A/N:

Before you read this chapter: if you are one of the readers who were here before I abandoned this, and have skipped to this chapter to simply see what's new, I will warn you that I have changed a few important details in the last few chapters. If you're reading this story for the first time, feel free to ignore this. Not much has changed, only that I decided that Snily is disturbing and not something I really want in here anymore, so I removed all references that I saw while reading through it, though it's possible that I missed one. I added a few things in here or there but not that much else has changed.

Previously:

Once he entered the group's line of sight, Professor Sirius Black was distracted by a very loud Harry Potter.

"SIRIUS! Can we go to the Potters' for Christmas?"

Older Sirius chuckled. "Sure, pup. As long as Hermione's okay with that too." Hermione nodded happily.

"You should know," started younger Sirius, "Grandfather will be there too." Older Sirius paled dramatically.

Chapter 5: Christmas

Charlus Potter was tall. Tall and imposing, not to mention strong. There was one thought usually swimming through the general female population of Wizarding Britain when they caught sight of him, and it was that Dorea was lucky to snag him when she did.

An owl swooped into the study through one of the open windows and landed carefully on the desk, avoiding a few piles of parchment. It stuck out the leg that had the letter attached.

Charlus gently took the letter and shooed the owl away. The little owl frantically took flight and sped out the open window.

Charlus shook his head, slightly exasperated, and unfolded the letter. He smiled slightly when he saw that it was from his son.

Dad,

I can't remember if I said anything about this in any of my
previous letters, but we have some dimensional travelers at
school! And guess what! One is my son from another world! …

Charlus's eyes widened in surprise.

…His name is Harry James Potter, and he came
with his best friend Hermione Jean Granger and his godfather,
also known as an older version of Sirius Orion Black! …

Charlus scrambled out of his seat, dropping the letter. It had been way too long since he had checked the family tapestry. Maybe this "Harry James Potter" would make an appearance there. Either that or this was just another prank from his son. But it wouldn't hurt to check, in his opinion.

Dashing through the hallways, Charlus ignored the indignant squawk of one of the Potter elves as he almost trampled him.

Reaching the tapestry he wasn't even out of breath, despite sprinting the length of the house. He scanned the tapestry, looking for his son's name.

Sure enough, under a connecting line between James C. Potter and Lily R. Evans was Harry J. Potter.

Evans? Charlus thought, scanning his memories for the Evans family. Hm. Maybe she's a muggle-born. I'll have to ask James.

He quickly made his way back to his study to finish reading his letter.

…I almost can't believe it! Anyway, they were planning to stay
at Hogwarts for Christmas, but I offered that they come home. I
just told them I'd have to ask you first. I know that Uncle
Arcturus is already staying, but wouldn't he want to meet a
dimensional traveler from the Black family too? Oh, and just
making sure, Sirius (the younger one) can still stay over, right?

Love,

James

Damn, Charlus mentally groused. Clever. Now I have to say yes or it'll seem impolite. Not that he would've refused in the first place, but now he'd been backed into a corner. He didn't like being backed into a corner. It did please him, however, that his son was learning such a manuever. It would be good for his political future.

He grabbed a spare piece of parchment and wrote a letter. He whistled loudly and one of the family owls quickly flew down from its perch and stuck out its leg.

Tying the letter to it, Charlus spoke, "Take this to Lord Black. This is an urgent matter."

James took a large bite of chicken, and his cheeks bulged. Unable to close his mouth enough, he chewed carefully but unfortunately exposing some of his lunch to his friends.

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Ew, James. If you can't close it, at least cover your mouth."

"Wmmwha mmmnam!" he exclaimed, mouth still full.

"Mate, nobody can understand you right now," Harry said patiently.

James huffed, but acquiesced and began to chew a bit faster, closing his mouth.

Everyone grimaced as he made a choking sound when he swallowed without being thorough enough. Sirius slapped him on the back with considerable force, causing his airway to become free again and a few small pieces of food to fly out of his mouth.

"Having fun, James?" came a voice from behind him. All of the noise in the Great Hall quieted immediately. James busily finished what was left in his mouth and turned around.

"Hi, Dad!" he exclaimed brightly. "Why're you here?"

