He was drowning.

Water filled his lungs as he felt himself being pulled. He struggled against the force holding him down, but the harder he tried, the deeper he seemed to sink. His thoughts were empty. His life didn't flash before his eyes; it was simply empty.

Hermione shot out of Evan's bed with a large gasp. One had laid on her panting chest, and the other held onto the bed frame to keep herself upright. She bent down to grab Evan's black button up and quickly slid it on over her bare body.

"Kitten? What's going on?" Evan asked out in a low rumbling voice, his eyes continuing to stay closed.

"I-it's Regulus, something is wrong, I need to go okay? Just stay here, and I'll be back soon, alright?" Hermione said in a shaky and frantic voice.

Evan was still drowsy from waking up so abruptly, and all he did was nod his head as Hermione ran out the door and closed it quickly behind her.

"Fucking Regulus…" The dazed wizard groaned out in annoyance.

Hermione was running down the corridors and counting the doors in between Evan's room and Regulus'. Finally, she got to the room and barged through to see the sight of him tangled in his sheets; his body was writhing in a struggle.

Running up to his bed, she could hear the mumbling and the whimpers that coming from the back of his throat. Sweat was trailing down his face and his neck; his chest was pumping up and down from the large gasp of air that he was attempting to swallow.

Okay, Hermione, this is nothing new. Harry had nightmares like this all of the time, remember? It will be fine. Regulus needs our help.

Hermione kneeled on his bedside and reached a hand out to brush through his hair, which was soaked at this point from all of his sweat.

"Regulus, it's not real. Do you hear me?" Hermione spoke softly to him, trying to get his attention through the terror that he was experiencing. "It is all just a dream, so you need to wake up."

After about three minutes of whispering small confirmations to him, while stroking his hair and his cheek gently, his had finally body stopped wriggling, and he took in one last deep breath before he attempted to calm himself down.

"That's it, just relax... Everything is going to be okay…" The witch continued to whisper to him.

Once Hermione saw that he was ultimately settled down, she went to readjust his sheets and kissed him on his forehead, turning around to return to Evan's room.

Right as she had stood up, knees entirely off of the ground, a warm hand shot out and tangled its fingers around her wrist.

The next thing Hermione knew, she was being pulled forcefully on her back into the bed, with Regulus was straddling her over the top. His hand was still squeezing her wrist tightly, and she attempted to pull it out of his grasp, but that only made him pin her whole arm down onto the mattress.

"Don't leave. You can't leave me… Not again. Please don't leave me here all alone; I need you. I-I don't want to be like them, Siri… I can't do this without you. Don't you love me? You're my b-big brother; we're family. I just wanted to be like you, Sirius. Please, you can't leave me with mother and father, they'll kill me. So… You can't leave, do you hear me? I won't allow it! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME!" Regulus shouted at the end, and Hermione watched as tears came pouring out of his eyes, falling onto her neck and chest; only adding to her own tears.

"Okay, Reggie. I won't leave you. I'll stay here, alright?" Hermione whispered out as she sniffled.

"Do you promise? YOU HAVE TO PROMISE ME! DO IT!" He shouted out.

"Yes! I promise Regulus! I promise that I won't leave you," Hermione yelled back at him, panting from short breath.

Staring up at Regulus, her heart nearly broke.

His eyes were clenched shut, but tears were cascading down his cheeks like a waterfall; his nose was red at the very tip. His lips trembled, and his teeth were clenched tightly shut. His breath was irregular, as though he forgot how to breathe correctly.

His eyelids opened, and she could pinpoint the exact moment when he realized what he had done. His eyes were unfocused before as if he were under the Imperius curse. Now, they were the same light grey eyes that she had gotten so used to; finally cleared from his haze. When their eyes locked, she could see the horror that he was feeling.

"It's okay," she whispered.

This was his breaking point, and he finally let out a sob, as he leaned himself down onto her body; his face burrowed into her neck and hair. The cries were full-body, and his arms had let go of her wrist, to wind themselves around her back; clinging to her like a lifeline.

Her arms were onto holding him just as tightly, and she was petting him gently with the tips of her fingers to try and get him to calm down.

After a few short minutes, Regulus had finally managed to settle himself down; now he would just sniffle, and occasionally a tear would escape. His eyes felt heavy, though his hold on Hermione never lessened.

"Regulus? Keep holding on tightly okay? I'm going to take us somewhere." Regulus couldn't even process the meaning of Hermione's words before he was falling into another bed that was different from his own.

"Fucking shite, Hermione. You scared me, what the hell?!" Evan whined in a baby-like voice.

"Oh, shut up, you git. I told you I'd be back, didn't I? Well, look; here I am!" Hermione replied.

"Regulus, what are you doing here? Hermione, why did you bring a stray into my bed?" Evan questioned the witch.

"Evan Rosier, you watch your fucking tone. I brought him because I wanted him to be here too, okay? Can't a girl just lay with her two wizards in peace, and not get questioned over it?!"

Evan rolled his eyes and sat up to look at Regulus who was still holding onto Hermione, though now he was holding onto the side of her body.

"What's up, mate? Nightmares?" Evan asked casually.

"Yeah," Regulus replied in a defeated tone.

"It happens to the best of us, don't worry about it, Regulus. I already know that you used to get them quite often as a kid, so it's nothing new."

Regulus nodded, and Hermione looked skeptical.

"You knew each other as kids?"

"Of course, we're second or third cousins, something like that. Anyways, we were close when we were younger, especially in Hogwarts. Why, are you surprised?"

"Well, no, I just didn't even know that you both were close before all of this."

"Well, now you do. Perfect! Now, can we go back to bed already? It's still dark outside, which means I should be asleep."

"Oh, whatever…" Hermione mumbled out. She moved her body so that Evan was spooning her from behind, and Regulus' back was held against the front of Hermione's body.

Once they were all laying down silently, Regulus suddenly spoke up.

"Hold on; you guys consummated the bond didn't you?"

"Umm, yes…" Hermione answered slowly.

Regulus had a sour face, and Evan moved onto his elbow to look at Regulus with a roguish smirk.

"Why, are you jealous Regulus?"

"N-no! Of course not. I was just curious," the wizard stuttered out.

"Mhm... Alright then, whatever you say," Evan replied with a mocking tone.

Hermione huffed and closed her eyes to continue sleeping when she felt a crackle of magic surround her, and then Evan's voice whispered into her ear. "Touch him, Hermione. Didn't you see his precious face? He's jealous because it was my cock in your pussy, instead of his. Are you just going to leave him all sad and down over there? Or, are you going to trail your hand down his body and give him some relief?"

"Evan, I can't do that!" Hermione exclaimed, scandalized.

"Are you sure about that? Because, you seemed pretty close to doing it with three wizards earlier, and if I wouldn't have shown up when I did, I am almost certain that would have done it. You would have let Regulus eat you out, and let Antonin fuck you while you're sucking off Rabastan."

"I-I… You little snake, Evan Rosier! You really are a cunning bastard. So, you want me to touch him, then? And what is in it for you?"

"I haven't thought of that yet, Kitten. It will be a surprise."

"Fine. Game on."

Hermione heard a subtle chuckle before she started rubbing circles on Regulus, as she had her arm wrapped around his stomach. Regulus' body squirmed a little at the feeling of her fingers, but he did nothing else to stop her.

Slowly, her hand trailed to his boxers and stopped her fingers once she reached the waistband. Her fingers slipped under the band and continued to swirl around the warm skin in random patterns.

Regulus had more of a reaction this time and turned his head to look back at her. "Hermione?"

"Shhh. Just let me do this for you. Okay?"

Regulus looked past her and turned to see if Evan was aware of what was going on, but Evan seemed to be fast asleep.

