CHAPTER 30 RECAP:

All boys at Hogwarts look like James Potter minus one detail (Siriushair; Remuseyes; Harryeyes; etc). Sirius's Uncle Alphard is dead. Sirius is still angry at Hermione, though he can't say why. Sirius yelled at Harry, then later apologised. Lily knows that Harry and Hermione are from the future. (Not important to this chapter, but it seemed to be a favourite of readers) An angry mob came after James. Dumbledore called Harry and Hermione into his office. While waiting, Sirius and Lily had a little row, which James put an end to. The two time-travelers came back to the sixth year boys' dormitory to find James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily waiting for them.

"We should be traveling back to our own time within the next two days."

Chapter 31: The Two Days

"Two days?" yelled James. He collapsed onto his bed. His breath was coming out hard and heavy. "Two days! But that's not enough time—we should've had more warning—you can't really be gone in—you can't!" James finally gasped. To everyone's surprise if they hadn't been too occupied with Harry and Hermione's news, Lily walked over to James and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Lily stared at James for a time, then looked up at Hermione. "In two days? Really?" Her voice wasn't upset or stunned like James's. It was saddened—deeply saddened. Hermione nodded slowly with a pained look on her face. "And when will we see you again?" Lily asked, for she did not know how far into the future Harry and Hermione were from.

"Only time can tell," said not Hermione but Remus in a solid tone. He was looking straight into Hermione's toffee-coloured eyes. His face was unreadable. "Right?" he asked, almost challenging.

"Of course," Hermione said, bowing her head respectfully.

Sirius's only reaction to the news of the two time-travelers was a deep crease between his eyebrows. His facial features were blank. Of course, James's Dare was still in play, so it was James's face. Sirius's eyes saw only Hermione.

Everyone say in silence for quite a long time, processing this recent and disturbing news. What did this mean? Was this good bye forever? How long would forever last? Is it possible that they could stay longer? Forever? Could they just ignore Dumbledore? Would they leave without telling anything of the future? Would they leave without a good bye? Would they forget everyone in the past? Would the class of '78 forget the time-travelers? Could they take them to the future?

Without warning, Harry, Remus, and Sirius began to feel a tingling sensation all over their body. Their skin seemed to buzz with trepidation. They all looked wildly around at each other. It lasted for a minute or so, and when it had ended, each boy was back in his respective body: Sirius looked like Sirius yet again, Remus was Remus, and Harry had his lightening bolt-shaped scar etched on his forehead once more. His shoulders seemed to sag under the weight of it. As Sirius was examining his face with trembling fingers and Remus his old lycanthropy wounds on his arms, Harry warily reached up to touch his scar. Once again, Harry was reminded that he had to think of not himself but others, especially those in the future. He had to be Harry Potter, the fighter against Lord Voldemort, neither can live while the other survives…

"I think…" began Lily uncertainly, "it might be a good time to go to dinner." She began to walk out of the room, shooting a fleeting glare at Sirius before laying a soothing arm over Hermione, shepherding her out of the room. Hermione cast Sirius one last look, and Sirius, caught off guard, snagged her eyes. Hermione's carried a concerned manner while Sirius gave the impression, surprisingly to both, of uneasiness.

James suddenly jumped up and ran over to Harry, throwing an arm over his son's shoulders. "We're going to give you the best two days, Harry," said James as flamboyantly as he could muster. James spotted a faint smile on Lily's face before she turned the corner and disappeared. "All right? The best two days of your life!" He gave Harry a noogie. A weak grin appeared on Harry's face. Elevated by his son's smile, James roughly slung an arm over Harry's shoulders. He, too, led him out of the dormitory. "We'll pull some pranks, prowl through the campus, maybe even have a picnic with the future wife, eh?" he added in an undertone, as to not let Sirius and Remus hear.

Harry looked suddenly at his father. Could they? Could they really have a picnic together, just the three of them? The Potter family? Harry's first real dinner with his two parents. The thought of it gave a warm feeling in his heart that spread all the way to his toes. James could tell from Harry's faraway stare that it would have to be arranged.

Dinner had been quite eventful. James and Sirius made two of the roast chickens tap dance up and down the table. Lily in retaliation hit the two boys with a Point of View Curse which forced them to say, "That was incredibly stupid of me to do so. I should stop showing off and looking so damn adorable when I do so." Lily blushed at the last part, hastily stuffing some potatoes into her mouth when James urbanely scooted towards her.

"We, my counterpart and I," James said mainly to Harry and Remus, halfway through dinner, "have come up with brilliant 'prank' as some would call it. It is harmless," he added hastily at the look on their faces, "but indeed quite humourous." Lily and Hermione, not interested in the least bit, turned away from the four boys and continued their conversation.

"Tell us, then," said Harry.

