Guess We're Stuck With Each Other - Sirius x Hermione

Chapter 25 - And If I Do?

She ate her breakfast curled up in Sirius's arms. He had put some underwear on while she blushed behind her book, but his bare chest was still exposed.

"I want to take you out," he broke the comfortable silence, "I saw this bookshop I thought you'd like, and we should probably go before Remus gets back from the Burrow. If you want, that is. Maybe grab a latte, get hitched or something. Only if you want, though."

"I'll just take a shower and get changed," she said, climbing off of him. "A day out sounds wonderful."

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Post-showering, clothes were laid out on the bed: some fancy underwear and a navy dress. They fitted perfectly, aside from the dress being a little too short for comfort. She countered that problem by transfiguring some tights. 101 Spells All Girls Need To Know, Ginny's book collection strikes again, she thought.

Placing her hand on the door handle of their room, ready for an adventure, she looked down at the bronze ring on her finger and smiled.

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Although Sirius wasn't too pleased with the tights, they spent the morning roaming around a remote bookshop in a secluded village. Hardly somewhere he was particularly likely to stumble across, she thought, inspecting some of the strange books on offer. It was wonderfully peaceful. So much so that the couple lot track of time. They had been there for hours. Sirius had had his arms enveloping her for hours. Hermione had spent hours feeling his breath on her neck, and she couldn't concentrate on what she was reading. Not for a second. No doubt it would have been an interesting read if she could take her mind off of him, but she couldn't.

"Hey!" she shouted in a loud whisper, as he snatched the book she was examining from right under her nose, "I was reading that."

"You've been staring at that page for the last 10 minutes. I'm going to buy it so you can continue to do so over a coffee," he said, pulling her towards him as he approaching the counter, attempting to use muggle money.

She gave him a hand with the purchase and they headed to the small café around the corner from the shop, arms intertwined. "You really didn't have to buy that for me," she argued, "now I have to pay you back."

"I think you're forgetting something, love. Everything that's mine is yours." He picked up her hand from the crook of his elbow. "That's what that ring means."

Once they were sitting in the café, their playful flirting suddenly stopped. "I was serious before," he smirked, "when I said we could elope. I meant it. We could go right now and be married by the afternoon."

She nearly spat her drink at his comment. "You...? Oh... right, well, I mean you don't have to marry me today." She was blushing uncontrollably as the man she adored was proposing something she had only dreamed of. "You've got two years to go out and do whatever you want. You don't have to give it all up just yet," she said, failing to hide her hyperventilating, flustered state.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he stuttered, drawing his eyes away from her and toward his cup. "I just thought you were eager to... never mind. I'll wait. I don't want to pressure you into anything. I get it."

"Do you want to get married this afternoon?" she inquired, disguising her excitement well.

He looked her dead in the eyes. "Not if you don't want to." He still had his usual charm, but Hermione could see in his weary eyes that he was the opposite of facetious. He was not joking around. He wasn't going to even consider doing anything if he knew it would make her uncomfortable, and that in itself made her heart flutter.