Title: One Year Marriage

Disclaimer: I think we all know that I am not JRK.

Summary: Marriage Law Challenge. AU. The war was over, and everything was right once more. But the Ministry found a new way to stop Blood discrimination, A Marriage Law. A Sirius/Hermione Love Story.

Rating: T, for now, but may change.

Warnings: Mild swearing.

Chapter 13 - Time Flies By

The scent of simmering sausages, fried potatoes, and eggs assaulted her nostrils. Merlin, that smelled good. After 24 hours of consuming nothing more than fire whiskey, Sirius could have made burnt toast, and it still would have been the best thing she'd ever taste. Almost trance-like she glided towards the kitchen. Her hair was still wet from her brief shower earlier but Hermione didn't even have the strength to tackle her hair, she needed some food and she needed it now.

Groaning at her grumbling stomach, Hermione slid open the kitchen door, and the scent practically threw her off balance. Her mouth watering and her stomach pleading for food, she quietly sat at one of the tables. Her eyes scanned the kitchen, it was decorated brilliantly; the mahogany wooden cabinets, the matching counter, and the stainless steel sink. Finally her eyes landed on Sirius who was humming to himself, not realizing that he was being watched. It was amusing to see Sirius like this, so carefree and friendly, Hermione couldn't barely remember a time when she'd seen him like this. He still wore the same slacks and shirt from yesterday, the only difference was he had on a horrible pink apron. She didn't know which surprised her more, Sirius cooking or wearing an apron. She smiled, highly amused, as she continued to watch him.

It wasn't so bad, being married to Sirius Black. She had expected explosions, shouting matches, and hexes being thrown; but hopefully that would be avoided, if Sirius Black stayed his friendly self.

She watched amazed as he flicked his wand and the food automatically began decorating themselves on the two sliver plates. Sirius would put Molly Weasley to shame with that charm. Amused, Hermione chuckled, which immediately caused Sirius to turn around, revealing the front of his horrid pink apron.

Knitted in black and white string was a horribly contorted figure of a man, who was smiling serenely. Somehow, it made her think of Dobby's painting of Harry. Smiling up at Sirius, she pointed at his apron.

"That's nice," lied Hermione, trying her best not to laugh.

Sirius smiled fondly, wiping his hands on the pink apron. "A present from Tipsy," he said. With another flick of his wand, the two plates and goblets flew toward her in alarming speed and Hermione actually ducked, in case they landed on her, however the plates and the goblets neatly settled on the kitchen table, not a hint of a mess in sight.

"Impressive," said Hermione, at the display.

Sirius just smiled. "I strongly urge you to dig in. I smell more horrible than Buckbeak right now, I doubt you want to eat with me," said Sirius, indicating himself.

Hermione frowned, "Then go take a shower,", said Hermione, as if she was pointing out the obvious.

Sirius chuckled, "That was my was my agenda Mrs. Black,". With a mock bow, Sirius walked out of the kitchen, leaving behind a scarlet Hermione.

The food was out of the world. Every bite had her toes curling. Even when her hunger was sated, Hermione wanted more.

"You know this is the best omelet I have ever tasted," said Hermione, pausing to sip her pumpkin juice.

Sirius shook his head smiling at her. "I didn't cook all of it. I had help from Tipsy," he said, his eyes twitching slightly.

Her brows creased. "Tipsy? Surely not a house-el-"

The sentence lay unfinished as a crack thundered across the kitchen and the small figure of a female house elf appeared.

"You called Master," the elf addressed Sirius, lacking the usual stutter and bad English.

Hermione scowled, pushing the plate and goblet away from her. How stupid of her to actually believe that Sirius would cook this himself? Taking credit for slave labor. Immediately Hermione stood, her eyes flashing dangerously towards Sirius, who seemed unfazed, but looked a bit apprehensive all the same.

"A House Elf?" she hissed.

But her statement was left unheard as the said House Elf spoke, "Why is Mistress glaring at my Master? Does she not like his cooking?" the House-Elf asked in a squeaky voice.

Her eyes flickered toward the pitiful creature, softening immediately as she looked at the House-Elf. She wore a pretty pink shirt and skirt that was neatly transfigured to fit the elf. She looked almost well cared for, no doubt she was a new elf, it was only time before the elf resembled poor old Kreacher.

"No your cooking was lovely Tipsy. Thank you very much," replied Hermione kindly.

