Hermione didn't feel very much like eating. Truth be told, she didn't feel much like doing anything. The only words she had managed to scribble down to send to her husband simply said 'I'm sorry', with no other explanation. She hadn't even bothered to sign her name to the note, knowing full well he would know her hand writing as soon as the owl arrived and he saw his name. She sighed, worrying more about when he didn't reply. Another week had passed, and she was not ready to face Sirius. Her breakfast stared back up at her, uneaten. "Thought you were against wasting the house elves' labor?" Ron ask, stealing the untouched bacon from her plate when she pushed it away.

"I'm just not hungry." She mumbled, angry with herself for now another reason. Just as she moved to grab her bag and head for the library to find a book for the weekend, Sirius' large brown owl swooped in, by-passed Harry and landed with a flourish before her. There was a note in his beak, rather than tethered to his foot, which suggested it had been sent in a hurry.

'Don't worry about this weekend, took care of it. Stay at school. -SB'

Hermione swallowed and wadded the note up in her hand. Somehow, she wondered, if this is how he felt when she had walked out last Sunday. She set her jaw to help herself hide any emotion as she walked from the hall, still keeping her plan to get a book. And yet halfway to the library, she stopped. Something about letting Sirius win so easily, just brushing off her due to an unpleasant incident didn't sit well with her. She turned on her heels, wondering if she might be able to use the law to her advantage.

She knocked cautiously on the door to the Defense office, hoping she could catch Umbridge in rather than out terrorizing students. More and more muggleborns in years six and seven were subject to the law, one which it seemed the toad had pinned for her own amusement, keeping the Defense instructor twice as busy as she had been already. On top of it all, Dumbledore had been ask to leave the school, and the Ministry, for whatever reason, had seen fit to put her in charge. Dolores seemed to be very much in love with the power supplied, however, and was changing things to suit her way more and more. "Professor Umbridge?" Hermione called through the large door. She jumped as the door swung back on it's own and allowed her access to the violently pink room.

"Miss Gra- Black." The professor corrected herself from her seat. There were two very scared looking second year Hufflepuffs sitting at smaller desks before her own, both using the quills that used blood in place of ink. Having already fought this fight, Hermione bit back the bile that rose in her throat at the sight of the young witches wincing as they wrote.

"Sorry to disturb you, Madam." Hermione nodded her respect, though she felt none.

"Then why are you?" Umbridge said a bit too sweetly back, with a tilt to her head but unmissable twitch in her eye.

"I simply wish your help in upholding the Muggleborn law, Ma'am." Hermione said, standing a bit straighter. "I need your floo use to travel to Sirius. It's not a Hogsmade weekend, you see." Hermione explained. A smile broke out on the older witch's face that sent a chill down Hermione's spine. Remus fully transformed and without his potion was not even half as scary as this smile, she mused.

"Of course, dear." She said, once more her voice cloying. She stood and pulled her overly tight pink suit straight over her extra rolls of skin, gesturing Hermione follow to the fire place. "Just say your address, but I'm sure you knew-"

"We don't have floo." Hermione said quickly, knowing this woman didn't need the Order Headquarters location. "I can get there easily from the Leaky Caldron. It's not far." Hermione said, curtsying slightly as she took the powder and thanked the temporary headmistress.


Olivia was scared to let go, though she knew others from the Order meeting were staring. It didn't matter to her that they would talk, it only mattered that she knew Remus was alive, and minus a couple of scrapes and a black eye, he was alright. He'd lost at least twenty pounds, but that was nothing that couldn't be fixed between her and Molly over the next couple weeks. Remus had gently wrapped his own arms around her in return where she'd jumped from her seat at the table and grabbed him. He'd given no warning he'd be back, but had made it to the regular, weekly meting none the less. "Let me clean you up?" Olivia suggested, finally releasing her grip. "Then we can get you something warm to eat." Remus nodded dully and allowed himself to be lead to their bedroom.

"Are you alright?" Remus ask quietly, noticing a tear sliding down her face. Olivia nodded, wringing out a towel to dab against one of the scrapes on his face.

"Better now." She said, pulling back when he winced against the touch.

"There was a time you could fix up much worse and not worry when I flinched." Remus said, and though she knew he meant to make her smile, the comment hit wrong.

"There was a time things weren't as they are now." She replied quietly, applying an ointment which immediately started to shrink the wound. She nearly jumped when she felt him lay a hand against her belly. "She's... here." She said moving his hand and pressing slightly. "Feel that?" She ask, watching his face closely. He nodded, looking at her bulging shirt in awe. "That's our daughter. She's still now, probably asleep."

"Daughter?" Remus ask, his whole person seeming to glow at the news.

"Daughter." She nodded. "I found out last appointment. I have pictures, but they're at Mum's. She and Sue are the only ones I told, though. Wanted you to know first... Assuming you made it home before she was born." Remus just nodded, never looking away from where he was told his daughter was nestled. He just gently ran his hand back and forth over the firm place in his wife's stomach. Olivia, however, continued to administer healing potions and soon had his eye nearly normal.

"I missed you." Remus said weakly as Olivia was cleaning her supplies up. He looked as if he might fall over, but he smiled when she turned around. "You've quite the glow."

I- I missed you too." Olivia said, knowing her voice was cracking. "I'll go get you some supper, try to relax." She no sooner stepped out the door than Sirius came in, relief flooding his features.

