Note - While this is the last chapter of Not Our World, the sequel is already started.

Not Our World
Beginnings

"I need to forgive myself?" Hermione frowned. "Can I forgive myself?"

And there he was, fidgeting, stroking Crookshanks, looking like an awkward duck.

"So…" Regulus muttered. "Um. You need to know. Um. How to put this."

Hermione let out a laugh, a short laugh. "You're amazing. Do you know that?"

To which he looked up, tilting his head and looking at her. "I'm not. I'm just Regulus. And before you ask if I'm serious, that's your uncle."

To which Hermione stared. "If I'm serious?"

"No. You're not serious. That's your uncle. Your uncle Sirius," Regulus stammered. Then, "I guess that wasn't funny."

"You're trying to cheer me up, aren't you?"

"Yes." He then said. "You need to forgive yourself. You've done nothing wrong."

"Neither have you," Hermione said, watching him suddenly lookup. And he stared. "I do need to forgive myself." She smiled. "You've always had good advice."

"I have?" Which, for him, must sound odd. And then, "I need to forgive myself?"

"You think you're a horrible father, aren't you? Just like I've thought I'm a horrible daughter."

"You're a daughter, a father, can be proud of," Regulus said. And then, he bumbled out the words, "Can I be proud of you?"

"Of course," Hermione said, smiling. "Promise not to…" She paused, staring at the mirror at her image, only to see herself—her other-self.

"Promise not to?" Regulus looked.

"I—don't worry about it," Hermione said. "What I was staring at, not what I want him to promise, not tell mom. Though now I need to figure out a way to tell him that he'll understand, what with the way some things go over dad's head."

"You look like your mother," Regulus said.

"I guess so. I mean, kind of. I've seen a similarity in pictures of her at my age."

"I mean when you get older. You look like your mother when I…" He paused.

It was then that she realized he saw the image of the other Hermione in the attic back home. She stared. "That's when you met mom. "

"I—bookstore. Shakespeare. Five books. When Sirius ran away."

Which didn't make sense, and yet as the image disappeared as the other Hermione gave the sign that things would be okay in that world just as it would be okay here, " It does make sense that he 'd be too shy to approach her, but how he'd even come to meet her when she's a Muggle. "

"I'm sorry." He let out a sigh. "That promise? What was it?"

"Not to tell mom about the other world. I know you can easily contact her."

"Um. Well," Regulus swallowed. "I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Hermione asked.

"I'm a horrible liar. And," Regulus let out a deep breath before trying to say something important. "I'm not the father you expected."

"Well, you're a wizard."

"No. I mean, that person you know in the other world. I'm not like them," Regulus said.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not. I told you, I'm not a good liar, so I'm going to tell you the truth. That your uncle is my legal guardian."

Her heart sunk.

And he apparently saw she was upset and tilted Crookshanks slightly. "Kitty?"

"Why? Why is Sirius—why he is your legal guardian?"

"Because I'm inept."

"No, you're not. You're a professor."

"Because Sirius gave my permission," her father said, suddenly making Hermione think things weren't okay here, although they were likely going to be okay in the other world. Still, it might end up having a similar issue at some point. "And I am inept. I'd be lost without him."

"My dad, a dentist like my mom," Hermione said.

"Me?" Regulus said.

"Has a degree."

"What?"

"It's what Muggles give when a person completes a level of education, and you've gone beyond secondary," Hermione said, realizing he still wasn't following. "It means you're super, super smart."

"Oh."

"And you cook. An awesome cook."

"That…" Regulus said. "I've never cooked. I wouldn't be good at it."

"You are good at it. And isn't the reason you've never cooked because it was always done for you? If by inept you're talking about life skills, isn't it because nobody taught you them, but it doesn't mean you can't say learn how to cook, or other things."

"Pomfrey said something similar."

"Then listen to her! She wouldn't lie to you!" Hermione said. "And I don't care. I don't care about guardianship. I mean, Sirius has to be better than…"

"Than?"

Hermione frowned, deciding not to talk about the portrait, realizing that the woman was her biological grandmother, and instead of smiling at him. "You know what. Don't worry about it. I'm just happy I didn't lose you."

"Yeah, but…"

"I know. The family situation." Hermione said. "Which I know more about than you think." She continued smiling. "And you're my professor. But what's important is you know you're the best dad ever."

"I've not done anything."

"You don't have to, but I'm glad you're my dad. I wouldn't want anyone else."

"Even though it might bring you trouble later on?"

"Even if," Hermione said. "Are we good?"

"We're good," Regulus said. "And feel free to pet or hug Crookshanks whenever you want."

Hermione smiled. " A part of me gets to go back to that world, to my dad there and take care of him. But part of me gets to see a world where he doesn 't have to lose everything. His brother is here, alive. Everyone is alive, and he's happy. There's no telling what I have to break to him in that world, but it will be okay. "