A/n - This started out as the Sequel to my 'Advice, it can work' story, but kind of ended up as its own thing. WARNING!THERE WILL BE DUMBLEDORE AND SNAPE BASHING.
Update 6/7/2021 I have edited out the smut for this story in order to meet the guidelines. this story with all it's juicy details in available on AO3, the link and information is in my bio, if you'd like to read the unedited version of this story.
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Hermione stared at the Veil that had taken Sirius ten years prior. After her divorce from Ron a little more than a year ago, she had launched herself into researching the Veil and thoughts of the black-haired marauder that fell through it. Without her parents, their memories unrecoverable, she only had Harry left as a close friend. She had been drifting away from the other Weasleys as her marriage to the youngest son began to fall apart. She stopped attending Sunday dinners, when Mrs. Weasley dropped one too many hints that the issue was her career and not Ron's lack thereof. Hermione knew the truth, there wasn't any passion; not like her brief time with Sirius Black. On more than one occasion she found herself fantasizing about the past while with her husband. She sighed, not thinking for the first time, that she should not have married Ron in the first place. Harry had taken her side and quickly followed her example and stopped going to the dinners as well. Ginny continued to attend, putting a greater strain on their friendships, but giving Hermione her ultimate support. Harry and Ginny had given it an honest go, but like Hermione and Ron, they didn't fit the way they did before the end of the war.
After her divorce and falling out with the Weasleys, it had taken her less than a month to receive permission from Kingsley to study the Veil independently, taking a break from her work with the Minister of Magic. He wanted her to take a vacation, but this was as close as he was going to get. She crossed her arms, smiling lightly at the thought of her superior. He had encouraged her since she graduated to work on what she wanted, and learn as much as she could, to prepare for the future. Kingsley was training her to take over for him one day. She let her mind fall away from thoughts of her friend and focused back on the Veil.
There was little to no information on the strange arch, many assumed to lead into the afterlife. She scoffed at the thought. Almost everything she could find was full of assumptions and at best educated guesses. The Unspeakables were less than accommodating to her sudden intrusion into the Department of Mysteries. The first few weeks were spent in unorganized storage rooms, filled with everything from mere thoughts of Unspeakables, to experiments and rituals done centuries ago. She sighed, chuckled slightly, and shook her head. They had underestimated her and her stubbornness. She smiled.
"Never stand between Hermione Granger and what she wants to achieve." Ginny had laughed over a butterbeer, when she had told her about the Unspeakables and their ridiculous treatment of her inquiries. Harry had that sad look in his eyes as she told him what she was trying to do. He had given up on ever seeing the family lost to him. He didn't want to hope, just encase she didn't succeed. That did not stop him from encouraging her and offering up 12 Grimmauld Place as a resource. She took him up on it, after Ron had appeared drunk at their old Flat for the fifth time. He had agreed to move back in with his parents while everything was finalized. Hermione got the Flat while Ron received a large portion of her Vault. She moved into Grimmauld with Harry and Ginny, much to the younger girl's pleasure. After the mutual break up between Harry and Ginny, the two continued to live together without issue. Ginny was gone most of the time, touring with her Quidditch team. Harry had spent a large amount of gold and time turning the old house into a place where he could remember his almost family, Sirius Black, and be comfortable. He wanted to play one last prank on the Black Matriarch by turning the House of Black and their home into the exact thing she hated. He restored the Black Family Tapestry and all those who were burned off of it, with the help of Hermione's search in the libraries of Malfoy, Lestrange, and Black.
While the entirety of the Lestrange estate was award to Neville as reparations from the two wars. He immediately gave it to Hermione, library, property, Vaults, and all; since he did not want to deal with the dark family's belongings and knew she would use it to help and rebuild their broken world. The library was instantly added to the Black library, doubling it in size. Many of the Dark objects were destroyed or given over to the Department of Mysteries for study. Hermione kept more of the interesting pieces and sought the secrets they held. She became the leading expert on Dark Objects and their creation. She still kept a good many books and objects in stasis in her illegally extended bag. Hermione shook her head; Malfoy had allowed her into his home more than once during many of her research endeavors. When she could not find what she sought in her own growing library. Draco and her had developed a sort of friendship, or at least understanding; she would not have been able to assist Harry without his help and support.
Draco had been correct when one night while lost in his library, "Granger, if things had been different, we could have changed the world. Too smart for our own good, the both of us." They had laughed about it, but it quickly led into the secrets of their crushes on each other at school, a few too many drinks, and a long discussion on doing everything they could, to prevent another war fought by children. Hermione returned to the Death room and touched the beaded pouch she always carried with her, a year supple of both muggle and magical money, camping supplies, two extra wands, food for three months for four and much more. She would never be unprepared again.
