The Arrivals , A slow Burn Romance [ Edited Version 2022 ]

Part 8 : Dumbeldor's Army

After a week , the training took another level in Sirius' class, at the Black library.
    Things became a little more thrilling as Sirius decided to teach them more dangerous spells and practicing them with the Boggart. As they set a line, their hearts beats fast , and their palms were sweaty .. the atmosphere was very serious and scary .

" it's alright, just a boggart ! I'll be there to assist " Sirius assured them , and smiled warmly at them .

He ordered the Boggart cabinet to open and release the boggart.
    Ginny weasely turn, the boggart took the shape of Tom Riddle's diary, it put her in massive stress in her first year of Hogwarts and she suffered from nightmares and made her guilty for forcing her to do terrible things including the chamber of secrets opening. She was brave Gryffindor, and proudly said,"RIDICULOUS!" The diary took the shape of a dancing panda!

    As Tonks took Ginny's place, her Boggart turns into Remus packing cases.
It was her greatest fears that he leaves her of lose his job again because of his condition, it breaks her heart every time he moves packing, seeing the man she loves feel unable to provide a long-term financial security. As she pronounced "RIDICULOUS! " and waved her wand towards the Boggart, it turned into flying carnival balloons.
    When Harry's turn came, he was unable to withstand the fear from the Dementors, so Sirius faced the Boggart instead to change the creature form into a dark lady,, charming, and wears a black cap covering her tall figure. Her sharp grey eyes pointed at Sirius intensely. Walburga Black, his dead mother was his greatest fear.
    "Ridiculous," announced Sirius, and she changed into a massive firework.

    Even the veil that represents death didn't show up as his Boggart, because he welcomed the veil as an old wish to die in such a peaceful way. Walburga was scarier than death according to Sirius.

    "Sorry about that. Hermione you are the last one, come on in, don't be afraid."

As Hermione walked hesitantly towards the cabinet, the boggart started to change into numerous shapes and things undefined... it kept changing and rotating and reshaping, until it took the view of an empty bedroom. Sirius' empty bedroom.
It was and has been her greatest fear and tragedy the absence of Sirius. Everyone stared at the shape wondering, speechless.
Until she said with a shaking tone, "Ridiculous."
And turn the view into the twins' joke shop.

Sirius couldn't explain what he saw, he dismissed them and promised to complete the training later.
    Padfoot quietly asked Hermione about the situation. She lied to him saying that in the past years she heard spooky voices coming out of his room which terrified her.

.................................................................................................................................

In the weekend , it was time to rest from all duties . Sirius took the stairs at a thunderous pace that night, cursing Walburga's portrait under his breath as he passed it on his way to the living room. To turn the room into a proper Marauders Cave, he arranged chess boards, muggles magazines, and a generous quantity of beer bottles in a large bowl of magical, non -melting ice. He removed Igor's battle-tactic white board, and fetched James and Remus. '  He gathered his two friends, made sure no one is listening outside, decided to spit out what was happening with Hermione.

""Is the ladies bedroom door closed?" Sirius asked kreacher , his voice low. The elf left for a moment before returning with the approval.

"I died-we both died actually, and we returned! But you'll never stop your games?" James teased him with a grin.
"There is something I need to tell you." he closed the living room door very carefully, placed a silence charm and started to speak.
"Hermione." he said while he stirring his glass of beer.
"What about her?" Remus asked.
"She loves me." Black said plainly.
Both of the other Marauders jolted in surprise, each splashing their drinks.  "What?!"

' "I started to notice some time ago. Small things, glances when she thought I wouldn't notice, that sort of thing. A few weeks back, I'd come home drunk and miserable, she was there, and while helping me, she asked how drunk I was..." He huffed a small laugh.  "Likely thinking I may not remember. I wanted to know, so I lied. She said she loves me." He took a sip, his head down, eyes distant.  "I tried not to think about it, and pretend nothing was going on- Until the Boggart practice yesterday. Her Boggart was my empty bedroom." He lifted his eyes to look at them. "Her worst fear is losing me again."

"That means she's loved you even before your death," Remus said with wide eyes and weary shocking expressions.
"Yes, yes exactly."
"I see It took you one phrase from her to shift from whisky to beer you fool, " James said.
Neville knocked on the door, as he permitted to enter, he was nervous. "P-professor Snape is here."
"Hahaha .. it's not Snape. it's the Boggart other than the one in the cabinet, Walburga released him in this bloody house-god bless her-" He smirked " You know the spell" Sirius nodded to him.
As he left, James turns his head towards his friends.
"So what's the plan, Mr. Black?" James asked.

"This is wrong. I am drunk, jobless, ex-convict, the ministry offered ten thousand galleons for my head, and thirty godamn six years old. And she is beautiful, young, intelligent," He sighed "
.. she deserves better. School is coming she must go and meet new people, she will forget about me."
They spent the night talking about old Hogwarts days, back when Sirius was followed by dozens of schoolgirls and begging him to glance at them.
The girls were gathered upstairs. Lily had joined them as she was their age.
Wearing pajamas and drinking hot chocolate, a girls night and a Weasely member included? Never finish without exposure to all British wizarding community.
Lily asked Ginny and Herms about Harry Potter's childhood. In contrary, he refused to say much about the Dursley's and shorted the topic with,
"You're his friends, pray tell how his life was, my son doesn't want problems I know he had enough."
After a long chitchat with each others, Tonks joined them, noticing Sirius' cologne bottle on Hermione's table.
"Hermione, what is Sirius' cologne doing here?" asked Tonks.

"It's not, it's mine. I bought it last year." Hermione said hesitantly as she put the bottle back to the drawers

          Monday evening Everyone was resting and chatting with their friends in the dining room after long day of practicing counter curses and resisting the impurius curse . As Ginny witched the soup ladle to magically serve the soup into each person soup bowl , Remus offered pouring Firewhisky to Arthur, Igor , and Sirius, As he reached Sirius Glass ," Just a beer for tonight, Mooney " Black said.
The warewolf stared at him with awe, Sirius Black had firewhisky since he was 15 , and now he is refusing it , They exchanged looks , and Remus was resisting not to laugh.
" you , Sirius Black , refusing a drink ! " He snored , "It's the end of the world "

Sirius smirked at him , and stared at Hermione ,and recalled how strong she was today, a strong brave woman always amused Sirius, he noticed how beautiful she is becoming, she wasn't bad before , but now he could see her features becoming softer, and her cheeks were rosy , her eyes were sparkling and her tall slender figure is becoming more mature than before.
Meanwhile, Neville  had a military plan with Madeye, who decided to increase his flexibility level, giving house work as he sent kreachers to Hogwarts that night.

"Sir, I cleaned the floor three times. You can't see your reflection on it because it's made of wood!" Neville sighed with exhaustion refusing to clean again.
"Okay, that's it. I am not gonna rise my flexibility am not a hamster! I rather clean this house from dark magic I don't want professor snape to show up every time and being followed by old dead woman insults and ghosts sounds...it's terrible and scary, Gryffindore sorting didn't do me good I am scared of this house!"
he threw the broom and the sponge and left.

Igor and Madeye saw Nevill complaining on his own.
"He has a point, you know," Igor turned to the one-eyed man.
"Maybe this is his strength dealing with dark magic." Madeye nodded.
Igor sneered said while he crossed his legs and sat back, "No, he has a point on wrong Gryffindor sort."
They were giggling together as Molly called Nevill to leave the cleaning and head for Dinner .