June 6th, 1999 - The Ministry of Magic - 13:00

Hermione had been back in 1999 nearly a month and not a day went by that her mind was not full of thoughts on how she could get back to him. At first she told herself it was to explain what happened, to make sure he understood that she was not going away forever, but slowly the feelings congealed into truth. Hermione wanted to go back to be with him; she was falling for Sirius Black and despite everything that screamed that it was wrong, her body was quick to remind herself just how right it had felt. The connection they shared was beyond just young adult lust; when she was with him the pressures and reminders of the trauma she had been through seemed to fade. When she was with him, she was just a woman who enjoyed the company of a man, but a war hero trying to make things right.

She drifted through the days as if in a trance, going through the motions without ever truly being present. The few times she had run into her friends, they were quick to point out her Luna-like withdrawal into her thoughts that was so very uncharacteristically Hermione. She would brush off the comments, citing poor sleep and long hours at work as the excuse, but they all knew something else was brewing beneath the surface of her mind. It did not take an advanced degree to know Hermione was scheming over something, for Harry and Ron were very familiar with the glint that would twinkle in her eyes while plans were hatched.

When Kingsley confronted her in the streets of Puddlemere he had confiscated the Time-Turner, and although she knew he had no proof, she sensed he was leery of the witch's time in the past. She was questioned by the Unspeakables regarding why she appeared in England, as opposed to Romania, and once her oral report was cross-referenced with the written account that was delivered to Moody in 1979, she was cleared to return to work. What she had not realized when signing up for the mission, was Kingsley requested the Time-Turner to have a trace put on the jewelry. Anytime it was used, it would alert the Unspeakables of the location, which is how they were quick to find her return to present time.

Kingsley graciously allowed her to return to work in the Aurors office, or so she was told by her boss. She had not made enough progress in the past for the ambitious Minister to be satisfied, He had expected results by now and made this well known to those privy to the top secret mission. The only real change that the Unspeakables were able to track was the early death of Rosier, which saved a small handful of lives, both Muggle and Magical.

The first couple attempts to arrange a meeting between Hermione and the Minister were unsuccessful; his secretary kept his schedule full and there was no wiggle room for her to sneak in, even for the briefest of moments. After two weeks of being ignored, Hermione took to waiting outside his office, pacing the halls while she waited for him to appear.

Leaning against the cold stone wall her fingers tapped an impatient rhythm next to her. Since she was on a high priority assignment from the Minister, the Auror's office did not bother assigning her to other details. Instead they expected her in for office duty every day while she waited for the word to return to 1979. This meant today Hermione was forced to wear a well tailored, but entirely uncomfortable set of gray business robes, with a sensible pair of black trousers and a button down. Brown eyes darted between Kingsley's office door and down the hall, averting her gaze away when she could hear the door open, as if to appear not waiting for him, but rather reading the crumpled memo in her other hand.

Her stomach grumbled in protest as the lunch hour approached. She had expected to see Kingsley hours ago, when he would have been on his way into the office for the day, but being the Minister obviously came with perks. Like a private fireplace with access to the Floo network in your office. When the door in front of her opened, Hermione's heart skipped a beat as the familiar booming voice of Kingsley was heard talking to his secretary.

"Push back my 1:00pm. Let the MACUSA President know I will be available by 2:00pm." Putting his cap on his bald head, he moved out of his office. When the door was shut, he turned towards the hallway. "Oh...Hermione. What a pleasant surprise."

'Was he always a shit liar?' A forced smile was given, hands carefully folding the paper she held as she looked up to greet him. "Hello Kings...you're quite a busy wizard, ya know?" Pushing off the wall, she slipped the paper into her robe's pockets casually. Glancing up and down the hall to make sure that no one awas within earshot, she moved a half of step closer to the older wizard. "You'd think a girl on a special assignment might have a little sway around her." Her voice was soft, but the impact of her words was definitely felt.

Kingsley's smile dropped, dark eyes glued to her face. "Miss Granger," he clucked, reaching out to rest his hand against her arm as if to encourage her to stop the talk of the assignment he had set her on before he began to guide her down the hallway. "Perhaps you can set some time later this week?"

"No." Pulling her arm from his grasp, she stopped in the middle of the hallway, head shaking her curls loose from the messy bun at the base of her neck. "You're making time for me now. You've avoided me enough." Her arms crossed over her bust, lips pursing together as she waited for his next move.

