So. Not dead. Please forgive the lateness- there was a family crisis and I lost the inspiration to write for about a week. It's back now though, so I give you the final installation of Part Two.

Part three- which will be posted on an irregular update schedule, unfortunately, is mostly a character-driven plot, with precursors for part four interwoven through it (Yes there are four parts to this thing! [ohGodwhydoidothistomyself?!]). Sorry to those who are bored easily by character-driven plots- part three is far moreso than the last two have been, but I aim to still be as engaging as possible.

Things to look forward to:

more stuff from Malfoy; several chapters in Hermione's POV, friendship development between our HP characters and the Avengers and lots more!

Hopefully you'll get a few chapters this month- I'm working on about three at once at the moment- but there are a lots of other things I want to do these holidays- write more chapters of In Context (Supernatural/Harry Potter crossover), a Gravity Falls Reverse!Pines fic, an Avengers one-shot, art stuff, sewing and a whole buttload of other crap, all to be done whilst working full-time. So yeah, GE will be on irregular updates from now on. It's definitely NOT abandoned. Just running at a far slower pace. Sorry-not-sorry.

Anyways, read on and enjoy.

Part Two: Gifts Not for Giving

Chapter Thirty: Aim to Please

It's nothing like what he'd expected.

Harry had always thought of Sirius vaguely, in terms of finding him and reconciling the image of the man he remembered with the man that was. But he feels somewhat ashamed to admit to himself that he'd never expected his godfather to be so put together. Part of the problem- he suspects- is that his entire relationship with Sirius had been spent beneath the oppressive shadow of the wizard's outlawed status; his liberties and freedom effectively crippled by the bumbling incompetence of the Ministry. The result of it had been a bitter, jaded man, trapped in a house that had never really been his- unable to function like a normal human. Harry had never had a chance to see him truly happy- truly free- and the image he'd conjured of him in his mind reflected that.

To find him with a wife, a child and a profitable job- happy and content with the cards life had given him- was at worst, seriously confronting, and at best, heart-warming in a way that he hadn't felt in what seemed like years.

Part of him hopes Hermione feels the same; if only to assuage the sensation of guilty astonishment he'd felt when he'd first laid eyes on Leo.

They drive to Sirius' house in a beat-up Ford straight out of the nineties- Harry sits awkwardly in the back with Leo. The car runs remarkably quiet for something that looks like it should be heard from miles away. It's also blessedly cool- though he wouldn't necessarily put that down to air-conditioning. Hermione regards the vehicle with interest, and obviously restrains herself from saying anything.

They feel the distinct twang of heavy wards as they drive up a mock-cobblestone driveway. Sirius parks the car with a slight shudder in front of a modestly sized, Spanish-style home with white-washed brickwork and carefully tended hedges. A novelty garden gnome waves jauntily at them from the portico, wedged between two ceramic plant pots. Harry is struck by how ordinary it all seems. Then again, nothing about any of this is what he expected. Which is not to say it's bad… only different, in a way. And yet its homeliness is still so similar to what he'd seen at the Weasley's.

Leo races ahead, leaving the stained glass door open for them. The inside is just as cool as Sirius' car had been- only the tell-tale hum of machinery proving that this time the temperature is due to muggle means. He half expects to find magically enlarged rooms and moving portraits strewn throughout the house, but it's just as normal as the outside, with walls filled with unmoving landscape paintings and maybe a slightly larger than normal amount of painted vases.

"Sirius?" A woman's low voice calls from another room. His godfather smiles.

"Carina." The other wizard leads them into an open-planned living space, "I brought guests."

A distracted pause, and a handsome woman with almond-shaped eyes and a short bob of straight, dark hair emerges. She smiles at them warmly, with a teasing glint in her eye, "Guests? Late notice, isn't it?"

"They kind of turned up out of the blue." Harry watches the way his godfather's face lights up at the sight of his wife, "Be glad they didn't bring the rest of them. This is Harry and Hermione."

Her face is blank a moment, before realisation dawns, "Oh." She does a double take, "Really?" She eyes Harry dubiously. He can't help but smile at the familiar expression.

"Yeah."

She smiles again, and wipes her hands on her well-worn jeans, "Well then. Let's see if I can rustle up a couple more plates."

Carina in the kitchen is a familiar sight. She moves around the space with an absent but purposeful air- like she doesn't quite need to think about what she'd doing. It's so reminiscent of Molly- though admittedly, with far less yelling- that it almost brings a tear to his eye.

