A/N: Another chapter! I've been drowning in work and almost forgot to post this chapter but I remembered last minute so now I'm updating this fic at 1 in the morning. Talk about wanting to keep to my schedule of updating once a month ;) Thanks again for reading this fic and being so patient with me.

Enjoy ^^

Christmas eve. The day of the Christmas party. The boys had come to get her a little before lunch, almost dragging her back with them. Of course they didn't do that but they certainly had wanted to. They held themselves back, greeting the Weasleys and giving Hermione time to assure Bill she would be back by the time he woke up the next day.

Once at Potter Manor, she was shoved into the kitchen. "Why the hurry?" she asked.

"We still need to get Lily but first we need to eat or else mom will throw a fit." James had hardly finished speaking or his parents walked in. "Mom, dad, this is Hermione. Hermione, these are my parents."

His parents were older than she expected. Grey streaks starting to appear in their hair. They still looked good and they had this air around them: refined but approachable, nice, friendly. And James looked exactly like his father, except for his mouth. He got his lips from his mother. "Oh, it's so nice to meet you. The boys can't seem to keep quiet about you – especially Sirius – you should hear them."

"Mom," Sirius said, the statement almost coming out as a whine.

Hermione raised her eyebrow slightly in question but immediately turned back to Mrs Potter. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Okay, now eat. We still have a long day ahead." The boys barely held themselves back from groaning. It wasn't like they didn't like the party, generally they enjoyed themselves quite well. But the day leading up it was something they hoped they could just skip. "You boys still need to get your other friend, Lily was it? Then we need to get ready and I still have to check a few things."

The boys practically inhaled their food, ignoring the small lecture they got from Mrs Potter. And suddenly Hermione found herself upstairs in a spacious room filled with several racks with dresses in all colours and sizes. She couldn't believe her eyes. This mansion was really huge.

"Okay now, what did you have in mind?" James' mom asked her.

"Uhm, I don't know? I don't really go to these kind of things so I don't really need dresses. The only time I wore something classy was at the Yule ball in my fourth year."

"Well, we're going to change that." And off she was, going through the dresses, picking up several. Some she put back immediately, others went on a rack with possible dresses for that night.

Mrs potter was almost ready going through the gowns when Lily entered the room. "Ah, you must be Lily. I heard a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Potter."

"Just a moment. When I'm finished finding a dress for Hermione, I'll look for one for you."

"Oh," the redhead said a little surprised. "Thank you."

"No problem, sweetheart. I've always wanted a daughter to spoil and now I have two even if it's just for a day." Mrs Potter reminded Hermione a lot of Mrs Weasley. Both women being very loving and fussy. "Hermione, look through these and try the ones that you like."

So the brunette looked through the dresses that were offered to her. A few she didn't like, the colour or the cut not to her taste. She tried on a pale yellow one but it was like something was missing. She tried on a black one but that felt a little too dark, for both her and the occasion. She was about to try on another one when she was startled by an outcry of Mrs Potter.

"This is it! Lily, what do you think? This dress would complement your eyes beautifully."

"You think so?"

"Absolutely. Go. Try it on."

"Is this alright?" Hermione asked as she looked at the dress she was wearing. The colour seemed like a mixture between a light periwinkle blue and silver and the further down it went, the darker de colour became, the dress being entirely black by the time it reached her feet. An ombre effect. The sleeves came a little further than her elbows, the edges ending in a small lace strip.

"Alright? Hermione, you look gorgeous!" Lily complimented her.

"You look amazing yourself." Lily was wearing an emerald green dress that reached her feet. Her sleeves shorter than Hermione's and they seemed to be made of silk. It was so simple yet so very elegant. It was just right for the redhead.

"You both just look fantastic! Now the hair. Let's see what we can do." And Hermione had to admit that they both looked beautiful by the time everything was done. Mrs Potter had succeeded in taming her hair from her usual bushy curls to gentle waves. Part of her hair was pulled up while the other part was kept down. Lily had her hair pulled up in an complicated twist, a few pins keeping everything in place.

By the time they made it downstairs, the first few guests had already arrived. Food and drinks littered the tables, music was playing and Christmas decorations could be found everywhere. It looked amazing.

The girls didn't immediately see anyone they knew so they made their way towards a table, wanting to taste some of the snacks that were spread out on top of it.

"This looks really beautiful."

"I know, it reminds me a little of the Yule ball I attended during my fourth year. But this feels a little more cosy."

"Speaking about cosy, Mrs Potter is so nice. She didn't only lent us these dresses but even helped us get ready. Merlin knows I would've been lost if it wasn't for her."

"I know exactly how you feel. I'm not used to this in the slightest."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," Lily laughed. "By the way, how are the Weasleys? Did Bill had it difficult again when you had to leave?"

