Home Is Where the Heart Is

CHAPTER 2

The largest Death Eater, the one whom Sirius recognised, appeared to be the leader. He sat down at the bar right near where Sirius and Hermione were sitting, and the other Death Eaters followed. He didn't turn around, and Hermione, who had been holding her breath, let it out slowly.

They sat there quietly, watching the backs of him and his cronies, waiting, just in case they turned around. Hermione didn't know what they would do if they did turn around, but just as she was pondering this, Sirius spoke. "I think we're safe. Come on, let's slip past them quietly and get out of here."

Just as they went to stand up, the chief Death Eater turned around. Sirius did the first thing that came to his mind to hide their faces: he grabbed Hermione's face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. She was too shocked to do anything, and Sirius quickly turned her around, whilst keeping his lips against hers. Then he took his lips away slightly and whispered, "Are they still looking?"

"No," said Hermione. She looked at Sirius and blushed. She glanced over his shoulder again, and said, "Wait, yes!" At once, Sirius pressed his lips against hers again and moved as though kissing her.

Hermione couldn't help it; instinctively, she opened her lips slightly and tentatively pressed lightly back. Sirius looked into her eyes, startled, and as she gazed back, she forgot everything: her inhibitions, the circumstances they were in, her fear of the Death Eaters. She gently kissed him again. Sirius looked shocked, but did not pull away, so she slid her hand round the back of his head, and pulled him closer towards her.

She teased his lips with her tongue; he opened them for her, and she slid her tongue tentatively into his mouth. Whilst gently exploring his mouth with her tongue, she opened her eyes and saw him looking right at her. She felt hot again. He kissed her back too, tentatively at first, but then their kisses gained more passion. She was lost in her own world, and she felt as if she was floating. She couldn't take in what was happening, and she didn't want to; all she knew was that it felt right. What could have been minutes, hours, or even lifetimes later, they broke away panting slightly.

Sirius muttered, "Just to get this straight, are they still looking?"

Hermione blushed and glanced over his shoulder before saying, "Erm, actually they've left."

"Oh right, I see," said Sirius. Hermione flushed scarlet. "Well come on, let's go home. I think that's enough excitement for one night," Sirius said in a strangely practical voice.

They walked home in silence, and when they arrived, Hermione announced that she was tired and went upstairs to bed. This left Sirius alone downstairs in silence to contemplate what had just happened, trying to work out how he felt about it. It didn't take long for him to realise that no matter what he tried to tell himself, he had liked it. Not only that, he had wanted it. He sighed, and with a wave of his wand, he put out the lights and went to bed. He had only just slipped under the covers when he heard a knock at the door. He jumped, his nerves tingling.

"Yes?" he said. Hermione slipped into the room, tears streaming down her face, and Sirius' expression turned to one of dismay. He hadn't meant to hurt her; she had started it, but he should have stopped it. He knew about the dreams she was having. He could hear her screaming in her sleep, and though he had always wanted to go and comfort her, he had never known how. He wanted to tell her that he couldn't sleep either with dreams of torture. He should have known that she was just insecure and lonely as he was.

Then Hermione spoke, "Can I sleep with you tonight?" Sirius looked up, clearly confused, making Hermione blush. "I, I didn't mean it in that way," she said. "It's just that I keep having a dream over and over again, and I can't cope with it alone."

"It's alright, you don't have to explain," said Sirius. "I hear you in your sleep at night."

Hermione looked relieved that she didn't have to relive the dream for him. Sirius moved to the edge of the bed and held out his arms. Hermione rushed into them and started weeping. He sat there with her for quite a while, rocking her back and forth and comforting her.

When he thought that she had settled enough, he slid his arms around her legs and back and stood up. With her still clinging to his neck, he walked around the bed, pulled back the covers, and lowered her onto it. She was reluctant to let go of his neck, and he broke away slowly. "I had better go and put some clothes on," he said, as he was only wearing his boxers.

At this, Hermione grabbed his arm. "No, Sirius. Please don't leave me, I don't care," she said.

"Alright, if you're sure," he said, sliding into bed alongside her. He did not press against her for fear of upsetting her, but Hermione snuggled back into him until her back was pressed against his now wildly beating heart. He felt as though it was ricocheting around in his ribcage; he was sure she must be able to feel it, but Hermione said nothing.

