Chapter 13 – A Grim Old Place

Forty minutes later, a motley crew had assembled in the front parlour. Tonks, Andromeda, Kingsley, and Molly Weasley were still missing in action, but after Sirius and Hermione's shocking return, McGonagall and Arthur had stayed on with Harry, Remus, Ginny, and the twins, everyone waiting to hear the worst.

Once her cuts and bruises had been seen to upstairs, Hermione had changed into black leggings and an over-sized cable knit sweater before returning to the main floor of the house.

Sirius had gone straight to her when she'd entered the parlour. After reassuring himself that she was, indeed, all in one piece, he fingered her thick, woolly sleeve.

"I think liked what you had on earlier a bit better," he softly teased.

One corner of her mouth rose up. "Me, too."

Her hand briefly pressed against the stomach of his own hunter-green shirt before he led her to sit down on the long, leather couch facing the fire.

The revelry from before they had interrupted things was apparent all around them: half-empty wine glasses and open bottles of Butterbeer; a decanter of Ogden's finest resting on the buffet table within easy reach, presumably of where, presumably, Arthur and Remus had been sitting.

Hermione happily took a glass of Pepper-Up when Arthur offered her one. Sirius, on the other hand, waved the potion away and poured himself three fingers' worth of firewhisky instead. He sipped it slowly, letting the amber liquid burn its way down his throat.

Part of him wondered just what the others had been talking about in the time since he and Hermione had left the Grangers' back garden. Had any of their friends guessed what was really going on between him and his new, young wife? If the lot of them hadn't been suspicious before, they bloody well must be now, given how he and Hermione had been dressed — or, rather, undressed — when they'd apparated into the kitchen.

Remus had been the only one to hassle him in person, but that didn't mean that he was the only one with questions. Harry, for instance, had been giving his godfather the most peculiar looks since they'd all sat down.

An awkward silence filled the room as they waited for… something. Sirius sat close to Hermione — as close as he dared, for the moment — while quiet conversations happened in the different corners of the parlour. Minerva and Arthur were definitely discussing something dire, based on their stiff body language. The twins and Ginny had also sequestered themselves for the moment.

Harry sat on the other end of the couch. He gestured at Hermione's ruby engagement ring. "It looks good on you," he said.

"Thanks." The smile she gave the ring as she looked down at it made something warm and possessive stretch out happily inside of Sirius.

"Well," said Minerva, stepping away from Arthur to take a seat near the front window. "This is a fine kettle of fish, isn't it? The most pertinent question seems to be, how did they find you?"

"Don't know," shrugged Sirius.

Remus looked over from where he leaned against the wall by the fireplace. He quirked his head towards the young witch sitting next to Padfoot. "Hermione. I know that Sirius' ring is an ancient heirloom—"

"It is?" asked Harry, casting a quick look at his godfather, who nodded proudly.

"—but your wedding ring…"

"Yes?" said Hermione.

"That was new. From the Ministry."

Sirius immediately said, "So was mine, Moony. What's your point?"

"You think they might have used the rings to find us?" said Hermione, speaking before Remus could answer.

Her former professor arched an eyebrow. "I wouldn't put it past them." He pointed at the simple band encircling her finger. "How can we be certain that they only contain a fidelity charm?"

Harry pushed his glasses higher up on his nose. "What does a fidelity charm normally do?"

Minerva sniffed from her place near the window. "In the past, they alerted the wizard in question to the location of a witch who was being unfaithful."

"Only the wizard?" asked a strident Ginny from her end of the couch. "What if he's having it off with someone else, too?"

"Formerly," said Minerva, "that didn't have any repercussions."

Ginny's eyes narrowed and her mouth tightened up. "Of all the—" But before she could start sounding off, Sirius interrupted.

"I think you'll find that my ring now has the same spell as Hermione's." He flashed Ginny a view of the solid gold band on the third finger of his left hand. "Equality and all that. I'm fine with it."

"Yes," said Remus, "but what happens if either of you try to take it off?"

"But why would I?" asked Hermione blankly.

For a moment no one said anything. Then Hermione began to blush while Sirius sat up a bit taller on the couch, a cocky smirk firmly in place.

Remus cleared his throat awkwardly. "What I meant was, could they trace someone who removes it, or does the charm only work if the partner is unfaithful?"

"You want me to take it off?"

"Just to test the theory?" pitched Remus delicately.

"Do you want me to do it instead?" Sirius asked her.

"No. I can."

An opaque look settled on her face as Hermione stood up from the couch and took a step towards Remus, her fingers already twisting at the rings. When the engagement ring came off, she immediately put it on her other hand. The wedding ring proved to be a tighter fit; after a moment's hesitation, Hermione put her entire finger in her mouth to make it wet before loosening the gold band.

Sirius swallowed audibly.

She had just begun to grin softly at the metallic circle held between her thumb and forefinger, when she suddenly jerked, and then pitched to the ground.

For the briefest moment, Sirius thought she had fainted, but then her back arched like bow and a horrific scream erupted from her throat. His stomach dropped to his feet.

Both he and Harry fell to their knees, grabbing at where Hermione lay convulsing on the carpet.

"'Mione?!"

"NO!"

Hauling her into his lap, Sirius held her tightly with both arms as wave after wave of pain rocked her body.

"Put it on!" he screeched at Harry. "Put it back on her, for fuck's sake!"

