She received an owl from Sirius about two weeks after their initial meeting with him. They checked out of their room at the Three Broomsticks the day after they'd met Sirius, making it known Leandra was returning home. So they spent the next little while in her tent, which she was quickly coming to think of as their tent.
Neither were experts at cooking, so they took turns making dinner. Severus usually made breakfast for them. He was naturally an earlier riser than she was. (That the aroma of his breakfast dish of the day usually woke her wasn't a bother at all.) The appliances in the tent weren't what either of them were really accustomed to in their muggle homes. She was more adept at using them, since she'd already spent about nine months using them.
Severus checked with the Hogsmeade post office daily. The workers there probably thought he was waiting for word from Leandra. No one seemed to find it odd he showed up there every day despite living with his parents in muggle Cokeworth. When they did get an owl from him, they packed up their tent and made their way to the Shrieking Shack about fifteen minutes before Sirius said to be there. It was a little … boring staying in Hogsmeade, but they did take in a lot of the area. Things Hermione had never seen before, so it wasn't terrible. The town just wasn't that big for day after day.
"God I hate being here," she said, arms going around herself.
Severus slid his around her, gathering her against him as he kissed her ear and neck.
"I cannot blame you. I don't have the memories you do of it, but it is not my favorite place."
"Didn't you two just check out of your room?" Sirius said, joining them in the room.
"Indeed, Black. This is what having a steady witch you're committed to looks like. I know it's foreign to you."
"To me? As if you've had one before now! Leandra please before we get to business, what is it about this wizard?"
She drew away from Severus, glanced at him, and smiled wickedly before turning her attention to Sirius.
"You really want to know, Sirius Black?"
"Yes! I've known him for ten years and can assure you no one before you would touch him with a ten foot wand."
"Well, their loss is my gain, Sirius. He has a monstrous cock and knows exactly how to use it." She walked up to him then, sliding a finger along his jaw which was currently open in shock. "I'm surprised I can still walk after almost two weeks of our engaging in little more than nothing but while we were waiting for you."
Sirius closed his mouth, glanced from her to Severus behind her. She could almost see him focus on the front of his robes, looking for evidence as to whether she was exaggerating or not. Then his eyes returned to her. He swallowed.
"Really?
"Really. He'd give," she glanced at Severus. "What was the Centaur's name we met?"
"Firenze," Severus quipped, seeming to know exactly what she was about to say. Yes, she knew Firenze in her future. Sirius didn't know that. She hadn't shown him memories of the Centaur as her professor.
"Ah yes, hung like him without the pesky half horse aspect of things. And brains to boot because, well, we can't have sex every second of the day. Any more questions?"
"I, uh, no," Sirius said.
"Is it done then, Black?"
"Yes. My contact has said it was done, and the notification that would ordinarily be sent informing the vault owner of the discovery of their breach of contract is at the bottom of a stack of paperwork on her desk."
"Now it's my turn to say it. Really?" Hermione asked.
Sirius smirked. "I don't know if you've met my cousin."
"I have," she said.
"Yes, well, judging by the look in your eye, you have the same opinion of her most who do not follow He Who Must Not Be Named have. And probably some who do follow him, for that matter. Anyway, my contact was all too happy to oblige. She is the sister of an Order member, their other brother was tortured by my cousin for hours just because. They knew he had no Order information. I just told her I wanted any gossip that I could get if needed."
"In exchange for what?"
"A few nights with yours truly," he said, his chest puffing out.
"Mm," Hermione said. "As long as you leave her pleased, so she doesn't rescind her agreement before we get to Tom."
"She will not."
"Good. So that's it then. Now we try to find a time we can take care of him before everything else happens."
"And if we can't?"
She sighed softly. "Then we don't," she said. "This will destroy him. What we've done. I just, it's not even Harry's parents. So many die in the next few months."
"When?" Sirius' eyes grew hard as he regarded her.
"I can't tell you, Sirius. You know that I cannot," she said. "If we're able to find a way then we will, but if not, it cannot be altered and I cannot tell you specifics."
He sighed, nodding ever so slightly. "Yes, I realize what you've done already is at great risk to everyone and everything."
"Thank you," she said. "And Mundungus?"
"Sleeping it off, oblivious to having done anything."
"Good."
"I ask again, what if he's found out?"
She shrugged. "I don't think he will be, but I would have to live with that for the rest of my life if he dies as a result of this."
She wouldn't tell Sirius how much that bothered her. She didn't want it on her conscience, but if she had to choose between potentially Harry's parents never mind Molly's siblings and Neville's parents or a criminal. Well, Morgana and God help her, the Potters, Prewetts, and Longbottoms would win.
Sirius left, and they waited a while to leave after he did.
"What now, my witch?" he asked.
"There's nothing really we can do until you can figure out if there's a way to get him alone."
She didn't need to say his name, Severus knew who she was referring to.
"Was there anything we'd talked of doing that you'd like to do?"
