Author's Note: *Obligatory denial of ownership* Okay, there's gonna be a slightly uncomfortable, but hopefully satisfying moment in this chapter for anyone that's got issues with Molly, and then most of it is just positive, happy moments. Yes, one of those happy moments is going to be sexual in nature, but with how much I plan on covering in this one chapter, that instance is going to be brief. Also, I'm going to be adding a character from another fandom in this story starting in this chapter. She's slightly OC just cause I'm making her a witch rather than the supernatural creature she is in her own fandom. Let's see who can guess where she's from! Haha!
Chapter Twenty-Six: Big Changes
Lord Sirius Orion Black, Adopting!
By: Rita Skeeter
In my previous article I recounted the events of Harry Potter's hearing, the miraculous return of Lily and James Potter, and the rightful exoneration of Sirius Orion Black. Now, it seems the exonerated Lord Black has been making regular visits to Gringotts to straighten out his finances and work on what WAS a top secret, personal project. But now dear readers, he has been gracious enough to grant me an interview revealing his project!
It turns out, he is adopting a delightful young witch by the name of Hermione Granger. Yes, the same witch dating young Harry Potter. The witch I referenced in another recent article retracting everything I had written during the previous school year at Hogwarts because it was brought to my attention that due to the unsavory sources I was stuck with, nearly every word I had published was based entirely on rumors and other falsehoods.
Back to the point, having finally met the young witch under less negative circumstances, I have found her to be a caring, brilliant, and shockingly mature young lady. But why is Sirius Black adopting her? What bond do they share that would compel the sole heir of house Black to adopt her? Fear not readers! I have all the answers!
Lord Black did not want to share details, but he stated that he felt indebted to both Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. He credited them with saving his life, although the event in question was not recounted fully. What is important is that after their undisclosed heroic efforts, they maintained contact with Lord Black and he developed a genuine friendship with his godson, and Miss Granger.
But why has that friendship led to Lord Black adopting young Miss Granger? Well, here is his exact explanation:
"Despite owing Miss Granger my life, and the mountain's worth of respect I have for her, I actually didn't have any intention to adopt her until quite recently. Half-way through the summer to be exact. Hermione helped me retrieve my Godson from a rather unpleasant situation, and when my best friend, Remus Lupin, attempted to return her to her family, her father decided he didn't appreciate having such a delightful young witch in his family and disowned her when she proudly stood by her magic and her boyfriend. I noticed how dismayed she was at the loss of her parents' love and acceptance, as anyone with a heart would be, and gave her the option of allowing me to adopt her. After a moment of deliberation she accepted my offer."
I'll admit to being a tiny bit misty eyed hearing the genuine affection Lord Black already has for his soon to be daughter. Of course, I did have more questions, and I learned that Sirius Black has actually gone forward with enacting one of the most ancient magics in our world, a blood adoption! For those who are unfamiliar, that means that young Miss Hermione will not only have a new last name recognized by magic, she will also be recognized as a half-blood witch! When she was asked how she felt about the change in her blood status, Hermione had this to say:
"I'll always be muggleborn, my birth parents are muggles and I was raised in the muggle world for the first decade of my life. To me, the blood adoption is more about strengthening the bond between father and daughter, a stronger symbol than paperwork and a name change. And we also thought that maybe it would make the change feel more real. The truth of the matter though is that family isn't a piece of paper, or an ancient tapestry full of names, sometimes it isn't even about blood. It's choosing who you want in your life, and we are merely strengthening that choice through blood adoption."
Strong words from a young lady with a great deal of heart. I'm sure we will all wish the reinstated Lord Black and his soon-to-be daughter a happy family life!
As Harry and Hermione walked into the dining room for breakfast, they found themselves witnessing yet another argument between Molly and Lily. "I don't appreciate you insinuating that I'm not a good mother when your entire family seems to be arguing with you or running away from you!" Lily shouted.
"Oh I'm not insinuating anything! You are most definitely not a good mother! I'd never let my sons lower themselves with witches that can't keep their legs shut until marriage! And my Ginny respects herself too much to degrade herself that way!" Molly roared back. "I raised my children right! I raised them to understand that it was indecent and wrong to do what Harry and Hermione are doing! They should not be sharing a room!"