If only things had been different. She listened to the soft calling voices of the Veil, smiling at the thought of the pureblood who, just like them, was a child soldier. She had started hearing the calling of the Dead after returning to the Death room when the war ended. She wanted to see it one last time, in hopes that the sight would allow her to move on from Sirius Black and his memories. No one knew the brief moments they shared in Grimmauld. Moments of temptation and giving into it. It had worked for a time, but eventually she always found her way back to those stolen moments, and whispers of a promised future that ended with the Veil.
Draco never dismissed her need to be prepared, once he noticed the beaded bag always on her person, or within easy reach. He would be a great friend in the future; she gave herself a mental reminder to set up another lunch meeting to run through the results of tonight. He had brewed the potion they were be using, as well as double checked the ritual. He had been invaluable to her during this time in her life. He had wanted to attend and assist where he could, still feeling responsible for many of the deaths from the War, but Hermione wanted it to just be her and Harry.
After a year of research, and her own experimentation with Draco's help, she was certain she had found a ritual, which would at least prove whether or not Sirius was actually dead. It involved using a Bond; Soul, Familial, Blood or possibly created. She, Ron, and Harry had used a blood ritual to bind themselves as siblings. They were and always would be, consider so by Magic. Such a bond might work for this particular ritual, but a True Bond, created by Magic itself, would work better. Hermione lamented The Death of Remus Lupin. His Pack Bond while extended to Harry due to his being a Cub of a member, would be stronger with the actual Alpha still around. She wondered for a moment if she would have joined the Pack as well, once they had bound themselves to each other.
"Look who I found." Harry entered the room with a light step he had perfected as an auror, Draco following behind him, head held high, daring her to demand he leave. "I thought it was just going to be me and you?" Harry pulled her into a tight hug. He had opened up more to physical affection during the years after the war. Hermione, Ginny, and Ron had made it one of their goals to help him get more comfortable with affection after his abusive childhood. He stepped back, looking around at the runes etched in a half circle on the side of the arch where they stood.
"It was..." She eyed Draco curiously. She knew he had been deeply interested in the possible resurrection of the Heir to Black. While Harry inherited all of the Black estate, Draco received the title. There had been an issue with the claims on both parts, neither man cared either way. Hermione ended up being a large part of the decision to split it the way it was. They had both agreed to give the Black money over to a charity set up by her to help both creatures like Werewolves to find jobs and change society's view of them as well as supply muggleborns with resources to better help then integrate into the magical world. Draco wanted to put as much distance between the Dark Mark on his arm, and himself. His mother merely nodded when he asked for her opinion. Narcissa had wanted to save her son, and she did. At this point she was perfectly happy letting him do as he wished to redeem their family name. Harry wanted to do anything for the only friend to stand by him since they had met. She had always done everything to help him and never took anyone else's side. During the Goblet of Fire, she was the first to believe him and the most passionate in his defense. Sixth year had been rough for all of them, but he never held it against her, because when it can down to it, she was there at his back.
"Well, I don't mind..." Harry eyed the blond male standing straight and a bit uncomfortable at the door. They exchanged slight head nods before turning to Hermione. Harry did not have the relationship foundation that Draco and herself had developed over their time working together on charity and rebuilding and eventually the Veil.
"Fine." She shook her head; three focuses of power would be better than two. She gestured for them to move into the half circle. Quietly they stood where she told them; Harry front and center; Draco off to left side; Hermione off to the right. She quickly changed a few rune locations to accommodate the third member to their ritual. She had played with the idea of asking Ginny to assist in the attempt to pull from Sirius from the Veil. In the end she decided it would be better for just herself and Harry, since they shared a Bond that would protect them. The two were exactly three feet behind Harry, standing exactly six inches from the rune line she had drawn. Draco frowned eyeing the runes. Having seen her research he knew what each meant and why it was there; he also knew that they were drawn in blood. Harry's blood if he had to venture a guess. He eyed her, as she spoke to Harry of the ritual. Draco straightened out when she turned her no nonsense eyes on him. She was in bossy Hermione mode. There would be no changing her mind in any way now. "And you," She pointed at the Slytherin with authority, "Stay in that spot, do NOT leave the runes, and no matter what happens keep your mouth shut." He nodded as Harry tried to hide his laughter behind his hand.
