The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.

AN: Thank you to all who have read, reviewed, favorited (I'm going to say that's a real word), and/or put on alert. I actually do read and appreciate all of my reviews, even if I may not respond to them individually.

All of you are made of awesome.

Also, I do not have a Beta, so any/all errors or inconsistencies are mine alone.

Chapter Seven:

The next morning, the inhabitants of Grimmauld place were enjoying a delicious breakfast while Sirius nursed a cup of tea with a pained look on his face. Hermione had started to feel better, and put on a little weight, due to the protein powder. Now, she was helping herself to small portions of Kreacher's excellent cooking, much to the elf's secret delight.

As she was nibbling on some toast, a small bundle of feathers flew into the room, circling frantically and hooting.

"What in Merlin's name is that?" Lucius asked.

"That would be Pigwidgeon," Harry said with a laugh, as he stood and tried to catch the diminutive owl. Not having any success, Harry grabbed a piece of bacon nearly as big as the owl. "Here Pig…come on!" Finally, the bird settled enough to land on Harry's arm and snatched up the treat. Harry took the scroll that was tied to Pig's leg and handed the owl to Hermione.

"Sorry about that, everyone. He just gets excited…he's really a sweetheart," Hermione said, placing Pig on her shoulder. The owl hooted happily and nibbled on a curl.

Harry scanned the letter. "It's from Ron. They're having lunch at the Burrow for anyone who would like to come," he said, looking up at the Malfoys.

Before Lucius had time to do more than grimace, Narcissa said, "I do not think we shall be able to attend. The Manor is nearly readied for us, so we had planned on stopping in to oversee the progress. Do give our regrets."

Harry smirked as he translated that. 'No way in hell are we going to the Burrow. So sorry…' "That's too bad; there's nothing like Molly Weasley's cooking when she decides to go all-out...no offense, Kreacher. And it would be nice to be outside for a while. Would you like to come, Draco? I'm sure there'll be a pick-up game or two."

Draco turned shocked eyes to his old rival. He glanced at his parents out of the corner of his eye. At his mother's infinitesimal nod, he said, "Fine. You shall need someone with some actual skill to show you how to play the game."

Harry and Hermione just laughed and scoffed at Draco's arrogance. During the Malfoy's time at the house, the Gryffindors had started to become friends with their former enemy, and Draco's snobbish behavior and dry wit no longer riled them as it once did. Now, it was often a source of amusement.

Narcissa glanced at her husband and smiled softly. Her precious son finally had a group of friends that were not after the Malfoy name or vaults. Draco was being accepted for who he was, despite everything that had happened in the past. "Well, have a good time, son, and show them what a Malfoy is made of," Lucius said with a smirk.

"Oh, we already know he's good," Harry said, waving his hand. "Just no cheating."

"I would never!" Draco cried; all indignation.

Harry leveled a look at the former Slytherin seeker. "Yeah, and I'm a pygmy puff. Normally, I wouldn't care…its just a pick-up game among friends, but the twins will be there, and if they catch you at it there's no telling what they'd do to you. I doubt your parents would want to remove a tail, bat wings…or try to get your hair to stop flashing colors. Then again, Fred and George might just have a go at you for kicks. They love to test out their products on 'new victims'...I'd be careful of what I ate or drank, if I were you."

Sirius snorted into his tea. "Those boys could give the Marauders a run for their galleons!"

"Galleons indeed. Their shop in Diagon Alley does very well, and they're going to be expanding to Hogsmeade soon," Hermione said, watching as Pig took off to fly back to the Burrow.

"I remember Severus once stating that he was actually impressed with their innovations in potions, although he found them useless and rather silly," Lucius stated.

"They're supposed to be silly; it is a joke shop," Harry said somewhat defensively.

"Oh Harry…its Snape we're talking about. Man wouldn't know a joke if it bit him in the arse," Sirius said before he suddenly fell out of his seat, legs flailing wildly.

"What on earth?" Harry asked, getting out of his seat to see to his godfather.

"Jelly legs jinx...otherwise known as a 'joke', Potter," Severus said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Ha...ha...Snape, get me up, will you?" Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Severus shook his head and cast a Finite. The Marauder picked himself up and dusted himself off. "This is rather early for you..."