"Not really. I'm not sure either of us wanted to jinx or tempt anything by talking of future possibilities."
"Mm."
"I suppose you're rather free for the next little while, aren't you?"
"Until August, anyway."
She pulled a wall-sized map of the world she had in her bag. Severus, wisely, said nothing, merely shook his head. She set it on the ground outside of the Shrieking Shack, closed her eyes and pointed her wand, whispering "peregrinatio". It was an off the cuff spell she'd made up during their hunt. She'd been on watch one night, and distracted herself from the cold and fear that they'd get caught by thinking of various places she'd like to go.
"Buenos Aires?" Severus said.
"It worked!"
"What is it?" he asked, looking curious.
"It's like a traveling or roaming spell."
"You weren't sure it would work?"
"I've never really used it. It was something I came up with the idea of, but haven't really had a reason to cast it."
"I suppose not."
She showed him the wand movement again, and he - not surprisingly - cast it himself.
"Trieste," he said.
"Where would you rather go?"
"Why not both?"
She smiled then. "I like that. Let's go tell your mum so she doesn't worry. We should probably replenish what we've used the past couple of weeks, too."
"You have a list?"
"You're teasing me, but yes, I do."
He scoffed but nodded with a slight shake of his head.
"I will not starve again, Severus."
She knew he was aware of that. He didn't know every detail, but enough to know their months on the run weren't pleasant. And that she would do whatever she needed to do to not go hungry or hunted again.
"And if you get summoned?" she asked.
"Then I will have to leave you for a while. I can't be telling him, Lucius, or anyone I'm going to be gone for a while." She knew who the him was he was referring to.
She nodded, just making sure she'd thought of that.
"It's not going to be for long, and if asked I'll say I returned home with you, and stayed for a bit. We will see if we can't come up with some ideas without worrying about being overheard as to getting him alone. I truly don't know that will be possible, but you've proven to be resourceful."
"I've had to be."
"‘Dra," he said after a moment of silence.
"Yeah?"
"You know Black and I will never be friends."
"I know, Severus. That doesn't mean I don't want him to see you differently than he has for the past ten years."
"Fair enough."
"You mean you didn't appreciate me telling him you're hung like a horse?"
He snorted with a shake of his head. "It was amusing."
"Thank you."
"I'm sure Mum will go shopping with you."
"You don't want to?"
"I enjoy doing a great number of things with you, Leandra. Shopping is not something I have patience for, and you know what you had and need for your bag. Besides, she likes you. I was also thinking of sending an owl to Black while you're doing your mother and daughter-in-law thing, telling him we'll be gone for a bit and suggesting he send any owls to Mum's, addressed to her or you."
"I like her, too, and, yes, that makes sense if he needs to get us information. He can't really be seen sending you owls."
"I suspect that will come in handy while I'm away at Hogwarts."
That was going to be upon them sooner than she liked to think about. She'd certainly be showing by then. She had no idea how his father would react. Or what he would think. Weird to think how quickly she'd gotten used to being with him every day.
"I think so, too," she said.
He stepped toward her then, sliding his arms around her. "I wouldn't leave you with her if I didn't trust her to keep you and my son safe."
"I know, Severus."
"It bothers me that I have to leave you anywhere."
She blinked rapidly, a bit surprised he'd said that.
"I'm not a monster, Leandra Allegra. I wouldn't just leave you two with anyone."
"I know, you just called him your son."
"That is what he is, correct?"
"Well, yes," she said.
He slid a hand out from around her, settling it palm down over her abdomen. "Just as I don't call you anything but Leandra, I refuse to think of him as anything but my son."
She smiled a little at that, feeling tears forming in her eyes at his words. And him touching her like this.
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me."
He knelt then, settling both hands on her abdomen before kissing her there.
"We haven't discussed names yet, little man, but I'm sure your mum and I will come up with something cleverly suitable for you. I may not be the man who helped create you, but I promise you I will do all that I can to ensure you and your mother are safe and we have a long life, the three of us."
He lifted his eyes then, looking very much as if for a moment he forgot she was there, too, even though he was touching her and talking to her abdomen.
"Too sappy?" he asked, looking as if he might be blushing. It was, dare she think it, cute. Not that she'd tell him that. She ran her fingers through his hair, grazing a temple with her thumb. Merlin, she loved him.
"Maybe, but I don't think so."
"All right. Mum and Dad's, then some traveling."
"I like the sound of that, Severus."
"It'll be like a honeymoon. You didn't get one."
"No." He was right. She hadn't. Whatever he wanted to call it, for the next little while it would be just them. She liked that idea. Was leaving right now the wisest thing to do? Probably not, but maybe he needed some time away from all of this, too. She hadn't really thought of it from his perspective. She'd arrived on his doorstep, and dumped … nearly twenty years of baggage on him.
Baggage that they were already well on their way to changing for him.
Not just for him, but for many. She hoped.
Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com