This chapter is dedicated to Helen McCrory, and to all our loved ones who left us too soon.

Warning: the first scene is set at Arthur's funerals, and the beginning is very sad in my opinion, you'll understand why when you read the notes at the end of the chapter. The end is bright, however, so if the scene is something that might upset you, skip until, maybe "at that exact moment"? Just saying.

Edit: I'm reading your comments, yes Arthur died, I'm sorry for that :( but it seemed logical, it was because of Harry that he was found, and that can't happen anymore because the connection was severed.

When she had first visited Diagon Alley, Hermione had bought every book she could find in order to understand the differences between her two worlds. What were the social customs? How did people dress? Did they celebrate Christmas? Were women treated equally to men? Why did they use gold for their transactions? Over the years, she had discovered that there were many distinctions, but also many similarities.

Funerals, sadly, were one.

It was Neville who had told them about Mr. Weasley, his face pale when he described what he had learned. Harry and Hermione had not been there when McGonagall had taken Ron to the Headmaster, and it was only when they realized that none of the Weasleys were at breakfast that they had begun to panic. Hermione vaguely remembered her reaction, a mix of disbelief and horror, when she had finally understood the words that had come out from Neville's mouth.

The war had already begun and, because of it, Ron's father was dead.

It was hard to realize what it really meant. To realize that she would not see him again, and that the last time they had met, she had just been too busy and hadn't taken the opportunity to discuss longer with him. Next time she went to the Burrow, Molly's clock would be missing a pointer, and no one would be saving her a seat, waiting impatiently to ask silly questions about the Muggle world.

Arthur Weasley was just gone. He wouldn't be there to see his children grow up and become adults, nor would he see them starting a family of their own. He wouldn't be there to help them when they needed it, to reassure them, to tell them that he was proud of them. He was gone, and he would never come back.

And life would go on without him.

Hermione shivered and, trying to focus on something else that the morbid thoughts currently possessing her, squeezed Harry's hand briefly. Her friend had been shaken as well by the news, if not completely devastated. Ron's family had been the first he had dared to consider like his, and Arthur's death had been like an echo of his own past. Harry had not only lost a good friend but the first paternal figure he ever really had, and he blamed himself for what had happened, even if he knew that there was nothing he could have done.

Yes, Arthur's passing had been a heavy blow for his family and his friends, yet it was nothing compared to what his wife was living. Hermione had seen her leave the cemetery a few minutes earlier, supported by her eldest sons and unable to stop the flood of tears streaming down from her face. Molly Weasley, one of the strongest women Hermione knew, had been replaced by a shadow of her former self.

When she had first arrived to offer her condolences, Hermione had been stricken by Molly's appearance. She looked like a ghost. An emaciated, haggard ghost, who seemed to have lost too much weight in too little time and gained a lot of white hairs in just a few days. But the worst had not been the fact that she seemed just as about to leave Earth as her husband, no. It had been the raw pain in her eyes, a pain Hermione knew might never completely leave them.

Discreetly, she looked around, looking for Snape's distinctive face amongst the crowd, but was not surprised to see that he had already left. The man hated gatherings, and she suspected that he had not felt welcomed at the funerals because of his ambiguous status amongst the Order. Or maybe it was just the fact that Molly's sight had reminded him of his own pain, and he had not been able to watch someone else cry over the love of their life. At least, Hermione thought sadly, Molly loved and knew she was loved in return. Snape never had that chance, and Hermione couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. He had loved Harry's mother since the beginning but had never found the courage to tell her, and he had spent the last fifteen years regretting his lack of action.

At that exact moment, a connection was made in her mind, and Hermione froze abruptly, trying not to panic as she realized something terrible.

Arthur Weasley had been one of the first casualties of the war, but he wouldn't be its only victim. There would be hundreds, maybe thousands of innocents who would become unwilling martyrs in what Hermione feared could turn into a bloodshed. And she dreaded to learn who would be next. Would it be someone she knew? An acquaintance? A friend? Someone she loved?

