Truth or Dare ✔️

9

Hermione was awakened by the loud clamor of all the paintings in the house calling out for Sirius and she nudged him awake. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I hear them," he grumbled sleepily.

"What do they want?"

"No idea?"

"Why don't you go see then?"

He groaned and curled up to her warm naked body and covered his head with the blankets. "Don't wanna," he whined.

She chuckled as she ripped the blankets off of him and pushed him out of bed. "Goooo-wah!"

Knowing he had an audience, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and slipped his feet into his house shoes one by one, stomping his feet on the floor and reached for his dressing coat and snatched it from the foot of the bed where it had been neatly placed until then. Finally, he stood up and stretched, swinging his arms around and yawned loudly, then cinched the fabric tie around his waist and turned to face her. "You may want to dress as well. What ever has them riled, sounds important," he said looking as absolutely dashing as he could possibly manage.

She realized that it was her turn to be overly dramatic and she curled her lip and nodded. "Ohhhh, must I! But why must I leave the lovely warmth of your bed my oh so dashing lover?"

He leaned over her and raised his brow as she slipped her fingers inside his house coat and raked her nails deliciously across his chest causing him to breathe in deeply. "Because. So tell me, how's it feel Miss Sunshine?"

"Like shite," she said flatly.

He stood up abruptly and pouted. "Like shite? I feel like shite!"

"No! That's not what I mean! I'm sorry Sirius, I didn't mean it like that!"

"I'm thinking that I might like a nice delicious Courvoisier to go with that whine of yours," he teased. Seeing her reaction, he barked a laugh and moved to his door and nearly tore it open. "I'm coming, damn it all!" He looked down at the foot of the stairs and saw Kreature staring up at him.

"Phineas Nigellus requires your attention Master Sirius," he spat.

Sirius grunted his reply as he descended the stairs.

He passed by the bedroom where his Great great grandfather's portrait hung on his way to the floo, yelling for him. "There you are boy! Listen and listen carefully! Arthur Weasley was on duty tonight at the Ministry..."

"I know that," Sirius said in an aggravated tone.

"Shut up and let me finish!"

"Rude," Hermione grumbled from the top of the stairs.

"Oh yes, another country heard from. Little tart, I've a mind..."

"Careful," Sirius warned sternly. "I've a mind to place you next to my mother."

"You wouldn't dare," the portrait spat.

"Oh no? Try me. Go ahead, I dare you!"

The face in the portrait scowled.

"What's the rest of your message?"

"The Weasley children will be arriving by port key any minute now!"

"Wait! Why?"

"Seems the Head of the Weasley clan is gravely injured."

Sirius stared at the portrait as Hermione reached to grab at his hand and squeeze it tightly. "Oh no," she whispered.

Sirius nodded his head. "Thank you," he said quietly to the portrait.

"Well you have some manners after all, don't you boy!"

"Aye! But apparently you don't," Sirius's voice boomed, causing Hermione's ears to ring as she closed her eyes tightly. He released her hand and reached up to remove the framed canvas from the wall of the bedroom and placed it at the foot of his mother's portrait on the landing and for added measure, he turned it to face the wall ignoring the many loud complaints from the other portraits in the corridor.

Hermione followed Sirius downstairs and started the coffee as Sirius looked at the floor plan of the house to make sleeping assignments. "Do you think Ginny will want her own room?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "You cant be suggesting what I think you are!"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I was thinking that she may not want to be alone. The twins have each other and Ron will have Harry."

Hermione looked to the side and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right about that. But still..."

His eyes met with hers and he nodded his understanding. "I know, love," he said. "I know."

Ron was the first to materialize, followed by the twins and finally Ginny. Sirius stood by and watched Ron throw his arms around his girl and weep in her arms. She held on to him and held out her arm  to Ginny and she joined her brother and wept with worry as she was comforted by her best friend. Hermione looked up to Sirius to see Harry standing by his side...she thought Harry looked awful.

Sirius sat the children down. "Can someone please tell me what happened?"

"Harry had a dream that Dad was attacked," Fred began.

Sirius's brow furrowed. "Okay?"

"And it happened to be true."

Sirius nodded and looked to his godson. "I see. Harry are you alright?"

Harry hung his head and nodded but remained silent.

"Hermione, why don't you make some hot chocolate please," Sirius asked.

She rose from her chair. "Yes. Yes, of course."

Ron looked hard at her. "I thought you were in France with your parents?"

"I was. But I had a bit of an accident and wound up here."

"Well at least you weren't alone for the hols," George said to Sirius.

"Yeah. She's been right good company," Sirius replied.

Fred eyed George with suspicion raising his brow.

Hermione made great haste and boiled the milk and melted some of Remus' chocolate, added the sugar then whipped it all together and poured the frothy concoction into the five cups that Sirius had retrieved and placed them before each of the rest of the kids as Sirius watched her closely, sipping on his coffee.

"Where's Remus," Harry asked.

Sirius looked to his pocket watch. "He's on a mini-mission with Tonks. He'll return tomorrow afternoon."

George and Fred eyed other again and nodded.