Harry scrabbled to find where the wedding ring had fallen onto the carpet. Remus, who had also rushed over to help, snatched the innocuous circle from where it had rolled near his foot and helped Harry to jam it back onto the witch's left hand.

The moment it sat snugly beyond her second knuckle, her screams stopped, and the horrific stiffness of her muscles disappeared.

His breath shuddering through him, Sirius pushed her hair back from her face, her body still half in his lap and half-splayed on the parlour's ancestral carpet.

"Good Godric, Miss Granger," said a horrified McGonagall. "Are you all right?"

"What was that?" snapped an anxious Ginny.

"Hermione?" whispered Sirius, still holding her tightly to him. "Love? You with us?"

Turning her head briefly to his stomach, she moved her head in the affirmative and then tried to right herself. "I don't… think… that will… work."

The red-headed witch glared at Remus. "Don't make her do that again!"

"I won't," he promised, sounding more than half-appalled at himself.

Still panting, Harry sat back, his spine resting against the couch. "Are the rings traceable?"

Remus shrugged his shoulders. "They're fidelity-charmed, that's for certain."

"That's all?"

"That's all we can tell for the moment. Clearly, Sirius and Hermione can't take them off long enough for us to test any other theories."

"If that is the case," pronounced a clearly shaken Minerva, "it might not be the rings after all. Lord Voldemort is dead. The Death Eaters are leaderless. They wouldn't dare to overrun the Ministry openly… not yet, at any rate. How could they add a trace on the rings without someone knowing?"

"There are still Imperius curses," muttered Harry.

"True, Potter, but we have no proof. This is all conjecture."

"We have the Death Eaters and Umbridge attacking Sirius and Hermione!" he retorted. "What other proof do you need?"

"Be that as it may," she continued, "we can't be sure of anything. If they're making some kind of power-play, it won't be an out-and-out assault. It will be through things like this," she said, pointing to where Hermione was still lying in Sirius' lap. "It's despicable."

The slamming of the front door made everyone turn their heads. In a whirl of purple and gold robes, Kingsley stormed in, his eyes darting about until they focused on where Sirius was helping Hermione to the couch once more.

"I thought you'd be here," he said.

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "What the hell, Kingsley?"

"They found you, I take it?"

Sirius moved as if to speak, but it was Hermione who sounded off first, her face suddenly white with anger. "You knew? You knew something like this might happen?"

The tall Auror shook his head. "Not entirely. But it has. And now, they're coming."

"What, for her?" barked Sirius. "Bloody twats. We did exactly what they fucking wanted, and it's still not enough!"

Tonks then banged her way into the parlour, having nearly fallen through the front door after entering behind Kingsley. Without even stopping to acknowledge either her mate or the others in the room, she marched straight up to Sirius and Hermione.

"What the hell did you two do?" she snapped, her hands on her hips.

"Good to see you, too, Nymphadora," said Sirius, his eyes narrowing at her furious posture.

"Don't try me tonight, Sirius Black! What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

"It was me," added Hermione. "My spells. How bad is it out there?"

"How bad?" Tonks repeated. "Sweet Circe! There's a full quidditch-team's worth of aurors running around Piccadilly modifying everything and everyone in sight. We've had to use the gas leak excuse, again. Fudge headed over to Downing Street to update their prime minister on the latest intelligence — which is already a nonstarter because it's Fudge delivering the news — and the rumours are flying fast and furious that you two have either tried to kill each other, attacked innocent Muggles for fun, or been taken hostage yourselves."

"No to all of the above," said Sirius. "They attacked us."

Kingsley's tone was flat, even though his words were heated. "You flummoxed them, Sirius. They never expected anyone to go through with the Marriage Law. They thought they had you. Once Hermione legally put herself between you and them, it was only a matter of time."

"Until what?" asked Harry, glaring at Kingsley from where he still knelt on the floor near Hermione. "Someone tried to kill her?"

Kingsley didn't answer the younger wizard. He didn't need to. "Was it Rookwood?" he asked Sirius directly.

Hermione answered him. "Avery, Rookwood, Goyle, Dolohov, and—"

"—and Dolores sodding Umbridge at the helm," said Sirius, finishing her sentence. "Did you know about that part, too?"

Kingsley's eyes narrowed, as if he were weighing something dangerous. "Her involvement is… not a total surprise. A group of us have been growing increasingly concerned since Fudge came back to power. Many things have seemed too… convenient."

Sirius gave an exasperated sigh. "Sodding Circe, Kings. You didn't want to warn us?"

"My sources for intelligence within the Ministry are crumbling more every hour," he admitted, leaning one hand on the mantlepiece. "We're not entirely blind yet, but it's getting worse. Sirius — it's not safe for you here."

"It's not safe for us anywhere! If Umbridge is behind whatever is happening, then they'll keep attacking us if we stay in London, but if we run, the Ministry'll spin it that we're somehow in the wrong. You know they will. She will."

"I still can't believe that you actually went to The Ritz," said Tonks.

Sirius drew himself up to defend his actions. "It seemed appropriate, given it was our wedding night."

"Merlin's pants!" hollered his cousin. "You could've picked any place in the whole bloody city, but you go and choose the one Muggle hotel that those arseholes would be able to find. Honestly, Sirius!"

His lip curled. "I thought I had to get us away from Skeeter and her vultures, not Avery and fucking Dolohov!"