Wait, what if Regulus died before she could tell him how she felt? She had lost so much time already, she needed to…

"Hermione?" someone asked from behind, and she swallowed hard when she realized who it was. "Are you alright?"

Slowly, she turned around and felt her breath leave at the sight of Regulus. He was looking at her expectantly, a smile on his lips, and she wondered briefly why it had taken her so long to realize how perfect he was.

"I… I just…" she stammered, feeling more and more embarrassed. She really needed to say something intelligent, but she had no idea how to reboot her brain.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, this time looking a bit worried. "Should I take you back to your parents?"

"No, I…"

"You know you can tell me, right?"

Yes, her brain said, jumping on the occasion, tell him!

What, right now? Hermione thought, horrified. You can't expect me to tell him just like that!

Honestly girl, her brain answered. Sometimes you think too much. You need to take risks from time to time!

"Hermione, are you sure you're feeling well?" Regulus asked again, and she realized how close his face was to hers.

NOW! her brain decided, and Hermione felt the words leave her mouth before she had the time to realize what was happening.

"I'm in love with you," she blurted out, and she immediately regretted saying it out loud when she saw Regulus open his mouth in shock. Oh God, she thought, suddenly feeling nauseous, Ginny was wrong. Stupid stupid stupid! I need to leave before I make things worse, she decided and she tried to move, only to find that her legs had stopped responding.

Before she was able to flee and hide for ever, however, Regulus suddenly recovered his senses and moved towards her, and Hermione's heart missed a bit when he hesitantly rose his hand before cupping her cheek. Slowly, he leaned towards her and, realizing that she was not going to move away from him, finally kissed her.

A firm knock on the door interrupted Sirius' trail of thoughts, and he got up from the sofa.

"Come in," he said, and Dobby entered, followed by Percy Weasley.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley," he greeted the young man, shaking his hand before indicating a sofa next to the fireplace, "I was expecting you. Tea?"

Percy returned his handshake and sat down, mimicked by Sirius.

"Thank you for receiving me on such a short notice, Lord Black," the boy said. "Tea would be wonderful, thank you very much."

Immediately, a tray with a pot of tea and two cups appeared near Dobby, and the elf turned to Percy, asking him for his preferences. While he served their guest, the second cup – already prepared – floated until it reached Sirius' hand. He took a sip, thoughtful, and observed the young man in front of him.

Percy's letter had been unexpected, and he wondered what had motivated him to write it. They had only met once, and Sirius had been pretty sure the boy had not liked him, a feeling that had been mutual at the time. But the pompous man was gone now and, under the carefully crafted mask of politeness, Sirius saw that it had been replaced by a tense and unsure boy.

"So, Mr. Weasley, how may I help you?" Sirius asked once Dobby had left. "Your letter was a bit evasive."

"Well, this is a rather… personal matter, I'm really sorry about that, but I thought about it carefully and you seemed to be the best choice I had. And please call me Percy. Mr. Weasley reminds me of… just Percy is fine," he finished lamely.

"Very well," Sirius said warmly, "then you must call me Sirius."

He gestured to Percy that he was ready to listen to him and the boy smiled nervously, before taking a deep breath.

"I made a mistake. Or maybe lots of small mistakes that lead me to this point? I'm not really sure. No wait, let's be honest. I totally fucked up, and I don't know how to make things better. And I also don't know who to trust anymore. The Minister? Dumbledore? None of them? You don't seem to trust either, yet you're obviously thinking that You-Know-Who is back, so I don't understand why you refused Dumbledore's invitation to the Order. Anyway, I'm totally lost and…"

"Whoa," Sirius exclaimed – he had not been expecting this at all, "calm down son, calm down, we've got time!"

"I'm sorry," Percy said, suddenly looking ashamed. "I just…"

"Don't be sorry," Sirius told him. "I think I get why you wanted to talk, to me especially. Just slow down, and tell me why on Earth you're blaming yourself like this."

