Disclaimer: Only the plot belongs to moi. The rest is JKR's.

A/N: Hello lovely people! Here is the next instalment of the story, I hope you enjoy it! The next chapter follows on immediately from this one, so don't worry, you won't miss anything.

This chapter is dedicated to the very lovely Angelus Draco- thank you so much for all of your help!

Thank you so much to all you wonderful people who left reviews- it means so very much to me! Keep reading and reviewing!

"Left England? Do-do you mean that she's gone on holiday?" Harry asked in desperation. "Can you tell us where she's gone?

Ron snorted. "That'd be about right- try and lay the guilt on us for ignoring her while she's gone off on holiday!"

Remus turned to the irritating redhead, his face white as he fought to keep his cool.

"Ronald, if you do not shut up immediately, I will cast a silencing charm on you. I suggest you keep your idiotic blather to yourself!" He snarled.

Tonks, seeing that her husband was in danger of losing control, walked over to his chair and sat on his lap. His arms slid tightly about her waist as he buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply. Her scent seemed to soothe the angry wolf in his mind, enabling him to relax slightly. He whispered a soft "Thank you, Dora" before taking a deep breath and looking at the irritating redhead, who quailed slightly.

"No, she has not gone on holiday. She has moved away. And before you even think of suggesting it, Ronald, it is not a ploy for attention. As Harry has learned, she no longer works at the Ministry and, had you been able to gain entry, you would have seen her flat is empty. She has left England entirely."

Harry blanched. "She's gone? For good?"

"Yes."

"B-but when? She…she was here when we left two weeks ago! How could she have moved abroad in that time?"

Sirius answered his godson. "She accepted a job offer abroad on her birthday and left the following day."

Harry stared. "She got an offer that quickly?"

Sirius barked a bitter laugh. "Harry, had you paid the slightest bit of attention to her life, you would have known that she was getting job offers every second day. She decided to accept this one because she believed she had nothing to stay for."

Harry's green eyes filled with tears. "How could she think that?"

Sirius shook his head tiredly. "How could she not? You pulled your little stunt, neither remembering her birthday nor asking her to accompany you on holiday with rest of your friends. Compounded with tolerating years of your neglect and poor treatment, and the fact that you didn't even bother to see or call her anymore, what was she supposed to think? She wasn't a part of your lives anymore, you'd made that clear enough. Her parents were dead and she had been offered a fantastic opportunity abroad, in a good position with an extremely generous salary. What did she have to stay for?"

Harry swallowed noisily, then asked in a hushed voice, "What about you? Does she still talk to you?"

Tonks took over. "She gave us portkeys to her new home and we are free to visit whenever we like. In fact, we spent the night there last night."

"Then you know where she is- you could take us there!" Harry exclaimed desperately, a look of hope dawning on his face.

Tonks snorted. "Not bloody likely!"

Harry looked crestfallen. "Why not?"

Ron stupidly decided to pipe up at this point. "Yeah, why not? Thought you were complaining that we don't pay her enough attention and all that. Now you won't tell us where she is? Make up your bloody minds!"

Remus scowled at Ron and, without a word, cast a silencing charm on him. The redhead began to flap his arms and wave about madly, but to no avail- he could not speak. The werewolf nodded in satisfaction and slipped his wand back into his pocket, then answered the question.

"Because, Harry she has forbidden us from telling any of you where she is, let alone taking you there. She has broken with you, all of you. I'm sure you noticed that you couldn't apparate into her flat?"

Harry nodded jerkily.

"She has removed your signatures from the wards entirely- you cannot apparate or portkey in, nor can you physically unlock the door. She has also blocked your Floo access, I believe."

Harry hung his head in defeat. "She's left us, then. She's finally done it."

Remus nodded. "Yes, she has, and I cannot say that I blame her. You pushed her out of your lives quite callously, after all. She grew tired of being an afterthought in your friendship, and so ended it in a dignified manner. She bears you no ill will- she simply wants nothing further to do with you."

At that, Sirius stood and strode out of the room. A few minutes later, he returned with three packages, which he gave to Harry, Ron and Ginny.

"She bought your Christmas presents early this year, and she asked me to take care of them. Let me be clear; these gifts are not a chance at reconciliation. She said I could throw them away or give them to you. I have chosen to give them to you, because I know she put a lot of thought into these gifts, and I would not waste her efforts."

Without a second thought, Harry tore off the wrapping paper on his gift and found two thick, leather-bound books. He heard Ginny snort next to him. "Books, what a surprise!" She muttered.

Harry ignored her and examined the books. The first was entitled "A Complete History of the Potter Family." Opening it, he saw that it was marked at the most recent entry- Harry James Potter- and contained a blurb of his deeds over the years. Flicking back through the book, he saw that it provided a brief history of each and every Potter to the time of Godric Griffyndor himself. Harry saw with amazement that Griffyndor had changed his daughter's name to Potter in the year 1041, due to the number of families intent on eradicating the Griffyndors. Elenor Gryffindor was the first Lady Potter, Head of House Potter. She later married Elfric of Thornberry, who became the Lord Elfric, Consort to the Head of House Potter. Harry felt a pull in his chest; here was the history of his family, the people he was bound to by blood.

He reluctantly closed the book and turned to the other; it appeared to be a large photo album. Opening it, he discovered that the title page bore the words 'The Wedding of Lily and James Potter, on the twenty ninth day of April, nineteen hundred and seventy nine".