"O-okay…"

Hermione nodded, and Regulus turned his head back around and closed his eyes as he felt Hermione's hands continue to tease the skin around his waist. Then, she pulled her fingers back out from beneath the briefs and brought her entire palm to rub him over the fabric.

He groaned when her fingers wrapped around his shaft that was hidden in his boxers and bit his lips as Hermione continued to stroke him from outside the fabric. His mouth opened when she did this, and he sucked in a deep breath at the feeling of her caressing him.

This is what hardened him so quickly, and after five minutes he had had enough. Regulus grabbed her hand in his and pulled his briefs down slightly with his other hand. He pulled her hand towards his cock, and his hand still lay atop hers as they both stroked him together, tightly.

"Fuck…" Regulus groaned quietly. His hips couldn't stop from thrusting ever so slightly into her hand.

Hermione was startled when she felt Evan's hand behind her tugging her panties to the side, feeling his warm cock rubbing between her pussy. Her legs tightened together at the feeling, increasing the pleasure for both her and Evan. Hermione attempted to adjust her hips so that Evan's cock could prod into her entrance to slide into her, but the wizard quickly caught on to her actions and gave her a sly smirk.

"As much as I would love to fuck you, Kitten, I think it's Reggie's turn now, don't you?" He asked in a low voice.

The silencing spell had become undone, as Regulus went rigid and turned himself entirely onto his opposite side so that he was facing both her and the other wizard.

"E-Evan?! I-"

"Regulus, I've been awake this whole time. Clearly, I am more than okay with what is going on right now. Are you going to tell me that you don't want to shag my little kitten here?"

"Yours? How is she yours?!"

"Are you insinuating that she is yours, instead?"

"Of course! Well, no- Oh sod off, you know what I mean, Evan."

"Apparently I don't, so why don't you show me then?"

"S-show you what?"

"Show me why she is yours. Or… Are you hers, instead?"

Regulus blushed deeply at the comment, and opened his mouth, though nothing came out.

Hermione jumped in to speak when she saw Regulus struggle to form words. "Evan, I don't belong to anyone. I mean, technically I do, but I don't. Oh hell, this is ridiculous. The point is, well- it's uh…"

"So, you don't need us then?" Evan smirked.

"Of course I need you both, well I don't but… Evan just shut the hell up already! I can't explain it okay?!"

"Show us. You're not sure if you need us? Make yourself cum, without saying either of our names or anything of the sort."

"You're… You're going to watch me m-masturbate?"

"Well, that's another way to put it," Evan said. "What do you reckon, Reggie? Don't you want her to be ours?"

Turning to look at Regulus, who had been silent the entire time, he decided it was time to break the silence. "Well yes, I want her to be mine, but I don't own her…"

"No, of course, we don't. But if another wizard came up to Hermione and suddenly snogged her against the wall, you'd be angry right?"

"Yes…" Regulus replied.

"And what would you say if he told you that he is going to take Hermione off for a quick shag?"

"I'd tell him that he can't do that… She's mine, not his. He doesn't get to touch her like that. Only I can… Well, we can, I suppose."

"Exactly. She is our witch Regulus. Not in a degrading way, mind you." Evan directed towards Hermione. "If some witch came up to Regulus and tried to do the same thing," Evan said as he turned his head towards the silent witch laying between them, "what would you do, kitten?"

"I'd hex her on the spot, obviously," Hermione scoffed.

"And why would you do that?"

"Because Regulus is mine…" She murmured, and Regulus' face turned even more red at her confession.

"But that still doesn't mean that I need you two. I mean, you guys don't need me, do you?"

"Um…" Regulus said slowly, as he looked to Evan for help. The other wizard was offering no assistance, so Regulus turned back around in resolve, and tried to appear more confident.

"Yes, I do. I'm not going to lie and say that I don't because I do. I don't want anyone else; I want you, Hermione. I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours as well. Is it so wrong to want you to need me?"

Hermione's face looked at him in despair. "No of course not. I didn't mean it like that Regulus… Well, I did, but only because it's not in my mentality to be dependent on someone, or to be someone's possession."

"You're not our possession. You're not a toy, and you're not an object; you are Hermione Granger. On the other hand, you are our wife, kitten. You are bound to us both, besides the other nitwits. You are ours, do you get that? There's nothing wrong with letting someone take care of you, or to be protective of you. I don't want you to be with any other man, other than us seven. The other wizards, they won't admit it, but they are yours, Hermione. We are yours, just as you are ours. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes… I understand… I'm yours. And you're mine."

"Perfect. Now that we have that taken care of, I still want you to make yourself cum. No saying our names, still. Just for… fun. What do you say?"

"O-okay…"

Evan smirked again, and he pulled the sheets completely down, exposing all three of them.

"Regulus, we can't touch her, okay?"

Regulus nodded in confirmation, eyes glued to the witch's half bared lower body.

"Start, kitten," Evan demanded.

Hermione looked nervously at Evan and then at Regulus, though the second wizard was still focused somewhere else. She let out a deep breath and grabbed her knickers which had been pulled to the side, so instead, she was completely bare now. Hermione laid her knickers at the end of her feet and brought her knees up to part them. She shivered at the chilled air and brought a hand up to her mouth.

Hermione was completely aware that it was the hand that she was using to touch Regulus, and she looked right at him when she stuck two of her fingers in her warm mouth sucking.

His eyes were wide at her action, and he could feel himself starting to harden already. Oh, gods, why can I feel the ghost of her mouth on me…

Hermione trailed her wet fingers down her stomach straight to her pussy and brought one of the fingers to circle her entrance that was still damp from before. Then she gathered some of her wetness onto both fingers as she slid them back up to her clit this time. Not wasting any time, she began to rub herself at a moderate pace.

Her breathing was speeding up, and she decided to get this done with as quickly as possible, knowing that it would be difficult for her to stay silent. There was something that always made her address the wizards when she was feeling good, and she was nervous that she would do that even now. Her other hand raised her shirt up and began to toy with her breasts, though she found that it didn't feel as good when she did it, compared to the wizards.

Evan and Regulus were both staring in rapture at each move that her body made; the twitching of her thighs when she would rub notably harder on her clit, her hands grasping onto her breasts, and her small fingers plucking and tugging at her nipples.

Regulus found himself moving closer to her lower body, and before he knew it, he was practically breathing against her cunt.

"Regulus, just don't touch her, remember."

Regulus nodded, and Hermione let out a moan at the thought of the young wizard so close to her heat. Biting her lip to stop her from pleading for his touch, she turned her head to look at Evan who was sitting up on his knees; his hand was stroking his cock. She whimpered at the vision of the wizard, and Evan's eyes stared intensely into hers.

"Hmmm? What was that kitten? Do you like watching me touch myself?"

Hermione opened her pink lips to reply but closed them when she realized what she had almost done.

Evan let out a minuscule chuckle at her restraint.

All of the sudden, she felt movement from where Regulus was laying before and looked up to see the wizard doing the same thing as Evan; only now he was stroking himself right by her pussy. All he had to do was move a few inches forward, and she would be able to feel his hot skin rubbing against hers.

"Fuck… You look so hot, Hermione." The younger wizard breathed out in a high pitched voice.

Hermione couldn't stop her hips as they moved and bucked in attempt to bring herself closer to him.

"Uh-uh… No touching, kitten."

"B-but I-" She stopped herself quickly.

"You, what? Tell us, kitten."

Hermione could feel herself reaching her peak, and replied in a single breath.

"I want you…"

"You want us? Only, want?"

Hermione's fingers were rubbing herself faster, and her hands were clutched so tightly onto her breast when she finally felt herself let go.

"Damnit… I need you both! I fucking need you, please. Oh, Gods, I'm cumming…"

Hermione's body was writhing on the bed, attempting to prolong her orgasm by rubbing herself harder. Her hand that was previously fondling her breasts was now reaching out towards Evan's cock while pleading with the other wizard. "Fuck me, Regulus. Please!"