Charlus shook his head in fond exasperation. "That was an interesting letter you sent, James."

A look of realization graced James' features. "Oh, yeah. That's Harry-" he poked Harry.

"Hey!" Harry protested.

"-that's Hermione-" he pointed at Hermione, not brave enough to poke such a dangerous being, "-and Professor Black is the guy sitting at the head table that looks like a Black."

Charlus nodded at each of them politely but then frowned as he looked at Professor Black. "Is it just me, or does he look a bit gaunt?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, he was framed for murder and ended up spending twelve years in Azkaban without trial. He doesn't look great, but acts fine."

Charlus paled. "T-twelve years?"

"Um… yeah."

"Does he need to see a mind healer?" Charlus suggested. "Wouldn't all that exposure to dementors damage him?"

Hermione looked ever-so-slightly startled. "Why didn't I think of that?" she grumbled. Harry patted her on the arm consolingly.

"It's alright, Hermione. You're still the brightest witch of the age," Harry said before adopting an expression of deep thought. "Or… at least the age back home. Not so sure about here…" he trailed off as she smacked him, chuckling.

Charlus raised an eyebrow, observing the byplay. "Are you two…"

"NO!" they both loudly interrupted, blushing.

Charlus' other eyebrow mirrored the first. "I didn't even ask the question!"

Their blushes deepened. Charlus narrowed his eyes.

"I was going to ask if you were done bantering, but what did you think it was?"

Both stared stubbornly down at their plates, ignoring their surroundings, faces still blazing.

"Is that actually what you were going to ask?" James stage-whispered.

"No, I was teasing them," Charlus said, mimicking his tone.

Hermione sputtered indignantly while Harry simply smiled, accepting that he had been outplayed.

Charlus straightened his posture and was in business mode once more. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. I wish to have a conversation with you," he said, overly formal.

"Yes, Lord Potter," they intoned.

James snickered.

After a long conversation with the elder Potter, which mainly consisted of repeating the story they told James, the group of three walked back into the great hall.

The Marauders were all thrilled to hear that Charlus had consented for Harry and Hermione to come to Potter Manor for Christmas.

And so, Harry and Hermione found themselves awkwardly standing on platform nine and three-quarters next to James, who was practically vibrating with anticipation.

"Will you stop that!" Hermione hissed.

James stopped fidgeting. "What?"

"You were literally shaking, mate," Harry offered helpfully.

"Oh," James said, intelligently. He shrugged it off and looked around. "Hey, where's Sirius?"

"Here!" called Sirius, dragging his trunk off the train. "Where's your dad, James?" he asked, waving goodbye to Remus.

"Forgot already?" James teased.

"What?"

"Honestly, Sirius," Hermione chided. "Didn't you go home with him last year?"

Sirius blushed.

"And, James told us an hour ago," she said.

Sirius was rather red. "Sorry… where are they then?"

"On the muggle side of the barrier," James explained patiently. "They like to expose me to that part of the world. We are, after all, only a rather small part of the population."

Sirius's face lit up. "Oh! I remember now!" he winked. "Can't miss out on the muggle fashion?" he waggled his eyebrows.

Harry facepalmed while Hermione pinched the brow of her nose.

James laughed hysterically.

"What did he do this time?" asked a sweet voice.

Harry looked momentarily confused. "Who are you again?"

"Harry!" Hermione said sharply. Harry glanced at her, bemused. "That was rude!"

"Oh."

The owner of the voice was a medium-height brunette with blue eyes, who had a rather mischievous look on her face.

"Jess?" Sirius blurted. "What are you doing here?"

Jess? Jessica Cambridge? Harry thought. Doesn't Sirius have a crush on her?

It seemed all of Harry's questions were about to be answered, as Jessica grabbed the front of Sirius's shirt and kissed him, rather passionately, in Harry's opinion.

A few catcalls and enthusiastic whistles came from various students around them.

Hermione's eyebrows shot straight to her forehead and James gaped.

Jessica pulled away, breathing heavily. "See you next year, love," she whispered huskily, while Harry cringed at the endearment.

Sirius smiled goofily as she smacked his bum and sauntered away.

