A/N: Thank you to all those who greeted me! I woke up and found out this story reached 500 reviews and that's the best birthday gift ever! Thank you so much!

Special thanks to lozipozivanillabean for being my Beta. Enjoy!

xxix.

where there is light, a shadow appears

(Sorrow by Sleeping at Last)

July 15, 1978

Hermione stared at the blank parchment on top of her table and tried to formulate the proper words to tell Regulus that she finally had a plan for their horcrux hunt. She hummed under her breath and thoughtfully brushed the soft ends of her turkey quill against her chin, before dipping the nib inside the inkwell.

Regulus,

I think the next best thing to do for our mission is to procure the Cup.

The brunette paused, wondering if it would be wise to add more details in this letter. Regulus was living at Grimmauld Place, after all, and no doubt it would be swarming with fellow Death Eaters who were too blinded by Voldemort's promises of power and prestige. She'd rather he didn't get into trouble just by corresponding with her.

She finally decided the brief letter was enough and signed it with her initials.

"Bring this to Regulus Black of 12 Grimmauld Place, Toffee," she softly requested, running a finger over the owl's head. She hooted happily and flew out of the window.

Now, all Hermione had to do was to wait for his reply.

-ooo-

Toffee came back a few hours after that, this time with a new parchment tied around her claw.

Hermione was in the middle of reading Anne of Green Gables, whichMary had given to her last Christmas, when her owl arrived.

She set the book aside and excitedly unrolled the parchment.

Bloody hell, you have to elaborate more. This isn't some mere note passing in school.

R.A.B.

Hermione snorted at his snarky reply, imagining his smirky face whilst penning this letter. She noted that he didn't write her name, which was good. If ever the letter was intercepted, then no one would speculate that he and a Half-Blood Ravenclaw were brewing a plan to overthrow the Dark Lord.

She quickly grabbed another spare parchment from her table and wrote down her reply.

The Cup is most likely inside the Lestrange's Vault. I was hoping with your connection to the Lestranges, procuring it would be an easy task.

H.P.

"I'm sorry, Toffee," she said, sheepishly smiling at the family owl as she tied the letter around her foot. Their small, tawny owl hooted in understanding and affectionately nipped Hermione's finger, before flying out of the window once more.

-ooo-

'Easy task'? Biggest understatement of the century. The Lestranges are famously known for their paranoia. Their Gringotts vault is heavily warded. I'm not sure if the rumours are true, but they said there's an actual dragon guarding their treasures. With the addition of my crazy cousin to their family, the paranoia had increased ten-fold.

So no, HP, procuring it is not an easy task at all.

R.A.B.

Hermione sighed in disappointment, but she'd expected this anyway. Even though she had Regulus as an ally, she knew getting the Cup would be really difficult. But amongst the other four remaining horcruxes, this one seemed the most feasible to get as of the moment. Riddle's diary was still most likely housed in Malfoy Manor. Hermione's head was still filled with Bellatrix Lestrange's torture in the drawing room of said house, and no matter how many times she tried to come up with a concrete plan to get the diary, Hermione always ended up balking and shaking with fear. Slytherin's locket may still be in Voldemort's possession and not hidden in the Cave Harry had described to her. The Gaunt ring, although perhaps easy to procure too, may be the most dangerous of them all. She remembered the unforgiving curse the ring had bestowed upon one of the greatest wizards the world had ever known. Hermione really wanted to get the ring, but only when she had already figured out how to destroy the horcruxes.

Thus, Hufflepuff's Cup was left.

Hermione grimaced as she pulled another parchment and wrote down her reply.

I thought as much.

Quick question: is the Black family vault as heavily guarded as the Lestrange family vault?

H.P.

-ooo-

Instead of toffee sitting on her windowsill that night, a proud, sooty owl hooted at her in greeting.

"Oh, hello, Mercury," she said, smiling warmly at the dark, beady eyes of Regulus's owl.

Mercury hooted once more and stuck out his foot, waiting for Hermione to untie the parchment around his leg.

Your blasted owl refuses to send any more letters. I'm forced to use my owl instead.

