A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! Huge, huge thank you to lanamarymack for alpha/beta reading this chapter on a really short turn around! You can find me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter sixty-four and be on the lookout for chapter sixty-five soon!
With her father and Regulus caught up with sessions at the Wizengamot ahead of the holiday recess, Hermione and Sirius were left to fend for themselves most days. It seemed that dark forces were at work in the wizarding world's legislative body, trying to sneak through terrible laws during marathon sessions, hoping that people would skip the votes in favor of spending time with their family. Luckily, between the two of them, they were able to read through all the proposals and craft arguments, while the other actually made them.
Hermione felt a bolt of worry worm its way through her when she read in the Daily Prophet about how odd it was that the Blacks were beginning to take such an outright stance against the traditional faction (that insidious little descriptor for Voldemort's brand of pureblood supremacy) and wondering why that was. Regulus reassured her that they would be okay and she tried not to worry, but she couldn't help it.
It was her who'd asked them to put themselves on the line, wasn't it?
Sirius was busy with work as an Auror and she had her studies, of course, but they often retired for the evening in the library, sipping brandy or firewhiskey and staring into the fire not feeling at all as festive as the townhouse had been decorated. (Kreacher had rather outdone himself this year, putting up garland and tinsel practically everywhere he could).
They could have talked about anything together, but they spent most of their time talking about the uncomfortable reunions they'd had with their Gryffindor halves. Hermione complained about how Ron was so distrustful of her after everything that she'd sacrificed.
"It must be strange to have his formerly muggleborn friend suddenly be a pureblood," Sirius said, defending the younger Weasley. "And slotting in quite so well."
Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes. "How does he think I felt? I got dumped in the past and then I found out that my entire life was a lie — everything about my identity," she said, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly. "I can't believe that I thought he and I might someday...well —"
Sirius barked out a laugh at her confession. "Really? With him?" he asked, obviously not impressed with the sixth year wizard. "Harry at least makes sense, but Weasley?"
"Yes, well, I suppose Harry and I always had more of a sibling type relationship," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Though he could manage to be quite charming."
"I'll bet he could," Sirius answered with a smirk. "He's James's son after all."
Hermione softened. They almost never talked about James — the subject too painful for Sirius to bear. "How did things go with you and Remus?" she asked, gently, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
Sirius sighed. "I suppose it went alright," he said. "He apologized for suspecting the worst of me, but it's not as if I made things easy on him, seeing how quickly I went back to my family after years of professing that I hated them. We were all so paranoid, but it's still hard to know that he thought that I'd betray them like that. James was my brother."
She squeezed her hand in his. "I shouldn't have burdened you with that knowledge," she said, shaking her head. "I should have found a way on my own to expose Pettigrew."
Sirius sniffled and shook his head. "Nah, I had to find out somehow. At least I got a chance to try to stop it," he said, running a hand down his face. "And, I got to rub it in Remus's face — say I told you so. Even if it's the worst prize for being right."
"Oh, Sirius," she said, giving him a tight hug. "I can't wait for this to all be over and we can move on and be happy with our lives. Remus will have had to explain to Harry about you and... he'll want to talk to you then. The two of you were so close in my time, always talking about James. And Lily. When the war is over..."
She didn't want to finish that sentence because she knew that there was a possibility that they didn't all make it out of the war alive. And that was something that she simply couldn't accept.
He cleared his throat and pressed his hand to her knee, giving her a squeeze and making her laugh at the tickly feeling. "Come on, now, enough of that melancholy," he ordered, sounding more like Orion than she'd ever heard. "I understand that the Wizengamot has a lunch break shortly. Would you like me to take you by to see Rabastan before your lessons this afternoon?"
A chance to snag even a few seconds alone with Rabastan had her nodding enthusiastically. She pressed a quick kiss to his scruffy cheek. "Let me just grab my cloak," she answered, before running up the stairs to her room.
