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Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or any of the characters, I just like to play with them
Aftermath
Number twelve, Grimmauld Place had never been so packed. The marriage law had served to swell the number of members in the Order of the Phoenix. Mrs. Weasley was preparing food for the meeting but wasn’t her usual plucky self. While she was proud of her sons for their sacrifice it made her sad to think about what they had given up. Bill, Charlie, Fred and George had all broken off their engagements in order to marry muggleborn witches. Bill had a great deal of sympathy for Sirius as he was faced with a child bride of his own. He had already purchased Shell Cottage for he and Fleur, it was supposed to have been a surprise.
Ron however was off of the hook. The ministry added a clause to the marriage law. They decreed that any pureblood male of age who was currently enrolled in school was unfit to serve as a husband regardless of age or familial background.
Despite there being a now larger number of pureblood men willing to serve as husbands to protect muggleborn witches there were no new marriages. The ministry had dug in its heels and had a whole host of fresh excuses for why a marriage wasn’t suitable. One good thing about Sirius and Hermione’s union was that they had set a precedent. The ministry had neglected to include a clause about female students before Hermione and Sirius had exploited their lack of foresight. They couldn’t forbid a marriage because the witch was still in school. Dumbledore wondered just how much trouble that would end up buying Hermione.
Snape gave a report on the goings on of Voldemort and his death eaters. Sirius had made an enemy of Lucius Malfoy who was trying to use his position within Voldemorts organization to exact some sort of vengeance against him. So far he had been unsuccessful. Voldemort had little patience with stupidity which is exactly what sending the letter had been. Snape cautioned that Lucius wouldn’t let it go at that. If an opportunity presented itself Sirius and Hermione could be placed in danger.
Snape couldn’t resist digging at Sirius. He sat back down and muttered at Sirius in his silky superior voice. “If you had left it alone when I excused Draco…”
Sirius didn’t wait for Snape to finish. He flicked his wand under the table, vanishing the legs.
Snape fell to the ground with a crack as the chair shattered in to pieces.
“Sirius Black! Why can’t you behave?” Molly’s voice held just a hint of amusement. She was grateful to Sirius for protecting Hermione and also sympathetic to him. She knew he would never choose this but figured that Sirius wasn’t a bad choice. She didn’t necessarily approve of the match however she was pleased to have Sirius married. It was what she wanted all along. Molly would take what she could get. She was going to keep a close eye on things knowing how this could turned out. Sex was a phenomenal social lubricant, maybe something would develop here.
One after another the new pureblood members pulled names out of Dumbledore’s hat. Most of the unmarried witches were young, many classmates of Hermione. Dumbledore didn’t agree with Remus’ analysis of the purpose behind the law. He didn’t feel that it was aimed at pulling muggleborns out of the general population. He believed it was about pulling soldiers out of Hogwarts where the final battle would take place. If that were true, Hermione and Sirius didn’t have long to stay in safety.
It was with no satisfaction that Dumbledore took note of the greater numbers in his little band of rebels. The marriage law served as one hell of a distraction from their goal as a whole. All of these new husbands would have to take great care with other missions, most couldn’t serve at all. They had to stay alive and well for these witches.
October the first was just a couple of weeks away. They had to get in touch with their witches, explain their intentions and try to get these unions approved before the law went into affect. Dumbledore’s contacts at the ministry were apprised of the situation. The plan was to descend on the Office for the Control of Unmarried Muggleborns en masse. The hope was that the office would be overwhelmed and that some of these marriages would go through.
Rita had owled Sirius to let him know when her article would be coming out. She asked him not to say anything about it. She had received a bit of flack from the ministry which really irritated her. She was running it as an expose of incompetence. The Order was coordinating with the release of the article in the hopes that the increased amount of pressure would work in their favor.
