night it would be with different people, sometimes it was with Ginny and you, sometimes it was the whole Weasley clan and you, and sometimes it was just you. All that brain power, just to wake up in the morning and never follow through."
"What stopped you?"
"You," he smiled at her. "Even when Ron had folded his cards and left. Even though I knew you loved him. Even though I knew you were tired and hurting, losing hope and scared, you stayed."
She stared at him for a long time. There was never a doubt in her mind that Harry had always been her soulmate. Although platonic, they loved each other fiercely and it had transcended through time and space. He was her person as much as she was his. That was why she had stayed.
"So why didn't you stay for me?" She whispered, but from the way Harry froze, she knew he heard her. He was, after all, a figment of her imagination. "Why Harry? Why didn't you stay? Hm? Say something. Tell me something."
"I'm sorry."
He stood in front of her, beautifully illuminated by the coloured sky as he cried crystal tears of sorrow and regret. "I'm so sorry."
Those words didn't help.
She walked straight through him and the rest of her walk up the mountain in silence. Within a few minutes, the sun had fully gone down and the moon was nowhere close to being full. She walked in the dark, comforted by the sounds of the forest. By the time she reached the clearing where the hut was hidden via magic, it was nearly pitch dark and she needed to use her wand to illuminate the way. She walked in through the clearing, making the hut appear out of thin air, but what she hadn't expected to see was Sirius standing at the edge of the Fidelius line with an oil lamp in his hand.
"Hermione!" He rushed to her, worry etched on his face. "It got so dark so fast, I was worried you'd gotten lost or hurt, but I couldn't leave the property alone, because then I wouldn't be able to get back and what if I couldn't find you or we missed each other and you went back to the hut and I wasn't there—"
"I'm fine." She cut off his rambling with a reassuring smile. "I'm perfectly fine. See?" She lifted the basket of food. "I got what we need."
He immediately took the heavy basket out of her hands and wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her into a warm hug and a kiss.
"Welcome home."
…
Two more days passed and the weather was starting to cool. September was approaching and their unspoken deadline was here. September 1st, was the first day of school, and Sirius's last year was the deadline Hermione had given herself, then it was back to gruelling reality for the both of them.
"I love your beef stew." Sirius ripped a piece of bread and dipped it into his bowl. "Where did you learn how to cook like this?"
"Pinky taught me loads."
"He never made this for me and Lily."
"Probably because he's never made it before."
"But you just said he taught you."
"He taught me skills, certain tricks, things that would deepen flavour or ensure a beef wellington would come out perfect every time, but I also read a lot of cookbooks."
"Cooking books?"
"Well I told you I didn't attend school before Hogwarts, so I spend a lot of time in the Cokesworth Public Library. I read through most of the books there and ended up going through quite several cookbooks as well."
"You read all the books in a library, so you resorted to the cookbooks?!"
"No, I wouldn't say all of them. I wasn't going to sit around reading books for children and I'm not the biggest fan of fiction, and the librarian was a very conservative woman so she wouldn't let me near most of the adult books anyway, probably worried that I'd read the sexy parts too."
"You're kinky enough, imagine if she let you read your dirty little books too."
"Who said I didn't?" She smirked playfully. "She was an old woman in need of lots of naps."
"You bad bad girl."
"Let me show you how bad." They giggled, but she was already running her feet up her legs.
"Mmm," he groaned. She got out of her seat to crawl beneath the table. She left open-mouth kisses from his knees and slowly made her way up his leg.
"W-Wait. Wait."
"What's wrong?" she asked him, peeking her head up from between his legs.
"While I love this view, I think I smell something burning." They both paused, using their advanced animagi sense of smell. He was right. Something was burning.
They looked around the little hut, but the stovetop fireplace was off and there was no other source of heat in this place. They both searched for the cause. Hermione was looking over at their bed where the only window was, wondering if the sunlight had somehow made something burn, but it was the little gasp from Sirius that made her whip her head around.
He stood by the wardrobe with her golden enchanted coin in his hand, pale as a ghost.
"What? What does it say?" She rushed over, but Sirius didn't respond. No, it was more like he couldn't, judging by the shock written on his face.
She grabbed the coin from his hand.
Fleamont Potter is dead.
…
