Author's Note:
So, I'm a little into chapter 3 at the point of posting this. I'm not sure just yet what my update schedule will be, but I'm hoping at least 1-2 a week. So be sure to add this to your story notifications if you're interested. I know it has been literal years since I've posted, and I hope my writing has gotten better since then and you enjoy this story. Also, I'm crap with photoshop so I know that the image for this is awful-I've used photoshop like twice in my life lol. See you guys at the end of chapter 1!
Thank you to my friend Jess who read over the rough draft of chapter 1 and told me she was excited to continue reading.
Chapter 1: Beyond the Veil
The Golden Trio, there wasn't anyone in the Wizarding World who didn't know their names while Harry Potter was the most popular as he was the Chosen One, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were just as easily recognized. Because of their heroic efforts in defeating Voldemort, the Ministry had given them their choice of career within the Ministry. Harry and Ron already had their hearts set on being aurors and Hermione had given some thought to what she wanted to do once everything was said and done with the war while they hunted the horcruxes. She still wanted to advocate for House Elf Rights but decided that was just as well done without being involved in the Department for Control of Magical Beings and Creatures. She realized it would be much more paperwork than being useful or learning as she loved to do. So, she chose a department there would be limitless opportunities to learn in-the Department of Mysteries. The three friends decided to go through their 7th year and truly earn their new jobs.
Several years had passed, and the trio was now in their mid-20s and remained close. Hermione and Ron had given a relationship a fair shot after the war ended, however it was short lived realizing they were better as friends. Ron had reconciled with Lavender Brown who had matured greatly after her run in with Greyback and while she preferred her steaks rare and had major mood swings around the full moon, she did not fully turn same as Ron's brother Bill. Harry and Ginny had married the previous summer and were expecting their first child. Hermione, however, was very much alone aside from her faithful Half-Kneazle Crookshanks. Due to Harry traveling often though, she lived with Harry and Ginny at Number 12 Grimmauld Place while they restored a cottage in Godric's Hollow so she could be there to help when the baby was born.
It was near the end of September just a few weeks after Hermione's 25th birthday and to celebrate that as well as shop for the baby, Hermione and Ginny were out to lunch at the Leaky Cauldron after a long day of shopping. Ginny had kept to herself after she began to show, not overly enjoying the attention that her Quidditch career and Harry's fame gave her pregnancy.
"I have missed this." Ginny sighed, grabbing a chip off the giant plate of fish and chips she had ordered.
"Me too. It's been too long since we've had a girl's day." Hermione agreed, sipping on her butterbeer.
"When this thing comes out, it'll be even longer." Ginny laughed, poking her belly where the baby's foot was visibly poking.
"Hey, my niece isn't a thing," Hermione laughed shaking her head. "She's a precious angel."
"Says the one not raising a Potter-Weasley child," Ginny retorted. "And I'm 100% sure this is a boy. Not a girl."
Hermione shrugged. "I'm projecting my hopes."
"Speaking of hopes…have you met anyone special?" Ginny's biggest hope aside from a healthy baby right then was that Hermione would finally find the love of her life.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I live with you Gin. If I'd found someone, you'd know it. I'm quite sure I'll just remain the cool aunt for the rest of my life."
"You'll find someone. You deserve happiness." Ginny said confidently.
"Ginny, I just don't feel like there's anyone for me. It would be my luck that my soulmate died during the war. It's okay, I'm happy with the way my life is right now." Hermione smiled.
Despite her words, there was a reason her and Ron hadn't worked out. She'd realized long ago that redheads weren't her thing.
A few weeks passed, and on Halloween James Sirius Potter was born. He looked much like the picture they had of baby Harry with his mother's bright brown eyes. Hermione was named godmother, which was a title she wore with as much if not more pride as when she was named a prefect years before.
"Auntie 'Mione loves you little James." She cooed at the newborn as she rocked him, giving Ginny some time to rest.
"Aunt 'Mione needs to share," Ron teased, reaching out for his nephew. "It's Uncle Ron's turn to spoil him."