Dumbledore expressed his concern to Sirius about the article however it was too late to do anything about it. Rita was like a dog on a hunt, nothing would deter her from running the piece. She was known for being outspoken against the ministry and it had brought her fame. Dumbledore worried that this time she had bitten off more than she could chew. He also worried what challenges the article held for Hermione and Sirius.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Hermione hadn’t wanted to talk about her weekend with Sirius, not even with Ginny. Her emotions were confused. She felt violated by the ministry, forced into doing something that should have been of her own choosing. None of these feelings were directed at Sirius though, his care made the experience wonderful. Her mind kept intruding with little snippets of her night with him. The memory of his voice, lips and hands would send a fiery ripple through her body. She found it overwhelming and even a little disconcerting.
Sirius had been right. She did see him in a new light. The experience had been emotionally taxing on both of them and yet there was a comfort between them. Getting through sex the one time seemed enough for the both of them. Neither was ready to break free of their previous roles. Hermione had woken up before him and had quietly showered and gone downstairs to make breakfast. He was still nude and so she respectfully gave him his privacy.
When he had emerged from the bed, showered and dressed she had felt some awkwardness. He wouldn’t permit it though, engaging her in conversation and gentle teasing while studiously avoiding any discussion of their love making. In fact the only time it was referenced was when they picked a day to meet each week. If she had been asked what the difference between them was she couldn’t have put her finger on it. She only knew that it was there and that it was comfortable.
He had been considerate of her feelings, in the middle of the week she received an owl from him. It was just a short note to tell her that he had enjoyed taking her sight seeing and that he hoped she had a good week. She was seventeen and a girl and he seemed to know that a note from him would quell any doubts or insecurities she may be experiencing.
In the privacy of her mind she decided that on the whole the experience had been pleasant. She even admitted to herself that she had enjoyed it. She realized it was something she could handle. Never in a million years would she have chosen this situation but facing it with him was acceptable.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Ginny wouldn’t be put off for long. She understood that Hermione needed a little time to process her weekend and so she gave Hermione a couple of days to herself. Ginny believed that it would help her to talk about it plus she was just dying to know.
Ginny knocked on the door to Hermione’s private room. Hermione let her in, offered Ginny tea who accepted readily. Hermione had been studying alone, away from the others. The awkwardness between her and Ron was something she had decided to avoid. Ron wouldn’t speak to her at all except to grump and grumble. He handled his jealousy in a very predictable manner. Harry was just glad that Hermione was safe, he trusted Sirius even if he didn’t want to think about it too much. When Ron wasn’t around they talked and laughed as normal however Ron’s presence created tension among the three friends.
Ginny pushed Hermione’s books aside and stretched out on the bed next to Hermione.
“Alright, time to spill.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hermione, I understand you needed a few days to yourself but if you are going to get back to normal you have to talk about it.”
Hermione sighed, Ginny was probably right. It probably would help to talk about it.
“It’s not me, it’s Ron. He’s avoiding me.”
Ginny waved her hand in the air, “Not him! Sirius!” Ginny paused for a moment and then addressed the situation with her brother. “Although Ron is being a prick about it, I agree.” Ginny closed in on her true subject matter. “So, how was it?”
“How was what?”
“Hermione, you know what I mean!”
“I don’t know!” Hermione turned away from Ginny so she couldn’t see her red face.
“You were there, weren’t you?”
Hermione stood up and paced the room. She spoke with a raised voice, gesturing wildly with her hands. “Ginerva Weasley what do you want me to say? That every time I think about him I can feel his hands on me? That I’m confused as to how I feel about him now? What?”
Ginny smiled at her friend. “I’d say those were good places to start. So it was enjoyable, yes?”
Hermione sat back on the bed with a sigh, “Oh, yes. Most definitely.”
Ginny squealed and scooted close to her friend. “And?”
“And what? You want details?”
“Yes!”
“Absolutely not! That’s between him and me. I wouldn’t appreciate it if he did it to me.”
“Oh, alright.” Ginny huffed, she looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. “So you think you have feelings for him?”
“I don’t know.” Hermione let herself fall back on the bed. “I know things were different between us afterwards and now…well, now I’m having trouble not thinking about him.”
“Different how?”
“Different…comfortable.”
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Hermione tripped and fell on her way to Transfiguration. Why was it always this class? She picked up her book bag which thankfully hadn’t scattered her books. She turned in time to see Draco Malfoy raise his wand. She was able to put up a shield charm just in time.