Just as he was dozing off, he felt Hermione's hand slide around his wrist; instantly, all of his senses were on edge. She leant back into him and pulled his arm over her. Still holding his hand, she touched it lightly to her lips. Sirius lay there, his heart still beating furiously, and wondered if he had imagined the kiss. He decided to oblige Hermione and pressed closer to her, curling her body in his.

She was soon asleep, but her hand remained on Sirius'. He didn't dare move it, for fear of waking her up. It took Sirius a lot longer to fall asleep, distracted by her rippling hair tickling his chest. He stroked it gently for awhile before finally falling into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

When Sirius woke up the following morning, his arm was still around Hermione. He removed it gently, as he didn't want to disturb her. He went downstairs and had breakfast, and after he was finished eating, he took some food upstairs for her on a tray. When he set it down on the bed beside her, she stirred slightly.

"Sirius," she muttered.

"Yes, love? I'm here." Sirius winced, he couldn't believe he'd called her "love," what must she be thinking? Hermione didn't say anything back. He looked at her and realised that she was still asleep. Was she dreaming about me? Sirius thought, his head spinning, a stupid grin fixated to his face. Hermione stirred and woke up. "I brought you some breakfast, did you sleep okay?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, thank you. It was the best night's sleep I've had for - well, I don't even know how long," said Hermione honestly. Sirius was on the verge of telling her it was the same for him, but she beat him to it.

"I'm guessing you slept well too," she grinned. "I didn't hear anything from you, anyway." Sirius looked confused. "You're not the only one who screams in their sleep, you know," she told him gently. Sirius looked away, clearly embarrassed. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," she told him. "Anyone who has gone through as much as you have has the right to bad dreams!"

Hermione stayed again with Sirius that night, and the next night, and the night after that. After a few days, Sirius became used to having Hermione there. He slung his arm over her and cuddled her, without her needing to ask for it. After two weeks, Sirius thought that he would never be able to sleep again without her by his side. He knew that even if he did somehow manage to sleep without her there, he would be plagued with nightmares. So their ritual continued: night after night, Hermione slept in Sirius' bed. Eventually most of her stuff was in his room, and she picked out her clothes and changed in the bathroom every morning.

Sirius unwillingly regretted that Hermione had made no attempt to discuss or act on what had happened in the pub. He realised that Hermione had either made a mistake or had been simply acting well so they wouldn't attract the Death Eaters' attention. However, he was reluctant to believe this; he was more inclined to believe that she was lonely and had made a mistake. He believed that she thought him to be nothing more than a good friend, someone with whom she could help keep the nightmares at bay.

Ironically, Hermione thought the same thing about Sirius. She was worried that he thought he had made a mistake in the pub and only wanted to be her friend. She frowned. She was sure he had wanted it too, so why wasn't he doing anything about it?

A few weeks after they started sharing a bed, Hermione was fed up with wondering. She was curled up against him on the sofa, and he was playing absentmindedly with her hair. She turned around, and while looking directly at him, crawled along his body until her face was over his.

This was the moment of truth. Sirius had given nothing away; his body was still, and his face had only a look of mild surprise. She could either laugh it off as a joke, or she could throw caution to the wind and take it further. Hermione took a deep breath - she had made her choice. She slowly lowered her mouth onto his, her eyes never leaving his. She paused just above his mouth, and looked deeply into his eyes, which seemed full of love and warmth. Then she pressed her lips to his and kissed him, and slowly, with a tiny bit of hesitation, he kissed her back.

She realised now why he had not taken it further: he had not want to upset her. He was worried that she didn't want to! Hermione nearly laughed at the irony. His hand came around to the back of her head, and he sat more upright, still kissing her. Hermione was lost, tasting the sweet, mellowness of his mouth, slightly flavoured from the chocolate he had eaten earlier. She had no idea how long they lay there gently exploring each other's mouths. She had no idea how long they stayed there afterwards, just holding each other. She didn't know, and she didn't care. She was with Sirius, and that was all that mattered.

They slept in the same bed together that night as always, but they both knew that they had taken it far enough for now. They were satisfied with what they had.