Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Here is a little Sirimione holiday action. This will be four parts, coming out on Fridays, through Christmas. I hope that you enjoy and I would love to hear what you think about chapter one! Be on the lookout for chapter two next week.

This was somewhat inspired by the song "Little Bit" by Lykke Li, which you should definitely check out!

Hands down, I'm too proud for love

But with eyes shut, it's you I'm thinking of

The Christmas Holidays had fallen on Number 12 Grimmauld Place with a swiftness never before possessed. It was the first Christmas after the War had ended, and everyone was done with mourning. They wanted to celebrate to their hearts content, leaving behind the sadness and death that had permeated the previous year.

Hermione thought back to the Christmas before, when she and Harry had gone to Godric's Hollow. It felt like ages ago.

So much had changed since then. She had accepted Harry's offer to move into Grimmauld Place with him and they began the process of redecorating the place to make it more inviting and to rid it of bad memories. Once the rooms were habitable again, Teddy Lupin, still just a baby began spending more and more time there. It turned out that raising a child was too much for Andromeda, after losing her husband and only daughter.

But the biggest change had to be the fact that Sirius Black had come back from the veil. Apparently, when Bellatrix had been killed, he came tumbling out from the other side. Shocked, the Unspeakables had taken him to St. Mungo's to be looked over and tested on. After their curiosities were slaked, he was allowed to go home, having been assured that they'd informed Harry of his return. Hermione thought about the night he'd stumbled home.

...

It was in the middle of the night when he finally made it back to Grimmauld Place. He was tired and stumbled into his room, where Hermione was snoozing unknowingly. She had moved into his room after they'd redecorated, wanting to give Harry and Ginny as much privacy as possible. Sirius, thinking Harry had somehow procured him a woman, had just smiled and slipped into bed with the woman, bringing one of his hands up to cup her breast.

Sirius had not been prepared for the girl to scream bloody murder, waking up a tiny baby in the room, who also began to wail at full pitch. The girl had stood up and grabbed the child, placing him on her hip, shushing him.

That was when Sirius realized that this woman was none other than Hermione Granger. The healers had told him that a few years had gone by, but he didn't realize that the years would be so kind to Hermione Granger, the bossy little swot who he'd argued with when she was sixteen.

When the baby finally quieted, Sirius looked at her and asked. "Whose...?"

Hermione seemed to understand and told him with a small smile. "Remus." She kissed the tiny tot's hair, which was currently matching Hermione's curly brown.

A grin spread on his face. "Nice one, Moony. I didn't know he had it in him, you being a student and all." Sirius told her.

Before she could correct him, Harry had burst through the door, wand at the ready. "Hermione? Are you okay?" His eyes scanned the room before settling on Sirius's face. "Sirius?"

Sirius stood and hugged Harry tightly. "Oh, Harry. You've grown so much." Hermione felt like she was intruding on a very private moment, and looked down at Teddy, wiping the tears from his little eyes.

"What was all the commotion?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I think Sirius wasn't expecting anyone to be in his bed." Hermione told Harry. "It gave Teddy and I a right fright. I was just introducing Sirius to Teddy." Hermione looked Sirius in the eye, hoping to straighten things out. "Sirius, this is Teddy Lupin. He is Remus and Tonks's son." Hermione watched as realization swept over his face, followed by a light blush of the cheeks. She couldn't believe that he had thought that she'd had a baby with Professor Lupin.

...

It still made Hermione blush even all these months later. She'd insisted on Sirius having his old room back and had instead settled into the room across the hall. She was surprised that he decided to stay at Grimmauld Place at all, since the last time he was there, effectively for his whole life, the house had been a prison.

But now, a lot of things about Sirius had changed. When Hermione knew him last, he had been bitter and paranoid, likely depressed, and Harry was the only thing that made him even remotely happy. Now, he had a new lust for life, a zeal that was very attractive to Hermione.

Honestly, he was always attractive to Hermione. With his perfect nose and cheekbones, piercing, mercurial gray eyes, and wavy, dark hair, he cut quite the dashing figure. And now, sometime between August and December, Hermione had fallen irrevocably in love with him.