“I am amazed at your stupidity, do you have any clue what my husband would do to you?”
“You’ll pay for what you did to me, mudblood.”
He said that word to her so many times that it truly had lost its edge. Hermione rolled her and eyes and flicked her wand at him. Draco hadn’t been paying attention to the wand in her hand. He began crowing like a rooster, flapping his arms like wings and mock pecking the ground for seeds. Hermione doubled over with laughter. Sirius had given her that spell to use in case Draco gave her any trouble. It wasn’t strong enough to do any real damage and would give her a chance to get away.
She couldn’t wait to tell him how well it had worked when she realized she couldn’t say a word to him. If he found out Draco had bothered her he could prove unpredictable. Sirius would be visiting her once a week in her private dormitory which meant he would have some access to Draco since he would be in the castle.
Suddenly Hermione’s body flooded with a memory from that night. She blushed and tried to shake it off. These thoughts were proving to be a real nuisance no matter how delicious they felt. Hermione ran to Transfiguration, just making it in time.
0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Sirius sat in the drawing room, slowly sipping his firewhiskey in front of the fire. He had been thinking over his weekend with Hermione, coming to terms with it. He’d had to push aside every thought of her mental preparedness and get them both through it. Now that it was done he felt maybe he had underestimated her. She had been a little shy the morning after, blushing quite a lot when she looked at him but didn’t seem in any way damaged by her experience. Once he’d established that there would be no awkwardness between them she had become quite warm with him. He refused to let her feel like anything less than his wife. The ministry wanted them married and he would honor her as such. There was something quite comfortable between them and he liked it.
The truth he tried not to think about was that she had made him feel young again. It had been a long, long time since he had been with a woman that unspoiled and fresh. It was almost forbidden, a man his age getting to touch such a young prize. She deserved so much better than him and yet somehow she was his. He gave some consideration to what it meant that he, Sirius Black and all that had come to mean, was now a married man.
Sirius heard something at the door and turned to see Remus entering the room. He took a seat in front of the fire with him. “When did you get back?”
“Couple of days ago.”
“So?”
“Well, it was a little tense at first. I really put my foot in it at her parents.” Sirius shuddered at the memory.
“I guess she didn’t take that well.”
“No, she was really angry with me. Called me a playboy.” Sirius had to chuckle.
“Called that one right.” Remus said this under his breath. Sirius caught it all the same.
“What! I am not!”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Every day of my life.” Sirius winked at his old friend.
Remus sighed at the poor joke, shaking his head. “You don’t work, living off your very considerable inheritance. You’ve never had a steady girlfriend and you’ve never even considered having a family. I’m not saying its right or wrong but it is who you are.”
“That’s not true, I’ve always wanted a family,” said Sirius quietly. “I’m just never where the nice girls are.”
“Which is exactly my point, you like to have a good time. The only thing a nice girl would get with you is trouble. Speaking of which, how do you intend to conduct yourself now that you’re married.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean are you going to show a little self restraint? If those rings know when you’ve shagged her they might know when you’ve shagged anyone else. Could be embarrassing for her.”
“I really hadn’t thought it through.” Sirius conjured a piece of parchment, a quill and a pot of ink.
“Can you?” Remus had been a casual witness to Sirius’ considerable sexual appetite. He never brought his women to Grimmauld Place because it was Order headquarters but he did go home with a wide variety of women. Some were ‘regulars’ others more recent acquisitions.
“I don’t know, never had to before.” Sirius penned a quick little note.
“If you embarrass her you know Molly will have your balls for it.”
Sirius swallowed dryly. “Guess I’d better be a good boy.”
“So, is she still mad at you?”
“Nah. She got over it.” Sirius grinned again at the memory of their mild flirtation in the cottage.
“And?”
“Well, once we both believed that I wasn’t going to hurt her it went just fine.”
“How did she like Salzburg?”
“Quite a lot actually. Wouldn’t let me take her shopping but we did some sight seeing.”
“She’s a pretty girl isn’t she?”
A soft look came over Sirius’ face. “She’s one beautiful young woman, Remus. I’m not sure what I did right to get so lucky.”