Hermione stared at the reflection in her mirror, cloak retrieved, and wondered at the woman that she saw. It was true that she was no longer the bushy-haired little muggleborn that had gone off to Hogwarts with teeth too big for her head, but it wasn't as if she'd changed entirely. It was still the same Hermione that stared back at her, with her intelligent brown eyes and pert little nose. Now, though, she could see her resemblance to various Black family members, shining through more clearly thanks to the attentions of Walburga and Orion. It had always been there, hidden in plain sight.
Ready to go, she ran down the stairs to where Sirius was waiting to Floo with her to the Ministry. As the protective tendencies of her brothers and father had loosened, Hermione was no longer so bothered by their desire to play chaperone. Really, it was nice to have a bit of company.
She led the way through the Wizengamot's labyrinthine hallways to where the Lestrange family office was situated, having far more familiarity with it than Sirius. She knocked on the door, too excited at the prospect of seeing her betrothed again to worry over the prospect of instead finding her future father-in-law on the other side of the door.
But, she heard Rabastan's voice call to enter on the other side of the door and she was quick to open it. "Hermione," he said, giving her a crooked smile as he leaned back in his chair. "What a pleasant surprise."
She whirled around to face Sirius, who was staring over her shoulder at Rabastan, doing his best to look menacing. "Thank you, Sirius, that will be all," she said with a grin. "I can get to lessons on my own. We will probably just bore you with our talk of Charms."
"I love charms," he said, forcing a fake smile on his face.
"Oh, don't be silly, Sirius," she said, patting his chest. "Everyone knows that your strengths lie in Transfiguration."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "You know, Regulus and I do talk to one another," he said, with a knowing look.
"You know, old Sirius would have been really quite proud of me for sneaking around," she said, crossing her arms over her chest in faux annoyance. "Don't be so uptight."
"If I didn't believe that he knew exactly what kind of agony he'd be in if he hurt you in any way, I would have a lot more to say," he said gruffly. "But, I trust him, I suppose. So don't fuck things up, Lestrange!"
"Wouldn't dream of it!" Rabastan answered cheerfully from behind her. "Goodbye, Black !"
Hermione shut the door behind him and practically collapsed into the chair across the desk from Rabastan. He was eating his lunch — roast chicken and parsnips courtesy of his house elf, it seemed — and reading through a stack of some last minute proposals.
"I'm really looking forward to the day that your family doesn't feel like they need to threaten me at every turn," he said, looking rather amused. "Though, it seems perhaps we've reached a turning point."
"I don't know what came over them," she said, with a huff. "They weren't like that before."
"Well, I think we all dealt with your absence in our own ways, but we all felt the pain of the separation," he said, being far too reasonable for her tastes. "They just care about you. But, so do I. Eventually, they will figure out that I have no reason to hurt you, not when I love you so much."
She practically melted, hearing his earnest confession. Standing up, she made her way around his desk until she was perched on his lap. "I love you, too," she said, nuzzling her head against his shoulder and pressing a kiss to the delicate skin just below his ear.
Rabastan's head dropped back and he groaned. "Curse these sessions," he said, his arm winding its way around her waist and resting on her hip. "I've barely had two seconds to think, let alone to talk to you. I can't wait for the break."
Hermione smirked against his skin and kissed him there again, a bit longer this time. "It's just a couple more days," she cooed, pleased to know that he felt as desperate for her as she was for him. Their interlude at his birthday was simply not enough.
His other hand cupped her jaw, turning her until she was able to meet his lips in a kiss. She deepened it immediately, lazily stroking her tongue against his lip. She could kiss him forever and never tire of it.
But, it seemed that was not in the cards that day.
A brusque knock on the door surprised both of them and Hermione wasn't even able to stand up before the door swung open, a wild looking Rodolphus pouring in. "I need to talk to you," he barked, his voice throaty and low.
"Rodolphus," Rabastan said, spelling the door to shut behind his brother. He encouraged Hermione to stand, before he stood up in front of her, shielding her.