"What did they want?" asked Tonks.

"To kill my wife!"

For a moment, the two cousins simply glared at each other as the rest of the room held their breath. Then, as if coming to, Tonks hung her head, her outrage vanishing in an instant. "Right. Sorry. Wotcher, 'Mione?"

"I've been better," said Hermione stiffly.

Kingsley looked over at Remus. "Something happened?"

"Their rings — they're fidelity-charmed."

"Traceable?"

Remus nodded. "Perhaps. Modified Cruciatus curse if they're removed."

"How did you—?"

"Hermione volunteered," said Sirius testily. "She won't be doing that again."

Kingsley peered at him. "I take it that you wouldn't be willing to give me a demonstration yourself?"

"No, he won't!" snapped Hermione.

"It's already been a bit of a night," retorted Sirius wryly. "You'll just have to take our word for it."

"Fair enough."

All things considered, Sirius thought his bride was putting a brave face on the lot of it; he didn't know from where she got the strength. Since they had last slept, he realised, Hermione had been dressed up, married, photographed, feted, aroused, seduced, attacked, threatened, and then barely escaped.

His wife was a wonder.

If it wasn't for the boatload of adrenaline coursing through his own veins every few minutes, he'd have been done in ages ago.

He pointedly didn't dwell on the fact that he was already instinctively thinking of her as his wife.

As his.

Remus, meanwhile, resumed his pacing in front of the fireplace. "There's something more to this," he muttered. "I can feel it."

Fred piped up: "Is it near the full moon, mate?"

Rolling his eyes, George glared at his twin. "Fancy checking a calendar before you say something that daft?"

Ignoring the peanut gallery, Sirius scowled at his friend. "They want her dead, Moony, because they're fucking sadists. What else matters?"

The werewolf paused mid-step to peer at him. "Something," he said strongly. "I can't put my finger on it yet, but every instinct is telling me that this isn't just about the Marriage Law."

Arthur, who had been unusually quiet thus far, spoke up. "If not that, then what?"

"Umbridge has always hated us," pointed out Harry. "If anything, given her latest power trip, we should have been expecting her to do something like this for a while."

"But as a Death Eater? Showing her true colours like that when there hasn't been a coup?" asked Remus.

"Did you really think she'd 'seen the error of her ways'?" fired back Harry.

Lupin didn't answer. He stared for a moment at the younger wizard and then sighed.

Arthur echoed his frustrations. "And, so, we're back again at 'how did they know'."

"They knew too much," said Sirius slowly. "I know it's a well-known spot for Muggles," he added, holding up a hand to acknowledge Tonks' earlier point, "but they knew exactly where to look for us. No one outside of Harry and me knew where I was taking her. It doesn't add up."

"I believe I can answer that," announced Andromeda.

Everyone turned to look.

She had entered the house silently, but there was nothing serene about her countenance. It was rare for Andi to resemble either of her darker sisters, but it was there now, in spades. Her face was absolutely thunderous.

"Get in here, boy," she snapped, before pushing a shambling Ron Weasley before her across the parlour's threshold.

He looked dreadful: hair askew, his shift half-untucked and covered in wet stains.

"Holy furies," whispered his father.

"Ron?" said Hermione, sounding truly shocked.

"Ron?" echoed Harry, equally appalled.

"Hiya," he muttered, his eyes on his feet.

Sirius was across the room before anyone could stop him. Fast as lightning, his fist slammed into the side of Ron's face, dropping the red-haired wizard to the floor with a sickening crack.

Hermione leapt to her feet. "Sirius!"

"Betrayed us, did you?" bellowed Sirius as he stood over him. "Thought you could get a bit of your own back?" Reaching down he grabbed Ron's jaw and squeezed as he ground out, "Such a good friend, aren't you, you arsing little fuck!"

Ron cringed in pain as Sirius let go of his face with a sharp push and backed up. Even as he got to his knees, Ron began to snivel. "I—I—"

"Tell us what you did!" Sirius roared, ignoring the grip that Remus now had on his upper arms.

"I—I'm so sorry. Truly. I didn't—" He looked past Sirius' legs to where Hermione stood by the couch, her arms wrapped around herself as if she would otherwise fly apart. "Hermione, I—"

"I found him at Rosmerta's," sniffed Andromeda, her cheeks pale and her mouth in a tight line as she looked at the pathetic lump on the carpet. "Hagrid and I had escorted her back to Hogsmeade after the reception. The little fool was carrying on in The Three Broomsticks like anything."

"You complete arse," muttered George.

"Carrying on, how, Mum?" asked a wary Tonks.

"Ron?" Everyone paused as Hermione's voice cut through his sniffles. "Tell us what happened."

Running a hand along his purpling jaw, Ron began to speak dully. "I was down at the pub—"

"What, we hadn't provided enough for you to get bladdered on at the reception?" snapped Sirius, his hands still curled into fists.

"—and I… well, I was talking loudly, I guess. Showing off. To Lavender."

"Lavender," repeated Hermione. "Lavender Brown? Again?!"

Ron nodded, briefly glancing at Hermione before staring back down at the carpet. "We've… we've been in touch since she got back from that lycanthropy centre Remus set her up with."

Fred frowned at his brother. "Git," he muttered loudly.