"Yes...well, if the condition I was in this morning was any indication of our firewhiskey consumption, I thought that you would be appreciative of a Potion Master's skill," Snape muttered, holding out a vial.

"Hangover potion? Old man, you're a godsend!" Sirius cried, taking the vial and knocking it back immediately. "Merlin, that hit the spot! Thanks, mate!"

Severus nodded and noticed the curious looks the others were sending him. Sirius cleared his throat and said, "We're going over to the Burrow for lunch later on...I'm sure you'd be welcome too."

Severus' expression darkened at the thought of a certain Weasley. "I do not think so."

"We will be returning to the Manor for a while at that time. You are welcome to join us, instead," Lucius said, diffusing the slight tension that filled the room.

"No thank you, Lucius...Narcissa, I have much to do this afternoon. Another time, perhaps," he said with a slight smile and a bow to two of his oldest friends.

"Certainly. I look forward to opening the house once more, and you are always welcome there, as you know," Narcissa said with a smile.

Severus bowed again and left in a swirl of his black cloak.

"Wanker loves his dramatic exits," Sirius said with a chuckle.

"If you dislike him so much still, why did you invite him along?"

"I don't dislike him... I dare say that the old ray of sunshine and I are becoming friends."

"So why did you call him a wanker?" Harry asked, confused. Narcissa and Lucius rolled their eyes and tutted. "Sorry, Mrs. Malfoy..." he said sheepishly.

"Term of endearment. He calls me 'arsehole'..."

"Sirius, really!"

"Sorry, Cissa," the Marauder said with a chuckle. "We moved to the study last night, sat up to the early hours and talked... and drank. I'm definitely going to have to refill my cellar at this rate."

"You two hung out? All night? And there was no hexing or curses?" Harry asked, dumbfounded.

"Yep. I'm even going to attempt to take the git out weekend after next. There's a band playing at a club nearby...good old seventies' Muggle rock. Should be a great time...don't wait up for us," Sirius said with a wink.

Harry just shook his head. Hermione tried to stifle a giggle at the thought of her austere Potion professor going to a music club. "Good luck with that one," she snorted.

"Well, you're over eighteen now...want to come along?"

Hermione blinked. She had never gone to a club before... no one had ever asked her. "I...I don't know if it would be something I'd be into...and I have my NEWTs coming up…"

"And how would you know if you never go? Join us for a few. You can just come back home if it's not your speed."

"I'll think about it, alright?"

"That's all I ask," Sirius said with a grin.

At lunchtime, Sirius, Hermione, and Harry escorted a nervous Draco by side-along to the Burrow, the latter two carrying their brooms. "Are you sure they are not going to mind me coming?"

"You'll be fine. Just don't be a snob and compliment Mrs. Weasley's cooking; that should land you good marks," Harry said with a laugh. The group made their way from the Apparition point to the lop-sided house that was the Burrow. Malfoy looked at the structure with a grimace.

"Merlin...how does that thing not fall over?"

"Magic," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

Their path was obstructed by a large, orange creature that glared at them with the disdain only a cat could pull off.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione cried, running and dropping to her knees in front of the half-kneazle. Crookshanks' offended look dropped from his squashed face when he saw the state of his mistress. He had not appreciated being left behind, at all, with naught but chasing garden gnomes to keep him busy, and had been prepared to let everyone know of his displeasure. However, when he saw how thin and worn his girl looked, all thoughts of throwing a snit disappeared. Well...throwing a snit at Hermione, that is. He would show those silly boys a thing or two for not taking good care of his girl.

Crookshanks meowed plaintively and leapt into Hermione's arms. "Oh, Crooks," she sobbed into his thick fur.

"Is that a cat?" Draco asked.

"Half-kneazle...and I would suggest being polite to him. Smart little blighter," Sirius chuckled. At the sound of the familiar voice, Crookshanks looked over his girl's shoulder. "Hey there, Crooksy, old boy. We didn't even have to go looking for you...you found us!"