"A little but when I told him I'd be back by the time he'd wake up, he relented."

"Aww, he is just the sweetest thing," the redhead cooed.

"I know. I would literally do anything for him. By the way," she gasped as if remembering something important. "The Weasleys will have another baby soon."

Lily just managed to keep herself from squealing. "Really?"

"Yes, they told me a few days ago. I'm so excited."

"And about what are you so excited, may I ask?"

"About the fact that the Weasleys –" Hermione turned around ready to reply when she saw Sirius. Her answer died in her throat. He looked amazing. Handsome. His dress robes were just a classy black but with his long hair and his silver eyes, he looked mesmerizing. "Sirius, hi. Look at you. You look very handsome."

"Thanks. You look very beautiful yourself." They looked at each other, a moment passing between them.

That moment, however, was broken when the others started to talk. "You both look amazing," Remus told them.

"Thanks." Hermione looked every one of them up and down and she had to conclude that they all looked good wearing formal robes. "You all look very dashing yourselves."

The guests kept flowing in, the room getting more and more crowded. She didn't recognize anyone. Their group talked, ate a little, drank some and talked some more. The hours seemed to fly by. Hermione and Lily being asked to dance by several wizards, indulging most of them.

The boys tried to keep of the dancefloor, once a witch had you in their grasp they weren't easy to get rid of, always wanting one more dance. They were sitting at one of the tables, talking, people watching.

"She looks absolutely radiant."

"Really? We hadn't noticed. Weird right? Even though you keep saying it. You look like a lovesick puppy."

"Like you can say anything. You have been looking at Hermione ever since you entered the room."

"Instead of sitting here, watching, you can also go ask them to dance. Ever thought about that?" Remus informed them.

"Great idea, Moony. I'll go do that right now." And off he was, making his way to the dancefloor. James tapped Lily's current partner on the shoulder, politely asking for a dance with the witch. She agreed and they strode over the dancefloor like they belonged there. A happy look on both their faces, happy and smiling and soft.

Eventually Remus and Peter were whisked away, there polite rejections falling on deaf ears. Sirius could only grin and give them a wave, seeing as he was still safely seated at their table.

James was right. He didn't have the right to say anything about his best friend when he himself followed Hermione around the room as she danced, passed on from partner to partner. When she smiled he could melt. Sometimes she laughed freely as someone said something funny to her, sometimes she would smile politely and sometimes he could just see on her face how much she'd like to get away from a certain person. That last look made him chuckle every time he caught it. Yeah, he had no right to say anything.

She made her way towards him, taking a seat in one of the many empty chairs. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked her with a smile.

"I do but I need a break. That last wizard stepped on my toes a few too many times." He chuckled, giving her a glass of water. "Thanks."

"You're not the only one enjoying yourself," he informed her as he pointed towards the dancefloor. Lily and James were still dancing, talking, smiling. "She hasn't danced with anyone else since he asked her."

"I'm happy. See, they have a chance of getting together, just admit it."

He contemplated for a moment. "It's possible. But I don't think it'll happen before New Year so that means you still lost and look… You're here. So technically I already won and got what I was promised."

She laughed. "I can live with that. So, why aren't you on the dancefloor?"

"I was waiting for the right lady to dance with."

"And she hasn't come along yet?"

"She just did." He stood up and walked towards her, holding out his hand for her to take. "May I have this dance?"

She took his hand, surprised for a moment, and he lead her towards the dancefloor. He held her hand with his and put his other one on her hip. They danced, slowly, following the music. Several songs passed, all as slow as the previous ones but they didn't mind. Ultimately, it looked like they weren't even dancing anymore, just swaying in their place as they talked.

Hermione put her head on his shoulder, her arms around his neck. Both his arms were around her waist, holding her close. "So, you call Mrs Potter your mom."

"I do. She's been more of a mother to me than my actual mother."

Their voices were soft, low. This was only for them to hear, their private conversation, their moment. "Was it hard? Leaving your ancestral home?"

"Not really. I was always the odd one out, not agreeing with their views and ways. When I was sorted into Gryffindor they didn't even want to know me anymore. A 'disgrace' they called me. And the Potters treated me like their own son so it was a no brainer."

"But?"

An airy chuckle left him. Of course she would notice there was more to the story. "I only regret leaving my brother behind in that hell hole of a house."

"I'm sorry."

"It is what it is. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Back on the platform Mrs Weasley said that their home was now yours too. Why did she say that? Why don't you ever go home, your real home?"

Sirius felt her stiffen in his arms, only slightly but he noticed. She was silent for a moment before a small sigh left her lips. She didn't raise her head, didn't pull back. He felt her relax again and she started talking, softly.

"I don't go home because I can't."