Eerily calm, Hermione prompted, "And you thought you could impress her? By what —bragging about your ex-girlfriend's wedding night?"

"Every witch and wizard in Britain wanted to know where you two would be tonight! And I knew!"

"How?" snarled Sirius.

"I'd been coming into the house a lot the last few weeks, and one time, Harry and you were talking in the kitchen about where you might take her for the wedding night."

"You eavesdropped on us? On me?" asked Harry, his voice horribly strained.

Hermione sat down as if something had wilted inside of her.

"Sorry, mate. I thought you were just joking. I wasn't even sure if that Ritz place was real at first. But then, tonight… with Lavender… well, she needed some reassurances before…"

"Before what?" asked Arthur. His normally jovial voice bit like a sharp blade.

"Before she'd go home with me. She wanted proof that Hermione really was married to someone else. Permanently."

"But we're—I'm not—" Clearly exasperated, Hermione ran out of words. "I don't believe this! I am no threat to Lavender Brown, or any witch you try it on with! I haven't been for years!"

Ron shrugged pathetically.

"Someone overheard you, I take it?" asked Remus. His voice was calm, but there was a dark edge to it that had Ron cowering backwards slightly.

"Someone did. I guess."

"You stupid, fucking git!" swore Sirius. "Didn't you think? At all? Didn't you realise that dark wizards might be after her? That they'd want to hurt her for all of this?"

"Who—I—really?" stuttered the younger man.

"They blame her, you fool! She's saved me from Azkaban! By saving me, she's made it impossible for them to resist all of this Ministry garbage. They. Want. To. Hurt. Her."

"Not you?" asked Ron.

"Oh," scoffed Sirius, "I'm sure they'll have a go whenever they can. Umbridge made that quite clear tonight. But Hermione is supposed to be your fucking friend. Man up, already!"

"Who heard him?" asked Kingsley, his bass voice cutting through both Sirius' fury and Ron's snivelling.

"We don't know," replied Andromeda. "Rosie and Hagrid had been with us at the wedding all day. But someone certainly did, and they acted on it. He was still ranting enough about the two of you when we did get there to make for quite the sad little performance."

"I'm sorry," burbled Ron. "Really, I am. 'Mione. I'm so—"

"Don't call her that!" barked Sirius, his eyes flaring.

Hermione looked up from the couch. "Sirius."

"No! He has to earn that. Am I wrong?"

"No," she said, rising to her feet again, "you're not. But let me be the one to yell about it. It is, after all, my name."

Still breathing heavily, Sirius glanced away and then nodded. "Right. Sorry."

Walking straight up to her husband, Hermione took his face in her hands, gave him a small, private smile, and then kissed him on the lips. She lingered there long enough for a ripple of gasped breaths to whip round the room.

"Thank you," she whispered.

For a moment, Sirius simply gazed at her. Then, he shot Ron a murderous look. "Don't disappoint her again," he warned, "or you'll have me to deal with."

Ron nodded quickly. "Understood."

Helping her one-time best friend to his feet, Hermione pursed her lips and then sighed. "Ron, I know you weren't trying to hurt us. I know that. You were just being… I'd say 'male', but there are too many good men in this room right now to blame the lot of you. You know I haven't had the highest expectations about you lately, but it would be wonderful if, at some point, you could stop lowering them even further."

Trying not to pout, Ron muttered, "This isn't—"

"I saw you today," she stressed, cutting him off. "I saw all that hate in your eyes. You've loathed the idea of me marrying Sirius from the start. I can see why Lavender wanted some clarification on where she stood with you before letting you touch her."

"Hermione," he began, "I never—"

"It doesn't matter," she whispered over him. "Truly, it doesn't. I know you're sorry you accidentally set the Death Eaters on us, but that doesn't mean you weren't being an ass beforehand. I'm not going to yell at you — honestly, after everything today, I just don't have the strength — but I do think it would be best if you left now. The less you know about our next moves going forward, the better." When he moved as if to protest, she added, "It isn't forever, but it has to be this way now. Please."

To his credit, Ron didn't fight back. "I am sorry, you know. I really am."

"I know that. I'm sorry, too. We'll see how things are in a bit, yes? Somewhere in there is the Ron I used to know. My friend. I'm sure of it."

"You're always sure of everything," he muttered. Sirius stiffened, standing up a bit straighter at the other wizard's sulky tone, so that Ron quickly clarified, "You're the smart one, remember? I'm just sorry I kicked off whatever this was tonight."

"You really don't remember anything about who was near you and Lavender at the pub?"

He shrugged. "I was pretty far gone."

"Right, then," she said, pressing her lips firmly together. "We'll be in touch… when we can. Depending on what we end up doing next," she finished, casting a quick eye at Sirius.

"Harry will tell him what matters," said Sirius. "In time."

Harry nodded in turn.

"I'd better go, then," said Ron, already stepping back towards the door.

"I'll see him home," offered Harry.

"As will I," Arthur said gravely. "Boys," he said to the twins, "you stay here. Be whatever help you can. Sirius. Hermione. I—I'm so sorry. For everything."

"Not your doing, Arthur," said Sirius. There was a note of true kindness was in his voice. "Still," he added, looking at Ron, "I think it's time to take him home to Molly."

Arthur gave Sirius a long, unspoken look, followed by a short nod.

