the_debt_of_time

"Can't avoid it forever, kitten. The boy was right about another thing. Whatever you
did to bring me back changed something," he said softly, running the pad of his thumb
against the line of her jaw. "You're not the only one who's good at magic, Hermione."
He leant in close, pressing his stubble-covered cheek against her smooth one,
brushing his lips against her ear.
Hermione's breath hitched in her throat at the contact.
"I know the life debt ritual," he whispered before pulling away.
Her eyes shot open wide. "You... You know? You knew? This whole time?"
"About the bond?" Sirius inclined his head in affirmation. "It's not Dark Magic, but
what you did was Blood Magic which, in some families, means the same thing. The House
of Black is no exception." He sat down in the large armchair facing her bed, kicking his
foot up to rest on the opposite knee. "We eventually have to talk about it."
Hermione looked away from him. "I don't even know what it means."
"By the end of this war, we'll have a lot of talking to do. Let's make a date of it, shall
we?" Sirius grinned at her, and she turned her attention back to him with narrowed eyes.
"Your birthday," he suggested easily as if the weight of the world no longer rested on their
shoulders.
"My birthday? Why my birthday?"
"Fine, the day after your birthday," he said with a smirk. "Gives us almost a year to
finish this war, and if we're lucky, a little recovery time after what might go down in
Wizarding history as the night everyone was smashed."
Hermione frowned. "Or mourn."
"No." Sirius shook his head. "I'm done mourning. Had too much grief in my life,
and I'll spend the rest of this war making sure I never have to mourn again," he vowed, his
tone once again firm and fierce. The sound of it made Hermione shiver and blush. Sirius
took immediate notice and chuckled, causing Hermione to avert her gaze once more.
He stood up and reached for his jacket. "One day you won't do that anymore."
"Do what?" Hermione asked quietly as he made his way to the tent door.
"Be embarrassed about how I make you feel," he clarified, fixing a serious gaze
upon her. Hermione let out a shaky breath as he broke their stare and ducked out of the
tent, jacket and pack of cigarettes in hand.