Chapter 6: Of Life and Death

When they made it back to the island, Dudley was not surprised to find himself barred from the house. He deserved that. Actually, no. He didn't deserve that. He deserved a lot less. Dudley felt so drained that as soon as Dobby erected the tent, he found the closest bunk and collapsed on it dressed as he was. The next day he would marvel at how much bigger the tent was inside than outside. Tonks checked the kids over, and as soon as she made sure they were okay, she started to tell off her husband, who sat down resigned. When she was done venting, he would tell her about Andromeda and Kreacher. Naturally, Harry and Hermione made themselves scarce right away.

Harry had been in his ridiculously comfortable bed for two hours, and sleep still evaded him. He couldn't help but imagine Petunia and Vernon screaming and trying to stop the pain while completely helpless. He didn't know how to feel. He supposed it was fair that they died in pain and unable to defend themselves, just as he was at their mercy for so many years. Still, he had a strange ache deep in his chest. He shouldn't feel anything. He should be indifferent at the moment. After all, Harry was sure that if he had died, his aunt and uncle would have probably laughed if they had been notified.

"Harry? Are you awake?" Hermione whispered.

Harry sat up and put on his glasses. He opened the door to let her in.

"Is everything alright?" he whispered back.

"I should be asking you that," Hermione stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She walked over to his bed and sat down, crossed-legged. "Will you tell me what you saw?"

"I don't want to burden you."

Hermione stared at him intensely with a raised brow until he sighed and sat down next to her.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

The next day, Harry woke up feeling comfortable and cozy. He opened his eyes a bit only to find Hermione snuggled against him. His arms were wrapped around her snugly, and she was breathing deeply. How on earth did they end up like this? He remembered them talking, but at some point, his memory blanked, and he was asleep.

Harry froze as Hermione moved a bit in her sleep, making her even more flush against him. Fucking hormones, he thought. Not now. It wasn't just that her body was perfectly molded against his, but he had her braided hair against his nose. There was something particular about how Hermione smelled that he had always found himself craving.

Cho had always smelled of citrus and flowers, but it was too sweet. Ginevra smelled of broom polish and treacle tart, which Harry had always found odd. He loved that dessert, but its fragrance wasn't a good perfume. It only made him want to get to the Great Hall and have second helpings, which coincidentally pulled him away from the redhead. He was certain she didn't want that, but he always felt better away from her. Even while under heaven knows how many potions.

Hermione smelled… like home. Harry didn't have many words to describe the feeling other than that. Her smell brought happy memories to mind. His patronus was fueled by it… Well, her smell and all the happy memories he associated with it. Her shampoo was addictive. Harry wanted to inhale deeply, but he didn't want to wake her. Her perfume was fresh, subtle, and quintessentially hers. No one else could smell like that. It made him feel safe and relaxed and like he belonged. Hermione's hands lightly caressed his forearms; his skin exploded in goosebumps. Harry started pulling his hips away as slowly as possible to avoid… embarrassment.

"Harry? Are you up already?" she said sleepily.

The teen bit his lip to keep his chuckles at bay. "Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Harry whispered. He nuzzled against the back of her neck and gave her shoulder an innocent peck. Then, he rolled away and sat up with his back to hers. He willed himself to cool off by thinking of Snape in lingerie. It worked, obviously.

"Where are you going?" a complaint was clear in her tone of voice.

"Bathroom. I'm about to burst. Sorry," Harry rushed to the ensuite and thanked his lucky stars for mood killers like the potions professor.

When he came back outside, Hermione was still in the same position he left her, but she had undone her braid. "Mione… Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm just cold…."

"I can turn off the AC," he offered.

"Or… you could come back to bed and keep me warm as you were before," she replied, pulling the covers up.

Harry blushed but smiled. Who am I to refuse such a kind offer? Harry thought as he went back to bed, taking care though, to place a small pillow in front of his hips. Better to be safe… He pulled Hermione against him, buried his nose in her silky strands, and inhaled. She sighed, smiled, and they went back to sleep.