Within seconds, the two wizards and Ginny had led Ron away and disappeared down the hall to Orion Black's former study, which held the only fireplace still connected to the Floo network.

After a pause, Andromeda gave Hermione a gentle smile. "I know that can't have been easy for you, my dear."

"No," she agreed, "it wasn't. But it was necessary."

"Most things in life usually are. But you have been extraordinary. All day. All night. I saw it in you, you know, from the very first."

Rolling his eyes at Andi's attempt to turn psychic, Sirius cut in. "May I have word, cousin?"

The dark-haired witch gave him an intrigued glance before following him to one of the farthest corners of the room. He waited until she was close to his elbow before pinning her with an icy glare.

"Andromeda Black Tonks!" he hissed. "Did you actually set a honeytrap for me using my own wife?"

She gave an amused snort. "Looks like it almost worked."

"What the hell, Andi?"

"I like her," she pointed out, before pushing an index finger against his chest. "And so do you."

Glowering as inconspicuously as he could, Sirius spat, "Of course, I like her, you daft witch!"

"Well, then?"

"Well?!"

Andi coolly glanced up and down the length of his body. "I take it she's still not yet officially the new Lady Black?"

"Quit bloody interfering!"

"Not a fan of my surprise? Pity. I'd've thought you would've gobbled her up straight away."

A low growl rumbled from his chest. "Leave. It."

Andromeda looked completely unfazed. "Considering how your wedding night just ended, I'll be magnanimous this once. But only once, Sirius. That girl is good for you."

Closing his eyes, Sirius exhaled loudly. "There is nothing 'good' about how this night ended."

"And how it began?" she queried.

"Getting a bit lascivious in your widowhood, are you, Andromeda?"

"Bite your tongue!" she sneered back. "You've always been a horse's ass, Sirius. Thankfully, I've adored you from the start. But when it comes to marriage, you're well shot of your talents. I know a good match when I see one, and you are lucky enough have walked straight into it. Wake up!"

"And you think some raunchy lingerie will be enough to make me throw all caution to the wind?"

"It clearly didn't hurt!"

"Merlin's balls, Andi! Enough! She and I are married now, all right? Do us a favour and shove the interference for half a minute!"

"I—"

Sirius hissed, "If you want anything real to happen here, then back off!"

Andromeda's mouth quirked to one side. Her jaw hardened, mimicking generations of Black women who had gone before her. "That's very interesting," she admitted softly, "but if you think you don't need help in this quarter, then you're madder than I thought. You're enough of a silly sod, you might never see what's in front of you unless someone tweaks your nose about it."

"Get away from me," he huffed.

"Don't I at least get a 'thank you'?"

"A what?!"

"The lingerie. I take it you liked it."

Sirius swallowed, torn between throttling his cousin by the neck and dropping to his knees to thank her for that particular highlight of his wedding night.

In the end, he decided to go for polite disdain. "Thank you, Andromeda. It was perfect. I can still feel it."

"Feel what?"

"The goddamn blue balls from the erection it gave me! That was what you were aiming for, I take it?"

"Not quite," she snorted. "I would have preferred something a bit more climactic, if we're going down the graphic route."

Sighing deeply, Sirius gently took his cousin by her forearm. "If it's going to happen," he said softly, "then it will, but without any extra silk or satin from you, all right?"

For a moment, he wondered if Andromeda would accept his terms.

A breath later, she gave him a grudging nod. "Understood. But I bet she looked amazing."

Sirius exhaled deeply again, but for an entirely different reason. "You have no idea."

"You're welcome."

He paused. Then, kissing her on the temple, he whispered, "Thank you," before walking back towards his wife.

"That's better," muttered Andi, watching him go. "Prat."

Given all that had happened, no one really went to bed that night. Hermione had contemplated asking Sirius if they could go upstairs together, even for just an hour or two, but she also wasn't sure of what that might mean — for them, or for anyone else around them.

No one at Grimmauld Place knew about their current 'arrangement' — and if they did, what might happen then?

Hermione was all at sixes and sevens. One minute, she'd feel just like her old self, perhaps even more so with the tension flying about the place. The next, she'd be all at sea, lost in waves of sudden feelings, hundreds of butterflies dancing in her stomach every time Sirius looked at her with that certain smoulder in his eye.

Havoc, she could handle. But him? How on earth could she ever handle him?

Beyond what she felt — was beginning to feel? had already felt for ages? — there were simple, practical questions now that they had gone through with the wedding. What did they do about bedrooms going forward when they were with the rest of the Order? How much did they let anyone else see of what had transpired between them already? Was there anything to see, or had Umbridge's attack negated her brilliant plan?

In the end, she decided it wasn't worth the risk to ask him, no matter how much she wanted otherwise. Instead, she settled for an uncomfortable and very brief rest on the couch in the front parlour — a long cry from the sleep she once thought she might have, in that fairy tale bed next to Sirius.

Before their world had imploded.

Before she'd destroyed the bed and the rest of their suite in order to save them both.

Hermione wasn't sure if Sirius had slept at all. He didn't look as if he had. His own cuts and bruises from the night before had been dealt with — including that nasty-looking gash Umbridge had given him with her transfigured knife — but there was a jumpiness to him that belied sleep, and his hair looked as if he'd raked his fingers through it one too many times.

Things hadn't been helped by Arthur's announcement shortly before dawn that most of the Floo network was now on high alert.

