the_debt_of_time

"You'll do no such thing, kitten," Sirius insisted, moving through the crowd to take
the handle of her trunk in his hand, pulling it away from her. He looked down at the girl
and swallowed nervously.
"Kitten?" Hermione repeated the word, making a displeased face as she spoke.
Sirius rose an eyebrow and grinned. "Yeah, 'cause you've got claws."
Hermione looked as though she was trying very hard to hide her irritation as she
politely said, "I don't like nicknames."
"It's a pet name," Sirius argued and tried pulling her trunk down the hallway only to
find she still had a grip on it, apparently intent on carrying it herself. He stared at her
incredulously and tugged on the trunk a bit, trying to pry it away from her.
Hermione mirrored his movement, pulling on her luggage. "With all due respect,
Mr Black―"
Sirius winced at the moniker, releasing the trunk as if it had bit him. "Oh, for
Merlin's sake. Please don't call me that."
"It's.. ." Hermione frowned, looking uncomfortable. "You're allowing us all to
stay in your home, it's only proper that I be respectful and call you―"
"You can call me Sirius," he said, interrupting her. "Please, don't call me Mr Black.
I'm begging you." She looked disappointed at being told what to do. It was eerily similar
to the expression that Mia used to wear when she would catch him mid-prank at Hogwarts.
"Very well," she eventually agreed and then tested by saying the name to his face:
"Sirius. Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home."
"What's mine is yours." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he realised
what he had said.
Thankfully, the meaning of the statement did not appear to register as she glanced
over Grimmauld Place. Looking as though she did not want to touch anything, Hermione
bit her lower lip in obvious consternation. "Your home is... It's... very.. ."
"It's a Dark Magic infested shithole," Sirius finished bluntly, smirking when his foul
language drew a shocked and annoyed look from her. It was still great fun to get her a little
angry. "You don't have to say anything nice about the house, Hermione. I promise, you
won't offend me. It's not my house anyway. Belonged to my parents. I haven't lived here
since I was sixteen."