Never in her life had she ever seen a House-Elf scowling at her, "Master made this," she said, gesturing at the plate full of food. "Tipsy tried to help Master, but Master told Tipsy to stay put and not help Master,", Tipsy pointed a her small elongated finger at Hermione, "You are ungrateful to my Master's cooking!"

Hermione stared wide-eyed at Tipsy, while Sirius tried to hide his smirk with his utmost intensity, but failed.

"Surely Tipsy, you can't let anyone take the credit of your cooking!" said Hermione, trying to console the House Elf.

Tipsy was about to open her mouth to reply, when Sirius cut her off. "It's okay Tipsy. Drop it. Hermione is the sole member of the House-Elf Liberation Front in the Ministry, she loves House-Elves. Be nice to her," reproached Sirius, giving Tipsy a little nudge.

The House-Elf simply ignored him or didn't care of his subtle order. "You is a bad woman! You is not my Mistress! Insulting my Master! I work for him for three years! He pays me 36 fat gold coins a week! Mistress is bad! Master good to Tipsy!" yelled the House-Elf glaring at Hermione, who seemed dumbfounded for words.

With a crack the figure of Tipsy disappeared and Hermione stared wide-eyed at Sirius. Unable to comprehend the fact that Sirius actually paid the House-Elf and 36 galleons in a week to boot! Hermione looked at Sirius, who had a smug smile on his face to indicate that he wasn't offended by her loss of control or lack of it. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Sirius waved it off.

"No need. Tipsy is very protective of me. Just don't try that S.P.E.W stuff on her," warned Sirius. "Tipsy is a bit," Sirius paused to grimace, "vocal,"

"You pay her?" she asked in awe, smiling strangely at him. She was rather pretty when she smiled.

Sirius nodded. "And it's not to impress you or anything. I've been paying her for a while now,".

"Does she get holidays and sick leaves?" she asked eagerly.

Sirius fought the urge to roll his eyes. If impressing Hermione consisted of introducing her to Tipsy, he would have done so ages ago. "Tipsy can slack off whenever she wants. She is free to come and go as she pleases and she is allowed to curse at me when she is angry," Sirius chuckled, "Actually the first thing I made her do was learn twenty swear words and practice them on me," His eyes lit and he smiled fondly.

Hermione was gob-smacked. Sirius Black being nice to a House-Elf. Oh Merlin, that was scary.

"Are you sure she is not under the Imperious or anything?" asked Hermione apprehensively.

Sirius laughed out loud. "I suggest you ask Tipsy herself. But beware, Tipsy is very vocal. She will scream your ears off,"

Hermione shook her head in amazement. "Sirius Black, you are full of surprises,"

Sirius winked at her as he leaned down to take her dirty plate and goblet into his empty hand. "You have no idea," he whispered teasingly in her ear, unknowingly making Hermione shiver in the process.

A blush darkened her cheeks as she watched Sirius washing their dishes, not bothering to call Tipsy for help.

He was really something else.

Months passed in an alarming speed. Her job as the Chief of the House-Elf Liberation Front at the Department for Control and Regulation for Magical Creatures was booming. Mostly due to the vast number of 'celebrities', Hermione had interviewed. The zoology section of the Daily Prophet printed interviews from Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black; who were all supportive of her cause.

What is surprising about the whole ordeal was that it was Sirius came up with the idea. Never in her life would Hermione have ever believed that Sirius Black would actually help her support House-Elves. After his startling interview, Hermione received owls from dozens of women around England, who graciously decided to donate money to her cause. At least one good thing came out of Sirius' womanizing ways.

Sirius and Hermione also built a solid friendship over the months. The start of their friendship had been shaky, but with Sirius' effort and Hermione's compassion; they both developed such a friendship that left Ginny, Harry, and Molly Weasley baffled.

Sirius was picked up work as well. Harry and Hermione both thought that Sirius would go back to being an Auror, in fact Kingsley had even offered him a high position within the Auror Department with a considerable salary. And to everyone's amazement Sirius declined, he seemed more determined on working on something that made him happy, something he was truly talented at. With the help of Remus; Sirius convinced the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and the Committee on Experimental Charms; to grant him a license allowing him to charm Motorcycles and Cars to fly. Immediately, before the shop was even opened, the uproar began. Soars of Wizards and Witches lined up at Sirius' doorstep demanding him to open the shop sooner.

