A/N: Yay! More goodness! Enjoy! xx

"I'm so glad you are here Harry, thank you," Sirius said sincerely, hugging his Godson tightly as he came through the apartment doors. Harry seemed a bit confused, but hugged Sirius back. All he knew was that an urgent letter accompanied by an even more urgent owl had found him at the Ministry of Magic and Harry had taken the rest of the day off for the mysterious 'thing' Sirius had requested him for.

"Of course, it's not a problem…but I'd like to be pulled out of the dark here…" Harry, now released from Sirius' hug, joked. He couldn't help but notice his Godfather looked rather dapper for a Thursday afternoon. He was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit with a light grey shirt underneath that complimented his stormy eyes nicely.

"Today is a momentous day, and I wouldn't dare have you miss it!" Sirius clapped Harry- who had never seen him happier-on the back.

"Because….?"

"Because I need your help with one of the biggest decisions of my life, and who better to ask than the man who got everything right?" Sirius beamed and before Harry could ask any more questions, he took his arm and they side-along apparated to Diagon Alley. Sirius started off in a hurried gait up towards Gringotts.

"Sirius…what has gotten into you?" Harry said, half-laughing, half completely concerned for the mental health of the man he looked up to more than anything in the world. He looked so determined and ecstatic at the same time as the pair strode into the quiet hall of the bank. They walked up to the first empty station with a very imposing looking goblin and Sirius presented him his wand for inspection and his bank card.

"How much would you like to withdraw today Mr. Black?" the goblin asked in a crackly drawl. With a smirk, Harry watched his Godfather write a rather large sum of Galleons onto the slip of paper he was handed and push it back to the goblin who raised his eyebrows in surprise. The short creature nodded and hurried off to collect the gold.

"5,000 Galleons? Sirius that's enough for…"

"A really big purchase. Yes, I think so," Sirius winked down at Harry who still wasn't sure what this little trip was all about.

"That you want to pay for in 5,000 Galleons…?"Harry asked again and his Godfather just laughed. A few moments later multiple goblins came back carrying heavy bags of the gold, setting them up on the counter for Sirius to inspect. He opened one of the bags and ran his fingers through the shining coins before closing it back up, nodding to the goblin in charge. After a few quick signatures, the goblins were magicking the bags to fit nicely into a black attaché case before handing them over to Sirius.

"Always a pleasure," the goblin said without any pleasure at all. Sirius didn't bother to say goodbye as he walked with Harry back out into the beautiful afternoon sun and they took a turn down the right side of the alley, towards Sirius' favorite shops-the ones that were a bit out of budget for most witches and wizards.

"Why can't you just use your card for whatever you are buying?" Harry looked down at the black case and Sirius smiled happily again. In fact, he had been grinning like a loon since Harry had arrived. After all, only about a dozen wizards had Gringott's bank cards. They only gave them out to those who had more money in the bank than it was ever worth to withdraw; Harry and Sirius being two of the privileged few.

"Because my dear boy, I want to remember this moment forever, and a swipe of a card just doesn't hold enough weight for me…" he replied before making a sharp turn and opening the door to the small jewelry shop on the street that always had masses of window-shoppers but rarely any buyers. It was all starting to come together for Harry, who now donned a happy smile as well.

"Mr. Black, what a lovely surprise!" the man behind one of the gorgeously lit display cases grinned. Sirius was a regular customer, but never for traditional jewelry—only for making his cufflink collection the most extensive in Britain. The man started for the adornments Sirius typically shopped for but Black raised a hand to stop him.

"Something different today Joseph, something a bit more special," Sirius told him as he and Harry approached the counter. Sirius placed the attaché case there for safekeeping as he started to browse the displays that he had never once looked at-the ones for engagement rings. He stared for a moment before leaning over the counter and whispering something to Joseph that Harry couldn't quite discern. But in a few seconds after a few quick flicks of Joseph's wand—the shop windows turned opaque black and the sign outside the shop flipped from 'open' to 'close'. Harry nodded in agreement—with the paparazzi and Skeeter following Sirius as of late, the last thing he would want would be to spoil any surprises.

