Sirius felt a jolt of nervousness, but at the same time it made him happy to be greeted like this.
At first the atmosphere was a bit tense, but Mrs. Weasley's excellent meal made everybody lighten up considerably.
Hermione watched everybody to introduce themselves to Sirius, how they tried to make him feel comfortable and at home. Sirius seemed to get more and more confindent and cheerful as the evening went by. From the moment he stepped through the door of the old house he had loathed before (or "in his earlier life" as Hermione secretly called it), she had noticed a change in him.
She tried to locate the source of that. Of course, loosing your memory was a thing that would change everybody. But there was something else… "Yes, I like the house, it is quite impressive. I couldn't believe it was mine when I first saw it." Sirius' voice was drifting over to her.
Sirius likes Grimmauld Place? Hermione thought. Then it struck her. It was exactly the loss of his memories that had caused the change she noticed. But the absence of some memories had a greater effect than the absence of others. Azkaban.
"There is nothing of Azkaban in him any more." Hermione muttered to herself, staring into the fire. He was behaving like an untroubled, free person, something he never could before.
His change was even physically visible: His eyes, Hermione thougt, they have lost their haunted, deadened look, they are much brighter than I've ever seen them. And his whole expression is different. He was nervous because of all the people he didn't know, but then he lost his doubts and now he is just… happy. Happy and relieved about the warm welcome we are giving him.
The old Sirius would have never been able to be just happy without fearing of loosing that feeling again, without doubting the happiness, because he knew how quick it could be gone. He had experieced bertrayal, loss and endless years in a dark cell in Azkaban, under the guard of creatures that existed solely to draw his happiness from him.
But he was able to love even after that, she thought. He loved Harry with all his heart and he had even given his life for him. And despite all the problems it caused him, he had managed to live with what he had been through and this had always impressed her a lot.
Hermione glanced over at Sirius once again and suddenly, he caught her eye. She quickly gave an encouraging smile and looked away, hoping that he had not seen her investigating look. She tried to be happy for him, that he had come back like this and had been given the chance to leave all those dreadful memories behind, but somehow, she felt that something was not right.