"A little background information seems to be in order first," said Sirius. James nodded. "At some level of consciousness in your brain, a song is usually rolling around up there, you may sense it, you may not."

"Which leads to this funny idea," continued James. "We enchant a sort of spell wall which, when someone walks through it, they hum or sing the first few lines of the song stuck in their head. How about that?"

Harry chuckled while Remus slowly nodded. "Advanced," said the latter. "It's safe to assume that you two know the spell already, is it?" James and Sirius nodded their heads eagerly. "I suppose you want to do it now, in the exit of the Great Hall." A few more bobble-head nods. Remus sighed. "All right, if we must. What say you, Harry?"

"Sounds great to me," said Harry, eager to spend time with his father, godfather, and old teacher.

"Who knew that Kyle McFly was a John Denver fan?" said James loudly as the four Gryffindor boys strode back to Gryffindor Tower. It was well after dinner. At the moment, James, Sirius, Remus, and Harry were reminiscing the recent prank. It had included "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," hummed by Kyle, "Hound Dog," by many upper classmen girls, "Piano Man" by Severus Snape, and "Do You Believe In Magic?" by Professor McGonagall. Harry didn't pay much attention to the actual trick, but more to the company he was in. Every word his father and godfather spoke, every action they made, Harry drank up. This was his last time being with his only parent-figures, and he wanted these memories to last a long time.

"My personal favourite was Professor Aylward's 'Singing in the Rain," said Sirius gleefully. "Especially when he tried to do a little tap dancing."

"Nah, when Dumbledore broke out into 'All You Need Is Love,' I thought I was going to cry," laughed James. "Victor Von Dort," he said to the Fat Lady. She nodded and swung her portrait open. The boys muttered a "thanks" and hopped into the Gryffindor common room. The first sight that snagged James's attention was a wave of vibrant red hair. Casting a wink at his son, James strode over towards Lily, who was seated near the fire beside Hermione.

"What's he up to?" mused Remus. He turned to Harry for his thoughts, but the Boy Who Lived shrugged and strolled to the back stairs with a smile and a little skip. Remus soon followed suit: he shrugged and shuffled towards the dormitories. Sirius, however, halted, standing rooted to the spot. He stood awkwardly with a glare in his eyes. Looking past a crowd of giggling fourth years and ignoring James pleading to Lily, Sirius spotted Hermione sitting beside the latter. She had her hands neatly folded on her lap, watching James and Lily with a dull amusement. Soon her gaze faltered and landed on a new object: Sirius.

They were both electrified as they made eye contact and could have easier torn away two of the strongest magnets than look away from each other. A swell of emotions washed over both of them instantaneously: ecstasy, rage, bother, confusion, grief, and, finally, fear. Hermione looked for some sign of forgiveness in his eyes while Sirius searched for hope. Before either found it, Hermione's stare had taken a sudden turn. She looked away from Sirius and focused her attention dazedly at James, who had abruptly started to talk to her. Sirius's entire body have a deep, heavy sigh. He had not yet spotted that glimpse of hope. All he had seen was the want for immediate comfort. Stealing one more glance at her (she was still in conversation with James), he turned and stalked away.

Hermione had been absorbed in talk with Lily about James when the four Marauders entered the common room. She caught James giving Harry a wink before striding over to Lily and herself. Just as Hermione had assumed, James began to talk to Lily, something about a picnic. This was when Hermione and Sirius caught each other's glances.

Unexpectedly, before Hermione had found that hint of forgiveness, James turned away from Lily to Hermione with a grin on his face.

"What?" Hermione asked with not much enthusiasm. She sounded quite put out.

"Well?" said James, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Well what?" asked Hermione.

"Were you even listening to what we were talking about?" asked James exasperatedly, but he still could not contain his eagerness.

"No."

"I asked if Lily would want to join Harry, Remus, Sirius, and me in a picnic tomorrow afternoon," he explained. "She said she would IF and only if you went along with her."

Hermione took this pause in his speech to see Sirius again. When she turned towards the center of the common room, she found he was gone. Sighing, Hermione focused back to James. Behind him, Lily was frantically nodding her head. Hermione looked at James and slowly nodded her head, too, still not sure what was happening.

James jumped a full meter up in the air, punching his fist into empty space. Having lost all dignity, he let out a continuous mixture of squeals and hollers while skipping to tell the other boys of his feat. The last thing the two girls heard was an earsplitting "WAHOO!" before James slammed his dormitory door closed.

Hermione rotated in her seat to face Lily again. "Why did you want to go to a picnic? You do know that a certain Quidditch star will be there, arrogant as ever, don't you?"