"Just get on with it, Granger." He crossed his arms, eyeing the arch with distaste. If someone had told him ten years ago that he would be standing in a rune circle about to perform an illegal ritual to raise a dead Sirius Black, with two members of the Golden Trio, he would have happily laughed in their face.
"Ready Harry? Remember do not move, or speak. I am the Caster, you are the Bound, and we are all the focus points If you move there is a good chance you will get hurt, or worse..." She smiled ina teasing way, despite the gravity of the situation. "...Expelled." Her voice was clear and the two men nodded, giving each other side knowing looks. She scowled, before laughing lightly, and beginning the ritual.
Draco watched with fascination as she put the words from her research into practice. If her theory is correct and Sirius was really in some sort of limbo, this would call to him and drag him back using the bond between him and his Godson. There were several Bonds between the two men. Sirius was a bond brother to James, as well as a blood relative. Second cousins to Harry, if he remembered the Black family tree properly. Harry grandmother Dorea Potter nee Black was sister to Sirius grandfather Pollux Black. With those two Bonds, the ritual should work well, but with the Pack Bond thrown in. There was little chance of failure. He swallowed, assuming there were no issues with the ritual Hermione constructed using several older ceremonies from ages before. He glanced at her, her eyes were closed, and she was chanting in several languages sort of splashed together. The rituals she was drawing from had been in a few dead languages, and strange symbols that had not been heard since before Merlin's time. Druids were involved in some of it. Magic was more about intent then actually phrasing and words, as long as she was certain of what she wanted, Magic could give it. He took a deep breath looking at the Veil, he had one more thought before the Veil began to whip toward them sending wind into the room and blinding him with light.
If anyone could do it, it'd be Hermione Granger
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Hermione blinked awake to the voices of Draco and Harry arguing in hushed voices. The Death room was dark, and all signs of their ritual were gone. She groaned as she sat up, drawing the attention of the bickering duo.
"Hermione!" Harry was by her side in a second, helping her sit up slowly, worry etched into his face. Draco looked away from the affection of years of friendship, and focused on the arch. It was glowing lightly, runes appearing and disappearing as the light continued getting dimmer and dimmer. Harry had Hermione on her feet, heavily suggesting they take her to St. Mungos. She scowled at him, catching only a glance of the mostly faded runes before it stopped. She frowned, brows tight together, thinking. A quick glance around revealed that Sirius Black was not in the room. So, the best case didn't happen. She glanced at the ground to check out the runes she had placed on the floor, frowning when she saw they were gone. Growling, ready to scream at whoever erased her hard worked, when Draco sarcastically spoke.
"You will get wrinkles making that face." He took a step back as she lunged for him, Harry was laughing. "We didn't touch anything Granger! It was like this when we woke up!" He tensed, remembering the punch to his face, given to him by the Muggleborn. She scoffed, and with a glare returned to looking at the room. The runes had several fail safes build in, for a large number of situations, but there would be evidence of what tripped them. Nothing should have cause them to completely disappear. She opened her bag and pulled out her notebook, flipping through small neatly written notes.
"This doesn't make sense." She shut the muggle college ruled and turned to Harry. "Stand still." She marched up to him and muttered a quick spell. Nothing happened. Hermione tensed and tried again. This time a faint glowing string like light connected them together. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. They were all magically exhausted, which could explain the weak reaction to her spell. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at the arch. Another string should have appeared connecting him to Ron. According to the spell, only she was the only bond Harry had, which wasn't correct. He had a familial Bond with Teddy as well. Not didn't even take into account other type of bonds that was be very faint but still present. This was very disconcerting.
If the ritual had worked, the bond for Sirius, if he lived, should have become solid. She bit lip, not wanting to tell him, it had all been for nothing. Nothing had worked as she had predicted, so until she could sit down and analysis the changes in Harry's Bonds and the Veil, she had couldn't draw to any certain conclusions. She felt the frustration of not knowing edging into her control. This drive was what gave her to will power to not only care for Harry but make sure that they were prepared. Her need to know was the fluid in many of her endeavors.
"Hermione..." Harry's voice was filled with worry. "Let's go home." She let her shoulders fall in defeat, maybe she had gotten something wrong. She locked eyes with Draco, he knew what the one string meant. Sighing, the trio headed out of the Death room and into the rest of the Ministry of Magic. She let Harry lead her as she let her mind wondered, how could only her Bond with him be there. Did something happen to Ron while they were down there? Had she unintentional severed the Sibling Bond between Harry and Ron? Questions flew through her mind without a single answer to accompany them.