Aftermath
Number twelve, Grimmauld Place had never been so packed. The marriage law had served to swell the number of members in the Order of the Phoenix. Mrs. Weasley was preparing food for the meeting but wasn’t her usual plucky self. While she was proud of her sons for their sacrifice it made her sad to think about what they had given up. Bill, Charlie, Fred and George had all broken off their engagements in order to marry muggleborn witches. Bill had a great deal of sympathy for Sirius as he was faced with a child bride of his own. He had already purchased Shell Cottage for he and Fleur, it was supposed to have been a surprise.
Ron however was off of the hook. The ministry added a clause to the marriage law. They decreed that any pureblood male of age who was currently enrolled in school was unfit to serve as a husband regardless of age or familial background.
Despite there being a now larger number of pureblood men willing to serve as husbands to protect muggleborn witches there were no new marriages. The ministry had dug in its heels and had a whole host of fresh excuses for why a marriage wasn’t suitable. One good thing about Sirius and Hermione’s union was that they had set a precedent. The ministry had neglected to include a clause about female students before Hermione and Sirius had exploited their lack of foresight. They couldn’t forbid a marriage because the witch was still in school. Dumbledore wondered just how much trouble that would end up buying Hermione.
Snape gave a report on the goings on of Voldemort and his death eaters. Sirius had made an enemy of Lucius Malfoy who was trying to use his position within Voldemorts organization to exact some sort of vengeance against him. So far he had been unsuccessful. Voldemort had little patience with stupidity which is exactly what sending the letter had been. Snape cautioned that Lucius wouldn’t let it go at that. If an opportunity presented itself Sirius and Hermione could be placed in danger.
Snape couldn’t resist digging at Sirius. He sat back down and muttered at Sirius in his silky superior voice. “If you had left it alone when I excused Draco…”
Sirius didn’t wait for Snape to finish. He flicked his wand under the table, vanishing the legs.
Snape fell to the ground with a crack as the chair shattered in to pieces.
“Sirius Black! Why can’t you behave?” Molly’s voice held just a hint of amusement. She was grateful to Sirius for protecting Hermione and also sympathetic to him. She knew he would never choose this but figured that Sirius wasn’t a bad choice. She didn’t necessarily approve of the match however she was pleased to have Sirius married. It was what she wanted all along. Molly would take what she could get. She was going to keep a close eye on things knowing how this could turned out. Sex was a phenomenal social lubricant, maybe something would develop here.
One after another the new pureblood members pulled names out of Dumbledore’s hat. Most of the unmarried witches were young, many classmates of Hermione. Dumbledore didn’t agree with Remus’ analysis of the purpose behind the law. He didn’t feel that it was aimed at pulling muggleborns out of the general population. He believed it was about pulling soldiers out of Hogwarts where the final battle would take place. If that were true, Hermione and Sirius didn’t have long to stay in safety.
It was with no satisfaction that Dumbledore took note of the greater numbers in his little band of rebels. The marriage law served as one hell of a distraction from their goal as a whole. All of these new husbands would have to take great care with other missions, most couldn’t serve at all. They had to stay alive and well for these witches.
October the first was just a couple of weeks away. They had to get in touch with their witches, explain their intentions and try to get these unions approved before the law went into affect. Dumbledore’s contacts at the ministry were apprised of the situation. The plan was to descend on the Office for the Control of Unmarried Muggleborns en masse. The hope was that the office would be overwhelmed and that some of these marriages would go through.
Rita had owled Sirius to let him know when her article would be coming out. She asked him not to say anything about it. She had received a bit of flack from the ministry which really irritated her. She was running it as an expose of incompetence. The Order was coordinating with the release of the article in the hopes that the increased amount of pressure would work in their favor.
Dumbledore expressed his concern to Sirius about the article however it was too late to do anything about it. Rita was like a dog on a hunt, nothing would deter her from running the piece. She was known for being outspoken against the ministry and it had brought her fame. Dumbledore worried that this time she had bitten off more than she could chew. He also worried what challenges the article held for Hermione and Sirius.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Hermione hadn’t wanted to talk about her weekend with Sirius, not even with Ginny. Her emotions were confused. She felt violated by the ministry, forced into doing something that should have been of her own choosing. None of these feelings were directed at Sirius though, his care made the experience wonderful. Her mind kept intruding with little snippets of her night with him. The memory of his voice, lips and hands would send a fiery ripple through her body. She found it overwhelming and even a little disconcerting.
