Truth or Dare ✔️

15

Pariah dogs and wandering madmen,
Barking at strangers and speaking in tongues.
The ebb and flow of tidal fortune;
Electrical changes are charging up the young.

It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit;
It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it.
You can almost feel the current flowing;
You can almost see the circuits blowing.

One day I feel I'm on top of the world
And the next it's falling in on me.
I can get back on.
I can get back on,
One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel
And the next it's rolling over me.
I can get back on.
I can get back on.

Whirlwind life of faith and betrayal,
Rise in anger, fall back and repeat.
Slow degrees on the dark horizon,
Full moon rising, lays silver at your feet.

Far Cry by RUSH (excerpt)

~~~

Sirius was beyond exhausted as he disapparated Hermione and himself back to the Dog House. She offered to prepare a drink for him and he nodded gratefully. She returned what seemed like only moments later to find him splayed over a sofa. She gazed lovingly at him. "He sleeps, finally," she said.

Not wishing to wake him, she removed her shoes and padded up the stairs to find Fleur at the top of the stairs. "Mademoiselle?"

"I need a blanket for Sirius," she said.

"Of course," Fleur chirped and materialized a blanket in her small hands.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you," she said.

"It is but an honor to serve," Fleur replied as she bowed her head. "Would Mademoiselle care for a bath before retiring?"

Hermione looked at her thoughtfully. "That would be lovely, thank you! I'll be right back."

She turned and headed down the stairs and gazed at Sirius once again. She approached him and knelt down by his side, laying the blanket on the sofa next to him. She loosened his tie and unbuttoned his waistcoat and then the top two buttons of his shirt. She maneuvered his legs onto the sofa and removed his boots. Finally, she covered him with the blanket and she tenderly kissed his brow.

Fleur assisted Hermione with her bath and lit a plethora of candle sticks and turned off the electric light. "Please don't let me fall asleep," Hermione said.

"Oh no, Mademoiselle!"

Hermione felt her tired body sink into the deep tub full of bubbles and she closed her eyes and thought of the events of the day. She had no idea that when she had awakened in her dorm room that morning, that she'd be in Sirius's house in France meeting his extended family. She heard the door open and close and she opened her eyes to see Fleur approaching to peek in on her. She closed her eyes again and nodded. She heard the door open and close again.

"I've not fallen asleep! What do you want," she asked, a slight aggravated edge to her voice.

"Only you," he said as he eyed her naked body floating on the surface of the water in the deep tub with appreciation.

Startled, Hermione pulled her legs under her body and sat up and took a deep breath, thankful that it was Sirius and not someone else entering the bath. She stood, the water cascading down her curves. "You startled me," she said.

"Oh, I'm sorry Sunshine," he said. "Let me make it up to you?"

She held out her arms and Sirius crossed the room and he only breathed in again when his arms were around her. "You're getting all wet," she whispered.