His breath caught; she had somehow gathered various photographs of his parents' wedding day. He felt tears prick his eyes as he looked at his laughing mother, evidently casting the Aguamenti charm at an irritated Alice Longbottom. The next was of a young Remus, chasing his father around the room with a white bowtie. Harry gazed at the pictures in amazement, feeling his throat close with emotion.

"She came to each of us and asked for all of our memories of Prongs and Lily's wedding," Sirius said quietly. "Merlin knows how many people she asked. She sat with us when we-when we found it difficult to try bring those memories to the surface." He smiled sadly. "She even brought us chocolate; she said as it was her fault we were depressed, it was her job to cheer us up. That was months ago, but she never told us what she wanted the memories for. She…she must have spent weeks preparing that album."

Harry noticed there were a number of blank pages toward the back of the album. A small label read simply "The New Lord and Lady Potter." He gulped at seeing Hermione's familiar, elegant hand and slowly closed the album, awash with emotion. He could not believe the trouble she had gone to in order to give him a really meaningful gift.

Sirius interrupted his thoughts. "What is in the other book?"

Harry wordlessly held out the Potter Histories, watching as Sirius flicked through the pages, his expression blank. After a time, he closed it and handed it back to Harry.

"This is more significant than you know, Harry," the older man told him. "This book will form a necessary part of the instruction on the Potter Title. I suspect she wanted to give it to you for Christmas so you would have time to ponder it before your twenty-first birthday."

Twenty-one was the traditional age at which a young lord or lady took up a vacant title and their place in the Wizenagamot. It was also the age at which said lord or lady could refuse the title, in which case a proxy would be appointed until such time as the next heir was of age.

Harry shook his head slowly. "She cared so much, and I….I never saw it. How did I miss that?"

Remus shook his head. "Probably because you were so preoccupied with those who constantly demanded your attention that you never noticed quiet, hard-working Hermione in the background. You see it now, though, don't you? Now that it's too late?"

Harry closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, blinking quickly to dispel the tears in his green eyes. "Yeah, I do. For all the good does, I see it."

Ginny interrupted the poignant moment. "Oh, please! This is just another one of her attention seeking ploys! She's done it before, you know!"

Harry looked at her in confusion. "She's done what before? Given us gifts and moved to another country? Gin, I may have been a complete and utter arse when it came to Hermione, but believe me, even I would remember that!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "No, darling. I mean that this is not the first time she's played the 'poor me' card to try and get people to notice her."

Harry just stared at her, before Tonks interrupted.

"Oh, is that so, Ginevra? Please, do share! Please enlighten us as to the details of these attention-seeking ploys!"

Ron scowled at her tone, unable to say a word. Tonks ignored him and focused on Ginny.

"Well?"

Ginny flushed slightly under the pink-haired woman's scrutiny. "Well, I caught her once in the Astronomy Tower at some ungodly hour of the night, in her seventh year, crying over some old photos. Please! It was SO obvious that she wanted someone to find her!"

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the arrogant girl. "The Astronomy Tower at Midnight, you say? Seems a bit of an odd time to try and get some attention, considering everybody else was likely sleeping! As to the photos, I don't suppose you bothered to look at them, did you?"

Ginny shook her head, a little intimidated by the intensity in Sirius' eyes.

He snorted. "Of course you didn't! Why should you? You never gave a damn about her before, why start now? For your information, those were photographs of her parents- whom she had just recently discovered had died overseas, with their memories wiped, never even knowing they had a daughter! Ever think she might have wanted some time to grieve? She was hardly going walk into the Great Hall and announce the bloody fact, was she?"

Ginny flushed with embarrassment. "I….I didn't think of that."

Tonks snorted. Her muttered "ooooh, big surprise, that" was clearly audible to everyone.

Ginny looked pleadingly at Harry to try and get her out of the unexpectedly sticky situation she found herself in, only to find him looking sadly at the gift Hermione had given him. This, in addition to what had already happened, proved to be too much for the volatile redhead.

"See! She's doing it again! She's not even here and you're paying more attention to her than to me! I'm your fiancée, for heaven's sake; why aren't you defending me against them and their accusations instead of looking at the bloody books your swotty friend left for you before she away like a child! And you're still trying to tell me she's noble and not seeking attention? Please!"

Harry stared at her in shock. "Ginny…why would you say that? That was uncalled for…"

His fiancée, seeing she had his attention and realising she might have gone a little too far, decided to take the opportunity to do some damage control.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to sound cruel, b-but they were all ganging up on me. It's just too much for me!" She said tearfully, lip quivering in a practised tremble."

Tonks decided she had had enough. Sirius had played his part- now it was her turn. Jumping out of Remus' lap, she marched over to the red-haired drama queen and stood directly in front of her.

"Cut the crap Ginny, we all know you're faking it to avoid looking like the self-centred bitch you are!"

Ginny gasped. "Harry, are you going to let her talk to me like that?"

Harry turned to Tonks, disapproval clear on his face. "Tonks, I know Ginny has said some things that are out of line, but you shouldn't talk to her like that."

Tonks snorted in amusement. "You're bloody joking, right? What happened to the tearful remorse from a few minutes ago? But then, you did think about it for a few minutes- I'm surprised you lasted even that long."

"What?"

Tonks rolled her eyes in disgust. "You treat Hermione like shit, and let everyone else get away with bad-mouthing her, then you tell off the people who bloody try to do something about it! Good to see you're being true to form, Harry! Thank God Mione moved away- she deserves better!"

Harry looked as though she had slapped him. Tonks didn't stop, but continued delivering a few home truths.