As for your question, yes, of course. Why do you ask? Is my family vault also housing a you-know-what? Please don't tell me our vault is also housing a you-know-what.

R.A.B.

Hermione grinned, imagining the panic the Black heir may have been feeling whilst writing this letter. Now that she properly knew who he truly was and whose side he was really on, Hermione couldn't help but think that Regulus Black was easily flustered and quite emotive. Very much like his older brother - only Sirius had no qualms about hiding what he truly felt to the whole world.

Her smile turned forlorn as she brushed her thumb across his initials. Being a Black heir must be really sad. No wonder Sirius always proclaimed running away from his family was the best decision he'd ever made in his whole life.

Hermione sat down at her desk once more to pen her reply.

No, your family vault is not housing a you-know-what. We just need it for my plan to work.

If I were you, I'd go to the Black family vault as soon as possible and tell the goblins you have to withdraw a hefty amount of galleons. Maybe a prized treasure too. Tell them your mother's birthday is coming up and you want to give her something grand.

After doing so, tell me in detail what happened as you ride that blasted cart to reach your vault.

H.P.

P.S. Do you have any means of getting a strand of Bellatrix Lestrange's hair?

She smiled kindly at Mercury and tied the parchment to his feet. "Don't accept any letters from your master tonight," she cooed, brushing a finger on top of his feathery head. The owl hooted appreciatively before spreading out his wings and flying out of her window, blending perfectly with the night sky.

June 18, 1978

Hermione's eyes broke away from her Arithmancy textbook when her bedroom door burst open. In came an exhausted Peter, whose face looked weary and gaunt. His blue eyes were lacklustre and there was a huge gash on his cheek. The dark moons under his eyes were stark against his pale face.

The brunette quirked an eyebrow when Peter plopped down on her bed, face first. "Welcome back," she said, smiling amusedly at his dishevelled appearance.

"They're putting us to work like a bloody horse," Peter cried, his voice muffled by Hermione's fluffy pillow. "We're not even official Aurors yet."

Her smile turned sympathetic. "In just a few months, you will be," she reassured. "Just hang in there, Petey."

Her brother expelled a humongous sigh and rolled supine on her bed. "Even James and Sirius are having a hard time. And they're better than me," he said with a flourished eye roll. "Sirius almost quit last night – and would have, if James hadn't talked some sense into him. James actually looks like he'll be a great Auror; Moody says so. Have you seen Mad-Eye Moody? Merlin, Hermione, he's as terrifying as a Hungarian Horntail. Best Auror DMLE has ever seen, people say. Bloody paranoid too, if you ask me. He's always shouting 'Constant vigilance!' if a spell hits us during training."

Hermione fondly remembered the same cranky Auror she'd known in the future, his persistently spinning eye piercing everyone in the room until they were forced to look away. She was quite sure he still had two, good eyes today, though.

Her eyes then landed on her exhausted brother, the same pride she'd felt when they found out he passed his NEWTs and was subsequently accepted for Auror training once again blooming in her chest. The corners of her lips twitched, remembering how Peter had unabashedly cried in front of her and their mother, loudly proclaiming he couldn't believe he'd actually made it.

"Of course you'd make it!" Hermione had cried back then. "Why did you even doubt yourself?"

James and Sirius were accepted, too, their grades predictably much better than Peter's. Nonetheless, the three Marauders were happy they were actually pursuing one of their childhood dreams.

"James asked me to give this to you," Peter then said, bringing her attention back to him. He was extending a rolled parchment in her direction. "Bloody wanker threatened to hex my ballsacks off if I tried to even peek at whatever he'd written there." The wizard wrinkled his nose in disgust, eyeing the letter warily. "As if I'm interested in what disgusting things he'd like to say to you."

Her cheeks flushed red as she hastily grabbed the letter from Peter. She threw him a glare when he gagged, before grabbing one of her fluffy pillows and burying his head again. "Go sleep in your own room, you berk," she complained.

"Can't move, sorry," he mumbled under his breath and snuggled deeper into her pillow.