Lily rolled her eyes and sighed. "James, Sirius and I have all sat down and spoken with Harry and Hermione about the situation, and all three of us agree that there is nothing wrong with their relationship. They aren't vulgar in public settings, they have a functioning relationship built on trust and friendship, and they're being safe with their private intimate lives. Not to mention that this isn't even your business. Harry is my son and Hermione will be Sirius' daughter by blood by the end of the day. They aren't your children Molly! Why do you insist on trying to dictate their lives when you have absolutely no right to do so?! I don't understand!"
All the shouting had brought the rest of the residents into the kitchen, although neither woman noticed as they were too busy staring daggers at each other. "I have every right!" Molly screeched. "I know what's best and I seem to be the only person in this house with the willpower to get anything done right! I don't understand why you all keep fighting me!" She insisted in her furious screams. "It's not like any of you are better equipped to be parents or to run a household properly! Lupin is a werewolf! Sirius and James are illegal animagi! Clearly none of them can be fully trusted with anything judging on how unreliable they all are! And you," Molly sneered at Lily, "You're certainly no better! You're all useless!" She bellowed.
Lily moved to lunge at Molly, and was stopped by Harry and James rushing forward to hold her back. Arthur and the twins followed suit, grabbing Molly to keep her restrained as well. Lily had been telling herself for almost an entire month to just let it all roll off her back, that she had endured worse during her Hogwarts days and she shouldn't allow some walking rubbish bin make her feel inferior. But she had reached her limit, and could take no more. "Tell me why I'm no better!" She yelled. "Say it! Say it you wretched pig! Fucking say it! I dare you bitch! Say it, say it, say it!"
"You're a mudblood whore!" Molly finally screamed back. "And before you died everyone knew it too! You may have been remembered fondly after that night but you were everyone's favorite bit of gossip until then! We all saw you for what you really are! You're a gold digging, title seeking, mudblood whore!"
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Sirius roared. "You're not welcome here any fucking longer! I tried to be generous and patient, I tried to keep forgiving your slip ups as if they were nothing, but you've gone way too far this time! I don't care how much Arthur begs me to let it slide, GET THE FUCK OUT NOW!"
Both Twins and Arthur let go of Molly, absolutely disgusted and horrified by what she had said. "Not to worry, Sirius. I'm not begging you to be lenient with Molly anymore. I only hope that you let my children stay until they leave for Hogwarts." Arthur's solemn tone was a spear through his own heart. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he didn't want to rebuild a home with Molly. Not after what she had just said, not even after all the fighting and nitpicking and general rudeness throughout the time they'd been staying at Grimmauld. The woman had never known the meaning of gratitude. And he couldn't bear her controlling ways any longer. Now, he couldn't even see the remnants of the woman he'd fallen in love with so many years ago.
Sirius nodded. "You and your children are free to stay permanently if you want, I have nothing against any of you," He assured Arthur, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Molly was utterly incredulous. "What the bloody hell are you talking about Arthur? If we're leaving, we're leaving as a family," she argued.
Arthur Weasley shook his head. "We aren't a family anymore, Molly. And I'll decide what's best for my children from now on."
Remus grabbed Molly by her arm and began to drag her towards the fireplace. "I'll take you to Dumbledore. You can figure out where you want to go from there," he growled coldly.
Hermione spat at Molly by her arm before walking up to Lily to join in the group hug. No one wanted to see the ugliest side of Molly Weasley. But at least now everyone knew what she was truly like.
Remus and Molly walked through the fireplace to find Dumbledore at his desk. He smiled warmly at them behind his half moon spectacles. "Remus, Mrs. Weasley! So lovely to see you both!" He greeted them pleasantly.
Remus growled again. "Molly is banned from Grimmauld place. She refuses to follow the rules of the house, repeatedly challenges everyone's authority, starts countless unnecessary fights, and not even five minutes ago she called Lily a mudblood whore." He paused for a moment. "If you decide for some reason you want to keep her in the order, you'd better find somewhere else for her to stay."
Remus quickly turned and departed, not bothering to wait and see how Dumbledore handled the situation. He needed to get back to Grimmauld so the group could all head out to Diagon Alley and get school supplies for the upcoming year at Hogwarts.