"You, Ginny, are a world-class manipulative, selfish, little bitch. " She seethed, ignored Harry and Ron's looks of shock and anger.

"Tell me, Ginny, why exactly did you find it necessary to constantly belittle Hermione in public? Why did you suddenly forget all she had done for you and decide to make her into a laughingstock? Why did you erode her self-esteem so deliberately that she hated her very self?"

"I…I..didn't," Ginny stammered. "I never…..I…..Harry?"

Tonks turned to Harry before he could open his mouth. "Just a few minutes ago, you admitted that you and the others had been lousy friends to Hermione. Now someone is saying untrue and hurtful things about her. Are you going to keep choosing their side and let them continue to slander her, even now when she is not here to defend herself? Because let me tell you, even if you will, I bloody well won't! I've seen what you've all done to that girl and it will take months, maybe years to undo!"

Harry nodded shamefacedly and kept silent, causing Ginny to screech indignantly. "I haven't done anything! What lies has she been telling you? Bring her here and I'll fling them in her face!"

Sirius snarled, "Lies?" just as Tonks growled, "Do you think I'd be stupid enough to bring her anywhere near you after what you've done, you poisonous little bitch? Did you think you wouldn't get caught?"

Harry looked up at Tonks in shock. "What…what are you talking about? What are you saying?"

Ginny, who had suddenly paled, turned to her fiancée. "It's all lies, you must believe me Harry! I haven't done anything!"

Harry ignored her pleading, patting her on the hand, and asked again. "What are you talking about, Tonks?"

Tonks looked him in the eye. "Potions."

Sirius jumped out of his chair, his face suddenly white. "Potions? What potions? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Remus had also risen from his chair; in direct contract to Sirius' visible agitation, he was quiet, seemingly calm. One look at his clenched jaw and fists, however, dispelled that idea entirely. The man was trembling, and only his immense willpower was stopping him from letting the wolf lose.

"What potions?" he rasped. Tonks inwardly winced. It seemed that the wolf was very close to the surface. She would have to tread carefully here or else Moony would come out to play, and she somehow doubted that he would have much liking for his current playmates.

Turning to her trembling husband and her cousin, she addressed them both. "I only found out this morning, after you had already left. I mentioned a few things to Mum so she decided to perform certain other scans. I will tell you, but I ask you to trust me. Please?"

The two men nodded warily.

She drew in a deep breath. "I'm going to ask you both to sit down and give me your wands. I…I don't want to restrain either of you, but I will if I have to. You're neither of you any good to Mione if you're in Azkaban."

Both men sighed, and then reluctantly surrendered their wands before sitting down in their respective chairs.

Tonks tucked the wands in her back pocket, muttering "Sorry, Mad-Eye". Taking her own wand, she pointed it at Ron. The redhead sat frozen.

"I'm going to take the silencing charm off you. However, one rude comment or even an interruption and it goes back on again. Is that understood?" A fervent nod answered her.

"Good".

Taking a deep breath, she removed the charm, then turned her gaze back to Sirius and Remus. "Mum found heavy traces of the Humilitas potion in Mione's system.

Sirius thundering "WHAT?" was matched by Remus' roar. Both men leaped out of their chairs, however, Tonks was too quick. With a few flicks of her wand she bound and levitated them back to their chairs.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't want to have to do that, but Mione comes first, and she needs us."

Turning back to the couch, she found Harry frowning in puzzlement at the Marauder's vehement reaction. "You have a question, Harry?"

"Er…yeah, sorry, but what is the Humilitas potion? I was never much good at potions, but I don't remember it being on the list of prohibited or controlled potions from auror training…"

Tonks drew a deep breath and tried to remain calm. Every time she thought of Hermione being subjected to this potion, it made her blood boil. A quick glance at Remus showed that the wolf had taken over his conscious mind- his eyes were pure amber and he was growling.

Sirius was sitting fuming in his chair, his fists clenched so tightly his nails had probably broken the skin.

Looks like I bound them just in time, she sighed, half-wishing she could let them loose to wreak a little havoc on the two red-heads.

Clearing her throat, she turned back to Harry and a very pale, trembling Ginny.

"That's because it isn't. It's considered an ordinary medicinal potion by many pureblood families, most often used to knock teenagers down a peg or two if they become too unbearable. Heck, Dumbledore suggested Lucius Malfoy take it, once, when he was a student at Hogwarts. However, even those families who do not approve of that kind of emotional tampering are certainly aware of the potion.

The Humilitas potion was developed during the reign of Napoleon, and its use spread across Europe almost immediately. As its name suggests, it is a humility draft. The potion is ordinarily administered in very small doses and only when strictly necessary. Usually, the person is given a maximum of two drops of the diluted draught for a certain period of time. It is generally administered for no longer than a year and the person must be carefully observed, usually by a Healer, during that time. If the dose is too high, or too frequent, it can have terrible effects on the person's mind- instead of merely being humble, they begin to doubt themselves to an extreme, followed by terrible self-loathing and a distorted self-perception. The effects of the Humilitas potion are lasting; it does not wear off. Its leaves strong traces in the blood, which can be removed with an extremely powerful neutralising potion. The neutraliser can't reverse the psychological damage that has already been inflicted. That takes considerable time and effort."

Harry's eyes grew wide. "And Hermione had this…this potion in her system?"

Ginny tried to interrupt, glaring angrily at Tonks. "Of course not! She couldn't have! This is just another ploy to-" She stopped speaking suddenly as a loud growl was heard from the other side of the room.

