DISCLAIMER: I, Meia, stand here (actually, sit here) and declare that I do not own one iota of Harry Potter though I do wish that I owned a certain boy wizard who sets my heart aflutter…

Chapter 24:

There are always two sides to a story, two parallels that go together and may, though basic laws deny it, run together. It was no mere coincidence that at the very moment Hermione went into labour that the veil came to life.

However, strange as it may seem, the veil's sudden burst into life and Hermione's labour went hand in hand. No one can explain it, no one actually recognized that the two went together, and no one would ever expect the truth.

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The maternity ward at St. Mungo's was used to seeing an abnormally large amount of people surrounding a particular room. However, never had they seen that many people surrounding one room waiting for one baby to be born. But they figured it wasn't everyday that the Boy-Who-Lived's wife gave birth to their first child. Even with the Ministry workers rushing in and out like madmen, there was still a lot of people there.

They didn't quite understand what all was happening. A few med witches had heard some of them muttering about "the Ministry" and something being "bizarre." Some even could have sworn that they heard something about "coming to life" but they put it down as them talking about Hermione Potter having her baby.

Hermione's screams could be heard clear down the corridor. Actually, most of her screams were threats directed at Harry's manhood. Said man was currently cowering outside of the room, having been smartly advised by most of the males gathered around to just stay out of the way for now. Many got a good laugh out of the look on his face every time she screamed one of those threats.

Someone clapped him on the shoulder. Harry looked up to find Arthur Weasley standing over top of him with a wide smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Harry, she'll pull through and she'll forget every threat she made as soon as she lays eyes on that babe that's about to be born."

Harry smiled slightly with a small nod of his head. He didn't trust himself to speak at the moment. He was nervous as hell and was trying to disguise the fact that he was shaking. He was scared about the veil; he was scared for the baby; he was scared for Hermione.

"Harry," a soft voice said beside him, "I have to go to the Ministry now to check up on the veil." Harry turned his head to look at his most trusted friend and advisor, Remus Lupin. "The activity seems to be growing stronger."

Harry stood up with him. "I understand, Remus. I'd go with you too if, well, you know…"

Remus smiled and patted Harry's arm. "You need to be here, Harry, with your wife. Let us take care of the veil. You are needed here."

"Thank you, Remus. Will you do me a favour and keep me informed as to what is happening over at the Ministry. I just can't shake the feeling that something big is about to happen."

Remus had a far away look on his face as he nodded. "I get that feeling too. Well, same goes for you. I want to know when that little baby makes her big appearance."

"Her?" Harry questioned with a small smile forming at his mouth.

Remus smiled secretly and walked away, with Harry watching him as he walked down the corridor to where he could apparate. Hermione's screams began softly, then, but began to grow louder. She no longer screamed threats directed at him, but towards all men. At the moment, it seemed as if she never wanted to set eyes on another male again and even the males in the room helping with the birth quickly rushed out into the corridor.

"Mate, you better hope she had no intention of following through with those threats," Fred Weasley joked, lightly bumping Harry's shoulder.

"Yeah," George agreed with a mischievous smirk, "she knows a really good severing charm."

Arthur gave them a look that was not as threatening as that of his wife, but he tried to stop his children's jokes. "It'll be okay, Harry."

Healer Warden, the healer over Hermione's case, stepped out of the room, looking around for him. "Mr. Potter? If you would like to come in, the baby is about to be born."

Harry glanced around at the Weasley's for any sign of encouragement but received none. He rose and followed the healer into a side room to clean up. Hermione's screams seemed to be more grunted now and she was covered with a film of sweat when Harry walked in the room, all the healers and med witches in the room watching anxiously for the baby to crown.

At the exact moment that the baby emerged into the world, the veil seemed to rear back and shove someone out from deep within. Remus was one of the few that remained in the room and saw his suspicions confirmed immediately for kneeling on the floor in front of him was none other than Sirius Black.