Regulus looked up to Evan, getting a nod of confirmation, as he watched Evan move himself closer to the erotic witch.

Hermione could feel the tip of Regulus' cock rubbing against her, gathering up her wetness and coating himself in it. Dragging her eyes away from Evan's hand moving languidly on his dick, she tried her hardest to keep her eyes locked with his.

Evan watched as Hermione's tongue licked her lips, "Evan, I want to taste you. Please…"

"Is that what you want? You want to suck my dick while Reggie fucks you?"

"Yes… Please."

Suddenly she heard Regulus speak in a demanding voice, though she could hear his voice crack. "Tell me you need me, Hermione. Both of us."

Hermione was stunned by the younger's words and looked over to see Evan's reaction to the command. The older wizard held the same smirk that he had been flashing all night, and his eyes sparkled mischievously when he replied. "You heard him, kitten."

Hermione growled in annoyance and gritted out between her teeth a reply. "Fine! I need you, okay?! I need you, Evan Rosier, and I need you, Regulus Black. Now, will you please shag me already?!"

Regulus let out a relieved sigh and finally pushed himself fully into Hermione's heat. "Fuck…" He muttered out.

Hermione's chin was grabbed by Evan, and she raised her hand up to drip onto the arm that he was holding her head with. Opening her mouth, she felt the wizard's hot cock touch her lip, and she stuck out her tongue and licked the head of his leaking tip. She lapped up the precum that was dripping out and grabbed his shaft with her hand, as she pumped it a few times before her mouth ascended all the way around his dick. Her tongue circled him, and Hermione wrapped her lips over the head, sucking on him zealously.

Evan's eyes closed at the feeling of her warm and wet mouth working around him. His hand slid into her hair and clutched her loose curls. He was feeling so many things at that point. Fuck, this is barmy… I just came back from being bloody dead, and now I have this brilliant witch who wants me just as much as I want her. Salazar, I didn't even know that I needed her as much as I do, but it's entirely correct. She is intelligent, beautiful, brave, understanding, seductive, and ambitious. She's a heroine, for fuck sake. She saved the wizarding world from ruins…

And now she's mine. She's ours, all of us. I can never go back from this; from her. Gods… I feel as though I need to protect her; like I need to cherish her. I don't love her, not yet… But I will. It's not just a possibility; I know that soon I will inevitably fall 100% in love with Hermione Granger, and the insane thing is that I'm okay with it. Wow, I really am mental…

The contemplative wizard was pulled from his thoughts when he felt the little witch take her mouth entirely off of him. Looking down, he watched as she continued to pump him with her hand, but instead, she leaned up to grab Regulus by his black curls, pulling him down to her face. Evan looked upon the scene in rapture as Hermione brought her nose up to brush against the other wizard's.

"Regulus…" She breathed out; her hot breath whisked across him. The wizard's hips stuttered at her voice calling his name and quickly tried to mask the reaction by thrusting into her at a quicker pace. "Tell me, whose are you? Do it, Regulus."

The boy seemed to lose all breath at that moment, and he had to pant out his response with great effort. "Y-yours. Shite, Hermione, I'm yours…" Regulus said, his control finally letting go, chasing his high with each plunge that he took into her tight pussy.

Hermione smiled at this and brought her lips up to his as she kissed him deeply, breaking the kiss too soon for the wizard's liking. "You're so good, Regulus. Did you know that? You're always so good for me… You're smart and brave, and you're so handsome Regulus. You make me feel so good."

Regulus was dripping with sweat from the exertion, and his eyes were screwed shut, moaning at her words. "I'm about t-to..." He slipped out in between his moans.

Hermione's hand in his hair loosened and began to run through the black curls instead. "Cum, Regulus. Fill me up, okay? I'm so proud of you, baby. You're such a good boy." Hermione said with a gentle voice.

Something about the words set Regulus off, and he groaned loudly as his head fell forward into her neck; his hips stuttering as he held himself deep inside of her.

Evan had taken to thrusting himself into her hand, that periodically stopped stroking him as she spoke to Regulus. Evan caught Hermione's eye and gave her a hard look. "Open your mouth, kitten. As much as I'd hate to admit it, that was fucking hot, and I need to cum, now."

She complied with the demand and stuck out her tongue as the wizard pumped himself into her mouth. Letting out a deep groan, Evan came, eyeing a small amount that had dripped onto her plush lips, and was slowly rolling down over her chin and onto her neck.

Bending down, Evan let out a growl and lapped up the cum, his tongue dragging itself up her neck and all the way to her lips; pushing it into her mouth, their tongues battling against each other as he kissed her. The kiss grew slower and slower as each minute passed until they were lightly pecking each other. Evan pulled back and looked over to the other wizard, only to see the back of Regulus' head, which was still buried into her neck. His breathing had evened out already, and Evan's eyebrows raised at his observation.

Hermione looked up at Evan with a smirk. "I think he was tired…"

"Hmm… Right… And did I detect, a praise kink, by any chance? You cheeky witch."

"It was simply a hunch… Besides, nothing I said was a lie. Regulus is all of those things, plus more."

"And what about me kitten? A bloke is feeling left out."

Hermione giggled at his sad face and pulled him down beside her on the bed. "You were very much a mystery, Evan Rosier. But, I think I've got you figured out now."

"Oh, do you?" He questioned in surprise.

"Yes. You are wonderful. You're quiet, but in a good way; just sitting and observing every single thing that you can. You are hard-cut and very self-assured. You know your faults, and you are aware of your triumphs. I've never seen you in action, but I am well aware that you are known to be a phenomenal dueler, and I don't think I would ever want to go up against you. I mean, I probably could, but you're trained in spells that I wouldn't ever think to use." Evan let out a smile at her praises and stared at her in admiration as she continued. "You are one of the guys that I know I can depend on. I trust you… And it's not just because of the soul bond. There's something about you that makes me feel validated and just, normal, I guess. You make me feel like nothing has changed. You treat me as if I were just another person to you; like we are equals. It often shocks me at how well we get along. When I'm alone with you like this, and even with Regulus here as well, you're intriguing. You're so different in here than out there in the real world, or in reality. You are special."

"I think I prefer being mysterious," Evan replied.

"Oh, be quiet." Hermione scoffed.

"Now, I believe you have not finished yet, have you? Shall I fix that?" Evan asked, his hand traveling down her abdomen.

"Yes please." She breathed out.


The next morning, Hermione and the wizards sat at the dining room table, looking at two empty seats in confusion. "Where are Fabian and Gideon? Did anyone see them come back?"

The replies that Hermione received were nothing more than a simple shake of each wizard's head.

"Tillie?" Hermione asked into the silent room.

"Yes, Missy Hermione?" The small elf replied.

"Are you aware if Fabian and Gideon Prewett came back, and are in the house?"

"No, theys did not come homes."

"Alright, thank you, Tillie. That will be all."

Hermione looked back to the rest of the wizards and nodded reluctantly. "We don't have to wait for them. Go on ahead and eat."

"Finally…" Antonin groaned. Hermione rolled her eyes at his words, and slowly began to pick at her food. It just doesn't feel right, not having them here.


Hermione was sitting in the living room, reading a book and attempting to relax, when the twins stepped out of the floo. Quickly she jumped up from the couch and walked over to both of the wizards and wrapped both of them together in a hug between her too short arms. A broad smile lit her face, and her eyes looked elated to see them.

"Gods I've been worried sick about you guys! How was it?! What did Molly say? Merlin, tell me everything."

The two wizards smiled at her excitement and how genuinely interested she was in how their visit went. Hermione grabbed both of their hands and dragged them to sit on either side of her on the couch.