Sirius had been right. She did see him in a new light. The experience had been emotionally taxing on both of them and yet there was a comfort between them. Getting through sex the one time seemed enough for the both of them. Neither was ready to break free of their previous roles. Hermione had woken up before him and had quietly showered and gone downstairs to make breakfast. He was still nude and so she respectfully gave him his privacy.
When he had emerged from the bed, showered and dressed she had felt some awkwardness. He wouldn’t permit it though, engaging her in conversation and gentle teasing while studiously avoiding any discussion of their love making. In fact the only time it was referenced was when they picked a day to meet each week. If she had been asked what the difference between them was she couldn’t have put her finger on it. She only knew that it was there and that it was comfortable.
He had been considerate of her feelings, in the middle of the week she received an owl from him. It was just a short note to tell her that he had enjoyed taking her sight seeing and that he hoped she had a good week. She was seventeen and a girl and he seemed to know that a note from him would quell any doubts or insecurities she may be experiencing.
In the privacy of her mind she decided that on the whole the experience had been pleasant. She even admitted to herself that she had enjoyed it. She realized it was something she could handle. Never in a million years would she have chosen this situation but facing it with him was acceptable.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Ginny wouldn’t be put off for long. She understood that Hermione needed a little time to process her weekend and so she gave Hermione a couple of days to herself. Ginny believed that it would help her to talk about it plus she was just dying to know.
Ginny knocked on the door to Hermione’s private room. Hermione let her in, offered Ginny tea who accepted readily. Hermione had been studying alone, away from the others. The awkwardness between her and Ron was something she had decided to avoid. Ron wouldn’t speak to her at all except to grump and grumble. He handled his jealousy in a very predictable manner. Harry was just glad that Hermione was safe, he trusted Sirius even if he didn’t want to think about it too much. When Ron wasn’t around they talked and laughed as normal however Ron’s presence created tension among the three friends.
Ginny pushed Hermione’s books aside and stretched out on the bed next to Hermione.
“Alright, time to spill.”
“Excuse me?”
“Hermione, I understand you needed a few days to yourself but if you are going to get back to normal you have to talk about it.”
Hermione sighed, Ginny was probably right. It probably would help to talk about it.
“It’s not me, it’s Ron. He’s avoiding me.”
Ginny waved her hand in the air, “Not him! Sirius!” Ginny paused for a moment and then addressed the situation with her brother. “Although Ron is being a prick about it, I agree.” Ginny closed in on her true subject matter. “So, how was it?”
“How was what?”
“Hermione, you know what I mean!”
“I don’t know!” Hermione turned away from Ginny so she couldn’t see her red face.
“You were there, weren’t you?”
Hermione stood up and paced the room. She spoke with a raised voice, gesturing wildly with her hands. “Ginerva Weasley what do you want me to say? That every time I think about him I can feel his hands on me? That I’m confused as to how I feel about him now? What?”
Ginny smiled at her friend. “I’d say those were good places to start. So it was enjoyable, yes?”
Hermione sat back on the bed with a sigh, “Oh, yes. Most definitely.”
Ginny squealed and scooted close to her friend. “And?”
“And what? You want details?”
“Yes!”
“Absolutely not! That’s between him and me. I wouldn’t appreciate it if he did it to me.”
“Oh, alright.” Ginny huffed, she looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. “So you think you have feelings for him?”
“I don’t know.” Hermione let herself fall back on the bed. “I know things were different between us afterwards and now…well, now I’m having trouble not thinking about him.”
“Different how?”
“Different…comfortable.”
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Hermione tripped and fell on her way to Transfiguration. Why was it always this class? She picked up her book bag which thankfully hadn’t scattered her books. She turned in time to see Draco Malfoy raise his wand. She was able to put up a shield charm just in time.
