Rebirth

Chapter 6: Let The Games Begin

Later that evening, Hermione and Ron arrived at Grimmauld Place just as Sirius was desperately trying to rescue a very burnt roast chicken. He tapped it feebly with his wand, succeeding only in making it twitch in a slightly eerie way.

"What did you use magic to cook it for?" Ron said in exasperation. "Why didn't you just put it in the oven like normal people?"

"I think it's still cold in the middle," Sirius said thoughtfully, poking his wand at one of the legs.

"Oh come out of the way," said Hermione, briskly as she waved her wand and muttered a spell. The charred lump was instantly replaced with a succulent, golden chicken surrounded by roast potatoes and stuffing.

"Trust a man to ruin a roast," she said with mock annoyance as Sirius and Ron gaped at the sight of it. Sirius smiled at Hermione appreciatively, as she set about carving the chicken and serving it onto three hovering plates.

"What would we do without you?" Sirius asked, giving her arm a squeeze causing her to drop a spoonful of potatoes onto the floor, much to his amusement. He laughed out loud as she groped around on the floor to pick up the missing potatoes. Ron stood in the door way scowling.

"Cut it out, Sirius," said Hermione firmly, looking decidedly embarrassed.

They sat down around the large kitchen table and made small talk as they ate their food. Sirius couldn't help but notice that Hermione looked a little different tonight. Her usually slightly wild hair was hanging in loose waves around her face and she had make-up on, something he couldn't recall seeing her wearing before. He noticed how much older it made her look, emphasizing her brown eyes. She was listening intently to Ron as he gave her a blow-by-blow account of a heated discussion he'd had with a goblin in Gringotts.

"...and so I said 'Why don't you just throw away the key if that's your - "

"Have you done something to your hair?" Sirius interrupted, hardly realising that Ron had been talking. Ron and Hermione both turned to look at Sirius open mouthed.

"Er, yes, I had it straightened a few days ago. I get it done at a muggle hair dresser, but it doesn't last long." Hermione answered, looking slightly taken aback.

"It suits you like that. Isn't there a spell to do it?" Sirius asked, still staring at Hermione's hair. She smiled coyly, obviously pleased that Sirius had noticed.

"Not for hair as bad as mine. It only lasts a few hours and then it just springs right back up again."

"Not that it didn't look nice before," Sirius continued. "It just makes you look older this way." Hermione blushed furiously.

"I'm always trying to make myself look older," she admitted. "I get so much stick at work for being so young and having the job I've got. I even considered taking an ageing potion."

"Oh, no, don't do that," Sirius grimaced. "You'll end up looking like Minerva McGonagall or something."

Sirius suddenly became aware of Ron watching their exchange, his head turning incredulously from one to the other as though he were watching a quaffle being passed back and forth between chasers.

"Sorry Ron, you were saying?" Sirius said politely, rolling his eyes as Ron continued his story.

As they finished their meal, Hermione went upstairs to the bathroom while Ron and Sirius cleaned up the dishes with a few well placed scourgify spells.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked when Hermione had left.

"What?" asked Sirius.

"All that with Hermione, about her hair?"

"Nothing, I just noticed she'd had her hair done. You can't really miss it, it looks totally different." Sirius said, casually.

"Well I didn't notice it," Ron said grumpily.

"Well maybe you should have done, and then she wouldn't keep turning you down when you ask her out," Sirius snapped nastily.

Ron slammed a plate on to the table.

"I thought you said you were going to leave her alone," he muttered.

"I didn't say I was going to leave her alone, I just said it was none of your business. And anyway, all I did was ask about her hair!" Sirius said with exasperation. "I am not going to have this conversation with you again, alright?"

"Sirius, you're flirting with her like she's on heat or something. Can't you control your carnal instincts for two seconds?"

"Drop it," Sirius warned threateningly, his voice low. "You're acting like a child with a crush. It's no wonder Hermione thinks you're too immature for her." Ron's face reddened furiously.

"I'll drop it when you back off a little. I can see what you're trying to do. You're trying to seduce her and I won't let you," Ron hissed. He was shaking a little. Sirius had to admire his nerve, standing up to him when he was clearly terrified, but he was starting to get annoyed. He really hadn't intended to continue his flirtation with Hermione, but if there was one thing that would make him do it, it was being told he couldn't by an adolescent.

"OK, so what if I am?" Sirius turned to face Ron, a look of defiance in his eyes. "I don't really see what it's got to do with you."

"Well maybe the fact that she's my friend, and she doesn't need to be screwed around just because you haven't had any in a few years."

"How dare you talk to me like that?" Sirius bellowed. "I do not have to account for my actions to you, and neither does Hermione. We are both grown-ups and we can do whatever we choose to do. This conversation ends now." He glared at Ron, simmering with anger.

"Sometimes you can be a real shit, did you know that?" Ron said venomously. Sirius ignored him.