Back in England, the Department of Mysteries had blown up, literally. The Death Eaters' experiments were conducting all over the Ministry concerned good Aurors. Still, little could be done with Riddle being the puppet master behind the Minister for Magic. But now, five dead Unspeakables lay in bits and pieces strewn about where the Hall of Prophecies had been. The ceiling was caved in, and several more Ministry Officials had died from the fall after the explosion. In sum, it was a disaster.

In the middle of the smoke and debris, the structure that once contained The Veil lay broken and empty. By the time the DMLE arrived in properly with reinforcements, nothing could be done. There were no injured people. Those who were hit were dead. However, many officials from the vicinity were having nervous breakdowns or were in shock. The Aurors started to deal with that while the Healers arrived. No one noticed a figure move with the swiftness of a ghost among the smoke and the darkness. No one except a disguised Severus Snape that was told to go check on the progress of their research and missed the explosion by perhaps one minute.

"Good morning, lovebirds," Tonks smirked into her iced tea.

A bathed and dressed Harry and Hermione blushed horribly. "Morning."

"I went to wake Hermione to ask her something about her bag… Imagine my surprise when her bed was empty," Tonks tried to school her face to a neutral expression.

Hermione wouldn't be made to feel embarrassed, "Yes, I am sorry if I scared you. Harry and I needed to talk."

Tonks' eyebrows hid behind her fringe. "Talked all night long, did you?" she asked Harry, who opened the fridge to hide his blush and to cool his heating face.

"No, just a few hours, but we were tired and fell asleep…." Hermione shrugged even though she knew she was blushing.

"Holding each other?" the Auror insisted. Harry almost dropped the orange juice pitcher.

"I am just messing with you… But I do need to talk to you in private, Hermione. Join me in the Library after breakfast?"

"Of course. How's Kreacher?"

"Dobby has him in a sort of stasis. He is going to recover quickly with his help. Harry, I need your help later. Join me down by the beach when you are done?"

"Sure."

The married couple left through different doors. They knew Harry and Hermione were good and smart kids, but hormones had made many a stupider person do things they couldn't take back. Remus felt it was their duty as the only adults in the island to give them "the talk." Moony was dreading it more than his wife. She was quite… spoken about all things anatomy, but he would persevere. Harry deserved a safe person to turn to with questions and such.

"I think you are far too clever as to not know what this is about," Tonks said as an introduction when Hermione sat across from her.

"You are worried about Harry and I having sex and the possible consequences of that, right?"

"Hermione, it's way more than that. You are both teenagers facing responsibilities and tasks that shouldn't be yours but that you will not give up. So, I feel I have to treat you like an adult because the world has forced you into that role already, and things may only get more difficult from here onwards."

"I appreciate that, Tonks. We are done with people thinking we are adults for some things but not for others," Hermione smiled briefly.

"That's understandable. Look, I know I am not your mother. But I am quite a few years older than you, and if I am guessing right, I have significantly more experience in this subject in particular?" Tonks said this with a questioning tone.

Hermione nodded quickly with a slight blush, "Tonks, I am honestly so glad you are here… I don't want to upset Harry by telling him this, but about 60% of the time, I am scared shitless of everything that is going on, and I miss my parents terribly."

"You are a braver woman than I am then… Just 60%? I'd be terrified 120% if I was your age. Heck, at my age, I am 95% terrified," Tonks looked at Hermione in awe. "Do you want to bring them here? Your parents, I mean."

"I don't think so," Hermione sounded resigned. "In any case, they are not my parents anymore."

"Oh, Hermione, what did you do?" Tonks moved to sit next to the young witch and grabbed her hand.

Hermione grimaced, "I erased my existence from their minds. I have no idea if I will ever be able to revert that and refill the gaps or if they could go insane if I try."

Tonks' jaw fell. This kid had made herself an orphan to stay with Harry and fight. Nothing could express her love more clearly than that. What an astounding sacrifice. "I… Hermione…"

"He's worth it. And he needs me."