"Well, I'm waiting. So, what happened?!" She said this as her head looked from left to right rapidly so that she could see both of the men with almost every word that she spoke.

Fabian looked over at his brother and nodded at him to begin telling Hermione what she so desperately wanted to know.

"It was great. Of course, Molly was slightly overwhelmed, at first, so she did spend roughly ten minutes sobbing her bloody eyes out, and then she moved on to the yelling; but, after that it was good. She called the whole family over to come and see us, which is no surprise," the wizard laughed at the memory. "Blimey, Hermione, they're perfect. And seeing everyone again, it was brilliant. They've all grown so much compared to the last time we saw them… Bill, Charlie, Percy, all of them… It's crazy. They remembered us, too. It was incredible, seeing all of their faces when they realized who we were. That feeling; it's impossible to explain."

Hermione stared with rapture at Gideon; smiling at his words and the awed look that he held on his face. She turned her head to look at his brother who was nodding along the whole time and smiling as well. She still gripped their hands within hers and squeezed them with happiness.

"I'm glad. You both deserve this; seeing your family again and reconnecting with them all. I can't even imagine how happy all of them were…"

Both of the twins chuckled lowly at this, and then looked up at each other with a hint sadness on their faces. Fabian opened his mouth and reluctantly began to speak. "When we were there, it was great. They were all there, you know? Except for Fred… And we knew that something had happened to him after you said that he was dead when you mixed me up with him… When we saw George apparate in, all alone without little Freddie, it was surreal. We were so nervous that he would be angry at seeing us, and feel hurt because we were back, yet his brother was still gone. But, George just smiled and hugged us both so tightly. We were a bit confused, to be honest. But he told us that he had spoken to you a few nights ago, and you had told him everything that had happened so that he would be prepared to see us both. And he was amazing… It's like he's just another part of Gid and I, you know? So, basically, what we wanted to say was thank you, for doing that for Georgie. It could have gone terribly if he hadn't known that we were back, and if we had stirred up a bad memory with him. Thank you, for thinking about our family like that. I know you're basically apart of the Weasley family anyway, and you technically are part of our family too, Lady Prewett, but it still means the world to us that you did that."

Hermione blushed when the wizard had referred to her as their wife, making both of the men laugh at her embarrassment.

"You're cute, did you know that?" Fabian said to Hermione, and she attempted to hide her face behind her hair, but Gideon pushed it back and winked at her. "That brother of mine is right, Hermione."

Both of them laughed and leaned forward at the same time to plant a kiss on both her cheeks. They pulled back smirking, and Hermione was trying hard to fight the blush from spreading throughout her whole face and ears.

Just then, the twin on her left side, Gideon, seemed to remember something and straightened his body as he looked at her with a humored expression on his face. "Bollocks, we almost forgot Fab… Remember the huge row?!"

Fabian had a look of realization, and a grin took over his lips. "Bloody hell, you've gotta tell her mate. It was priceless!"

Hermione looked confused at their separate conversation and was interested in what they were talking about. "What fight?"

Both of the twins smirked, and Gideon relented and began to tell her about it all in a satisfied manner. "Okay, so we're all sitting at the table just chatting, right? And suddenly, Georgie throws a biscuit at his sister's shoulder to get her attention. Of course, Molly is livid at her son for doing that, but George begins to speak before she can go off on him. He looks at Ginny, who- mind you- is sitting there, literally snarling at her brother for throwing food at her. George goes 'So, Ginny, spoke to Hermione lately, have you?' and Ginny looked so confused at first. Finally, when she understood what he was saying, she dropped her head onto the table and groaned. This interested Molly, and she asked what George had meant. Ginny just sat there silently, so George told her everything. I swear the table was proper silent the entire time. After George had finished speaking, you should have seen their faces… They looked completely horrified. Ginny just looked down into her lap while everyone was staring at her. I felt a little bad for her because we didn't say anything to defend you either, you know? And we're sorry for that, Hermione. We should have said something, but we didn't know what to say. But anyways, Molly completely blew her top."

George cleared his throat and began to mimic the high pitched shrieking of Molly. "'Ginevra Weasley, what did you say to that girl?! Do you realize how much Hermione Granger has done for us? I can't say that I can forgive all of those wizards, but she has brought back my brothers! I am so disappointed in you Ginny. I did not raise you to speak to people like that, especially someone who is basically our family. I expect you to apologize her.'"

Hermione looked a little guilty that Ginny had gotten yelled at by Molly like that, but it was nice to know that Molly and the rest of the family weren't angry with her. The twins noticed the guilt on her face and quickly sought to dispel the thought.

"Hermione, you have nothing to feel guilty about. What Ginny said that day, well, she just shouldn't have said anything, to begin with. She shouldn't have hit you either…" Gideon gazed into Hermione's eyes and lifted a hand to lay against the small bruise that still sat lightly right on top of her cheekbone. "I'm sorry, Hermione." Hermione closed her round eyes and nuzzled her face into the wizard's hand.

She could hear the fabric of the couch rustle against the wizard's robes, and she took a deep breath before she felt a pair of warm lips press against hers. It wasn't sloppy and rushed, but soft and caring. They broke apart, and Hermione was surprised how much the gentle kiss had affected her. She could feel her heartbeat accelerating, and she had to take a big breath.

The sound of a throat clearing had broken her out of her daze, and she turned around to see Fabian sitting next to her with a raised brow in amusement. She rolled her eyes and leaned in close to his face to repeat the kiss that his brother had just given her. She raised her hand towards his face and ran her thumb around his ear and then into his bright orange hair as she combed it with her fingers.

Finally, she had leaned close enough for their cheeks to touch and she tilted her head and gently caught his lips within hers. She could feel Fabian blow out a warm breath through his nose, and after a short while she had backed up away from him, and slowly opened her eyes to see him softly smiling at her.

She sighed in content when suddenly she heard a pecking noise come from the window that was closest to her. Sitting there was a familiar owl, and she suddenly stood up and ran over to the creature. Summoning a piece of food from the kitchen close by, she handed it to the bird and took the letter. Opening it, she suddenly remembered that she was late to a meeting.

"Tillie!"

"How can I's help you, Missy Hermione?" The small elf asked in her high pitched voice.

"Could you please bring me Sirius Black?" Hermione asked. I can't believe I forgot about this…

Tillie popped away with a short nod, and Hermione turned to look at the two confused twins. "I'm so sorry… I forgot that I had made plans with someone, regarding Sirius. I will be back soon, though. Hopefully within the next hour or so." She said quickly as she turned to give them each a thorough kiss.

Fabian had her body pulled against him when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Pulling away with one last kiss on Fabian's cheek, she turned to face an annoyed Sirius Black. Rolling her eyes at his blatant jealousy, she walked up to him.

"Come with me. Don't ask questions. There is someone that you need to meet." She told the grumpy wizard, with a cold tone. He furrowed his brows in confusion but wrapped his arm through Hermione's when she offered it to him.

When the twisting feeling faded away, Sirius found himself standing in front of a quaint house. It seemed somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn't remember why. Hermione pulled her arm away from him as if she had been burnt, and Sirius felt disappointment blossom in his chest. How am I ever going to make it up to her? She can't even bear to speak to me, much less to even touch me.

He watched as Hermione went to knock on the door, and it opened in a flash. A woman who was slightly older than him, with dark black hair the same as his, pulled Hermione into a hug. "Hermione! I was hoping you wouldn't have forgotten our meeting! You must have gotten my letter, yes?"

"Yes I did, I am so sorry for being so late. I've been so busy… Well, you'll understand why in a few minutes I am sure. You look good Andy. It's been awhile, I've missed you and Teddy." Hermione laughed with a bright smile on.

"We've missed you as well, Hermione. Oh, do come in please!" Hermione nodded and turned around to look at Sirius who was standing in the background in silence. What is going on? Why did Hermione bring me here?

