A/N: one shot about sirius and my take on how magical signatures may change. Thank you to My wonderful pre-reader JennieseiBlack

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hermione sighed as she moved around the room , at 22 Harry was far to busy to up keep this house and the cottage at Godric's Hollow. He really should have put Grimmauld on the market unfortunately each time he tried something horrible would happen to the realtor. She had been the one who had realized that there was some sort of Dark magic set in place to keep the home within the Black family. She had done the research and found that Harry was indeed a Black descendant. Harry had tried to sell then give the house to Draco Malfoy who had flat out refused stating it was too much of a reminder of the days when he was brainwashed into believing the pureblood supremacy doctrines.

So here she was on New Year's Eve while her friends celebrated a new beginning at the burrow cleaning the last room in Grimwauld place before they would put a statis charm on everything and seal the house until such a time when they could lift the curse. She had been invited to the Burrow, Molly had hounded her for weeks as matter of fact, but Hermione couldn't bear the thought of watching Ron parade around some flousy he had picked up between Christmas and now. Christmas had been difficult enough, Ron had made a scene about the fact that she had been there but he had been disallowed from bringing his flavour of the week. He has questioned his mother's loyalty and caused a huge fight between himself and his brothers. Choosing to opt out gave her the perfect excuse to help sort through Sirius' things. She had always harboured a crush on the handsome maurader. Sure some of the stories Remus had told had made him sound like a womanizer but Hermione couldn't help but think that they were really just a lot of show. Sirius challenged her, it was more than she could say for most men she'd met, he was intelligent even though slightly guarded about letting it show kind of like the twins. She thought of him as she cracked the lid off an old shoebox, something she and Harry hadn't opened during their time at Grimwauld, the top was marked in Remus ' neat scrawl from padfoot's flat. A few photos both muggle and magic sat on the top of some letters. She recognized the green ink and penmanship of one of the letters, professor mcgonagall had written him. She unfolded the letter.

Dear Sirius,

Should we fail in securing the safety of the Potter's use this as a portkey it will bring you to Harry when and where he needs you most. Just break the chain and you will be deposited.

M. M.

Folded inside the paper was a small gold chain, when Hermione snapped it she felt a tug in the air but nothing more. She was still at Grimwauld Place, perhaps this was when Harry needed her most right here cleaning this old room before they did away with this house for awhile. She packed the box away thinking Harry would probably enjoy the photos and reading the letters, pocketing one of Sirius riding his broom shirtless while Remus read on the ground and James chased him.

"That is one of my favourite photos, you ought to put it back." The voice made her jump. She hadn't heard it in 7 years. "The coat is usually off limits to birds I've just met too Kitten." She was wearing his jacket and had one of his vinyl records playing on the turntable. She jumped in shock knocking the turn table and training her wand on the young man from the photo. "Now that's not fair Kitten, the ministry took mine."

"S-s-Sirius" she questioned want still ready to strike.

"In the flesh, siriusly." He chuckled, "now dear care to explain why I just apparated out of the ministry holding cells and landed in my childhood bedroom?"

"Wait no this can't be, you... You went threw the veil 6 years ago." Her voice was trembling.

"What are you saying, those bastards were framing for James and Lily's murder already they were going to use me as an experiment as well?" He was starting to lose his temper and Hermione knew she had to defuse the situation.

"What year do you think it is Sirius?"

"What year? What year little girl what are you playing at. It's 1981, October 31st. Probably November 1st by now."

"It's 10 pm on December 31st 2001 Sirius." She took a chance and cast a quick tempus.

"You're lying. This is some sort of trick. How do you know my name? Are you one of them?" He started at her she cast a quick immobilus at him to stop his advance. Then shrugged out of his coat flashing her forearm and her throat to him.

"From of your lovely cousin Bellatrix." She said, "I'm assuming when I snapped this chain it pulled the you Minerva set the charms to pull. Azkaban must have changed your magical signature. She always was the smartest teacher I ever had. You are in your childhood bedroom because once your parents died it became yours and when you.. Well you left everything to Harry, we are clearing it out and putting a statis on it next week till the curse breakers can figure out how to remove some of the darker magic so he can sell the spell will you calm down." She realized he couldn't very well answer so she removed it anyway and hoped for the best.

"Where is Harry? And Remus? Did they catch the rat?" He had started pacing.

"Sirius maybe you'd rather I get Harry?" He shook his head he couldn't risk it and he still wasn't sure about this bird. "We found Pettigrew our 4th year, he sacrificed himself during should have been our 7th to save Harry. Some sort of last minute remedption attempt I figure. Harry is at The Burrow celebrating New Years with his wife and her family."