She smiled and handed him over, patting Lavender on the shoulder as she headed to her room. "I can do that. I'm going to go to my room and finish some research for work."
"OH, can you let me in on any of those secrets?" Lavender winked, even though she knew better.
"Sure Lav. When you join me as an Unspeakable instead of running the Broomsticks." Hermione smiled. She couldn't tell if she wanted to. Unspeakables were spelled that they couldn't divulge information without permission. If they did, they'd be labeled much in the way Hermione had cursed Marietta Edgecombe years before. Hermione had had the idea when there was a breach of info a year earlier by a former colleague. Her notes had also been spelled to appear invisible unless she was the one looking over them, with a wave of her wand however she would be able to allow someone else to read them.
She headed upstairs and sat at her desk, looking over the parchment in front of her.
~ What lies Beyond the Veil? Can they be brought back? Death, trapped, how to send for research? ~
"Life Debts…I wonder." Hermione murmured as she read over text from an older wizard's notes. They had experimented with life debts so they could send others beyond the veil and bring them back. So far, these tests had been unsuccessful, and generally they used older witches and wizards who were resigned to death, they also had to sacrifice themselves to go across they thought. But did the willingness make a difference? She shook her head. It was unethical to send someone unwilling beyond the veil.
She fell asleep on top of her notes and dreamed of a time years before. Unlike her normal nightmares that consisted mainly of the night that Bellatrix tortured her in Malfoy Manor, or seeing what appeared to be Harry's dead body the night of the Battle of Hogwarts, this dream was of a happier time.
She was in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, eating breakfast with a cheery Sirius Black and many other Order members the day she arrive for the summer.
"I don't know that I ever told you, but I owe you and Harry a life debt Hermione. I can never express my thanks to you enough for saving me from the dementors." Sirius told her, passing the toast.
"Oh, Sirius it was what was right. You don't have to thank me." Hermione blushed.
"Oh, but I do," He winked at her. "If you ever have a need, remember that life debt. I'm at your service."
She awoke with a gasp. That was it. That's how she would complete her research.
A few weeks passed as she worked out her research and gained permissions for what she had planned. The Life Debt ritual was a little complicated so she had to prepare herself for the toll it would take on her body. She also had to arrange for Molly to stay at the house with Ginny and baby James since Harry was on an assignment in Romania. If she were successful, she wouldn't have the energy to help with the baby for a few days from her calculations but if she weren't, there would be no problem helping.
Sirius Black was the perfect candidate for her experiment. He had not gone beyond the veil willingly, nor had he truly died when he fell through. Bellatrix's stunning hex had merely thrown him off balance and he fell through the veil. He was trapped.
Not only that, but if she could bring back her best friend's godfather then she knew he would be elated to introduce his godfather to his newborn son. If anyone deserved another chance at the land of the living it was Sirius Black and she was determined to give it to him.
The ritual called for the full moon, to charge the spell. So, when the full moon rose, she was sitting in front of the Dias housing the veil, crystals surrounding her in a circle. She had pilfered Sirius' leather jacket and some clothes from his old room and had them ready in case he came out unclothed, but the jacket she kept in the circle with his photo and one of Buckbeak's feathers. She chanted for hours, but there was no luck. She left the next morning for home, in tears. She had been so sure it would work.
She threw herself into research even more after her failure. She was sure there was something missing, she just couldn't put her finger on it until Harry's patronus came the night before the next moon. He was reminding her, and Ginny that Tonks and Teddy would be there that day to stay while Remus transformed. She remembered; it wasn't just her that he owed a life debt for that night. Harry was the key. She sent a patronus back that he needed to meet her at the Ministry the following night before moonrise, to not ask questions. He agreed quickly, and the next evening he met her by the lifts.
"What's going on?" Harry asked a breathless Hermione as she rushed to him.
"Do you trust me?" She asked, even though she knew the answer.
"With my life." He promised, concern written on his face.
She pushed him into the lift, and they made their journey to the bottom floor. "Good. Because I need your help. I've been researching the veil."