"Well, I'll be damned… Sirius, you're really back. It's good to see you." The older witch said with affection.

"Pardon me, but who are you, again?"

"You don't remember your favorite cousin? I mean, I know I've gotten older, but I didn't believe that I was completely unrecognizable. Hermione, have you been lying to me when you tell me that I look good?!"

"Come on, Andy, you know I would never lie to you. He just doesn't remember, why don't you remind him?"

"Oh well alright… I wanted to let him suffer for a little bit longer, but I suppose you are right." The witch walked up to Sirius and held out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Andromeda Tonks. Your cousin, Andromeda. Ring a bell?"

Sirius' mouth dropped open in shock. "Andromeda?! That's you? Merlin, I haven't seen you in so long…"

"Well, yes, you haven't exactly been around much. No matter, please come inside will you?"

Sirius nodded and followed after the witch. He attempted to catch Hermione's eyes, but she refused to look at him. They were all sat in the sitting room, when a picture suddenly caught Sirius' attention, causing him to let out a blatant gasp.

"Moony… That sly dog, he really married Nymphadora?! Who would have guessed…"

Andromeda gave a sad smile, and Sirius wondered what that was for. "Yes, they got married in July of 1997. After you died. She was good for Remus, while he was grieving your loss. They were a lovely couple."

"Were? What do you mean?" Sirius tilted his head in confusion.

Hermione looked over at the man with a sad look. "Sirius, I already told you that Remus had died in the battle, but Tonks… She died too. They died together. Leaving behind… Well, your cousin will show you, right Andy?"

The older witch nodded and walked away, leaving just Hermione and Sirius in the sitting room.

"Did she love him?" Sirius whispered out into the silence.

Hermione felt her eyes water at the broken sound of his voice, and memories of the departed couple flooded her.

"Yes… Yes, she loved him very much. He loved her, too. They were beautiful together," she said in a weak tone.

The room was silent after her last comment, and Sirius had to sit down from the news that he had received. He was startled when the voice of a child sounded out.

"Miney Miney! Auntie Miney!"

Hermione had crouched down as the little boy jumped up into her arms in sheer joy. "My Teddy bear! How have you been little man? I've missed you!"

"Miney, I can read now! Nana and me have been practicing a lot!"

"Ah, 'Nana and I.' You're getting so good at your grammar, though. And now you can read? That's amazing Teddy; I am so proud of you." Hermione replied, running a hand through his blue hair.

"Thanks, Auntie Miney." The small boy said with a big smile, his arms wrapping around her neck and hugging her tightly.

"Miney, who is that old guy sitting behind you? He should close his mouth; Nana said it's bad manners to do that." He attempted to whisper at the end, but everyone in the room heard him.

Andromeda covered her mouth to hide her smile, and Hermione gave a small laugh at the young boy's innocence. "You see, Teddy bear; I brought him with just to meet you. You know that little, stuffed dog that you have; the black one? Remember what your daddy told you about it?"

"Yes, my doggy Pads! He said that his very best friend could turn into a doggy just like mine. He told me his name was Pads, but don't tell daddy that I still call him Snuffles too… I like that name more."

"I won't tell, I promise. You can tell him one of these nights when you speak to him and your mum before bedtime. Sound like a deal?"

"Okay, Miney. It's a deal."

"Alright, good. Now, that doggy, the one who was your daddy's best friend; that's him right there." Hermione said, as she pointed her hand over to Sirius, whose face had trails of tears running down it.

Hermione made eye contact and nodded her head at him, confirming his suspicions. Another tear fell at her gesture, and the little boy began squirming in her arms, wanting to be put down. Hermione set him on the ground, and righted his shirt that had gotten twisted in his movement, and watched as he ran his small legs over to the shocked wizard.

"Why are you crying? Don't be sad." Teddy had set both of his hands on the knees of the wizard and had a sad face on as well.

Sirius shook his head with a smile. "I'm not sad, I'm happy… I'm thrilled to meet you. I am Sirius Black, and what is your name?"

Teddy stood straight, and lifted one of his hands out to shake Sirius'. Hermione and Andromeda both smiled at the grown-up gesture. "My name is Edward Remus Lupin, but I like to be called Teddy. Wanna see a magic trick?" He asked excitedly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Teddy. Of course, I'd love to see your magic trick."

Teddy smiled and stared intensely into Sirius' eyes when his hair began to turn black and curly, and his eyes changed into the same grey as the wizard's.

"See, see! I look like you, don't I?"

Sirius nodded, eyes wide in amazement. "Extraordinary… You've got your mother's talents."

Teddy's smile seemed to brighten when he suddenly looked as if he had just gotten the best idea in the world. "Can you do it?! Can you turn into my doggy? Pretty please!"

Sirius looked hesitant but agreed as he stood up, and his body morphed into that of a black canine.

"Nana, Miney! Did you see that? It's him! It's really him!"

Both witches looked at the boy with adorning faces and watched as the boy moved towards Sirius and began to pet him on the head. "Wow… You're so cool Mr. Sirius! Nana, can we go play outside?"

Andromeda looked towards Hermione in questioning, and she shrugged her shoulders in reply.

"Sure baby. Your Auntie and I will be out there in a minute. Be careful, okay?"

The little boy nodded and jumped up and down clapping his hands. "Come on Pads!"

Sirius barked, and both him and Teddy sped off running to the back door.

Andromeda turned slowly to look at the younger witch standing before her and lifted a thinly shaped brow. Hermione's body seemed to deflate at her questioning face. With a sigh, she spoke out in defeat. "Seven, Andy. I brought back seven. Sirius, Regulus, the Prewett twins, Evan Rosier, Rabastan, and Dolohov… I've really messed up, Andy…"

"Oh, you poor girl… Come, let us sit on the porch and have tea, yes?"

Hermione followed the witch to a small table that was set up right by the back door. As she sat herself down, she turned her head to watch Sirius running after Teddy, the little boy laughing happily.

"Who knows?" Andromeda asked.

"Harry, Ginny, the Weasleys, Draco Malfoy, and you."

"And how did they take it?"

"Everyone was fine, besides Harry and, especially Ginny. She hit me… Told me that it was my fault, that I was supposed to be the smart one, and that I should have let them all stay dead. Harry, he just sat there… Sirius and the twins just sat there too. They watched it all, like a bloody Quidditch match, and said nothing. Did nothing. I had a row with Sirius later that night… He told me that maybe Ginny was right about what she had said." Hermione watched as the woman shook her head in disappointment. "I cut him off after that. He was supposed to be closest to me… To watch over me, and to make me feel better about all of this. I needed him to be my friend, or at least a friendly face amongst strangers, and ex-death eaters. But, he wasn't. Oddly enough, it seems like his little brother was more fit for the role, I suppose."

"Little Reggie…" Andromeda said with a wistful look. "How is he doing, Hermione?"

Hermione couldn't stop the smile that came over her face, as she thought about the young wizard.

"You like him."

Hermione nodded at Andromeda's statement.

The older witch had a distant look in her eyes as she spoke. "I have to say; I am a bit surprised. Growing up, Sirius was the charmer… Regulus, he was more of the brainy one. Which, now that I am thinking about it, reminds me a lot of you. So, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. You'll be good for each other, I think. And the rest? How are they?"

"The twins," Hermione started, "they're just like Fred and George. Finding a difference between the set of them is hard. Evan Rosier, he's… He's a good person. Quiet, emotionless on the outside, but he is a good person. Rabastan, he is confusing… He's been trying, recently. I can tell. But, when I first met him, it was as if we were still in the war. Even Antonin was somewhat closer to me than Rabastan was at first, and Antonin almost killed me! Speaking of Dolohov, he is… Merlin, Andy, he's fucking passionate. He's hot; I can't even deny it. There is a spark between us, and it's so explosive and so prominent… But he's still unknown. I don't know his reasoning nor his true feelings, or if he even has any, for that matter… And Sirius, well, you already know how he is. Spends most of his time with Harry, back at Grimmauld."