Albus was incredibly disturbed and asked Molly to give her side of the story. He barely heard anything she said, already deciding that he would simply bring her back to Headquarters once all the children were on the train to return to Hogwarts. By then enough time would have passed for cooler heads to prevail, and he would have a better opportunity to remind everyone that he was the Order's Leader.
Back at Grimmauld, the Weasley family had all collectively apologized and all but fully rejected Molly Weasley. So when Remus returned, everyone was ready to head out to Diagon Alley.
The first stop was obviously Gringotts. They walked into the bank as a group and Sirius gave Remus written permission to withdraw money from the Black Vault to pay for the Weasleys' clothing and school supplies.
From there, Harry kissed Hermione goodbye as Remus was led to the Black Vault and the Potters separated from Hermione and Sirius to meet with Griphook. Sirius and Hermione were quickly called into another goblin's office. As Hermione and Sirius sat down in the two seats the goblin gestured to, Sirius smiled widely. "Pleasure to see you again honorable Ashclaw," Sirius greeted Ashclaw. "I assume the paperwork has been approved and we can finish the adoption process?" He asked politely.
Ashclaw nodded. "Indeed, Lord Black. All that remains is the ritual, a test to confirm success, and a couple more signatures."
Sirius nodded. "Perfect. You explained before that the ritual was based in Runes and Blood, correct?"
Ashclaw nodded and withdrew two small smooth stones with identical Runes carved into them. "I will need you both to place your right thumbs on these stones. You will feel a pinch so that the runes can take a small sample of your blood, but you'll heal as soon as your thumbs are back off the runes." Sirius and Hermione did as they were instructed, and Ashclaw picked up the runes to hold the carvings against each other. The stones glowed golden for a moment, and then Ashclaw set them back down in front of Sirius and Hermione. "Once more," he stated. Again, they placed their thumbs against the runes and felt the pinch again. Both their bodies lit up with golden light momentarily. "Thank you for your cooperation. Now, Miss Hermione, I will need you to take this quill and write your name on this parchment." The goblin snapped his fingers and the two objects he mentioned appeared in front of Hermione. "I apologize, writing with this Quill will not be pleasant."
Hermione nodded and wrote out, "Hermione Jean Black," to find that her name appeared in red ink on the parchment and on the back of her hand. It hurt, but thankfully the back of her hand healed instantly and the pain was gone with it. The parchment glowed golden and her name disappeared.
"Excellent," Ashclaw said. "The ritual worked." He withdrew a stack of parchment, directing Sirius to a line he needed to sign. "Your acknowledgement and confirmation that the ritual was successful, then you are free to go. My congratulations, it is always a pleasure to see a new family formed."
Sirius signed the parchment and they departed with smiles, meeting back up with Harry and his parents in the lobby. Hermione quickly found herself being embraced by everyone. And what nearly brought her to tears was that she truly felt the love of a family holding her close.
The two family units led the teens to the various shops they needed to get their school supplies from, laughing and celebrating. Finally, they made it to the Magical Menagerie. Harry had claimed he wanted to see if there were any special treats for owls, but the truth was that he wanted to give Hermione a gift that he hoped would help ease the pain following her loss of Crookshanks. She needed a furry companion she could love and bond with, who would love and bond with her in return, who would never be taken from her the way Crookshanks had been.
So into the Magical Menagerie they walked, and Hermione was almost magnetically drawn to the half kneazle kittens. Harry watched as one of the kittens stretched out of a sleeping position and walked up to Hermione, blinking its bright yellow eyes. Then it pressed its paw against the glass, as if it were reaching for Hermione.
Harry waved one of the shopkeepers over, a young woman with brown eyes and blue hair, and pointed to the solid black half-kneazle kitten that quite clearly wanted to leave with Hermione and quickly explained that he wanted to buy the kitten for Hermione. Then he walked up to his girlfriend and slid an arm around her waist. "Looks like someone wants to go home with you," Harry commented and kissed the top of her head. "Do you wanna bring the little furball along?" He asked with a smile.
Hermione sighed and shrugged. "I don't know, do you think it would be too soon? Would it be disrespectful to Crookshanks' memory?" Hermione asked softly.