Glancing up and down the hallway, the wizard gave an exasperated sigh before he nodded. His hand was swept in front of his body, as if to say 'lead the way'. Taking the gesture for acceptance, Hermione reached out and wrapped her hand around his left arm and she began to guide the Minister down the long hallway. Turning to the closest conference room, she pulled the door open, waiting for him to enter before following.

"Your status as my friend is allowing you many liberties right now, Hermione. If you were anyone else, I would not offer the same allowances."

"To be quite frank, Kingsley, your status as my acquaintance is the only reason I haven't fucking blasted a hole into your office."

Frowning, the older wizard leaned back on the table, hands bracing against the wooden surface beneath him as he watched Hermione come to stand before him. No longer calm and collected, she looked as if she had a bone to pick.

"We found him, Kings… We found Remus, and I know errors were made, but we had him in our sights and you pulled me out. This was the first chance I had at making a real change." She began to pace in front of the door, blocking his exit as she delivered her well-rehearsed speech. "I need to go back. You owe me that. I've put my life on hold, and I accepted the fact that my mission in the past will cause the present?...No, the future to change! You need to send me back to help get Remus home. When we do...I can take down some of the wizards holding him. I'll do what I have to make sure these pieces of sh-," Hermione paused when she noticed Kingsley about to cut her off. Gritting her teeth, a deep breath was taken before she continued. "The Death Eaters can't do more harm."

The stoic face of the Minister did not crack. Instead he let the silence hang in the air for half a minute, letting Hermione stew in her thoughts. Her mind raced; what the hell was he waiting for? Shifting comfortably before him from left to right hip, her lips parted as a deep breath was taken in preparation to drive her point home. Clearly she had more convincing to do than she originally thought. Suddenly his hand lifted towards her in the universal sign of 'stop'. Closing her open mouth, Hermione pursed her lips, frowning at the aging wizard.

"Let me be clear in stating that I do not owe you anything." Dropping his hand from in front of him, his fingers laced together, resting in the center of his hips. "You were assigned a mission based on skill. This is a job, Hermione, and you have proved that you are unable to bring the results we were looking for. I-"

"No results? Moody and I took out Rosier years before his original death date! I saved lives! This is bull-"

"Miss Granger!" His words were crisp, commanding her attention as his calm demeanor began to waiver. "You are not speaking with a friend, but rather the highest ranking official in all of the British Ministry of Magic. It would behoove you to remember your place."

She had once prided herself on befriending most of the adult Order during the war. She would often be privy to intel before Harry and Ron due to the respect they all held for the 'brightest witch of her age'. After the war The Golden Trio's faults that were explained away by being young and naive were no longer forgiven as easily as they had been in youth. Her passion, which had once been considered her greatest trait, had begun to plague her as an adult. Wincing at his harsh tone, Hermione cast her eyes away from a man she used to think of as on her team. Although, the question of whose team she was on was one she did not know the answer to anymore.

Was she fighting to return to help the Order, or was she fighting to return to the man she could no longer deny her feelings for? She told herself they were one in the same, but deep down she knew if Kingsley was presented with the facts regarding all of her time in the past, he would pull her from the mission faster than she could say 'Time-Turner'.

She could feel his eyes bore into the side of her face as if she were under a heat ray. He was waiting for her to break, to show more emotion than she already had. Biting her bottom lip, her hands were thrust into her robes, hidden as they curled into little fists.

"Despite the misgivings I have about sending you back, I will permit you to return."

Hermione's eyes closed. Her heart, thumping in her chest due to nervousness, began to ache at the realization that her goal was reached. She would be returning, but how would he react to seeing her? Would he be upset? Would he have moved on? She would not blame him for his anger, but she felt as if she had to try. She owed an explanation to Sirius, and would tell him the truth, at least as much of the truth as she could without destroying the past.

"However, should you return to the present with no action taken, my hand will be forced to choose another Auror to complete the mission. Is this clear?"

Hermione nodded, turning to face Kingsley. "Crystal." As he began to move past her towards the exit, her hand shot out to touch his arm, pausing his movement temporarily. "I need more time…. Two weeks."

"You will be allowed one week. I suggest you make better use of your time." He moved past her briskly, breaking her hold on his arm roughly before his shoulder grazed hers as he passed. When he reached the door behind her, he paused before his exit, allowing himself a moment before he continued, his back facing her still. "You will leave tonight. Do not disappointment me again, Hermione."

