The Visitor
Sirius Black set foot in number 12 Grimmauld place again. Well, so to speak. He -the ghost of him, who wasn't exactly like any of the ghosts he had seen at Hogwarts- moved across the hall and noticed the portrait of his mother was still hanging there, but he couldn't make a sound, even if he tried, which made him really glad for not having to hear her voice at all.
It was midnight, because all ghostly things happen at midnight; that was what the keeper of the veil had said when he allowed Sirius to take a stroll into the world of the living. Well, Sirius Black had a way around people. Or strange keepers, for that matter. The deal was clear, however. He was only allowed inside the old Black family house -now property of Harry- for one hours. That reminded Sirius there was no time to waste.
He quickly made his way into the kitchen, thinking that if anyone was still up, he or she would probably be there. And he was right (well, in part at least). Sitting there was Remus Lupin, bent over an old parchment and a few books. Sirius moved to get a closer look and read "Summoning the dead", "Dark rituals" and what looked like a muggle book called "Resurrection for dummies".
"Remus, my friend. What are you doing?" Sirius spoke. But Remus didn't seem to have heard him. "I'm fine, see? Don't mess with the dark arts, Moony!"
"Moony, Moony!" Remus spoke, shaking his head displeased. "How do you even know Sirius wants to be brought back", he reprimanded himself.
"Exactly," Sirius said, wondering if the words he had spoken had been heard or sensed by his friend. It was a good moment to try something. "Tell me about you, Remus. Tell me about you all. How's Harry doing?"
"Harry would hate me if I brought Sirius back", Remus whispered to himself. "Not that he doesn't miss him. He gets quite amgry whenever anyone mentions Sirius. But he's starting to get better." A small smile formed on Remus' face. "Of course, Hermione must have something to do with THAT", he laughed softly and Sirius' jaw dropped. Or would have if he had a visible jaw.
"Hermione? Hermione Granger?" He wondered. "I knew it!" he exclaimed wildly after a second. "But how did that happen?" Curiosity had taken the best of him.
Remus remained silent for a while, as if looking for the right words. "Hermione's always been able to get Harry talking. She did so last Christmas, when Harry had decided to stay away from the rest of the household, thinking he had been the one to inflict the attack on Arthur Weasley", Remus thought aloud.
"Yeah, I got that. I want the juicy details, Remus" Sirius said impatiently. He was very much aware of the bond between Harry and Hermione, but what he really wanted to know is how they had moved on from just friends to something else.
"Harry was awfully mad since…" Remus' voice broke. "Since that night at the Department of Mysteries," he added, not wanting to refer to it as the night that Sirius had left them.
"But that night, Hermione had been attacked, too. Even though she was recovering well, Harry never forgot that. He couldn't help to think that it would have been his fault if something more serious had happened to Hermione. They had a good share of quarrels about that. Harry would react badly whenever Hermione flinched with pain. He seemed consumed with guilt about that, just as he feels guilty for the veil…"
"He's got nothing to do with what happened with veil!" Sirius interrupted Remus' retelling with an angry cry.
"The boy likes guilt. Hermione kept telling him it wasn't his fault. One evening, it was just Tonks, Harry, Hermione -she asked her parents to let her stay at Grimmauld place with Harry for the summer- and myself. Harry was sulking, for a change, and he and Hermione had a bit of a row about how he kept torturing himself for everything that had happened. And then Hermione told him, for the thousandth time, that she had chosen to follow him. She had chosen to come along." Remus took a deep breathe.
"It was quite a bittersweet scene. Her eyes were full of tears and she was sobbing, trying to catch her breath, when she told Harry that even though she thought it wasn't a good idea, she had followed him because she trusted him and because she would go anywhere with him. And it happened. The next second she was telling him that she meant everything to him, and that she would do anything and everything to make sure that nothing ever happened to him," Remus smiled as he spoke those last words. "It was quite moving. Tonks was crying along with Hermione, murmuring something about that being the most romantic thing she had ever seen.
"Harry was in shock, to say the least. But it only lasted a few moments. He quickly realised the truth behind Hermione's words. Then he told her he knew what she was talking about. He told her that his heart stopped when he saw her lying motionless on the floor, just like it had years before, when he saw her petrified body lying helpless on a bed."
Sirius was listening in awe. He didn't know their bond was so strong, but he was glad it was. He was glad that his godson seemed to have found someone who loved him unconditionally, especially when he wasn't lucky enough to have known the love of his parents or their close friends during his early childhood. At that moment he thought that James and Lily would have been really happy to know Hermione and he was glad for he had gotten the chance to meet her and learn that his godson was safe, as long as he was clever enough to keep her around, but he couldn't imagine Harry having any trouble there. "What happened after that?" He couldn't help to ask.
"I don't know the details. Tonks and I disaparated out of there. It felt as if we were intruding in something very personal." Remus shrugged.
"You're no fun," Sirius laughed but Remus had a bemused look on his face.
"I probably should check on them... Molly will kill me if they..." Remus cut off his speech and shook his head. "No, I'm sure they're not..." and he returned to the parchment, only this time to fold it carefully and save it with the books.
