Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. The rest belongs to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling.

'Gods, when are we going to get this show on the road?' Sirius Black thought impatiently. He had been sitting in the staff room at Hogwarts, not knowing at all what was going on, after being rudely awakened by Remus Lupin and forced to come to Hogwarts.

As if he read Sirius' mind, Albus Dumbledore said, 'if you will all just wait for a few minutes. We're only waiting for a few more people.'

Sirius' casual perusal of the room's inhabitants was interrupted by a noise at the door. He looked up to see a woman enter the room, followed by Ron Weasley. Sirius thought she looked very familiar, but couldn't place her name. All of his attention was quickly withdrawn from her elusive name and focused on her appearance. The girl's brown hair fell straight and smooth down her back, and her brown eyes sparkled as she smiled in delight, seeing all these familiar faces. Sirius was struck dumb. This woman was gorgeous and he couldn't even remember her name or where he had ever seen her before.

'Ah, Miss Granger,' Professor Dumbledore called, 'good to have you back with us.'

'Hermione?' Sirius thought amazedly. Could this vision he saw really be one of his godson's best friends? The last time he saw her, she had still been somewhat of a child.

'She's not a child now,' a sneaky voice said in the back of his head.

Sirius mentally agreed. 'No, she definitely isn't.'

***~~~***

Hermione was looking for Sirius as soon as she stepped through the door into the staffroom. He would be the only one in the room that she hadn't seen in awhile, and she wondered if he had changed at all. As soon as she saw Sirius, Hermione burst out in a big grin. He was different, yet so familiar. Gone was his long hair, replaced by a close-cropped cut bearing the resemblance to curls. Hermione was very surprised with Sirius' overall appearance as he was groomed, well dressed and clean-shaven. 'But then,' Hermione mused, 'the last few times I saw him were when he was on the run from the Ministry, sometimes as a big, black dog named Snuffles.'

'Good to be back, Professor,' Hermione replied to Dumbledore's previous question, and sat down next to Sirius where he had quickly made room for her on the couch beside him.

As Dumbledore walked to the front of the room, Sirius leaned over and whispered in Hermione's ear, 'it's great to see you again, Mio. It's been too long.'

'It really has,' she whispered back. 'After this Intro to Death 101, we should sit down and have a talk.'

'We definitely should,' Sirius replied, getting lost in her brown eyes.

'Do I have to separate the two of you?' Professor Dumbledore called over, acting as they were both first years again.

Hermione giggled nervously, and Sirius quickly looked away from her, chastising himself. 'What are you doing? You're old enough to be her father, for gods sakes!'

'Ladies and gentlemen, you have been gathered here today for a serious and dangerous matter. Most of you have somewhat of an idea why you are here while others are completely clueless. First off, look at the people around you. As of now, you are a team, a family of sorts. You will need to be able to trust them with your lives for this mission to work.'

This statement aroused many comments and little conversations. Dumbledore held up a hand to get back their attention. 'Please, friends, let me finish. I still have a lot more to say, and at this rate, it'll take all night. Some of you are already a family,' glancing at the Weasleys, 'and some of us have known each other for so long that we feel like a family. But now's the time for everyone to be family. For anything that comes up in the future, I don't want you to think, I want you to know. Got it?'

The rest of the room nodded at Dumbledore's somewhat cryptic speech. Satisfied, he continued on. 'You all are the best of the best. The elite, the people who will get anything done, and who will do it right. Now here's what we're facing…'

Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Finally,' she thought. Sirius caught the look and laughed softly.

'The deatheaters are back,' Dumbledore said grimly. 'They don't have as many people as they used to, but the core group has gotten stronger. Their hatred has grown, and they are more intent on ridding our area of those not of pureblood, than Voldemort ever was. Even without Voldemort, they are progressing at an alarming speed, and, sorry to put this so bluntly Draco, we have strong reason to suspect that your father is masterminding the entire thing.'

Draco looked up quickly. 'Lucius is not my father!' he said sharply. 'We may be related by blood, but that man never has been, and never will be my father!'

'I understand,' Dumbledore said soothingly while Ginny put a comforting hand on Draco's shoulder. 'I was just wondering whether you had ever overheard any plans Lucius may have thought up.'

Draco shook his head. 'No, Lucius was always careful to censor that stuff from me.'

Dumbledore sighed. 'Too bad, and speaking of bad, I'm now reaching the worst part of this all. The Deatheaters are also hell-bent on killing Harry. They don't care how or when or where as long as it happens. They want Harry to die.'