"I… I just feel like my entire life is a really, really big mistake, and I don't know what to do about it. I've always been, you know, different? from the rest of my brothers and sister…"

"Being different isn't necessarily a bad thing, you know?" Sirius told him gently.

"I know, but… I've tried to embrace that, and where did that lead me? I hadn't spoken to my father for nearly nine months when I learned that he had died, and all of that because I was too proud to get over the fact that we didn't have the same beliefs. Now he is dead and my entire family hates me, and I may have lost my job too."

"Lost your job?" Sirius asked, surprised. "What do you mean? You're one of the youngest Junior Assistant in a century, handpicked by the Minister himself, so what happened? Did he fire you?"

Percy looked away from him, uneasy.

"I just got the position because my family supports Dumbledore and the Minister thought I could tell him about his plans, everyone but myself knew that. And I really think I've lost the job. I…" he sighed. "I told Fudge to fuck off when he said that my father's death was an accident, and that he must have been looking for trouble when it happened."

Sirius stared at the boy with wide eyes, soundlessly repeating what he had just heard for a few seconds before recovering his voice.

"You… you told Fudge to fuck off?"

"I did," Percy answered.

"Really?"

"I've been told honesty is one of my best qualities."

"Merlin," Sirius half-whistled, half-laughed, "he must have been furious."

"He was," Percy admitted, and this time he sounded a bit amused. "He couldn't even speak, he just gestured madly in the direction of the door until I left the room."

Sirius burst out laughing, perfectly picturing the scene.

"Well don't worry about that," he said once he had calmed down, "I think you did the right thing."

"Really?" the boy asked. "I think it was the second worst decision I've ever made, just after cutting ties with my entire family."

"Percy," Sirius said, this time more seriously. "You think your family hates you, but that's not the case. Yes, they were upset that you did not share their beliefs and decided to isolate yourself from them, but they respected your choice and decided to give you some space and to wait for you to come back to them. Your father knew you would regret what you had told him, and even your fight did not change the fact that you were his son and that he loved you. Now, let someone who made a terrible decision and regretted it for twelve years give you a piece of advice: you did what you thought was right at the time, so don't be upset about it. Don't blame yourself for not making up with your father sooner, and certainly don't blame yourself for telling Fudge to fuck off!"

Percy stayed silent for a while, apparently thinking, before finally looking up and giving his answer.

"I… I'll try," he said.

"Good," Sirius declared. "We'll talk on the 'how do I make things better with my family' part later, we've got more urgent matters on our hands. You said earlier that you didn't know who to trust between Dumbledore and Fudge, right?"

"Right," the boy answered, looking at him quizzically.

"Wonderful. Now, let's discuss your arguments, and then consider the fact that I may or may not be needing another secretary to take care of the family business depending on how good they are. The one I got at the moment isn't very effective because he's never there, and I fear he's about to dump me for a girl. Room's included in the contract, if you're interested," Sirius added, when he saw the astonished face of Percy Weasley.

Regulus stared at the door, then at his brother.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Sick?" Sirius exclaimed. "Why would you be sick?"

"This is obviously the worst idea I've ever had..."

"I can clearly remember you telling me how you got that first Horcrux," Sirius interjected.

"… and I think we should go back home and send them a letter first," Regulus concluded, turning around as if he was about to leave.

"Naaaah," Sirius said, taking Regulus by the collar and placing him in front of the door once again. "I know it's tradition but we better skip this part, that's only going to worry them."

"See? That's exactly what I'm afraid of! What if they say no because they don't understand? I mean they're great people but they're Muggles, we don't have the same beliefs at all!"

"Which is exactly why I'm here," a third voice interrupted, and Andromeda pushed the two brothers away from the door before knocking firmly. Regulus stared at her in horror, hands gripping on his head and mouthing what have you done? but she ignored him and continued. "Honestly Regulus, she said yes, that's all you should care about. Sure, getting the parents' permission is the right thing to do, but do you really think you need it if you two know what you want? Maybe this will lead to something, maybe not, but this is just going out together in a more traditional manner so there shouldn't be a problem."