Hermione sighed and shook her head. She then glanced at James's letter and felt her heart thud in excitement. She hadn't seen him since their graduation, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss him at all. He'd been swamped with Auror training, because really, they were being worked like a horse. Peter had rarely come home for the past few days, opting to sleep at the ministry, especially since he'd have to get back to work at precisely five in the morning the next day. Hermione was just relieved the boys were still continuing to pursue their dreams despite how difficult it was.

She unrolled the parchment and smiled at his familiar handwriting.

Hermione,

Has it really been weeks? It feels like ages since the last time I saw you! How are you? I hope you're not devouring your textbooks even before the start of school. Merlin, be kind to yourself too and have a well-deserved rest.

Speaking of rest, bloody Merlin help us all but we haven't properly slept in days. Pads wanted to quit so bad because Moody's been hounding on and on about the importance of punctuality and respect. You know how Sirius struggles with authority, rebel disinherited Pureblood heir and all. Wormy's a bit better. Moody's extra harder on him, and I think Peter feels like he's not doing well enough, but honestly, I think he's doing great! You should have seen him during our Concealment and Disguise lessons. Being a small Animagus definitely has its own perks. Moody always has a hard time searching for Peter when he's in his rat form.

Have you gotten your Hogwarts letter yet? I bet you're appointed as the Head Girl in your year. Hogwarts will surely crumble under your leadership with an iron fist. Tell me immediately who the Head Boy is, yeah? If it's a slimy Slytherin, I might be forced to have a word with Dumbledore.

I really miss you, Whiskers. I haven't had a proper snog in days. DAYS. I don't know if I can live any longer without your kiss.

See you soon.

Love,
James

Her mouth ran dry as she ran her fingers over his signature, her eyes lingering a bit on the word 'love'.

Despite the distance, Hermione was terrified at thought that her feelings for James Potter were steadily growing. NEWTs had passed and the seventh years had already graduated, but Lily and James were still not in love. Lily was having a blast flipping Spinner's End around until it was cozy and warm and so full of love. James was already writing letters to her with the word 'love' casually written like it wasn't a big deal. Like… like he actually meant it.

James hadn't told her he loved her yet, but she had this inkling it would be soon. So very soon. She'd seen his eyes after he'd kissed the daylights out of her, how they were the warmest brown filled with feelings Hermione had never seen a man give her before. She thought she'd seen them in Ron's eyes, but their romantic relationship was tragically brief before she could fully understand what he had been feeling.

It disturbed Hermione, however, because every time she pondered on her feelings for James, she wasn't sure if it could simply be described as like. She liked him very much, surely. He made her days brighter with his eyes and his lopsided smile. But it felt like it wasn't enough to call her feelings as such. James made her feel like she was the only thing that mattered in this world. It was terrifying and breath-taking at the same time, because it made her feel important. It made her feel that she could do anything, everything, just as long as he continued to look at her like that, with so much certainty and trust.

And the simple fact was, she wanted him to feel the same way too. Like he was the only thing that mattered in this world. To hell with Voldemort, or Hermione Granger or… or Harry Potter.

Hermione took a sharp intake of breath, her fingers stilling over the word 'love' once more. Guilt sneaked up from the pit of her stomach and snaked around her heart, stealing whatever lovely feelings she was developing for James Potter.

"You all right, Hermione?"

She blinked away her panic and stared at her brother, who was now peeking at her over her pillow.

"Yeah," she said with a nervous laugh, mentally dispelling whatever distressing thoughts she had brewing in her mind.

Hermione briefly glanced back at James's letter and swallowed down her panic. The pads of her thumb brushed over the word 'love' once more and she asked, almost absentmindedly, "Do you need to go to the ministry tomorrow?"

Peter shifted on her bed so that he could fully look at her. "No," he replied. "Moody gave all the Auror interns a day-off tomorrow. Something about recharging the magical battery and all that shite." He chuckled when a small smile appeared on Hermione's face. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you think—" She paused, frowning a bit, uncertain if she was doing the right thing. "Do you think it'd be okay if I invited James over for dinner tomorrow?"

Hermione's cheeks flushed when she glanced back at her brother. Peter wore a pensive look on his face, pulling himself up from Hermione's bed to sit on the very edge.

"James would be over the moon, I'm sure," he said, a small laugh escaping from his lips.