Joseph gave a look of awe to Harry, clearly noting who he was and their important relationship before beginning to pull out all sorts of rings for them to look at.

"I can't believe you are really proposing to her," Harry said as he perused the options.

"Me either, but it just feels right. I want to do it on her birthday. And it's going to be perfect," Sirius said confidently.

"I'm actually really glad you asked me to come, I had been planning on talking to you about Hermione and what you wanted with her and I really am so happy for you," Harry smiled up at him and Sirius gave him a look that was on the verge of happy tears and decided not to speak lest it give his emotions away.

"What do you think this special witch of yours would like?" Joseph prompted.

"It needs to be exquisite and unique, just like her. I want no other woman in the world to have the same thing…and…and…I dunno, that's why you're here Harry," Sirius laughed and Harry started to regard the options laid out in front of him more seriously. He rejected a few that he knew Hermione would hate, and thought about the experience of picking out his ring for Ginny. It needed to match Hermione's personality.

"She's not going to want anything too flashy Sirius, you know that…"

"I do. But I want her to have the biggest damn rock money can buy, because I love her and the world should know it," he replied stubbornly. Harry laughed as Joseph left them alone with the few choices they now had left.

"She's not going to care what it looks like, she's just going to care that you are asking," Harry reminded his Godfather who nodded as his eyes darted back and forth between two remaining rings, both of which Joseph had insisted were one of a kind.

"This one." Sirius said finally, picking up the ring with the smaller diamond (although by any normal standards it was huge). The platinum holding the stone in place had delicate twists and curves that gave the right amount of femininity to the princess cut stone in the center. It was breathtaking. Harry nodded his agreement quickly.

"It's her," Harry smiled. He had known Hermione for years and years now, and it just felt right. He felt privileged to be a part of the process.

"We'll take it," Sirius nearly yelled in excitement and made the transaction with the bags of gold that Joseph gladly took off his hands. 4, 763 Galleons lighter, Sirius and Harry walked out of the jewelry shop with the ring in a little black box that Sirius safely stowed in his jacket pocket. Together they walked back down the Alley, with Harry enjoying the spring he could visibly see in Sirius' step. The man was like a little boy on Christmas morning.

They decided to stop at the Leaky for lunch and grabbed an inconspicuous booth in the back of the pub, thankful it wasn't very crowded so they could converse in peace.

"I don't mean to be a downer Sirius, but are you sure Hermione is going to say yes? What about…." The word 'Remus' was about to leave Harry's lips but Sirius stopped him.

"I don't know if she's going to say yes, and I know it's all a bit fast. It just feels so perfect Harry and I have to take this chance. For myself. I haven't felt like this in 27 years and I think that today, it is high time you knew that story," Sirius said. Harry was all-ears, having picked up on Sirius' hints and mentions of some mysterious woman that existed long before for years now. He had gathered that it had been the last time Sirius was in love, but he had also known not to ask about it.

"Now, only two people in the world know the story of myself and Marlene McKinnon. And you will be the third. Harry- your father didn't even know. And I trust it will stay this way?" Sirius asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Of course," Harry assured him, smiling briefly up at the waitress who brought them their butterbeers before Sirius began.

"She was an amazing girl, and I fell so fast. There had been so many meaningless girls before her, and when she came along, I finally understood what your mum and dad had. It finally clicked. 'Love' wasn't a crock of dragon's piss anymore—it was real, and I fell in love with Marlene after about six months of working with her for the Order. We spent nearly every day together before things really got out of hand with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. I wanted to ask her to marry me, but I never had the chance. The last person who saw her alive was Remus…" Sirius said his best friend's name in a tone that Harry had never heard associated with Lupin before. There was anger there, jealousy even.

"Was he with Marlene?" Harry asked cautiously.

"I don't know. I've never asked. One day we were together and perfectly in love. The next day she was killed brutally by Travers. Remus stepped up and admitted that she had swung by his flat a few hours before her death. I was too blinded by sadness and anger to confront him," Sirius shrugged, "He doesn't even know I was in love with her. Everyone was too caught up in their own shit at that time to really focus on anyone else seriously. They all assumed of course, and they were right. And I've forgiven him—gotten over it—whatever you want to say. But I missed her for years, still do. And no one has even come close to comparing to her until now."