"What does that mean?" asked a bleary-eyed Harry. He, Ginny, and Arthur had all returned to Grimmauld Place after leaving Ron at The Burrow.

"It means, Potter," said McGonagall, "that the magical borders of our island have just been closed. Any Floo activity will be strictly watched, and any attempt by suspicious characters to leave the country will be stopped."

"There're always hippogriffs," snarked Sirius.

"Not this time," admonished McGonagall. "You won't be able to pull that stunning trick again. With Dolores' known hatred for all things with hooves? Heavens, no! Absolutely not."

As dawn broke over London, the newspapers began to arrive:

"WEDDING MAYHEM: MARRIAGE LAW MATCH ENDS IN FIERY EXPLOSIONS!"; "LONDON LANDMARK IN CHAOS AFTER BLACK-GRANGER HONEYMOON GOES AWRY"; "BLACKS FLEE THE SCENE AFTER MAJOR EXPLOSIONS ROCK CENTRAL LONDON"; "WEDDING NIGHT ENDS WITH THE WRONG KIND OF BANG!"

Only The Quibbler seemed to be behind the times, focusing on the wedding itself rather than the chaos that had followed at The Ritz: "TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL!" Its headline was positioned atop a moving picture of Sirius kissing Hermione repeatedly during their wedding dance.

But the most chilling piece was Rita Skeeter's article. It began above the fold on the front page of The Daily Prophet. Two images were juxtaposed: one of Sirius and Hermione in their bridal finery standing alongside Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge in a formal portrait from the wedding reception yesterday afternoon; the second, a bruised and battered Umbridge standing in front of her office at the Ministry in the middle of the night, addressing the awaiting reporters. Her hair was askew, her signature pink bow and robes smeared with grey ash and bloody cuts marring her forehead and left cheek.

"Yesterday's wedding of Lord Sirius Black, and the Muggle-born witch, Hermione Granger, began in blissful triumph but ended in bloody terror. While the ceremony proceeded as expected — fulfilling all stipulated requirements of the Ministry's Pureblood Marriages Act — things changed once the bride and groom had left their reception for The Ritz London, a famous Muggle hotel in Piccadilly, roughly one mile from Diagon Alley.

While exact details from later that evening are as-yet unknown, the honeymoon was certainly short-lived.

Shortly before midnight, a series of explosions rocked the hotel, demolishing the Blacks' suite. A subsequent cave-in then destroyed a notable portion of the hotel. There are, as yet, no reported Muggle deaths from the debacle, but the Department for Magical Law Enforcement was occupied throughout the night performing hundreds of memory modifications on patrons of the hotel and Muggles in the surrounding area.

While the Muggle prime minister was informed as to the true nature of the event — and, no doubt, was alarmed to realise that Sirius Black was, once again, at the centre of reported nefarious activities — the rest of Muggle London was told and has accepted that an unavoidable 'gas leak' caused the fiery mayhem.

Dolores Umbridge, Deputy Minister for Magic, was on the scene within moments and witnessed the destruction at the Muggle hotel first-hand. While refusing to directly confirm or deny rumours that an unhinged Lord Black had attacked innocent Muggle bystanders and has since disappeared, taking his bride hostage, Deputy Minister Umbridge did make the following appeal to the newlyweds:

'The Ministry understands, of course, that weddings can be fraught affairs. They can bring out the worst in us, and high emotions often have unfortunate consequences. Perhaps the stress associated with this immense day has triggered some unresolved trauma from Lord Black's past, in which there are, tragically, many grave and violent incidents. Regardless, we have just one thing to say in light of what has happened in London earlier tonight: Sirius. Hermione. Do not do anything rash. There is no need to panic. We want you to be safe. Mistakes made in haste can be forgiven, if appropriate levels of contrition and regret are shown. You do not need to be afraid. You are so important to us all. Please, come home.'

As always, this reporter and the entire staff at The Daily Prophet promise to convey all details from this alarming case as they continue to unfold."

"Fuck," growled Sirius. "What does she mean, 'come home'? I am in my bloody home, you stupid bint!"

"I think it's a bit worse than that," said Remus, plucking the newspaper out of his friend's hands.

"How much worse?" asked Hermione.

Tonks stepped up to stand beside her mate. "Well, that's a clear threat from Umbridge, innit? Pure and simple. The primmer Umbridge sounds, the worse she has it in for you, doesn't she?"

Harry nodded in agreement, unthinkingly rubbing at the back of his left hand.

Tonks laughed sadly. "You two certainly kicked up a bloody hornets' nest last night."

"By getting married?"

"By getting around the law. That's a declaration of war, right there. Don't you see it?"

"Of course, I do!" Hermione said hotly. "But how did we go from one extreme to the other so quickly? Twenty-four hours ago, Umbridge was a guest at our wedding!"

"Wouldn't open her gift if I were you," muttered Tonks.

Rolling his eyes, Sirius then looked to the two wizards who, in their own way, had begun this entire chain of events. "Kingsley? Arthur? Any advice?"

"I said it before, Sirius," intoned Kingsley, "you're not safe here. They want one of you, possibly both, and they are not going to stop until they have you."

Arthur nodded. "Kingsley's right. London isn't safe. Not now — not perhaps for the foreseeable future. After this morning, if anyone from our world spots you, you'll be reported. And we all remember what that was like before, don't we?"

