From the Past

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“So I snuck out the door while she was distracting her old man, made it out just as he was about to turn around.” The younger Sirius spoke, gesticulating wildly to Harry and Ron who seemed hung, open mouthed on his every word. “But I was creeping down the hall trying to find the front door; he comes out do I ducked into the first room I could find, which was her sisters. Hot little thing, just graduated from Hogs, and wearing nothing but this sexy little negligee. She gives me one heated look, whips it over her head and I banged her against the door.” And all three men laughed raucously while behind them both Hermione and Tonks cringed and shared a thoroughly disgusted look.

“Come on, Sirius.” Remus glared at the three from the table and the older Sirius cleared his throat and sent an apologetic smile to both Hermione and Tonks.

“You guys this isn’t the time or place,” Sirius spoke up.

“It’s fine, Sirius,” Hermione said in what she hoped was a comforting tone, only to be interrupted by the younger.

“See, pops, the lady doesn’t mind.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” she hissed and turned to glare at the smirking marauder, before shaking her head and sitting at the table. “Alright, well first point is that this is going to get very confusing, very fast if we call you both Sirius.”

“Agreed,” Remus held up his hand as though voting.

“Well,” the older said, “I’ve been Sirius longer so I’m calling it.”

The younger rolled his eyes and plunked himself down next to the muggleborn, smirking when she glared at him. “Well haven’t we matured,” he drawled at his older self before turning back to Hermione and resting his arm over the back of her chair. “So, pretty girl, what you think I should be called?”

Harry coughed and the older and Remus had to cover their mouths to hide the eminent laugh at the younger man’s mistake.

Hermione leant closer, a slow smile spreading as she danced her fingers up his arm, and his own eyes widened at her newly seductive poise as she grinned widely and licked her lips. “I personally like Lassie.”

He pulled back and glared at her, seeming to get even angrier when she grinned even more widely.

“Hey,” Ron said, furrowing his brow in confusion. “Lassie is Irish isn’t it? And I heard it means girl.”

“Really?” Hermione said in mock surprise, her amused eyes never leaving Sirius’ darkening grey orbs. “Well isn’t that a coincidence.”

“Oh you are a funny little swot, aren’t you?” He sneered.

“Very funny, Black,” she returned, “And if you don’t remove your arm from my chair, I’m going to use my teeth to make you better suited to the name,” his movement was swift and his arm was back by his side in less then a second. “Good dog.”

Harry, who was still laughing, and grinning proudly at Hermione, put up his hand. “All in favour of calling the younger, Black?”

After the rest of the table agreed, the discussion turned to the more serious topic of how Black had been sent into the future to start with, and an hour later they were no where nearer to the answer then when they started. Hermione felt as though she were beating her head against a wall as they went through the same questions again but it all came to the same. Black had been at a party, the girl he liked had left with another man and he had apparated home, landing in the future.

It was a mutual decision to call a recess and tackle the problem fresh in the morning, and Hermione knew it was time to leave when Ron, who seemed to have warmed to Black since their heads butted earlier that day, pulled out the latest issue of Quidditch Monthly and started pouring Firewhiskey.

She was about to say her goodnights when a hand suddenly settled on her thigh and she turned her head to find herself looking into the heated stare of the twenty-three year old marauder. Her breath caught and she found herself sinking into those blue orbs. The heat radiating from his larger body was intoxicating, and with a lopsided grin his hand tightened on her thigh, sliding slightly higher, a movement that sent the sweetest shock waves from her quickly dampening core to the rest of her trembling body.

“Turning in, Mia?” He said and his dangerously low voice practically hummed.

She swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, I thought I’d start again early. Take a trip to Hogwarts and see if there is anything in the library to help us,” she couldn’t hold back the excited smile as she thought of the day ahead. “I’m the research girl.”

When she looked back at him he was wearing that smile again. The one he had right after he kissed her for the first time, that mixture of amusement and wonder, but it was real. All flirting and dirty jokes aside this smile was real and despite herself, Hermione found herself returning it. But as fast as it had come it was once again replaced by that mischievous glint in his eye.