"He does. But I am so sorry that it had to come to this… That the Ministry didn't offer an alternative… That the Order failed you so horribly," the metamorphmagus sighed.

"Everyone was dealing with a lot. I didn't expect anyone to give a damn about my parents. It's been very clear to me that the Wizarding World will never consider them good enough…."

"Screw them all. You deserved better, so did Harry. Fucking Dumbledore playing God. But I digress… You do know the contraceptive charms, yes?" Tonks asked Hermione, looking intensely into her chocolate orbs with lavender irises.

Hermione blushed, "We haven't even kissed…." Yet, she added hopefully in her mind.

"I know, but I was your age once. Hormones are hard to control. I wouldn't want you to end up pregnant at your age, let alone out of wedlock."

"I wouldn't do that."

"I know you are very smart, Hermione. But you are also head over heels in love with him-" Tonks raised a hand as the teen was about to protest. "And that is okay. I just don't want you to forget about you. You matter. Your future matters."

Hermione felt tears coming to her eyes, "Thank you."

"But you do know the spells?" Tonks insisted.

"I know one," Hermione blushed.

"Okay, let me teach you the others then," Tonks offered.

"Really? I mean… I thought you would be against us learning this kind of thing, like Mrs. Weasley," Hermione looked down.

"Honey, I love Molly, but I am not that naïve. I would much rather know that if hormones get the best of you and your brain can't overpower them, you will be responsible and prevent pregnancy. Having a child is a blessing, but you are too young and have too much to do before you think of motherhood… if you even want to be a mom, that is," Tonks added the last part when she realized that she didn't ask.

"I would. One day way far down in the future…." Hermione nodded.

"Alright then. When it comes to contraceptives, there are two types: potions and spells," Tonks got in professor mode.

"Dobby?" Hermione called.

The elf appeared with writing supplies. Dobby just knew his mistress wanted to take notes.

"Thank you. You are the best."

"You are welcome," he vanished. He wanted to check on Harry's cousin.

"Hello, Remus," Harry said awkwardly.

"Come, Harry, let us take a walk around the island," Remus pulled Harry by the back of his neck.

Harry grew more concerned. Remus adored Hermione. He could feel yelling coming. Remus, however, was calm if a bit awkward himself. He would of course have to have a similar talk with his own child eventually, provided that he survived the war, but it was strange to give it to Harry. Especially when he felt that Sirius should be the one doing the explaining.

"I know I screwed up. I am so sorry," Harry said quickly, his head hanging. "I couldn't help it."

"Meaning?"

"I know I shouldn't have slept with her… I just… She… Fuck, I suck at this," Harry pulled his hair back with exasperation.

"Harry,"

"I know it's very disrespectful, and I know she's a girl, and I know it probably looks like I am taking advantage of her and-"

"Son," Remus stopped walking and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders. "Breathe."

Harry took a shaky breath and sat down, "You probably want to kill me right now," Harry started doodling on the warm sand.

"Why do you think that?" Remus sat next to him, burying his feet.

"Because I slept with Hermione..."

"Harry, pardon me if I am wrong, but… Haven't you been sleeping with Hermione for months now?" Moony frowned, puzzled.

"WHAT?! NO! No, we haven't. We only slept together once because we were both in a dark place…. We just slept. We didn't do anything else. I promise!" Harry panicked a bit. He would hate for anyone to think poorly of Hermione because of him.

"I believe you, son. I really do. But other people wouldn't. What I mean to say is that you have been on the run with a single young woman for months without any sort of chaperone."

"Huh?" Harry looked at him in confusion.

"Meaning that if this was the 1800s, you would have ruined her. Especially if you didn't marry her, and even then, she would be shunned by many people. Still today, people will make assumptions, and her reputation will take a tumble."

Harry cursed and covered his face with his hands, "I was going to leave on my own, but they wouldn't let me… And then when Ron left, I tried to get her to leave, but she wouldn't hear of it."

"You can't seriously believe she would leave you behind."