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The tea was growing cold in the cup, but the man slowly sipping at it at a snail's pace took no notice. A blanket was wrapped securely around his shoulders though he was still shivering slightly. Remus studied his friend with a slight frown.

The veil had changed him…drastically. Sirius no longer looked the man he was before he fell through the veil, though not in a bad way. The veil not only seemed to freeze time but to reverse it as well. He now looked like he was in his late twenties, early thirties. It was remarkable really, Remus thought though he doubted whether Sirius would ever look bad.

Sirius' black eyes looked up to catch Remus'. "How long?" he croaked, not yet used to talking again.

Remus quirked a small smile. "Quite a while, old friend. You've missed the war and, well, everything."

Sirius nodded his head, finishing off his tea in one large gulp. "How is…," he paused, his eyes not meeting Remus', "everyone?"

The werewolf knew his friend well and, though he knew Sirius cared deeply for a lot of people, he knew that he really only wanted to know about one person. "Good."

He watched as relief flowed into Sirius' eyes and knew that he had to tell him the truth… about everything, no matter how much it hurt. But just as he was about to open his mouth and tell all, a tapping came from the window where Hedwig waited patiently.

He walked over and took the letter from the snowy owl, knowing that it would give news of the baby. He wasn't sure that he wanted to tell Sirius that yet but now there was no way he could avoid it.

"From Harry?" Sirius asked, looking at the letter in Remus' hands.

"Yes," he answered. Then, "I suspect it's about his new girl."

Sirius cracked a large smile. "Harry? A father? That's great. Man, I have missed a lot. When did he get a daughter?"

"About the same time you came through the veil, I suspect."

Sirius scratched his head. "Wow, that's great. Well, open it. I want to hear all about her."

Remus hesitantly opened it and read aloud.

Dear Remus,

You were right, it's a girl! She's so beautiful. It was so amazing watching her enter the world. Her screams matched that of her mother's if you can believe that.

We've decided to call her Mariana, or Ria for short. She has my black hair which Hermione isn't too pleased about. She sends her love by the way and is doing excellently. Back to her old self, bossing everyone around but I love her…

Remus stopped there and looked up at his friend to see Sirius studying his hands before finishing, "Love Harry."

Sirius stood from his seat and made his way over to the window, staring out into the night. "Harry and… Hermione?" he asked in a soft whisper, his voice breaking slightly.

Remus went to stand beside his friend. "Yeah. They got together shortly after the war and married not too long ago. This is their first child."

"Oh."

Remus felt his heart breaking for his friend's pain, knowing that he had a helping hand in causing it. "She didn't know you would come back, Sirius. She thought you were dead. She…she missed you so much, Sirius, and it took her a long time to move past your memory."

Sirius didn't say anything to this but instead asked, "Does Harry know?"

"No," Remus answered with a shake of his head, "Hermione never told him and neither did I. We thought it best just to let the past die."

"And now I'm back…bringing back unwanted memories."

Remus turned Sirius to look at him. "Sirius, you are back and that is the best thing we could ever wish for. It's a miracle that you're back and don't think for a minute that we'd wish it any other way."

Sirius nodded mutely and shut his eyes. "Look, it's really late and I'd like to get some rest before I see anyone else. Do you have a spare bedroom or something, I'll even sleep on the couch."

Remus laughed. "Of course we have a spare bedroom, Pads. I just get you set up and I'll go pick up Remadora…"

"Remadora?"

Remus groaned. "My little girl. Tonks was determined to name the baby after me and when it came out a girl, she decided to just mix our names. Luckily, she answers to the name Dora."

"Yeah, poor mite. Didn't my dear cousin learn anything from her name?" Sirius asked with a bark of laughter.

"Obviously not," Remus agreed. "Come on, I'll show you the bedroom."

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Hermione sat up in the hospital bed with a jolt. She looked around her. Harry was beside her bed in a chair asleep and a small cot had been sat up for Ria. Something was wrong.