"Shit." Harry stopped, when Draco spoke. He and Hermione glanced at Draco, staring eyes wide at a department bulletin of some sort stuck to the wall. Harry was more surprised than her, having only heard Draco curse a few times. She recovered faster and took a closer look at the bulletin. It was an informational poster for Death Eater Trials. She gasped and glanced at Draco who was still staring at the paper with a strange mix of panic and fascination.
"March 21..." Harry gasped as Draco spoke, it had been November. Hermione saw where he was reading and took a startled quick step back. "1982..." All three looked at each other and cursed.
Harry was the first to recover and paced up and down the small corridor where they had stopped. Hermione was still gazing at the poster in disbelieve. Draco, he was reading the words, trying to figure out who exactly was on trial. The usual names were present, then he began to wonder why the trials were taking so long. From what he remembered, they finished less than two months after the fall of the Dark Lord. Crouch had pushed through the Death Eaters, many not even getting real trials, if they were given trials at all. The pressure from the public to return things to normal, allowed him to take the law into his own hands and have a one-way door to Azkaban for anyone who MIGHT be affiliated with the Dark Lord, but unable to buy their way out. There were a few later ones as they caught the remaining Death Eaters, but not this many. He tugged his long sleeve down more, suddenly afraid of someone seeing the covered mark more than ever. He had been working on a way to remove the twisted brand forced upon him in retaliation for his father's failure. Harry noticing his movement smiled touching Draco's shoulder in reassurance. No one was taking him to Azkaban.
"We travel... in... HOW?!" Hermione's voice rose to a high pitch, causing Draco to cover his ears.
"Stop shrieking you harpy!" Harry step away from Draco as Hermione whipped around, glared took a breath, and then sighed.
"We can't be seen." She opened her beaded bag and began to rummage for something. Harry and Draco stood quietly, waiting for her to find it.
"Do you think..." Harry ran his hand through his hair slowly, face pinched in thought and hope. "Sirius ended up here? In... Time, I mean... Like us?" Draco's mouth opened then closed, only to open again, still no word came out. Was the arch some kind of portal through time? Draco swiftly looked at Hermione who had a coin in her hand. A DA coin if he wasn't mistaken.
"GOT IT!" She was smiling so big, neither boy wished to interrupt her thoughts with their own questions. "Hold on to this." They each pinched the coin between their thumb and pointer finger.
"Could you have picked a smaller item?" Draco's sarcastic drawl filled the air. Hermione huffed, and Harry fought a smile.
"I wasn't planning on needed to take people with me." She pulled her wand and with a well-placed tap they felt the tell signs of a Portkey. Draco released the coin as soon as possible and glared at her. Harry sat with his head between his knees, still unused to Portkey travel. Hermione put the coin back in the bag and pulled out a number of small bundles. With the men standing off to the side, she started setting up a tent. Harry looked up briefly and chuckled. He had never teased her about that bag, but now, knowing how helpful it was, he laughed. He had given her a sizable portion of the Potter Vaults to stash in the seemingly endless bag that never left her sight.
With Hermione systematically setting up their wards and temporary home, the two men took in their surroundings. It was a forest; Harry suddenly knew it to be the Forest of Dean. He groaned, having hoped to never see this place again. The memory of the Horcrux hunt still in his nightmares, years later. Hermione pushed the two into the tent so she could finish up with the wards. Inside was a small living space with a fireplace, couches, and a table. There were three doors leaving out the space and an archway leading into a kitchen. Draco quietly opened each door then shut them again. Two bedrooms and a bathroom. They had a wizard's tent this time around. Harry smiled, glad for a bit of comfort.
"We are in 1982." Hermione spoke as she entered the space, wand slipping into the holder on her forearm. "We need to find a way back." Harry watched her walk the length of the room and sit tense on a couch, before pulling out a few books and her notebook from the beaded bag. "I can't figure out why the ritual brought us here."
"Could it have pulled us to Sirius, instead of him coming to us?" There was a naïve softness to his voice. No matter what he claimed, Harry always held out some small hope that Sirius would be returned to him. Draco tried to hide his frown behind his hand and failed. Harry looked down, shoulders sagging defeated.
"It's possible..." Hermione added cautiously, glaring at Draco, daring him to argue with her. Harry looked up at her, eyes filled with a child's hope. Hope for the family he had lost. If Sirius was here, they could try to find him. His mind was suddenly running a hundred miles an hour. "However, it's very unlikely." Hermione looked thoughtfully at Harry. "But it cannot be discounted. At this point, any answer is possible."
"Including, Granger wanting you all to herself." Draco added smirking.
"Don't be absurd." Hermione shook her head. "Ignore him Harry, the trip probably scrambled what brains he did have."
