Risk

A/N: Hello there! First of all, thanks for those great reviews. And now for a relatively long and important, at least for me, author's note:

I must admit that this chapter took so long to be posted because I, ashamed as I am to admit it, got pretty angry with some of the readers of this story and the other one I'm working on... I got so mad that I seriously considered taking both stories down. Last chapter was hit 312 times and I only got eleven reviews (amazing ones, of course, this author's note is not for you guys!), but only eleven. And even though I realize that some of you don't feel like reviewing because maybe you feel that you have nothing important or different to say; maybe others are lazy, whatever... I post stories here simply because I love writing them, and I love the fact that you folk read them. I'm not going to delay the updates or stop posting chapters, and I will most certainly not take this story down, but, as long as I'm being honest, it's just disheartening to get only eleven reviews out of 312 hits. That's all I'm saying.

But enough of me. Please, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: No, just the plot... Thank you.

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After that day, they decided not to tell anybody else about the fight or the secret. Now that the biggest piece of the puzzle had been placed in its rightful spot, the grief of Hermione's suicide was, so to speak, easier to handle... After all, what had happened between Sirius and Hermione was nobody's business but their own, despite the fact that Lupin, Tonks and Harry knew about it.

Not that the others didn't notice that something was off when it came to the relationship between godfather and godson- the two behaved distinctly awkward, when together, a slightly brisk and tart (from Harry's part) behavior; but other than that, it was okay. Ron, for example, had tried to talk to Harry about this, wondering if they had fought, but for all the answers he got, Ron could've easily interrogated a wall. Harry was not an easy nut to crack, and neither was Sirius. After they had read the book, everyone grew noticeably hopeful and excited with the prospect that Hermione would, perhaps, return; except for, once again, Sirius and Harry. The subject of Hermione Granger, between them, was apparently out of bounds for some unknown reason. Whenever her name was pronounced in their presence Sirius grew strangely mute, while Harry suffered from a most intriguing deafness, Lupin started coughing and Tonks examined her nails. Eventually, as time passed, the rest of the people involved got used to these behaviors.

The potion was already being prepared; the calculations made led them to believe that Hermione was to be 'rescued' somewhere in January, or the beginnings of February. Each and one of the ingredients, save for the blood, took a month to brew, so they took turns to go into Knockturn alley and acquire them- the alley was still a fishy place to be found in, and the last thing they needed was to raise suspicions as to why the Boy Who Lived, and the ever famous Sirius Black, wandered through the streets of that accursed, dark nestle of, shall we say, evilness. Having Draco as an acquaintance proved to be very helpful, though. Discounts and some of the trickier ingredients for free... Ron told Ginny that 'at last, you marrying the ferret proved to be useful'- it took weeks for Ronald's eyebrows to grow back satisfactorily.

And talking about marriage and couples, Ron and Luna were wed in September. Predictably, Harry was the best man. And, just like it had happened to Ginny and Draco, it had been difficult and sad to think (and on some levels, realize) that Hermione could not be the maid of honor, and that her name wouldn't be written down on the guest list. This fact was less depressing now that they knew that there was a chance that Hermione could return, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt when, entering the church, that bushy brown hair had been missing. One month later, Ginny had happily announced that she was pregnant.

On November, Harry finally decided to venture into Hermione's room, for Lupin wanted to know how she had dealt with the brewing of the potion, among other things, so Harry had volunteered to enter that no man's land to retrieve the notes she had written. Nobody stopped him, and nobody tried to talk him out of it: it had been a year since her death, after all.

Sirius fidgeted on the couch, in the living room, for nearly five hours before he heard the noise of a door opening and closing again. Unconsciously, Sirius started biting the nail of his index finger as he stared at the stairs, waiting for Harry to come down, and swallowed softly when he saw Harry's legs, hands (carrying a small stack of parchments), arms, neck... face. It was impassive, pale; the mask Harry always adopted when it came to Hermione. An anxious silence followed Harry as he walked over to the living room and sat down on a chintz chair opposite to the couch, depositing the stack of parchment on the coffee table gently.