James was the first to recover his speech. "What the hell was that?"

"My girlfriend," Sirius said, still looking dazed.

"Girlfriend?!" James asked, rather rudely in Harry's opinion.

"What, jealous?" Hermione interjected smoothly, defusing the imminent argument.

James looked stunned for a second before looking indignant. "No!" he protested vehemently.

Harry laughed.

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt," Hermione said, smirking.

"You're one to talk!" James retorted.

Hermione clammed up immediately.

"See?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

Harry looked back and forth between James and Hermione, completely baffled.

Hermione straightened her posture and tugged on Harry's arm. "Your parents are waiting for us," she said to James before turning to face Harry. "Where's Sirius meeting us again? Sorry, I forgot."

"He said he'd apparate to outside the platform," Harry said.

Sirius looked confused. "Me? I can't apparate!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "This is going to be a confusing holiday," she muttered. Her voice returned to its normal volume. "No, the other one."

Sirius laughed.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You thought I was joking?"

Sirius stopped laughing and looked confused again. "Am I forgetting something again?"

"Yes!" James groaned.

"Older you," Harry prompted.

Sirius groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "I'm an idiot."

"Anyway," Hermione said loudly.

James looked chagrined. "Ah, yes. Let's go."

With that, he picked up his trunk and marched towards the barrier, Sirius following purposefully.

Harry and Hermione exchanged an exasperated glance and followed at a slightly more sedate pace.

When James and Sirius disappeared through the barrier, Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and sped up a bit, pulling him after her.

They entered the muggle part of King's Cross to see Sirius looking extremely nervous and glancing warily at a tall, black-haired man that had grey eyes. His posture spoke of authority and, of course, a hint of arrogance. All in all, he was rather intimidating.

That was in stark contrast to the warm sight of James embracing his parents.

Suddenly, there was a pop! As a shaggy black dog appeared on the ground right in front of Harry. Hermione jumped slightly and ended up in a position that vaguely resembled a hug with Harry. A few passing muggles looked around, attempting to find the source of the noise.

"Padfoot!" Hermione hissed.

The dog pounced and tackled Harry, bringing Hermione down with them.

As Padfoot licked their faces, Harry protested, "Hey! That's gross!"

With what could be interpreted as a snort, Padfoot climbed off of the now disheveled couple and trotted over to James, who was trying very hard not to laugh.

Harry and Hermione separated, though it seemed a bit reluctant, and dusted themselves off and smoothed down their clothes before quickly getting to their feet.

Harry looked almost as good as new, but Hermione's hair was now significantly bushier than it was just a few minutes earlier.

When Harry politely pointed this out, Hermione scowled and muttered, "I'm going to neuter him when we get to the Manor."

Padfoot whimpered while the rest of the group chuckled.

James stepped forward. "Guys, this is my mum, Dorea Potter!" he announced pompously, "Mum, this is Harry and Hermione."

Harry and Hermione both shook hands with Dorea, who smiled amiably at them.

James was about to speak again but was stopped abruptly when Charlus put his hand on his shoulder. He pulled James back slightly and gestured to the grey-eyed man. "This is Arcturus Black, the current Lord Black. He is a very close friend of mine. And Arcturus, as I believe you've already heard, this is Harry and Hermione."

Arcturus gave them an appraising glance. "Scrawny," he muttered under his breath, "We'll need to start a workout routine." He stuck out his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

He shook Harry's hand politely and then took Hermione's and brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. Hermione blushed and Harry frowned.

Hermione pulled her hand back and took Harry's. Harry looked rather pleased with this development.

Seeing this, Charlus chuckled quietly and gestured for everyone to follow him.

As they began walking away, Harry looked at Hermione inquisitively. "I didn't know that an animagus could apparate when transformed."

Hermione nodded. "I didn't know that either. We should ask Sirius when we get to the Manor. We could use that information once we transform."

A few minutes later, Charlus directed the party into a somewhat narrow alleyway.

Arcturus turned to Padfoot. "Transform, Sirius, and look into my mind."

Harry turned to the newly-transformed Sirius, surprised. I didn't know he was a Legilimens!