Everyone looked to find Remus thrashing against the bonds in his chair and snarling. "You lie, human! I smell it. Do not attack our mate - we will not allow it!" Turning his amber eyes to Tonks, his face softened slightly and he stopped thrashing. "Continue, beloved Mate. We will control our instincts."

Tonks looked lovingly at the werewolf for a moment before turning back to the subject of her ire. "As I said, Mum found considerable traces of the potion. It seems that not only was Mione fed the potion without her consent, but mum estimates she was given with the potion weekly, in doses containing five drops or more, for a period of up to two years. There was so much of the stuff left in her system, even after all this time, the scan was practically going mad."

Sirius growled and tried, unsuccessfully to get up from his chair, glaring daggers at the white-faced chit in front of him. Remus had not moved, but had been watching the couch with all the intensity of a hunter, eying his prey and biding his time.

Tonks glared at the redhead in front of her. "Someone was dosing Hermione with a potion commonly known to purebloods, one that most half-bloods and muggleborns have never heard of. Even if she had heard if it, Hermione would not have taken it voluntarily- that means someone slipped it to her without her knowledge. Any ideas who it might be? Someone who wanted Harry for herself and decided Hermione was too close, perhaps?"

Ron spoke up angrily, whilst keeping a watchful eye on the two men bound to their chairs. "You can't prove it was Ginny!"

Tonks glared at him until he shut up.

"You're right, we can't- yet. But if Ginny here is innocent all she has to do is swear a magical oath that she had nothing to do with this and we can let it be. Ginny?"

Ginny stared at the pink-haired woman in shock. "You…you can't be serious. I haven't done anything wrong, w-why should I be forced to swear an oath?

Ron nodded vehemently. "Not like it was poison, was it? What does it matter who gave it to her? Only a humility potion! Reckon she probably needed it too! If that was what she was like after two years of the stuff, Merlin knows what she would have been like without it!" He shuddered. "Bloody bossy know-it-all."

Tonks saw red at that moment.

"What does it matter? It matters because two drops of that potion for more than a few months is more than most pretentious pricks need to turn into a half decent human being! What do you think it would do to someone with an already dangerously low self-esteem? Someone who was fed huge doses of that stuff for two years? It turned her against herself and warped her bloody perception! She hates herself so much, her mind convinced her she didn't deserve to eat! It matters because, thanks to the potions princess here, she is lying in a potion-induced sleep in her bed! It matters because she's been that way since early yesterday evening! It matters because her bloody magical core was bloody draining her so much she could have died or turned into a squib! If Sirius hadn't found her when he did, who knows what would have happened? THAT'S WHY IT MATTERS!"

She stood glaring at the redheads, chest heaving from her outburst, before turning to Harry.

The young man looked as though he had been punched in the gut. "She…she's unconscious? She won't eat? Oh God, is she dying?"

Seeing Tonks shake her head in negation, he sighed in relief and then turned to his fiancée. "Ginny, Ginny please, swear the oath for me. I'm begging you to do it for my sake, please! Put my mind at ease!"

The redhead looked as though she were going to faint. "Harry, no, it's not fair for you to ask that of me…I-I've done nothing wrong….."

Tonks pounced. "If you've done nothing wrong, then you can swear that bloody oath right now. Otherwise, I'll report it officially and get permission to question you under Veritaserum. Your comments have shown that you had a clear motive to administer it, and your grades show that you possess the skill to brew it. Not to mention thanks to your pureblood background, you would have no doubt been aware of its existence. So what's it going to be Ginny, the easy way or the hard way?"

Harry turned to the woman at his side, openly pleading. "Please, Ginny, I've done whatever you've asked of me. All I'm asking for is one lousy oath! Please!"

Ginny looked around in a panic, trying to find a way out of the situation she was in, but could find none. Her fiancé was on one side, pleading with her to give the oath, her brother sat gaping uselessly on the other, whilst an enraged auror stood in front of her. She finally bowed her head, defeated.

"I…I can't swear the oath."

Harry drew back in shock. "Ginny? Please tell me you didn't do this, tell me you didn't do it to Mione!"

"I had to!" She cried tearfully. "She was always so full of herself and-and you spent so much time with her! When she began to fancy you in fourth year, I had to make sure she didn't take you! You were mine, you've always been mine! I th-thought that if I took her down a peg or two she would never have the confidence to try to take you from me."

Sirius roared with rage and struggled fruitlessly to get out of his bonds. "You bitch! Full of herself? You have no idea what you've done, you stupid selfish little girl! I was in her mind and the things I saw… she had no self-esteem at all from the age of bloody five onwards! The rubbish you gave her found nothing to wear away, and it made her hate herself! HATE, do you understand? I SAW what it did, and coupled with your disgusting mistreatment and neglect of her, oh God, I could kill you for what you've done to her! You damn near killed her for your petty jealousy!"

Harry was shaking his head, unable to believe what he was hearing. Ginny grabbed his hand, staring at him in desperation.

"Harry? Harry! You still love me, don't you! You won't let them hurt me?"

He shook off her hand and stood up from the couch.

Looking hard at the woman in front of him, Harry shook his head in disbelief.

"I…I can't believe you would…..and to Mione- Of all people! She never did anything to hurt anyone! Who ARE you?"

Ginny looked as if he had slapped her. "Harry…Harry, how can you say

that? You know me, of course you know! It's me, it's Ginny, your fiancée! I'm the woman you love!"

Harry's face became hard. "No, you're not. The woman I proposed to could never have done this. Did she ever exist? Or did you just make her up to try and win me over?"