"So… Who have you shagged, if you have? Wait, I know for sure you shagged Regulus. My bets are on Dolohov, as well."

"Well, Regulus was correct. But, Antonin, no, I haven't shagged him yet. We've messed around, but that's the extent. I've only shagged one other person. Evan."

"Rosier? Humor, an old witch, will you? Tell me, how was it?"

Hermione felt her face heat up at the question and cleared her throat before she started to speak. "With Regulus, it was sweet. Shy, for sure. It was his first time… But, I wouldn't have picked anyone else to go first. Even if Sirius hadn't buggered everything up, Regulus and I had a strong connection from the beginning. There's something about him that is different than the rest of them. Evan, on the other hand, he was sensual. It was intense."

"Ah… To be young. And, what are you going to do about Sirius? Surely you're not going to forgive him yet, are you?" The black haired witch asked.

"Andy, darling, do I really look like I will forgive him anytime soon? I brought him here because you needed to hear the full story, and I went to visit Snape awhile ago… And I thought about Remus. I told him that I had brought Sirius back, and said that I would take care of him this time; that I would keep Sirius safe. Of course, I had said all of this before Sirius had said what he did, but I remembered Teddy when I had spoken to him. I couldn't leave Sirius out of something this big, you know? Remus was basically his brother, and he has a right to know the son of his best friend. I would never take that away from him, no matter how angry I am with him. Family comes first, and you and Teddy are his family."

"And what about you, Hermione? Who will be there for you?"

"I will just have to make my own, I suppose. Harry... he was my family. The Weasleys, they are family, but they aren't real family. I know this doesn't make much sense, but I have always considered Harry Potter as my real family. I love him, and I would do anything for him. I have done anything for him. I've bled for him; I dedicated half of my life to protecting him and fighting for him. I understand that Ginny is his wife, but as I said- family comes first. I thought I was family to him, but I guess I was wrong. I haven't seen him since that day. He hasn't tried to make any contact with me, whatsoever. I guess I just expected more from him, that's all."

There was silence between them, and Hermione turned towards Andromeda and looked at her with a broken look on her face, as tears gathered in her eyes. "Andy?" She asked as the first tear fell.

"When do I know when I've had enough? That I can't do anymore? Because I think I'm getting there; I think I'm reaching my limit… I act like I have everything under control, but I'm not so sure that I do, Andy." Her lip was trembling, and she quickly bit down on it, to hide the quiver. Tears were now rolling down her face, uncontrolled, as she spoke once more.

"Sometimes… Sometimes, I think that it should have been me, dying on that battlefield, instead of everyone else." She whispered, her voice breaking in and out.

"Me too, sweetheart. Me too." Andromeda replied.


Regulus was walking around the house frantically searching for Hermione. Goddamnit, witch. Where are you?

He heard footsteps coming up behind him and turned around to face Evan. "You can feel it too, right?"

Regulus nodded. "It's like someone has stabbed me in the chest… From the inside…"

Evan nodded, agreeing with the wizard's description. "Do you know where she is? I thought she would be with you…"

Regulus' black curls moved with his shaking head. "No, I've been looking all over for her. Where do you think she went?"

"Who fucking knows."


"Hermione, we must not dwell on what could have been. We are here, at this time and this moment, and we have to continue on. Life is tough, Hermione. It always has been, and it will likely always be that way. But you are just as tough; I know that for a fact. It is okay to be sad, but at the end of the day, Hermione Granger would never let life kick her down. You have never let it happen before, so why would you start now?"

"As for Sirius and Harry, amongst others; they will come around. A day will come when they will need your help, and you won't be there. It will kick them in the ass, and they'll realize how stupid they have been. Everything will work out in the end."

Hermione nodded, and Andromeda leaned over and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the tear streaks from the young girl's face.

"There. Even with puffy eyes and a red nose, you're still beautiful. I know you've never heard me say this, but I do love you, Hermione. Teddy loves you as well, of course. But, I just wanted you to know, that I do care about you. And, just between us, I think that a lot more people love you than you think. They just aren't aware of it yet." She said with a wink.

Almost on cue, Teddy and Sirius walked over to them, interrupting their talk. Sirius had changed back into human form and was looking between the two witches with curiosity. Teddy waited for the wizard to sit in a chair, and climbed himself up onto Sirius' lap. Sirius was surprised at the little boy's seating arrangement, but was flattered nonetheless, and had a smile stretched across his face.

Teddy looked towards the younger witch and motioned for her to come close to him. "Miney, I have to tell you a secret."

Hermione was confused, but stood anyway, and bent down so that Teddy could whisper into her ear. Her hair was in the way of his small little face, and she looked up in shock as Sirius automatically reached his hand out, and tucked the hair behind her ear so the boy could get in closer. Her eyes turned away from the wizard, and she waited for Teddy to begin telling her his 'secret.'

"Miney, I like him. Will you bring him over more often? And, maybe you can ask Nana if I could have a sleepover with you guys! Wouldn't that be fun, Auntie? Pretty please, can we do that?" Hermione let out a sigh at the idea. I can't just say no to Teddy… Besides, who would it hurt? The two boys will play together most of the time anyway…

"Okay, Teddy bear. But, you've gotta give me a little bit of time to...plan... everything out, alright bud?"

Teddy nodded and moved his mouth away from her ear, to plant a big kiss right on her cheek. "Thank you, Miney!"

Hermione laughed and went to sit back down. Andromeda looked at her, expecting an answer. Hermione shook her head and put a finger up to her lips. "It's a secret! I have to tell you in private, right Teddy?"

"Mhm! Nana, you have be patience!"

"'Patient' Teddy bear," Hermione corrected once again.

"Yes, patient!"

"Alright, alright. I won't ask!" Andy said, putting her hands up in defeat. Turning around towards the wizard and her grandson, she spoke in her 'Nana voice.' "Teddy, go wash your hands, and you can show Sirius your room after that."

Teddy nodded and jumped down from the Wizard's lap, and tugged on his hand, pulling him into the house.

Once they were both gone, Hermione spoke. "He said he likes Sirius, and he wants me to bring him over more often. He also said he wants to come over and have a sleepover with Sirius and I. He wanted me to ask you." Andromeda nodded in contemplation.

"Where are you both staying?"

Hermione sighed and was reluctant to answer, nervous for the reaction of the older witch. "Rosier Manor. But, if you aren't comfortable with him staying there, then I can find us another place. I suppose we could go to Grimmauld Place."

"It's not that I don't trust you Hermione, but some of those wizards are not the safest to be around…" Andromeda said with a touch of guilt.

"I understand. You could stay over too. You could invite Narcissa, Draco as well if he would like… Or, I could have Regulus and Evan stay with Teddy, Sirius, and I. I am bound to the house, so it will not allow anyone to hurt me, and I would like to think that it would apply to those I would be with…"

"Rosier bound you to his house? How interesting… He must care for you, to pull out protection like that." Hermione was a little confused at what the witch had told her. Evan had made it seem like it wasn't a big deal, but was it actually?

"Anyways," Andromeda continued, "do you think you could take Antonin and Rabastan somewhere else? I know Regulus would never hurt someone who is his blood, and Evan is distantly related, as well… But those other two…"

"I can take them somewhere, but I will need to stay with them… I can't leave them alone." Hermione shook her head.

"Listen, I know this sounds crazy for me to say, but I really don't think anything bad will happen. Antonin and Rabastan, they act under orders. That is all they have known, and besides, they spend most of their time in their rooms anyway."

