Jane sat at the dining table leafing through a photo album. She looked at the last photo they took on their summer vacation in Australia. Her daughter sent them there to protect them from the war. And when she returned, they decided they would stay for a vacation, a vacation that went all wrong.

Her husband, Richard Granger, had died in a car accident on their last day in Australia. Her daughter, Hermione, blamed herself for his death, saying that she was the one who sent them there in the first place. No matter how much they had tried, she kept blaming herself, and every day Jane watched her Daughter fading away.

The Grangers were wonderful. Her mother-in-law took care of everything Jane and Hermione might need, from the funeral arrangements, cooking hot meals, to keep asking them if they need anything else and kept reminding her that they were her family, even if Richard had passed away.

Richard.

She really loved him; she wasn't in love with him. But she loved him in a different way. Richard knew it, she never lied to him. She told him the day he proposes to her, but he said he didn't mind, he loved her and he believed that one day she will love him back. He wanted to give her and her daughter the family they needed.

You see, Hermione wasn't Richard's Granger daughter.

Richard couldn't have children of his own. When he saved Jane and Hermione from the street, he fell in love with them. The Grangers took them in and gave them the family and love they needed.

"Who do you have in your life? Your daughter needs a family and a house, how can we not take care of you and your sweet little girl?" Anne Granger told her every time she tried to say they gave her too much.

Richard always acted like a father to Hermione. It wasn't a surprise when two-year-old Hermione started calling him "Dada".

For her daughter, she would do anything. Even marry without love. But Richard was right, she did start to love him, but she didn't fell in love with him. Her heart still belonged, after all this years, to her dark haired lover, Hermione's father.

Looking from the photo album to the backyard, Jane saw Hermione reading a book. It was a progress to see Hermione sitting outside and not in her room. Since Richard's death, Hermione has closed herself in her room. Not talking to anyone. Callum, Richard's older brother, tried nonstop to talk to her. But Hermione did not respond. Harry and Ron weren't as gentle as Callum. They dragged Hermione out of her room every time they visited making her breath some fresh air.

Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had become an important part of the family. They kept coming once a week to get Hermione out of her bed for a weekly walk. No matter how many times she yelled at them to leave her alone, they kept coming the next week, like they have never been shouted. Step by step, Hermione started getting out by herself and not dragged by her best friends. Jane felt blessed that her girl had those boys in her life.

Now she was sitting in the backyard, reading an old children's book that Richard bought her and holding a stuffed bunny Richard had won for her in a fair. Hermione loved Richard so much that his death had broke her completely.

Turning her look back to the photo album she flipped through the pages until the photo of Hermione's first year at Hogwarts. Hermione smiled to the camera holding her wand and her book "Hogwarts: a history". Jane wasn't surprised when Hermione found out she was a witch. After all, Jane was a witch as well. Another thing she kept a secret from her daughter. 'Too many secrets' Jane thought to herself.

She couldn't help it though; she didn't want Hermione to get hurt by knowing the truth. Richard said it was her decision to make, but she could tell he didn't really want Hermione to know. He wanted Hermione as his daughter and was afraid that if she ever find out, she will stop seeing him as her father.

Sighing, Jane went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. Taking a glass from the cabinet, she looked at her marriage ring. She couldn't find it in herself to take it off; it will be like forgetting Richard completely.

After making tea she went to sit at the table again when a movement in the backyard caught her eye. Hermione was running toward a black shaggy dog that was limping and looked completely exhausted.

Putting her teacup down, she went outside to help Hermione with the dog.

Hermione started to drag the dog to the house. "Come on, just a little more" she kept saying to the dog. In any other situation, Jane would have been happily shocked to hear her daughter talking. But right now they have a work to do.

Helping Hermione drag the black dog into the house, Jane was shocked that Hermione kept dragging it to the guest room and laying the half conscious dog on the bed.

Covering the dog with a blanket; Hermione knelt down beside the it, whispering softly to him "you're ok now Padfoot, you're safe. No one will hurt you."

'Padfoot? From where does that name sound so familiar?' And then, to Jane horror, the black dog lost conscious and transform into a man. In to none other than…

"Sirius…."

Janet…

He saw her, her silky honey brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and raspberry red lips. Was she a dream? She had died so many years ago with their daughter so it can't be true...

So was Hermione a dream too?

When he came out of the Vile he was confused and dizzy, he change in to Padfoot and took off as fast as his tired body could take him. The voices in his head (that oddly sounded like Remus and Nymphadora) guided him as he ran out of the empty Ministry offices and into the streets of London. He kept running, taking every turn the voices told him to take until got to a little village outside of the city. He saw a light in one of the houses windows and drag himself there.

He could feel the darkness take over him while he dragged himself to the house ahead. Half conscious, he'd manged to pass the hedge when he saw Hermione. She ran to him and helped him stand, dragging him to the house. The darkness almost toke him over when he saw, or thought he saw, Janet. He could feel her hands around his neck when they toke him inside. By now he lost his conscious, but he could still feel the floor under him while he was dragged, he felt the soft mattress he was put on. And then he felt someone cover him with something warm and a sweet voice whispered to him "… you're safe…. No one will hurt you…" then he let the darkness cover him.

He was safe….

****AN****

I really loved my original chapter 1 and couldn't bring myself to change it much, but I did make some changes to the plot… or rather decided about which characters are alive and which is not...

Loved it? Hate it?

Review please