Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Harry Potter, if I did there would have been so many naked Sirius scenes!
So in this, the epic fight battle with Harry/Hogwarts against Voldemort did happen as did the other major plot lines in the book. Just not quite so many deaths! Fred, Sirius, Tonks, Remus, and all other characters mentioned in this are alive. I'm sorry if that's too much change but I couldn't bear it haha!
A/N: I love writing the characters in Harry Potter as having the natural human feelings they aren't given the opportunity to convey in the books. So I hope you enjoy this!
With a distinguished pop! Hermione Granger apparated to the burrow and walked the short distance from within the field where she landed, to the front of the house with a very cluttered mind.
She had just came from her job as a healer at St Mungos, where she had just been given a small promotion that insinuated a bigger one was on the horizon. Before she had went to work that morning she'd woken up in the bedroom of her lovely apartment in central London and had walked her usual distance to a coffee shop close to the hospital where she met her boyfriend Ron Weasley for breakfast.
Ron had kissed her cheek on arrival, bought her a medium caramel macchiato just before she arrived so it was at just the right temperature, and had already cut the blueberry muffin he'd ordered her in half and slathered it in her favourite jam.
All in all, it was a perfect morning, followed by a day at work that ended on a high for her career, and now she was on her way to one of the happiest places she knew to have dinner with people she held closest to her heart. At twenty two, Hermione was just starting out in life and yet had things she thought she'd never have. A lovely home, great career prospects, and a loving boyfriend. Yet still, there was something missing.
Seeing that Molly Weasley had noticed her arrival and was waiting for her at the front door, Hermione quickened her pace and met the Weasley matriarch with open arms, and was enveloped into her warm embrace.
"Hermione dear!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed happily.
"Hello Mrs. Weasley." Hermione grinned fondly.
"Molly," Mrs Weasley said in a mock stern voice, "For the hundredth time, Molly!"
Hermione smiled politely. Although it was silly, a part of her thought that as soon as she started calling her Molly, the older woman would officially start defining Hermione and Ron as an engaged couple, and although she knew Ron wanted this, the idea made her uncomfortable.
Walking in together, Hermione took off her robe and tried to make herself look more presentable. Just before leaving her apartment that morning, she'd remembered to pick up her tight fitting blue dress to put in her locker for dinner that evening. Last time she'd attended a meal at the Weasley house she had showed up in her healer robes, and although Mrs. Weasley hadn't said anything out loud, she knew she didn't approve.
"Hermione! You look lovely as always."
The sound of Harry Potter's voice made Hermione beam and she hugged her best friend instantly becoming comfortable in her surroundings. Whenever he was there, Harry gave Hermione the sense of being home wherever they were, like only a brother can do.
"Thanks Harry! Don't look too bad yourself." Hermione grinned.
Harry raised a hand in front of his face and pretended to blush.
Laughing, Hermione linked arms with him and they followed Mrs. Weasley into the kitchen.
"How's work?" Harry asked her smiling.
"It's great!" Hermione replied, "Actually I was given a slightly better position today. I now have slightly more authority than I did before."
"That's great Hermione!" Harry beamed, giving her a quick hug.
They walked in together, and Hermione soaked up all the things she loved about the burrow as she walked. The clock depicting all of the habitants whereabouts, the self knitting articles of clothing that someone was sure to receive as a loving present, and the general atmosphere of family that had always made Hermione feel so welcome in this house.
Walking into the kitchen, she noticed the table was already laid with lots of delectable looking food, and since the only thing Hermione had eaten that day was a blueberry muffin and the hospital canteen's mushroom soup, she eagerly walked over to the table and sat down in her usual seat. Right in the middle, with Harry on her left, and a seat for Ron on her right when he arrived.
As she sat down, sounds of greetings came from all over the room from various Weasley and extended family members.
"Hi Hermione!"
"Hermione! How was work?"
"Took you long enough to get here!"
Hermione laughed and looked at everyone seated around the table. Harry and Ginny sat to her left with Mr and Mrs Weasley at the head of the table. Then there was Bill and Fleur, who were laughing as they sat closely together, Fred and George who were grinning at each other looking slightly suspicious, and Sirius and Remus who sat at the end. Remus sat quietly as drank from his glass, listening to Sirius talk. Hermione surveyed them both. Sirius was without his usual mischievous gleam in his eyes, and seemed to be talking about something that was to be taken seriously. She watched them as Remus nodded and then suddenly, they both stopped talking and looked right at her.