"I doubt they can have any privacy around here", Sirius said. He imagined that with the beginning of a new school term only three days away, the whole Weasley clan would be staying at Grimmauld place as well. After all, it was closer to Diagon Alley and King's Cross.
As if he had read his mind, Remus spoke up: "The Weasleys are coming tomorrow morning and I wouldn't want Molly to find them together in Sirius' room..." Remus hesitated. He got up and took a few steps towards the door, as if he was resolved to check on them. But he turned around before he reached the doorknob. "No, I shouldn't go up there..."
"My room? He and Hermione are sleeping in my room?"
"It's only momentary... Tomorrow they will return to their usual bedrooms", Remus replied and the minute the words had left his mouth an expression of shock invaded his features. "I told Tonks that it was giving them too much freedom, but she insisted that they were bright enough to do anything stupid," the werewolf added, shaking his head as if he had his doubts. After a few moments, he stood up in shock, suddenly noticing that he hadn't just been talking to himself, but more like conversing with someone. "Sirius?" he asked looking around the room, but silence was the only thing that surrounded him.
***
Sirius was standing outside the door to his room, overcome by a very powerful desire to knock. But he couldn't, so he hoped for the best (that was a fully clothed Harry, at least) and went through the door, but he avoided looking directly at the bed before he could make out the situation.
Harry and Hermione were silent, so he dared to look. They were wrapped in a tight embrace, fully clothed (thank the gods) and resting on top of the blankets. He thought they look tender.
"I don't see why we have to hide it", Harry protested lazily, shifting slightly so he could look at Hermione. She gave him a peck on the lips.
"I'm not saying that, Harry. I'm just saying that we have to keep it to a minimum in front of Mrs. Weasley and the rest of them. We don't really know how Ron is going to take it, even. I don't want him to feel left out", she explained carefully.
"Me neither", Harry pointed out, rolling again to lie flat on his back now.
"I really am on your side, Harry", she said, thinking he was offended. Harry pulled her on top of him and kissed her softly.
"I know," Harry said. "And I can't believe we're talking about this when this is the last night we've got to spend time alone..." his tone changed into a naughty one. Hermione laughed, but when Harry's mouth covered her eagerly, she stiffened a little.
"What?" Harry asked.
"It's just... I'm a bit sore from last night, Harry."
"I'm not doing this right, am I?" Harry sounded defeated.
"No, it's not that," Hermione tried to cheer him up, but she was obviously lying.
"But it always hurts you-"
"Not that much..." She smiled, trying to make it seem unimportant.
Sirius was surprised, to say the least. Remus really should have checked on them. Or at least see if Harry knew all about the birds and bees, because obviously he didn't know the whole story.
Hermione ended the discussion by covering Harry's mouth with hers. Then her mouth moved across Harry's cheek and down to his neck. When Sirius heard his godson moan softly, he decided he needed to get out of there.
The next second Harry flipped Hermione, letting her rest on her back and covering her body with his. Sirius knew by then that he really had to get out of there. But when Harry's hands went straight to Hermione's breasts, squeezing them too eagerly, he couldn't help shouting: "Harry, get a grip! You've got to be gentler!"
He never expected Harry to hear him, being distracted and all, but his godson stiffened at his words.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, noticing the panic in Harry's face.
"I..." Harry hesitated. He looked around and then shrugged. "It's nothing", he added, kissing her reassuringly. His hands moved back to her breasts and he caressed them slowly this time, making Hermione purr with delight.
"Much better," Sirius agreed.
"What now?" Harry asked into the air, somewhat hesitant. There was no doubt he was hearing Sirius' voice, making comments on his performance. It was quite disturbing, to say the least, but on the other hand the little advice he had given him had proven to be good so far.
"That's good. That's very good," Hermione moaned, unaware of what was happening and probably thinking Harry was talking to her instead of the air around him. The boy continued caressing her, but he looked as if he were waiting for more instructions.
"Take it slow, Harry," Sirius instructed and Harry followed. "The secret is to take your time to take care of her needs," Sirius continued. It was bit of a shock to realise that Harry was actually waiting for his prompts.
"Control yourself," Sirius told his godson. "She won't ever want to let you go if you do this properly," Sirius smiled as he moved next to Harry.
"Just keep in mind that it's important for her to be ready when you enter her. You know..." he struggled to find the right term. He wasn't a prude but he didn't want to be too straight forward, in case Hermione heard him -although she seemed too distracted to do so-. "Just make sure she's well lubricated and you won't hurt her that way" he said and Harry nodded.
"How do I do that?" Harry wondered. He had a pretty good idea of how to do that, but perhaps there was a special trick he didn't know about.
"You're doing great," Hermione purred again, immersed in a world filled of sweet caresses.
Sirius laughed, mostly because Hermione was totally clueless, which was very unusual for her.
"If you go to the attic, at the bottom of the old chest you'll find a book that could give you more than a few good tips. In the meantime, I suggest you listen to her. Ask her what she wants, where to touch her. She's gonna appreciate that."
"Thank you," Harry whispered into the air, looking around again but finding no-one.