She slowly moved out of the bed and tiptoed over to the window. She searched the sky until her gaze landed on it- the dog star. For so long now she had looked up at the dog star hoping and praying that Sirius would somehow come back to her.

Now she had a family- Harry and Ria- and she was happy. But there was still a part of her missing, the part that belonged to Sirius and she knew that she would never regain it.

She turned slowly and looked upon the sleeping figure in the chair next to her bed. Yes, she loved Harry but it had taken her a while to realize that she just didn't love him like that. She would always love him, but her heart and soul belonged to a dead man.

Life sucked.

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Sirius awoke to a high pitch wail.

Damn kid, Sirius thought as he slowly rose from the bed and walked over to the door only to see Tonks race by. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and continued on to the kitchen.

Remus was already up with a bowl of half eaten cereal sitting in front of him. He graced Sirius with a smile as he walked in and waved his wand to make a bowl of cereal, four slices of toast, and a plateful of bacon appear. "Morning, Pads. Sleep well?"

Sirius smiled as he dug into the food. "The best I've had in years."

"Harry came by this morning…just before you got back actually," the werewolf said.

"Did he now?" Sirius asked nonchalantly. "I suppose he wants you to come by and see the baby."

Remus nodded. "He said that Hermione wanted to see me for some reason and that he wanted me to see the baby. He really is excited about being a father."

Sirius nodded, shoving at least three pieces of bacon into his mouth at once. "Did you tell him about me?" he asked after swallowing the bacon.

"No, not yet." Remus stood and placed the bowl in the sink. "I thought it better for you to see Hermione first, or maybe I was wrong." He turned away from Sirius. "Actually, I think Hermione may already know that you're back."

"That's impossible…"

"Actually, it's not," Remus said, turning around to bore his amber eyes into Sirius'. "You and Hermione were…well, more than just boyfriend and girlfriend. You shared a love that stretched over the years. I think you share a connection."

Sirius leaned back. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when she was at Hogwarts and somehow you could always tell when they were in trouble, how you felt drawn to it. Well, I think Hermione shares that connection with you and, up until you reappeared, that it was just dormant within her."

"So, you're saying that we can feel each other," Sirius said slowly. "That basically we can tell when the other is in need. But I'm not in need."

Remus smiled sadly. "But you are, my friend. You are in need of her."

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The corridors of St. Mungo's was still and silent, unlike yesterday. Hermione sat up in her bed with Ria tucked safely in her arms. She had convinced Harry to go home for a bit to get some rest and food. He had told her, though, that he would be back at four.

She needed to see Remus desperately. She had found out after she returned that he was the one who really knew all that she had been through and could empathize with her. He was the one she turned to when she needed to discuss something.

As if on cue, the door swung open and none other than Remus Lupin entered the room. She smiled at him happily, shifting Ria in her arms. "I was wondering when you would drop by."

"Harry said that you wanted to talk to me," he said, strolling over and taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "I assume this is the little bundle of joy."

"This is Mariana or Ria for short," she told him with a beaming grin. "She's a little darling really. Never thought a baby could be this well behaved."

Remus smiled at her. "She's your daughter, Hermione, did you really expect her to be a wild thing?"

That drew a laugh out of her. "No, but I never thought she'd be this…well, quiet. This would have never happened if…"

She broke off and looked down at her daughter who now slept peacefully in her arms. Remus, however, knew what she was thinking. "If you would have stayed with Sirius, you mean," he said softly, lightly touching her shoulder.

"Yeah," she said, trying to give a small laugh that sounded fake. A tear slipped from her eye and ran down her cheek. "I loved him, with all my heart, but I was needed here… Harry needed me…"

"Do you regret coming back?"

Hermione paused for a moment, chewing slightly on her lower lip as she thought of her answer. "No…not really. This is my home, where I belong, but there will always be a part of me that wonders…"

Remus studied her closely, going over his options. "Hermione…there's something I should tell you."

She looked at him. "What?"

