"What do you mean you're together now?" Luisa said, her eyes narrowed and her lips slightly parted, watching her mother and Sirius in utter despair. How hard was it to figure out a relationship? They shared a look, eyes wide. Sighing, Lu continued, "I mean, why are you together now? What were you before? You literally live together. We literally live together."

The pair of them sat like fishes, their mouths opening and closing multiple times before her mother spoke. "We just- we wanted to-"

"Me and Sirius had a chat the other day, at the party. We sorted all this out. What was that about if you weren't actually together?"

She watched smiles start to creep up on her mother and Sirius' faces. "Okay, Lu," her mother said, a bit breathless, as though she was confused and amused by the whole situation. "So, you're okay with it?"

Luisa put her head in her hands. "Of course I'm okay with it. We literally have had this conversation. I'm fourteen. I'm not a piece of glass."

They kept speaking, though, for a few more minutes, before her mother went to do some laundry and Sirius went to talk with the Weasleys about finding Harry. Luisa looked around her, searching for somebody who would commiserate with her over the shitshow of 'parents' she had.

Adults. Why were they in charge of the world?

Checking around the corner, Luisa determined that there was no one else in the vicinity now. She pulled the parchment and quill from under the table, glad that her mother and Sirius hadn't questioned the jar of ink on the table. People were always leaving stuff around in this house. Even though Luisa's family technically lived in the spare house, they spent most of the time over here. Luisa was glad, because Sirius and her mum were cringey.

Returning to her task, Luisa dipped her quill in the ink and spread out the parchment. She inhaled and then began to write: Dear Professor McGonagall …

XXX

The shop that Ginny had claimed as safe was in Covent Garden, somewhere that Harry and Ginny had yet to visit. Harry had been nervous to know whether or not Sirius was free and had delayed it, realising that knowing sooner would not make a difference to the verdict and that the Daily Prophet would draw it out for more than just one day.

So, eight days after Sirius' trial was supposed to have ended, Harry and Ginny headed to Covent Garden. Harry left Ginny in the market area, to choose some food for tea that night, and he headed to the little shop. They'd figured out where it was early that morning and then eaten brunch at an artisan coffee shop while they waited for the area to be a bit busier, so that they would blend in easier. Ginny had suggested she not go in with Harry, because people would be looking for two people. It would be more covert if he was just one.

The shop was between an olde-worlde sweet shop and a shoe-shining place. Like at Hampton Court, there was a glimmer of light that Harry focussed on, which made the shop appear. He watched somebody head in, looking over their shoulder at the muggles. Harry sighed. Wizards were always so obvious about everything. It was a wonder that the world didn't know about them.

He followed the wizard inside. If there were more than one of them in there, the shopkeeper would not notice him in particular.

The shopkeeper was actually reading his own paper when he entered, not even looking up as a windchime above Harry made a noise to signal his entry. Harry was not going to complain about that. He immediately started to browse. The quicker he was in and out, the quicker Ginny would stop worrying.

The shop was actually more than Ginny had described it. It was more of a supermarket than a newsagent. Harry picked up a few things that he thought Ginny might like, as well as some spice packs that were developed by a magical company that he thought sounded interesting. As he read the back, he considered what he had in his fridge to cook with them. Ginny would like it, he thought. Perhaps he could get some candles and they could have a more romantic date night. Or maybe he could take her out at some point. It would be nice for them to have a proper date.

Realising that he had gone off track, Harry shook his head and headed around to the newspaper stand, picking up the Prophet and a Seeker Weekly. He was starving for quidditch. Ginny, too, had been staring at the skies yesterday, when they had been sitting in the garden. Perhaps there was some way that they could fly. Even thinking about it, Harry knew it would be too much of a risk. Anywhere one could fly discreetly they would find other wizards.

At the counter, Harry nodded at the shopkeeper, who barely even glanced at him. Harry's hair was long at the front at the moment, meaning he didn't have to faff around with makeup to cover up his scar, though he was improving at the practice of putting it on.