"I don't-" He began.
"I think we can bring Sirius back." She revealed.
"You're-you've lost it. He's dead Hermione. There's nothing that can bring back the dead." He shook his head at her.
She smiled. "He's not dead. He's trapped. We can do this Harry. He owes us a Life Debt. It reaches beyond life and death."
He shook his head. "Hermione."
"Just trust me," She pleaded. "I tried weeks ago, and it didn't work. But it's because he owes this debt to you as well. Not just me. If nothing else, it won't hurt anything to try."
He reluctantly agreed, and once they were setup the way she had been weeks prior, they began the ritual together. At first, it seemed nothing was happening until a blue light surrounded them, linking the crystals together and shooting towards the veil.
"Sirius Black, you owe us a life debt. We call on you to come back to us." Hermione sang out, Harry's hand clutched in her own.
The Veil lit up a brilliant crystal blue, and out of the veil a figure emerged falling to their knees. As soon as his body hit the ground, the beam of light disappeared, and they rushed towards him.
"Sirius?" Hermione put her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," He looked up at her. "Not that I mind waking up to a pretty witch, but do you mind telling me where I am and who you are?"
She laughed. "Sirius it's me Hermione. I'm just older than you remember me being."
He looked at her puzzled. "I don't know a Hermione."
"Sirius it's okay. You've been gone awhile; it may take a minute to get your senses back." Harry told him.
His eyes fixed on Harry. "Where have I been James? And why aren't you at home with Lily and Harry? Are they…are they okay?"
Harry let out a pained noise. "Sirius I'm not James. It's Harry…"
He looked between them. "What year is it?"
"It's 2004…" Hermione sighed.
"No…no can't be. It was 1981…" He shook his head. "Harry you were…you were just a year old. Did I time travel?"
"No," Hermione shook her head. "You're 36, look just as you did last time we saw you. I'm sorry Sirius, it seems there may be some memory loss from when you came back."
"Where was I?" He asked.
"Beyond the Veil," She answered. "You were…you fell. And I've just been able to call you back. I'm sorry for this. I know it's a shock."
"Where are James and Lily?" He asked Harry.
"We'll tell you everything Sirius," Hermione promised, holding her hand out to him. "Let's get you dressed."
He looked down and found he was stark naked. In front of his apparently adult godson.
"Did I fall through there naked?" He covered himself, only for Harry's benefit. He was quite alright with the pretty witch with him seeing unless… "And are you Harry's wife, sister? You look a bit like James' mother."
They laughed and shook their heads.
"Best friends. She is a sister I've claimed though." Harry answered.
Hermione handed Sirius the jeans and a black t-shirt she had brought for him and they turned to give him privacy. They then sat him down and explained as much as they could about the last 24 years he didn't remember. They promised to answer any questions he had, as they were brief with their explanations since there was so much to tell.
"Did I at least kill the rat before I went through that thing?" Sirius shivered, pointing a thumb at the veil.
Hermione put his jacket over his shoulders, not realizing the shiver was from him being disturbed by the veil and not the cold air.
"No but he's dead," Harry assured him. "Long gone."
"I'm so sorry I let him be Secret Keeper. I thought that they'd be safer with him since the Death Eaters were always after me…" Sirius sobbed into his hands.
"It's okay," Harry put his arms around his godfather. "I don't blame you Sirius. I understand why you did it."
After given his time to mourn, Sirius asked the question Hermione wasn't sure how to answer. Not without getting in trouble.
"Why did you bring me back?" He asked.
"My job," She worded carefully. "Is to research the veil. We were looking for a way to send someone across to study. I found that if you are not dead and go unwillingly when you go across, you're only trapped. A life debt will bring you back. You owed us a life debt so I decided to try and make this work so we could find what is on the other side. But with the memory loss…unfortunately it won't work."
"She's an Unspeakable." Harry whispered to him.
"You were 15-16 when I went through?" Sirius asked them and they nodded. "Why were we here?"