God, but he missed that woman.

She insists on them sitting at the kitchen bench as she alters their meal- lasagne and salad. Sirius offers beer for Harry, and wine for Hermione.

"The beer is here is awful unless you go for the microbrews." He states as he hands over an oddly shaped glass bottle. Carina eyes the exchange with suspicion, but says nothing. He can only imagine what it looks like- Sirius giving alcohol to a minor. Likely it will be a problem of his for Merlin knows how long, "I don't suppose you managed to smuggle through some butterbeer?"

Hermione grimaces into her generously filled wine-glass, "If only."

"Firewhiskey?"

Harry laughs at the hopelessly hopeful tone, "Kind of wishing we'd had the foresight to pack it."

"What's fire whiskey?" Leo asks from the dining table. Carina shoots them a reproving frown.

"Like an adult's drink, but a million times worse, kiddo."

Leo makes a disgusted face, "Ew."

Hermione hides her smile in her glass, "Ew, indeed."

"So how long have the pair of you been here?" Carina asks, valiantly trying to steer the conversation into more child-friendly places.

They share a glance, "Over a month." Harry ventures, "We'd have been here sooner, but… well."

"We've had a lot of things on our plate." Hermione supplies. She takes a good sip of her wine, "And Harry's been away for a week…" She glances at Leo, working on his homework behind them, "I didn't want to turn up without Harry- he's by far the more recognizable of the two of us- so I thought it best to wait."

Harry swallows, suddenly feeling like a right berk. Hermione had waited for him- could have found Sirius ages ago, but had thought it better to wait for him to turn up, whilst he'd just figured he could come find him. What a rubbish friend he was sometimes.

Carina smiles and nods, but Sirius surveys the two of them over his beer, "That a voluntary absence?"

Harry avoids his eye, though his godfather's tone is light-hearted. Carina's hands twitch as she cuts vegetables for the salad, "No." Hermione says, her voice gone dark. She wipes her finger across the condensation forming on her glass, "It wasn't."

The other wizard sighs- exasperated, "I'd say I was surprise, but this must all be old hat to you lot by now."

Harry smiles wryly, "You'd think so; and yet we keep on being surprised."

"Plausible deniability." Hermione remarks sardonically. Carina laughs- it comes off as only a little forced.

"So Leo tells me you came with the Avengers?" Her tone is light and curious. Hermione rolls her eyes.

"We were found by affiliates of theirs when we arrived. Harry's arrival had been rather… auspicious and he fell under their radar- and me by extension. I became acquainted with a number of them whilst he was recovering."

Godfather or no, Harry doesn't miss the way she avoids answering the question with any real detail. He guiltily approves of the measure. Information came at a cost- just like Loki had said. With the public tension surrounding mutants and even the Avengers, Merlin knows what could happen should they learn about wizards. And beyond that, there was always the underlying fear of being discovered by a less-than-salient organisation. He doesn't know what he'd do if another family was ripped apart because of him.

"Must be interesting, knowing the Avengers."

"Thor put me on his shoulders!" Leo exclaims, kicking his legs excitedly from his chair, "He's, like, a million times better than Ironman!"

Hermione snickers, "I feel like I should record that for posterity's sake."

"I can see Tony appreciating that."

"Full-on man-pout." He catches onto the sentimental tone that leaches through her statement. He raises an eyebrow at her in query- fully aware she's hiding something from him. Hermione just smiles.

I'm onto you. He mouths at her. Hermione winks, but a slight flush tints her cheeks.

Totally banging.

She clears her throat and looks away, the blush growing stronger, "They're a characterful lot. A couple of egos to work with," and all of them Tony's, Harry thinks to himself, "But they're good people."

Carina huffs through her nose, "I'm glad. I'd always wondered- after New York, a lot of people went looking for someone to blame. There was so much damage- so many dead. And when they went looking, they found little to nothing. A number of them just plain-out disappeared- it made many people angry- wondered if New York had just been their playground. There were a few that stayed in the limelight, of course. Tony Stark tore a few of the doubter's arguments to shreds, and Captain America hung around for the clean-up." She smirks, "He's very handsome out of uniform, isn't he?"

Hermione giggles, whilst Harry and Sirius shark a look of mutual consternation, "To be fair, all of them are."

The older woman hums in appreciation, "If I were ten years younger and single…"

"Husband. Sitting right here."