Moments later, Harry was leaving the shop with a bag of things, successfully having braved wizarding society. He found the nearest bench before going to find Ginny, suddenly itching to know about Sirius. It wasn't on the front page, so he didn't know yet.

The Prophet was charmed to look entirely normal to a muggle, Harry knew, so he didn't worry about opening it in the middle of one of the busiest areas of London. It only took three turns of the page to find a mention of Sirius.

He noticed the picture first: it was Sirius and, as the picture moved, Sirius flew into the arms of a woman, a shorter woman, with dark skin and a well-kept afro. She had big brown eyes and her arms were tight around Sirius. Harry watched Sirius hug her four times before he finally read the article, already feeling his heart loosen in his chest.

The first line proved what Harry's heart was already realising. It read: Newly-released Sirius Black…

Harry kept reading, wondering who on earth the woman was. Sirius had never mentioned a woman, especially not one that he would hold like that. Harry's hands were shaking as he reached the information that he wanted:

Zoe Angevin, Black's reported paramour, was not only Sirius Black's Hogwarts supposed girlfriend but Lily Potter's closest friend. She was named godmother to Harry Potter, alongside Black as his godfather, and was one of the first to be with Mrs Potter at the birth of her son (pictured below). Miss Angevin was reported missing on 31st July 1981, the day of her godson's first birthday party, just three months before the Potters were murdered.

Harry dropped the paper. It slid from his knees and had almost reached the floor when he grabbed it again. His eyes searched desperately until he found the picture that the article had mentioned, the one that was referred to with his birth.

Sure enough, the photo was in a hospital bed, his mother, tired but beautiful, in the middle, his father on her left, Remus next to him, smiling. Harry was in a woman's arms, the woman who had been in Sirius' arms in the photo above. Behind her, looking over her shoulder and beaming at her, was Sirius. They both looked so enamoured with Harry.

Harry's breathing quickened. Where had this woman been his whole life? Sirius had been in Azkaban. Remus was not allowed to look after Harry himself as a werewolf. But where had this - this Zoe been? She was his godmother. Harry felt bile rise in his throat, remembering every beating, every harsh word, every time his cousin and his friends had chased him.

XXX

As Ginny approached her boyfriend, the only thing she could think was that he was having an attack. The last time she had seen him so shaky was when Voldemort had attacked him in the streets of Edinburgh. She rushed over to him suddenly, ignoring the copy of the Prophet that was falling to the floor. "Harry," she murmured, putting her hand on his legs. He turned to her and his eyes were wide, scared like an animal caught, but they were clear. There was no trace of Voldemort behind them. "Oh, Merlin, is it Sirius? Is he back in Azkaban?" she asked urgently.

Harry shook his head slowly. Ginny felt relief crash into her chest, almost winding her. She was not sure how they would have coped if that was the case. "Then, what's going on, Harry?"

"Sirius," he started hoarsely and then broke off. Ginny's heart started to beat rapidly. Sure, Sirius was not back in prison, but Voldemort was back. Any manner of things could have happened to him. "Sirius has a girlfriend." Ginny would have laughed if it were not for the absolute desolation on Harry's face. She remained silent as he pulled the paper up off the floor and handed it to her, pointing at the article.

Ginny watched Sirius lovingly embrace the small, dark woman twice before she read the article. The mention of Harry's parents, of Harry's godmother, shocked her. She had heard of Zoe Angevin, though knew nothing more of her. Perhaps her parents had mentioned her when she was little. "Oh, Harry, I'm sorry," Ginny said, although she was unsure really what she was sorry for.

"Where was she?"

Ginny furrowed her brow. "Peru," she said, scanning the rest of the article. Her eyebrows flew up her face. "Peru, with her daughter."

Harry snatched the paper back off her and read the end of the article. "Why wasn't she here, looking after me?"