"I don't think it would be disrespecting Crookshanks' memory at all. Crooks wouldn't have wanted you to be alone, and clearly you and that kitten right there are drawn to each other."
A stray tear slid down Hermione's cheek. "I miss Crookshanks so much… I wouldn't want him to think I replaced him."
"Nothing will take Crookshanks' place in your heart," Harry reminded her gently. "Do you want to take this kitten home?" He asked softly. Hermione nodded with teary eyes and Harry waved the blue haired shopkeeper over, who picked up the tiny black kitten and placed him in Hermione's waiting hands. "He needs a name," Harry reminded his girlfriend with a smile.
Hermione smiled back at Harry. "Shadow," she announced proudly. "His name is Shadow." With that, she scratched Shadow behind his ears and kissed the top of his furry head.
By the time the group made it back to the house, everyone was in a much better mood than they were that morning. Arthur asked the twins to show him their plans for their joke shop, and Ron was welcomed to join them. Lily took Hermione and Ginny out shopping for clothes, both magic and muggle in nature.
As for Harry, Remus, Sirius, and James…
"Marauder tradition? What kind of Marauder tradition?" Harry asked.
The three men turned to each other and collectively shrugged. James sighed. "When we all unlocked our animagus forms, we decided to share more than the full moons with each other. We also got matching tattoos." James then turned his back to Harry and pulled his shirt off to show Harry the hoof print, two canine paw prints, and rat paw just under his right shoulder blade.
Harry was in awe. "Brilliant!" He commented. "So you're saying you want me to do that too?" He asked.
Sirius chuckled. "We're saying that you don't have to, but if you want to you'll have company when you go to get it done."
Harry smiled as his father pulled his shirt back on. "Let's go now!" Harry said excitedly.
Sirius barked out a laugh at James and Remus' dropped jaws. "Well, I'll be excited to see it when I get back."
James raised an eyebrow at Sirius. "Back? I wasn't aware you were going anywhere else today."
Sirius winced. "I'm… I have someone I need to see," he answered.
Remus' eyes widened in shock and understanding. "Good luck Padfoot. You're probably gonna need it."
Harry couldn't have been more confused, but he wished Sirius luck as well right before James and Remus apparated him out to get his tattoo.
Sirius took a deep breath and apparated into the ministry of magic. Every single step he took toward his destination made his heart beat faster, his skin felt as though it were vibrating, and he was just a bit nauseous. But he continued on until he finally reached the office he was looking for. He took another deep breath to calm himself and approached the secretary's desk.
"Good afternoon," he greeted the woman who was busy going through papers on her desk. "I'm here to see the co-head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
The woman rolled her eyes and pointed to a stack of papers on her desk. "All incoming paperwork goes on that pile. She will review it, and if necessary her boss Madam Bones will get back to you in a timely manner."
Sirius chuckled. "Oh I don't have any paperwork for you or her to look over. This is more of a social call of sorts," he mentioned.
"Today is very busy and no one has time for jokes sir, no one ever comes here for a social call of any-" She finally looked up at Sirius, wanting to see his reaction as she knocked him off his high horse for wasting her time with nonsense, and nearly swallowed her tongue. Why would Lord Black of all people want to visit her boss? She gulped and nodded. "My sincerest apologies to you my Lord. I'll… I'll just let her know."
She quickly stood to knock on her boss' door, but Sirius raised a hand to stop her momentarily. "Don't use my name, she isn't expecting me."
The woman nodded. "Y-yes sir," she answered him, then knocked on her boss' door to tell her that she had a visitor.
The Co-Head of the DMLE grumbled to herself in displeasure. "Send the bloody bastard in," she muttered dismissively and hoped this wasn't another case of some absolute idiot mixing her up with Amelia Bones yet again. And her hopes were met positively when she heard a familiar male voice.
"Oh I'm no bastard, much to my deceased parents' dismay," Sirius joked and walked into the room. "A bastard is easily dismissed and ignored, and is also far less shameful than a legitimate first born son rejecting his entire family's philosophy." He gently shut the door behind him and turned to face her. Her grey-blue eyes pierced Sirius straight to his core, and he couldn't look away from her. Her intense, powerful eyes, her adorable button nose, her shoulder-length warm brown hair, her unfairly inviting lips. Sirius braced himself for her anger. "Madam Gainesborough," he officially greeted her.
