the_debt_of_time

Mrs Weasley refused her assistance, so Hermione thought to retire to the library. She
turned to go down the stairs but was instantly blocked by a sweetly smiling Sirius, a small
crimson box in his hands.
"You thought I didn't get you anything?" He grinned smugly, and she blushed.
"Open it."
Hermione opened the small container as Sirius held it out for her, and her attention
immediately fell on the shiny, gold bracelet within that flashed red in the flickering lights
of the overhead chandelier. She gasped at the sight, instantly recognising it as goblin-made
and, therefore, expensive—though she could not bring herself to yell at him for going
overboard, considering the very genuine look of anticipation on his face.
She felt her cheeks flush, wondering if a gift of this kind was some sort of pureblood
gesture. There was a book in the library about courting protocols, but Hermione had
avoided it, not wanting to be teased should Harry or Ron—or God forbid, Draco—catch
her reading it. "Sirius, this is too much!"
"It's really not," he insisted, pulling the bracelet out and putting it on her extended
wrist, setting the clasp. "Just an old heirloom I had lying around."
He smiled down at her, and she momentarily got lost in the variations of grey in his
eyes. The warmth in her cheeks turned red hot under his gaze, forcing her to turn away
from him.
She and Sirius had yet to discuss the bond that came along with the life debt ritual
she had used to bring him back from the veil. Any mention of the bond—or the extremely
steamy kiss they had shared in the caved-in passage after destroying Hufflepuff's Cup—
and he would repeat the promise he had made while they had been on the run: they would
discuss it all the day after her birthday.
Though she was not certain why he insisted on putting it off any longer, she had
agreed. Suddenly, she realised how nervous she was to bring the subject up with him.
Despite the butterflies in her stomach, she whispered, "Tomorrow's the day after my
birthday."
Sirius leant in close and tucked a curl behind her ear, making her shiver. "I
remember. We'll talk then. I promise."