"Sirius I'm so sorry…" Harry sighed. It was a whole new part of Sirius' history that was being unfolded for him.

"We all lost loved ones during the war. She was my first love, and there will always be that 'what if'…and it just makes things harder for me with Remus, because I know he loves Hermione too. And I don't know if Marlene loved him…I mean, what if she did? I'll never know…."

"You should ask him," Harry suggested and Sirius shook his head quickly.

"Sometimes he brings it up like he knows…and when Tonks came over the other day she mentioned something about Marlene and I couldn't figure out why she would know…" Sirius furrowed his eyebrows. He had guessed maybe Tonks and Remus had discussed it when they were together.

"Wait Tonks came by your place?" Harry asked quickly.

"Shit, Harry—I forget I never see you anymore. Yeah, she came over Monday morning and threw a fit about Remus and how I should let him be with her by taking away Hermione from him and a bunch of other nonsense," Sirius sighed. That whole encounter had been weighing on his mind. Harry nodded solemnly.

"Well, I still think you should ask Remus, and have closure about it, so you really can make a fresh start with Hermione. I just want you guys to have a fighting chance and as much as I'm glad you told me about Marlene, I don't want it to come between you and my best friend in the same way it's clearly come between you and yours," Harry said wisely and Sirius was once again impressed by his Godson. He was just like James in some ways, but in many ways so much more level-headed.

"You're right, as usual…and that is why I wanted to ask, if this all goes well—if you'd be my best man, Harry?" the animagus' face was hopeful and boyish and Harry instantly agreed. They clanked their half-empty butterbeer glasses together as a toast.

"Thanks, Sirius," Harry said quietly after a few moments and there was a bit of a mist in the older man's eyes. Sirius nodded back to the messy-haired man sitting across from him, sniffed back his emotion and continued on a happier note.

"I think she wants children, and I think I do as well," he smirked at the thought of raising a family with Hermione. It would be a challenge, but it would be wonderful.

"You? Want kids?" Harry nearly choked on his gulp of butterbeer and then proceeded to laugh as Sirius crossed his arms in a full-blown pout.

"Why does everyone constantly have the worst expectations of me? I'm not that bad!"

Harry and Sirius laughed and continued on their lunch with an air of cheerfulness for the things to come.

000

Hermione sighed deeply as she walked out of her classroom after a few straggling 5th year Ravenclaw's. She was happy to have an hour to herself and decided it would do her nerves good to take a walk by the lake. As she walked towards the large doors of the castle, she thought about how happy she was that things had started to go so well with Remus again. After her little tiff with him on Sunday, he had really seemed to make an active effort to not mope around constantly and he had stopped mentioning that he was 'worthless' altogether. In fact, they had had a few pleasant, albeit short, conversations about the future in the last few days and Hermione was hopeful. It seemed that both of her men were now on the same page and all she had to do was buckle down and decide so as to not prolong the hurt of one of them any longer. As much as she would like to continue on with both of them in this blissful state—she knew it was fleeting and that sooner rather than later, feelings were going to become too much to handle.

She vaguely wondered if Remus would be on the grounds as well, as on nice days such as this one, he loved to soak up the sun on that beautiful skin of his. A small smile crept up her face as she thought about her lover and stepped out onto the grass to begin towards the lake. Hermione walked in thoughtful silence for a few moments before she caught a familiar voice being carried on the light breeze. Pausing to look around, she saw Remus in conversation down the hillside. She shifted curiously to see who he was talking to. It looked like a rather intense conversation and whoever he was with was standing very close to him. Walking a few more paces down the hill, Hermione saw a flash of bubblegum pink hair peeking from behind Remus' robes and he stomach dropped. Tears instantly filled her eyes.

That bitch was here…at Hogwarts…on the grounds…hugging her boyfriend…

Hermione couldn't even fathom it. And he wasn't pushing her away. They were talking about something in low voices still, the deep octave of his speech could still be heard but she turned on her heel and nearly ran back to the castle. All she could think about was her plan of action—finish out her last class and then go to the only other place she wanted to be—Sirius'.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed! Please review if you have read! You guys are THE BEST! xx