Hurt flashed in her eyes, but she steeled herself and gave Sirius a curt nod. "Lord Black," she taunted him and smirked mischievously.
Sirius gulped and slid his hands into his pockets. "I thought I was Sirius," he commented softly.
Madam Gainesborough raised an eyebrow and walked around her desk to lean back against the hardwood desk while locking her eyes on him. She caught Sirius licking his lips and smiled internally. "So you are," she commented back. "And what might your business be today, Lord Black?" She asked and seated herself atop her desk.
This bloody woman will be the death of me, Sirius thought to himself. "I heard you tried to get me a trial when I was first arrested," he began and fought hard to keep his hands in his pockets. "And I wanted to thank you for that."
She nodded again and crossed her legs. "Noted. Is that all?" She asked.
Sirius shook his head. "N-no. I wanted to, to see how you've been. Ask if you're happy. If you're married… or have children. Or both."
She smirked again. "My love life has been rather uneventful for over a decade."
"Oh?" Sirius asked, starting to feel himself overheating. "Do you mind if I ask why?" He asked her cautiously.
She shrugged. "I just didn't want to bother, I suppose. My last lover of note left quite an impression," she stated with a familiar sparkle in her eye.
Sirius couldn't help smirking back at her, walking forward several steps and closing a great deal of space between them. "And why is that?" He asked more confidently.
She might not have been able to stop herself from blushing, but that was the only change in her tightly held composure. "Oh he's very handsome, rebellious, charming, and so very charismatic. I doubt anyone else could have talked me into shagging them in a deserted Hogwarts corridor. And just when I started to think I might be able to resist him, he went and proposed."
Sirius chuckled. "Sounds like a man with good taste who knows what he wants," he said softly. "And if this man were to propose a second time, almost as a way to thank you for waiting for him, would you give him the same answer?"
She raised her hand to show Sirius that she was still wearing the ring he'd given her fourteen years ago. "Does that answer your question, Sirius?" she asked softly.
Sirius lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her passionately, revelling in the feeling of her legs wrapping around his waist. "I missed you Nora," he told her and she almost moaned at the feeling of his lips against her neck.
"And I've missed you Sirius," She whispered back to him. "I love you," she assured him and pulled him back into another forceful kiss.
But Sirius backed out of the kiss and pressed his lips to her forehead gently. "There's… I need to tell you a couple of things. And one of them… well… I did it with my friends to help Remus through the full moons… I know you know what he is… he's registered as a werewolf after all..."
Nora narrowed her eyes and Sirius backed up a couple steps before taking a deep breath and shifted into his animagus form, looking up at her with big eyes, worried she wouldn't respond well. Nora's eyes merely widened and she smiled before laughing. "That would explain why our old apartment smelled like wet dog on a frequent basis."
Sirius shifted back and barked a laugh. "Well that's a better reaction than I was expecting. Unfortunately, the second thing I need to tell you isn't as… positive." Nora raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue. Sirius sighed. "I've seen several healers since I was cleared of all charges, and I was given bad news. The day I was arrested, there was a lot of dark magic residue, and it clung to me, untreated for twelve years, twelve years that I spent with constant dementor exposure, leaving me too weak to recover on my own. And it's left me somewhat broken…" He took a deep breath to steady himself. "I've been rendered infertile. We wouldn't be able to have children together."
Nora nodded her understanding and placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Children aren't a deal breaker for me, Sirius. They never were. All I want is you," she assured him and pulled him back to her. "I love you Sirius."
"I love you too, Nora."
The building tension between them exploded and they were suddenly the very embodiment of chaos. Nora had wrapped her legs around Sirius' waist again as she shoved his cloak off of him and clawed his shirt off. Sirius growled and ripped Nora's knickers off from under her skirt and freed his dick. Nora slid forward to impale herself on Sirius' impressive length and Sirius ripped her shirt open before lunging forward to whisper in her ear. "Marry me, Nora," he gasped out and he thrust himself deep into her.
"Yes!" Nora shrieked in her ecstasy and found herself pinned to her desk, staring up into Sirius Black's eyes. "Yes Sirius, I still want to marry you! Now fuck me!"