"Those potter boys have a thing for red heads don't they. Where's Remus?" Sirius asked again.

"We. Well you see. It was a war Sirius. We well we lost a lot of people." she stammered remembering the heartache she felt for her kindered spirit. Remus had always understood her.

"Moony," Sirius whispered. " He knew right he knew I was innocent?" She nodded. "Was he happy?"

"Very, married, he had a baby. Teddy will be 4 on his next birthday."

"Married? To who?" He queried with a smirk musing over the fact that Remus had settled down.

"Nymphadora Tonks," she mumbled.

"You mean Dora? Andy's daughter." Sirius balked. "She always did like him a little too much."

"You are a lot less argumentative, I like you much better this way." She smiled.

"Which way is that at the end of your wand without one?" He asked forcing her to realize she still had him at wand point. She turned her wand and cast her patronus charm.

"Go and find Harry tell him to come back to Grimwauld place I have a surprise for him." The tiny otter took off to find her best friend.

"So which photo were you pilfering from my stash and perhaps I could have my jacket. "

"Please, you can have the jacket but don't look at the photo." She blushed.

"Oh the quidditch one then?" He smirked. " if it's 2002 you do realize I'm old enough to be your father. "

"It's just a school girl crush that never died." She defended. " and what do you care. This you and I are the same age."

"You're a pretty bird, don't get me wrong, it's just if you're Harry's age well, I just held the boy in my arms he was only a year old. I suppose that's true though," He contemplated, "we knew each other then?"

"We did," she replied waving her wand over him a few times.

"Whoa kitten what are you doing?"

"Diagnostic spells, I'm a healer. You seem to be 23, probably the time travel aging you a tad." She marvelled. "You have a fractured rib, I can assume you didn't go quietly with the aurors in 1981." He nodded as she flicked her wand and the twinge he had been ignoring left his side she ran her hand quickly over the spot to feel for anything else .

"Mione," a voice from the corridor called.

"In Pad's room." She answered he drew closer and she added "with Padfoot." As he crossed the threshold.

"James?" Sirius gasped as his gaze fell upon a mop of untidy black hair.

"Harry." He corrected. "Sirius?" Harry's throat was dry. "For real Hermione." She nodded and the young man threw himself into the arms of his godfather.

"I-I just held you, put you in Hagrid's arms on my motor bike. How did you grow so quickly Harry?" the tears started to stream down Sirius' face similar to those of the mad man she had met years earlier.

"It's been twenty one years. How did you get back? When are you from? How do we explain this to Kingsley?" Harry was starting to panic.

"With this." Hermione said passing the letter to Harry. "Professor mcgonagall will be the one explaining. I just wonder why it brought him to now and not the many other times we could have used him."

"Well Gin and I were going to announce tonight but you chose not to join us so we held off but I suppose I need a father figure as I am going to be one soon. "

"Oh Harry!" She hugged him tightly and then Sirius did the same.

Harry spent the better part of the eleventh hour explaining their crazy life to Sirius before declaring he had to get back and kiss his wife at midnight. They had decided it was best if Sirius lay low until the new year when Kingsley could breif the wizarding world with the anomaly of Sirius being back.

"I suppose I'll stay here again? Do you think Harry would mind?" Sirius asked.

"No, I mean yes, I mean, no don't stay here," she shook her head she was still a tad embarrassed by her earlier interaction with the handsome man. "What I mean to say is you could if you wanted stay with me until we straighten everything out. I have a guest room and an empty flat."

"I think I'd like that." He smirked. "Blacks are prone to insanity if left alone too long you know?" His smile quirked just so that she could tell there was a hint of truth in it.

"You are more than welcome. I don't go back o the Ministry until mid January. I had unused holidays so if you wish someone to assist you. I'm liscenced in magical law as well. " she had started babbling out of nervousness, he found it endearing, he found her endearing just the right mix of Marlene and Lily, if he was only twenty years younger. He thought for a moment and realized he was just that.

"It's nearly midnight," he said pointing to the clock that was counting down the seconds left of 11:59.

Ten...

He smiled and leaned towards her.

Nine...

She looked up still startled at his closeness.

Eight...

She opened her mouth to speak

"Single?" He asked quickly before she could say anything.

Six...

"Yes." She answered.

Four...

"Good!" He said pressing his lips to hers before she could object. She was unsure if she ended the year happy or started the next lucky but she knew this would be the best year to date, even if she hadn't rung it in where she had intended.