"Well, he's not that arrogant, not any more at least," answered Lily evasively. In truth, Lily wanted Hermione to go, thinking it would be a fine time to patch things up with Sirius, since he would be there too. Lily cared more for Hermione and Sirius than spending time with James. Deep down, though, she was beginning to warm up to him, though she would never admit it….

Upstairs in the boys' dormitory, James had just barged into his room, giving a loud, "WAHOO!"

"If I had known you were trying for the loudest yell at Hogwarts yet, I would have hit you with a Snorous spell," said Sirius in a bitter tone. He sat lounging on his bed, his usual conceited ambience smothering the air around him.

"What's wrong with you?" said James, trying and failing to conceal his happiness.

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows but said nothing more on the subject. "What are you on about, hollering down the halls and—MY GOD, ARE YOU SKIPPING?"

"Why, yes, I am, my dear Padfoot," said James, coming to a halt in front of Sirius bed, "for I have a lot to be excited about." Instead of continuing, he started to jump up and down like a little five-year-old with a cookie in his hand.

"One day you will tell us, I suppose," said Remus in a vague tone. Harry eagerly nodded his head behind him.

"Lily has agreed to go on a picnic with us!" squealed James.

"Excuse me, then, for not jumping up and down with you," drawled Sirius.

"Well, Hermione is going, too," added James, his excitement dropping down a notch, "but more importantly, Lily agreed to go with me!"

The last bit of news (minus James's comment about Lily) piqued the interest of the two remaining Marauders. Sirius stopped scowling for a moment and Remus stopped folding his clothes for a moment to look at Sirius. The latter took a step towards his friend, hesitated, then plunged onwards. "Padfoot…"

Meanwhile, Harry pulled James forcibly aside and waited for Remus and Sirius to start talking.

"Remus, Sirius, and Hermione!" whispered Harry angrily. Surprisingly, James just smiled. Harry's anger faltered. "What? What's going on inside that head of yours, Prongs?"

"Well," started James, "if you really think about it, Sirius will refuse to go because of the little riff between him and Hermione. Remus won't go, for he will find it uncomfortable, especially being with Hermione. He will also want to leave so he can knock some sense into Sirius about the matter. Hermione will come at first, but because she knows the future of the Potters, she will think it best to leave. Also, she will want to confront Sirius in private. Therefore, it will end up being just you, me, and Lily, for she won't leave, thinking it would be rude. She also will want to leave Hermione to talk to Sirius without interruptions, which I'm likely to cause. But, most importantly, she'll stay because she fancies me dearly."

Harry laughed particularly at the last part. "You truly have a conniving mind. How long did it take you come up with this?"

"Oh, about five minutes," said James with a laugh, which Harry joined him shortly.

"How long do you think it will take for Sirius to refuse to go?" asked Harry quietly, first making sure the two others weren't listening.

James held out a closed fist. First he raised his index finer, as if counting, then his middle, then his fourth, his pinky, and finally his thumb. He waved his open hand with a flourish. As soon as he did so, Sirius said loudly to Remus, "There's no way you can make me go."

Harry had to stifle his laugh. He turned to James again. "You really know your friends well, don't you?" James nodded with a cheeky grin before switching it to a solemn face and calling out to his friend, "What was that, Padfoot?"

"I'm not going," said Sirius, pronouncing his stubbornness with great finesse.

James winked at Harry before rushing to his best friend's side. "Why not, 'ole Padfoot? It'll be boring without you there."

Sirius managed to slip in a smile. "I'm sure you'll find some way to entertain yourself, especially when a certain red head will be there. No, I think it'll be for the best if I didn't show up." And that was final.

"All right," said James, knowing not to argue, or else his entire plan would fail. Also, he knew better than to argue with Sirius, just in general. "I'll make sure to save you a slice of pie."

"Make it two and we have a deal," Sirius sent back, this time with a full, genuine smile.

That night, Harry, James, Sirius, and Remus prowled around Hogwarts. The three Marauders made sure to show Harry all of the most secret passageways and shortcuts, with the help of James's Invisibility Cloak, of course. Every once in awhile, Sirius or James would transfigure themselves into their Animagus form. Padfoot would skip around, chasing his own tail. Prongs once turned into a stag, but as he turned to face Harry, his long, pointy antlers collided with and knocked over a suit of armour. He quick transfigured himself back and dived under the Invisibility Cloak. They all ran away cackling.

At an ungodly hour in the morning, the four boys crashed into their dormitory, falling asleep straight away.

Coming all too quickly, the next afternoon was filled with snow, a little breeze, and a few stray rays of sunlight. Owls flew in and out of the castle, delivering belated Christmas presents. The trees in the nearby forest rustled as wild, magical animals weaved between them. Inside one of the tallest towers of the castle, a rambunctious boy was galloping throughout his dormitory.

