He was wearing blue again. She really hated when he wore blue, especially that particular shade. It brought out the highlights in his ebony hair and caused his grey eyes to sparkle in a way that she was not supposed to be noticing.

Sirius caught Hermione watching him as he came down the stairs and walked into the parlour. He didn't think he was imagining the spark of interest in her gaze, but he really shouldn't be noticing that. He scolded himself and picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet, hiding his slightly flushed face in its pages.

Biting back a sigh, Hermione looked away from the man who had not left her thoughts for longer than she cared to admit. She shouldn't be interested in him. He was twenty years her senior, Harry's Godfather, and had far too many complications in his life to notice that she was no longer a child. They didn't even get along. This was irrational.

She moved to the fire sneaking peaks at the tall man sprawled in the nearby chair even as she mentally argued how illogical her infatuation was and cursed herself for being so decidedly girly.

Crossing and uncrossing his long legs, Sirius shifted his weight time and again in the high-backed chair, trying to get comfortable. The smell of nutmeg drifted up from the kitchen, making his stomach rumble and scenting the air with Yuletide. Despite his brooding mood, a soft smile touched the corners of his mouth. Molly must be downstairs whipping up something tasty... The clove and sugar smell of spice cookies wafted in and he grinned wider, bolting to his feet and looking over at Hermione mischievously.

"I'm going to get some cookies. Cover for me."

Hermione gave him a stern look, though her lips reluctantly curved into a soft smile. "Sirius, you can't have cookies before you eat your dinner. Besides, you'll never get away with stealing them."

"You underestimate me," Sirius said, eyes gleaming wickedly. "Nothing can keep Sirius Black from fresh baked cookies, no disaster magical or natural, no redheaded Weasley matriarch... not even Hermione Granger." He held a finger to his lips playfully, making a puppy dog face at her to plead for her silence.

"She's going to catch you," Hermione warned in the tone usually reserved for Harry and Ron before finally relenting. "But I will do my best to cover for you on one condition." She leaned forward, her eyes flashing with mischief of their own as she whispered, "Bring me a cookie too."

He threw his head back and laughed, then lightly brushed her cheek with his thumb, brushing her wild hair from her face. "I can accept those terms."

Hermione's breath caught at the casual touch, her cheeks turning a pale pink as she resisted the urge to simply move her face against his calloused palm and enjoy the sensation of his skin against hers. Instead, she looked towards the door, her voice slightly breathless as she said, "You should go now. I think she's left the kitchen."

Sirius pulled his hand away, feeling slightly guilty at how much he'd enjoyed that simple human awareness. He sensed that she responded to him, recognized the not-quite-chaste discomfort in her gaze as she broke their eye contact, and he thought perhaps he should take her advice. He nodded and padded on silent feet past the doorway and down the stairs, the sweet buttery scent making his mouth water as he took the last step and crossed quickly to the cooling rack, snatching a few cookies and beginning to beat a hasty retreat. He dashed back into the parlour and handed Hermione a couple of still warm slightly crumbling cookies, shoving his into his mouth before Molly could show up and take them away.

Hermione took a bite of one of the cookies Sirius had given her, watching him eat his quickly while keeping an eye on the door for Molly. After finishing one of her cookies, she handed him the other.

"Too many sweets will ruin my meal. You can have my other."

Sirius quirked his eyebrow and took the cookie, licking his lips before biting into it, taking time to really savour this one and trying not to wonder if it tasted differently from the others simply because it had been in her hand, on her skin... He looked into her eyes questioningly, not even sure what it was he was asking of her, not sure if he had any right to ask her anything at all. The butter-rich cookie melted on his tongue the way he imagined she might, looking up at him with her chocolate brown eyes and her tousled, just-been-shagged hair.

Smiling at the playful look in his eyes, she reached up and dusted crumbs from his chin. Her thumb brushed against his full bottom lip and she could feel his warm breath against the back of her hand. Their eyes met and she found herself leaning towards him. Suddenly, there was the sound of a throat being cleared from the doorway. Turning her head, she saw Tonks leaning against the door frame.

"Where is everyone?" Tonks asked as her eyes moved from Sirius to Hermione, a contemplative gleam in her eyes.

