Yay for updates! Boo for no Internet. I'm leaving in about 2 hours to a no internet zone. I will resume updates in August. I like it less then you guys. BUT! That gives me lots of time to work on the story and provide you all with plenty of updates when I'm back.
Why oh why would I leave the world wide web behind? Because I'm moving, getting married, and then moving again later this year.
It's little consolation but here's a chapter to tide you till August.
Hermione woke up that morning feeling more refreshed then she had in a long time.
She slept in, she had a great dream about the perfect man on his white stead, they lived happily ever after, and she didn't have to go into work that day.
Bourn had put her on vacation as reward for the amazing leap she had made in returning the victims from behind the veil.
Sirius had invited her over for brunch since neither had anything to do today and she gladly agreed. She had spent far too much time alone away from her friends. It would be nice to spend some times with Harry, and now Sirius, again.
Stretching her arms over her head she said "Crookshanks it's going to be a good day."
She jumped out of bed into the shower to get ready for the day.
At Grimmauld Place Sirius was also getting out of his own bed, he stretched out and smiled remembering his dream about a tall beautiful woman with long curly hair. He rolled over to look out the window and wondered what happened to his curtains, he bolted up quickly looking around his room seeing different change that he didn't recognize. It didn't take long for him to remember that it wasn't when he thought he was, and he just 'got back' from being dead for fifteen years.
He relaxed back into his bed again and smiled at memories from the day before. Harry was pretty much how he imagined he would grow up. Confident, independent and happy with his life.
Hermione, he couldn't have guessed how Hermione turned out. He can't say he's complaining though. She was definitely a woman, she was also intelligent, interesting and he couldn't get her off his mind.
After lingering a bit longer he got up and headed down stairs to see if Harry was up yet.
"Morning Sirius!" Harry said looking up from the daily prophet he was reading as he sat at the kitchen table.
"Morning!" Sirius said sitting down pouring himself a cup of juice. "I invited Hermione over for brunch today. Neither of us have anything to do until after the big supper tonight so we were going to hang around here today."
"Great!" Harry said, "I was wondering. Do you mind if I invite Ginny? Or would you prefer to meet her again tonight?"
"No, I think that'd be great. I don't mind, send her an owl right away. The more the merrier." He smiled. "It would be nice to have one less shocked face tonight. This is one of the few times I'm nervous about being the centre of attention."
"Perfect" Harry jumped up and gave Hermes his message for Ginny.
"I was meaning to ask, when did you get the new owl." Sirius watched Harry, amused that he already had a note ready.
"About a few years after Hedwig died. It was sometime in my last year when we were leaving the Dursley's. She got struck by a wayward killing curse in the middle of the attack." Harry said sitting down.
"I'm sorry to hear that, she was a good owl." Sirius said.
Hermione was dressed and had finished baking a basket of tea biscuits she wanted to bring for brunch. Wearing a simple knee length dress she grabbed her basket and hopped through the floo to Grimmauld Place.
"Hello!" She called out as she stepped into the familiar living room.
"We're in the kitchen!" Called out the voice of Harry.
The air was full of delicious scents as she followed her nose to the kitchen.
"It smells wonderful in here." Hermione exclaimed. "I brought tea biscuits!" she held up her basket.
"Mmmm great" Sirius said taking the basket and grabbing a bite from one right away. "Best biscuits I've had in fifteen years!"
Hermione and Harry both laughed.
"Oh ya, Ginny will be joining us as well. She should be here soon, I'm going to wait for her in the living room." Harry said as he jumped over a chair to get to the hallway.
"Going well then?" Hermione asked.
"Ya," Harry smiled. "Sirius really got me thinking, life really is unpredictable. I shouldn't waste it worrying about futile things." then he disappeared through the door.
"I'm glad he finally listened to someone." Hermione smiled. "I'm glad you're back Sirius. You've barely even been here, but life already feels so different."
"Maybe I was just meant to have stayed away till this time. Life feels different for me as well. It's not the whole different time thing, life just feels right." He said moving to stand near her. "This morning I woke up content. I haven't woken up content in years, and I don't mean that as the lame fifteen years joke."
Sirius pulled out his wand, "This wand feels more like my wand then my old wand ever did. I understood how a wand was a part of you, my old wand was great. But this wand really is a part of me. Check it out, It's almost a complete copy of yours." He held it up. "Mine has a thestral hair core though."
"Really?" Hermione said looking at it. "Same length and everything. Thestral hair, it fits you."
"That's what I said when I got it." Sirius chuckled.
Voices could be heard from the living room so they both stood still, neither sure how Harry had planned to introduce Ginny to Sirius.