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WE HAVE A PICNIC TO GO TO!" shouted James. He ran up to each bed and shoved its occupant. Accidentally, Remus was pushed out of his bed and onto the floor with a THUD.

"Prongs!" yelled Sirius as he received a noogie from James. "I'm not going to the bloody picnic. Couldn't you have let me sleep in?" He finished with a growl.

"It's already past noon, anyway," said Remus with a yawn, staring at his watch with faintly amused eyes.

"Well, we did stay up late last night," grinned Sirius, baring his teeth.

James, who was in the process of shaking Harry awake, came to a sudden thought. He dropped his son (Harry hit his head on his bedside) and yelped in surprise. "Oh no oh no oh no!" he repeated again and again, pacing in little circles.

"What's wrong now, Prongsie?" said Sirius, his mouth dripping with sarcasm. Harry resurfaced, rubbing his head gingerly.

James stopped as if hit with a Body-Bind curse. "What am I going to wear!"

"It's a shame Remus couldn't make it," said Harry. His voice seemed offhand, but his snickering and wink to James gave it away.

"Yeah, I was really counting on him being here," added James, his smirk matching his son's. He leapt over the last five stairs like a deer over a fallen log onto the floor of the Entrance Hall. As he waited for Harry to finish the set of stairs, James tensely tugged the sleeves of his black sweater before catching his son's glance and shoving his hands back into his khaki's pockets.

"Nervous?" asked Harry, concealing his grin behind his hand.

"Maybe," answered James after a long moment's pause. He cast a toothy grin. They walked in silence across the corridor, and it wasn't until they were outside when James spoke up again. "Would this picnic count as a date?" He had tried to sound casual, though he didn't manage it perfectly.

"I don't know if having your future son with you counts," said Harry slowly. "But I guess it could. Depends on how you look at it."

James looked at his watch. "Bonnie is late," he commented. As though she heard him, Bonnie the house-elf Apparated beside his feet. "Good. Did you bring the food?" James asked kindly, squatting down so they could see eye-to-eye.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, sir," she squeaked, wringing her apron nervously, as most of the Hogwart's house-elves did when doing what was usually not permitted. She snapped her long fingers and trays of steaming food appeared at her side. "Where would Master Potter like it?"

"Over there, by that clump of trees, if you could," said James with a genuine smile. He pointed to a spot not too far off. The threesome set off at once to the area. Once they got there, James started to charm the place, first siphoning all the snow from the area. Then he conjured up a blanket to sit on. Bonnie made sure all the food was prepared perfectly before leaving the two Potters. When James tried for the third time to create a shield to stop the snow from falling on them, Lily Evans and Hermione Snicket had joined them. James instantly sprang off the blanket as if it were scorching. "Lily, you made it." He sounded positively thrilled. He looked over her shoulder to see Hermione. "Hullo Hermione."

"Hi," she answered timidly. She looked around only to spot Harry. "The others couldn't make it?" She, too, tried to sound offhand, but failed miserably.

"No, I'm sorry. I couldn't convince them to come," James apologised, sounding sincere. He turned back to Lily with a nervous smile. "You look beautiful." Lily had let her hair down, styling it into loose curls. Her sweater was a pure white, contrast to James's black. She, too, wore khaki pants which fitted her perfect curves. "If angels lived on Earth, they'd be quite jealous of you." James pulled out his wand and drew a flower in midair. It dropped into his hand. He handed the lily to Lily.

Harry and Hermione felt awkward at the moment, especially the latter. Harry, however, was smiling. His parents were getting along just fine, although his father was bordering on excessive sappiness, even if his mother just drank it up.

She smiled and whispered a heartfelt "thank you" in his ear before sitting down on the blanket. "What spell were you just attempting to do before we got here?" she asked.

"I was trying to create a sort of bubble charm on the blanket so the snow wouldn't keep falling on us—" James started, but was interrupted by Lily. She pulled out her wand and, without even uttering the incantation, caused an invisible wall to encompass them all. The aftereffects were stunning. From the outside looking in, they seemed to be in an enlarged snow globe. Lily performed another nonverbal charm, making the place heated, though no fires were visible.

"You're amazing, you know that," cooed James. Lily's complexion heightened.

"What do we have to eat?" Lily asked for a quick change of subject. She sat down, criss-crossed, between Harry and James, though not to close to the latter. She eyed the silver trays of steaming food. James smiled, fell to the ground very childishly, scooted closer to her, and reached across her to point to the food while naming them. Lily leaned back as he shot a wink at her.

"We have some salad to start off with," he said. "Then we have mashed potatoes and a tasty roast chicken—with butterbeer to drink, of course. Then, for dessert, we have all sorts of sweets: pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, and what not."

"Sounds delightful," Lily exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. "How did you know that my favourite meal included roast chicken?"