"Oh no, thank YOU, Harry," Hermione moaned again as she arched her back trying to press her body against Harry's.
"You're welcome," Sirius whispered. He was about to cross the threshold when a thought hit him. "You do know about contraceptives, right?"
"Hermione, why don't you do the contraceptive charm thing before we get too caught up?" Harry suggested so Sirius would know that she was able to cast the charm.
She protested softly, but she reached for her wand, knowing he had made a good point. She muttered the right words. Sirius smiled, glad to know that Hermione was such a bright witch. After that, he left it up to Harry. He had already seen too much for his own liking and at this rate, clothes were to be discarded soon, so he rushed to the door.
***
Just outside the room, Sirius found Remus, who looked hesitant, as if he were wondering whether to check on Harry or not.
"Remus, mate," Sirius said. "Molly is going to kill you," he laughed. "But I really wouldn't interrupt right now if I were you."
"I'm a dead man," Remus shook his head. "What do I do now?" He asked, wondering if the couple in the room knew about contraceptive charms or muggle devices, even.
"Just make sure that Harry finds that book in the attic. You know the one... He could use it," Sirius instructed, trying not to make evident that his godson was a bit on the clueless side when it came to the subtleties of love making.
"The book in the attic. That's it. I'll give it to Harry. He's bright enough to figure it out on his own. And if he's not, he's got Hermione," Remus sounded resolved. After a few seconds, he looked around, seeming worried. "Sirius?" he asked again, but there was no reply or sign that anyone else was there, and resigned, he went down the hall to his room.
***
The next morning, Harry was up before anyone else and he was making breakfast when Remus entered the kitchen.
"Morning," he greeted Harry. "Did you sleep well?"
"Perfect," Harry replied with a wide grin on his face. Remus' face went paler than usual as he imagined the root for such happiness.
"I'm a dead man," Remus rubbed his temple as he sat down at the table.
"Something wrong?" Harry asked as he poured tea for both of them.
"Please tell me you used a contraceptive charm," Remus decided to stop beating around the bush and Harry couldn't hide his surprise.
"We did. Hermione knows," Harry replied timidly, never expecting Remus to question him about anything like that.
"Thank god it's Hermione," Remus said with authentic relief.
"How did you know?" Harry asked, angrily, wondering if Remus had been eavesdropping.
"Erm..." Remus hesitated. "This is going to sound odd... But I think Sirius tipped me off." He spoke slowly, wondering if the mention of Harry's godfather was going to upset the boy. They didn't talk much about Sirius death because it was always a sensitive subject for Harry.
"Last night?" Harry asked with awe in his voice.
"Yes," Remus raised an eyebrow with interest after Harry's tone.
"I swear he talked to me last night, when I was with Hermione," Harry blushed slightly as he added the last part.
"That's quite sick!" Remus exclaimed and Harry gave him a strange look. "Oh not you. I mean Sirius."
"Well, to be fair with him, we were only getting started when I thought he was there. And he gave me a few useful tips," Harry's face went bright red then.
"Tips?"
"Yeah, never mind," Harry shook his hand indicating he wasn't going to go there.
"Thanks," Remus laughed. They turned to their breakfast, and after a few minutes of eating in silence, Remus asked: "Is there anything you'd like to... talk about?"
Harry shrugged. "I seem to have done considerably better last night," he confessed, unable to hide his embarrassment again.
"Last night? Better? You mean last night wasn't the first-?" Remus shook his head. "I'm so dead if Molly finds out."
It served to lift up the mood again. "Don't worry," Harry said coyly. "Hermione's sharing a room with Ginny and I'm moving back to the room I share with Ron until we go back to Hogwarts, so you're off the hook."
"Thank you," Remus said, bowing to Harry. "But just in case... you know... In case you find a time and place to be alone during the Weasley invasion, there's a book in the attic -buried at the bottom of an old chest- that might come in handy... It helped Sirius and me a lot back in the day," Remus winked at him.
"You and Sirius..." Harry trailed off.
"In general. Separately. Me, Sirius... Your father, even."
"Cool," Harry smiled. "Not that it wouldn't have been cool if it was you and Sirius... you know."
"I like women, Harry," Remus rolled his eyes at him. "But thanks for the reassurance."
"Anytime," Harry smiled. "Do you think Sirius will come back some other night?"
"I hope so," Remus said sincerely. He was glad to see that the mention of Sirius didn't seem to be a problem for Harry anymore.
"Hope what?" Hermione asked as she entered the kitchen, startling them both. She smiled at Harry as she walked past him to help herself some tea.
"To get visitors sometime soon," Harry said and winked at Remus. He was sure it was better if Hermione never found out about Sirius' visit, or at least not the fact that he had been in the same room with them. "Tonks hasn't been around for a couple of days…" Harry said suggestively, raising an eyebrow at Remus.
"Oh, I knew it!" Hermione smiled excitedly, noticing Harry's hint. "That's excellent news," she added before Remus could say a word to clarify Harry's insinuation. Not that he was mistaken, really. "I'm sure she'll be glad to know she has been missed."
THE END