If a cat could look confused, Crooks certainly did. "Merrr?" he warbled, tilting his head.

"That's right...that's Sirius. He came back," Hermione said.

Crooks jumped down and walked over to the Marauder. He sniffed around him for a bit, then sat back on his haunches and twitched his tail. Sirius bent down to scratch behind Crooks' ears.

"Missed you, boy...what have you been up to? You worried your girl, you know...she heard you went missing."

"Meowrrrr..."

"That's what I thought. Well, this here is Draco Malfoy. He's my cousin's son, and has been staying with me for a bit... as is your girl. Your coming back home with us, right?"

Crookshanks closed his eyes and purred. Then went over to Draco and gave him a long, penetrating look. The platinum-blonde wizard returned the look and quirked his brow. After a moment, Draco knelt down and scratched in the same spot Sirius had.

"I can't believe he's letting you pet him. He wouldn't go near Ron for the longest time."

"Sirius said that he was intelligent," Draco said with a smirk. Harry rolled his eyes and made his way to the Burrow. Crooks jumped up into Sirius' arms as the rest followed Harry.

Mrs. Weasley was in the yard, fluttering about a large table that was groaning with the weight of the food spread out. Charlie was talking to the twins under a tree, and Ron and Ginny were helping Arthur de-gnome the garden.

"Oi!" George shouted when he spied the visitors.

"Harry, dear!" Molly cried as she bustled over to grab Harry into a large hug. She let go to squeeze Hermione for a moment, and after giving Sirius a nod, she turned to Draco.

"Well, you certainly look more and more like your father every day, young man...but you are far too thin. See that you come over more often; I will put some meat on your bones," she said as she mussed his hair and turned him around to look at him. "I see that you have brought your broom...the children will be playing after lunch...have a seat and I shall fix you a plate."

As she bustled off, Draco smoothed his hair back down and straightened his clothes. Harry just laughed. "She fussed over you...that's her seal of approval."

"So, Malfoy...decided to grace us with your presence, eh?" Ginny asked.

"Potter invited me," Draco said, a little defensively.

"The more, the merrier," Arthur said, shooting his daughter a look.

"And when Bill shows up, we'd need an extra for the game to even it up..." George said.

"Because there's no way that you'll get Hermione on a broom..." continued Fred.

"And Padfoot's just too old!" they finished in unison.

"Oi! I could fly circles around you lot... but I haven't had a chance to play in too many years, so I'm afraid I'd be a bit rusty," the Marauder said.

"Perhaps you and Kingsley could join me in a game after you get some practice in, sometime," said the eldest Weasley son, Bill, as he walked toward the group with Fleur. "Get a real game going, not one with kids!"

The younger Weasleys glared at their brother, and Sirius laughed. "I could see if Snape and Lucius would want to get in on it too. Severus is a fair flyer, and I remember Malfoy playing in school."

"Father was a chaser," Draco said. Remembering his manners and what Harry had told him, "This meal is exquisite, Mrs. Weasley."

"Thank you, Draco," Molly beamed, "and there is always plenty, so you are welcome to seconds. I see that you found Crookshanks...I had no idea where he had wandered off to!"

"Crooksy found us...met us on the path," Sirius said, in-between bites.

"Thank you ever-so-much for watching him for me...I'll be taking him back home with us," Hermione said as she fed the large cat bits off of her plate.

"Good," Ron muttered under his breath. Harry elbowed his friend while looking at Ginny across the table. The two had not had much time to talk since the battle, and Harry hoped to get her alone for a bit.

After everyone was suitably stuffed, the Weasley sons, Ginny, Harry, and Draco went to the large field to play Quidditch. Sirius and Hermione sat under a tree with Crookshanks and watched the game, while Fleur helped Molly and Arthur clean up.

"So, what were you and Professor Snape talking about all night?"

"That's between Severus and me," Sirius said. Hermione furrowed her brow. "Really, Hermione...there was a lot to go over between the two of us...a lot of hurtful things from the past. It's not anyone else's business."

"Oh," the young witch said, blushing slightly. "Sorry for being nosy."

"You're always curious about things," the Marauder said with a chuckle. "Part of who you are...I don't mind...but last night was personal."