Sirius quickly got the location of the Manor apparation point and walked over to Harry and Hermione. He grasped their forearms and disappeared with a pop!

Charlus took James, Arcturus took the younger Sirius, and Dorea went alone.

The large group appeared in a large entry hall with more than one pop!

Harry looked around, wide-eyed, as he saw the ornate room. The blue walls complimented the hardwood floor rather well, he thought.

Arcturus walked away, presumably to his study, and young Sirius scampered off, dragging his trunk behind him, presumably to his room. Dorea marched off, entering a room that resembled a kitchen, from what Harry could see, at least.

Charlus smiled. "Sirius, I'll show you to your room, James can show Harry and Hermione… right?"

James nodded enthusiastically.

"Tippy!" Charlus called. With another sharp pop, a small creature appeared in the room.

House-elf, Harry realized.

Charlus continued. "Please, could you take their trunks to their rooms?"

Tippy bowed. "Tippy shall do as master commands." He left with pop, trunks in tow.

Satisfied with his orders, Charlus left the three teens alone to a slightly awkward silence.

James cleared his throat. "Right… this way."

After leading them down a long corridor and up two flights of stairs, James reached a door. Pushing it open, he slipped inside and held it open for the two guests. "Umm… this is your room, Hermione. Your trunk is there, on the bed, and you've got a bathroom through that doorway there."

Hermione nodded in satisfaction, happy with her accommodations. "Thanks, James. It looks nice."

James smiled brightly. He looked at Harry. "Alright, Harry. We've shown Hermione hers, so all that's left is to show you yours."

Harry nodded. That sounded reasonable.

Harry's room wasn't all that far away from Hermione's. In fact, it was only two doors down.

James opened the door and allowed Harry and Hermione to walk in first. "Here's your room, Harry. I'm sure you've noticed that it's more or less the same as Hermione's and that's because all of our guest rooms have the same layout."

The two nodded.

James fidgeted in the silence that followed. "Okay… I'll leave you two to unpack as much as you'd like." He hastily exited the room, glancing at Hermione nervously.

Harry reluctantly opened his eyes and winced when his senses were bombarded with light.

As he gradually awoke, his senses gradually made themselves known, specifically his hearing.

"-ake up, wake up, wake up. Wake up, Harry!"

As that noise slowly filtered its way through his brain, he slowly realized that he was being shaken.

"Ugh," he groaned. "Why am I so stiff."

"Because," came a prim voice, "you slept on the floor, you idiot."

He choked out a laugh. "How did that happen?"

He wasn't sure, but he might have heard something around "How, exactly, do I fancy that boy?" but he couldn't be sure. His ears were most likely malfunctioning again.

He opened his eyes once more, blinking rapidly to clear away the last vestiges of sleep.

"Hermione?" he asked nervously. "What are you doing in my room?"

"You don't remember?" came the surprised reply.

He shook his head. "I'm sure it'll come back to me quickly enough."

"Okay," she said, sounding fairly bemused. "Anyway, I'm going to head back over to my room and get changed. We're still in Hogwarts robes."

He looked down. "Ah."

She laughed quietly before leaving, and he felt the depth of her absence.

Damn, I'm a goner.

Just as he was putting his arms into the sleeves of his shirt, the memories came flooding back. Harry had had a rather enthusiastic debate with Hermione over the Potters and their elves. It was strange, though, because usually their arguments that they'd had before, however few, had been fairly heated, but this had almost seemed… playful? Harry couldn't quite put a label on it, but by the time they'd exhausted their arguments, they had apparently exhausted themselves too, because the last thing Harry could remember was him lying on the ground with Hermione lying partially on top of him.

He remembered being far too comfortable and far too tired to attempt to move her away. As he thought about it now, she hadn't protested much either… but maybe that was just because she was similarly exhausted. He had no way of knowing whether it was due to exhaustion or whether she fancied him, and he certainly wasn't going to ask. That could make things really awkward, and he could not afford that, especially with their current situation.

Sighing, he dismissed the train of thought, deciding that continuing down that path would only do him harm. He slipped into his shoes and stepped out into the hallway… and stopped. He had no clue where he was. It was unfortunate that he hadn't been paying much attention to where they were going when they were showed their rooms.