"And Mum," she added.

"I think it'll be okay, 'Mione," Peter said. "More than okay, in fact." A smile appeared on his face, almost looking sad and happy at the same time. "You really like James, don't you? I was hesitant at first because I thought he was just trying to use you to get to Lily. I mean, you know how persistent he can get, using any means to get what he wants. But after seeing how he treated you in the last month… well..." His cheeks turned red as he shyly scratched his chin. "He's very sweet to you, Hermione."

"Did he pass the sibling test?" she teased with a wide grin.

"With flying colours," Peter joked, followed by a boisterous laugh.

Hermione turned back to her desk and pulled out a spare parchment and her turkey quill. "We have to tell Mum to take it easy again this time," she pointed out, already imagining how Anya's blue eyes would sparkle with excitement.

Before Peter could answer, Regulus's greater sooty owl flew against her window and politely tapped against the glass.

The brunette excitedly ripped her window open and let him land elegantly on her wooden desk.

"Whose owl is that?" Peter's eyebrows were knitted at the middle. "He seems awfully familiar…"

Hermione's eyes widened in mild panic. All hell would surely break loose if Peter discovered she was corresponding with Regulus Black, of all people. "Dorothy's," she immediately lied, hastily untying the parchment wrapped around Mercury's leg.

"Who?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Dorothy Boot," she expounded. When Peter blankly stared at her, she merely laughed. "Never mind that."

Peter stood up from her bed and stretched his arms overhead. "I'm going to take a nap in my room," he said, seemingly dropping the subject. "Wake me up when it's dinnertime already."

"You're tasked to do the dishes this time," she pointed out.

Her brother made a face. "Year-long supply of toffees?" he offered, an hopeful smile on his face.

"That's what I thought," she said with a laugh.

Peter snorted and turned on his heel, leaving Hermione alone in her bedroom.

Once he was gone, Hermione hastily opened Regulus's letter, eager to know what it contained.

I went to Gringotts yesterday to do what you told me to do, even though I have no idea what you're planning. The goblins were dubious with my sudden demand for a lot of galleons and a prized Black treasure. Bloody menaces even activated this waterfall – Thief's Downfall, was what they called it. It drenched me to the bone and ruined my expensive robes. They said it was mandatory to activate if a patron requests to withdraw a large amount of money. I told them my father will hear about it, of course. I'm the Black heir, for Merlin's sake. Why the hell would they suspect me?

Why do you need a strand of my cousin's hair? I can procure it, if you must know. There is a guest room in Grimmauld where Bella usually sleeps when she comes over. I perused around it a while ago and saw a hairbrush with strands of her hair.

R.A.B.

Hermione was beaming by the end of Regulus's letter. As expected, it was mighty suspicious for Regulus to suddenly request to withdraw a huge amount of money – enough to let the goblins activate the Thief's Downfall. She knew it wouldn't be activated at all if the goblins did not suspect any possible thievery. Admittedly, her impersonation of Bellatrix Lestrange may be atrocious, and Hermione highly doubted she'd be able to play her perfectly again. But, if the only one to get inside a highly guarded vault was to become one of the people she loathed with her very being, then Hermione really had no choice. Now that she had Regulus by her side, Hermione had this inkling the outcome of this coming heist would be successful, only with less wand waving and dragon riding drama.

Hermione then eagerly dipped the nib of her turkey quill in her inkwell to pen her reply to Regulus.

Everything's going according to plan. You don't have to worry. Is it possible for you to meet with me at Diagon Alley on the 20th of July? We're going to break into Gringotts.

Make sure to bring a strand of hair from your cousin. Make sure it's her hair and not a cat's or any other pets you have at home. Make sure to also bring a spare dress that belongs to her.

Meet me at Diagon Alley at 9 am. Sound good?

H.P.

Satisfied with her reply, Hermione beckoned Mercury closer and tied the letter around his claw. She then gave him a few treats from a small pouch on her desk, before he flew away.

Once Mercury was merely a dot in the horizon, she grabbed another spare parchment to pen her reply for James.