"Voldemort made me think he had you trapped…I erm, endangered my friends to save you." Harry rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed.
"I must have meant a great deal to you…I guess that's why you decided to bring me back eh?" He asked Hermione and she smiled.
"It's why I took the time to make this possible, yes. I wanted to bring you back legally so that you could resume a normal life."
"Okay. I think I understand now. So, can we go home?"
"Of course," Hermione answered. "Let me sign you out…I already made arrangements that if successful you would be coming home with me. The official story is that you were in a protection program because you had information against Bellatrix, and we needed you safe. You've only just been found again. However, those there that night and in the Order will know the truth."
"Am I a free man?" He asked, knowing about his escape from Azkaban now.
She nodded as she filled out the paperwork. "Dumbledore made sure that after your apparent death that you would be given an honorable memory."
He nodded. "Good."
They arrived at Grimmauld Place, feeling the effects of the spells they'd cast after apparating side along with Sirius.
"Hermione you're late…Harry?" Ginny asked coming down the stairs.
He kissed her forehead. "Yea. I have to head back in the morning."
"Why are you…Sirius Black?" She blinked at the man clutching Hermione's hand.
"Lily?" He asked confused.
"No this is Harry's wife, Ginny." Hermione explained.
"What is it with you and your father and redheads?" Sirius asked him.
"Anyone want to tell me what's going on?" Ginny asked.
Hermione started to explain when Tonks came around, her hair turning from her light brown to pink in excitement. "Sirius?!"
"Andromeda?" He asked.
"Close, her daughter Nymphadora. Call me that and I'll hex your pretty face cousin." She hugged him. "How are you back?"
"Let's all sit," Hermione suggested. "The process took a lot out of Harry and me."
They obliged and went to the kitchens where they set out tea and some food. The three were starved from the night. After a sip of tea, Hermione explained everything without revealing secrets from the Department of Mysteries they weren't privy to before. All the while, Sirius kept her hand in his as an anchor. This girl had saved him, more than once it seemed. Being the first face he saw when he awoke, he felt like he needed to keep her close.
"Remus will be so happy," Tonks sniffled. "He's missed you so much."
"Where is he?" Sirius asked.
"It's the full moon," Hermione explained. "I had to do the ritual to bring you back during. He'll be here in a few hours."
A loud crying echoed through the little shell Ginny had charmed to be a baby monitor. She hopped up and went to get baby James out of his bed.
"You get to meet my son," Harry smiled at his godfather. "I never thought I'd get to introduce you."
Ginny came in the room a few minutes later with the baby bundled up. "Needed a new nappy."
She handed him over to Sirius and smiled at the look on the older man's face. "It's like looking at you Harry."
"His name is James Sirius Potter." Harry told him.
Sirius broke out into a smug grin. "I told your dad that Sirius was a good name, but he wanted to name you after himself. Selfish prat."
They retired to bed not long after, but Hermione found Sirius at her door minutes after laying down.
"I…I don't remember much Hermione, but I remember feeling alone before I woke up to you there. Do you mind if I sleep in your chair tonight? I don't want to be alone."
"Of course not," she scooted over in the large bed. "But take the other side of the bed. It'll be more comfortable. There's plenty of room."
When they awoke, it was just after 10 and Sirius had his arm around Hermione's waist and her head was on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry." He moved away from her.
"It's fine," She smiled at him. "You most likely had no human contact for a while now. It's normal to want that."
"I'd say not." He agreed.
"And hey, you weren't alone, and I didn't have nightmares. I call that a win." She stood up and grabbed her clothes so she could get dressed in the adjoining bathroom.
They headed downstairs and found Remus had joined as well as Ron and Lavender. Remus looked up at the sound of footsteps and clutched his chest.
"Sirius?" He asked dumbfounded.
"Remus? You've gotten old." Sirius grinned at his friend.
"How the-Merlin is he really here?" Remus looked at Tonks.
She nodded, smiling. "It's really him."
"Not that we're not glad to see you mate," Ron said. "But how in the bloody hell are you alive?"