James grinned. "I have my sources." He turned to Harry as Lily went to peruse the food. "I had no idea, did you?" Harry shook his head, shaking with laughter.

Hermione looked around at her surroundings, feeling quite out of place. She folded her arms across her chest, looking as though she wanted to shrink completely out of this scene. As welcome as she was by Lily, who did not want to be alone with James, Hermione know she couldn't be there. She knew she was an intruder. An intruder upon a happy family moment—though one third of the partaker didn't know it. She should leave. She should leave now. In the back of her mind, in the place where she seldom went recently, she knew she must go and seek a certain boy whom she had not spoken to alone in what seemed like eons.

Hermione sidestepped over to Harry. "Listen, I don't feel like I should be here right now." Harry's eyes flickered over to James wit a twinkle, but Hermione didn't notice the fleeting glance. "Intruding a family moment, you know," she added with an empty chuckle. "Don't worry about me. You stay here." Giving Harry a hug, she whispered in his ear, "I'm glad you finally got your wish, after sixteen years."

"Thanks," Harry said as she departed. "And good luck," he added once she was out of hearing range. He watched her walk up to the castle before turning to his mother and father, who were arguing over what was the best wizarding sweet.

Hermione trekked through the snow, using her wand to melt a path to the school. Hugging herself to keep her warmth, she gave a heavy sigh. Harry had once told her about the Mirror of Erised, after much coaxing on her part. All Harry Potter wanted, the one thing he truly desired above everything else, was his family. Not fame. Not fortune. Not a girl. Not friends. Not even Voldemort defeated. Just James and Lily Potter. And now, out of this time-traveling fiasco came a deeply satisfied Harry.

Hermione's breath floated in front of her eyes like a puff of smoke before it dispersed. The cold stung her eyes, and when she went to rub them, she found them wet.

She climbed the front stairs and stepped through the entrance doors. Warmth spread from her toes to the top of her head. Her spirits lifted higher than the tallest tower. She knew what she had to do. And she had to do it right now. No more waiting. No more avoiding. She had to see him. To talk to him. To be near him.

To give him a proper good-bye. Forever.

She spent twenty-some minutes of wandering around the school, her search fruitless. There was no sign of the remaining Marauders anywhere. It would have helped, although, if she had the Marauder's Map or even knew the grounds as well as the four boys did, but she did not. A few minutes after she had given up hope and decided to make her way back to the common room, she heard someone start to yell. She quickened her pace down the corridor to ascertain who she thought it belonged to. The voice was coming from what seemed like a tapestry. She turned the corner and—

"You're a hard character to track down, Padfoot," said Remus in the middle of his panting. He bent over, catching his breath. He had found Sirius in one of the back ways to Gryffindor Tower behind a tapestry. If Remus hadn't been bothered to look behind one of the coats of armour, he wouldn't have spotted his friend: Sirius had transformed into his Animagus form. At first, the large black dog growled at the newcomer, but faltered. Padfoot's grey eyes lost their anger and turned to sadness.

"Why don't you join the land of two feet?" asked Remus. The dog tilted his head in the adorable way only a dog can, let out a loud bark, then transformed into his own human teenager form.

"Why Sirius! Where did you come from?" asked Remus, full of sarcasm and wearing a cheeky grin.

Sirius clambered out from behind the armour. At that moment, the coat of armour dropped its axe so it halted millimeters above Sirius's head. He flinched, falling to the floor, his eyes almost popping out of his head. His form reminded Remus of a baby about to cry. Once he realised he was not in danger, Sirius returned to normal at once. Echoing throughout the armour rang an evil laughter. In retaliation, Sirius whacked his wand against the chest plate. Sparks flew out, and through the helmet out popped a bouquet of flowers. The laughter died immediately.

"HA!" said Sirius triumphantly, kicking the knight's left shin guard. It was after much taunting when he acknowledged his friend's presence. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the picnic?" His voice sounded a little bitter at the last part.

"Shouldn't you?" snapped Remus. Sirius noted this new sharpness in his friend's voice, turned sharply on his heel, and started to walk away. "Why aren't you there? Why do you keep avoiding her?"

With his back still to his friend, Sirius said airy, "I don't know what you are talking about," then started to walk away again.

"You're not fooling anybody, Sirius," Remus said. He ran ahead of Sirius to block his escape. His friend glared at him. Remus was unmoved. "You are avoiding Hermione. I don't know why, but I think it is incredibly foolish of you to do so."