"Well, last night…something happened, something extraordinary…"

Hermione looked at him more closely now, trying to discern what was wrong with him. "Remus, what happened? It's something to do with the past, isn't it?"

He frowned. "Not exactly…"

The door opened suddenly and Hermione snapped her gaze over to the door, staring at the one man who haunted her every waking thought. "Sirius?"

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At exactly four ten that evening, Hermione was checked out of St. Mungo's and allowed to go home. However, that was the last place she wanted to go at that moment.

Her thoughts strayed back to Sirius' visit earlier and how they had been able to maintain civil conversation for about sixteen minutes before the verbal blows started to fly. Neither wanted to hurt the other, but neither did they want their hurt to show. So, they covered it up by accusing the other of various deeds.

Hermione remembered his claim that she had "intentionally left so that she could be with Harry" and felt her face grow hot. How dare he. She knew that he loved Harry and would never hurt his godson, but it didn't stop him from hurting her. That was the last straw in their argument and she had soon ordered him out of her room, helped along by throwing various objects at his head.

Remus had re-entered then, carrying a still sleeping Ria in his arms who he had earlier "saved". He had an apologetic smile on his face as he gently placed Ria in her cot and turned to Hermione before leaving.

Harry still didn't know.

He would be told that evening that Sirius was back and would, perhaps, see him. However, it was quite obvious that neither Hermione nor Sirius were exactly jumping through hoops at the prospect of telling him of their past relationship.

"Hermione?" her husband asked as he walked with her down the hall to a place where they could floo back to their home. "Are you okay?"

She plastered one a large, unconvincing smile and answered, "Yes, darling. Everything is fine. I just can't wait to be home is all."

Harry smiled lovingly and kissed her cheek. Hermione frowned when he looked away. He was so damn nice and loving and she…she was in love with another man who she thought was dead but was actually alive and she could possibly be with now if she could face leaving Harry and somehow still be with Ria and….

Life sucked.

"Oh, Remus said he was coming by with a surprise later on," Harry was saying now, grinning at her while he wrapped one arm around her waist. "Or he might already be there waiting. Have you any idea what it could be."

Panic mode. "No, no, no. How would I know, Harry? Goodness, I haven't seen Remus in…"

"A few hours?" Harry supplied softly, gazing at her suspiciously now. "He was by earlier to see you."

Oh snap. "Oh, that's right. I forgot. He came by to see Ria." Recovery mode. "He might have mentioned a surprise…I'm not sure. I haven't really been myself today."

Harry smiled again and held her closely. "I understand, love. You've been strong. You deserved to have today to just kick back and relax. You gave me a darling little girl and now I'm going to wait on you hand and foot."

Hermione stopped. "Harry, there's something that I need to tell you…"

"Hermione, the floo is right there. Let's go home and then we'll discuss whatever you need to tell me," Harry said reasonably. "Honestly, it can't be that important that you can't wait about thirty seconds before telling me."

While he walked off to retrieve some floo powder, Hermione mumbled, "It is."

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Sirius waited anxiously by the fireplace. Any minute now, Harry would be returning with Hermione. On one hand, he couldn't wait to see his godson again. On the other, he didn't know if he had it in him to take another meeting with Hermione.

That girl tested his patience…and his restraint. As soon as he set eyes on her again, he knew that he had to have her in his arms once again. Now all he had to do was to figure out how to do that without breaking Harry's heart into a million little pieces.

Easier said than done, as the old saying said.

"Calm down, Pads," Remus said simply as he lounged in a chair. "They'll be here soon and Harry will be ecstatic to see you again."

Sirius through the werewolf a look. "It wasn't him that has me worked up."

Remus frowned. "Yes, I do think that that meeting went horribly well. Actually, I imagined that there would be a lot more screaming and a little more objects thrown."

Sirius growled deep in his throats. "For someone who thinks we are connected on a spiritual plane, you sure do have a lot of faith in us."

