Disclaimer: Everything you recognise is J.K. Rowlings. I'm only writing for amusement- and the reviews. So please review, guys and thank you so much to all those people who reviewed: Slytherin-Lycan, amrawo and googlibear. You're reviews were wonderful and heplful- thank you!!!

It was a beautiful morning; a week after Sirius's return, and the kitchen of Grimmauld Place was full of people when the four school owl's arrived. To everybody's surprise :) Hermione made Head Girl.

Mrs Weasley decided that they would go to Diagon Alley the day after tomorrow, since it was a Saturday and a large number of Order members would be able to accompany them for protection.

Harry and Ron (who'd been made Quidditch Captain) had both been offered the Head Boy post, but refused. After Harry's fallout with Dumbeldore he had begun to mistrust the old headmaster and they had started the DA again and it kept them quite busy. Harry had said that "preparing for the future is more important than that badge." Hermione had wanted to give up her post too, but she was convinced that she deserved a reward for all her hard work.

Another surprise was that Sirius was the new Transfiguration teacher. Professor McGonogall would concentrate on her post as Deputy Headmistress, so that Dumbeldore could lead the Order more effectively, though he would still remain headmaster.

Ginny walked over to the far corner of the room where Sirius was talking with Remus. She wanted to congratulate Sirius on his new post. When she came closer, she heard their conversation.

"Well, Moony old pal, looks like we'll be colleagues now." (Remus had been made DADA teacher again, after Umbridge left. Tonks worked with him and substituted on the days around full moon.)

"Yes, we will be. But if you spend the school year staring at Hermione, like you're just doing again, Dumbeldore will notice."

The redhead stopped dead in her tracks. This was something that could turn out very interesting.

"Yes, yes, it's just she looks so much like Mya."

"You're right. I never noticed. She changed quite a bit over the last year."

"Well, you saw her everyday. But now- they could have been twins."

"Yes. Still, you should move on, Sirius. You can't spend half your life mourning over a woman who clearly stated she wouldn't return."

"I moved on."

"Yes, if you call shagging every woman in a hundred-mile-radius moving on, you moved on very well. I mean emotionally. You haven't had a girlfriend for longer than two weeks since then."

"There aren't exactly that many women in Askaban, you know."

"Padfoot, please. There would have been plenty of options before and after."

"I know, you've told me often enough. She was one of a kind though."

Remus nodded. He didn't approve of the fact that Mya had left Sirius, had left them all, but he didn't really blame her. She'd been old beyond her age and he was quite sure that she had some damn good reasons. "She was. Still, you can't mourn her forever. And you shouldn't start going after Hermione because she reminds you of Mya. It's unfair to both of them."

"I'm not doing anything with Hermione."

"No- if you don't count staring at her constantly, flirting with her or telling her things you don't normally talk about. For Merlin's sake, the two of you discussed Azkaban yesterday."

"You act as if I talk only to her. I speak with Molly, with Tonks, with Ginny…Besides she's a special girl even without the fact that she is very similar to Mya."

"Yes, but Molly and Tonks are both married and Ginny is…"

"Far too good for you", the redhead suggested, walking up to the two men.

Sirius laughed: "I'm not sure about that, though you're certainly better at sneaking up on people or listening in on conversations you aren't supposed to hear."

"Well, growing up with my brothers you learn how to blackmail fast- and I think I'm very good at it." She grinned at him cheekily and saw his smile waver. He didn't exceptionally want Hermione to hear what he had just said- especially not from Ginny. She laughed: "Oh, Godric, I'm only teasing, Sirius."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was far after midnight when Ginny entered the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. She'd just woken up from a particularly horrendous nightmare involving Harry dieing in the Chamber of Secrets. Nobody knew about her terrifying dreams- well, except for the man sitting at the kitchen table with a bottle of firewhiskey in front of him.

She pulled up a chair. "I know I've told you before, but you really shouldn't drink alone."

Sirius smiled. "I'd say your too young too drink with me."

She grinned. "But we've been over this, so will I have to take myself or will you be gentleman."

Flashback

"You're too young to drink."

"Yes, I know." She looked up at the older man. "But I'm also too young to have been possessed by the most evil wizard of all time, to have a father in hospital that might die for the greater good and to be in love with a guy who is number one on said evil's hit list."

"You really love him, don't you?"

"Yes." Her answer was simple, one word and not even needed. She knew he'd figured out what everybody else thought she was over. She'd seen it in the way he smiled at her when she sat next to Harry. "Do I have your approval?" The question was teasing and sincere at the same time.

"You know you have it. You'd be good for him- and he'll come round. He just doesn't know it yet."

"How can you be so sure?"

He smiled. "It's in his eyes. James courted Lily for seven years and she only gave in at the end of sixth year. Everybody knew already. And the way he looks at you- it's just like Lily looking at James before she knew she loved him."

"Thank you, Sirius. Sometimes he just drives me crazy. He's snogging Cho bloody Chang now and I can't even go around throwing things because everyone thinks I gave up on him. Sometimes that's just what I want to do- forget him. "

"You shouldn't do that, believe me. True love is far too precious to throw it away."