Hermione froze as she felt like she'd just been caught doing something she shouldn't. They continued to stare at her, and just as she wondered if she should apologize, Sirius broke the ice.
"Granger, are you listening in on our conversation?"
Hermione grinned, feeling like things were back to normal and rolled her eyes.
"Yes, because I secretly need to know everything you talk about Sirius." She said jokingly.
"Hello Hermione." Remus smiled and raised his hand in greeting.
"Hi Remus." Hermione beamed at him. He was the person in the room Hermione felt like she could talk to on an intellectual level, and thus she had bonded with him over their shared love of knowledge and books.
Sirius and Remus didn't go back to their discussion, and instead just sat comfortably together waiting for the meal to begin.
Suddenly noticing the emptiness of the seat on her right, Hermione realized that Ron was nowhere in the room.
"Where's Ron?" Hermione asked. She looked around the room and everyone stopped what they were doing to look to her, then to the empty seat she was sitting next to.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon dear." Mr Weasley said kindly.
"He was at work earlier," Harry said "He actually left when I did so I thought he'd get here before me."
"That's weird."
"Yeah."
Half an hour passed, then an hour, then Mrs Wealsey decided that he must have been detained at work and started the dinner. Then Hermione had eaten her starter, was halfway through her main, and then all of a sudden, Mrs Weasley was presenting her a simple bowl of strawberry ice cream.
"I'm sure he'll have a good reason Hermione." Harry said, smiling kindly.
No-one had really spoken to Hermione through dinner. As the evening wore on, Hermione's smile had slipped and her eyes went from being kind to being frustrated then worried.
The clock in the hall had pointed Ron's arrow at 'work' and although Hermione was relieved that it wasn't 'mortal peril' she was angry that he didn't even have the politeness to send an owl or floo.
"Someone go and check on him?" Bill suggested as he spoon fed Fleur some ice cream.
Hermione kept herself from rolling her eyes and the over the top show of affection. To suppress the urge she quickly looked away from them and met the eyes of Sirius, who was looking at her in amusement.
Hermione blushed and made herself busy with her ice cream.
She lifted her spoon and put it in her mouth, relaxing as the sweet taste of strawberries and cream flooded her mouth. As she closed her eyes, enjoying the treat, she found herself at that moment calm and relaxed.
"Enjoying that, Granger?"
Hermione quickly opened her eyes as the voice had come from someone sitting very close to her. As she turned, she saw the smirking face of Sirius Black currently occupying the previously empty seat on her right.
Hermione put down her spoon and blushed.
"Well i was."
Sirius raised his eyebrows, and Hermione was suddenly overcome with his presence. She couldn't deny that he was handsome. He was handsome in the way that sometimes she found herself watching him, thinking about him for far too long. Although she had never explored those thoughts, because usually Ron was glued to her and guilt would take over her even for the most innocent of thoughts.
"You wound me." Sirius said jokingly, clutching his heart for effect.
"Would you like some? I see you've already finished yours and i think the ulterior motive for your coming over here must be to try and steal mine." Hermione said teasingly. She held out her spoon with a helpful amount of ice cream on it.
"You think i need to have an ulterior motive to talk to you Granger?"
Hermione smirked but before she could answer, Sirius leaned forward and took the spoon in his mouth. Staring at her the whole time, he slowly released the spoon and licked his lips.
Hermione tensed. He was sitting so closely that their legs brushed against each other under the table, and she found herself unexplainably nervous all of a sudden. Looking around, everyone else at the table was in deep conversation with each other.
"Relax Hermione. I wont steal anymore of your ice cream." He smirked.
"Just one spoonful?" Hermione asked. "That seems like a small ulterior motive."
Then before she could prepare herself, Sirius leaned into her and spoke softly in her ear.
"Maybe that's not my motive."
He leaned back, but was closer than before. Hermione blushed a dark red colour and was about to respond, when a huge banging noise interrupted the tension and made her nearly jump out of her seat.
Before anyone had time to ask about it, everyone at the table had drew their wands and stood up. Being in a war had affected all of their personalities forever.
"Hello? Wh...where is eeeveryone? Hellooooo?"
Please Review!