The shop opened with huge publicity. Sirius being the godfather of Harry Potter, the only man to escape Azkaban, the conqueror of the Veil, and not to mention his huge reputation of being the 'Wizarding World's Bad Boy'; Padfoot and Moony's Charms opened with a bang that rivaled even Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

Dozens of Wizards signed up the first day, dropping off their respected automobiles at the hands of Sirius and Remus.

Since it was so common to see Sirius zooming by on his Motorcycle, kids who were fresh out of Hogwarts were attempting to blend in to the Sirius-Black look. His shop took Hogsmeade by storm, arousing more attention than the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

Many Wizards could be seen flying around in Motorcycles or cars now; thanks to Sirius and Remus.

The popularity of his shop was so demanding that, Nimbus offered Sirius a twelve million galleon contract to sell his charm work to them. But knowing Sirius, he declined. He wasn't going to let anyone profit from his work. But the thought that his own charms were causing a huge decline in sales for the new Nimbus' boasted his ego greatly. And Sirius started working on small models of cars and motorcycles', that he could market for children.

Hermione had been more than supportive of his idea, although it was very dangerous in her opinion. Hermione although supportive, would continually badger Sirius about putting more protective charms on it, in case of an accident. But wise words of advice, flew in one ear and came out the other. But he followed her advice nonetheless.

Since the shop demanded so much of Sirius' time, he didn't have time for much of a social life. The only people he seemed to have time for was Hermione, Remus, and Harry. Mostly Hermione, who demanded continuously that he put cushioning charms on all the bikes and cars, and Sirius obliged, knowing that Merlin himself couldn't stop Hermione once she got started.

They fell into a easy relationship, both helping each other with their respected careers. With Tipsy being the well spoken and possessive House-Elf that she was; she became Hermione's mascot and a spokes-creature for House-Elf's worldwide. Hermione's career drastically increased with the help of Sirius Black, although he would rather die than admit it, he was glad Hermione was doing something for House-Elves.

They slowly became friends. Very good friends. They were often seen having lunch or at their respected jobs. Hopefully it didn't arouse any media attention, due to the fact that they were already married. Life was good, or as good as it can get. Hermione even managed to find a steady boyfriend, until the-so-called-boyfriend found out that she was married to Sirius Black, and he ran faster than the loose women who chased Sirius.

Very often Sirius and Hermione still bickered, but most of the time it was casual for them, since they were so different, and they clashed tremendously.

Droplets of sweat trickled down his forehead, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, his wand pointed steadily at the exhaust pipe of the motorcycle; Sirius sat crouched down his face in level with the exhaust pipe he was trying to ignite. The bloody motorcycle refused to start. The trouble with charming non-magical objects was the fact that the magic heavily altered the mechanics of the bike. Adding a levitating charm that corresponded equally with the dash board wasn't child's play. It took an excessive amount of stress, sweat, and concentration; not to mention a whole lot of his bloody time. This was the sixth date (or shagging opportunity) Sirius had missed.

With his wand steady and his eyes glittering purposefully, Sirius cast another incendio into the exhaust pipe. Holding his breath for the tenth time today he pleaded with the bloody motorcycle to work. But again, no avail. Angrily Sirius strode to his storage room to look for a spare exhaust pipe. He would make sure to add the cost of that exhaust pipe to the customer. Bloody fool had him working all night.

Ignoring the rumbling in his stomach, Sirius roughly opened the cabinets and doors looking for the blasted exhaust pipe. He really didn't fancy going to muggle London looking for one. Angry, frustrated, and hungry; Sirius began rummaging for the spare exhaust pipe. Finally after what seemed like hours of searching in Sirius' part, when in fact, it had only been a minute and a half; Sirius located the bloody object.

Sighing, he turned to exit the store room and when he heard someone knocking on the backdoor of his shop. There was only three people alive who dared to bother Sirius' when he was at the shop. The first being Remus who casually dropped by to offer assistance, the second being Harry who usually dropped by to annoy him, and the third was Hermione who made sure he wasn't starving himself nor taking his anger out on his storeroom.

Muttering under his breath, Sirius pulled opened the door, and instantly his stomach began growling even more. The alluring smell of fish and chips, and the light perfume of Hermione. Scowling at her, he let her in, muttering all the same.

Hermione didn't bother to acknowledge his muttering, she was more than used to Sirius' attitudes when he was stressed in the shop. His anger didn't faze her one bit, it only served to amuse her.

"You know you're entitled to a break every now and then," said Hermione waving her wand, and instantly his storeroom seemed ten times cleaner. Another wave and a table and two chairs appeared instantly in between the large storeroom. Sirius scowled even further.

