October 24th, 2005.

"Why does Prongs look like his antlers might fall off?" Sirius asked as soon as he entered the room.

His best friends were gathered around the newly renovated living room of the Potters. He remembered the first time he'd visited Godric's Hollow after his escape, unable to hide the whine he'd let out as Padfoot.

Seeing James and Lily's names on the graves had hit him with a deep sense of despair. And now, to see them alive once again, it was a sort of euphoria that he wished to never be rid of.

Shaking himself out of those thoughts, he plopped down the seat next to Remus, who looked like he'd drained two glasses of Firewhiskey already, as the full moon continued to approach.

"Harry showed us what Umbridge did to his hands," Lily finally answered. The redhead's face began to resemble the colour of her hair, filled with an obvious ire at the woman mentioned.

He'd only been able to hold back from landing in Azkaban for the second time after Hermione had gripped his arms tightly, keeping him from throwing a Killing Curse at the ugly toad that had inflicted so much pain to his Godson.

He had been alive at that time. He could've done something - he should have!

"I'm so glad that the two got rid of her. Pity there's no more Dementors in Azkaban, though," James commented with a heavy sigh, running a hand through his messy locks defeatedly. Lily patted his back, her hand only pausing when Remus spoke up.

"What do you think would've happened? If Peter hadn't betrayed us?" The greying man raised his head, looking at each one of them to gauge for a reaction - a much needed answer.

But how could they tell what a different ending would've been?

Fists clenched tight at the mention of that rat, Sirius did his best to keep his voice levelled. "Does that even matter anymore? Harry has gone through too much for us to just live in the past. Who knows what we might be seeing today if it wasn't for him? We need to get a grip."

Lily looked proud as she nodded, a fierce fire behind her emerald eyes. "And not just Harry. Anyone who fought this war gave us the future we live in today. Hermione . . . she told me about what she did to her parents." She shook her head, her gaze now glittering at unshed tears. "I didn't know how to thank her for staying by my son's side."

"She is amazing," Sirius murmured, his heart drumming in his ears at the mere reminder of the woman that had been haunting - no, blessing his dreams and life altogether. "I've never seen anyone like her before."

James snorted, his lips lifting in a cocky smile at last. "That's new coming from you, Pads. I admit that all those girls you've known at Hogwarts were nothing like Hermione. How many of them would've brought us back?"

"Even Moony didn't," Sirius commented, pulling his bottom lip in a pout and looking at his best friend with feigned hurt.

"Don't blame me for not wanting Teddy to be around bad influences!" he joked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Remember when Andy invited us to babysit Tonks?" Sirius said with a smirk, his eyes gleaming at the grimace that appeared on his best friend's face. "I'd say I'm glad that you didn't get to come that day."

"Sirius," Lily tutted, though her smile betrayed the disapproval she was trying to voice. "There's no need to tease him anymore. He's a married man."

"Does that mean we should tease the only bachelor in the house?" James cut in, looking positively giddy at the thought of bothering Sirius.

Sirius threw him a glare. "Hey! Not my fault you've been trapped by beautiful women."

"Or maybe, you don't have the guts to approach your beautiful woman," Remus argued, pleased with the turnaround of the conversation.

Sirius remained quiet, unable to utter a valid excuse at the statement. He had the guts—he was Sirius Black, for Godric's sake—but Hermione seemed just so distracted lately.

How on earth was he supposed to approach that hard-working woman?

When he voiced that to his best friends, they looked shocked at his sensibility, and he almost felt a pang of annoyance at the fact that they still thought of him as a brash, womanizer boy.

That man had died the same night the Potters had.

"Why don't you suggest going out for dinner? It might get her to relax," Remus advised thoughtfully.

Sirius shook his head. "I already tried that. Kicked me out of her room, she did. She said I was distracting her too much." He rolled his eyes and drained his glass of Firewhiskey. "Maybe . . ."

"I don't like the sound of that," Remus commented, looking suspicious at his thoughtful tone.

"It's time to bring my old ways out. A true trickster by heart." He winked and jumped to his feet; he had a witch to rescue.

"Wait, Padfoot," James called out to him, worry leaking in his tone. "Are you sure you should bother her like that?"

Sirius turned around briefly and threw him a meaningful look. "Can you blame a bloke for worrying?"

James glanced at Lily and shook his head, a soft smile gracing his lips. "No, I cannot."

Hermione sighed, pulling her hair in a loose bun. Her headache had no intention of easing, so she might as well make herself as comfortable as she could.

Sending a brief look at the clock — when had it gotten so late? — she tapped her pen against her chin thoughtfully. A bunch of letters sent to Umbridge were spread out, and she was trying to recognize the magical signature, though she'd failed pathetically so far.

She'd only found that there was an additional party involved, helping those two Death Eaters from being tracked right away.

What other way could they mislead the Aurors?

She bit her lip when her stomach growled.

Focus, Hermione!