"I beg your pardon," Regulus said, suddenly back to his normal self, "but this is not the same thing at all! Courting is…"

But, before anyone had the chance to get a review on the subject, the door opened and Mr. Granger stepped out of the house. He looked at them, and a brief shadow passed on his face.

"It can't be worse than last time you came, right?" he asked, sounding a bit anxious.

"Of course not," Sirius said in a cheery voice, but his answer seemed to worry Mr. Granger even more. Finally, the man gave up and moved aside to let them enter, before leading them to the living room. His wife and daughter were there, and Mrs. Granger's smile immediately dropped when she saw them. Regulus, however, paid no mind to what she was saying and searched for Hermione's eyes, not able to keep the huge, idiotic grin from his face when he saw her smile at him.

"Good morning," he said, hoping he did not look as stupid as he felt.

"Hi," she breathed in return, cheeks bright pink.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, unsure of what to do in front of her parents – should he at least kiss her hand like a gentleman? – but were interrupted before they could decide. Mr. Granger, who had been eying the scene with increasing suspicion, let out an outraged shout.

"If you've come here to ask for my daughter's hand," he said, "the answer is NO!"

"Why n…" Regulus began, but he was stopped by a warning look from Andromeda.

"Of course not," his cousin said, "An engagement should not be concluded at this point of the relationship."

"Relationship?" Mrs. Granger gaped. "They're in a relationship? How long has this been going on?" She asked, turning towards her daughter.

"I'm not sure… something like seventy-two hours?" Hermione answered, her blush intensifying.

"SEVENTY-TWO HOU…" her father began, before stopping abruptly when he saw Andromeda's deadly glare. "Maybe we should just sit and wait for a clear explanation of the situation, don't you think love?" he asked his wife, who seemed just as affected by the icy look of the witch.

Andromeda gracefully sank on the nearest sofa, and the rest of the room mirrored her. Regulus, who had been slightly (strongly) pushed on the right by his brother, claimed the chair next to Hermione.

"As I said earlier," Andromeda stated calmly, "we're not here to talk about an engagement."

"Yet," Sirius added loudly enough for his brother to hear, and Regulus wondered if the blush he had been displaying since his arrival could become permanent.

"As you've just discovered, Regulus and Hermione recently entered into a relationship. However, being a Black and raised by a Pureblood family, Regulus here would like to respect our traditions and to ask for your permission to court your daughter, instead of just going out with her like young people usually do those days."

"Courting?" Hermione's mother repeated. "You mean, like in the 19th century?"

"As I said, Mrs. Granger," Andromeda continued, "the Blacks are a very old, and very traditional family. And let's be honest, the Wizarding World did not evolve as fast as the Muggle one. Courting is still very common for us, even if some new-established families are trying to change that."

"If this is a traditional courtship," Mrs. Granger resumed, "then it will inevitably end with a wedding."

"Not necessarily, no," Sirius said. "Courtships can easily be broken by both members of the arrangement. It usually lasts two years – from the moment the couple's NEWTs results have been published to the day they graduate from Hogwarts – which leaves them plenty of time to get to know each other better. Some families even have open courtships to make sure their children don't end up in a loveless marriage. What?" he asked when he saw that both Andromeda and Regulus were staring at him with wide eyes, "I did listen to Mother's lessons, you know? It was only to find a loophole but still, I remember every bloody rule of that stupid book she made me read."

Mr. Granger looked at them, apparently wondering what he was missing, before shrugging.

"Alright, I'm going to ignore the fact that your brother is older than my daughter and already an adult for the moment. Could Hermione have that?" he asked.