"Moony- We are so glad you're home, and in mostly one piece." Sirius beamed, settling onto the edge of the bed where Remus had laid down. "Liv's been worried sick. Hasn't been sleeping... and other things I just remembered you weren't supposed to be told."

"Keeping secrets with my wife?" Remus ask with a chuckle. "For shame." Remus propped himself up in the bed a bit more and grinned. "We're having a girl." He said proudly, to which Sirius pulled him into a hug in congratulations.

"Wonderful, mate." Sirius said, something still stinging in his voice, which Remus caught immediately, but was nearly too tired to keep his eyes open and wanted to save his energy for eating before he slept. Olivia knocked soon after, bringing in a tray loaded down with roast beef, vegetables, a large slice of pie, and a tea pot with a cup and sugar bowl. "I'll talk to you after you've ate and rested." Sirius said, standing to leave. Olivia settled the tray down and set to making Remus' tea as he ate. For a while he focused only on his food, savoring the warmth that spread over him as he ate. Then he looked over to where his wife sat quietly by, her feeet tucked delicately under her as she braced a book on her stomach to read about magical ointments and their uses.

"Olivia?" He ventured, clearing his throat of the food which clung to him. She looked up and smiled a small, gentle smile. "I need to tell you- That is- I made a promise to someone in the camp that if we both made it out alive, I'd do this..." He trailed off as he stood to reach for his discarded clothing, rummaging through his pockets and eventually holding out a slightly crumpled paper for her to take. Olivia turned it over and found that he'd carried a photo of the two of them with him, one in which they both appeared to be happy.

"I'm confused." She confessed, watching herself be twirled around the dance floor by her husband to music which couldn't be heard.

"When I left- And I know I shouldn't have gone the way I did, but when I did... It haunted me that I may never make it home to you. Both of you. And You should know that- I love you." He sighed and looked away, being met only by silence. Olivia sat with her mouth hung slightly open, unsure what to do. It wasn't something she expected to hear, nor something she wanted to hear for the wrong reason, which she still suspected.

"Remus-"


Hermione felt uneasy as she made her way through the streets of London, and it wasn't helping that the normally loud and busy town was practically empty. She hadn't any Muggle fair on her, otherwise she would've already hailed a taxi. It was over cast, almost ominously so, which put an added hurry to each step she took. She had finally made it within sight of Grimmauld when someone grabbed her arm, causing her to yelp out in fear. The old witch wasn't anyone Hermione had seen before, and yet she didn't seem exactly threatening. It wasn't until the old woman's hair started to grow and turn a vibrant shade of blue that Hermione smiled. "Tonks." She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wothcher, Mione." She greeted, her face returning to normal. "Sirius said you weren't visiting this weekend." she seemed puzzled. Hermione shrugged.

"He must have been mistaken." She said, moving around the Auror toward home. "I'll see you." she called, and Tonks offered a wave as she set off on her own way, morphing into an elderly lady once more. She crept quietly down the hall and toward her room, hoping to be in bed by the time Sirius decided to turn in. Unfortunately she found that he was settled into his desk over by the window when she entered.

"You're supposed to be at school." He said flatly over his shoulder, which made her wonder how he knew she was standing behind him. "And if you want me to stop doing that, I suggest changing your shampoo." He added, as if he read her mind.

"You're just trying to avoid me." She said in a huff. "I can't let you just ignore me." Sirius seemed to be very put off by this accusation. He flicked his wand to the paper left laying on his desk, which incinerated itself without hurting anything around it.

"Had you stayed at school, as you were supposed to, you would've gotten that explanation. Moony is home." He said, his annoyance with her obvious. Hermione said nothing, her mouth hanging in a surprised sort of 'o' shape.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that was what was going on?" She insisted after a moment, stomping her foot as she fussed.

"Maybe, just for once, if you'd done as you were told, you'd have found out." He said, his teeth gritted. Hermione had taken enough at that comment.

"You listen to me, Sirius Black. I'm not yours to command, as much as the pure blood community wants you to believe. I'll not have you suggest otherwise. Now I know you're probably a bit hurt by the last time we were- together- I don't think keeping me away is the best solution. No, I shouldn't have left like that. Yes, I should've wrote more to you. But this is just childish."

"I knew you'd say that." Sirius said in a quiet, wounded tone.

"What?" Hermione nearly barked, exasperated with him.

"Childish." He repeated. "Always 'childish'." He shook his head. "Lets let you get a couple years older and send you to live in a hole in Azkaban, see how mature you end up." He didn't look her in the eye, but by the ache that filled his chest, he knew he didn't need to. His point had been made.

"I'm sorry." She said, sitting down on the foot of their bed. Sirius walked over and joined her, sitting fairly close but not quite touching her.

"You have a better tempter than I imagined." He chuckled. "I just thought the Twins brought it out." Hermione shook her head.

"No, I just usually keep it hidden better. And I shouldn't have said that." She replied, flopping back onto the mattress.

"Azkaban isn't something I should burden you with either. I'm sorry." Sirius said. Hermione shook her head and gently tugged at his t-shirt, pulling him back to lay beside her so they could be eye to eye.

"You should tell someone about it. Keeping something so terrible to yourself isn't good." Hermione said taking hold of his hand. Sirius gave a half smile.

"Maybe another time, doll." He said, relaxing more. "Maybe another time."


I hope everyone is enjoying the story. If you're following PaB, please note that i've lost a chapter and am in the process of re-writing it. Sorry. Anyways! Be sure to leave some love for this! Thanks for reading! Review it up!