Hermione shivered as memories of the Snatchers swamped her.

"Can't you just hide us?" she asked. She couldn't help the plaintive note in her voice; it was still early in the morning, after all. No one was really themselves before a bracing cup of tea. "Can't we just disappear?"

"Not in London," Arthur repeated. "They've locked down the Floo network for who knows how long, and it's also too dangerous to apparate outside of the country."

She cast a glance at Remus, who readily explained, "The splinching risk is astronomical at such a far distance, even if you know where you want to be."

Sighting, she turned to Sirius. "What do we do?"

Before her husband could say a word, Arthur replied instead. He always could command a room when the situation was grave enough — and this certainly qualified as such. "Head north," he suggested. "Go alone. Go now. You have a few hours at most before the confusion from the past night hardens into something else."

Sirius scowled. "Aren't we being a bit too presumptive, here? Wouldn't us disappearing just give the Ministry even more clout? It'll confirm any story Skeeter wants to print!"

"How much more do they need?" Remus asked him. "Death Eaters were able to get to you, and the Ministry isn't stopping them. They're not admitting anything of the kind even happened. And yet, with Umbridge involved, they're also holding the reins. The others are right. You have to go."

"A safe house would be best," said Arthur. "Somewhere well out of sight. Avoid anywhere obvious — Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, any place where you could be recognised. Losing yourself amongst the Muggles would be best, if you can. Or isolate yourselves completely. In any scenario, you'll need to be able to move quickly if you're found."

Hermione's face fell. "We'll be on the run?"

Sirius sighed, briefly covering his face with his hands. "For once in my life," he groused, "I'd like a decade where I don't have to be a fucking fugitive."

"You're still in your thirties," pointed out Tonks.

"Only if you bugger the maths." Turning to the others, he added, "Muggle Britain isn't the same place I knew back in the '70s. Finding somewhere on this island that I know well enough but where we won't be recognised might be a tall order."

Remus tilted his head. "But I don't think you'd take kindly to being under house arrest again."

Sirius whirled about. "Merlin, no! At least, not in this house. Not any, if we can help it."

Sirius barely repressed a shudder. Harry and Hermione had done wonders with the place while he'd been dead, but it was still his mother's house. It always would be. And the thought of not being able to leave again… of being trapped and confined in such a dark, twisted, soul-crushing space…

Hermione half-raised a hand and cleared her throat. "I have an idea," she said. A line appeared between her eyebrows, which always happened when she was thinking deeply about something. "I know a place. At least, I think I do. But," she added, catching Sirius' eye, "you might not like it."

"Is it Azkaban? This house? The Slytherin common room?"

"No."

"Then we're fine," he said, a small spark kindling in his eye as he looked at her. "Where are we going?"

"Scotland."

"I'm on board so far."

Harry leaned forward. "'Mione? Where are you talking about?"

"It's near the Mam Ratagan Pass. You haven't been there before. I haven't been there myself in ages. My parents used to rent a cottage there when I was little. It's very remote, but not so abandoned that a few new faces down at the local inn would raise any flags. And once we're there, it's close enough that we could apparate to Hogsmeade in an absolute emergency."

Remus, Arthur, and Kingsley shared a look before all three men turned to Tonks.

"Well, don't look at me, lads," she protested. "If 'Mione says it'll do, then it'll do."

"What would Mad-Eye say?" asked Sirius. He was honestly curious.

Tonks thought for a moment before answering. Her words were carefully chosen, as if hearing her late mentor's voice in her ear. "He'd yell at us not to ask any more questions, in case the Death Eaters try to press one of us for information. And he'd say to trust Sirius." She looked knowingly at her cousin. "You were able to stay well-hidden after Azkaban. You already know how to do this. 'Course, you didn't have a wife last time," she added, "but I doubt if our 'Mione's going to be a burden to you. She's had months of doing this kind of thing, too."

"I could live and die without setting foot in another tent," grumbled Hermione.

"A cottage is scads better than a tent," pointed out Sirius.

"If we can make it there. We have to get out of London first."

"You'll have to use as little magic as possible," warned Remus. "If Umbridge is behind this, she'll be putting a trace on you soon, if she hasn't already done so."

"A trace?" The edginess in Hermione's voice ratcheted up several more notches. Tonks put an arm around her and led her away to the other side of the room, Minerva following after them. Sirius watched them go, wondering what on earth his younger cousin might be saying. In his experience, the only things that could calm Hermione down once she'd gotten this rallied were countless cups of tea and one of those racy books she always denied reading, but which he'd found stashed away in almost every room of the house.

"Are you up for this?" muttered Remus in his ear.

"It's been a hell of a week, I grant you. A vacation might be exactly what we need."

"It's not exactly the honeymoon you might've been planning."

Sirius scowled at his oldest friend. "Five hours ago you nearly had my bollocks in a sling for much less. What's changed?"

"Nothing. I still think you shouldn't be anywhere near her. Not her bed, at any rate," Remus corrected himself.

"You and Tonks need to live a little. Beds are purely incidental to a good shag."

"Sirius," growled the werewolf.

"Oh, go muzzle yourself, Moony! I was only joking!"

The frosty arch in Remus' raised eyebrow spoke volumes. "I just wonder about that."