"You do, do you?" asked Sirius, almost uncontrollably. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. But let me tell you something, Moony, before you continue to recite all of your opinions. She has done more trouble here than you realise. Before this year, you never used to pester me and James, never told us off for doing whatever we were doing. But this year, the year that little Miss Hermione is painted into the picture, you begin to—"

"Stand up to you two?" interrupted Remus. He was bordering on anger now. "Sorry if I'm not the push-over I used to be." The two boys glared at each other for several moments. "The reason why I speak up nowadays is because things are a lot bigger. If either of you two screw anything up with Harry or Hermione, the ENTIRE FUTURE could be ruined. And I think that is of just a tad greater magnitude than you both hexing Snape."

"So then why the hell are you twisting my arm to talk to Hermione?" growled Sirius. "If I'm jeopardizing the future by dating her, why do you want me to kiss and make up?"

"Because you'll be a wreck for the next twenty years if you don't," said Remus frankly. Neither boy said anything for quite sometime. They just stood across from each other, their eyes never wavering from the other.

"Remus? Did I hear your voice?" came a feminine voice a ways off. The next moment, the tapestry moved, and Hermione appeared. She stopped short at the sight of Remus's companion. Sirius, who had looked up to see her, now whipped his head away from her view. Remus glanced fleetingly at his friend before stepping towards Hermione.

"Why aren't you at the picnic?" he asked in a kind tone.

Hermione shrugged. "It just felt a little awkward, having to withstand all the flirting between James and Lily."

"Is Harry around?" asked Remus, looking behind her as if expecting Harry to come through the tapestry too.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "He's still down there with the two love birds." She looked around her for a moment before saying, "So… what are you two up to?" She watched the two boys fidget uneasily.

"We were just—" began Sirius.

"I was just about to leave," said Remus loudly over his friend. "So, now, I'm going to, er… leave… Bye." He turned away from Hermione and, while walking past Sirius, whispered in his friend's ear, "Twenty years is a long time to regret. Don't blow it." Remus nudged Sirius forward so that he stumbled. Without another word, he left.

Sirius glared at where Remus had disappeared, and then turned toward Hermione, feeling the most awkward he had ever felt in his life. He couldn't bear to look at her, so he averted his eyes. "Look, I was just going to—"

"Sirius," said Hermione quietly. Her voice wavered. Sirius glimpsed upwards to find her face blotchy and her eyes wet. She gave a soft sniff. "Is this really how we're going to leave each other?" She wrapped her arms around herself and cast her eyes to the ground.

It was seeing her look so helpless and hurt that banished all of Sirius's resentment and anger. Everything that he had been feeling since the news of his departed uncle had rushed out of him like air from an open balloon. Instead of wanting to yell at her, he just wanted to be those arms that wrapped around her. He wanted to comfort her, to apologise for being a complete idiot to her for the past days. He wanted to make everything better. And somewhere deep inside him, he felt as though this would be one of the last moments he would ever have the chance to see her again. Sirius walked to her. "Not if I can help it."

"Oh, Sirius," cried Hermione. She ran over to him and flung herself at him. He embraced her with equal strength. Her body against his made his heart leap with joy. The scent of her hair in his nose made him smile. Even her tears soaking his shirt made him feel elevated higher than ever before.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled into her hair, since her head was lying on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for being a complete prat to you for the last—"

"You don't need to apologise," cut in Hermione, her voice barely audible through Sirius's shoulder. "I'm just glad you won't be mad at me… when I leave."

"But, we'll see each other again," said Sirius comfortingly. "Sure, I'll be a lot older, but from what I understand, I'm not married." He gave a weak chuckle, one that Hermione did not return. Instead, she lifted her head upwards to reveal even more tears.

"Just promise me this, Sirius," she whispered.

"Anything for you, Hermione," answered Sirius.

"Just… promise me you'll listen to your friends, especially when it comes to Remus." It wasn't telling Sirius anything in particular of the future, but it was a caution. In her mind, however, Hermione was thinking specifically of when Remus tried and failed to persuade Sirius to stay at headquarters instead of going to the Ministry to help Harry.

Sirius faltered. "Okay. I promise. I will."

"Good," sniffed Hermione. Her face disappeared again as she snuggled into Sirius's shoulder.

Sirius pondered on this request for some time, absentmindedly stroking Hermione's hair. What did it mean? Was something bad in store for him in the future? For one of his friends? Was it a life or death situation, or was it something else? These questions and a plethora of more ran in and out of Sirius's head for quite some time.

Without really deciding on it, the couple began to stroll around the grounds. They seldom talked, never stopped and snogged each other, but just enjoyed the other's presence. Their hands interlocked tightly, they wound in and out through the halls of Hogwarts. Neither of them took notice of the students around them, whispering and pointing, nor where exactly their feet were leading them. Hermione glanced out of a nearby window and gave a sweet chuckle. She elbowed Sirius lightly in the ribs and pointed out the window. "Look."