"Naturally," Andromeda answered, "but she will be the one to agree to a suitor's promise, not you. Of course, you can force her to accept or refuse an offer but, knowing your daughter, she won't let you do that. And, let's be clear, I won't let you either," she added threateningly, and both Grangers shifted uncomfortably in their seat. Andromeda did not like parents interfering in the love life of their children. "However," she resumed, "such agreement would require a formal announcement in the Prophet, and I'm not sure it would be the best idea at the moment. It would only attract attention on your daughter, and we don't want that."

"Honestly dad," Hermione interrupted, "do you really think I'm the type of girl who would want to date several boys at the same time? I've already said yes to a courtship, we're only making this official because Regulus insisted it was the proper thing to do and wanted your approval. And by the way, we don't have a huge age difference, especially if you take into account my use of a Time-Turner."

"I get it, I get it," her father answered, sounding a bit irritated. "Let's say – hypothetically – that we agree. Then what?"

"Well," Andromeda explained, "at the end of the courtship, both parties will decide whether or not they want to take their relationship to the next step. If the answer is yes, then our families will meet once again to discuss the terms of their engagement."

"And if we reach that point," Mrs. Granger continued, "then they will marry."

"Yes, but only after the proper amount of time, which is usually three years so that the betrothed can continue their studies," Andromeda said.

"Hermione will want to do that, of course, but what about your boy?" her father asked. "He is older than our daughter, yet I don't remember him mentioning anything related to a possible career in your world. Worse, you told us he had to stay hidden from that madman and his followers until the war was over, does that mean he hasn't worked at all for the past two years? What if the war goes on for longer than you anticipated, and Hermione has to stay hidden because of her connections to your family? How will your brother provide for both of them?"

"I understand your concern, Mr. Granger, but there's no need to worry," Sirius said. "Yes, my brother has to keep a low profile for the time being, but that does not mean he's done nothing since he arrived. He's been looking after the family business for me under a false identity and, for the last two years, has also been assisting one of the Hogwarts teachers. And let's not forget that club he started a few months ago to help the students review their lessons…" he added, and Regulus decided that he could ignore the truth being stretched a bit once in his life, "… moreover, Regulus is the Heir to the Black fortune, which means that my seat in the Wizengamot will one day be passed down to him. Until that happens, he can work in the field of his choice or do what young Pureblood Heirs usually do, that is managing the estates and living off the family fortune until I pass my title down to him."

"Living off the family fortune?" Mrs. Granger asked, intrigued. "You mean, like those posh people who spend the equivalent of twice my monthly budget on a single dress and take a private jet to go from London to Manchester?" Sirius nodded, grinning. "It's not that I don't trust you when you say that your family is rich, but don't you think it would be bad for your finances if your brother did that until you died?"

"Oh, Regulus would inherit my seat long before that, but it won't happen before at least fifty years. However, let me assure you that this won't be a problem at all. If there's one thing you can be sure of, Mrs. Granger, it's that our family is outrageously rich. I can't have children, and my uncles died without male heirs. Regulus will inherit everything I have: the estates, the investment portfolios, and of course the businesses the family owns."

"How much is it, then?" Hermione's father asked. "Are we talking two, three, maybe four million pounds?"

"My dear Mr. Granger," Sirius said, smiling widely, "we are the oldest surviving family in Magical Britain, and the richest. There are no princes or kings in our society, but we were considered their equivalent not so long ago. Now, to answer your question, our fortune is estimated to be around 4.4 billion Galleons, which is roughly 2.1 billion of your pounds."

Mrs. Granger, who had been pouring herself some tea, dropped her cup on the floor.

"TWO BILLION POUNDS?" she squealed.

"Two billion pounds," Sirius confirmed, "and I'm not counting the recent investments I've made in the Muggle world. Remus convinced me to back a company called Apple, I think it's in the US. They had been looking for investors and… anyway, the details can wait. What I want to tell you is that, whether this leads to an engagement or not isn't our concern at all. What you should be focusing on is that my brother genuinely loves your daughter and wants to prove it by courting her, because that's the way he was raised by our parents. So, do you really want to refuse him the right try to convince your Hermione that he is worth her attention just because you don't like the idea of them being together?"