Sirius smirked. "As the lady requests," he commented and gave her exactly what she demanded.
Over an hour later, Harry sat back on the cough in the living room of grimmauld place, wincing at the soreness on his chest. "I did warn you it would hurt," Remus commented with a chuckle.
James laughed. "Oh calm down Moony, I think it was brilliant for Harry to get his and Hermione's pawprints before the original set."
Harry looked up at his father with a smile. "Thanks, dad."
James was going to respond to his son, but he was interrupted by the sound of the fireplace roaring to life in the kitchen, followed by two new voices. "Honestly woman, you're mad."
Sirius' voice was met with feminine laughter. "It's simple payback darling, you know that. She's had it coming for years, sneaking wizards into my office just to spite me. It was time for her to walk in on me enjoying myself."
"Why don't you just sack the bint?!"
The laughter started up again. "Why the bloody hell would I do that? It's what she wants! It's so much more fun to run her ragged and taunt her constantly. Besides, as vile and petty as she is, she at least does good work, so she's worth keeping around to use and play with."
Sirius grumbled. "How was all this animosity struck in the first place?" He asked.
"Oh don't be daft Sirius. Why do attractive women hate each other in most circumstances? She felt threatened, I felt insulted, it escalated from there."
Sirius and the woman he was laughing with walked into the living room and stopped dead in their tracks. Harry was in shock. His godfather was shirtless with scratches on his chest and shoulders. He was very sweaty as well, stray strands of his hair sticking to his face and neck. The woman beside Sirius had swollen lips, messy hair, and she quickly wrapped what appeared to be Sirius' black coat over her exposed chest.
"Hi Moony, Prongs, pup," Sirius greeted nervously. "I thought you'd still be out… our tattoos took longer, didn't they?" He asked with a shaky voice.
James smirked. "We just got back," he mentioned offhandedly.
The woman smiled mischievously. "So lovely to see you again, Jamie dearest," she stated, her tone the perfect example of pristine politeness. Then she turned to Remus. "You too Howls-a-lot."
Remus chuckled. That was a nickname he'd earned during his years at Hogwarts, after one too many girls had commented on how "animalistic" he had a tendency to be behind closed doors. "You as well scream-a-bye banshee."
James laughed at their exchange and bowed. "What can the maniacal marauders do to be of service to the fair lady Gainesborough?"
She laughed and shook out her mussed hair. "Good to see your wife finally trained you James dear. I'm going to excuse myself for now, but I'm looking forward to saying hello to Lily," she turned back to Sirius. "You're sure you don't want-"
"Not a fucking chance love. Upstairs, my name is above the door," he gestured for her to walk on without him.
She rolled her eyes. "Keep me waiting at your own peril," she commented and headed for the stairs.
Sirius stared after her retreating form with a love struck expression on his face. "So," James began with a smile. "I assume the visit went well?" He asked almost jokingly.
Sirius nodded. "Exceedingly," he confirmed.
Remus chuckled. "So clearly you'll be retiring to your room?" He asked.
Sirius nodded again. "Uh-huh," he answered. "And not to be disturbed until I re-emerge." He then rushed to the stairs and paused at the first step. "Don't say anything, okay? I want to tell everyone on my own terms."
James nodded. Remus said, "Then you'd better not forget to put up a strong silencing charm."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fuck yourself Moony," he commented and made his way up the staircase, disappearing from sight.
"What the bloody hell was all that about?" Harry asked, still so confused he was sure his head was about to start spinning.
James shook his head. "Best not to think about it for now," he told Harry and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Sirius will explain later. Just be patient, son, and don't say anything to anyone."
Harry grumbled and sighed. "Fine. But how long am I keeping this quiet?" He asked softly.
"I'm sure it won't be for too long. And if anyone asks, we don't know where Sirius is. Last thing he said was that he wanted time to himself," James answered with a smile. Harry shrugged, accepting that he would have to wait for an explanation.
It didn't take long after that for the girls to return home. Ginny was eager to put her new clothes away and join the rest of her family, who were all still plotting out plans for the joke shop. Hermione immediately launched herself into Harry's arms to hug him, and was confused when he winced. But before she could ask why he was in pain, Harry gathered up her bags and began helping her carry them up to their bedroom, asking how the shopping trip went.