Sirius straightened and tossed his hair out of his face, grinning wolfishly. "I'm barely responsible enough to keep track of where I am, Tonks."

"So um... what exactly are you two doing?" she asked, loudly enough to make Sirius cringe.

Suddenly Molly appeared in the doorway, the half-denuded cooling tray in her hands. "Sirius, you've just volunteered yourself for kitchen duty," she said bossily, her eyes landing on Hermione next. "You too, Hermione. You've still got crumbs on your hands. Have you no shame?"

Before they could say anything, Molly had bustled out the door, grabbing Tonks by the arm and pulling her along with her.

Sirius gave Hermione a chagrined smile and sauntered to the cabinet, pulling out a hidden bottle of Ogden's and pouring a shot that he promptly downed. "You didn't see that," he murmured, pouring another. "Or that," he added after that one too was gone. "Now I guess we pay the piper."

She couldn't believe Molly had caught her with crumbs on her hands. It was silly to be upset over stealing a cookie, but she was frustrated and hated being chastised for anything. Seeing Sirius pour another glass, she crossed the room and snatched the bottle from his hands, spilling a little on the floor.

"Stop that, you cookie thief! It's all your fault that Molly snapped at me. You're more troublesome than Harry and Ron combined!"

She leaned forward and put the bottle back in the cabinet, her hand resting on his shoulder to maintain her balance. She could feel the silky strands of his hair beneath her palm, giving in to the impulse and letting the ends curl around her fingers. Sirius' gaze locked on hers and suddenly they were both aware of just how closely she was standing, of the way her breasts were crushing into his chest, the way his hands had instinctively moved to her waist to steady her...

"I'm trouble, am I?" he asked quietly, his voice soft and baiting, slurred a little with drink.

"A lot of trouble," she whispered, her tongue wetting her lips as she felt his fingers tighten around her waist. She tilted her head as he lowered his, one hand rising to move along her cheek as her eyes slowly drifted shut.

"I'd stay away from the mistletoe if I were you," he said, pulling away from her quickly and stalking out of the room, his pulse racing and his breath catching in his too-tight throat.

He bounded down the stairs into the kitchen and set himself to work at the tasks Molly had laid out. Finding a bottle of cooking sherry, he began peeling oranges and sneaking sips, trying not to think about Hermione's soft skin or the delicate feminine scent of her. It was wrong to think this way about her, and maybe that was the appeal. Sirius Black always did want what he shouldn't, and it had never stopped him from going after it before... He took another swig of the sherry and dropped orange sections into a glass bowl, trying to ignore the way the juice ran down his fingers in a sticky sweet mess.

Hermione entered the kitchen, giving Molly a brief smile before moving to the table to stand beside Sirius. Doing her best to ignore him, she began to put the various fruits together to make the salad. Her fingers brushed against his hand as she reached for the orange slices. They worked in silence, listening to Molly and Tonks chatter, her hand touching him casually whenever possible. Every touch of her fingers against his skin, her body against his as she reached for some item that happened to be on his side of the table, left her frustrated and aching and didn't seem to affect him whatsoever. Even as she recognized the feelings, she knew they were stupid, but that knowledge didn't change them.

When Molly finally dismissed them, they left quickly, walking into the foyer without speaking. Sirius caught her eye, something about his posture less innocent than it really should be, and she felt herself responding to it. She was giddy with something unexplainable, some primal emotion drowning out the steady voice of her better judgment, and she held his gaze as she took three steps back, placing herself directly under the mistletoe.

"I'd stay away from the mistletoe, if I were you," she echoed inaudibly, daring him to do this, knowing he couldn't refuse.

He was on her in an instant, his hands winding through her hair and pulling her face against his, his lips like hot slick silk on hers, caressing and bruising. She gasped into his mouth, startled, unprepared despite everything.

"Sirius," she whispered, and then his tongue slipped past her lips, the sharp sweet burn of sherry flavouring his mouth and the passion of his touch leaving her dizzy when he pulled suddenly away.

He released her and moved away, taking the steps two at a time on his way upstairs, pausing on the landing to look down at her with a wink. "I'm trouble, am I?" he asked, and then ran up the rest of the steps, singing.

"God rest ye merry hippogriffs..."