Ginny understood now. Harry had not had a good childhood. She knew that, though she didn't know the details. The thought of someone who should have looked after him was of course upsetting. Harry had every right to be dismayed at what he had read.

Ginny scooched closer to Harry and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," she murmured. Harry leaned his head against hers, expelling a deep breath. Ginny hoped that she would be able to be a comfort to him and be as understanding as she possibly could be, so that he would confide more in her. She didn't want to press but she wanted to know everything about him, the bad things and the good.

XXX

Charlie ruffled his hair as he reached the pub, in the middle of the Lake District, after walking half a mile from the nearest apparition point. It was never a good idea to apparate into the middle of nowhere, in case there were any muggles nearby, so he'd had to research where was best to go and then walk from there. It could have been much further. Remus had to walk six miles when he went to meet Kingsley for the same task.

The Council of Resistance had been meeting its hopeful members for the past week. Remus had been to Kingsley and Tonks to McGonagall, while his parents had recruited the Dewhursts from Ottery St Catchpole and Percy had spoken with Emmeline Vance. Each one of their potentials had made the oath and joined without issue.

Somehow Charlie had wound up with the potential member who posed the most issue. He hadn't even wanted her to be a part of the Council, not trusting her as a ministry political employee. He had no idea how he had been left with Amelia Bones but he hadn't been best pleased. She was the biggest risk - if agreeing to a meeting had been a trap, Charlie was in a very vulnerable position. He could not be arsed with another prison spell.

Charlie ordered himself a beer at the bar, acknowledging the barkeep with a grunt. With his drink, he found a quiet corner and took a sip, looking out of the window at the stark beauty that surrounded him. Perhaps he should venture up to the Lakes more often. He missed the picturesque landscape and the quiet of his home in Romania.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" a voice said next to him. Charlie turned, breaking his train of though, and found an attractive if older woman standing there, a pint of beer in her hand. Charlie smiled as charmingly as possible.

"Ordinarily I'd love your company, lass, but I'm afraid I'm waiting for someone."

The woman narrowed her baby blue eyes, her brows drawing together. "I believe I am supposed to say that I am one who loved not wisely but too well."

Charlie blinked in recognition, shuffling up on the bench. Remus and Zoe had been the ones to choose the passwords for the meetings. They were all quotes from Shakespeare. This one identified this attractive woman as Amelia Bones, someone who Charlie had genuinely believed to be over fifty. From the look of her, she could hardly even be forty.

"Sorry," he spluttered. She gave him a withering look and sat down. He felt as though he'd lost any advantage that he had expected. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm sorry. I expected you to be -"

"Older?" Amelia asked with an arched brow. Charlie nodded. "Most people expect that. I have risen quickly in the Ministry." Charlie only grunted. He personally did not see the Ministry as a career to be proud of, especially after the way his father had been treated all his life. "Now, can we get this over with?"

"Somewhere to be, Ms Bones?" Charlie asked, meeting her eyes.

She pursed her lips. "Perhaps I find your company distasteful."

Charlie snickered. "Very well, Ms Bones-"

"You can call me Amelia," she interrupted. Charlie arched a brow. "I'm hardly ten years older than you."

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Perhaps I do mind, Mister Weasley," she said but her lips twitched with amusement. "I'm thirty-eight." Charlie raised his eyebrows in shock. He'd put her at early thirties. Her face hadn't wrinkled and her breasts were so pert that they could have belonged to a twenty-year-old. "I want to make the oath. How do I go about it?"

She was direct. Charlie liked that. He'd thought that there would be a negotiation, her being a political figure. He explained the oath procedure and consequences of breaking it and she acquiesced. She threw her hand out and Charlie gave her a funny look. "I put up a privacy charm so that we can do it here."

"Wandlessly?" Charlie questioned weakly, feeling himself harden in his pants. There were very few people in Britain who could use wandless magic, though he now knew, thanks to Lu and Zoe, that, in other places, many people could.