"I can explain that," Hermione sat down and pulled the seat beside her out for Sirius. "But let me eat a bite first. It took a lot out of me."
"I don't remember anything after October 20th, 1981. So, if there's something you'd like to Reminisce about after that, I won't remember." Sirius told Remus.
"Time travel...No can't be. You look much older." Remus pondered.
"Hey offense there mate. I still look pretty damn good if I say so myself." Sirius grinned.
Hermione finished her eggs and launched into the tale of how they brought Sirius back. In the end Remus hugged her.
"Thank you for bringing my friend back to me."
As the weeks passed, Sirius was reintroduced to society beginning with a meeting of the Order who were the ones privileged with the truth. A few of Sirius' old girlfriends had came around since they learned he was alive but having been "dead" almost a decade they were "too old" for him he claimed. Everyone rolled their eyes at that. He spent the nights in Hermione's room, because he kept her nightmares at bay, and she kept him from being alone.
It was nearly Christmas, so Hermione and Sirius had went shopping for baby James' presents. Sirius had no idea what to buy for a baby these days and Hermione had an entire list. They had become quite close since he went to work with her daily for testing. Even though he had a fortune at Gringotts, he was paid for allowing them to run tests on him to fully understand the veil.
So far, they learned that memory loss was a definite side effect, because after extensive testing they found the memories were buried deep but still there. Because of Sirius not aging, it gave them insight that time was not the same on the other side. Physically Sirius was for sure 36 and had not aged a day. There was much for them to still test, but the buried memories gave them hope for more answers as time went on if the memories returned.
Hermione was excited for a day to dress in her favorite jeans and a long-sleeved black tunic she'd picked up the last time she was in a Muggle shop. She paired it with a pair of black boots. She'd put a charm on her hair to relax the curls to loose ringlets and put on light makeup. It had been too long since she wore anything other than her comfortable robes at home or her work robes.
Sirius hadn't been out much, so he was excited himself but for the opportunity to go to a few Muggle shops for new clothing. His clothes while comfortable and familiar didn't match the times and he needed some new jeans that matched the year he lived in. He hadn't been able to do much shopping after his escape from Azkaban from what he'd heard anyway, so his clothes were all from the late 70's, early 80s. He chose that day to wear a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt with his motorcycle boots. His hair he pulled back into a loose cord at the base his neck to keep it out of the way. They were an odd couple for sure.
"So," Hermione pulled out her list as they arrived in London. "Ginny says James needs some clothes, nappies and other than that it is whatever we want to get him. But he's only two months old so he doesn't need much."
"I'm getting him a toy broomstick." Sirius declared, heading into Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"He won't be able to use it for a while." Hermione pointed out.
He just shook his head at her and picked out a toy Fire Bolt. Of course.
They finished their shopping and Hermione stuffed everything into her beaded bag. They went to lunch at the Leaky and arrived home in time for dinner after a few other stops for themselves. They parted ways while Hermione went in a thrift store and Sirius went into another shop in Diagon Alley. He of course purchased himself some new clothes, but as he left to meet Hermione back at the Leaky a book in Flourish and Blotts caught his eye and he wandered inside. He only had one person left to buy for after all, and he knew what they would enjoy most of all.
Hermione got to work with Ginny cooking dinner for the family, as all the Weasleys plus the Lupins were coming over. They were all laughing over stories from Fred and George's latest misadventures with new products when it happened.
One moment Hermione was being handed the breadbasket by Sirius, the next Sirius was laying in the floor shaking. Hermione jumped down to help roll Sirius onto his side to keep his airway clear as he shook violently.
"Sirius! Oh no Sirius." Hermione sobbed as the shaking subsided. What if he wasn't meant to come back and she just made him suffer once again?
"Where…where am I?" Sirius asked, blinking as he took in his surroundings.
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed! I know that this is kind of short, but the chapters seem to get longer as I've written so we'll see. If you enjoyed, please add this to your favorites/notifications and leave a review. I'll accept constructive criticism but don't be rude please.