It was really embarrassing, honestly. She didn't have anyone she could talk to about it, as it seemed so scandalous. Ginny was too obsessed with her own relationship with Harry to give it much consideration, and even if she did, Ginny still insisted that Hermione and Ron belonged together, despite the fact that Ron was dating Lavender.

Sirius was a bit older than her, but then again, Hermione had always been mature for her age. He purposefully would rile her up, trying to get her into an argument that would leave her blood boiling and pupils blown, wondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of his lusty passions.

He was everything that she wanted in a man, really. He was intelligent, brave, and smart. He held his own ground. He was beyond attractive, tall, dark and handsome personified. He even liked reading, Hermione had been surprised to learn, as he had taken to reading on the little couch in the library with her, keeping her silent company, and sometimes debating topics with her. Sometimes, he would come in as padfoot and curl up into a ball next to her, never saying anything when he fingers scratched behind his ears absentmindedly.

He remembered little things about her, like her favorite flowers, which he had given to her on her birthday, along with a gorgeous planner, embroidered with her initials. He was incredibly helpful with Teddy and was always sharing funny stories from when Harry was a baby.

She'd actually realized that she was in love with him during Harry and Ginny's engagement party. Almost all of their acquaintances were paired up together, leaving them as some of the few singletons. Sirius had, surprisingly, asked her to dance after dance, and held her body against his, his body's heat bleeding into her through the fabric separating them. He'd placed his hand low on her back, high enough to be appropriate, but low enough to hint at more.

He'd dutifully asked her about what was going on in her life, and did she read the new Transfiguration Quarterly, and what did she think about the new law abolishing muggleborn prejudice. He listened to all of her answers dutifully, laughing along at her dry humor, all while memorizing her face, his gray eyes enrapturing her own.

It had been perfect.

Until Ron Weasley came up and had to ruin the evening, and ensuring Hermione knew that Sirius could never want her. "Thanks for looking after Hermione for us tonight." He had said with a big smile on his face, patting Sirius on the back. "Now that Harry and I are attached we can't be filling up her dance card, and we'd hate to have Hermione all alone by herself."

Sirius looked between the two of them, looking a bit guilty, sending Hermione's heart plummeting. "Yeah, it's no problem to spend the evening with such a beautiful young woman."

Hermione was gutted, knowing that he still saw her as a little girl, and he'd done it out of some misplaced obligation to Harry and Ron. She'd left the party shortly after, not bothering to stop when Sirius called after her.

But still...

When she was in bed at night, her mind would traitorously offer the memory of his hard body pressed against her back, his warm hand cupping her breast. She would let her hand repeat the action on her bare breast, pinching her nipple between two fingers, gasping in delight. She'd let her fingers trail down her bare stomach, before slipping them into her panties, to bring herself to gasping orgasm, Sirius's face in her mind.

Oh, how she wished she hadn't screamed that night. How far would he have gone? Probably only so far as to realize who she was, Hermione thought bitterly.

But then, she'd be reminded about how he'd said "Nice one, Moony" when he'd thought that Remus had fathered a child with her. Maybe he thought that she was a bit of a catch. Yeah right, Hermione thought to herself, as if that would ever happen.

Sirius Black had been shocked to return home to find little Hermione Granger tucked in his bed the night that he returned, but since then he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it, and how to get her back there.

If someone had told him before he went into the veil that he would be lusting after Granger of all people, he would have slapped them silly. But now, he pitifully could admit to himself, she was everything that he could possibly want.

She was smart and kind, had a bit of a mean streak, and she looked absolutely stunning when he argued with her. Her pupils would dilate and stare at him, her breath would quicken and her chest would heave, showing off those lovely tits of hers. His mind was only too happy to remind him of what those looked like.

When she'd first hopped out of bed, he'd taken a moment to look at her. She'd only been wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of knickers, and he'd been able to see the faint pinkness of her nipples, hard beneath the cotton due to the sudden cold of leaving the covers. She'd looked so beautiful.

And then, he initially had thought that she was Moony's woman. Honestly, it had surprised him that Remus would have been with her, but he would be lying if he said he didn't see it. He had been simultaneously happy for his friend, and disappointed that he wouldn't get a chance to see what Hermione was made of. Then he'd learned that they hadn't been together, and that instead his friend was dead, along with his wife...Sirius still felt a stab of guilt at his assumptions and greed.