Amelia gave him a wicked grin. "Like that?" Charlie met her eyes and found them sparkling with challenge. He cleared his throat and her smile faded into a single line, though he still saw that she was amused.

She made the oath, even swearing that she would lose her magic if she failed its requirements. Charlie smiled and extended his hand to her. Amelia looked at him oddly. "We can seal our agreement with a kiss if you'd prefer, Amelia," he said, pronouncing each syllable of her name slowly. She flushed - a great accomplishment for Charlie - and took his hand. Charlie smirked. Perhaps he had been wrong about Amelia joining the Council.

Perhaps this would be fun.

XXX

The Hogwarts' express screeched as it arrived at Kings' Cross in London. Hermione looked across the carriage, meeting Ron's eyes and grinning at him. As the train stopped, it lurched them forward and then back, until they were finally at a complete halt and the year at Hogwarts had officially finished, a year that she would never forget. Not only did she lose Harry this year, but she gained many other friends, though none of them had replaced the easy companionship that she shared with Harry.

This was Hermione's last summer of not being an adult, her last summer of not being able to use her wand. There was part of her that was worried about being away from the protection and security of Hogwarts, although Voldemort had not been very active over the year. Even so, fear niggled at her stomach. She would never be without her wand, just in case. She knew that she was allowed to use it in cases of emergency and would not hesitate to protect herself and her parents if it came down to it.

Hermione saw her parents very quickly as she exited the train, the Weasley brothers behind her, approaching Mr and Mrs Weasley, who were standing conversing with Hermione's parents. She dragged her case over to them and deposited it at their feet as she took first her mother and then her father into her arms, happy to see them so well. She had not seen them for months. The Weasleys hugged Hermione too, Mrs Weasley holding her tightly and stroking her hair. Hermione wondered whether she was thinking of Ginny.

"Hermione, dear," her father said to her, smiling, "the Weasleys have invited us over to their house for an end-of-year part. They say we can use magic to get there very quickly." Hermione smiled, glancing over at Mr and Mrs Weasley to check that that was okay and then meeting Fred's gaze. She averted her eyes and agreed quickly. It would be nice to return to the Burrow, after the Weasleys had spent all of last summer in Grimmauld Place.

Hermione went with Molly, while Arthur took Ron, Fred her mother and George her father. As Hermione zoomed away via apparition, the last thing she saw was her mother smiling pleasantly at Fred. Her stomach tightened.

And relaxed as they landed on a coastal path, the small pebbled stones covered in sand. Hermione blinked, sitting up in shock. She looked from either side. "Where are we?" she demanded the general group. Molly chuckled.

"This is Sirius' house," she informed them. "It's far safer than our own and Bill, Charlie and Percy live here."

Hermione and her parents, and the younger Weasleys, were all given the address of the house and only then could see it, a large farmhouse, with big windows and a pretty garden in the front. Hermione would never have picked out this house as belonging to Sirius Black. Before they reached the front door, it had been opened and Bill Weasley stood there, his fiancée Fleur Delacour at his side. Hermione had not seen Fleur since the Triwizard Tournament, over a year ago, but the quarter-veela was just as pretty as she had once been, more so with the beaming smile on her face as she looked at her fiancé.

"'Ermione," Fleur greeted as she turned from Bill. "'Ow are you? I am so 'appy to see you!" Fleur hugged Hermione and then passed her onto Bill who also greeted her. She headed into the house, listening to her parents greeting Bill and Fleur behind her. Smiling, she glanced around until she heard the noise of the party in the room at the end of the corridor.

Upon opening the door, Hermione found more people than she had expected. "Hermione!" she heard Professor Lupin call. "Fifth year finished." Hermione smiled and took Professor Lupin's hand to shake and receive his congratulations.