"You are not tempting me with food. I've got work to finish," said Sirius gruffly, though his eyes were attached to the brown package that was laden with fried fish.

Hermione didn't bother responding. Instead she began taking out the contents of the bag and began setting them on the table, ignoring Sirius' groans.

"Have I ever told you just how bossy you are?" he muttered, taking a seat in one of her conjured chairs.

"No. But did I ever tell you that you are an over-worked git, that refuses to listen to the voice of reason," snapped Hermione, as she handed him a plate of buttery fried fish and chips.

Unwillingly Sirius smiled as he took the plate from her, Hermione had a way of making his anger elevate at a high level and then suddenly plummet just as fast.

They both sat in Sirius' stuffy storeroom, each exchanging tales of their days at work. Hermione gave him an animated description of a woman who was being held in the Ministry holding cells, because she tried to behead her house elf.

"Can you believe the nerve of her? She should be sent to Azkaban!" said Hermione fiercely.

"Maybe I should send Kreacher to her," muttered Sirius. Hermione threw him a glowering look. Sirius just smirked innocently in return.

"Can't you survive one day being serious?" asked Hermione and just as she saw Sirius' mouth move to retort, she added "Don't," warningly.

Living with Sirius Black for six months she had been forced to tolerate his excessive use of his 'Sirius' jokes. Which at first made her laugh and now it caused her to roll her eyes and sigh.

"So are you all done for today?" asked Hermione, changing the subject that did not relate to Sirius' name.

He immediately glowered. "All day I've been trying restlessly to ignite that damned bike and still nothing," growled Sirius.

Hermione reached to touch his arm. "Stop being a baby. You'll figure it out. You always do," she soothed, "Have you charmed the accelerator to match the pressure of the ignition?" she asked, knowing a vast amount of charming, mostly due to Sirius' profession.

"Yes," he muttered, "The bloody exhaust won't ignite, so I am going to replace it. Mind you, I am charging the bloody arse for it," he added scowling.

"Why don't you give it a rest Sirius? You work harder than I do,"

Sirius snorted. "I am not the one who spent 48 hours in the Ministry handwriting an exposé,"

Hermione grumbled, but didn't add anything in response.

Most of her evenings consisted of dragging Sirius out of his shop, it had become a daily routine for her and Sirius to dine together in his rusty old storeroom, which sometimes smelled heavily of petrol.

Over the months, somehow, Sirius became a huge part of Hermione's life. Sometimes she still couldn't get over the reality of it, she'd never thought her married life to Sirius would be like this. She had expected to see him coming home drunk everyday, women seeking in and out of his bedroom, or even expected to be treated like crap (which her wand was more than a remedy for); but never this. She never expected a solid friendship from him, never expected so slowly see a side of Sirius only two living people had the pleasure to see, never expected to slowly fall in love with the man who was determined to be the most arrogant bastard she'd ever met, never had she expected to actually like being married to Sirius Black.

Inside, she dreaded the day the Ministry would appeal the law, knowing that it would break her heart to part from Sirius. A small part of her wished that Sirius would develop feelings for her too, but she knew Sirius was oblivious to matters of the heart, unless it involved his godson.

Sighing to herself, she looked up at Sirius, who was staring at her strangely.

"A galleon for your thoughts?" he teased.

Hermione rolled her eyes, leave it to Sirius to change a idiom. "Isn't it Knut?" she retorted.

Sirius smiled at her, "Your thoughts are worth more than a knut,"

They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Both oblivious to what stirred in each others minds. Sirius mind firmly attached to the Motorcycle and Hermione contemplating their lives.

Unbeknownst to either of them; a storm was slowly looming their way.

A/N: I know. I have not updated in a while. Sorry. Siriusly, I am. I think I managed to pass most of the hard parts in this chapter. I had to give them a developed friendship or my plot would seriously go awry. For those of you who are confused with this chapter and why I decided to skip six months, well, it's because nothing big happens. No big fight, no deaths, or anything of that sort. Sirius and Hermione both delve into their careers and a strong friendships blooms. For those of you who didn't want Hermione falling in love with Sirius so fast, I have a reason for that, and it's crucial to the plot. We need Sirius to be oblivious for a while. And yes, Sirius cares deeply for Hermione, in fact he is very possessive of her. You'll see. Just wait. Please read and review and I promise I will continue writing this.