James,

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not 'devouring' any textbooks this summer. I took Remus' suggestion to take it easy this time since it'll be NEWTs year for me and I need all the energy I can get.

It sounds like Auror training's been exhausting. Peter's been moving around the house like an inferi for days. Mum's growing worried. Take as much rest as you can! I've heard loads about Mad-Eye Moody and if anything, he's rigorous and paranoid.

Peter also said you have a day-off tomorrow. Maybe you'd like to come over and have dinner with us? Mum will be happy if you do.

I miss you too. Very much.

Her turkey quill hovered at the end, debating how she'd conclude her letter. Her black ink was already making a messy splatter on the parchment.

Arriving at a decision, Hermione banished the ink blots on her parchment with a wave of her wand and merely signed the letter with her name.

"Toffee," she called. The owl landed primly beside Hermione and without being told, she stuck out her leg, waiting for her mistress to tie the parchment.

"Take this to James in the Potter Manor, all right?" The owl hooted happily and flew outside her window.

-ooo-

WHAT THE HELL DID YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAID BREAK INTO GRINGOTTS? ARE YOU MAD?

R.A.B.

P.S. I'm free on July 20 but I still have no fucking clue what your plan is. If I don't get out of Diagon Alley alive, I'm going to haunt you in the afterlife. Forever.

Hermione snorted at Regulus's letter and quickly replied that yes, she meant what she had said about breaking into Gringotts and no, she wasn't mad. She tied the letter around Mercury's leg and bid him goodbye, before she strolled out of her bedroom.

A quick look at her wristwatch said she only had twenty minutes before her supposed visit to Spinner's End. Lily had been begging her for days to come over, just so she could show her her handiwork. Hermione was curious to see what she had done, even asking her for some details, but Lily refused to say anything and wanted Hermione to see for it herself.

"Going somewhere, sweetheart?" Anya asked, as she bustled out of the kitchen, her worn apron strung around her thin waist.

"I'm going to visit Lily and Sev," she answered with a smile. "I'll be back before dinner, Mum."

"Peter's already home?"

Hermione laughed. "He's snoring like a stampeding hippogriff in his room," she replied. Upon seeing her mother's look, she kindly smiled and wound her arms around Anya's waist. "Don't worry about him, Mum. James said he'd been doing great in his Auror training."

"Did he now?" Anya said, a proud smile blooming on her pretty face.

"Speaking of James…" Hermione shyly smiled at her mother and pulled away. "You don't mind if I invited him over for dinner tomorrow?"

As predicted, Anya's eyes looked like stars in the night sky. "Of course I don't mind!" she exclaimed happily. "Oh, what does James like? Chicken or beef? Perhaps some pumpkin juice? Or maybe he's the butterbeer kind of bloke? What desserts does he like?"

"Mum," Hermione cried, laughing exasperatedly at her mother's excited twittering. "Please, don't overdo yourself. It's just James. He eats everything, honestly. Well, he's very fond of treacle tarts, though, and pumpkin juice."

"All right, I'll make sure to bake enough treacle tarts to last him a lifetime." Anya burst into soft laughs when Hermione stared at her incredulously. "Oh, love, of course your mother's exaggerating. Go have fun with your friends now. Send my love to both Lily and Sev. Tell Severus to eat more! I saw him during their graduation and he almost looked like a skeleton to me."

Hermione placed a kiss on her mother's cheek. "Will do, Mum," she said. "Goodbye. I love you."

Anya smiled warmly at her daughter and brushed a few strands away from her face. "I love you too, sweetheart," she fondly replied.

She then strode towards their fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder. She threw it inside the fireplace and waited for the flames to turn emerald green. She then stepped inside and exclaimed, "Number 7 Spinner's End, Cokeworth!"

The familiar sensation of travelling through floo slammed against Hermione's chest, knocking the breath out of her. She held her breath to keep the soot from going inside her nostrils.

The uncomfortable travel soon ended and Hermione stepped out from the fireplace, deftly brushing the soot off her shoulders.

"Hermione!"

Hermione glanced away from her shoulders to greet Lily with a smile, but then, her jaw dropped at the image before her.

