the_debt_of_time

"How come you're not out there?" Sirius asked her, eyeing her lilac-coloured dress,
amused by the ridiculously uncomfortable shoes she was wearing.
"How come you're sitting here?" she countered.
He tipped his glass to her. "You first."
"Nervous." She shrugged. "But even if we weren't in the middle of a war and
preparing to leave any day now, I'd still probably be sitting here. The last time I was asked
to dance, I was fifteen and that man," she said, pointing to a large bloke with a short beard
in fancy robes, "was my date." She buried a reminiscing laugh in her palm, leaning closer
as she continued to speak as though she were sharing a secret. "He spoke little, made my
friends angry, and couldn't even pronounce my name."
Sirius briefly narrowed his eyes at the unmistakable face of Viktor Krum,
remembering exaggerated articles in Witch Weekly and the Daily Prophet about the love
triangle encompassing his godson, the little witch, and the famed Bulgarian Seeker.
To hide his mild irritation, Sirius returned his attention to Hermione and smirked.
"You afraid he's going to ask you to dance?"
She shook her head emphatically. "I made sure that the second he walked through
the door Fred and George introduced him to Fleur's veela cousins." She pointed to two
blond women batting their eyelashes at Krum. Fred and George were lingering nearby,
most likely waiting for Viktor to choose a girl, thereby leaving the twins to pick up the
pieces of a broken heart left behind by the Quidditch star.
"So, instead of finding someone else to dance with, you've come to keep company
with the sad sod sitting in the corner?"
"Ah, but why is the... I am not saying that," she insisted, shaking her head.
"Why are you sad and sitting in the corner?" She watched his movements as though she
would be able to visibly discern if he were lying.
Ever since she had brought him back from the veil, Sirius noticed Hermione
keeping a close watch on him. While the Weasleys were left preparing for the wedding and
following orders given by their matriarch, Hermione and Harry would sneak off to Remus
and Tonks's home to visit Sirius.
It was easier to make plans for the approaching year when visiting Sirius, as Molly
had put a hard stop on the trio organising their Horcrux hunting trip. Harry and Hermione