"I think it's great that you two are getting along and becoming friends. It truly is a wonderful thing to see...it's as if...not only did the war end on a large scale, but all the little wars between people are ending too."

"I get what you're saying. It's a new beginning for everyone. You can see it with the Malfoys...with you and the boys getting along with Draco...Severus is coming around more often and actually becoming social and as close to friendly as that snarky git can be...I heard that Lucius and Minerva are pitching your idea of new classes to the governors soon...that should be a new beginning for a lot of people..."

"It is definitely a new beginning for you. What are you going to do now?"

"I was an Auror before the war...maybe I can talk to whoever is heading the department now and see if I can get my job back. Harry and Ron are planning to join...it would be nice to work with them every day. I could keep those two out of trouble."

"A Marauder keeping someone out of trouble? Merlin...I think I've heard everything now!" Hermione laughed.

"Don't tell anyone, but I think I've finally grown up a bit these last few years."

"I realized that when I discovered I could be in the same room with you for longer than five minutes," Hermione said with a wink. "Just as long as you don't grow up too much...you wouldn't be our Sirius without a bit of rapscallion in you."

"Nice word... 'Our Sirius', eh? Yeah...I'm starting to feel that way, too. This place is becoming 'home' to me."

Hermione smiled gently at the man sitting next to her. "Well, Crookshanks here has given his approval..." looking down at the large, fluffy beast curled up on Sirius' lap.

"Well, there's nothing for it then..."

Draco had only been turned into a large canary and had his robes set on fire once, so Harry considered the Malfoy heir's acceptance into the family successful. The group said their good-byes and returned to Grimmauld Place laden with enough left-overs to feed an army and a content half-kneazle.

As they made their way to their rooms, Hermione caught the large grin on Harry's face.

"Why are you so happy, hmmm?"

"Gin said 'yes'...she's my girlfriend again."

Hermione held in her urge to squeal and gave her friend a huge hug. "Was there any doubt? I'm so happy for you!"

"Me too!" he laughed. "I'm going back over tomorrow to see her. Want to come?"

"Maybe...I've got a bit of studying to do. The NEWTs I'm taking are only a couple of weeks away, and I've got a whole year that I've missed to go through..."

"Well...just don't wear yourself out. You'll do fine. You know everything by heart, anyway."

"I just want to do my best," she said, chewing her lip.

"You will...just remember to take it easy, alright?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded. She went to her room to change then made her way to the library. As she walked in, she saw Severus and Crookshanks locked in a staring contest.

"Um...Sir?"

"I take it this is yours," the Potion Master said, glaring at the half-kneazle.

"That's Crookshanks...we found him at the Burrow. What are you doing?"

"I returned to borrow some books and found yon beast sitting in my chair."

Hermione pinched her lips together so that her laugh didn't escape. The show-down continued for long moments until Crookshanks turned and jumped down from the coffee table. He walked over to the Potion Master, gently butted the man's leg with his head, and found another chair to curl up on.

Severus watched the proceedings with a smug smile, then gathered some books. "Part kneazle, correct? I shall bring over some shrivelfig leaves for him." Crookshanks' purr rumbled through the room.

"If you do that, he'll be your friend for life," Hermione said with a chuckle.

"A good friend to have, Miss Granger. Black told me how your familiar saved him from getting cursed before Lupin and I arrived at the Shrieking Shack."

"That happened in his reality, too?"

"Do you know his age, Miss Granger?"

"I have no idea...when I got him from the Menagerie, I was told that Crooks had already been there for a while."

"Well, half-kneazles live a bit longer than mere cats, but if you ever notice him starting to have stiff joints, I have a potion that will alleviate the symptoms."

Hermione looked up and gaped at the dark man. "Oh...well...thank you," she said in wonder.

Severus nodded, and swept out of the room. Hermione watched him leave, slightly baffled. "Well, you certainly made a good impression," she said to a purring feline.

Crookshanks just rolled his eyes. His mistress was smart for a two-leg, but about some things...? Oh, he came back at just the right time. This was going to be much more fun than chasing gnomes.