She clearly remembered the peeling walls and dilapidated ceiling, and the depressing couch where Sev had fallen asleep the last time they'd visited him for his mother's funeral. Gone where all those things and Hermione felt like she'd stepped into a very homely cottage, with pale-pink floral wallpapers and wooden floorboards. There was a long, grey couch in front of the roaring hearth, with two, white armchairs placed on opposite sides. There were lilies everywhere – hanging near the small wall lamp, on the coffee table and displayed on the windowsills. Sev's handsome bookshelves were still in their previous place, only this time Lily had placed various moving photographs of her and Sev, sometimes including Hermione, and even various pictures of Lily and her friends and her family.

The whole house was a far cry from the dreary house she'd seen before. Gone were the obvious signs of neglect and loneliness, instead replaced by pieces of furniture and displays that were obviously chosen with much thought and love.

"Do you like it?" Lily asked, her cheeks colouring at Hermione's staring.

"Lily it's… it's beautiful," Hermione breathed out.

Lily laughed and crossed the room to reach Hermione. "That's not the best part," she said, excitedly dragging Hermione out of the small house.

Hermione half-expected the wrought-iron, prison-like gates to greet her eyes. Instead, the metal gates were painted white, slithering vines wrapping around each individual bar with small, blooming, pink flowers cheerily fluttering in the wind.

The whole house looked out-of-place amongst the dreary, identical brick wall houses of Spinner's End.

"It's lovely, Lily," she gushed out again, glancing back at the beaming redhead.

"She Lily-fied the whole house," Severus's tired voice claimed as he stepped out of the house and stood behind Lily.

"I made it prettier," she corrected, smiling warmly when Sev placed a hand on top of her shoulder.

Hermione smiled at the wizard and noted there were dark bags under his eyes once more. His hair was brushed neatly behind his ears, cut shorter than the last time she'd seen him. Despite his exhausted demeanour, Severus looked well. Very well, in fact, like he'd been well-loved and well-fed. The brunette bit her bottom lip, stopping herself from cheekily blurting out that he had been Lily-fied too.

"Come inside," Lily then ushered, looping her arm around Hermione's and pulling her inside. "Besides training as an Unspeakable, I started learning how to bake!" She led Hermione into a small kitchen with a small, white, round table and four, white stools. Lily happily gestured at the cake proudly displayed on the table. "It's a sticky toffee cake. It's not perfect yet; Sev did say the sponge cake is a bit soggy."

"A bit is a huge understatement," Sev murmured, earning him a playful smack across his chest.

Hermione laughed and settled down on the stool, immediately slicing a piece of the cake to place it on her plate. "How's training as an Unspeakable?" she asked Lily.

The redhead expelled a soft sigh and leant her chin on her upturned palm. "Hard, as expected," she said. "Quite complicated too! Half of the time, I never understand what the Senior Unspeakables are talking about. But I'm determined to learn. It's a really interesting field. The books you gave me have been quite helpful, but honestly? There's so much more about being an Unspeakable than prophecies and ancient rituals and…" She trailed off and sheepishly smiled. "But then, of course, I shouldn't say anything about it. First rule of being an Unspeakable is to never say anything to others about being an Unspeakable."

"I'm sure as a chatterbox, it takes a tremendous effort to do so," Hermione teased.

Lily playfully glowered and brushed her hair away from her face. "I'm trying my best," she petulantly said. "Besides, one of the senior Unspeakable said I have so much potential. That's already saying something."

"Of course you have so much potential! You graduated top of your class!" Hermione exclaimed with an impassioned tone.

The redhead grinned as a blush bloomed on her cheeks. "Thanks, Hermione," she said, shyly brushing her silky, red hair away from her face again.

"And you?" she asked, her gaze now landing on the wizard beside Lily. "How's your apprenticeship with Slughorn?"

Severus deftly shrugged. "It just feels like I'm working on a huge project," he said.

"Will you start teaching Potions next school-year?"

"Unfortunately, not yet," he said. "Slughorn wanted to teach me for another year until I get my Masters Potion degree. He might let me assist in his classes, though." Severus threw her a wicked smirk. "I can't wait to start deducting points from grubby, little children."

