Promise to the Past | 🐾 ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀs ✓

10 | Unexpected Outcomes

Rated M for Sexually Explicit Content. Read at your own discretion!

* * *

~ Potter Cottage

She'd had another nightmare.

It had been exactly a week since she fell into this time, but the nightmares were the one constant she'd learned to expect. Hermione's eyes flew open in the middle of the night, and she could feel her skin clammy with sweat but found herself unable to move. Unaware of whether she'd stayed frozen for minutes or hours, she finally shot up in bed with a small shriek.

Breathing heavily, she tried to quiet herself lest she wake baby Harry and the Potters. But she couldn't stop the tears from escaping as she tried to choke back sobs and violent shudders. She was hyperventilating, but she couldn't stop.

The door to her room creaked open, but Hermione failed to notice because she was caught up in trying to calm herself. She snapped to attention when she felt something cold and wet nudge her temple. Looking up, she startled at the big black dog sitting calmly in front of her on the bed. He tilted his head as she stared at him as if to ask 'are you okay?'

Without pausing to think about her actions, she threw her arms around Padfoot, burying her face in the fur at his neck. Padfoot lowered his head onto her shoulder, comfortingly nuzzling her. Somehow Sirius always seemed to know Padfoot helped when she was inconsolable. Because while people ask questions and whisper false promises, no one expects to need to talk to animals, they simply exist at your side.

With shaky breaths, she pulled herself back together one second at a time. Once she'd calmed down enough to take steady deep breaths, she pulled back from Padfoot, brushing back her hair in slight embarrassment.

"Thank you..."

Padfoot pushed his paw against Hermione's shoulder as if instructing her to lay back and go to sleep again.

"Will you please stay?" Hermione kept her eyes averted from hesitation.

Not needing to be asked twice, Padfoot easily settled into her side.

~ ~ ~

He cornered her the next morning in the kitchen.

"You know," he said in an easygoing tone as he came up behind her. "Women don't usually sneak out of my bed the morning after."

Hermione blushed bright red when his lips brushed against her earlobe. "It's technically my bed."

He turned her with his hands on her waist, pushing her back against the counter. He smiled wolfishly before brushing his nose against hers playfully.

"Same difference."

"Sirius, someone might walk in on us again," she protested half-heartedly as he pushed against his chest.

"Let them," he said seconds before bringing their lips together hungrily.

The second his tongue ran along the seam of her lips, all of Hermione's logic and protests flew out the window. Of course her brain would go AWOL when she needed it. She gasped in surprise against his mouth, and he took full advantage, sweeping his tongue along hers.

Sirius kissed her with a hunger Hermione had never experienced before. At least not aimed towards her. Victor was always a bit rough with his kisses, and Cormac was a fiend with absolutely no tact and all tongue. But Sirius' patience and finesse reminded her of the way one would play an instrument- skillfully and meticulously.