Not waiting for a response, the door was shut behind Kingsley with a snap. The sound echoed in her ears as she fell back against the desk. The weight of his words was felt immediately. Should she go back and fail again, she would never be allowed to see Sirius. Shaky hands rose to press the pads of her palms against her eyes as she let emotions she had bottled up loose. She should feel better knowing she would be going back, but instead of elation, she was left with worry. She would see Sirius again tonight, and she had to tell him. She had to make him understand, but would he forgive her? Would he trust her enough to believe the truth?

June 6th, 1979 - Godric's Hollow - 14:00

When the hours turned to days after Hermione left requesting some time to collect her thoughts, Sirius told himself she would return, she just needed time to process everything. When the days turned to weeks, he lost his faith. She had made her choice, and clearly her choice was to not be with him.

Once his interpretation of her actions had been decided, he spent his time dodging Order meetings, pub-hopping and sleeping on James's couch when he was too drunk to Apparate home. The friends had made up shortly after their altercation, as they often did, but it came with the condition of James being involved in returning Remus to England.

The mornings that Sirius did wake up on the lumpy couch in Godric's Hollow, he was often awoken by Lily. The witch had taken it upon herself to mother Sirius as he fought his demons, often being his shoulder to cry on. She had been the only one left would he would still talk about Hermione with.

Stretching out in the midday sun, Sirius lifted his arms above his head. Fists pointed towards one wall, while toes reached for the other as sleep began to shake away from the disheveled wizard. He'd been out at the Leaky with Wormtail last night, who was assigned to 'Puppy Watch' as the friends referred to it. The goal was to keep Sirius out of trouble, and while Peter was successful for a small portion of the night, Sirius quickly drank his friend under the table.

As his eyes began to crack open, a small scoff was heard from across the room before a faded throw pillow connected with his middle. All of the air escaped his lungs upon impact, and Sirius rolled onto his side, coughing as his arms curled around his midsection.

"Glad to see you're finally up," Lily said from her spot across the room in a large armchair. A book was draped facedown on the arm of the chair marking her spot in the book. She had been waiting for him to wake, as she did every time he stayed the night.

Lifting his head toward the redhead, gray eyes twinkled in amusement towards her. It was no wonder that James riled up his girlfriend so often, for when Lily Evans was upset you would see the passion pour out of every bit of her being. Her loyalty to their group of friends was clear, but this also came with the curse of expecting them to 'do better' as she often put it. "Be careful Lils. If James hears you watch me when I sleep, he might get jealous."

With a snort, Lily crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed Sirius. "I watch you because I don't want puke all over my floor again."

Pushing up off the couch, Sirius put his feet against the floor, steadying himself to recline back against the couch as he adjusted his achy frame. "That was months ago, give a wizard a little bit of credit. I can stomach my liquor better now." When another throw pillow was sent flying across the room, Sirius reached out to catch it, playfully wagging his finger at his friend.

Rolling her eyes, Lily turned her head away from him, tongue pressing against her teeth under her closed lips in thought. "Sirius, I know you said that this," looking back to him, her hand went out to gesture to him before returning to her bicep. "Isn't about how things ended with her, but I'm having a hard time believing you."

Sirius bristled, raising from the couch to grab his shirt off the coffee table before him and tug it over his head. He really didn't want to engage her on this topic again. She knew more than others, but that did not mean he would divulge more to her.

"Sirius, stop avoiding this conversation." Moving from the chair she crossed the room to her friend, small freckled hand reaching out to touch his shoulder, pausing his distracting motions to get him to focus on her. When green and gray eyes finally connected again, she allowed herself to continue. "What if she does come back? Do you want her to see you like this? You're a bit of a mess."

"This isn't about her. She made her choice, I'm just…." Eyes dropped away from Lily's towards the floor. Shifting uncomfortable under the weight of her stare, he continued, but refused to make eye contact. "I just needed a break from it all. Moony, the war, all the shit just caught up." His eyes closed when he felt her hand shift to tip his chin up so he would be forced to look at her once more.

"I'm not going to say those don't factor in, but you were staying afloat before you met her." Her voice was soft, thumb and index finger holding his chin in place until his eyes opened once more and she smirked. "Sirius, you might be able to fool the others, but you can't fool me. Stop trying to fix whatever's wrong with you with Fire Whiskey, and start doing something about it. This isn't the same man I knew at Hogwarts. Where did that stupidly brave lion go? All I see is a cub."

"Okay...okay." His hands lifted in defence as he took half a step back to break the hold she had on his chin, wanting to pull himself out of her motherly gaze. "I'll stop with the Fire Whiskey, but if you take away beer, we might have a problem." Pointing a finger at her in mock threat, his eyes narrowed. "I'll duel a girl, even if you are my best-mate's girl."

