The next chapter! I hope you like it, please let me know what you think! I can't believe that there are only two more chapters left before this story is finished! It's been such an amazing journey. I wrote this in so many different times of my life, it's incredible. It seems like everything has changed since I started this. Well, and it did, honestly. I'll miss writing this. But on the other hand, it's so good to know that it will be finished soon. What a ride! I'm really lucky that so many people are still reading this after such a long time!

I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

"It will be fine, love. Just trust me." Sirius said and reached out to take my hand.

I sighed. "I'm not sure. What if we don't find them? Or if it doesn't work?"

He smiled at me reassuringly. "It will work." In every other moment, I would have rolled my eyes at Sirius' never ending confidence, but not now. I was too nervous.

About a week had passed since the battle of Hogwarts. One week since Harry had defeated Voldemort. Slowly, everything was getting calmer again. Kingsley was Minister of Magic now and busy with undoing all the damage the Death Eaters had done. There were still a few Death Eaters on the run, but most of them had already been caught. Many people were still busy repairing the castle and the Order of the Phoenix was helping wherever they could. Just like so many others.

After one day of peace, Harry, Ron, Sirius and I had also started helping at Hogwarts. Kingsley offered us other tasks, but we were happy at the castle. We didn't need any more trouble right now. We've had enough of that for a lifetime. Since there was still so much to do, the new school year would start in September, many months away from now. Which left us lots of time to think of everything. Well, which left me lots of time. Harry and Ron didn't want to return to school. Kingsley had offered them jobs at the Ministry and they'd agreed. However, Neville also wanted to finish school first. I was glad about it, even if I'd also have done it alone. Of course Luna and Ginny would also be there, but not in my year. I was curious who else would return. After everything that happened and all the people we'd lost in the war...

However, right now, Sirius and I didn't join Harry on his way to Hogwarts to help there. There was something else we needed to do.

We would go to Australia to find my parents. That's also why I was so nervous. I knew that Sirius was a master when it came to memory charms, but I feared that something would go wrong anyway. I missed my parents like crazy and the thought that they might never recognize me again hurt like hell.

"Hermione, look at me." Sirius ripped me out of my thoughts and placed a hand on my cheek. When I looked into his grey eyes, my heartbeat started to calm down again. He always had this effect on me. "Everything will be fine, love. Trust me." He repeated seriously.

"I always do." I whispered and smiled at him. I touched the scar on his forehead carefully and he closed his eyes. There were more scars that the fight with Yaxley had left on him, but this one was the most obvious. It would take more time until his hair was long again, but then, no one would see it anymore. He'd been ready to sacrifice so much for us in the past months. Of course I trusted this man. I loved him with all my heart.

"I love you." I whispered and leaned in to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. My heart started to beat faster again, but this time, it wasn't because of concern.

"My Hermione." Sirius muttered when he drew back far too soon. Then he stood up and held up his hand. "Come on, we have to leave."

I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. Our plan was to go to Australia for about a week. I wasn't feeling well with just leaving and letting the others do all the work where it was needed, but Sirius insisted that we should take a time off. Harry and Ron had urged me to go as well, they were convinced that I needed some time with Sirius. Most probably, they were right. Ever since we got together, we never had time for ourselves. There was always something in between. School, friends, a war. I was looking forward to a holiday.

However, first we had to find my parents and give them their memories back. And make sure that they could go back to England. In our house, everything was waiting for their return. I'd been there with Sirius the previous day and to my surprise, everything looked normal. If Death Eaters had been there, they'd hidden it very well.

"We should be back in one week." Sirius told Kreacher, who was waiting next to our bags. "Tell Harry that he shouldn't destroy the house until then. But maybe he'll stay with the Weasley's, he wasn't so sure yet."

After the first day back at Grimmauld Place, Ron had returned to the Burrow to be with his family. Harry was officially living with us in London now, but he also stayed at the Burrow from time to time. Ron was still sad because of Lavender's death and Harry supported his best friend. And of course Ginny was at the Burrow.

"Kreacher will wait for your return, Master Sirius." Kreacher said and bowed.

