Surprises for Hermione
"Can I take off the blindfold yet?"
"No, just a little longer love."
"Sirius you know I hate surprises."
"I think you'll love this one."
"How much longer?"
"We're about to land and then it's just a few steps."
She huffed. "Fine."
As he landed the bike, he smiled. James, Lily, Peter, Marlene, and Remus were all waiting on the front porch of the house. Their house... no, their home. He had taken what was left of his inheritance from his uncle and went looking for a house right after they graduated. He was about to give up when James came through the floo and ran around the flat making sure Hermione wasn't home before announcing that they were going to be neighbors. Apparently, the house across from them in Godrics Hollow had mysteriously become haunted after the current family moved out. Everyone who viewed the house left at a remarkably fast pace as well... James, of course, had no idea what that was about.
"Just, promise me you won't hate me."
"Siri- you know I love you. I could never hate you."
"Just, please?" He said with a crack in his voice.
"This is a big surprise isn't it Sirius?"
"um, yeah. Top ten for sure. It edged out the enchanted pudding from our fifth year."
She remembered that- it was not a good sign. Anything that topped a pudding that could either make you sing the Hogwarts theme song or turn an interesting shade of teal was... frightening.
"Okay, I promise. Just, don't let me get hurt, please?"
"I'll catch you if you pass out."
Yup, definitely not a good sign. She felt him tugging at the blindfold.
"Okay, just remember your promise," he said, the nervousness bleeding through his words.
She gasped when her eyes adjusted to the light.
"Is this?"
"It's ours. I mean, if you want it."
She looked at the house. He had painted the brick wall blue, she reached out and touched it, saying "You remembered."
He ducked his head. "Well, yeah. It was the first time I knew without a doubt that you wanted me for me, not for my name."
"Oh Sirius, I never cared about your family."
"I know that now... but back then I couldn't tune out Walburga telling me I would be completely worthless without my name."
She hugged him as she thought back to the day he proposed.
He had just gotten his badge as an official Junior Auror, he whispered something to Moody who nodded and waved him off. Jumping off the stage he approached Hermione, the girl who had helped him stay focused for the late nights revising for his tests. When he reached her, he got down on one knee.
"Kitten, I know that we haven't been official for very long, but these past few months living together have shown me that I want forever with you. You've had my heart from the first date back in our fifth year, even if we didn't try again until after graduation. I can't give you the white picket fence or the fancy things in life... But I'm hoping my heart will be enough, Will you marry me?"
She kneeled in front of him. "Oh, you daft man, of course it's enough! I love you."
After he slipped the ring on her finger, she said "Plus I'm not really a white picket fence girl anyway. I prefer blue."
"It's not much, but the Potters are just across the way so we're close to family..."
"It's perfect."
"Good. Because I kind of already bought it."
"I figured you did Siri. You're lucky I'm used to you."
"I think Lily is going to burst soon if you don't let her hug you."
She looked over and decided Sirius was right. Lily was vibrating with energy. She had spent the entire year Sirius was in training trying to get the two of them to move closer to Godric's Hollow where she and James had lived since right after their wedding the month after school. She had gotten worse after he proposed last year.
"Lily, come here!"
The redhead came running through the gate and almost knocked Hermione over with her hug. Luckily Sirius caught them both before they could fall, or worse... knock over his bike.
"Hermione I can't wait to show you inside! It's so excellent!"
"Shouldn't I be the one showing my future bride around?"
Lily shot him a look. "No. As the best friend and future maid of honor and new neighbor, I claim it as my right."
Hermione laughed as Lily dragged her past the gate and the boys without letting her say a proper hello.
Inside, the house was a mirror layout of the Potter's home. She quickly showed off the little changes they made then brought her outside into the back garden. As soon as she stepped over the threshold, she was hit with a wall of noise that sounded vaguely like "Surprise!"
There were wedding decorations everywhere, and all of their schoolmates had shown up, along with some of her muggle friends and her parents.
"You didn't think I'd let you get married without a bridal shower, did you?" Lily said from her side.
Hermione laughed. "I figured after the mess that yours turned into you might just skip it for me."
Lily was set to get married in a few months, so Hermione was busy owling and writing people to set up a wedding shower. The muggles and muggleborns seemed to understand, but she was getting a headache trying to explain to most of the half and purebloods.
"Why wouldn't the bride bathe herself before the wedding?"
"I don't think her future husband or my own wife would much like me washing her."
"Is this some strange variation of the bedding ceremony? That is an outdated, barbaric practice and I will not take part!"
"Why would we be invited to watch that?"
She had, by the eighth explanation, sat down and drafted an explanation letter to send off to everyone to explain precisely what a bridal shower was. She shared all the responses with Lily and they made a little scrapbook of them as a joke.
"No way. We muggleborn girls have to stick together, especially with the pureblood grooms against us!"
"I wouldn't say they're against us."
"You didn't have to deal with the questions. I thought we had been over this with my shower. I got asked if they should show up naked or if we'd let them strip here. Also if I would supply towels or if it was a bring-your-own type of thing."
Sirius walked up and wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist. "So, was a good surprise love?"
"It was Siri. Thank you."
"Consider it my wedding gift, even if it's a week early. I don't think I can top this next week, even if we do spend the entire week after it in bed chanting each other's names."
She swatted him. "Sirius Black we are in public. Our family is right there."
He kissed her blushing cheeks. "Psh, your parents can't hear me, and if my family is listening in let them. Especially that tosser," he said pointing to the now-blushing black-haired boy a few feet away.
"You are terrible Sirius Black." She said spinning out of his grasp and going to talk to their guests.
He pulled her back into him and dropped his head to whisper in her ear, "That's not what you said before we hopped on the bike kitten. Or perhaps I should take out the knickers and prove how I am definitely not terrible."
"You wouldn't!"
"They're in my back pocket kitten." He chuckled against the shell of her ear and nudged her in the direction of her parents with a lopsided grin and a wink.