Then his thoughts ground to a halt.

"I'm an idiot."

He took out his wand and put it on the palm of his right hand. "Point me, Hermione Granger."

The wand spun around for a few moments before focusing on one direction. Nodding to himself, he stowed the wand and walked where it had told him to.

A few moments later, he was walking near a door two doors down from his when it opened, showing Hermione.

"Oh," he said. "There you are."

She gave him an odd look. "Why are you over here? The dining room is that way."

She pointed in the direction he had come from.

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I had forgotten exactly where to go so I reckoned I'd find you. You were more likely to pay attention to where we were walking."

Shooting him an amused look, she huffed exasperatedly, and there was a faint blush on her cheeks, though Harry couldn't be sure if he'd imagined it. "Alright then, Harry. Follow me, I'll show you the way, and you best remember it this time, mister!"

Harry laughed. "Yes madam," he shot back as they walked, making the blush more visible. This time he was sure he hadn't imagined it.

When they entered the dining room, they noticed that everyone was already seated and enjoying a pleasant breakfast.

The younger Sirius noticed them first. "Ah, how marvelous of you to join us, Harry, Hermione! May I surmise that you had a good night's sleep?" he asked, a smirk plastered on his face.

Both newcomers turned beet red as the occupants of the room turned to regard them, but Hermione managed to throw out a retort. "I didn't know your vocabulary extended that far, Sirius. Surmise? Such a big word! I'm so proud."

Charlus barked out a laugh while Sirius pinked. "I like this one!" he praised, prompting Dorea to nod along amusedly. "Anyways, sit down, children. There is much food to be had, and our elves always make the best."

This was clearly the wrong thing to say because Hermione's expression soured rapidly, and Charlus peered at her, clearly wondering what he'd said wrong.

"Hermione, please," Harry whispered. "We can talk about this later, okay?"

"Fine, Harry," she bit out, causing the majority of the table to look at her in surprise.

Harry was unperturbed. "Hermione," he scolded, and she had the grace to look abashed as her righteous fury washed away.

"Sorry," she apologized meekly as she daintily sat, eyes set firmly on her plate.

Arcturus eyed her appraisingly as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "They'll die without their bond, you know," he pointed out reasonably.

Her gaze shot up to meet his and Harry looked at him, surprised.

"Am I that transparent?" she asked.

"No. I just happen to be very good at reading people," Arcturus replied. "What you're doing shows that you have your heart in the right place, but you're going about it the wrong way. As they often say, 'the road to hell is often paved with the best of intentions.'"

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off with a look, causing Harry to shoot him an impressed look.

"You need to also remember that this is not your world. I know not how elves are treated there…"

There were sounds of realization echoing around the table.

"…but we are in a time of peace here. We have laws to prevent mistreatment of them. It would likely be better if you waited until after you got home to follow this particular path. And before you do that, talk to an elf there. Really talk to them. Ask them about their bond, and why they have it, and how it makes them feel."

She deflated further and looked rather embarrassed. "I'm sorry for my outburst," she apologized, looking everyone in the eye. "I mean no disrespect to you, Lord Potter, but in my dimension, elves are usually treated horribly - every example I have has shown them being treated like less than dirt. Well… apart from Hogwarts that is, and I think that that's because they don't have a master there. They work for the castle. I hadn't considered things might be different here, and I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

Charlus smiled at her. "Of course. It was simply a misunderstanding. Please, enjoy some breakfast."

The table was silent until an owl flew in the window, depositing the day's paper by Charlus. He quickly paid the owl and opened it up.

A grim look settled on his features, and Dorea frowned, sensing her husband's change in mood.

"What is it, dear?" she asked softly.

Wordlessly, he passed her the paper, and she gasped.

"What is it, Mum?" James asked quickly.

"Wait your turn, Jamie," she scolded reflexively as if she'd said it many times before.

James scowled. "Fine," he huffed quietly, earning a stern look from his father.

A minute or so later, James was passed the paper, who paled. The newspaper passed around the table, eliciting similar expressions except for the three Blacks who looked stricken.

Eventually, the newspaper reached Harry and Hermione, who shared the paper.