Sirius smiled at the elf. It still surprised me that he was so nice to him now. Somehow, this made me love him even more.

"Come on, then. Otherwise, the Portkey will leave without us." Sirius grinned.

The Portkey had been organized by the Minister of Magic himself. It would take us to a small village close to Newcastle. Some research had told us that Monica and Wendell Wilkins moved there last year. I still wasn't sure how Sirius got to know this. A few days ago, he just left with Fred and George and when they returned, they were all laughing and Sirius told me about the whereabouts of my parents. Harry and Ron suspected that they'd been at a Muggle office and got to know it there, but no one knew how they managed it. All our questions just led to more laughter. And very satisfied expressions on Fred's and George's faces.

Sirius pointed at a book that was lying on the table. I raised my eyebrows. "That's the Portkey?"

He nodded with a grin. "Fitting, isn't it?"

It was. The Portkey was a travel guide for Australia. "I thought you have bought that book." I muttered.

"Nope." Sirius shook his head. "That was Kingsley's idea." He looked at his watch. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. Together, we reached for the book.

I didn't expect it to be so hot in Australia. And sunny. In London, the weather had been cold and rainy. Here, it was the opposite. Next to me, Sirius took off his leather jacket. Now he was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Only now I realized that I'd never seen him wearing short clothes at all. I also put my pullover into my bag. It was the same bag I'd used those past months when we'd been on the run.

"Beautiful here, isn't it?" Sirius asked and looked around. We were standing in the hills and in the distance, I could see a city and the ocean.

"It is." I agreed. I was sure that my parents loved it here. "That's Newcastle?"

Sirius nodded. "If you don't want to walk, we can just apparate under the Invisibility Cloak." He offered, but I shook my head.

"It's fine."

It was still strange to walk through the nature together with Sirius like this. We were holding hands, just like a normal couple. Not people on the run in a war. So much had changed in one week. "Do you think the others will miss us?"

Sirius chuckled. "Always thinking about others. Why don't we just enjoy the moment?" He grinned. "And I don't miss helping at the castle. Far too much dust for my liking."

I rolled my eyes. "In the past months, I nearly forgot that you can be so ridiculous at times." I noted. It was true. Sirius hadn't been this carefree in a very long time. Maybe not ever since I met him. Yes, he always joked around, but there had always been this tension in his shoulders...

He laughed. "You don't like that side of me?" He said it lightly, but I could see the hesitation in his eyes.

"I like every side of you." I replied simply and kissed him. "Don't doubt that."

"I didn't."

"You did." I argued softly. "I won't leave you just because this war is over now. I love you."

He smiled at me. "That's good."

I raised my eyebrows. "You really thought that?" Did he trust me so little?

"It's not that." He said quickly. "I just..." He shrugged. "You've got your whole life ahead of you. You can do whatever you want, Hermione. I, on the other hand, have not that many possibilities. I'm old, remember?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to hold you back."

I stared at him. "You're not holding me back." I said, still shocked about his words. "Don't even think that! I never feel better than when I'm with you. And besides, you're not that old." I smiled slightly. "You can also do whatever you want."

He laughed. "I've spent most of your life in Azkaban. So yeah, not old."

At this, my smile faltered. It was so easy to forget how much Sirius had suffered in his life. Most of the time, he just acted as if it didn't happen at all.

Of course he noticed my change of mood. He stopped walking and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Don't think about it. I'm fine." He smiled softly. "I'm over it." I knew that he still had bad dreams about that place and sometimes, he kept walking through the house restlessly all night, but I didn't mention it right now.

I sighed. "I just hate that everything was so difficult for you."

"You also didn't have it easy." He reminded me.

I huffed. "Not easy and being locked in for more than ten years is nothing you can compare!"

"We can't change the past." Sirius said simply. It still surprised me how patient he was when it came to his past. It hadn't always been like this. I remembered the first months after Grimmauld Place became headquarter of the Order. How unhappy he'd been. The others had always feared an outburst from him. "But the future is something we can influence." He continued. "I just don't want you to regret anything."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why should I regret anything with you?"