"Oh, Professor, these are my parents," Hermione said as her mother and father came in. Hermione had yet to speak to anybody, the two other Weasleys brothers chatting by the oven, or Sirius who was sitting at the table, beside the same woman who had featured beside him in the Prophet for many articles since his release. Feeling a squirm of guilt at the sight of Sirius' blank face, Hermione left her parents chatting with Professor Lupin to go and approach.

"Hermione," Sirius said upon seeing her, looking up from his conversation with Zoe. The rest of the Weasleys were filtering into the room now. "It's good to see you, Hermione. How are you?"

Hermione swallowed. "I'm good, Sirius. How are you?"

"Free," he commented with his trademark half-grin. Hermione had to congratulate him with a big smile upon her face. Harry would be so happy when he came back. "This is my girlfriend, Zoe Angevin," he introduced. Hermione put out her hand, across Harry's godfather, to shake Zoe's. She was very pretty, with big brown eyes and her hair in braids down her back. "Zoe's daughter Luisa is outside with Tonks. You'll meet her soon."

Hermione's evening continued thus. She spoke with each Weasley brother, including Percy who she had always got on with better than Ron or Harry had, and with Mr and Mrs Weasley. She introduced her parents to everybody and finally met Luisa Angevin, who told Hermione that she was Harry's sister. Hermione had felt something twinge in her heart at the mention of her best friend. As the evening wore on, the Johnsons arrived, with Angelina, her brother Adam and their cousin Audrey. Hermione had been surprised when Sirius greeted Mr and Mrs Johnson as though he already knew them. In fact they had already known the address.

After they had eaten the food prepared by Fleur and Remus, Fred approached Hermione, finally. It wasn't that she expected him to talk to her all evening, at all. He had other friends and so did she and her parents were there and she wanted to spend time with them. Even so, her heart beat faster when he did choose to come and spend time with her.

"Sorry," he apologised, passing her a drink, which made Hermione smile. "There are so many people here. I don't feel as though I've spoken to you for hours."

Hermione sipped at her drink. "Don't worry. I've been with my parents."

"Oh, of course," Fred said, glancing over to where her parents were talking with Remus and Tonks. "George and Angelina are doing fireworks outside. You want to watch?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. He was grinning, but that was usual on Fred's face. "Is that a code word for something else?"

Fred barked out a laugh. "No, come on," he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the back door. It was dark, the stars fully visible above. Hermione had always wanted to live somewhere where she could see the stars. In the middle of Cambridge, it was an impossibility.

There was a swing by the door that Fred dragged Hermione to. They were hardly alone, chatting, for five minutes before the fireworks started and the rest of the party flooded outside. The fireworks were incredible. As they went off, Fred whispered to Hermione about what spells they used to create them. Hermione's skin tingled.

"Don't you think Percy is getting on well with Audrey?" Fred said with a waggle of his eyebrows that Hermione barely saw in the darkness.

Hermione laughed. She had seen them chatting earlier in the evening but had not thought too much of it. Pursing her lips, Hermione said, "I'm afraid I'm never going to see you again." Her words came out in a rush. Fred turned to her, his concern evident even in the shadows. He shook her head and grabbed her hand again, glancing at their family who were much concerned with the fireworks. He led her around to the side of the house.

Fred was smiling as he said, "I've graduated but I'm going to be at every Hogsmeade weekend and every quidditch match. Every time I can come to Hogwarts, I'm going to be there."

"Why?" Hermione asked quietly.

Fred's smile fell. His face was uncharacteristically serious. "Haven't you figured it out by now, love?" he whispered. Hermione's heart sped up. "You've captured me in a spell and I don't want to leave."

Hermione's lips twitched and she met Fred's eyes. "That was so -"

Fred laughed, shaking his head. "Shut up and kiss me."

Grinning, Hermione did as he said, leaning up, on her tiptoes. He actually met her lips before she met his and then they were kissing. And it was so much more than she had imagined, than she had hoped for.

So caught up were both of them that neither of them noticed Ron creep around the corner and see exactly what was going on.