Now, he loved to watch Hermione with Teddy. She was really natural around him, which was somewhat surprising. He would have thought that Ginny Weasley would be the more motherly of the two girls at Grimmauld Place, but nothing could have been more opposite. He was happy to see that his little cousin was being so well cared for.

Before he went into the veil, the idea of having a family was not a desire that he'd ever had before. As a teenager, he was interested in getting it in with as many girls as possible. He'd hated his own family and had surrounded himself with friends, girls and booze. Then when he'd escaped Azkaban, he no longer could feel the closeness to other people. The only important thing to him was keeping Harry safe.

But now, now that he'd come back to life a second time, he felt revitalized. He wanted to love and be loved, something he was sure had never happened before. Seeing Hermione play with Teddy made him realize that he wanted his own family, and he wanted a family with her. He wanted to hold her every night and wake up next to her every morning. He wanted her belly to swell with his child and he wanted her to carry around their child in her arms, just like she did with Teddy.

She really had grown into a beautiful woman, with her light brown hair in curly bedroom hair that look so natural on her. Her amaretto colored eyes were constantly flashing with her laughter and mischievousness, making him felt that he could just stare into them all night. She had the cutest constellation of freckles across the bridge of her nose. And her lips...her lips were the most inviting shade of pink, with just enough plumpness to make him wonder how they'd feel wrapped around his...

Every time he went through this line of thought, Sirius just ended up feeling like a dirty old man. Even though the veil had suspended his aging, he was still a decade older than her and it felt wrong for him to be panting after her like an old dog.

He found himself, seeking her out, and loved to stay up late in the library, just talking with her. She had a little smile that he liked to think was just for him, but in his heart he knew that she was just being nice to him. He would often let his mind wander back to the time in the library, when she had a bit too much firewhiskey. She'd moved to sit next to him to look over the journal article he'd want to show her, and before long, her eyes were drooping and her head dropped to his shoulder in sleep.

Merlin, he'd wanted to stay like that forever. Still, he did the dutiful thing, after a few minutes, and gently nudged her awake. She'd sat up, her cheeks pink with embarrassment, and apologized to him. Then, she'd stood up from the couch, kissing him on the cheek, and heading to bed. It was simultaneously the best thing and the worst thing for him. He finally got to know exactly how soft and how plump her lips were, and he wore the memory of them like a tattoo. Then, he'd remind himself that she only saw him as some kind of kindly uncle and nothing like a potential lover, no matter how much his heart could hope.

So, he kept his thoughts to himself, but he still couldn't help but try to argue with her and play practical jokes on her, just to see her eyes dilate in passion, because then, he could pretend that it was love in her eyes.

Grimmauld Place was being decorated from top to bottom for the Christmas holiday, with everyone lending a hand. It had been decided that Christmas dinner would be held there in a fortnight, so things were quite busy.

Sirius and Harry were upstairs in the attic, looking through boxes to see if the Blacks had any baubles or ornaments worth decorating with. Ginny and Lavender were decorating the dining room and shining the silverware to its former glory. Ron was trying his best to hang Christmas lights and holly outside without magic, with Arthur.

Hermione had ensconced herself in the library, where the tree had been placed. She hung stockings from the mantle of the newly refurbished fireplace, each one knitted with care my Molly Weasley. A muggle record player was running in the room, giving her pleasant music to work to. Sirius had gotten one, knowing that bringing a muggle device into the house would upset his mother's portrait.

Hermione had been glad and had told the group how much she adored records, and how it reminded her of listening to Bing Crosby's White Christmas on her grandparents' record player when she was little. Her heart had swelled when the next day, Sirius had brought back a copy of the album. She knew that it didn't mean anything, he was just trying to be nice.

Still, she appreciated it, and listening to the sad tones of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" had her humming along, wrapping lights around the tree. It really felt like this would be the first truly happy Christmas in many years.

She could smell the sugar cookies that Molly was baking in the kitchen with Teddy, currently, and Hermione couldn't wait to sit around the fire later tonight, to share a glass of eggnog and rum with everyone and talk about what they wanted for Christmas. Oh, if only she could have what she really wanted for Christmas...