"I'm a bad influence, remember? "He asked and I felt relieved when his grin returned. "So you really won't leave me, huh?"

I shook my head. "Not a chance. I know my mind quite well."

Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around. I shrieked in surprise, but it turned to laughter very soon. "Don't do that again!" I muttered once he let me go again.

"I won't promise that!" He said mischievously and winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, ridiculous." I tool his hand. "But I love it. Just like every side of you."

The rest of the walk, we didn't talk about this anymore. Sirius was just so happy and it made me smile as well. Even if my worry because of my parents grew with every step we got closer to our destination.

Sirius knew exactly where we had to go. When we arrived, I breathed in shakily. They lived in a small, white house which looked similar to our own. The garden was beautiful and I could see the favorite flowers of my mother growing there.

We stopped in front of the gate and Sirius looked at me questioningly. "Are you ready?"

"No." I muttered and breathed in deeply. "Let's do this."

He squeezed my hand and together, we walked to the door. Monica and Wendell Wilkins, the sign on it said. Sirius glanced at me again before he rang the bell. We took a step back and waited. "Just remember, I only need a few moments in which they are distracted." Sirius muttered and looked around to make sure that no one saw us entering the house.

When the door opened, I inhaled sharply. My mother was smiling widely, but when she saw us, it was replaced by a frown. I knew that it shouldn't hurt so much since I knew that she didn't remember me, but the pain in my chest wouldn't go away.

"Hello." Jean Granger said and smiled politely.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Wilkins." Sirius replied immediately, but another voice inside the house interrupted him.

"Monica, dear, who is it?" The voice of my father nearly made me flinch, but Sirius wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. Then my father appeared in the doorway and smiled at us. When his eyes landed on me, he frowned. "Do we know each other? You look familiar."

"We are new in the neighborhood." Sirius said quickly. "And wanted to say hello. My name is Sirius and this is my girlfriend, Hermione. We moved in last week, just around the next corner." He pointed to our right and smiled his most charming smile at my parents.

"We don't know anyone here yet and thought it would be a good idea to say hello to some people." I added with a smile.

My mother looked at us curiously. "Are you from Great Britain?" She asked curiously. "You have an accent." She said towards Sirius when we both looked at her in surprise. Then my mother chuckled. "Don't look so surprised. We're also not from here. We moved to Australia last year."

"Until now, we were the new ones in the neighborhood." My father joked. "Now it's your turn!"

Sirius grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, seems so. But I think we'll manage that."

"Wendell! Don't be so mean to them!" My mother scolded him. Then she turned to us again. "Do you want to come in? It's nearly tea time."

We exchanged a look, trying to look hesitant. "We don't want to bother you." Sirius said.

"Oh dead, no! You won't bother us! Now come in." They nearly dragged us into their house and I exchanged a look with Sirius. Could it really be this easy?

My mother was already on her way to the kitchen to get the tea. Sirius joined her quickly, offering to help with it. In the meantime, my dad showed me their house. I had to swallow. It looked so similar and yet so different to our home. Suddenly, my eyes began to burn and I knew that I was about to cry. I tried to blink away the tears.

"Are you all right?" My father asked and I nodded.

"I think something flew into my eye." I lied and tried to smile. We sat down and he began to tell me stories about the other neighbors and how they decided to go to Australia when Sirius and my mother returned. My mother sat down next to my father and gestured for Sirius to sit down as well, but he smiled apologetically. "I'll be right back, I just forgot something in my jacket." He pretended to leave the room, but I saw that he drew his wand.

"So why did you move here, Hermione?" My mother asked.

"We came here on a vacation." I began to talk. "And thought that it was so beautiful here. That's why we decided to come back."

"It is beautiful, isn't it?"

I nodded, but it was directed at Sirius who was standing in the doorway, waiting for my sign to go on. I knew he had to do it now. I couldn't stand this conversation with my parents much longer. "It's great here." I said loudly and hoped that they wouldn't hear his footsteps. "And you've got such a beautiful house."

"Thank you, dear." My mother said.

Sirius pointed at them with his wand. "Obliviate." He muttered and then the expressions of my parents went blank at once.