They could do it by . . . sending it to someone else first and having them redirect it to Umbridge!

Just as she was about to rejoice at her own brilliance, her eyes snapped up at the rustle behind her, and she craned her neck to find a corporeal Patronus make its way towards her.

"Padfoot?" she murmured, rising from her seat to approach it. She went to caress it, just barely reminding herself that it wasn't the dog himself.

'Hermione, you need to come now! Just grab the Portkey I left on your bed—'

Her stomach churned and she could barely feel her hands move to grab the small stick that she hadn't noticed before. Wand in her hand, she tapped the piece of wood and allowed her body to relax, even as her body proceeded to be sucked in and out into a dark alleyway.

Disoriented for a beat of a second, she straightened and instantly her gaze fitted around at her surroundings. Her brows knitted together at the glimpse of a man that turned around the corner. She followed him instantly.

It had to be Sirius.

Keeping her steps as quiet as possible, she remained right next to the cemented wall and copied the man's swift turn, just to be greeted by the sight of a park.

Her eyes widened at the table placed right in front of a giant, old oak tree. Thanks to the two candles dimly lit on top of it, she was able to see the immense number of rose petals spread on the sidewalk, leading her to where the man—no, definitely Sirius—stood.

Hermione glared at his back, though she found that her intentions really lacked any malice. She approached him silently and tapped on his shoulder.

He whirled around then, hands tucked in his dress pants' pockets and a wide grin plastered on his face.

She exhaled a long breath as the anger left her body. Despite living in the same place, it felt like an eternity had passed since she'd last seen him and boy, was he a sight to sore eyes.

Biting down a not-so-subtle remark at his beauty, she voiced her confusion, instead. "What's going on, Sirius? First, that Patronus and now this . . ."

She looked around, still in a daze at the beauty that surrounded them. It was as though millions of fireflies had gathered around to make it look so magical. He cleared his throat to gather back her attention, and she gladly gave it to him.

"I thought it would do you some good to get out once in a while." She made to protest, and he immediately placed his finger on her lips, leaving her breathless - just a bit, she swore desperately.

"I know you go out to work every day, but that doesn't count, and you know that," he muttered, his brows scrunched at her. He took a step forward then, cupping her face in his hands.

She was pleased at how soft she found his touch to be, filled with a certain kind of reassurance that she didn't know she'd needed.

"I haven't been that bad," she complained half-heartedly, her gaze completely stuck on him. He cocked a dark brow at her and she shrunk down, admittedly aware of how wrong she was.

Perhaps, she had been pushing herself too far.

"It looks like you've realized that you have, so I'm not going to lecture you any longer. That's your job!" He grinned, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone even as she narrowed her eyes at him.

He dropped his hands so that he could seize her own in his. "How about we eat the food before the bugs eat it all away?"

She sent him a winning smile. Her stomach now knew who to be grateful for.

"I'm famished. Did you plan all of this?"

Her heels dug hard in the soft grass and she found that she didn't care, more focused on the nervous look that crept up on his face.

"Yes," he grimaced and nodded at the table in front of them, "though, I'm not all that confident about the set-up. I've never . . ." he trailed off, a searching look that had her preen under his stare.

"You've never what?" She had an inkling as to what he meant, but it wouldn't hurt to play with him for a moment. With how much he'd scared her with that cryptic Patronus, he deserved it.

He let go of her hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah—how about we eat?" he suggested with a clap of his hands. He quickly moved her chair, waiting for her to sit with a cheeky smile. "You see, ma'am, chivalry is not dead!"

"Never did I ask for it, young man," she drawled, biting down a smile as she watched him drag his own chair to sit down.

She picked up the cover on her plate, wide eyes taking in the meal he'd prepared for her. "Beef tenderloin. That's very fancy of you."

A proud nod from him and then, "Always the best for you, Hermione." He sent her a long look, his molten eyes drinking in her pleased smile before he looked down at his own plate. "Always."

She felt her throat go dry, a hitched breath escaping her mouth. She wasn't sure where this was going, and something Hermione avidly disliked was ignorance from her part.

But now, even the unasked question didn't bother her as they spent their time under the night sky, blanketed with more stars than the human kind deserved to see.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

She nodded. There was something so reassuring about having the stars above you, lighting their world up, even if just faintly.

Hermione looked back at him, just to have his eyes already fixed on her. He wore a mesmerized expression, and she couldn't help but send him a fond look.

It felt like they'd crossed a defining line.

"Why did you do this, Sirius?" The question slipped past her lips before she could think about it.

"I—" he cleared his throat and hurried to continue, "I told you, didn't I? Thought it would do you some good."

She blinked at him and he eventually let out a long sigh. "I might have missed you a bit. No, really. A lot. Despicably so. Happy, now?"

She tilted her head, biting down a satisfied grin. "Very. You know why? Because I missed you, too."