The Herald - Daily Edition

BLACK ANCESTRAL HOME ATTACKED

By: Fabian Prewett

Early this morning, the Black Manor on Grimmauld Place was
attacked by unknown forces. Five members of the family were
found dead inside, including Orion Black, Walburga Black,
Bellatrix Black, and Regulus Black.

The strange part, though, was that the wards showed no signs
of damage, and the Blacks were killed with muggle weaponry.
They were each found with a bullet in the center of their forehead.

The Auror department provided a statement…

Harry and Hermione looked up, stricken. "Sirius…" Harry started before the boy in question abruptly stood, pushing his chair back, and left the room muttering something sounding like "Oh, Reggie."

The older Sirus had his head cradled in his hands. "No matter how crappy of a family they were," he said, "they never deserved this."

Harry nodded in agreement, mentally comparing the Blacks to the Dursleys.

Arcturus mirrored Harry's movement but was more vocal about his thoughts. "They were true bastards of the highest order, but Sirius is right. They didn't deserve this, especially young Regulus Black. He was innocent, mainly thanks to the efforts of the young Sirius. Orion wasn't too bad, though…"

"The bloke was simply too whipped by his wife," Charlus observed, earning himself a smack.

"Yeah," James agreed. "Even though Reg was a Slytherin, he was still really nice. He even joined us for a prank every once-and-awhile."

Hermione looked at James strangely. "He didn't while we were there."

James looked confused for a moment before nodded. "Oh, yeah. He didn't do it this year, but before, he occasionally joined."

Harry nodded solemnly. "I'm not entirely sure I can eat. My friend's family just died, and their last victim was my appetite," he said as he stood, pushing the plate away.

Hermione frowned for a moment before similarly pushing away her food. "Me too."

Harry backed away from the table and stretched out an arm to her, which she took. "Shall we, Granger?"

She shuddered. "Don't call me that, please, Harry. You almost sounded like Malfoy there for a second."

Harry grimaced. "Fine, fine. Just don't compare me to that ponce."

They walked out of the room together, small smiles adorning their faces.

When they left, Charlus turned to Arcturus. "I'll bet you five galleons that those two are together by Christmas," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Arcturus raised an eyebrow. "You want to play, Potter? Well, I'll call your bet. I've got after Christmas."

Charlus grinned. "You'll lose, Black."

Dorea huffed. "Men."

Soon enough, Christmas day was upon them.

As Harry stumbled down to the dining room, Hermione close behind. Yawning, Hermione spoke. "I wonder what Christmas will be like here... this family seems so tight-knit. I hope we don't intrude too much," she said, sounding vaguely self-conscious.

Harry shot her an unimpressed look. "If we interrupted their dynamic, they would have said something about it, don't you think?"

At Hermione's shrug, Harry stopped in the middle of the stairs, turning to face his best friend and crush. "Are you all right, Hermione? Usually, I'm the one with doubts. I know that neither of us is particularly socially inclined, but you usually seem to know when you're not welcome, and since I know we are welcome here, I just want to make sure you're okay."

Hermione stepped down so she was level with him before pulling him into a hug. "Maybe you're right," she whispered, "but I'm not ready to forsake our home quite yet. I see the look on your face, Harry. I know you aren't going to want to go back home, and why would you? You finally have everything you could ever want. The problem for me is that I have a family back home too, I have Crookshanks. I miss my mum and dad. You know that I would never leave you here, but I miss them too."

Harry squeezed her tighter. "Maybe... maybe you aren't as good at reading me as you thought," he suggested. "I'm by your side no matter what. And even though I love it here, it isn't really home. Maybe it could be, one day, but it won't be now, not until Voldemort is gone. Remember, the prophecy we heard, it said 'neither can live while the other survives,' Hermione. You'll see your parents again, and I'll be right by your side. I'll fight for our home, don't you doubt that."

Hermione sniffled. "J-just look at us," Hermione said, letting out a watery giggle, "two crazy dimension travelers."

She leaned back slightly, repositioning herself so their foreheads were touching. "I'm not crazy, Hermione," Harry said, grinning, "that must be all you."