"I read what she wrote," Harry broke the silence, gazing at Sirius. "She tried to come up with something to avoid sleeping with me," he whispered, making Sirius's insides shrink considerably. What to say to that? Could he say something? "She wasn't happy about the idea," he added with a bitter smirk.

"She knew it'd hurt you," Sirius replied shyly. "She loved you, you know... As a friend, but she did." Harry's face slid to neutral again, breaking eye contact.

"I know." Sirius nodded and resisted the temptation to look at the notes Hermione had once written, mostly out of respect for Harry's feelings. Though they could not ignore (they had tried, for a while) the relationship Sirius and Hermione had shared, both godson and godfather had arrived to a mutual agreement of respect and silence...

"Sirius?"... That could sometimes be breached. "Did she love you?" Harry's voice was almost a bored drawl; Sirius raised his eyebrows at the question. "I mean... I know she did; otherwise you wouldn't be here, but... Did she ever tell you?" Harry was not looking at him. Sirius frowned slightly, wondering if he should lie to Harry, wondering if it would hurt him even further with the answer... But decided to tell the truth. If he lied again, regarding Hermione, he might lose his godson forever...

"Yes. When we... You know... Went our separate ways," Sirius replied slowly, his voice lowering at the last words. Harry nodded.

"Who told the other that it was over?" He wanted to know. Sirius breathed in deeply.

"I did..." he trailed off, not wanting to remember Hermione broken hearted, telling him that they could work it out. Now Harry looked at him, frowning slightly.

"You?" He asked, amazed. "She didn't want to?" Sirius sighed and straightened his back, sitting up on the couch.

"Do you really want to know this, Harry?"

"Yes." He said, also straightening on the chair. Sirius nodded and ran his fingers through his hair, agreeing with his head.

"We both... We both knew it would eventually happen," he started. "But it was I who told her that we couldn't be together. Think whatever you want to think, Harry, but I knew that I couldn't deprive her of a life with someone her own age. Hermione knew that I was right, she told me so, but she didn't want to break up... That was when she told me she loved me."

"And you? Did you want to break up?" Harry asked.

"No. I knew it was wrong, we both knew, but I still didn't want to..." He trailed off, shaking his head like a wet dog. Harry narrowed his eyes at him, as though processing what Sirius had just said.

"Who made the first move?" Harry questioned at the end, making Sirius swallow nervously.

"Harry..."

"Just tell me. I promise I won't sock you one," Harry retorted, with the ghost of a smile on his lips. Sirius let out a relieved breath, thanking Merlin that at least Harry was joking about what had happened at the beginning of the year.

"She did," Sirius responded, bracing himself for whatever insult that his godson could call him; however, Harry didn't say anything at first.

"Quite the vixen she was," he said at last, smiling.

"What?!" Sirius spluttered, bewildered.

"I didn't mean it as an insult," Harry replied immediately. "It's just that she kissed me first, too."

"Oh," Sirius managed to reply, still shocked at the comment. "Do all these questions mean that you're starting to forgive us?" He asked slightly fearfully. Harry bored his eyes into Sirius's and shrugged.

"It's a bit easier, now," he only told him, and Sirius understood.

"Good."

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December went by without any major events, save for the last ingredient being thrown into the potion at New Year's Eve. And now, at the end of January, the blood had to be added; and they had to decide who would enter the realm of the Veil to, hopefully, bring Hermione back. Grimmauld Place once again greeted Ron, Luna, Ginny, Draco, Lupin and Tonks for the last arrangements. Currently they were all in the kitchen, Sirius and Harry included, surrounding the very same goblet in which Hermione had poured her potion, now refilled with the identical crystal clear liquid.

"Well," Lupin started after cleaning his throat. "I believe we all know what must be done now?" He asked. Everyone nodded, but no one spoke. "Now, the success of this potion not only depends of the quantity of blood that it's poured in it, but also of its purity." At this statement Ron shot an ugly look at Malfoy, while Harry raised his right eyebrow.