"These brains helped you created that little ritual."
"And look where that led."
"In a position to change history."
"Terrible things happen to those who meddle with time." Hermione glared at him. "Maybe you were finally tired of coming up second fiddle, to yours truly." She gestured at herself, a wicked smile on her face. Harry watched them bicker back and forth, surprised at the lighthearted way they spoke to each other.
"Do you two do this often?" He was smiling, shaking his head at the room, trying to forget the possibility of seeing Sirius again.
"Only recently. She finally took her head out of her arse and accepted my skills matched none other." They both started laughing. Harry shook his head, the smile on his face softening.
"What do we do?"
Hermione nodded and turned back to her notes. Her thoughts took the form of her words as she explained the ritual, and what exactly it was supposed to do. The first step was to identify a Bond connecting the Bound, Harry, to someone who had fallen through the Veil. The Second was to reestablish that Bond, reinforcing it in preparation to pull. The final step should have yanked Sirius from the Veil or from where ever he happened to be. She had hope that at least the Bond would reinforce itself, telling them for certain whether or not Sirius was indeed alive. The three grew quiet, each thinking.
Draco wondered at the chances of the three of them finding their way to this point together. He wasn't even supposed to be there. He had wanted to help Hermione as much as he could, still remembering the bloodstained floor of the manor he still called home. He wanted to burn the whole thing down and start anew. It was what he planned when his mother passed. She loved that house, even with its bad memories. If he could help Hermione bring back Sirius for Harry; he hoped it would help him atone for his sins committed toward the two.
Harry was lost in thought about Sirius. He had such a short amount of time with his Godfather. He had spent the last five years with Hermione finding every way possible to connect with the man he thought to be dead. They went as far as to become Animagus. He glanced at Hermione, still shuffling through her notes, and had to push down that small bit of jealously. She had taken on a canine form, while he was avian. From what she could figure out she was a white cadejo, a traveler's protector on journeys. She looked like a large white dog with hooves to him. He was a large barn owl. Hermione was certain there was more to his form then just a barn owl. He was too big and his coloring was wrong. Harry waved her off, content knowing he was able to achieve the form. He slowly let out a breath, the feeling of jealousy passed quickly and was replaced with an explosion of appreciation. Hermione never had to stand with him. She had proven time and time again that he would always be a priority for her.
She was his family, and always would be. Ron while family, had his own flesh and blood in the other Weasleys. With Hermione's parents without the memory of her, she had only him and he her. Magic allowed him to add her and Ron to his family's line of magic. Her hair had darkened after the ritual and Ron's blue eyes took on a bit of a green shade. Hermione had told him that the sibling ritual made her a Potter, but because she was muggleborn and thus didn't have a magic line established enough to bond with, he could not be a Granger. Regardless if they did the ritual with her at the center or not. Ron could perform the ritual and bind them to the Weasley line, but they had never seen the need. Joined through Harry Potter was how Hermione and Ron's bond should be. She had shown him her signature using her wand and her full name now listed her as Hermione Jean Granger Potter. Harry had felt such joy at seeing his family name letting anyone know bothered to looked that Hermione was his sister in all but blood.
Hermione stared at her notes, knowing that there was nothing there that would help them. She didn't have access to the libraries of three of the oldest families, and doubted that could be remedied. That meant she had to make do with what she had brought with her. This was her fault for not putting the ritual through more tests. She stopped that train of thought and looked up at the two unwitting travelers with her. Draco was in a set of black robes with green lining, always the Slytherin. Harry was in a pair of muggle jeans and a loose-fitting jumper. She was wearing a light blue set of robes, that were a little worn. She had planned on replacing them in a few months; underneath was a loose-fitting tank and jean shorts.
"We need information." Draco's voice cut though the silence. "I know we have a general idea of where and when we are, but not really exactly what has happened." Hermione nodded slowly looking at Harry.
She started putting her belonging back into her bag, ""We have to remain as inconspicuous as possible." She looked at the two boys. "Which means I will enter the magical world and you two can check out the muggle."
"Why do I have to enter the muggle world?" Draco's voice had a tone of the spoiled child he had grown up as.
"Because, you look like a Malfoy..." She glanced quickly at his forearm. "Actually, you'd best stay here...If anyone sees..." He cut her off.
"I get it. Death Eater is bad." Silently he walked into one of the rooms, claiming it for himself.
"That could have gone better." Hermione spoke softly hoping Draco wouldn't hear her.
"Could have gone worse." Harry patted her on the back, "He'll get over it."