Ginny began to sob. "No, no of course not, Harry! Darling, you know I love you! Please don't leave me! I swear, I never meant to hurt anyone! I just didn't want to lose you!"

Ron glared at Harry and put his arm around his sister, trying to comfort her, but thankfully did not speak. Harry ignored him.

"So you decided to dose my best friend with potions, without her consent! How often did you spike her drink? Well? ANSWER ME!"

Ginny trembled. "I…I didn't put it in her drink. I…put it directly in her food." She mumbled.

Harry stared at her. "In her food? Why?"

Ginny mumbled something that only Remus heard.

Tonks scowled at her. "Speak up! Why her food?"

Quailing under the gaze of the furious auror, Ginny dropped her eyes. "I...I was afraid that if I put it in her drink, the water would dilute it. I used the straight potion s-so it would be effective."

Sirius literally roared. "Are you MAD? You put dangerously high

doses of a concentrated potion in her food? It would have been absorbed four times as quickly and coursing through her blood stream within an hour! And it was UNDILUTED? You know damn well that for each drop of that potion a quarter of a goblet of water must be added to weaken the draught! Even bloody Napoleon would have given up the throne and gladly herded sheep after three months of your regimen! You could have killed her!"

Ron was unable to keep quiet any longer. "Oy, lay off! It was a harmless potion and she didn't mean to hurt her! There's no need to charge anyone!"

Tonks shook her head, intently watching the redheaded girl in front of her.

"I want Mione tested for other potions – God knows what else she could have been spiked with! If there is ANYTHING else, Ginny, I'll take you in myself."

If possible, Ginny turned even paler.

"Stop trying to scare her!" Ron raged. "She never gave her anything else!"

Tonks scoffed. "Oh, and you would know that how Ronald? If she slipped

one potion in her food, she could easily have slipped in others!"

"She didn't, I saw her only put in that one!" he screamed, then stopped, a horrified look on this face.

Tonks was regarding him with a grim look of satisfaction. "Somehow, I

suspected as much. Tell me, Ronald, just how often did you see Ginevra

adding potions to Hermione's food?"

"I…I didn't mean….I didn't know she was….Harry mate, you don't believe…" Ron stuttered, unable to find the right words to rid him of this mess.

Harry looked as though he were going to be sick. He didn't answer.

Tonks turned to Ron. "I'll give you the same chance I gave her; swear a magical oath that you had no knowledge of or complicity in these events and you'll be fine. If you refuse, I'll get permission to test you with Veritaserum- and who knows what else might come tumbling out of your eloquent gob?"

The redhead was shaking. "I….come on, you can't be serious! Why should I give an oath just because my sister made a little mistake?"

Sirius strained at his unseen bonds again. "Little mistake! Have you lost whatever mind you had, boy? Your sister could have killed Hermione! It's a bloody miracle that she was so devoted to her friends and family and to the cause! If she hadn't been such a selfless person, making her first priority her friends and family, she could easily have decided to throw herself of the Astronomy Tower! Bloody hell, if she had thought about herself half as much as you two do, she would have been dead! She was already starting to starve herself- which seems to coincide with the time you dealt the killing blow to your friendship! "

He drew a deep breath. "Swear that oath, Weasley, and swear it now or I will see to it you are questioned under Veritaserum immediately."

Ron looked first to Harry, then to his sister for help. Seeing none, he shrugged. "Alright, I knew she was doing it. I didn't know it could kill anyone- Ginny just said it would knock her bloody nose out of the air a bit- always walking around as if she were better than the rest of us. I thought it was a good idea. I was worried she had too much influence over Harry, and after all, he belonged to Gin, so…I helped. I would switch the laced sugar quills with the ones she kept in her bag. Harry mate, you have to believe me, I did it for you!"

Harry glared at his first friend. "You did it for me, Ron? Or you did it so you could stop feeling so inadequate without having to actually do something about it? Somehow, I don't see you putting potions in Mione's food as a token of friendship!"

Ron blanched.

Harry turned to face Sirius, his head bowed. "And now we-we've lost her," He choked. "I take responsibility for my own part in that- it's just as much my fault as it is theirs. I never stopped them from hurting her with their words or their actions. I never stood up for her. I never appreciated all she did for me, what she was prepared to do. I pushed her away and took her for granted and now she's gone. I-" He broke off as a sob escaped him, then continued shakily.

"I know I don't deserve her friendship, and I don't ask for it. But please, if you see her, tell her how sorry I am. Tell her I hope she's happy and that she deserves the best, someone who won't trade her friendship for glamour and designers and parties, someone who puts her first."

Sirius looked at Tonks. She nodded and flicked her wand , releasing both Sirius and Remus, passing Sirius his wand. He stood and slowly walked to his godson, putting his arms around the younger man and letting him sob. Meanwhile, Tonks had returned to Remus' lap, cuddling into the werewolf, who once again sniffed her hair.

"Harry, do you mean that? Do you fully accept responsibility for your actions?" Sirius asked quietly.

Harry nodded, sniffing. "I do. I-I need some time alone, to think through all of this, and decide what I'm going to do. But after, when I'm ready, can I…talk to you, Padfoot?"

Sirius smiled down at him. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Of course you can, Harry. I've told you before- I love you as if you were my own son, and have done since you were placed in my arms as a baby. I won't lie to you, I am disgusted and disappointed at what you have done, but I am proud that you have decided to take responsibility for those actions like a man. It has come at a very high cost, but you have learned a very valuable lesson. Take your time to think, settle back into work, and when you are ready, call me on the mirror. You still have it, don't you?"