“Well,” he drawled and leaned closer as his hand slid higher till he was touching the hem of her short skirt. “You let me know, if I can help with…” his eyes grazed hotly over her form, resting on where his hand rested before rising again. “Anything.”

Her heart was beating so hard that she could swear it should be deafening the other occupants of the room. She needed to diffuse the situation. But it was the sound of Ron scoffing to her right that sprung her into action. Gathering her courage, she covered his hand with her own and leaned in so her other hand rested on his broad chest. She had to stifle a moan at the tingle that shot through her fingertips when she touched him.

Her lips by his ear she whispered her instructions and felt a wave of female pride at the way his body seemed to vibrate and his muscles flex under her fingers. When she was done she drew back and smiled politely at the circle of shocked faces, and with a wink at Sirius, who was looking way too concerned at the exchange, she said her goodnights and sauntered out.

It was Ron’s bellow of, “Stop right there.” That made her turn her face all innocent. “Don’t give me that look, what the hell was that?” he gestured angrily between Black and Hermione.

Her face remained calm even as her temper rose towards her unfaithful ex-boyfriend. “One, you do not now, nor have you ever had the right to speak to me that way.” she said, her voice quiet, but there was no mistaking the malice behind her tone. “And two, you lost the right to ask me that question the second that you touched Lavender Brown.”

With that she turned on her heel and marched out.

~*~*~

It was just after midnight and Hermione lay back in her bed sleeping fitfully. Her dreams were filled with blue eyed men on bikes, winking and smirking. She woke for what felt like the tenth time since she’d showered and climbed under the covers, and huffed at the ache in her lower body. Damn, it had been a long time since any man had touched her more intimately then holding her hand and that kiss had affected her much more then she wanted to admit.

She lay back and stared into the darkness. Her lips still tingled and her thigh still felt warm from his grip. Hermione wasn’t quite sure when her affections for Sirius had changed from friendly to romantic, but it had been sometime around her twentieth birthday. She had been unable to sleep then as well and had gone to get a midnight snack. Sirius had been up as well and they had drank tea and talked till dawn.

She had never really known the man underneath the jokes and recklessness, the latter calming over the years after his escape from Azkaban, and he was indeed worth knowing. Intelligent and caring and the deep set strength of self that it had taken to get over the ordeal of Peter’s betrayal and his time in the wizarding prison was not lost on her. Over the following months her esteem and respect for him had grown until finally one morning he had come down stairs, smiled at her, his eyes filled with warmth and affection and she had known that she loved him.

But her feeling had never been as overtly sexual as they obviously were towards his younger self, Black. On the other hand, Sirius had never looked at her the way Black did, with so much heat and the promise of hours of sinful delight under those experienced hands and all too naughty mouth.

Stop that!

No, what ever her feeling for Sirius, Black was simply going to confuse the issue more and make her current, friendly, if slightly frustrating relationship with the older more mature Sirius, uncomfortable.

She was drawn, suddenly, from her musing by a furious roar from the room across from hers and slapped a hand over her mouth as she remembered the instructions she had given Black before she’d gone to bed.

“What the fuck are you doing, you bloody deviant!” Ron bellowed from his room.

Giggling madly she jumped out of bed, her robe forgotten as she flung open her door just in time to see Black being physically thrown from the room across, by the scarlet faced Ron.

“Ay! Ay! Mate, I said I was sorry.” Black was yelling as he held up his hands in surrender to the enraged Weasley, before he caught sight of Hermione leaning against the door frame and laughing like a loon, her eyes shining with triumph. “You!” he growled glaring at her in a way that Hermione hated to acknowledge was all too exciting.

“What’s going on!?”

“What the bloody hell?”

The voices of Sirius and Harry interrupted their eminent argument and Ginny’s ear piecing laugh had Hermione giggling even harder.

“Oops,” she said in mock innocence. “Did I say third door to the right? How very silly of me.”

“Hermione!” Ron yelled, outraged and shocked. “What the hell are you playing at?”