But somehow she didn't think that over six feet of Sirius Black would be in her stocking Christmas morning, even though she was sure to make the nice list.

Before she let her thoughts get too dark, she set out putting up some new ornaments on the tree. To keep her mind occupied, she placed them by hand, rather than using magic. After a few moments, she heard excited tromping down the stairs. That'll be the boys, then, Hermione thought with a smile.

Soon, Sirius and Harry burst through the library door. "Find anything worthwhile, boys?" Hermione asked, not looking up from her task. She knew that they both hated to be called boys. They were manly, men after all.

She could practically feel Sirius's grin across the room, even though he wasn't looking at her. "I found the best thing for the best practical joke ever." He told her proudly.

Hanging the last ornament, she turned around to look at them. With one eyebrow raised, Hermione asked. "Oh, yes? And what is it that you found?"

"It's my great-great something or other great-grandma Ursula's engagement ring. Mother was always looking for it when I was a child." Sirius said with a smile. Deciding to press his luck, he couldn't stop himself from asking. "So, Hermione, do you want to help me play a prank on my mother's portrait?"

Knowing where this was going, Harry gave the pair a worried look. "I don't know if this is the best idea, Sirius."

"Come on, it will be fun." Sirius complained.

Hermione smiled. "Alright, I'm game, I suppose." She said, disregarding Harry's worried glance. "What do you need me to do?"

With a flourish, Sirius took to the floor with one knee in front of Hermione. Then, reaching into his pocket he pulled a ring with a huge emerald, flanked by little diamonds on the side. It was stunning and spectacular. Then for his own perverse bit of masochism, he asked the question that he wished he could be asking her for real. "Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?" He asked, grinning up at her madly, trying to disguise the wild beating in his heart.

Hermione looked shocked and a little bit excited at the same time. The ring was stunning, and she felt silly as she nodded her head yes, allowing him to slip the ring onto her left ring finger. It fit her like a glove and it felt so right sitting there.

Standing, Sirius gave her a kiss on the cheek and twirled her around in a circle. Harry looked on, a tad horrified. "Well, come on then." Sirius said after finally setting her back down on her own two feet, memorizing the feel of her pressed against him. "Shall we go introduce Walburga to her future daughter in law?" He asked with a conspiratorial wink.

Hermione felt her heart sink and hoped that he disappointment didn't show on her face. One look at Harry's green eyes though told her that it was all too clear to her best friend. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

Still, Sirius grabbed her hand and dragged her to the front of the house where Sirius's mother's portrait slept silently. Opening the little curtain, Walburga instantly began shrieking about the filth in the house and how Sirius was a stain on the house of her father.

Sirius stood there calmly, smirking while she ranted and raved at the pair of them. Hermione cringed, feeling the weight of all of Walburga's nasty words. Once she'd tired herself out, the portrait quieted and only then did Sirius engage her. "Mother, I have come to tell you some exciting news!" He said cheerfully. "You remember Hermione, don't you?"

"Of course! Filthy mudblood tramping all over my father's house like she owns the place." Walburga spat at Hermione, making the girl shiver.

"Well, we wanted you to be the first to know that..." Sirius trailed off, his grin getting wider and wider. "I've asked Hermione here to marry me, and she has accepted." Sirius pulled her left hand up and kissed her knuckles, letting the portrait get a good look at the emerald ring.

"Is that...Ursula Black's ring?" Walburga gasped, clearly affronted.

"Why yes mother, it is." Sirius said, innocently. "I was cleaning the attic today and I found it. I took one look at it and I just knew it was perfect for my Hermione."

"No!" Walburga hissed. "How dare you desecrate such an heirloom with this muggle filth! Disgusting! Lower than a swine! Take her from my sight at once." Walburga demanded.

"As you wish, mother." Sirius said, beginning to close the curtains once again. "Oh, I am sure we will be back soon to let you know about any future grandchildren you can expect. You know I am so keen on continuing the Black line." That declaration set of a fresh wave of shouts and hisses.

Sirius just laughed and sent a silencing spell at the old bird. "Sorry about that, I know she was awful to you, but I think it was worth it to see the look on her face. Please don't take what she said to heart, Hermione."

