a/n: just another sirmione. Also I love the song rare by selena gomez so that was an inspiration too.

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The Secret To Making Toast (Hint: Love)

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[Pairing: Sirius/Hermione, Ron/Hermione]
[Song: Rare - Selena Gomez]

["I don't have it all...but I know that I'm special
And I'll bet there's somebody else out there
To tell me I'm rare, to make me feel rare"]

[Summary: The secret of making toast that tastes more than ordinary...is love.]

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CHAPTER 1

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"I didn't expect to feel this sad," Hermione said as she nursed her headache with a bottle of gin and whiskey.

Ginny Weasley, who sat beside her on the couch, grabbed the bottle out of her hand and took the last sip. "Yeah, well, what did you expect? It is a breakup."

Hermione shook her head. If only it were a simple breakup. No, it was much, much worse. "No, it's my first breakup."

Ginny began to laugh at her, rather drunkenly. "I know so lame! With my brother, good Merlin. I don't know how you lasted as long as you did."

"I love your brother," Hermione said staunchly.

Ginny raised a red eyebrow over a bleary eye. "Then why'd you break up with him?"

"How couldn't I? The relationship was doomed, no matter how much we loved each other, it was bound to fall apart. We had too many issues."

Ginny sighed and stared with apprehension at the bottom of the empty bottle. "We should probably go get more whiskey. I'm sure Sirius has more if we ask him to tell us where his secret stores are."

"We should probably go to sleep." Hermione nibbled at her lip absentmindedly. "Besides, I think Sirius would mind. We're his guests and we're being very rude right now."

"No it's only 12:30 am. I don't think Sirius goes to bed til like 2am." Ginny turned to Hermione and threw the bottle down onto the carpet below. The redhead tucked her knees underneath her chin. "You know I would have at least hoped your relationships with Viktor and McLaggen were more serious, that you'd remember those breakups, but apparently not."

Hermione shook her head then lay back on the couch and closed her eyes. "Those were things Ginny that lasted barely more than a few weeks, or in Viktor's case, some months of letter writing after he left. The Yule Ball dance was the most serious thing that happened between us."

Ginny's eyes widened. "Do you mean that...you...never?"

"Yeah. Only with your brother."

"Good Merlin." Ginny jiggled with laughter. "Now, I really do feel sorry for you. If the only man's touch you know is my brother's. No offense!"

Hermione took offense at how hard Ginny was laughing at her expense and so soon after her breakup with Ron. "It's not that funny."

"I think it is."

"Well, maybe you're being immature about it. Ron and I intended to be married, if he hadn't buggered things up like he always does." Hermione stood up from the sofa but then the room seemed to swirl around her. She had obviously had one too many sips of that bottle. Each step out of the living room of Grimmauld Place felt like something might topple or tumble her to the ground again.

Ginny suddenly grabbed Hermione by the arm and the brunette lost balance. She fell tumbling back onto the sofa.

"Sorry." Ginny stared open eyed at her, not the least apologetic, as she held back sniggers. "To burst your fairy tale, Mione, but I think my brother did you a favour by acting like a capital arse. Not everyone marries their first serious boyfriend, it usually doesn't work out that way...Now you have a chance to start over and maybe get out there with real wizards, hmmm?" Ginny said her last few words suggestively.

"Hardly on my mind," Hermione quipped. As inebriated as she felt, her words were honest. "The wounds are too fresh still...In fact, I don't think I could date another wizard again for at least a few months."

"Girl I'm going to set you up on a date by tomorrow."

"Not happening Ginny."

"Oh yes it will! You're going to get some proper wand from a wizard!" Ginny laughed and shouted way too loud as Hermione unsteadily made her way back to her room. She didn't appreciate the way Ginny continued to mock her and hoped no one else in Grimmauld Place heard Ginny's drunken embarrassing claims about getting her a wizard with a proper wand.

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"You want me to do what?!" Sirius asked with raised eyebrows.

"Go out with Hermione." Ginny said and waved her hand in the air like she was asking for nothing. "C'mon it's obvious you like her. She's pretty isn't she?"

"She's half my age, Ginny!" Sirius reminded her and rubbed in irritation at his beard. "Besides, didn't she just break up with your brother? Like yesterday?"

Ginny snorted back a condescending laugh. "Please, we all knew that was bound to fail, sooner or later. The twins and I had bets on it; we're shocked it lasted as long as it did. Merlin, love my brother, but he's just ill suited to Hermione. They were arguing all the time."

Now it was Sirius's turn to scoff. "So what makes you think I'd be any less ill suited to Hermione? We're on different pages, if not seasons, too. Merlin Hermione and I argue all the time."

Ginny pursed her lips together and Sirius noticed then that there was an unmistakably mischievous, almost Marauderish, look in her blue eyes. "I'm not asking you to marry her, Sirius. But as you may have noticed, Hermione's rather tightly wound right now and upset and maybe you could use your, uhm, charms to get her back in the dating game."

Sirius frowned. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you implying...?"

Ginny shook with excited giggles. "I don't know, Sirius, you're the wizard with the reputation. Why don't you figure it out? You'd be doing little Mione a favour right now. She's like what 21? And she's never had a date with a proper wizard...besides my brother, of course." Ginny made a look of disgust like she thought her brother the least appealing wizard.

Sirius sighed heavily. This sort of was a bit much, especially the lewd way Ginny had of framing things, or asking him to help Hermione this way.

"I'll think about it," he said.

Ginny trotted off with a spring in her step. "Oh I know you will." She glanced back over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. "But don't tell Hermione I told you any of this."

Sirius made a motion of zippering his lips shut.

Ginny nodded and happily waved goodbye as she left Grimmauld Place.

...Which left only him and Hermione in the house. How convenient.

Maybe that's why Ginny had enlisted his help. Although he really had no intention of violating Hermione's trust or making a move on her so soon after her major breakup with Ron.

She was rather pretty, in a bookish, plain jane sort of way.

Yet he would comfort her. They were sort of friends, he guessed.

Though it felt rather awkward that she'd come back to Grimmauld Place to stay after leaving Ron. Since Harry and Ginny no longer lived here after they had found their own flat, that only left the two of them alone in the large house.

Sirius shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Nevermind all these bollocks, he thought as he padded up the stairs to Hermione's room.

Hermione's probably upset right now and could use support. Or at least a good breakfast.

...Not another shag!

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