"I did. You don't understand… We were literally starving. Snatchers were finding the perimeter of our camp more and more easily each week. We were running out of places to hide. Ronald wanted the comforts from home and to eat more… Moony, I... When he left, he made her choose…."

"And she chose you, naturally," Moony chuckled.

"Naturally?" Harry looked up from the curious crab that had approached him, pincers ready to attack the strange being trespassing in his beach.

"Harry, Hermione is the most loyal person I know, and she's not my best friend. All those years ago, when we were at the Shrieking Shack, she placed herself like a body shield to protect you. She told Sirius he'd have to kill her first. He was, to her knowledge, a mass murderer and she didn't care. The only reason Ron echoed what she said was because he felt cornered to do it. He couldn't not say it after she did."

"He was always a fair-weather friend."

"Excuse me son but you knew that since the Triwizard Tournament. Hermione? That girl would follow you to your death."

"I know. It terrifies me that Mione has so much faith in me."

"It shouldn't. It should strengthen your resolve."

"What?"

"You have to finish him so you can be with her. You must end this so she can have a chance at a fair future where her blood status doesn't matter. Instead of a source of dread, and fear that you will disappoint her, do not allow that. Fight with her in mind. Use your feelings for her to give you a reason to fight nail and tooth if you must. Hermione's faith should give you energy to get out of bed at the crack of dawn and prepare... Prepare to fight like your life, but also her life, depend on it because they do. Any time you are tired from studying or from dueling, think of Hermione. When you feel dead on your feet remember that she is the reason why you are fighting. Her love for you and yours for her must push you forward and make you strong," Remus's eyes filled with tears. At some point, he didn't know if he was giving the pep talk to Harry or to himself.

"Is that what you do?" Harry asked, squeezing Remus's hand.

The werewolf smiled and nodded. They stayed as they were for a while until Moony cleared his throat. "But we got off topic... I imagine that the Dursleys did not give you 'the talk'… and while I know I am not technically related to you, you are like a son to me."

Harry's vision blurred. He let his head fall to Remus' shoulder but said nothing, and Moony rested his own head on Harry's. Ever since Sirius went through the veil, Harry was missing an adult that cared for him and not for the hero he was supposed to be.

"Harry, Hermione is a magnificent young woman. She's smart, kind, loyal, strong, and beautiful."

Harry nodded but didn't move his head.

"No one could blame you for liking her in that way," Remus wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"But?"

"But you need to be responsible about this. You need to understand that if you are ready for an adult relationship, you need to be ready for the consequences it may bring. If she were to get pregnant, for example-"

"W-What?" Harry's eyes widened.

Remus motioned for him to stop talking, "If she were to get pregnant, and it got out that you were the father, the bull's eye that's already on her back would grow exponentially, and the Death Eaters would stop looking for you and start looking for her and use her to draw you out and kill you."

"I don't-"

"I know you would never want that. But… hormones have clouded much more mature judgments than yours," Remus remembered his time at Hogwarts and how many girls vanished under suspicious circumstances. It always upset him that the boys who got them pregnant got to stay in Hogwarts. "Since I don't think I need to tell you what goes where-" Moony motioned up and down Harry's body.

Harry made a choking sound and tried not to laugh. "Nope. Thanks."

"I will teach you about contraceptives, and I want you to ask me all the questions you ever wanted answered. Even if they are embarrassing. You don't have to look at me if it makes you uncomfortable. We are also going to talk about consent," Remus turned to face Harry.

"Thank you," Harry smiled with a blush. He thought this would be uncomfortable, but he would make the most of it. He had never had a grown man offer to talk to him about sex in this objective, educational, judgement free manner. He didn't want to be unprepared… Not that he thought anything would happen, but it would be better to know what he needed to know.

"Hey," Hermione came towards his hammock with a platter with two glasses of ice-cold lemonade.

"Hey," He stood up to let her have the hammock, but she motioned for him to sit back down.

"On a scale from 1 to 1000, how awkward was your talk with Remus?" Hermione said with a sheepish smile as she took a glass and got on the hammock.