Unable to contain her laughter, she swatted at his pointed finger, narrowly missing connecting with his hand. "And you'd lose!" she called to his retreating form as he grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, pulling a pack of cigarettes out.

After tucking the withdrawn cigarette behind his ear, he across the room towards the kitchen, pressing a soft kiss into Lily's cheek as he passed her while she folded the blanket he had used the night before. "You're too good for us, Lils. You know that, right?" He often told her this, especially after the tough love she administered to their makeshift family.

"Someone's got to keep you lot out of Azkaban," she joked, winking to her friend before reaching up to tug at a lock of his hair as he moved away from her. Scooping up the blanket and pillow, Lily moved down the hall to put them away. When she disappeared Sirius moved into the kitchen, heading for the back door of their home.

Stepping out into the fresh air, the cigarette was pulled from behind his ear and put between his lips. His fingers rubbed the end of the stick and with a bit of wandless magic, a flame appeared at the end. Inhaling in quick breaths, he ignited the cigarette before blowing the flame away to leave the smoldering embers in its place. Bare feet padded across the warmed stone patio to the steps that let down to their small yard. Moving down a level, he sat in the middle of the stairs. Elbows to knees, he surveyed the homes around him.

The distant sound of children playing a couple streets over could be faintly heard over the soft summer breeze that carried warm air through the village. He knew she was right. His binge drinking, and avoidance of his home was absolutely about her. He had felt a connection with Hermione that he hadn't experienced before. The combination of her sudden departure (again!) and not knowing when his friend would come home was almost too much. He had to numb the ache, and what better way than the bottle?

He heard the door behind him open, figuring Lily would be coming outside to join him, he scooted over from the middle of the porch steps. "Don't worry, I won't leave the butt in the yard. I know about the can on the side of the house," he said before taking a deep drag off the cigarette, turning towards the sound of footsteps headed his way. Instead of Lily, he was greeted by the sight of James.

Messy hair, hazel eyes and a stupid look on his face that told Sirius that James was up to no good. A finger was placed against his lips before he lifted to show Sirius he'd nicked one of his cigarettes. Moving to sit beside his friend, he placed the cigarette between his lips before leaning close to his friend to accept a light.

"You're a brave man, Potter," Sirius joked under his breath as his fingers lit the small flame before he returned his elbows to his knees, hand lazily bringing his own cigarette back to his lips before his shoulder was nudged by his friend.

"She'll forgive me. She always does," James replied with a soft laugh, leaning opposite of his friend, reclining back on his stone patio as he crossed his legs in front of him at the ankle. "Speaking of forgiveness," he began flicking his cigarette ash away from his reclined body, "Alastor just confirmed they found Moony." Hazel eyes didn't have to leave the focus they held on the fence line before him to know Sirius was suddenly very interested in what his friend had to say. "We're leaving in two days….You coming?"

"You couldn't make me stay."

Laughing at his words, James nodded in understanding. Moony had been gone for too long, and perhaps the only people that would be able to help pull him out of whatever state he was in were Sirius and himself. The center of his bottom lip bitten before he looked over to Sirius, his hesitation evident. "You should probably know something."

Sirius gulped and nodded towards James to continue as the cigarette between his fingers was twisted nervously.

"So...uhh." James hands rose to adjust his glasses up the bridge of his nose before he looked away from Sirius, back towards the back door to make sure Lily wasn't coming to check on them, before he brought the cigarette to his lips before a deep drag was taken. "Hermione's coming back. Moody mentioned needing to collect her before we leave because she has the maps." The words left his mouth along with the vapors from the smoke. Mixing together, they visibly hung in the air between the two men.

Sirius's stomach twisted, churning at the thought of coming face to face with her after their last time spent together. A mixture of anger, hurt, frustration and longing bubbled below his heart. "Doesn't matter." Flicking the cigarette out in the lawn he pushed himself up from the deck. He'd take the scolding from Lily later. "She's doing a job, right? Just like we are." His hand went out as a force smile fell over his lips, helping his friend stand beside him. "Except, when we come home we'll be whole again."

Hazel eyes tried to see past the walls Sirius put up, but James was easily fooled. If he was anything, he was trusting and loyal, to a fault at times. "Right. Moony's coming home," he reaffirmed before placing the cigarette between his lips, his arm looping over Sirius's shoulders in a playful side hug.