His lips lifted into a pompous smirk, and she could see his back straighten. "You did? Well, of course you did! Should've just called me, Kitten. I don't bite - not unless you want me to."

Hermione twirled the glass of wine in her hands, sending him a long, challenging look. It might just be the alcohol talking but, "Where do you bite?"

"I might just show you, if you're not careful." His voice had dropped dangerously slow and under the dim candlelight, she could see his eyes drop to her lips, sliding down and down—

"Right." She cleared her throat and stretched her fingers along the edge of the table. "I think it's time to go home."

He cocked a brow at her, and she huffed out a laugh. "Really—I'm exhausted."

"Could still cuddle with me, y'know—"

"Right. Maybe, next time."

"—Next?" he spluttered, his hopeful eyes following her movements as she went to stand up. He eventually righted himself and cleared his throat. "Of course, yes. Next date."

She paused, her pulse racing under her skin like it had been challenged to be beat faster and faster—drumming into her ears like she could barely make out her own voice when she said, "Definitely."

October 25th, 2005.

After a refreshing, though shortened amount of sleep, Hermione had immediately gone back to the letter and scanned the last one for any hints, and—

"I've found it!" she exclaimed immediately when Harry appeared by her room's doorway, his hair dishevelled as always - if not a tad bit more today. She was by his side in an instant, him looking at her with wide, curious eyes and her mind going through a myriad of possibilities. "It's Lucius Malfoy! He's been passing along the letters through the Azkaban exchange system."

His shoulders sagged and he thumped his head against the door frame in clear frustration. She sent him a bewildered look, which he noticed and finally deemed it right to inform her of whatever he knew.

"Of course, it just had to be him. He's landed himself in fucking St. Mungo's."

Her loud gasp rang around the room, and she drew her brows together. "What?"

"Yeah. Mrs. Malfoy's condition worsened so much—they actually admitted that it's hopeless to figure out what curse she was hit with at Hogwarts—so, Lucius Malfoy finally got his chance to see her. Thing is that when he was left alone with her, he grabbed the wand that some idiot had left on the table and he tried to hurt himself."

Her hand quickly flew to her mass of curls, and she pulled at a few strands in frustration. "Merlin, Draco," she breathed out the boy's name in clear worry, "he must be going through so much."

Harry's nose scrunched up, and he pulled his lips into a grimace. "He actually tried to resign."

Her nostrils flared and she glared at an empty space by her bed. Oh, that little ferret—

"Not on my watch," she said bitingly, already moving away from her room and descending the stairs at a fast pace, Harry following right behind.

"Oi! Where are you two going? It's Sunday," called out Sirius from the living room, one of his legs somehow dangling from the arm of the couch.

"I need to see Draco bloody Malfoy!"

That piqued his interest immediately and while Hermione would've given him a pleased smile at how fast he got ready, her mind was already somewhere else.

Damn you, Death Eaters.

Hermione was struck at how quickly a sneer appeared on his face, right as soon as he registered her presence - along with Harry and Sirius.

She rushed forward, sitting down on the chair that faced him across the large desk. The small window behind him allowed the sunlight in sharp waves, pointed right at her eyes but she shoved the discomfort down. "Are you okay?"

Draco gave out a snobby laugh. "And if I'm not? It's not like we're chummy, Granger."

Exasperated but not surprised at his behaviour, she nodded slowly and shifted in her seat. "I agree that we may not be the best of friends, but I still care. Is your father—"

"I don't think of him as that anymore," he gritted out, his jaw tense as he finally looked straight into her eyes. She was shocked by the pool of despair that swam in his eyes, and something in her chest caved at the resistance he'd constantly shown her.

He seriously needed a good friend.

"Of course," she allowed easily, nodding along to his words. "Is Lucius Malfoy's condition critical?"

Malfoy huffed out a heavy breath, and he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "He will survive. Mother called for the Aurors before he could inflict too much pain to himself."

She reached out to place a hand over his pale one, immediately noticing how cold it felt over her warm one. At least, he didn't move it back. "I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but—"

"Should you trust him, Kitten?" Sirius interrupted in a loud voice, looking at Draco not too apologetically. "Let's not forget that he was a Death Eater, too."

Hermione didn't look back once, instead noting how Malfoy looked all too used at the man's words. "A reformed one," she insisted fervently.

Draco looked surprised at her words, but no more than the shock that took over her when Sirius left the office - a loud scoff and a slam of the door that echoed around the room even a few beats later.

"Well, there you go," she muttered, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration at the man's immature reaction. Her gaze slid from Draco to Harry, then back to the blond. "We need to talk, but might as well eat, too. Did you have lunch? I can order curry."

Harry's glasses almost slid off his face when his neck snapped towards the Healer. "Malfoy eats curry?"

A/N: This chapter has been a pain in the arse since - err, I'd say February 27th. Yeah . . . but hey, it has finally come to see the light! I hope you enjoy, and feel free to let me know what you think!