Out in the snow laid three students: two with jet-black hair and one with long red hair. James, Harry, and Lily were seated on a red and white checkered blanket feasting on their picnic. Lily threw her head back, laughing hysterically at something one of the two Potters had said. It was picture-perfect scene.

Sirius smiled. The time-travelers were having fun spending time with family and friends (though he didn't know about Lily). They were visiting all except for… Remus. Sirius felt a pang of guilt. He had driven his friend away from fancying Hermione. And now Remus was missing the last few hours of Harry and Hermione's company, just to see his other friends happy. Sirius would have to buy him a life-time supply of chocolate to make it up to Remus.

Their silence was petering out, so they began to talk. Talk of what, they could not recollect, because it wasn't that important. School. Family. Friends. Sirius didn't like the sound of Ron Weasley. "I think he fancies you," he grinned, giving Hermione a nudge in the side. Hermione blushed and quietly reminded herself never to bring him up again to Sirius. For some reason, she found it to be a sensitive, not to mention awkward, conversation.

All too soon, or at least for Sirius and Hermione, the day was drawing to a close. The winter sun was setting fast and early. James, Lily, and Harry had packed up their picnic and were seen from a window to be heading inside. They were most likely going to make their way to the common room. To Sirius's dismay, Hermione followed that train of thought and decided they should meet the others there, too, before going to dinner. If Sirius could have his way, he would have spent every last second with Hermione and Hermione alone.

"Good meal?" Hermione asked Lily when they were back in Gryffindor Tower. Lily licked her lips and both girls gave a giggle.

Remus had come from the library just moments before the rest of the Gryffindor sixth years came. Now he was in the midst of three boys whose heads appeared to still be on cloud nine. "Hello?" he would often say, sometimes waving a hand in front of their faces. From what could be understood from Sirius, James, and Harry's mumblings was that James could die happy, Sirius felt completed, and this was Harry's best holiday break.

It took the sextet a while to get moving towards the Great Hall again. Harry, Hermione, Lily, and Remus were walking in one row with James and Sirius ahead of them walking backwards as to still be a part in the conversation.

"Oh, I don't remember," smiled Lily, her countenance telling the rest otherwise. Her eyes lost focus for a second or two as her mind slipped from the present situation. After a good moment's pause, she began to speak again with her cheeks glowing like embers. "It's embarrassing." She realised her flushed face and laid both hands on her cheeks to cool them. Lily refused to make direct eye contact with James.

"Oh come on, Lily," pleaded James, grinning like the Cheshire Cat at Lily's direction. "Sirius told you of his embarrassing incident in the loo when he was four years old."

"Which, by the way Sirius, was rather disgusting," Lily said. Sirius's smirked only widened.

"You're delaying the inevitable," said James, giving Lily a wink. Caught off her guard, she began to talk. She had been ten years old at the time. While at Muggle elementary school, Lily had set a student's exam on fire. She promptly explained that the boy had been trying to cheat off her. The Ministry of Magic sent a letter to her bona fide Muggle parents that day, therefore verifying her future magical abilities.

"And my sister has not spoken a decent word to me since," finished Lily, laughing along with everyone else.

"No wonder your parents weren't surprised when you were named prefect," said Remus.

"You started putting down us wrong-doers at such a young age," winked James.

"Well, then," huffed Lily. "When did you find out you were a wizard?"

"Well," began James dramatically, looking very content at being asked by Lily. "Since my family is pureblood, I was expected to be a right little wizard at birth. My dear 'ole dad loves to tell the tale at dinner parties." For some reason, Sirius sniggered. James's only reaction was a fleeting but deadly pause. "Right after I was born," James continued with a slightly duller tone than before, "while I lying in my mum's arms, I had sneezed. Without warning, the doctor who was with us disappeared and in his place was a giant, fuzzy caterpillar—"

"You performed a human transfiguration spell when you were five minutes old?" cried out Lily.

"I was more like seven minutes," corrected James. His contentedness grew when Lily let out a breathy "wow."

A few minutes later Remus was asked the same question by Lily. He stuttered for awhile until Harry came to the rescue. He then began to recite about the time his Aunt Petunia sheared off all of his hair, except for his bangs of course "to hide that horrible scar." Harry, although giving an accurate account, did not mention his aunt's name and why he was with her in the first place.

As James and Sirius continued to recite their magical mishaps, still trotting backwards, Regulus Black appeared suddenly, as if he had Apparated.

"Can we help you?" growled Harry, his voice holding an unnatural amount of threats and hatred. James and Sirius spun around on their heels at once. They were smart enough not to keep their back to a Slytherin, especially that one.