I watched them anxiously, knowing that Sirius had to concentrate now. I knew how complicated that spell was and the slightest distraction could easily -

"Hermione?" My father asked in confusion and frowned at me. "Hermione, what are you doing here?" He looked around and his frown deepened. "And where are we?" He looked at me as if I had all the answers in the world and that's what did it. I couldn't hold back the sob any longer and began to cry.

My mother was on her feet immediately and wrapped her arms around me. "What's wrong, dear? You don't have to cry."

"I'm just... so happy to see you!" I choked out and more tears followed. "I've missed you."

"Don't cry, sweetheart." Now my father was also next to me and touched my hand. When he looked around again, his eyes landed on Sirius. He was leaning on the doorframe again, a soft smile on his lips. The wand was still in his hand.

"Good to have you back, Mr. and Mrs. Granger." Sirius said.

"What... Sirius? Sirius Black?" Dad shook his head in confusion. "But... wasn't your hair longer? And where's the beard?"

"We told you to call us Jean and Patrick!" My mother threw in and turned to me. "What's going on?"

I exchanged a look with Sirius. "That's a long story."

"Wait, so you changed our memories and made us go to Australia because you thought that we were in danger. Then you packed all your things and were on the run for months with Harry, Ron and Sirius? You risked your life several times, but in the end, you won the war? The war we didn't even know about?" My father repeated what we'd just told him incredulously.

I nodded. "Yes, that's the short version." I'd known all along that there was no way to hide the truth from them anymore once they got their memories back. So Sirius and I had told them everything about the war with Voldemort and what we'd been doing. Of course not all the details, just the basics. Played down very much. I didn't want to scare my parents more than necessary. "I had to keep you safe. There was no other way."

"You could have talked to us." My father sounded hurt.

"You wouldn't have been safe at home." Sirius threw in. "The Death Eaters were there to look for you."

"There would have been another way." My mother sounded sure of that.

"I thought of all the possibilities, mum." I muttered. "This was the best option."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Dad decided suddenly. "All that's important is that we're back together. And that you're all right, Hermione." He smiled and his eyes wandered to Sirius. "And all your friends."

Sirius took my hand and squeezed it. He grinned at me. 'I told you so', his expression said. I leaned against him and closed my eyes. Yes, he'd been right.

"How on earth should we get back home?" Mum asked now, but I didn't listen to the conversation anymore. Right now, I was just happy to have my parents back.

"Wow, this is our room?" I asked two days later. My parents were already on their way back to England, but Sirius and I would stay in Australia for a few more days.

Sirius nodded with a grin. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." I whispered and walked to the window. We were in a small village far away from all the big cities. It was very close to the ocean and all the inhabitants were witches or wizards. This place had been recommended in the travel guide Kingsley gave us and right now, I was glad that he'd given us the book. From our room, we could see the ocean. It was a beautiful sight. We would stay here for two days before we'd also have a look at another place. Sirius had suggested just to take the tent and travel from place to place, but I had enough of tents for my life. I wanted to sleep in a real bed every night.

I turned around to smile at Sirius and was surprised to see him standing right in front of me. "The view is beautiful." He agreed quietly. "But nothing compared to you."

I held my breath when I saw the look on his face. It was so full of love that it made my heart beat faster. However, there was something else I didn't recognize first. But when he took a step towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist with an urgency that was unusual for him, I realized what it was. It was want. And until this moment I didn't realize that I wanted him too.

He guided me towards the bed carefully and when I laid down on my back, he hesitated. I smiled widely. "Come here!" I was surprised at how commanding my voice sounded, but it seemed to thrill Sirius. He grinned when he moved closer slowly and his eyes were shining.

And then he was kneeling right above me and kissed me softly. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." I replied and pulled him even closer. He inhaled sharply. I laughed. This time, I didn't hesitate to shove my hands under his shirt.

"Hermione." He muttered between kisses and stopped suddenly. His hands had started to wander over my body as well, but he held himself back. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I've never been more sure." I whispered. "Now come here."

He chuckled. "Always so commanding." He muttered and kissed me again.