Hermione snorted, remembering the bully Potions Professor she and her classmates had endured for six years. "If you reign terror over the students, I'm going to kick your arse," she threatened.

"You're Head Girl?" he assumed.

"I still haven't gotten my Hogwarts letter," she replied with a laugh. "Regardless - if I hold a position or not next school-year, I'm still going to kick your arse."

"Resorting to violence, as always," Sev said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small smile.

"You're going to be Head Girl, I'm sure," Lily said, as she batted her red hair away from her face for the umpteenth time. Hermione frowned and distractedly watched her hand, wondering why she kept on fidgeting with her hair when it was impeccable. "Everybody knows the brightest witch of her age will be appointed as one."

"We don't know that for sure," she insisted, watching keenly as Lily tucked a red strand behind her ear. At the same time, the cheery light from the small, wall lamp in their kitchen struck something shiny on Lily's finger, momentarily illuminating Hermione's fork poised mid-air.

Realising what had caused it, Hermione's fork slipped from her hand and clattered loudly on the plate.

"And she notices it at last," Sev said with a smirk, thinly-veiled amusement in his eyes.

Hermione shot forward and grabbed onto Lily's left hand and gaped at the ring on her finger. Two gold bands entwined like vines, enveloping Lily's finger with three, rubies sprouting like roses. It was beautiful, something Lily would have truly loved.

When Hermione looked back at Lily, her vision swam as tears filled her eyes. "Really?" she breathlessly expelled.

Lily vigorously nodded her head, tears also in her eyes. "Yes, really," she said with a lovely laugh.

Hermione shot up from her stool so quick it toppled over. She jogged towards her best friends and drew them both into a tight hug, shamelessly crying her eyes out at the news they were going to get married soon.

"Merlin, why are you sobbing like that?" Sev asked, the smile on his face uncharacteristic and light.

Lily was already sniffling too as she wound both of her arms around Hermione's neck. "We want you to be my maid of honour, Hermione," she declared.

The younger witch swiped her tears away from her face and glanced at Lily in shock. "Me?" she asked.

"I don't know why you're so shocked about it," Lily said, laughing incredulously at Hermione's genuine disbelief. "I don't have a good relationship with my sister and Sev's an only child. You are our best friend, so you're our choice by default."

More tears tumbled out of Hermione's eyes as her bottom lip trembled. "I'd be honoured," she finally said.

Lily's green eyes lit up in delight as she shot up from her seat to properly envelop Hermione into a huge hug. "Oh, I don't know why I doubted whether you'd agree to it either," she said with a chuckle. Her arms tightened around the young brunette. "We plan to get married after you graduate, of course. There's plenty of time to prepare. By then, I'll be an Unspeakable and Sev will be the new Potions professor."

Hermione took a mighty sniff and reached out for Sev's hand. The wizard, whose face had considerably softened with warmth and happiness, grasped her hand and gave it a tender squeeze. "I'm so happy for you both."

-ooo-

Hermione was relieved that neither Peter nor Anya were able to notice her return. After shedding a few more tears in Lily and Sev's house, Hermione had bid them a hasty goodbye, as the implication of their marriage finally settled in.

Tears still blurred Hermione's vision as she meandered through their living room, tore the front door open, and collapsed messily on their front porch. The image of Lily and Sev's wide, blinding smiles haunted her memory, as if mocking the huge possibility that Harry Potter might not be born at all. Harry Potter who had emerald eyes – Lily's eyes. It wouldn't be the same if Lily and Sev had a child, because his face would be all wrong.

The grief washed over her like a huge tidal wave. Hermione pressed a hand against her lips to stifle her sobs, not wanting to alert anyone to her anguished cries.

'I'm sorry, Harry,' she mourned internally. 'I'm so sorry. I tried my best. I'm so sorry.'

Memories of her Harry, running through the corridors of Hogwarts with wide, bright, emerald eyes resurfaced in her mind. She remembered all the times when Harry had been the one with tears in his eyes, mourning for the heavy losses no child should ever undergo. She remembered Harry, brave and ferocious like a mighty lion, charging through the foray of blood and smoke and dust and spells, still determined to bring Voldemort down and to end all the misery he had cast over the Wizarding World. And she remembered Harry, inhaling his very last breath, looking at her like she was the one thing that had mattered to him the most, before life was stolen from him, before he could even become happy, truly happy in this world.