"What do you mean by purity?" Luna asked.

"Purity in the way that, for example, I don't think that Draco should offer his blood, simply because he doesn't care that much about Hermione... He doesn't love her, whether as a friend or something more... He just likes her." Lupin told them. "And that goes not only for him, but to Tonks and myself, too," he added. "So that leaves Harry, Ron, Luna, Ginny-"

"And Sirius," Ron completed. Lupin coughed slightly.

"Yes, and Sirius," he agreed. "So..." He left the sentence hanging as he took a petite vase and a pin from his pocket, placing them on the table, next to the silver goblet, and then he proceeded to grab his wand. "Who wants to go first?"

"I," Harry said at once, extending his index finger. Lupin smiled at him and, pointing the tip of the wand on his finger, muttered the very same spell Hermione had used a year ago. Everyone stared in morbid curiosity as Lupin carefully grabbed the pin and broke Harry's skin with it, placing the small wound over the glass. Three droplets of blood fell into it slowly... Harry stared at the process feeling detached from it; had Hermione done this to him while he slept? Lupin nodded solemnly and he let Harry's blood fall into the potion, which glowed black and then turned bright red.

"Now, according to the book, the shade needs to be as dark as possible," Lupin said. "Who's next?"

"Me," Ron said, and they repeated the same process with him, Luna, and Ginny. When Sirius's turn came, the potion already sported the dark maroon color of blood; when his blood was added the shade of maroon was barely distinguishable from plain black. Lupin widened his eyes at this but chose not to say anything, not wanting to upset Harry or let the others discover the secret that Sirius and Harry had worked so hard to keep; not to mention Hermione herself.

"Who's going to go inside the Veil?" Tonks asked no one in particular, drawing the attention away from the potion.

"I say Sirius," Luna commented, taking her index finger away from her mouth. Harry stiffened, Sirius tensed, Tonks suddenly found the goblet very interesting and Lupin sighed deeply. "I mean, he has already been there before, hasn't he?"

"Besides, Hermione exchanged her body for his," Ginny said. "It's only fair... Not to put any pressure on you, Sirius," she added, gazing at Sirius, who shook his head and looked up bravely.

"If Harry's alright with it, I'll go." He said, staring at his godson. Harry seemed to consider it for a couple of minutes, and then raised his chin in a critical manner.

"If you don't want to, I'll do it." He replied.

"I want to do it... I'll go," Sirius retorted, also raising his chin. If Lupin had not known better, the scene could have been interpreted like they were both fighting over Hermione...

"Okay then, Sirius it is," Ron said, looking around the table. All nodded save for Harry, who only shrugged.

"Excuse me," Draco spoke for the first time, "What are we going to do with the imprint Sirius needs to carry?"

Absolute silence greeted this question. No one moved.

"I won't shag anyone," Sirius finally stated.

"But without the imprint we risk losing both of you," Lupin argued.

"Who do you want me to sleep with, Remus?" Sirius wanted to know, frowning. "Ginny, Luna? They're both married. Ron? Harry?" He asked incredulously.

"Oh, eww," Ginny made a face, and Ron and Harry both sported utterly disgusted looks.

"Yeah, that was a mental image I didn't need," Ron agreed.

"We'll just have to send you without the imprint, then? How dangerous is that?" she asked fearfully. Lupin shook his head.

"I don't know," he admitted. "The quality and purity of the blood is very good, though, and it comes from five different people... Hermione threw herself in with the blood of only one person, one imprint... And Sirius came back," he said.

"It's a risk we must take, I'm afraid," Sirius retorted. "And I for one think that having Hermione back is worth it."

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A/N: Well, there it is. I hope that you liked it... We're very near the end of the story, I've noticed... Looks like many of you felt like Sirius deserved the punch Harry gave him... Should I take it that Sirius does not deserve Hermione after all...? Mmm... Until next chapter!