"No need to get your wands in a twist," sneered Regulus. He eyed his older brother and his friend's hands clasped around their wands in their pockets. "I'm not here to fight. Not right now, at least. No, I have something that might interest you." The Gryffindors eyes the younger boy warily, chiefly that evil grin and arrogant glint in his grey eyes. Regulus's right hand was hidden behind his back. In a flash he whipped it out, pointing it threateningly at Harry. The sextet flinched, some going for their wands. It was a scroll of parchment. Regulus burst out laughing. "Some brave Gryffindors you all turned out to be." His laughter soon died out with the livid shine in James and Sirius's eyes. Regulus looked at Harry once again. "It's addressed to you and the Mudblood—"

WHAM.

Sirius had drawn out his wand and proceeded to hex Regulus to the other side of the corridor. His brother wasn't wounded. On the contrary, Regulus was laughing again. "Temper, temper, big brother," said Regulus in a very condescending manner. "And right after the joyous holidays, too!" He let himself smirk. "As much fun as it is catching up with you, Siri, I have things to do. You know, jinxing first years, maiming Gryffindors, things like that. 'Till next time, gang…" Regulus saluted them mockingly and started to walk away. Right before he descended down the stairs, he called back to them. "Or maybe not." With that, he disappeared with a fresh wave of mirth.

"What is that supposed to mean?" James asked, turning back towards his friends. But everyone else's eyes were glued to the scroll that Regulus had handed to Harry. "Who's it from?"

"Dumbledore," Harry said in a shaky tone while unraveling the parchment, then his voice stayed shut away in grief and devastation. His eyes furrowed as they ploughed through the rest of the letter. With a numbed expression, he passed it on to Hermione. With one fleeting look at Sirius, she read the message.

"He—" she stuttered after a moment of reading, "he wants me and Harry up in his office… as soon as possible."

"We can come, too," Remus informed the rest after he took the letter from Hermione. They all stood together in silence for quite some time. Each exchanged loaded glances with the others. The only noise was the far off sound of students screaming outside in the midst of their snowball fight. Remus cleared his throat. "We should go."

"Hermione. Wait." Sirius pulled her aside. No one else had noticed this and continued to queue into Dumbledore's office. Hermione looked at Harry's retreating figure for a moment before facing Sirius.

"What is it?" she asked. Her eyes moved from Sirius's hand on her shoulder to his eyes. Instead of seeing the playfulness she was expecting, there laid a distinct melancholy even on the verge of tears in his eyes. "Is everything—"

"I want you to make me a promise," Sirius interrupted, giving a quick look into the headmaster's office, weighing how much time they had to talk before they would be beckoned. "I want you to promise me that no matter what happens in the future, no matter what the circumstance, we can always be together. As friends," he added hurriedly as she opened her mouth, "at the very least. I know we're twenty years apart over there, but… I don't want to live without you in my life. The next twenty years will be a living hell already. Let's not make it last longer." He seemed to beholding his breath with anticipation.

Without a single word, Hermione sprang at him and enveloped him in a massive hug. He toppled backwards slightly, so that they both collided into a nearby wall.

"Hermione!" gasped Sirius, for the wind had nearly been knocked out of him. She didn't let go. Instead of responding with words, she planted a heartfelt yet quick kiss on his lips. In a split second, she leapt off him, landing a full meter away. Sirius, still stunned, stood leaning against the wall.

"Good bye, Sirius Black." And she vanished into Dumbledore's office.

A/N: Well. Another chapter. Bon, non?

Firstly, I would like to apologise for not updating for… three months, I think. My only excuse involves school, football (soccer), tap dance (big performance coming up!), and a wedding (not mine, don't worry). Nothing overdramatic, so therefore it can't be called a bona fide excuse, now could it? I'm sorry, readers. I truly am. If you actually knew who I was, you could ask my friends. They know it's been eating at me the entire time. Why didn't I update, then? "Busy" schedule, writer's block, etc. Sorry!

I WILL NOT DROP THIS STORY. Never! If, by any chance, it takes a long time for the next chapter to be posted, it will come in time. I guarantee, I PROMISE that I won't leave this story hanging. Others have done that to me too many times for me to do that to you all.

As for those who lost faith in my updating…. And for those who yelled at me to hurry up…. I can only ask that you do not yell at me again. I am a regular growing girl who has a life outside of I would like you to remember that. What will come will come. Good things are worth waiting for.

As for everyone else who has patiently (or quietly impatiently) waited, BRAVO! You all get a gold star. Everyone else, a silver star. (wink)

Angelic Bladez: You are awarded "The Funniest Review to Tell Me to Get Off My Lazy Butt and Finish This Chapter." (Grin) Thanks.

MegaMuffin: Chocolate Chip, if you please! (wink)

Rema: Lily had the clam chowder. Hermione had the porridge. Good observation, though!

I would comment to each and every one of my reviewers, but as I can tell from your reviews, you would like me to update as soon as possible. So… THANKS EVERYONE!

One last word(s):

ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO!