A/N: Two updates so close together?! Madness! I hope you guys enjoy…I am just getting really excited because the end is fast approaching and I have loved every second of writing this. I also love that you guys love it just as much as I do! And I hope you like the first part of this chapter…I thought it would be a fun addition!

"Ginny dear, I'm off to work….what in the world?" Harry stopped at the doorway to his and Ginny's bedroom and he started laughing at the sight before him. His wife was demolishing their nicely organized closet by throwing things haphazardly out of it. All he saw of her was an occasional flash of red and various bathing suits flying across the room, landing anywhere but inside of the open luggage on the floor.

"Packing!" she reminded him.

"But Greece isn't until the weekend love, it's only Monday…" Harry laughed. She popped out of their closet looking exasperated.

"But I have to have everything perfect! I mean…I don't know which swimsuits to bring…I have to look good!" she whined helplessly and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You have to look good? For whom, love? It's a girl's only weekend…yes?"

"Yes of course Harry but you know how I get…" she laughed. She was, after all, the fashion maven out of her group of friends. And she had been looking for an excuse to bring out all of her impulse summer buys that she never had a chance to wear in England's weather.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better you can model your swimsuits for me later and I will help pick out the ones you should bring. And of course they will be full body wetsuits so no one else can see you…," he winked at her and she chucked a pair of jeans at him playfully as he dodged.

"What did you say about work baby?" she asked.

"Just that I was headed out, but I can spare a few moments for some breakfast if you want to come out of the mess you made of our room," he laughed and she followed him out to the kitchen and began chopping up some fruit for a quick breakfast with yogurt. She handed Harry a bowl of it and he dug in gratefully.

"I don't know what you'd do without me Harry…" Ginny laughed as he ate like a starved man. He hardly ever bothered to fix himself breakfast as he was usually out the door before she was awake and he had no cooking skills whatsoever.

"Die," he smiled, "Is Hermione going on the trip with you girls?"

"Dunno. Haven't heard either way from her. I really think she should. She needs to get away from her mess of a love life," Ginny sighed, taking Harry's now-clean bowl and washing it up in the sink.

"Gin that's your best friend…"

"And? She just needs to hurry up and be with Remus already and stop dragging Sirius around!"

"Remus? No no no. I never thought I'd actually say this but she belongs with my Godfather. They are practically made for each other!" Harry retorted, looking at his petite wife as if she suggested Hermione marry a hippogriff.

"Harry James Potter, her and Sirius are terrible together! They are just tabloid magnets. He's like an overgrown child…I mean, don't get me wrong I love the man to death but 'Mione needs someone who can take care of her," Ginny reasoned and Harry started to get defensive. He forgot all about being on his way to work.

"Sirius can take care of her, better than anyone I reckon…"

"Emotionally, Harry. Not monetarily. I know he acts like he's grown up and responsible…but they've only been together what…a couple months? Don't tell me his playboy habits have disappeared!" Ginny argued back with her husband. She felt strongly about the matter, and she was surprised they hadn't really talked about it before.

"Well what makes you so sure Remus is the one for her?" Harry questioned.

"They are so much alike…smart, dependable, accountable…" she listed off and he rolled his eyes.

"That's bloody boring!" Harry laughed, "I feel like I've already lost Hermione half the time since her and Ron broke up. The last thing I want to lose her to is a damn library which they would probably move into together…"

"Oh stuff it Harry, they would make a cute couple. Wasn't it you who was all concerned in the first place about her sleeping with Sirius? If I recall correctly you almost had a heart attack over the matter!"

"Maybe I did, but I've done some thinking and I think they would work out nicely. Besides, then I can have her as a real sister. She's been there for me from the beginning," Harry shrugged and Ginny couldn't help but laugh once more.

"She'd actually be more like a step-mother to you…" she told him with a wink, because after all-Sirius was the father figure in his life.

"You know what I mean Gin, she'd be real family, finally…."Harry shook his head, moving to gather his things as he took a look at the clock.

"She would have been family if my brother hadn't been such a prick," Ginny replied darkly, "Let's just agree to disagree that either of them is better than Ron. But I still think she needs to figure things out before she breaks a heart too badly…or gets hers broken when one of them gives up."

"My wife is so very wise," Harry grinned, bending to kiss her before saying a final goodbye and heading out the door, although he made a note to stop by and see Sirius as soon as he could—to tell his Godfather to hurry up and seal the deal already.

000

Sirius awoke that very same Monday morning with a groan and a throbbing headache. Before he even opened his eyes he knew things were very wrong. First of all, it was a weekday, and there was a definite presence in his bed besides him—which didn't make sense considering Hermione would be at Hogwarts probably in the middle of teaching her first class of the day. Secondly, he was fully clothed. He felt stuffy and confined in the bed under the sheets in the clothes he was wearing the night before. That wasn't how he slept—and then he started to remember the night before. Sirius didn't dare open his eyes while he tried to piece it together, but all he could remember was multiple firewhiskey shots with the twins. Nothing else stood out.

"Siri baby, you alright?"

It wasn't Hermione's sweet voice. It was older and annoying but unfortunately familiar. He nervously opened his eyes and found Angelika lying in bed next to him, in much less clothes than he was. It took him less than a second to get out of the bed and he stood on the other side of it, looking at her in shock.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Sirius' voice was a dark staccato. She didn't seem surprised or concerned about his anger. She just stretched lazily in his bed, her short blonde hair mussed up.

"I saw you out at the pub last night. You were piss drunk and you had no idea what was going on. I wanted to make sure you got home okay but those two red-headed twits you were with gave me a big to-do about how you were seeing someone and they were yelling and causing a scene. But I knew you weren't in a relationship…I know you too well and after all if you were, why would you be out getting smashed?" she giggled, "They ended up seeing someone else they knew and I got you home before they could call me any other awful things. I just thought after we got rid of your hangover we could catch up?"

Angelika said the last bit with more than a hint of flirtation to her voice. She pulled back the sheets and showed him that she was just in her lacy underthings. Sirius quickly looked down. He knew he was in a mess and he wanted her out as quickly as possible.

"Leave," he said.

"What is going on with you?" she asked, looking thoroughly confused. "I know we haven't talked in a while…since you had me over to try and prove a point to that dumb little girl that was living with you… but I miss you…."

"That 'dumb little girl' just happens to be my incredibly gorgeous and perfect girlfriend. And if you insult her one more time you'll regret it. What we had is long over Angie so get the fuck out of my house!" Sirius yelled. It caused his head to pound more but he didn't care. If he had to drag her out, he would do it.

"So all the rumors are true then? Those daft articles? It's all real? You really are fucking that mousy little witch?" she seemed a bit hurt, and Sirius figured why. Out of all the birds he had gone through after his first love, Angelika had been the closest to turning into anything serious. But he thought they had turned into friends. Nothing had happened between them in ages.

"I will not have you speaking bad about Hermione in my presence. Now have you suddenly lost your hearing? I said get out! I don't want to ever see you again!" he pointed to the door. She finally moved and crawled out of the bed. She started dressing in her clothes that were on the leather chair in his room. He didn't watch, just crossed him arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

"You have really lost it Sirius…" she mumbled and he didn't reply. When she was finally finished and slipping her heels on, he opened up the door to his room and motioned for her to walk out it. She huffily pushed past him and walked towards the front of the flat.

"We didn't…." he whispered as he opened that door for her as well. He figured they hadn't done anything but he had to make sure. Angelika smiled sadly and shook her head.

"No, we didn't." she said disappointedly, "Good luck with her…"

Sirius didn't bother to respond. He just slammed the door in the face of everything that represented his old life. He wanted that all behind him.

000

Hermione sat at her desk at the head of her class grading scrolls of parchment as her third years were taking an exam. She could barely concentrate on anything. She and Remus had barely talked since breakfast and she was feeling the strain of their fight the night before. He had seemed distant at breakfast and although he had apologized, he made it clear that he wasn't ready to have that talk with her for a while yet.

Remus was on his free period, sitting in his office and attempting to get things done but his mind kept drifting to his girlfriend. Although he had warred with himself the night before after she had left and promised that he would start respecting himself more to have the confidence to know he was worth her time-he just couldn't bring himself to commit to it that morning. He had reverted to the place he was during his relationship with Tonks, somewhere between the first and second times he had proposed to her, where he felt unworthy as a man and a lover.

He knew Hermione wouldn't have brought up the idea of marriage if she wasn't looking in that direction and he really couldn't blame her. She was old enough and would be a great wife. But the thought of marriage only served to remind him of the two painful times he presented a ring to Tonks and was shut down while on bended knee. If Hermione turned him down for Sirius, he didn't know what he would do.

It was at that very moment, as he looked across the empty room and seriously considered just throwing it in and letting his best mate have her. There was no doubt in Remus' mind that Sirius loved Hermione and he could easily provide her the things she wanted and needed. They could have a nice life with normal children and a relationship that didn't have to be interrupted by his monthly curse. All he would have to endure would be the wedding-where Remus figured he could just get blasted and spend a few weeks getting over her and it would all be fine.

Yet before he could completely talk himself out of her, something inside nagged at him. He didn't know if it was the wolf, or maybe just the tiniest bit of confidence that had somehow latched into his brain since dating Hermione-but he didn't want to give up. He hadn't given up even after decades of dealing with his lycanthropy. He hadn't given up with Tonks and had pursued her almost stupidly until it was clear she didn't want him. And now he wouldn't give up on most likely his last chance at a wonderful love. He opened the drawer of his desk and looked at the box that housed the necklace he had bought Hermione for her upcoming birthday.

Remus so badly wanted to give it to her early, but he knew her birthday would be the best time to really re-iterate to her that she was "the one" for him. The wolf in him knew it, and he knew it and loved it despite all of his better judgments about himself.

000

"What in the bloody world…" Sirius grumbled as the door was being pounded on rather frantically. He had just managed to drink away his hangover with a potion and was currently reeling over how he managed to get himself into that awful situation last night. He silently vowed that he wouldn't be drinking with the Twins for a long while—and he secretly hoped that they were the ones knocking on his door so he could set them straight about letting him go home with jealous exes.

He swung open the door and saw one of the last people he wanted to see. His baby cousin Dora walked into the penthouse apartment with her hair transfigured into a short blonde pixie which was unfortunately all too telling.

"I am not even going to bother asking how you managed to get the new key code," he sighed as she changed her hair promptly back to bubblegum pink.

"Had a lovely chat with the woman who was leaving your place…Angie I think it was? She's cute Sirius…" his cousin said snarkily, but he was too exhausted to think of something rude to say back.

"Say what you have to say and get out…you are turning my bad morning into a worse one Nymphadora…" he pronounced her given name slowly just to piss her off. She bristled.

"Look, I think you'll rather like what I have to say. From what I gathered from your blonde friend, you are quite smitten with Hermione?"

"Of course."

"And I want my boyfriend back. You are a smart man. You can see where I am going with this, can you not?" she raised an eyebrow, "All of this bullshit of her dating both of you is ridiculous. Don't you agree?"

"Well, I'm not a fan of the situation…" he shrugged and sat down on one of the barstools by the kitchen island. He took a moment and surveyed the dark, determined look in her eyes. She truly was a woman on a mission.

"So…make her yours and yours alone. I know Remus will want me back if she's not standing in his way…." Tonks suggested, her hands on her hips, and even though Sirius was tired and confused he couldn't help but be livid by her proposal.

"If you think for one second I would do anything to sabotage Remus and Hermione's relationship out of a favor to you…you are mistaken. In our case baby cousin, blood is not and never will be thicker than water," Sirius stated and her eyes glared at him in equal anger.

"How can you say that? When have you not given everything your all and gotten what you want? Our family always gets what we want and I will be damned if I don't marry Remus," she spat and at that moment Sirius couldn't have hated her more than he already did.

"As far as I am concerned, from this moment forth you are not my family. And I'd rather have Hermione with Remus than ever see you on his arm. You are a selfish whore who couldn't appreciate the best thing in your sad, empty life. You broke my best friend's heart to the point of no repair and I would gladly concede Hermione to him if that was what she wanted," he stood up, towering over her dangerously and he meant every word from the bottom of his heart.

"You are fooling yourself Sirius. We both know she'll pick you in the end. After all, he took the last woman you loved from you and I doubt you'll let that happen again. As much as you don't want to admit it, you and I are one in the same," she shrugged, winking at him before turning her back and walking towards the door, "Think about it cousin!" she called over her back.

"Go to hell Dora!" he called back in the same sing-song voice she used, mocking her. She flipped her pink hair over her shoulder and left. Sirius went to the living room and collapsed onto the couch. He had more than enough things to think about.

A/N: Uh oh, drama central! Please leave me reviews…I'm wondering who you guys think she will end up with! There's still time to sound off!