"Maybe I should go see them, just so I can come back and let you know what's going on." She ran through the short hallway towards the living room.
"Hey Ginny." She greeted the youngest Weasley.
"Hi Hermione! Harry said you were here, and there was also another person. But he wouldn't say who, he was just about to get you." Ginny said.
"Ya," Harry rubbed his hand through his hair, "Didn't really think this all the way through."
Hermione laughed, "Ya I thought so, that's why I came over."
"Tell her." Harry said.
"Tell her?" Hermione said shocked.
"Well I'm not sure how." Harry said, "Consider is practice for tonight."
"Practice for what? Tell me what?" Ginny asked confused.
"I've been working on something important in the department of mysteries the past year and a half. My project has been the veil." Hermione explained. "I've finally been able to bring people back from the veil. It turns out that people don't age in the veil though, time actually stops all together."
"That's incredible Hermione! You must be so proud! I'm so proud of you!" Ginny gave her a huge hug.
"Ginny." Hermione got her attention again. "I've been able to bring people back from the veil."
"You just said that Hermione," Ginny said. "I understand what that means..." her voice trailed off.
"Sirius?" She asked quietly.
"Ya!" Harry said happily. "Hermione brought him over yesterday. He's waiting in the kitchen right now to re-meet you."
"Like I said time stopped. So he'll still be the same age as when he fell through." Hermione explained. "He'll be just like you remember him. I'll go ahead and wait with him."
Sirius waited leaning against the kitchen table, listening to the muffled voices from down the hall. He fidgeted with a cloth Harry had left on the counter. What would people think of him, what would they expect of him. This is a whole new life, so would he continue on as before or embrace the chance offered.
He was more nervous then he let on, he had a big reputation. That didn't mean he had to live up to it though, right? A person can always change their life, and he had finally found the perfect reason to change his.
After a few minutes Hermione came back and walked over to him.
"Ya, Harry wasn't sure how to bring it up so he made me do it." Hermione laughed.
"So they're coming in?" He asked fidgeting a little more then tossing the cloth aside.
"Ya, they should be right in." She answered looking at the door. "Nervous?"
"A little, I've almost come to terms with everyone I know looking different. But actually having to experience it, it's something different." He said.
"It'll be ok. After tonight it'll all be over with and we can talk about it later." Hermione encouraged him.
The voices got louder and louder, Hermione took Sirius's arm and gave him a smile.
"Ok, here we go!"
Harry and Ginny entered the kitchen and stopped in the door.
"Sirius?" Ginny's eyes went wide as she recognized the man before her.
"Yup," He answer. "That would be me."
She looked at Hermione, to Harry and back to Sirius again.
"This is unbelievable." She said stepping forward, "This is amazing! How are you?"
"Probably just as amazed as you are." He chuckled. "Happy Belated Birthdays"
"Thanks," Ginny nodded her head and gave a small laugh, "I'm not sure what to say. What do you talk about with a time traveler?" Ginny looked a little lost on how to continue.
"Lets start with the food." Sirius suggested as he flicked his wand causing the various plates of food to float over to the table.
Everyone took their places at the table; Harry and Ginny on one side, Hermione and Sirius on the other.
The rest of the morning was spent enjoying good food and sharing different stories from school times, laughter filled the house as story after story was recalled and reenacted.
"So James says 'I just thought he needed a bath'!" Sirius is standing at the front of the table holding his wand and a mop in one hand and a bucket in another.
"What did McGonagall do?" Ginny asked tears pouring down her face as laughter caused her breath to come out in gasps.
"We got detention for a week" Sirius laughed, sitting back down, banishing the items to their proper place.
Everyone caught their breath and wiped away stray tears that still leaked from their eyes.
"In hindsight, maaaaaaaaaaybe we deserved it." Sirius drew out the word not quite sounding convinced.
"Well, I'm going to start the dishes who's gonna help?" Hermione stood up and started stacking plates and bowls.
"We'd love to," Harry said tugging Ginny by the arm,"but we're heading out right away."
"We are?" Ginny asked confused, standing to follow Harry.
"Ya, I actually have a few things planned this afternoon and it's a surprise so I really couldn't tell you till now." He smiled as he took her hand.
"You guys have fun, I'll help with the washing." Sirius waved them away with a grin.
Harry flashed Sirius a grin and thumbs up behind Ginny's back before whisking her away for their afternoon.
Off I go to a land of internet, but none for me:(. We already cut off all our phone and net because we've been spending the summer at his mothers house. No sense paying for stuff we aren't using.
We're packing the last of our apartment before we head to Ontario to Prepare for the wedding. Sept 4th! Two months away!
See you all in August!