She looked at him enquiringly. In his eyes there is story of a love so desperate and deep, and yet one who couldn't survive. He won't say anything now and she won't ask. It's a silent truce that he'll tell her one day. After all, she gave him her whole story.

After that they speak of things which only they can understand. They know what it means to be possessed by evil and hate. That's why he let's the fourteen-year old drink with him. He's the only one who sees her true age. To Harry and to most of the others it's clear what it means to fight the evil, but this is another level. It's about what it means if mind and soul are no longer in your hand, instead there is evil and darkness everywhere.

Harry understands it to an extent. He spent eleven years with the Dursleys and though it's not the same, together with all he has fought, he can comprehend a lot of what they've been through. But Sirius is the only one who really knows what it means and that's why they drank together that night- to forget.

He conjured a glass, handing it to her. She smiled her thanks. "Has it changed- after death?" she asked. It's clear to both of them what she means: the nightmares, the remembering, and the fact that it never truly goes away- at least not at night. He nodded: "In a way yes. It's just not so real anymore. I shouldn't be doing this. I'm back from the dead and for the first time in years my name is cleared, but today I drink to forget a woman and the fact that she left me."

"Tell me about her, Sirius. Tell me about Mya."

"How do you…you were listening in to us the whole time."

"So right." She wasn't ashamed in the slightest. "It was just too interesting."

"Mya was wonderful. She was beautiful and so different from all the girls at Hogwarts. She had depth. At that time, life was still fairly peaceful and most of us were protected. Of course, there were Death Eater raids and that stuff, but we didn't have to fight. She was warrior though, and she'd battled all right. The way she duelled." His eyes grew dreamy; he seemed to be somewhere else now. She waited, give him time.

He continued his story. "The first time I noticed her she dulled Bellatrix to save my life. If the old bitch hadn't appareted away, Mya would have beaten her. But I fell in love with her while I was out running one night. I was in the Forbidden Forest, in my dog form. She was there, too, though she never saw me. She was talking to the thestrals. I wouldn't have understood, but we'd just had that in class. She looked gorgeous, then, though she wasn't wearing anything special, she herself was special enough. She was simply wonderful."

Ginny nodded quietly, unsure what to say. She knew she'd definitely talk to Hermione about this- not en detail of course. Hermione would have a fit if she'd ever find out she'd been drinking with Sirius. Still, he deserved to know, but it wasn't her story to tell. And both of them deserved the love. They were like made for each other- perfect opposites and yet so similar.

He interrupted her thoughts. "Enough talking about the past. Tell me what's going on between you and my godson. And don't give me the shit that he loves you too much for you to be together. Hermione told me that one and I don't believe one word. Bet it was fun to act out, though."

"You talked with Hermione? We'll get to that. Now, why should I tell you anything- you already know it all. Of course it's an act. I'm somewhere in the top ten of Tom's list, I wouldn't give up the love of my life just because I might be a couple of places higher. Besides, if they kidnapped me to get to Harry, they don't know him very well. He'd come to rescue a person he doesn't know- what would they need me for? Well, I made him see sense, but he still insisted on this ridiculous stuff. Nobody except Hermione- and you- knows, though I'm quite sure Remus suspects something. You are really perceptive though- it took both of them a lot longer."

"Well, on the run you have to take care- and you need to notice the small things." She didn't turn away or try to change the theme.

She just smiled, giving courage and strength. "I guess you're right."

It was quite some time later when she started talking again. "So, what is going on between you and Hermione?"

"I don't know. She's special and..."

He didn't complete his sentence, so she did it. "And you're falling in love with her though it's only been a couple of days. If you don't count the time before at least."

"Yes, you win. I just don't know what to do about her. She is the first woman since Mya I ever felt anything for."

"Go for it. Both of you deserve some happiness." She smiled a smile which made him afraid she was going to play matchmaker. "If you don't tell her, I will- and I don't think she'll be unhappy to hear. So, I'm going to bed now." She got up, kissed him on the cheek and left. "Sweet dreams, Black."

He looked up when he saw Hermione enter. She seemed astounded to see him here. "Sirius,

what are you doing?"

"Quite the traffic here tonight. Anyway I'm getting pissed- what about you?"

"You really shouldn't drink that stuff. I wanted some water." She looked lovely like that- a bit angry, still tired, wearing only her nightdress, her long hair was flowing freely.

Before she knows it, he was kissing her. She was quite glad to be pinned against the wall, because her knees might have just given in. It was the happiest months of her life all over again and she stopped thinking. He always had had that effect on her, making her forget her name and everything else, so it'd only when they pulls apart, she really realized what's happening, that he didn't know the truth and that he was be drunk.

She left his grip, running up the stairs, unsure and afraid again, at the same time wishing the kiss had never ended. She doesn't know what to say, if she should tell him that she had been the heartless bitch that left him to die. In anger and fear, she cried herself to sleep.

AN: I hoped you like the chapter. I you did, please leave a review. If you didn't, please do too. It helps so much to understand and read what the readers think. So please click that blue button and leave me a short note. (If you make it longer, I most certainly won't complain.) And thanks again to everybody who reviewed so far.