Far from warning Sirius off, Ron's lecture had only served to turn what had been a subconscious bit of flirting into a full-blown attack. Ever since he had escaped from Azkaban, he had been told what to do, where to go and whom he could and couldn't speak to. Now he was at last a free man, he wasn't about to be ordered around by a child.

Had Ron stayed out of it he probably would have left Hermione alone, but now it had been made into an issue he suddenly found that he wanted her and he would have her, despite the little voice in his head that told him he would be making a grave mistake if he used Hermione so ruthlessly.

A wave of guilt washed over him as he realised that both Harry and Remus would be horrified if they knew what was going on. Both Ron and Hermione were Harry's best friends and Harry would hate to think that Sirius had come between them. Remus would certainly not approve; Sirius could remember numerous occasions in their youth where Remus had argued with him over his treatment of women, and those had just been strangers that they had met after a night out, not a friend who had risked her life on more than one occasion to help him. Well they're not here now are they? he thought to himself. He angrily pushed the guilt down into the fiery ball in the pit of his stomach along with all the other feelings that he had repressed since his recovery.

When Hermione returned from the bathroom, they made their way up to the sitting room to relax in the comfortable chairs. Sirius made a point of sitting close to Hermione on the sofa, fully aware of Ron's scrutinising glare.

"So did you manage to get hold of the files for me?" Sirius asked Hermione.

"Yes, but there's really not much in them that you don't already know. There's just some background stuff on both of them and a couple of reported sightings." She handed two large brown folders to Sirius from a large bag at her feet. Sirius flicked through Remus's file quickly. Hermione was right; there wasn't a lot there that he didn't already know. He paused at a page detailing a raid on the Shrieking Shack.

"I don't think Remus would go back to the Shack," he said thoughtfully. "He might have gone there in the beginning before anyone realised he was missing, but there's no way he would keep going back. It's too obvious. He might try the caves though."

Hermione pulled out Peter's file and found some photographs and a page of information on the caves.

"I think Peter's still hiding out in the caves. We've tried watching them continuously, but he's just too small to spot. There are so many nooks and crannies in the caves that he could be in, it'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Hermione said.

Sirius watched her leafing through pages in the file, deep in concentration. Her hair fell across her face and she absent-mindedly pushed it away. There was something intoxicating about her intelligence, Sirius realised. The women he usually gravitated towards were beautiful but empty-headed and he found Hermione's brilliance to be refreshingly attractive. Realising that he had been staring at her for quite a while, he shook his head in an effort to re-focus his mind. He studied the file for a moment, trying to clear his head.

"What I don't understand is why Peter would hang around in Hogsmeade if Voldemort is really dead. The last time it made sense that he stayed with Ron's family because he needed to listen for information. Unless he thinks there's a possibility that Voldemort's still alive..." He trailed off, his mind running over the evidence. He was sure the answer lay with Remus somehow.

"Tell me more about what happened to Bellatrix," he said thoughtfully.

Ron spoke for the first time. "It was pretty gruesome," he said, turning his nose up at the thought. "She was pretty much ripped to pieces. There's one thing that most people don't know about that we just can't figure out. Her left arm was lying a little way apart from the rest of her with a message scratched into it. It said 'Find me'. We wondered if it might be a message to you, if it would mean something to you."

Sirius scratched his head in confusion. "Not a thing. I just can't figure out where he would have gone. There's no way he would be in the caves because he knows we know about them. It's too obvious." Sirius scratched his head thoughtfully. He felt Hermione's leg press against his as she leaned forward to look at the picture. Despite himself, he felt a little rush of excitement as she moved closer to him.

"Remus is the only person other than myself and Peter who knows the area inside out. There's any number of places he could be hiding out. I hid in the forest for a while before I went to the caves. It makes sense that he would hide in the forest during the full moon, since most people already think werewolves live there, but I can't see him getting away with it any other time. The Centaurs would never allow it for one thing." Sirius was thinking aloud, running through all the places in his head that he and Remus had visited together during their time at Hogwarts.

"If Peter's still in the area then Remus will be too. If he is, he's got to be either in the forest or in the caves," Sirius concluded. "There's no other place he could safely hide without being seen by someone. If he isn't... well, he could be anywhere in the world by now." He paused for a moment and then set the file aside.

"Well I suppose I'll just have to have a good look through these and see what I can come up with," he said, smiling at Hermione.

"Alright," said Hermione, looking a little relieved. "Well at least now you know there's no point in just rushing off to try and find him yourself."