Remus grinned wolfishly. "I, my dear friend, have a lot of faith in your pride and her temper. Combine those two things with about four years worth of anguish and you get one sticky situation."

Sirius threw his hands up in the air. "And now he tells me."

"Wouldn't have been any fun otherwise."

Sirius rounded on him and was about to lunge when the fireplace glowed green and two people stepped from it. Harry's arm was tucked around Hermione while it appeared that she was looking away from him.

"Sirius?" Harry asked in wonder. "Merlin." He launched himself at his godfather, his arms wrapping tightly around him. "I can't believe that you're actually here. Wait a minute, how are you here? Never mind that, you're back and that's all I need to know."

Harry was talking so rapidly that it was hard for anyone to actually follow anything he said. He turned towards his wife. "Hermione? Did you see, it's Sirius. He's back! Can you believe it?" He paused, a frown on his face. "How come you don't seem so surprised?"

"Because I've already seen him Harry," she answered, "earlier today actually. He came back last night. That's what I was trying to tell you."

"Oh." He glanced around at all the unhappy faces, suddenly realizing that something just wasn't right. "Er…would someone mind telling me what exactly is going on."

Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Long story."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "I have time. Molly was bringing Ria back via muggle transportation so I doubt she'll be here anytime soon. So, let's here it then."

Silence greeted him. Finally, Remus rose and clapped his hands against his knees. "Well, I should be going. You guys have some things to discuss so I should leave you to it."

As he passed Sirius, the shaggy hair man said, "I think I just might hate you," to which the lycan said, "Everything will be better in the morning." And, since he was a werewolf, he heard Hermione's mutter of, "I doubt that," but didn't say anything. Instead, he just walked out of the room.

Harry looked at the two on either side of him, both facing away. "So, let's talk."

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Never before had Harry regretted his words before. They had talked….forty-eight minutes and twenty-nine seconds worth of talking to be exact, and he wasn't sure whether he liked what he was told. Hermione was watching him anxiously while Sirius merely cast his head down, ashamed to meet his godson's eyes.

"So," he said finally after sitting there for almost forty-nine minutes trying to digest all that which he was being told, "you guys had a…a thing?"

"More than a thing," Hermione answered. "Harry, I fell in love with Sirius, madly in love and… well, it really killed me to leave him like that."

"And me?" Harry asked softly, afraid of the answer he would receive.

"I love you, Harry, really I do. I'm just not sure of what I should do now…everything is just happening too fast right now for me to gather all my thoughts together."

Harry nodded and looked over at his godfather who now met his gaze. He could see the love radiating from the black eyes and knew what he had to do.

He stood slowly and walked over to Hermione. He took her hands up in his and gently pressed a soft kiss to each. "Hermione, I love you. I would move water and earth for you. But I want you to be happy and if Sirius makes you happier than me, then I want you to go and be with him. However, if there is any chance that you and I can make it, then I would like that as well."

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "What are you saying, Harry?"

He took a deep breath and said, "I'm saying that it is your choice and I will not hate you either way. Him or me."

A/N: While I was typing this, I looked back on some previous stories of mine to try to get over some minor lapses where I couldn't think of anything else to write. Well, needless to say, I cannot believe that I wrote some of the mambo-jumbo that can be found in them. Wow.

Anyways, I know that some of you are mad that I put Hermione with Harry, but obviously some (you know who you are directed towards a certain reviewer) did not read the author's note and immediately jumped to conclusions and started chastising me for my story. Well, let's just lay it out on the table.

Yes, Hermione loves Harry and Harry loves her. They are friends as it is CLEARLY obvious in the books. However, everyday there are friends who become something more. So, though I doubt J.K. will put them together in the book, it's not impossible. ANYTHING is possible with magic.

NO, they will not end up together…well, I may put an alternate ending for those of you who are actually rooting for Harry. Sorry if I made anyone mad by saying that but I just felt that I needed to point it out.

Next chappie: The epilogue.