Hermione nodded, giving Sirius a sad smile. She knew as well as he did how much Walburga's words could cut deep. "It's fine." Then she looked up at him. "Are you actually keen on having children, Sirius?"

Sirius paused for a moment. "I think that I would like to have children, but I don't have any immediate plans right now." He said quietly. It was the first time that he was admitting it out loud, but he felt like he could tell Hermione anything.

Hermione looked a bit surprised, but not shocked. "I think you would make a wonderful father." She told him, honesty shining in her brown eyes.

"Do you really?" He asked her. He didn't think anyone would think that. He felt as reckless and irresponsible as an eighteen year old sometimes still.

"Yes, you do remarkably well with Teddy." She said, thinking of all the times that she'd seen Sirius reading to Teddy, even though he couldn't really understand the books yet. Seeing them together made her heart ache.

"Well, I think you'd make an amazing mother, Hermione." Sirius told her. He loved watching her playing with Teddy. She always made the toddler laugh and giggle. "Not that I'm asking...or anything like that." He added awkwardly. He felt awful when he saw her shoulders slump a little. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad.

When they returned to the library, they found that Harry was still there, eating some just frosted sugar cookies. "How did it go?"

"Didn't you hear? She blew a gasket." Sirius said, with obvious pride on his face.

"Oh, I did hear alright." Harry said, returning the grin. It was awfully easy to wind Walburga up, but Sirius delighted in it. "Hermione, why are you still wearing the ring?"

Hermione blushed. She had been enjoying the fantasy of being Sirius's fiancee, even if it was only momentary. She didn't want to take off the ring. It felt so right on her finger and it was truly exquisite. She reached for the ring, taking it between her fingers and pulling. To her absolute astonishment, it wasn't budging. "I can't take it off."

"Haha, I know that it's beautiful Hermione, but..." Harry trailed off, probably trying to spare her feelings.

Hermione tugged harder at the ring, but all she felt was nearly unbearable pressure when she tried to remove it. "No, I mean it's stuck." She said, a bit of panic bleeding into her voice.

Sirius looked at her in concern. "Maybe I have to take it off, since I put it on." He grabbed her tiny hand in his large one and gave the ring a firm tug, but still, it stayed firmly on her finger. Swearing quietly under his breath, he muttered a lubricating spell on the ring, but still, it wouldn't budge from her finger.

Harry watched on, getting progressively more and more upset. "What the hell, Sirius? Did you give her a cursed piece of jewelry?" Harry took Hermione's hand in his own and tugged on the ring with all his might. He was nearly in a panic by the time he gave up.

Sirius paled. "Fuck, Hermione, I'm sorry. I promise we will get this sorted out." He took her hand back in his, as a sign of reassurance.

Hermione met his gray eyes with sadness and insecurity. "Maybe it's because I'm a mudblood?" She asked tentatively.

Sirius's eyes were ablaze with annoyance. "Never call yourself that Hermione." He demanded, running his thumb on the palm of her hand in a surprisingly intimate gesture.

Hermione felt her face heat up at being this close to the man that she'd fancied for months now. She almost wanted to ask him what the harm was in her continuing to wear it. But then, her heart sank, knowing that Sirius didn't really want to marry her, or be engaged at all.

"I think I remember there being a book in here about family artifacts." Sirius told her. "I bet if we find it, we'll figure out how to get it off." Sirius told her.

Hermione nodded and they began to look on the bookshelf for it. "What do you know about the ring, Sirius?"

"Just that it's over a century old and that Phineas Nigellus had it specially commissioned for his wife Ursula. She was a Flint." He recited from memory, and shook his head from all the family history lessons he'd been forced to memorize as a child.

They looked quietly for a few moments, Harry angrily huffing every now and again in frustration, before Sirius finally found the book. It was black and emblazoned with the Black Family Crest on the front. "Here it is. Black Family Inventory of Goods." He read from the cover.

Hermione looked intrigued by the book, and so Sirius reached out his arm with the large book, so that she might take a look at it. The moment her fingers contacted the book at the same time as his, they were enveloped in a bright blue light. They locked eyes for a moment before the world started to get a bit dim.

And then they were gone.