“Oh please,” Hermione snickered. “I thought you would be used to being walked in on by now,” and before he could argue, she continued. “Remember this night, Ron Weasley and the next time you see me being thoroughly snogged by a tall, dark piece of man candy, bugger off and mind your own business.”

With an outraged grunt, Ron slammed his door shut and they could hear him muttering loudly as he settled back into bed.

“I think I made my point,” Hermione said proudly, smirking at Ginny and Harry before they both gave her a brief tired squeeze before turning into bed.

It was then that she remembered that she was still facing the two Sirius and turned to see them both smirking smugly in her direction.

It was almost two much, the occasional glimpse of Sirius’ bare chest was usually enough to make her mouth dry, but being faced by both the young and older Sirius, Older wearing a pair of expensive silk pyjama pants and the younger in his black jeans, belt undone was almost too much.. It was overwhelming and rather disturbing the way her body was reacting to just the vision of them standing there in the hall.

Sirius smiled warmly winking easily at the young witch still trying to keep her composure. “Well this piece of man candy is going back to bed.”

She laughed and blushed. “I’m sorry, Sirius, I didn’t mean to…” but he held up a hand to silence her shaking his head and smiling widely.

“Besides,” Black interrupted, glaring at Sirius. “I’m the one she was calling man candy, pops.”

“Actually, gentlemen,” she interjected. “I was referring to other men in general. Not meaning to burst your little ego bubble or anything, but you, Black, were the fourth man that jerk has attacked since we broke up,” she added with a smile, glad that they both seemed to have forgotten that she had tricked Black rather deviously.

Rolling his eyes the younger man walked away, mumbling something about getting a drink.

Sirius ran a hand through his long black hair and gave Hermione, who was looking at him worriedly, a reassuring smile. “Goodnight, ‘Mione,” he murmured and kissed the top of her head, lips lingering over her forehead. With a final smile he turned and made his way back up the stairs to his room, and she let out her held breath when she hear his door close. Merlin, it had been damn near impossible for her not to turn her face up to meet his lips with her own.

But she had no time to dwell as at that moment the younger man stepped out of the shadows. “Merlin, I thought the old bastard would never leave.” Black drawled, leaning against the wall, his lips curling into a slow all too sexy smile.

She laughed softly and shook her head. “You do know that he is you and you just called yourself a bastard.”

He shrugged and moved forward slowly, his hips swaying slightly with each step and his movements smooth as he walked her back against her door till she was leaning against the hard wood and he had trapped her there, hands firm against the door either side of her shoulders. He smelt of soap and his own very masculine musk, and the sight of his wide, bare chest so close was making her mind go fuzzy and her knees weak.

“That may be who I become, but that isn’t who I am now.”

“I - um - I can see that,” she rasped, trying hard to keep her eyes on his and not let them drop to where his tight black jeans fit so perfectly around the contours of his butt and muscular thighs, that belt buckle still hanging open, almost begging her to open those last few buttons and…

“Well,” she said a little too brightly considering where she was and inwardly growling at his knowing expression. “It’s getting late and I should turn in for the night.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he made the sounds and shook his head languidly. “That was a very naughty trick you played on me, Mia.”

“I’m sorry,” she breathed. “But it was very rude of you to continue to make advances on a lady that you have only just met. That can be very dangerous you know.”

“Mmm,” he hummed in agreement. “Oh I quite agree, for all I knew you could have been some dangerous S and M mistress.”

She giggled and grinned up at him, why the hell did he have to be so cute. “Oh definitely, and I can see you just hating that.”

He laughed and for a moment his eyes glazed slightly. “I like you,” he said simply and grinned wider, going cross-eyed at her shocked expression.

“You do?” she murmured, fully prepared for the bad pickup line that never came.

“Well it isn’t that shocking,” he said, with mock affront.

She placed her hands on his broad shoulders and gently pushed him back, shocked when he moved with her, swallowing hard at the feel of his bare shoulders under her fingers.

“I like you too,” she said honestly and without thinking suddenly rose on tiptoes and kissed his slightly parted lips.

Then with one last look at his stunned expression she slipped into her room and closed the door. Leaning against it she smiled as she heard him jump and let out soft whoop before running up the stairs to his own room.