"That's nice sweetie. A woman can dream."

Sirius shakes his head in amusement, "She's lying. I was a catch."

Carina nods as she pulls the lasagne and garlic bread from the oven, "That you were, dear. I never have to worry about fixing my car again. It's quite handy."

He pouts, but helps his wife sets out dinner. Leo sets the table when asked- clearing away his untouched schoolwork. Carina refills hers and Hermione's glasses before they sit.

Dinner is a friendly affair, with stories exchanged from either side; both parties keen to relearn facets of the people they'd lost. Carina, it turns out, is an artist in her spare time, and the eclectic mix of abstract landscapes and pottery that litter the house are mostly hers. Hermione remarks on a picture she'd seen above the tv and Sirius launches into a detailed retelling of their travels down Route 66 the year before. He seems so proud- a happy glint in his eye as he recounts it all- like he still can't quite believe his luck, but is still eager to show the people from his old life how far he'd come all the same.

It's been a long time since either of them have been able to properly enjoy a simple home-cooked meal at a dining table with family. He relishes every minute of it, unsure of when he'll next be able to turn up. He offers to clean when they finish- years of working for the Dursley's had left him with a hatred for the chore, but courtesy dictated that he offer. Sirius firmly declines, "You're a guest;" he insists, "Guests don't clean. Besides- sticking things in the dishwasher hardly constitutes as cleaning."

Harry smiles; dishwashers were a blessing. Muggles certainly came up with some great ideas on the constant quest to make life easier.

"So what do you think you'll do with yourselves?" Carina asks. She swirls the last of her wine around in the glass, "Now that you're here?"

Hermione chews thoughtfully on her lip, "We haven't really thought about it, to be honest. Things had been changing so quickly there was never a chance to think about the next big step. I was an Unspeakable, back home." Sirius lets out a low whistle; impressed, "I always enjoyed being a researcher. I wouldn't mind continuing down that line of work, so long as I can get my foot in the door."

Sirius nods, "It's amazing what you can do with magic and technology." Harry thinks back to Sirius' old bike, lovingly modified with magic and muggle means (not to mention the Weasley's unnervingly sentient Ford Anglia). When he was a boy, it had been one of the coolest things he'd ever seen- which was saying something for a wizard.

Their eyes slide over to him, expectant. Harry can only shrug helplessly, "I can't say it's something I put much thought into either. Travel, I guess. See the world. I never had the chance to before." He grimaces, "It would be good to get back to work, I suppose. Do something meaningful."

"Like what?"

He shrugs again, "I used to be an auror, before things went FUBAR back home."

Sirius laughs in delight, "Good on you Harry! James would be proud."

He nods; twirls his empty beer bottle in his hand, "Yeah, well I can't say that didn't have some influence on my career path. But I'd been fighting off dark wizards what felt like my whole life; at the time it just made sense. And now it feels like it's one of the few things I'm good at."

"Well, Quidditch isn't exactly a mainstream sport here." Hermione drawls, leaning back in her seat.

He laughs, "No."

Hermione's phone trills- the perfunctory tone of a mobile owned by one unaccustomed to the frequent use of modern technology. The flush returns as she excuses herself from the table to grab her threadbare beaded purse from the stool she'd been sitting at before dinner. Carina and Leo's eyes widen- the boy mouths a silent 'wow'.

"Undetectable extension charm?" Sirius asks, half bent over the dishwasher drawer.

"Of course. Came in handy on more than one occasion." She pulls out the phone with a triumphant noise from the back of her throat. She frowns as she flicks her thumb across the screen and sends them a sheepish smile, "Excuse me; I'd better take this."

Carina waves her away with a nonchalant flick of the hand, "Go ahead."

Hermione nods and moves out of the living room- he hears (or… well, doesn't hear) the unmistakable absence of noise that marks a privacy charm- odd, but understandable in the circumstances. Sirius and his family were technically civilians, and there was always the possibility that the phone call would involve sensitive or dangerous information. In the lull of conversation, Carina gets Leo to retrieve his homework; intent on him finishing it. Leo sighs and drags his feet like a man off to slaughter and Sirius rolls his eyes.

"Drama Queen."

"Reminds me of someone, don't you think?"

Sirius scoffs, mock-affronted, "Well I never!"