Harry bobbed his head.

"Good. Then when you are ready, call me and we can talk. If you want to meet in person, let me know and I will arrange to come to you."

Harry glanced nervously at his godfather. "Will you be…you know…over there? With Mione?"

Sirius nodded warily.

"Good. I'll do that then. Just…please…do one thing for me?"

Sirius exhaled heavily, "Harry I cannot undo the past. What you have done is done, and you must accept the consequences of those actions."

Harry shook his head violently. "Not that. I don't expect or want you to ask Mione to forgive me. I just….I was wondering if you'd let me know how she is? Just…that she's out of danger, with the potions and everything."

At this, Ginny made a slight sound of distress. Everyone ignored her.

Thinking for a moment, Sirius agreed. "Alright, I'll let you know when she's awake, and on the mend. I will not do more than that. I will not approach her on your behalf, am I clear? I will not hurt her, not even for you, Harry."

A whisper of a smile ghosted across Harry's face. "I wouldn't ask you to, I think I've hurt her more than enough. You…you really care about her, don't you?"

"Of course," Sirius replied without thought.

Harry tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment, looking at his godfather. Then he sighed and turned to Remus and Tonks. He was relieved to see that Remus had calmed slightly. Tonks was looking at him consideringly- perhaps she was not so very furious with him now?

He took a deep breath. "Moony, Tonks, I…I owe you both an apology. Not only for how I acted today when you told me things I needed to hear, but for Teddy. I'm his godfather and I've neglected him shamefully. I've been so preoccupied with...with my own life this past year that I haven't been there for him. I…I'm sorry for that. I know I don't deserve it, but I would love another chance to make things right. I understand if you don't want me to be Teddy's godfather anymore but I…thought I should tell you."

After a moment of tense silence, Tonks spoke. "We appreciate that Harry. Like Sirius, we are beyond disgusted with what you did to Mione. The fact that you are taking responsibility for you actions, though, gives me hope that maybe you've learned your lesson. But it's not us you should be apologising to- it's Teddy. He's the one whose trust you need to regain. He is your godson after all."

Harry closed his eyes in relief. "Thank you. It's….more than I deserve, but thank you. I won't let you down, I swear it. I… would like some time with Teddy. Maybe…if you want to visit Mione abroad, and you wanted someone to watch Teddy….? He left the sentence unfinished, not wanting to push his luck.

Tonks nodded. "Thanks for the offer, but it will be up to Teddy. Once you've seen him and apologised, we'll see."

Harry nodded. He knew he would have to work hard to earn their trust back. He suddenly saw Remus looking at him from around Tonks' shoulder. Thank Merlin, his eyes had returned to their usual blue. He still looked strained though, as if he were fighting to keep control.

The pale werewolf looked hard at him for a moment, as if taking his measure, then nodded.

"You are beginning to learn, cub," he rasped, his throat obviously raw. "You have learned a very harsh and costly lesson- see that you don't repeat it." Trying to smile, the tired man looked at Harry. "You are family, Harry, nothing will change that. I've known you since the day you were born, and I love you. But, like Sirius, when you've done something wrong, I won't pretend otherwise. Take your time to think and you know that Tonks and I are also here should you wish to talk."

Harry smiled at the older man, and striding over, gave him a firm hug. Turning to Tonks, who smiled at him, he hugged her too as he whispered, "Thanks for caring enough to help me pull my head out of my arse. You could have just hexed me and cast me out. Thanks for giving me another chance."

Tonks patted him on the shoulder as he drew back. "You manned up and took responsibility. That takes guts. Don't think I won't hex your arse from here back to the Riviera if I think you deserve it, though. You've lost someone very precious Harry; don't lose anymore."

Harry sighed and nodded. "For what it's worth, Tonks, I know. I'm already feeling it, and something tells me it's only going to get worse. No one will ever be able to take Mione's place and I have no one but myself to blame."

Tonks scowled and turned to the two cowering Weasleys. They had both been sitting in absolute silence, afraid to draw the slightest attention to themselves. They flinched to find Tonks' glare fixed on them.

"Oh, I think can agree that while you bollocksed it up, these two did far more damage. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet."

Harry cast his eyes down. "It's up to you. I won't interfere."

Ginny gasped. "Harry! You don't mean that! You wouldn't let them harm your fiancée and your best friend?"

Harry laughed bitterly. "No, I wouldn't." Their relieved sighs proved premature, however as he continued. "But then, you aren't the woman I proposed to, are you?

Ignoring Ginny's small scream and the sobs that followed, he drew a deep breath and turned to Ron.

"I don't know what to say to you. You were my first friend, my best mate. I always put you first, always trusted you. I'm just as guilty as you are of treating Hermione poorly and taking her for granted but this! To find that you could do this to our best friend, a woman who has never done anything but stand by you…and then to find out you're apparently trying to manipulate me behind my back, and that you've apparently been madly jealous of me for years...I don't... I don't think they even have words to describe what I'm feeling right now. Although I guess I asked for it when you had already abandoned me so many times and I still trusted you over her. I don't know what to think about you, about our friendship. I need time, time away from both of you before I can even think what to do."

Sobbing, Ginny reached out to Harry. "Harry...don't! I love you!"

Harry just shook his head. "I mean it, Ginny. You did something I would never have thought you capable of. I need time to sort it out in my mind. I can't carry on as if nothing has happened, because quite frankly, right now, you are a stranger to me."

Ginny gasped and began to sob all the more.

Ron gulped loudly. "Mate...you can't let a silly thing like this come between us! We've been best mates forever!"