It did little good. Rodolphus had already seen her. His head tilted to the side and he smirked at her. "Hello to you, too, little sister," he teased. "I couldn't believe it when Rosier said you were back, but here you are, in the flesh."
"What do you want?" Rabastan demanded, his wand still in hand.
Hermione drew her own wand and looked him over. He was much of the Rodolphus that she remembered. His dirty blond hair had gone darker with age and his face was covered with stubble, though it didn't look to be a fashion choice. His brown eyes were wild though — like an animal caught in a snare. It made her blood run cold, wondering what could make a predator like Rodolphus worried. He was dangerous.
"You've been busy, Rabastan," Rodolphus said with a sneer. "You finally got what you wanted all along — the girl, father's approval, the Wizengamot seat. I heard that you've even been made heir officially."
"Yes, well, someone had to step up for our family, Rodolphus," the younger brother countered, unphased by the accusations. It had been what he'd always wanted and he wasn't going to shy away from his greater ambitions.
"Reliable Rabastan," he said, leering at Hermione from where she peaked out from behind him. "Such a hardship to marry her, I'm sure. At least they didn't try to saddle you with Bellatrix."
"Get to the point, Dolph," Rabastan ordered. He sounded bored, but Hermione could see the way that he was clenching his jaw, the muscle tight and jumping. He was worried, the situation liable to boil over at any moment. "You want to be heir again, is that it? Because I'm sure that Father would fall over himself to undo it if you just asked."
"You think I want to be heir?" Rodolphus asked with a laugh. "I could give a fuck about family titles and having to listen to these old windbags complain all day in the Wizengamot."
"So, what then?" Rabastan asked, his tenuous grasp on the situation slipping even further.
"You can strip me as heir — take my birthright — but you dare to take me off of the family's vault at Gringotts?" the bigger man snarled. "Undo it now."
Rabastan couldn't help but laugh. "No," he said with a smirk. "That money, that fortune is for members of the Lestrange family and from where I stand, you don't seem to be that interested in our family at all. You have your lord and master to follow. Ask him for money."
Hermione nearly laughed at the idea of anyone asking the Dark Lord for money, but she kept her composure, seeing the furious shade of red that Rodolphus was turning.
"It's not about the money —"
"Of course it is," Rabastan said, cutting him off. "You want money, you come home and speak with father."
"I need to get into the vault," Rodolphus insisted, his eyes darting this way and that. "You can't keep me from it. I am a Lestrange."
"You know my terms," Rabastan said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Offer me something better or else get out." He stared down at his big brother, even though Rodolphus was at least half a head taller than he was.
Rodolphus chuckled, shaking his head back and forth. "Didn't take long for the power to go to your head, did it, Rabby?" he asked. "This isn't over. I will have my access restored and I won't be treated like I'm some sort of beggar. The vault... that's just as much mine as it is yours."
Perhaps sensing that he wasn't going to be getting anywhere with Rabastan then, and not fancying a two on one fight, Rodolphus turned and left the office, slamming the door behind him.
Rabastan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and spun around, wrapping Hermione in a tight hug. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking her over as if she might have gotten struck by some sort of imaginary curse.
"Of course," Hermione lied, nibbling at her lower lip. "It's going to take a lot more than Rodolphus to scare me off."
He laughed and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "That's enough excitement for the day," he said, taking another deep breath. "I had better walk you down to the Floos so you can get to your lesson, just in case he's lurking around. I'll not have any Black suggesting that I'm not taking excellent care of my betrothed."
Hermione giggled at that, knowing that none of her family members would be overly enthused to hear about what happened. "They would find nothing to complain about," she promised, kissing him again. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was time for her to get to her lessons.
But, her mind was still whirring with thoughts about how panicked Rodolphus had seemed about losing access to his Gringotts vault, even once she'd walked safely through the green flames to her lesson at her Charms Master's house.