As the pair stood in silent celebration of their upcoming reunion, the back door was opened before James had time to react. Lily stood before them, wand withdrawn floating the trash bag from the kitchen before her when her eyes landed upon that cigarette in James's lips. Her jaw dropped in surprise before her face took a much harsher tone. Green eyes narrowed as her wand was flicked towards her boyfriend, sending the white bag crashing into his chest. Upon impact the bag split at the seams, a small explosion sent the trash up into the air landing about their small yard. "James Henry Potter. You told me you were done smoking!" Hands were placed upon her hips as her lips thinned into a line.

All Sirius could do was laugh as his friend stumbled under the impact of his girlfriend's gaze. Reaching up, he pulled some pieces of trash from his long hair, reaching over to place it in the torn bits of bag left in James's arms. "I think I'll head home, Mate. Sounds like you might need my couch tonight," he chuckled softly to his friend, moving across the patio slowly towards the backdoor. "I told him he shouldn't Lils. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen." Gray eyes feigned innocence well as he slipped beside the redhead. "He even threw a cigarette butt in the lawn." Whispering the last bit, he watched Lily's eyes widen before he looked over to James, who was beginning to try to explain away him being caught red-handed.

Quickly moving to the living room, bare feet were slipped into his mahogany dragonhide boots. Not bothering to lace them, he moved towards the door. Jacket and wand were grabbed on his path out of their home as the sounds of the argument from the backyard could be heard. Moving down the walkway from the house, Sirius slipped into his leather jacket before reaching the fenceline that contained their small yard. Hopping over the iron half door, he moved down the sideway.

All thoughts of Hermione were tightly compacted and compartmentalized in the back of his mind. Instead he allowed himself to think of his friend, and how getting him back home would make their group whole again. Before his departure, Sirius and Remus had shared the small flat in Puddlemere. Without Moony around to pick up and keep order, the place rarely felt like home. Sirius hoped that Remus would return to occupy the bedroom that had remained untouched for nearly a year, but understood if he needed space to adjust to the new sort of friendship the pair would have post-relationship.

Reaching the Apparition point at the end of the road, Sirius glanced around, taking in his surroundings as his training with the Order had taught him to before he allowed himself to think of Puddlemere. He thought of the street before his flat: its cobblestone road, the red brick fencing and dirty old houses. His eyes closed as the thoughts of his neighborhood in conjunction of the spell caused the hairs on his arms stand as the feeling of being pulled from the ground. With a soft crack, he landed just before his home in the middle of the street.

Crossing the road towards his house, Sirius waved a friendly hello to a neighbor as he approached his front door. Lowering the wards he had set earlier Sirius moved into the messy apartment. As he leaned back against the front door gray eyes surveyed the wreckage.

Deciding that he should prepare for James's potential arrival, Sirius moved into the kitchen, grabbing two trash bags from under the sink. With a quick wave of his wand the trash that was scattered around the flat began to float into the bags. Once full, they were neatly tied before left to rest against the wall near the door. Moving to the couch, Sirius toed off his boots and reclined on the couch, his fingers lacing behind his head. He was sure James would be by soon trying to avoid the wrath of a fiery redheaded witch. As he chuckled at the thought, the sound of a knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Damn, Prongs. You didn't last long," he called out, laughing as he moved to the front door. Pulling the heavy wooden door open, gray eyes glittered with laughter. "Are you here for th-" The smile plastered wide across his face was instantly washed off as his eyes landed on a much smaller figure than that of his friend.

"Hi Sirius." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. Nervously she shifted from hip to hip under his stare. "Can uh… can I come in?"

Authors Note:

Hello! I've appreciated all the reviews and favorites I've gotten over the past weeks. You all inspire me to writing and truly it does make a difference! 3 Keep on leaving your thoughts. :)

Don't hate me too much for how this chapter ends, I will try and post the next chapter soon! We're coming up on an important part of this story, so it might take me a bit longer to post than it has been, so bare with me while I triple check to everything. :) And most readers will be excited to know a very familiar werewolf is going to make an appearance soon!

I do have some exciting news. Right the First time was nominated for 'Best Time Travel' in the Shrieking Shack Society's Mischief Managed Awards 2018! I am just so glad to share this story with you all and happy to know some people truly love what I am writing. 3 I would highly suggest checking out the other nominees within all categories of The Mischief Managed Awards, as there is some amazing work being done in all categories! I will post the link to the voting shortly, so hang time. For those who can't wait, Look up 'The Shrieking Shack Society' on facebook and join the Marauder Madness we all are afflicted with. ;P