Sirius nodded, but he had no intention of looking through the files again. They were useless - bits of trivia put together by people who hardly knew Remus and Peter. He knew them both, possibly better than they knew themselves, and he had spent enough time on the run to know what they would be thinking. He would have to go to Hogsmeade and see if he could pick up their trail. He decided that he would leave when Hermione and Ron had gone to work the next day. He would get a full day's head start before anyone realised he was gone. There was no point in telling anyone. Hermione wouldn't approve and Dumbledore would probably forbid it. He didn't want to have to be accompanied by a team of aurors. He needed to find Remus alone so he could talk to him properly. For tonight, there was nothing else he could do, and he intended to enjoy Hermione's company while he had the chance.

"Thanks for getting these for me Hermione," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know it was a risk to take and I really appreciate it." A loud 'tut' emanated from the corner where Ron was sitting, still sullen faced. Sirius bristled and shot him a warning glance.

"It was nothing, Sirius, really." Hermione blushed slightly at Sirius's touch. "I know how frustrating all this must be for you. I had a word with a few people after you left today and they were very keen to consult with you about Peter's disappearance on an official capacity. Of course they would pay you for it. They want you to wait a week or so first to make sure you're back on your feet, though."

"Hermione, that would be wonderful." He smiled warmly at her, though he somehow didn't think they would be so keen to take him on after he had carried out his plan. He felt badly about lying to her after she had been so helpful, but he knew he had no other choice, and Remus was his first priority. Catching Ron's disapproving stare out of the corner of his eye, he put his arm round Hermione's shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. She leaned in to him appreciatively and dropped her arm casually on to his leg. Sirius stole a glance at Ron. His eyes were fixed on Hermione's arm, his mouth wide open with incredulity.

"I took the liberty of sending an anonymous owl to an old friend of mine at the Daily Prophet. I told them that you'd been revived and were staying in London, so hopefully they'll run something on it tomorrow. I thought it might make sure Remus gets the message that you're back. He might not be able to talk to anyone, but he should at least be able to get hold of an old paper from somewhere. I hope you don't mind." Hermione said nervously, her fingers distractedly playing with the material of his trousers just above his knee. She looked up at Ron as if suddenly aware of his presence and snatched her hand away nervously. A smug look spread across Ron's face. Sirius stiffened, annoyed at Ron's interference. He felt a sudden, inexplicable need to take control, show Ron who was in charge of the situation.

"Brilliant idea," said Sirius. "And delightfully sneaky. I didn't know you had it in you." He smiled at her and then turned to Ron, a malevolent grin spreading across his face. "Brains and beauty. What more could a man want, eh Ron?" Hermione flushed and smiled bashfully. This was apparently more than Ron could take. He stood up abruptly. For a moment, Sirius thought he was going to start another fight.

"I'm going to bed," snapped Ron and left the room.

"That was a bit harsh," Hermione whispered to Sirius, but she was smiling at him.

"I thought you wanted to make him jealous?" asked Sirius.

"I suppose," she replied, flushing slightly.

"We had words again earlier. He told me off for flirting with you. Mind you, he's probably right. You're far too young and innocent to be corrupted by the likes of me," he smiled, holding her gaze.

"And are you flirting with me?" she asked boldly.

"Would you like me to be?"

The colour rose to Hermione's cheeks, and she stared down at her hands.

"You're blushing again, Hermione," Sirius said softly, reaching over to brush his fingers gently through her hair. She instinctively put her hands to her face, trying to cool the hotness of her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again when no sound came out.

"I think you are flirting with me," she whispered, still looking down at her hands as Sirius moved closer to her. His leg was touching hers now, and he could feel the heat from her spreading throughout him.

"Does that bother you?" he asked. He reached towards her and put his hand under her chin, gently turning her face towards his. By now, any remaining conscience about what he was doing was gone. His long suppressed libido had been awoken and it completely took over. He was going in for the kill.

"No," she said breathily, her eyes locked on his. "Because... I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the other night." A distant alarm bell started ringing somewhere in his subconscious, but it was quickly drowned out by the throbbing lust that coursed through his veins as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked her, sure that her answer would be yes.

She ran her hands over his chest and down to his stomach, her fingers burning through his robes. He felt his body begin to ache for her touch.

"Because I don't think I'm going to be able to stop," he whispered, kissing her ear.

"Then don't," she replied softly.

He took control, gently leaning her back on the sofa, supporting his weight with one hand while the other gently explored her body. As he touched her, she let out a small moan that caught in the back of her throat. He felt a rush of burning pleasure at the sound of it. He wanted to hear that moan over and over again.

His hands searched out the parts of her that he knew would make her surrender to him completely. And surrender she did.

He gently carried her upstairs as he kissed her, and laid her on his bed. Starved of such contact for so long as he had been, he made love to her for hours until she begged him to stop.

Finally, she collapsed back onto the bed, a sudden self-consciousness making her pull the covers over her nakedness.

"I've never... I mean, not like that... never before..." she breathed, pushing her tangled hair off her face. Exhausted, but satisfied for the first time in years, Sirius sank down beside her and watched her until she fell asleep.