Harry glared. "The fact that you seem to think that putting mind-altering potions in people's food, let alone our best friend's food, is 'just a little thing' scares me. The Ron I knew would never have even considered it!"

Standing back, he sighed. "I don't pretend to be innocent in this. I screwed up, and lost the most devoted and loyal friend a man could have because of it. But what you did is beyond cruel- it's criminal. So I'll say it again: I will not stand in the way of whatever course of action Sirius and the others choose to take."

Turning to look at his godfather, he tried to smile. "Looks like I'm finally getting it through my thick skull. Better late than never, right?"

Nodding at two Marauders and Tonks, he turned on the spot and disapparated.

Ginny stared in shock at the place he had been standing on only moments before, then suddenly wailed, throwing herself at her brother.

"He's gone!" She sobbed.

Ron patted her on the back whilst looking warily at the three across the room.

"What...what are you going to do to us?" He managed to stutter.

Tonks snorted. "What's the matter, Ronald? Surely you're not scared?"

Sirius walked purposefully back to his char and sat down, his grey eyes fixed on the quivering duo in front of him.

"That," he said quietly, "depends."

Ron gulped. "On what?"

"On Hermione. I won't have her name dragged through the mud and force her to sit through charges and trials without asking her permission first. She's suffered enough!"

Ron began to panic. "But Sirius, mate, you can't press charges! Bad press like that could lose me my job! They could terminate the contract for jeopardising the name of the team!"

Sirius said nothing.

Seeing that his pleas had left Sirius unmoved, Ron struck out desperately with the last hope he had.

"You know that it won't stick, yeah?" He gulped. "I mean, the Wizenagamot will never convict two purebloods for potioning a muggleborn. Th-they'll just cover it all up."

A loud, scornful laugh rang out. "Is that really the best you have, Weasley?" Tonks jeered. "I wouldn't count on that saving your arse bec-" She suddenly fell silent as Sirius held up his hand.

Straightening in his chair, Sirius spoke. "I think you forget that Hermione is a renowned war heroine, and a brilliant witch in her own right- I doubt that they will dismiss the claims so readily, especially when the Boy Who Lived fails to speak on your behalf. However, there is one thing you have forgotten- the Wizenagamot may ignore the plight of a muggleborn witch, but they will not ignore a complaint lodged by Noble House."

Ginny, who had stopped sobbing and was now sniffling on her brother's shoulder spoke up.

"Hermione is not a member of a Noble House."

Sirius nodded. "True, she is not. But she is, as of this moment, under the protection of the House of Black. Any insult or harm to her will be considered as an attack on the House of Black. Do I make myself clear?"

The two Weasleys nodded in shock. Being purebloods, knew exactly what that meant. Hermione was now untouchable, and their fate rested in her hands. If she decided to alert the DMLE, nothing would stop them from being convicted.

Ginny buried her head in her hands, whilst silently trying to think of a way to come out of this with her reputation intact and regain some lost ground. If the press got hold of anonymous information that pointed to the know-it-all being mentally unstable, it might be enough to stop anything else being believed, she thought.

It seemed, however, that Sirius was one step ahead of her.

"I invoke familiasecretum over this matter as a whole. As Hermione is under the protection of the Black family, this matter is Black family business.

The matter of Hermione's illness, her self-loathing and the fact that she had been tortured could easily be used to paint a damaging picture which could severely discredit any complaint she might choose to make. You will not speak of anything discussed here today to anyone, even between yourselves, unless expressly permitted by myself or Hermione. I, Lord Black, in the presence of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, do so bind you."

There was a blue flash as Sirius' magic bound the two Weasleys. Ginny deflated, knowing the power of the ancient family magic. There was nothing she could do to save herself from this- she was now at the mercy of Sirius and Hermione.

Damn you, Hermione! She thought. Even now that I'm finally rid of you, you still took Harry from me!

Sirius stood. "I have nothing further to say to you at this point. You will be contacted by the appropriate authorities should Hermione choose to press charges." Touching his wand to his Head of House ring, he continued. "You are no longer welcome in my home, or in any property I own. I suggest you leave immediately or in precisely two minutes the wards will forcibly remove you."

Ron and Ginny scrambled up from the couch, pale-faced, and ran out of the room. Seconds later, the front door slammed.

Sirius turned to look at the other two. "That went well," he quipped, trying to smile.

Remus sighed tiredly. "I think it went about as well we could expect it to. If nothing else, Harry came to his senses. I sincerely hope he cuts all ties with those two."

Tonks nodded emphatically. "He'd be well shot of them. To be honest, Ginny gives me the creeps. Ron is just a selfish git with no scruples, but Ginny- she's the schemer. To cold-heartedly plan and execute something like that..." She trailed off.

Turning to Sirius, she grimaced. "Sorry I sprang it on you like that Sirius- I swear, I only found out from mum about ten minutes before I left. I was telling her my suspicions about Ginny wanting to get Hermione away from Harry, and she reckoned that if Ginny was that desperate, she might have resorted to potions. She did a scan and found traces of two potions. She was able to identify that bloody Humilitas potion, but she's still trying to work out what the other one is. I think she's going to ask Mione for a blood sample when she wakes up."

Sirius sighed. "I did wonder when you started talking about other potions..."

Standing up, he checked his watch and noticed it was already quarter to one, which made it quarter to two in Italy.

He turned to the other two. "I'm going to pack a few more things and then head back to Mione's flat. She could be waking up anytime now and I want to be there."