Laughing now, she slapped his chest. "Sh-shut up, you... you amazing man! See? I can't even be mad at you!"

They both broke down into laughter.

Harry breathed out heavily. "You're so wonderful, Hermione Granger," he said emotionally.

Hermione smiled. "And you, Harry Potter," she said back.

Harry closed his eyes, just relishing the position they were in, not knowing that Hermione was doing the same. They stayed like that for a while, simply content to stand and embrace. Eventually, though, Harry opened his eyes. He couldn't help but smile. At that moment, he realized what he was going to do.

"Hermione?" he asked nervously.

"Hm?" she responded, still utterly relaxed.

"What if... what if we made a home... a home together?" he asked haltingly.

Her eyes shot open, though she did not pull back. Harry watched as surprise flitted across her face before it was ruthlessly quashed. "What do you mean, Harry?" she asked equally nervously, all traces of her former peace having disappeared.

Harry sighed, willing the tension to seep out of his body. Surprisingly, it faded away. "I said, what if we made a home together?" he asked again, looking into her eyes, desperately trying to convey his meaning to her.

Hermione's brown eyes widened, suddenly sparkling with some emotion Harry couldn't identify. Clearly, she had finally grasped his meaning, though Harry had no idea what she was thinking, which was a rather unusual occurrence for him. He was simply too nervous to pay enough attention to her mannerisms, the tension having quickly returned.

"I think... I think I would like that," she breathed, sounding utterly flummoxed, yet delighted all the same.

At that moment, Harry was struck with the incredible urge to kiss her. It was very hard to resist, and Harry struggled. Fortunately, Hermione made the decision for him, as if she sensed the struggle within him (it was possible that she did).

Their lips met in a rather uncoordinated mess, though that bothered neither of them. Pulling back, they both ended up breathing heavily, smiling blindingly.

"How did that compare?" Hermione asked breathlessly, staring into his eyes.

Harry did a double-take. "What?"

"How did it compare to your kiss with Cho?" Hermione elaborated, eyes roving all over his face, trying to read him.

"Are you—? Hermione, are you crazy? We just kissed and you're asking me how it compared? That's what you want to talk about right now?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, Harry, please," Hermione said desperately, her face rather red now, probably from embarrassment.

"It was much, much better, alright? There's no comparison, really," Harry replied quickly, eager for that part of the conversation to be over.

Her features melted into relief. "Oh, good," she said. "I just... I just needed to know. You know I'm insecure sometimes," she continued lamely, "I'm sorry, I should have realized this was a—a bad time, but I just needed to know."

Harry sighed, his features softening. "It's okay, I understand," he said softly. "I do have an important question, though." She looked at him quizzically. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

She laughed. "Of course, Harry! What did you think that was? A friendship kiss?"

She kissed him again, and they lost themselves in each other for a time. "No," Harry agreed once they had stopped. "Those were certainly not friendship kisses."

Hermione laughed, a deep, musical sound. It almost sounded different to his ears, now that things had changed. His heart skipped a beat every time he heard the wonderful sound, and once it had abated, he wondered what he could do to make her laugh once more.

Suddenly, he couldn't help it, he grinned. It was a wide grin, not just a playful one, but one of genuine delight. Noticing this, Hermione asked, "What is it, Harry?"

"I'm just so happy," he said, grin unabated. "I truly didn't expect for you to feel the same. Just know, though, that this means that I'm not leaving you. Not that there was ever a chance before, but... you know."

She grinned too. "Neither am I. I'll follow you wherever you feel you need to go, Harry Potter," she said.

This simply firmed his resolve. "Then, we're going home whenever our way back is ready," he said.

Hermione gaped. "Are you sure? You're so happy here!"

"Yes," Harry said firmly. "We're going back."

She kissed him again.

When his two friends walked into the dining room, Sirius knew something had changed.

Factor one: they were holding hands. They did this all the time, but still.

Factor two: Harry had a dopey grin on his face. Actually, not that unusual, Sirius thought to himself, snickering internally.

Factor three: Hermione had a dopey grin on her face. Hermione never had a dopey grin on her face.