"Wonder all you like." Taking a deep breath, Sirius let the blasé tone fall out of his voice. "Look, we're not stupid. This marriage will not be consummated. Not now. Not in the future. You have my word." He watched Remus watching him, clearly not satisfied. "Merlin's balls, Moony! I'm doing my best, here!" Curling his lip, Sirius then added, "Your mother-in-law is hoping for a rather different outcome, by the way."

"Oh, I know it. And she might not be wrong."

"What's that?"

"I told you that at the ceremony yesterday — this marriage is a good thing."

Sirius' jaw nearly hit the floor. "Then why are you always hassling me about her?"

"Because," said Remus rather pointedly, "I also seem to be the only one who remembers that actions have consequences. Believe me, I'd much rather be with Andi and Dora in cheering you two on. And I would do, if you two falling into bed together didn't also invoke an irrevocable marriage bond. But it does — and she's not even twenty-one yet."

"I know that. But still, why—"

"You and James made me the responsible one decades ago, and now you just have to deal with the consequences."

"We're not kids anymore," he responded before gesturing at Hermione, "and neither is she."

Before Remus could have another go, Sirius decided he'd had enough.

Raising his voice, he announced, "Gentlemen. Ladies. If you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with my wife. Alone."

From where she stood on the far side of the room talking in low whispers with Tonks and McGonagall, Hermione suddenly grew still.

"Mind what I told you, Miss Granger," said McGonagall.

"Lady Black," said Sirius, his crisp voice ringing around the room.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Minerva, sounding rather shocked. She gave Sirius a glare worthy of a Hogwarts Headmistress.

"It's 'Lady Black'," he said more softly. "That's the second time you've called her something else. The marriage is real, Minnie. She's Lady Black now."

Minerva's mouth fell open briefly before she snapped it shut again. If Sirius hadn't been more worried that his former professor was about to hex him for outright shirtiness, he could have sworn there was an almost impressed gleam in her eye.

"Of course," she said, tilting her head ever so slightly. "My apologies."

Sirius gave her a small grateful smile, and the tension evaporated.

"Sirius," whispered Harry. The concern on the boy's face was plain to see.

He clapped a hand on his godson's shoulder. "Not to worry, lad. We'll be all right. But Hermione and I need to talk about a few things. I'm sure that's fine with all of you?"

"Of course, it is," said Andromeda, already ushering the others to the door. "Don't leave without saying goodbye?"

Sirius nodded once, his eyes on the antique carpet while the Order members filed out of the parlour. Only once everyone was gone, did he raise his gaze to Hermione.

For the first time since their escape, they were alone.

Initially, all they did was stare at one another. Then she made a sound, a soft hitch that he felt like a chord being struck at the base of spine.

The next moment, she was in his arms.

There wasn't an inch of space between them as they kissed, their lips moving and shifting, their hands tangling in each other's hair as if they could meld themselves into one being.

Hermione's sense of feeling lost seemed to double, even while she anchored herself in his embrace.

This was just because of the attack, she told herself. That's why it all felt so desperate. She knew that. No point hoping otherwise.

"Why are they doing this?" she whispered sadly in his ear, before gasping a second later when his hot mouth moved down the sensitive column of her neck, branding her skin. He then pressed his lips firmly against the side of her head and drew her to him, needing her to feel him, to feel the strength of what was raging inside of him, before he could answer her.

"I don't know," he muttered, his mouth in her hair. "But, we're alive. We've made it this far. We'll be all right." His hands ran up and down her back, pressing her to him as if he could somehow take her inside of himself and keep her safe.

"How do you know that?"

"I don't know anything, love. Not about what's happening out there. But I do know that you're the most brilliant witch I've ever met, and I'm not too bad in a fight, myself, so long as you keep me away from any free-standing curtains."

She huffed a laugh despite herself and then buried her head against his shoulder. "We just got married yesterday!"

He couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. Maybe both.

"And you only propositioned me the day before that," he reminded her. Unable to help himself, he kissed her again, sipping at her lips as if he couldn't bear not to be touching them. "Don't worry, love," he breathed a long moment later. "It's the two of us now. But first things first. We have to get out of London — and this beautiful house — at once."

"We go north?"

Sirius nodded, and then pressed a soft, single kiss to her mouth. "I think I can handle being in a secluded cottage with you for weeks on end."

Hermione bit her lip. She couldn't help it. With everything that had happened in the last two days, she felt she couldn't keep up. "About last night…?"

His hands tightened on where they had been holding her hips. "Yes?"

"It—it doesn't end there, does it? Our plan? Or would you rather—?"

His mouth fell open for a moment, but she couldn't tell if it was in shock or amusement.

When one of his hands came up to roughly push the curls back from her face, she leaned into his palm, needing his touch.

"What kind of a cad do you take me for?" he whispered harshly. "Look at me, kitten."

She did.

His eyes burnt into her.

"You're mine now, do you hear me? Mine to play with. Mine to teach. Mine to savour and to corrupt. Don't you know that? I know it can't be forever, but once we get somewhere safe, I'll make sure you never forget, ever again. Circe, woman — touching you might be the only thing that keeps the both of us sane for the next few weeks."

"Really?" asked Hermione, still staring up into his handsome face.

Sirius' eyes softened, drinking her in. "I know it."

In all that was to follow, she kept the memory of those words close in her mind.

Sirius wanted her. He did.

They had this time together, at least.

Hermione already knew she'd be a fool to ask for more.