“I am amazed at your stupidity, do you have any clue what my husband would do to you?”
“You’ll pay for what you did to me, mudblood.”
He said that word to her so many times that it truly had lost its edge. Hermione rolled her and eyes and flicked her wand at him. Draco hadn’t been paying attention to the wand in her hand. He began crowing like a rooster, flapping his arms like wings and mock pecking the ground for seeds. Hermione doubled over with laughter. Sirius had given her that spell to use in case Draco gave her any trouble. It wasn’t strong enough to do any real damage and would give her a chance to get away.
She couldn’t wait to tell him how well it had worked when she realized she couldn’t say a word to him. If he found out Draco had bothered her he could prove unpredictable. Sirius would be visiting her once a week in her private dormitory which meant he would have some access to Draco since he would be in the castle.
Suddenly Hermione’s body flooded with a memory from that night. She blushed and tried to shake it off. These thoughts were proving to be a real nuisance no matter how delicious they felt. Hermione ran to Transfiguration, just making it in time.
0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Sirius sat in the drawing room, slowly sipping his firewhiskey in front of the fire. He had been thinking over his weekend with Hermione, coming to terms with it. He’d had to push aside every thought of her mental preparedness and get them both through it. Now that it was done he felt maybe he had underestimated her. She had been a little shy the morning after, blushing quite a lot when she looked at him but didn’t seem in any way damaged by her experience. Once he’d established that there would be no awkwardness between them she had become quite warm with him. He refused to let her feel like anything less than his wife. The ministry wanted them married and he would honor her as such. There was something quite comfortable between them and he liked it.
The truth he tried not to think about was that she had made him feel young again. It had been a long, long time since he had been with a woman that unspoiled and fresh. It was almost forbidden, a man his age getting to touch such a young prize. She deserved so much better than him and yet somehow she was his. He gave some consideration to what it meant that he, Sirius Black and all that had come to mean, was now a married man.
Sirius heard something at the door and turned to see Remus entering the room. He took a seat in front of the fire with him. “When did you get back?”
“Couple of days ago.”
“So?”
“Well, it was a little tense at first. I really put my foot in it at her parents.” Sirius shuddered at the memory.
“I guess she didn’t take that well.”
“No, she was really angry with me. Called me a playboy.” Sirius had to chuckle.
“Called that one right.” Remus said this under his breath. Sirius caught it all the same.
“What! I am not!”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Every day of my life.” Sirius winked at his old friend.
Remus sighed at the poor joke, shaking his head. “You don’t work, living off your very considerable inheritance. You’ve never had a steady girlfriend and you’ve never even considered having a family. I’m not saying its right or wrong but it is who you are.”
“That’s not true, I’ve always wanted a family,” said Sirius quietly. “I’m just never where the nice girls are.”
“Which is exactly my point, you like to have a good time. The only thing a nice girl would get with you is trouble. Speaking of which, how do you intend to conduct yourself now that you’re married.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean are you going to show a little self restraint? If those rings know when you’ve shagged her they might know when you’ve shagged anyone else. Could be embarrassing for her.”
“I really hadn’t thought it through.” Sirius conjured a piece of parchment, a quill and a pot of ink.
“Can you?” Remus had been a casual witness to Sirius’ considerable sexual appetite. He never brought his women to Grimmauld Place because it was Order headquarters but he did go home with a wide variety of women. Some were ‘regulars’ others more recent acquisitions.
“I don’t know, never had to before.” Sirius penned a quick little note.
“If you embarrass her you know Molly will have your balls for it.”
Sirius swallowed dryly. “Guess I’d better be a good boy.”
“So, is she still mad at you?”
“Nah. She got over it.” Sirius grinned again at the memory of their mild flirtation in the cottage.
“And?”
“Well, once we both believed that I wasn’t going to hurt her it went just fine.”
“How did she like Salzburg?”
“Quite a lot actually. Wouldn’t let me take her shopping but we did some sight seeing.”
“She’s a pretty girl isn’t she?”
A soft look came over Sirius’ face. “She’s one beautiful young woman, Remus. I’m not sure what I did right to get so lucky.”
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