Factor four: arguably the most obvious factor, their lips were puffy, which meant—

"WOOOOO!" All conversation stopped as the entire room watched the Black heir jump out of his seat and scream in triumph.

"Er, Sirius? Are you alright?" James asked tentatively. Oh, sweet, concerned James. If Sirius wasn't already taken by a smoking hot chick like Jess, he would totally jump on James. Oh. Wait. James was a boy, his brother in all but blood. Sirius didn't like boys, and he didn't like brothers either. At that moment, Sirius realized he was likely a bit overexcited.

"I won the bet, Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, winded.

"What bet? Oh—"

Sirius nodded. "Yes, James, that bet."

Harry cut in. "What bet is this, and why wasn't I included?"

"How can you tell," asked James irritably, completely ignoring Harry.

"You can tell by looking at their—" But unlike Harry, Hermione was not to be ignored.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK, IF YOU FINISH THAT SENTENCE, SO HELP ME GOD, I WILL—!"

"Hermione," chided Harry, cutting in smoothly.

See? mouthed Sirius to a slowly understanding James.

"Damn," James swore, fishing in his pocket for the galleons.

"Oh, I see what he's on about," said Charlus from the other side of the room, who was skillfully ignoring the withering look being sent his way by the losing party, his good friend Arcturus, who had also caught on. "Pay up, old friend!"

Charlus laughed gleefully as Arcturus handed him five golden, shiny galleons.

"What?" said Harry.

"You're a dimwit, Harry," Sirius deadpanned. "If even those old codgers over there caught on—"

"Hey!"

"—I'm sure you can."

A moment later, the older Sirius strolled into the dining room, stopped, and glanced at the chaos. "Potters," he muttered fondly, before looking at his godson.

"Oh, Arcturus lost, didn't he?" older Sirius said, peering at the rapidly reddening Hermione. "Oh, James too? I didn't know they had a bet going!"

"I am so lost right now," admitted Harry.

"You're a dimwit, Harry," older Sirius deadpanned, unknowingly mirroring his younger self. "If even us old codgers over here caught on, I'm sure you can."

Shaking her head, Hermione stood on her toes and whispered something into Harry's ear, who suddenly adopted a look of dawning comprehension.

"Oh," he said intelligently.

"Honestly, Harry," Hermione chided. "Even you aren't usually this oblivious."

"Hey!" protested said chosen one, immediately spotting the insult in the statement.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled Harry along to their seats.

"So," a grinning Harry said a few minutes later, during the lull in the conversation, "you aren't going to lecture them for betting on us?"

"Hey!" started James.

"Don't remind her," ordered younger Sirius.

"Too late for that," commented older Sirius.

"I've decided I'm not annoyed," Hermione said nonchalantly, leading to several jaws dropping.

"Wow, Hermione," younger Sirius enthused, "where did you put the stick that was up your—"

Sirius was thankfully silenced by James, who was present enough to cover his friend's mouth.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "What was that, Paddy-daddy?" she asked sweetly, too sweetly.

The table roared with laughter as the tips of the mentioned boy's ears turned red and his cheeks pinked.

"Whew," said older Sirius, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, "remind me to never cross you."

"Never cross me," Hermione said mock-threateningly.

The older Sirius adopted a humorous expression of abject terror.

"Save me!" the grown man wailed. "She's too scary!"

"Shut up, you old mutt," groused Arcturus.

"Thanks, Grandfather," said old mutt threw back.

Arcturus simply rolled his eyes.

A/N:

It's been a while since I've touched this story, and to be perfectly honest, I didn't think I would be again. However, this was the only story that was at least vaguely popular, with a whopping 250 favorites (haha). The reason I originally stopped writing here was not because of a terrible mistake or something, but it was because I hadn't been making the story move quickly enough. You might be wondering, how is this any quicker, looking at the large section I've added to this chapter. It's quicker because the next chapter will feature a massive time skip, at which they will be returning home by the end. A few particular scenes will be stretched out because they are admittedly important scenes, but much of what I had planned for this alternative world will not be happening, and there are things I had planned that will simply be alluded to.

I hope you enjoyed what I added to this chapter, and that you might forgive me for abandoning this for a while. I'm back now, though, and I'll hopefully be working on this for a good while.