The Grangers exchanged a look and Mr. Granger sighed loudly.

"Oh, alright then."

Malfoy Manor, at the same moment

Narcissa took a small sip of her cocoa, a smile gracing her features as she watched her son enthusiastically opening his first Christmas present. Merlin, how quickly the years had passed… How could her baby boy be fifteen already? To think that, next summer, he would begin to prepare for his future role as Heir of the House and that, the year after that, Lucius would officially introduce him as his successor…

… and ask the Dark Lord to mark him.

Narcissa's hands began to shake, and she hastily put her drink on the coffee table. No, she thought furiously, I will not let this happen. She had seen the Cup during her last visit to Gringotts, but she knew taking it too soon from her sister's vault might be a bad idea, especially when…

"Ah, Narcissa, good morning," Lord Voldemort said from the other end of the living-room, and immediately she and her son stood up and bowed deeply before their Lord. "I'm very sorry for intruding during such a private time, and therefore I will be brief. I come with a gift of sort for you, my dear, to thank you for being such a good host to me and my men during those last months. Your lovely husband was kind enough to help me get it."

"My Lord," Narcissa breathed, inclining her head in respect, "your presence among us has been nothing but a blessing for my family, and I am deeply honoured by the fact you decided we were worthy of it."

"I'm pleased to hear that, Narcissa, and I hope my gift to you will be the proof that I value your humble dedication to our cause. Because you see, for Christmas this year," the Dark Lord continued, gesturing towards the door where a ghostly figure was waiting, "I got you your sister back."

"Hello, Cissy," Bellatrix grinned as she entered the room, and Narcissa felt her heart sink in her chest. "Long time no see."

- The first scene of the chapter was really hard to write for me. I lost my uncle a year ago and wasn't able to go to the funerals because of the pandemic, and I'm still very sad about it. Everything Hermione thinks is what I'm still thinking when I remember him, and another aunt I lost a few years ago, and I'm glad I put words on it. It pains me to think that they left my family so soon, but sadly, it's part of a cycle that we can't stop. The only thing I can do is to never forget them.

- Don't worry, Molly will get better in time, as will her children.

- I really wasn't sure about Hermione's realization during the funeral at first, but I think I couldn't have found a better moment. I'm still bad at romantical scenes, however.

- About Sirius & Percy: both of them were considered "different" from the rest of their families, and made mistakes they regret a lot, that's why Percy decided to go to Sirius in the first place. He needs someone who can understand him, and someone who won't judge him.

- Hermione & Regulus: weren't you like this at the beginning of your relationship? Honestly? I was. Still am, sometimes 3

- The Black's fortune: I supposed they were richer than the Malfoys, and I found this edition of Forbes for reference: consent/?toURL= 2007/12/11/lucius-malfoy-money-oped-books-cx_de_fict1507_

- I hope the rules for relationship/normal life for a wizard are clear enough. I know the characters we see seem to have married and gotten children soon, but I think that, because they live longer than the Muggles, it shouldn't have been the case. A few ideas why:

When Voldemort came into power, he told his minions he needed an army so he wanted them married and with children sooner than what was expected at the time

Then there was a war, so people married & had children sooner because they "lived in the moment".

I have a LOT of documents to read about relationships, etiquette, etc during the Victorian Era, but, even if I would love to add about Pureblood culture, I don't think I'll find the time while writing this fic.

- New POV in the next chapter! Can you guess who it is?

- Remember that survey I made? Someone said I should make a post with all the fanfic recommandations. I liked the idea, so I made a Google Sheet document with the recommandations I got AND added my own! I'm not done with the links yet, I'll continue when I have the time. The recommandations are in light orange, the WIPs (Works In Progress) in dark orange. PS: I loved Hunting Shadows, whoever recomanded this, THANK YOU!

LINK: spreadsheets/d/1SDrF8e8U32LsfQtrwPXFTGNOhtHDL3tP1TswTD6Uh-k/edit?usp=sharing

Until next time!