A sad smile showed on Hermione's face when she spoke again. "But, that house, it needs someone like Teddy in it. Even for just a few minutes… To have a little kid who is as energetic as Teddy, it would be amazing. For Evan and Regulus as well. Hell, even the twins can stay with him too." Andy nodded at the suggestion.

"I know that I sound like I am coming up with any excuse possible, but I just don't want people to be afraid of coming into that house. It isn't evil, Andy. Right now, that is my home."

"I mean, you saw the way that Sirius was today with Teddy. He was so happy… I was happy to see him. I love Teddy, and I would never let anything bad happen to him," Hermione said, reminded of how much Teddy means to her.

"How about we do this; Right now, you and Teddy come over to the manor, and I will apparate us. The twins are there, and they will be there, most likely, to greet us. That's an additional two wizards. You can walk around a bit, explore the house, and see what you think. Then you can decide if you want to let him stay, or if you want to take him back home. The sleepover doesn't have to be tonight, Andy. And if we end up seeing either Antonin or Rabastan, then I will handle them. Please, trust me to handle this, Andromeda."

"Hermione, I just don't know…"

Hermione nodded her head in understanding. Grabbing the hands of the witch in front of her, she spoke gently. "It's okay to say no. I want you to do what you think is best, for both you and Teddy. I am only suggesting this because, well… I told them all that the war was over, you know? I said that there is peace in the wizarding world, but they haven't even been able to witness it… They don't really leave the house. They only have each other, and the bloody portraits. Your mother is one of the worst, right behind Evan's father of course."

"My mother's portrait is there? You've just upped the ante, Hermione. I can just imagine her face if she saw me. Priceless."

"Oh trust me, I've already given her a small piece of my mind."

"Did you really? Oh, this I need to hear about."

"Well-"

They were broken apart by the sound of laughter from the small child, as Sirius had him sitting on top of his shoulders. "Look at how high up I am Nana!" He giggled.

Sirius stopped in front of them, and grabbed Teddy off of his shoulders, and set him down onto the ground. "I think it's time that your Auntie and I get going. I will try and see you again as soon as possible, right bud?"

Teddy stuck out his bottom lip and turned around to Andromeda, who was eyeing him like she knew exactly what was about to happen. "Nana, do they really have to leave so soon? I want to play with Sirius more…"

"I know baby, but he's got to go back home to his brother and friends. He can come over another day." Hermione nodded when Andromeda said this, but she also felt a bit sad that Andy had made her decision, and had chosen to decline.

Teddy's face lit up at what his grandmother had said about Sirius. Turning to the tall wizard, he began to tug slightly on Sirius' sleeve. "You have a brother? I want a brother… Can he be my brother too, Sirius?"

"Well, he's your third cousin, Teddy," Sirius replied with a thoughtful look on his face.

He had never really thought much about Regulus. When they were little, Sirius loved to play with Reggie, but once they got older, he became too busy to play. Seeing Teddy so excited at the prospect of having Regulus be his brother, surprised Sirius.

"Wait, that means he's related to me, right?! Nana, I want to go meet him! I want more family Nana… Then I have more people to play with! Pleeeease? I'll be good, I promise!"

"I… I suppose we can go and meet him, but then we need to come home, alright? We can't stay there all day." Andromeda relented.

Sirius looked just as excited as Teddy was, and Hermione gave Andy a thankful smile. "Shall we go now? Or do you need to grab anything first?"

Andromeda shook her head, and Hermione stuck out her arm to the witch, who wrapped hers around it. Next, she stuck out her other arm towards Sirius who was holding Teddy tightly in his arms.

"Ready Teddy bear?" Hermione asked.

"Ready Miney!"

And with that, they disappeared out of thin air.


Hermione heard the sound of all four of them landing on the ground, and looked up to see the twins sitting on the couch in the same spots as before.

"Wooaah! Auntie Miney, those two look like the same person! How are there two of them?!"

Hermione looked at Teddy, about to explain, when the twins stood up with huge grins and walked over to Sirius, who was still holding Teddy.

"Good afternoon, Sir. I am Gideon," one of the twins spoke, bowing dramatically at the waist.

"And, I am Fabian. How may we help you today?"

"I'm coming to meet more of my new family! Are you my family, too?" Teddy asked in delight.

"Well, what is your name?"

"I am Edward Remus Lupin, but everyone calls me Teddy."

"Ah, well, unfortunately, we are not related, Sir Teddy. Who is this lovely lady that is accompanying you, may we ask?" They said, looking at Andromeda.

Hermione watched as she lifted a brow at them, wearing an expression fit for anyone in the Black family.

"Andromeda Tonks, née Black, I suppose…"

A smile grew on Fabian's face when he heard her name. "Andromeda… Yes, of course, we remember you!"

"And might I say, you look just as elegant as you did back in Hogwarts," Gideon added in, just like Fred and George did. Hermione would still get occasionally surprised at how alike the pairs were.

"Good luck with these two, Hermione…" The older witch mumbled, not use to the joking mentality of the Prewett twins.

Hermione smirked at the quiet woman in retaliation. "Oh please, Andy. I saw that blush-"

Suddenly Hermione's words were cut off by the sound of someone yelling her name, and footsteps that were running towards her.

"Hermione! Where the bloody hell were you?!" Regulus said, just before he threw his arms around her, embracing her tightly. "I was looking everywhere for you; I was worried. Are you okay? What happened? I could feel you through the bond… Are you hurt?"

"Regulus, I am fine. I'm not hurt, I was just a little sad, alright? It's okay now; I am sorry to worry you like that. I forgot about the emot-"

Suddenly Regulus had her cheeks held in each hand, and his lips were on hers, giving her a deep and longing kiss; filled with concern and relief. The kiss ended, and he whispered quietly between the two of them. "Thank Merlin you are okay. Gods, don't scare me like that again, alright? I hated feeling like that, and not knowing where you were."

"Are you my family?"

The wizard that was holding Hermione suddenly popped his head up when he heard the voice. Looking towards it, he cocked his head to the side in wonder. "Who are you?"

Teddy went to open his mouth, and Hermione waited for him to introduce himself the same way he always did.

"I am Edward Remus Lupin, but everyone calls me Teddy. Who are you?"

"Lupin? Sirius, wasn't that one of your friends?" Regulus asked, remembering his brother and the group of misfits that he was apart of. He never liked them much, especially Potter. Lupin was never that bad; he had to admit. He was studious, and he was never rude to Regulus when they were at Hogwarts. Although, he didn't like any of Sirius' mates that much, overall.

When he finally was old enough to go to Hogwarts, he was so excited to be with his older brother. Little did he know, once Regulus was sorted, his brother would barely pay any attention to him; getting worse with each year that passed.

"Yes! Sirius was my daddy's best friend! Sirius is my new family! He told me he has a brother, are you his brother?"

Regulus was confused when the boy said that Sirius was his 'new family.'

"Yes…"

"Can you be my brother too?" Hermione's heart melted at the hopeful undertone in the young boy's voice.

"I am still failing to see the relation here…" Regulus said slowly. What is this little kid talking about? He quite literally has blue hair… We don't look anything alike.

"Reggie. He's my grandson," Andromeda spoke.

Regulus looked at her for a short while, his eyes squinting until they widened comically. "A-Andromeda? Sweet Salazar, what are you doing here?"

"I brought my grandson here because he wanted to meet you, specifically. He wanted to see his new family, that he is related to. Now, answer his question, big brother Regulus." She smirked in mirth.

"So you're gonna be my brother?! Nana, that's my brother now!" He said, squirming out of Sirius's arms, and quickly running over to Regulus' leg. "Will you teach me how to fly when I get older? I want you to teach me, please!"

Regulus looked at Hermione for help, but she couldn't do anything to change the small boy's mind. "Uh… Sure, I guess I can teach you…?"