"Of course, Padfoot. We'll go with you," Remus told him.

Fifteen minutes later, Sirius slipped his shrunken suitcase into his pocket and strolled into the living room. He slipped his hand into his pocket and touched the portkey, about to activate it, when a voice echoed through the living room.

"Hello? Sirius, are you there?"

Walking to the fireplace, he saw George's solemn face looking back at him.

"George, what's the matter?"

"Can I come through?" The redhead asked. "Harry's just been to see me before taking off Merlin knows where. He...he told me about Hermione. If you have a moment, I was hoping I could talk to you."

Sirius quickly conferred with Remus, then turned back to George. "Look, mate, I really have to go. Moony and Tonks are here, they'll explain everything. If you need me for anything, Moony knows how to reach me."

George nodded and disappeared from the fireplace.

Sirius nodded at Moony and Tonks. "Good luck." With that, he activated his portkey and was gone.

A mere two minutes later, George came tumbling out of the fireplace, clutching two small parcels.

The tall redhead turned to the Lupins. "Harry stopped by the shop a little whilst ago. He said that things had ...happened, and that Hermione had left. I couldn't believe it, so I tried to apparate into her flat but the wards wouldn't let me in. Kept winding up in the hallway outside her door. Found these there, by the way," he told Remus, handing him the two packages. Remus did not glance at them, but simply shrunk them and put them into his pocket.

Tonks looked at her husband, who nodded, then back at George. "Might as well take a seat George, this is might take a while."

George simply nodded and walked over to sit on the couch his siblings had occupied not long before.

Looking up at them, he asked, "What the hell is going on?"

Hermione's flat, Roma: 2.05pm local time

Arriving in the Atrium, Sirius removed his shrunken suitcase and resized it. Stowing his portkey inside, he sent the case floating back to the guestroom he was currently using.

Making his way quietly to Hermione's room, he saw Andromeda sitting in an armchair next to Hermione's bed. Nodding at her, he turned his glance back to Hermione. She was still asleep, although it seemed to be a very fitful kind of sleep, he noted. Gesturing to Andromeda to follow him, he walked out of the room and into the living room. Seating himself on the couch, he waited until she was also seated before asking, "How is she?"

Andromeda frowned. "The sleeping draught still isn't working as well as I would have liked, although she hasn't woken since I administered it. I suspect she'll be awake soon." She sighed. "I don't want to give her any more sleeping draughts as I would prefer that she try to sleep naturally.

Her magical core seems to be slowly recovering, largely due to the nutrient potions and the rest she has had since last night. I would suggest that she remain in bed for the rest of the day, and possibly tomorrow. At the very least, I don't want her to exert herself for the next few days. Going to work is absolutely prohibited for at least a week, as I explained to Signore Martinelli when he called in an hour or so ago. He perfectly happy for her to take any time she needed in order to recover. She is also to follow the diet I gave Nymphadora, starting today."

Pausing, she raised an eyebrow. "I presume she told you about the potions?"

Sirius nodded tensely.

"I have yet to determine the nature of the second potion, but I did not want to take her blood without asking her consent. I will look in on her tonight or tomorrow morning, and I've left the necessary potions on her nightstand."

Hugging his cousin, Sirius could not thank her enough for all she had done. "If it hadn't been for you, I hate to think what would have happened. Remus and Tonks might be a while yet, would you like to Floo home? I don't want to leave Mione alone..."

Andromeda shook her head. "There's no need. Signore Martinelli gave me a one-way portkey to England when he was here. If you don't need me for anything else, I'll be on my way. Don't fret Sirius, she will be will. You'll see."

With that, she clutched an old quill and was gone.

Sighing, Sirius turned and walked to the kitchen. He had not yet eaten lunch and he was ravenous.

To his surprise, three plates of pasta sat on the table, under a warming charm.

Thanks Dromeda, he thought. Sitting down, he ate quickly. When he had finished, he cast a cleaning charm on his plate and sent it back to the cupboard.

Just as he was making his way to the living room, he heard a soft whimper. He turned immediately walked into Hermione's room.

Sirius found her awake, and trying to sit up in bed. He saw with relief that Tonks or Andromeda had managed to slip some light blue cotton pyjamas onto her. The last thing she need was him ogling her like a schoolboy.

Smiling, he walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. She looked up at him, then cast her eyes down, as if she were ashamed. She looked exhausted and very pale. Her brown curls were unruly, and he had the sudden urge to run his fingers through them. Blinking, he suppressed the urge. Where the hell did that come from? He wondered.

Slipping a hand under her chin, he gently made her look at him. "Hi love, how are you feeling? Better?"

She looked at the wall behind him, refusing to make eye contact. "Yes, thank you. Sirius, I'm so sorry, you must think-" Her eyes widened as he gently pressed a finger to her soft lips, silencing her.

Taking away his finger, he smiled at her. "Mione love, don't be sorry. You never have to be sorry for needing help from me. Haven't I told you? Anything you ask of me is yours. Anything."

She blushed and looked at the bedclothes. "Sirius, you're very kind..."

He interrupted her again, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I care about you, love. I will always take care of you. No matter what happens, remember that. You're not alone, Mione."

She shook her head. "I...can't help but worry about what you must think of me now..."

Sirius stood up. Walking around to the other side of the enormous bed, he slipped off his shoes and climbed onto the bed to settle next to her. Carefully taking her in his arms, he propped himself against the headboard.

"Love, if anything, I think even more highly of you now than I did before."

She didn't say anything, causing him to sigh.

"Mione, love, I think we need to have a little talk."