Lily had also noticed Harry wince and faced Remus and James with a smirk as she crossed her arms under her bust. "What did you maniacs do with my son while we were gone?" She asked softly, but both men grimaced. They hadn't considered how she might react.
James scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, he finished his animagus training… so he's officially a marauder. And we showed him our tattoos…"
Lily shook her head with an amused sigh. "You took him to get a tattoo, didn't you?" She asked.
James nodded, terrified that Lily was about to scream herself hoarse. "He didn't get our tattoo this time, he got something similar though."
Lily nodded. "Well, I hope he enjoys it, cause it's permanent," she stated with a smirk. "And you're free to breathe, James. Would you join me upstairs?" She asked softly, and made her way to the staircase. James turned to Remus with a grin and took off after his wife. Remus sighed and shook his head. He was really starting to hate not having someone to love.
Upstairs in Harry and Hermione's bedroom, the teens finished putting away Hermione's new clothes and sat down together in bed. "I thought you were joking about how how fanatical your mother gets while shopping," Hermione joked, thinking back to a day earlier in the week when Harry's parents took him shopping for new clothes and Harry kept insisting that they were trying to buy the whole store.
Harry chuckled. "I didn't think she would get that bad with you. You had clothes that fit you before she took you and Ginny shopping."
Hermione shrugged. "Maybe that's just how she is. So, are you going to tell me why you winced when I hugged you downstairs?" She asked softly.
Harry nodded and stood up, carefully taking his T-shirt off to show her what he had done while she was out shopping. Hermione's eyes went wide and she placed a hand over her mouth as his new tattoo was revealed. She could hardly tear her eyes away from the vibrant black ink glistening on his chest in the form of a fox's paw print within the larger paw print of a wolf directly over his heart. "Merlin's pants! You got a tattoo?!" She cried and shot to her feet, trying to get a closer look. "And it's… it's our animagus paw prints…" She commented softly and looked up into his eyes. "Harry, where did you get this idea?"
Harry smiled and retold the story his father and uncles had told him about how and why they'd gotten tattoos when they unlocked their animagus forms. He told her all about how he was planning on getting their shared tattoo, when a thought occurred to him that his story was different, so his tattoo should be different.
At that point in the explanation, Hermione quirked an eyebrow, crossed her arms under her bust and asked Harry what he meant by that. "Well Mione," Harry began. "My motivation may have been my desire to have something more in common with my father, but you're the one that chose to become an animagus with me. You've been with me nearly since the beginning of everything that matters… and... " He took a deep breath. "Mione, You're the only constant in my life. And I don't want that to go away. Ever."
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Do I look like I'm leaving any time soon?" She asked softly.
Harry shook his head. "No," he answered. "But… I want you to know that I don't want anything to bring our relationship to an end. I want to be with you, I want to be with you every day for the rest of my life, and I hope you want the same thing."
Hermione smiled softly and placed her hands gingerly on Harry's chest, avoiding touching the tattoo for fear of causing pain. "I'm not going anywhere Harry. I'm all yours, and I promise I always will be."
Harry smiled back at Hermione, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her against him gently. "I love you Mione," he told her and kissed her softly.
Hermione eagerly returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on to him as he held her in his arms. Moments like this, when they were alone together, not a care in the world beyond each other's happiness, nothing to bring them down, these were the moments they both lived for.
And that night, as everyone crawled into bed to rest themselves after a full day, the entire household was happier than they could remember being in recent memory. It seemed the removal of Molly Weasley had actually brought the majority of the Weasley family back together, stronger than before. Sirius was at peace, the woman of his dreams lying in his arms and a bright future with a newly adopted daughter shining like a beacon of hope. Lily and James were happily reunited with Harry and had a good relationship with his girlfriend as well. Remus may have been lying in bed alone that night, but he was finally ready to stop letting his fears prevent him from having a happy life. And Harry and Hermione? They knew there were still several battles to be fought, more heartache to endure, and pain to heal from, but for a moment, all was peaceful, and they could be happy about that.
Author's Note: This chapter was a massive pain in the ass and I apologize if it isn't up to my usual standard. I just wanted to get past it so I could move on to the next chapter, which will move the story forward more.