"Wow… Did you hear that Nana? I'm gonna learn how to fly!"

"Oh yes, I heard. Are you going to say thank you to Reggie?"

"Thank you, brother Reggie! It's going to be so much fun!"

"Y-you're welcome, Teddy…"

"Kitten? Thank Merlin, Regulus and I have been searching for you. What happened?" Evan said as he walked coolly up to her, and slung an arm protectively around her waist.

"I-it's okay, Evan… I'm alright; I was just feeling sad, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

Evan's eyes squinted at her, "Sure…"

Shaking his head, he continued. "Anyway, Antonin is on his way down here; he was looking for you as well. Who knows why, but he's been asking me every damn five minutes if you've come back yet. I could feel you come through the wards, so I told hi-"

"Myshka, just the witch I've been looking for…" Antonin's voice rang through the sitting room.

Regulus suddenly picked up Teddy who was still clinging to his leg and passed him over, into Andromeda's arms.

Hermione quickly unwound herself from Evan's arm and walked quickly towards the oldest wizard. "Antonin now is not really a good time… What do you say you meet me in the library in an hour?"

"Who is the pipsqueak with the blue hair?" Antonin asked, discarding Hermione's comment.

His eyes stared at Teddy, who was now staring right back at the wizard with a hurt face. "Hey! I'm not a pipsqueak! I'm five years old."

Antonin rolled his eyes as his head gave a small shake. "Oh, I apologize, 'slightly-older pipsqueak.' So, who are you?"

"Who are you?" Teddy fired back instantly, turning the question back around onto Dolohov.

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second!" The little boy continued to snap back, at each sentence Antonin spoke.

Antonin threw his arms up in the air in annoyance. "Okay, and what does that have to do with telling me who you are? Second place doesn't win, first place does. And, since I asked you first, then I win! Which means you have to tell me who you are."

"Nope. I never promised to tell you, which means I don't gotta."

Hermione knew that this comment would infuriate Antonin to no end.

"Ty nemnogo der'mo. (You little shit.)" Antonin growled

"Antonin, yazyk! (Antonin, language!)"

"Eto ne pokhozhe, chto on mozhet ponyat' menya. (It's not like he can understand me!)"

"Eto vse yeshche imeyet znacheniye. (It still matters.)"

Antonin rolled his eyes, and Hermione huffed.

"Auntie Miney, what was that weird talking that you were doing?" Teddy asked with a tip of his head.

"'Auntie,' huh… Then, why is Andromeda Black holding him, if you're his aunt, Myshka?"

The woman who had been silent this whole time suddenly spoke at the mention of her name. "Wait," she said, her brows pulling together. "You know who I am?"

"Of course I know who you are. Your insane sister would never shut up about you, and how much of a blood traitor you were; and, you also look like her. Besides, I know everyone."

"Nuh-uh! You don't know me!" Teddy shouted out.

Hermione couldn't believe how insistently that Teddy was fighting back with Antonin. She opened her mouth to interject, but the wizard's voice bellowed out, drowning out any other noise.

"That's because you refused to tell me!"

Teddy's little voice became shrill, as he tried to match Dolohov's loudness. "You didn't ask nicely!"

"Oh, Salazar help me. And, how do I ask nicely?" Antonin asked in a sarcastically.

"You say, 'Hello, could you tell me your name, please?' But you didn't! You called me a mean word…" Teddy's pouting lip was back once again, and Hermione could see that it didn't fool the other man.

"Antonin, just apologize, and we can get this over with…"

"No. I will not apologize to this kid just because I called him a 'mean word.' It wasn't even mean, Myshka!" Antonin whined, almost identical to Teddy.

"Antonin come o-"

"Will you do me a magic trick, instead?" Teddy disrupted in an excited voice.

What the hell is going on right now?! Hermione thought to herself.

"Teddy, I don't think that is a good idea…" Andromeda said to him quietly. The boy was no longer listening and continued to stare challengingly at the wizard.

Antonin narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Depends… What is your request?"

"Antonin, you better not do anything dark, or you will regret it," Hermione growled out to him under her breath.

Antonin pretended to ignore her and waited for the pestering boy to speak.

"Turn yourself into a duck!" Teddy commanded Antonin.

The wizard scoffed, "I can't do that. No one can do that with just a swish of a hand!"

"I can!" Teddy said in a cocky tone.

Antonin was not convinced and denied the boy's claim outright. "No, you can't."

"Yes, I can!" Teddy retorted, this time.

Everyone was watching the interaction with shock. Hermione couldn't believe that no one had gotten injured yet from Antonin's rage, and Andromeda was surprised that Teddy was so snarky to the older man. He really likes to get under Antonin's skin… The latter thought to herself.

Antonin's arms set themselves above his hip, looking like an angry librarian; or rather, looking like Hermione, when she would tell others what to do. "Oh yeah? Prove it then!"

"Fine!" The boy stated in a finalized tone. All of the room's occupants observed as Teddy's mouth turned into the bill of a duck.

Everyone, except Antonin, seemed to be impressed; though, Hermione could see that he had been intrigued for a small second before his face turned impassive again. "You only changed your mouth, not your whole body," Dolohov said.

"Yeah, well, I can do more than you can!"

Antonin laughed at this comment. "No, you can't. You're only five; I have years of magic and experience ahead of you."

Did this kid really think that he was better than me? This must be a joke.

"I bet my Uncle Harry could beat you," the blue-haired toddler said, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Listen here kid, your 'Uncle Harry' is a no-good piece of sh-" Antonin was cut off by Hermione, as she gripped her hand into his shirt, and pulled his lips down to hers.

"Hey, that's my Auntie Miney!" Teddy whined out, his bottom lip extending into a pout.

Antonin pulled back and looked at the child incredulously. "She kissed me, first!"

Then, the rugged wizard looked down to the witch that was still fisting his shirt in her small hand. "Myshka, tell him to stop. I'm about to lose my temper."

Hermione pulled the wizard down towards her once more and raised herself up on her toes. Her lips grazed his ear as she whispered. "Dogory, I told you already. Go into the library and wait for me; I will meet you there. Can you do that for me?" She asked, her lips now brushing over his stubbled jaw.

He huffed and pulled himself back, flashing her a sneer. "Fine. I will be waiting, Myshka, but not for too long."

Hermione nodded with a straight face.

Turning around, Antonin began to walk out of the sitting room but rotated his head back to stare at the little boy once more. The wizard stuck out his tongue at the young boy, and smirked, just before he disappeared.

The entire room was still with silence until someone finally broke the quiet.

"Um… We all just witnessed the same thing, correct?" Gideon asked.

Hermione's hand came up to palm her forehead. "Yes," she sighed. "I believe we did."


Notes: Hello everyone, here is chapter 13! Basically, all of this was not previously written. I have a lot of the story written out in random parts, and then I piece them together for each chapter, but this was not how I was initially going to have this chapter go. I decided to rewrite almost the entire thing because I didn't feel like it was the right time to post what I was going to originally. This was going to have a lot of stuff about Antonin in it, but I knew it would end on a cliffhanger and I didn't want to make you all have to end off a chapter on a cliffhanger. I already knew that I was going to write about Sirius meeting Andy and Teddy, but I didn't have the part where they go back to the manor and meet everyone, but I wanted Regulus to see his cousin as well, and also to meet Teddy. I am not going to lie, I had a sex scene written out with the twins and Hermione, but I thought that it would be moving sort of fast if I had her have sex with guy after guy each day. I am trying to space them out more, which is tough... Next chapter will have a big part of Antonin, and you will all get to finally hear his side of the story. I can't remember what else I was going to say, so I will just end it on this note. I have added more to the Pinterest boards and will also be including Andromeda and Teddy into their own. I hope you all enjoy!