Hermione returns- an apologetic smile on her face, "That was Nat. Thor and Tony are getting antsy. Any longer and there'll be consequences. Beyond that, the Director wanted you back a week ago."

Harry sighs heavily, "I guess that's fair." She nods primly.

"Will you be back?" Sirius asks. The dishwasher beeps cheerily as he turns it on.

"I hope so. If you'll have us."

"The two of you are always welcome here," Carina says with a warm smile. She stands up, "It was a pleasure meeting you. Sirius always talked of his time with you fondly. Don't be strangers; either of you." She delivers the last line sternly, and he and Hermione grin.

"You're going to regret saying that," Hermione drawls as she kisses Carina's cheeks, "He'll be over night and day if you let him."

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head, "Lies and slander. All of them."

Hermione laughs freely. She pulls pen and paper from her bag and scrawls a number across it; hands it to Carina with a friendly smile, "Call us if you need anything; anything at all. Harry and I have no lives now, so we're available pretty much all of the time." Harry snorts in amusement and gives Sirius another hug.

"You take care of yourself, you hear me?" His godfather orders gruffly, "No more of this running headfirst into danger thing like you used to."

"I don't really think it counts when it's the danger that runs to me."

Sirius sniffs haughtily, "Even so."

Hermione's phone beeps with an incoming text, "Alright. Extraction time; before someone makes a scene."

They withdraw; smiles and hugs all round, and Hermione apparates them to the coordinates Natasha had sent her. They land in a back alley similar to the one he'd first arrived in- only someone here had evidently gone to the trouble of flattening the boxes.

Natasha relaxes against a wall, showing no sign of being startled by their appearance. She lifts a hand in greeting, "Enjoy your meal?"

Hermione smiles, melancholic, "It was good. Strange to Sirius after so long, but good."

The redhead snorts softly, "Bet you weren't expecting the kid, were you?"

Hermione regards the other woman strangely, "No. But you almost sound like you were."

Natasha shrugs, "I get bored."

Harry shifts uncomfortably. Merlin knows what chaos happened when Natasha was really bored. She seemed like a shit-stirrer. Hermione's eyes narrow further, "Does SHIELD know?"

She smirks, "I thought it prudent to keep to myself. We all have secrets."

The lines of his friend's shoulders loosen and Harry can feel himself involuntarily doing the same, "Thank-you."

She blinks slowly, "I aim to please."

Hermione huffs a laugh, and offers her arm to the other woman, "Well, you aim for something, that's for sure."

"That I do." The Black Widow drawls and takes the witch's proffered arm. Harry feels like he should be mildly terrified at the ease with which the two get along. And glad, too. Hermione had never really had many friends on her level. She was smart- sharp as a knife- and when they were children undeniably bossy (much of which had inevitably translated into adulthood); driven by an intimidating need to succeed. It left her isolated and unapproachable. Kind of exactly like Natasha seemed, when uninterested in being friendly. And he'd seen it happen- back in SHIELD when addressing other agents; even when walking down the corridors of the Helicarrier (alternately, when speaking to Tony in a particularly obnoxious mood).

He follows behind them- eyes catching on the shadows of the alley- waiting for someone (translate: Loki) to pop out and catch them by surprise. It would be just his luck too, to be so close to safety and the people he'd probably call friends, only for shit to hit the fan once again. He extends his magic in search of anything- fading out Hermione and Natasha's banter- but there's nothing there but his own paranoia.

Tony, Thor and Steve are waiting for them outside the diner. Thor looks sheepish under the stern gaze of Captain America's disapproving glare, but Tony appears immune, "Incognito! Subtlety! These are the things we try to achieve when trying to enjoy ourselves in public." he catches Steve hissing at the pair. Harry wonders how many times he's had to go through that speech before.

Steve visibly calms as he spots them, "Hey! You have fun?"

He and Hermione nod, "Yeah, it was good."

His grin goes wry, "You ready to go back to the tower?"

Harry takes note of the pains in his feet, and the dull ache of newly healed wounds on his back. He feels bone tired, like he could sleep for a whole week, but also content in a way he hasn't felt for a long time. He feels like things may finally be going upward for him and Hermione. He smiles at the supersoldier. "You have no idea."

It has been a long day.

So, I understand this is a week late; forgive me, please. Life and stuff happened. Like I said before, this is the final chapter of part two and it's a little shorter than I would have liked but so sue me.

I can't give you a definite for when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully it will be up in the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed it's less!

Please review!