And now… now, he would never get the chance to be happy, because he wouldn't exist at all. Or, if ever he would, she was sure it wouldn't be him. She was infinitely happy for Lily and Sev. Truly, the feelings that had rushed through her when they had broken the news of their upcoming marriage, had brought out all happy emotions in Hermione's heart.

Hermione bent over and heaved huge sobs, her hand pressed against her lips - her only barrier from making loud, anguished noises. 'I'm sorry, Harry.'

"Hermione?"

A gasp escaped from her lips as her shoulders tensed. Even without turning around, she heard the worry in Peter's words.

"Hermione? What are you doing over there?" She heard his shuffling footsteps until he lowered himself down beside her.

Peter bent forward to peer at her face, blue eyes growing wide upon noticing the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked, growing panicky. "Did something happen? With Lily? Snape?"

She hastily wiped her tears and away and swallowed down a sob, forcing herself to shakily smile at Peter. Judging from the way he grimaced, she knew she'd failed spectacularly. "I– It's…" She paused and took a few shaky breaths before continuing. "They're getting married. Lily and Sev."

"That's brilliant!" Peter exclaimed, looking earnestly happy. "I mean, I still hate that slimy git but he and Lily are good together." The smile on his face faltered as he glanced at her tears once more. "Those are tears of happiness, I hope?"

A watery chuckled escaped from her lips as she continued swiping her unending tears. "Of course," she whispered, ignoring how her heart clenched at the truthfulness of her feelings.

"It doesn't look like it, though," Peter pointed out matter-of-factly.

Hermione looked away from his piercing gaze and sighed. She felt like she was betraying Harry by being happy for her best friends. Harry was supposed to live, supposed to have a brilliant life because he, of all people, deserved it. But with his green eyes gone, there would be no Harry Potter.

Peter then shifted beside her and drew her into a tight hug. "I'm sure if they've already built a family, they won't cut you off," he said, patting her back in comfort. "If they truly love you, of course they'll let you in." He pulled slightly away from Hermione and looked at her in amusement. "I mean, I don't understand why you're miserable they're getting married. Don't tell me you've been harbouring a secret love for Snape all these years?"

Hermione made a face. "Ew, no, of course not," she said.

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Lily?"

A laugh bubbled out of her lips despite her tears. "And risk getting glowered at by the sourpuss for the rest of my life?" she jested.

"Then why are you sad?" he asked exasperatedly.

"I'm not," she said, glancing away from Peter's bright, blue eyes. "It's just—" Words failed her, unable to form anything coherent to give as an excuse.

She thought of Harry Potter once more, who'd been selflessly giving himself, piece by piece every day, just to make this world a better place.

When Peter pulled her into another hug, Hermione closed her eyes and imagined her Harry and what he might have said if he'd discovered that Lily Evans was going to marry another.

"If Mum is happy, then I'm happy too," he would say.

This brought a small, sad smile on Hermione's face, because she knew that if Harry was given a choice between letting his parents love other people rather than each other or for him to live, Harry would undoubtedly choose the former.

A/N: I know some of you are getting a bit frustrated with Hermione's adamant insistence that Harry Potter must be born as the Harry Potter she knew – black, dishevelled hair and emerald eyes – and I completely understand. But I really, honestly think Hermione will have a hard time letting Harry go. It's in Hermione's character to put Harry first – she went with him during the horcrux hunt, getting herself in danger just to keep Harry safe - so I'm sure she'll be very devastated to know that the Harry she once loved and knew will be nonexistent or different all together. Hahahaha I think I've made it clear that this is one of Hermione's main dilemma in the whole story – letting go of her past or living in the present.

Like I said, slow burn-y – romance and plot-wise – because Hermione needed to properly grieve and accept her present.

ACK, so I'll stop now before I spill out ALL of my future plans lmao. I wasn't even sure if I should explain myself ahahahah but yeah.

See you tomorrow!

With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe

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