His cheeks colored a bit, "Actually, I thought it would be worse. Moony is… um… well informed. How about Tonks? I can't imagine her staying serious about something like…this."

"You know, I thought so too. However, I think now that she's a mother-to-be, her silliness has tempered a bit. She was very helpful and… informative."

"Yeah, but it's not as if you needed the talk… I imagine your parents talked to you when you were growing up," Harry looked down to avoid her eyes.

"Well, yeah. But my parents work in the medical field, Harry. I was given an anatomy book, another on STDs, one on what to expect in pregnancy, and yet another on the psychology of sex, and they told me to ask them any questions I had."

Harry chuckled. That sounded like a very Granger version of 'the talk,' "Did you?"

"Have we met?" Hermione laughed. The sound made his heart flutter. "Once I was done, I had an indexed list per chapter of each book full of questions. All in all, it was about 100... per book. I mean, it would have been easier for them to do the simple birds and the bees thing," she chuckled.

Harry smiled but blushed a deeper shade of red, "I wouldn't even know what to ask in 10 questions. Let alone in 100…."

"Really? But anatomy is so interesting" Hermione took a long sip of her drink.

"Yeah, well. Curiosity wasn't welcome at the Dursleys. Fuck… They really are dead," Harry felt his mood go back to his somber self.

"I know," Hermione took his hand and squeezed. "Have you seen him yet?"

"No, Dobby told me he has been checking on him every half hour. He was still asleep a few minutes ago," Harry shrugged.

"Harry, we should wake him. We need to ask him about funeral arrangements," Hermione said after a pensive few seconds.

He nodded and downed the rest of his lemonade.

"Dudley? Are you decent?" Harry asked from outside the tent.

"Yeah," Dudley opened the flap.

"Can we come in?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, it's your tent. You don't need to ask," Dudley moved to sit down in the small living room. He was still ashen, and his eyes had the same dull expression.

Harry and Hermione shared a look.

"Dudley, we are sorry for inconveniencing you, but we need some information," Hermione schooled her expression to be as neutral as possible. She didn't want to act cold, but she had no pity for any of the Dursleys.

"Sure, anything to help," Dudley replied with a shrug.

"Do you know if your parents had any funeral wishes or a will?" Harry blurted out and then winced at his inability to be subtle.

"No... They say… Sorry, said that talking about death attracts it," Dudley grimaced.

"I see. Were your parents religious?" Hermione thought, He better say no because any religion they practiced, didn't do anything to improve them.

"Not particularly," Both Dudley and Harry replied in unison.

"Do you think they would want to be buried or to be cremated?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"You choose," Dudley shrugged and looked down.

"I'm sorry… What? Dudley, they are your parents. I can't possibly choose," Hermione was confused at this nonchalant response.

"Perhaps, but Harry says you're the boss. Considering all those psychos are still out there, I would think a funeral is out of the question," Dudley's eyes flickered to look at Harry.

"It would be a considerable security risk for anyone who attends," Hermione conceded.

"Harry… Let me start by saying that you can totally tell me to go fuck myself…."

Harry frowned. This can't be good, he thought, "What do you want?"

"If we have them cremated... maybe Dobby can bring their ashes… could we spread them in the ocean? I understand if you don't want to," Dudley got tensed.

Harry stayed silent until Hermione squeezed his knee, "Uh, sure. If Hermione says that's better, that's what we will do."

The witch smiled slightly. "It is definitely safer. I will go make arrangements. I appreciate you making this easier, Dudley."

"It's the least I can do. Dobby told me he needs help fishing. Now that I showered, if you excuse me, I am going to catch up with him," Dudley stood up and froze with his hands up when Hermione pointed her wand at his face.

"Mione?" Harry asked, alarmed.

"Sunblock spell. You are very white. You will burn otherwise… I didn't think you had any sunscreen," Hermione did a spell, moved her wand, and Dudley felt a breeze on his face and neck.

"I didn't. Thank you."

A few days went by in the same manner. They would get up early to exercise and start working on different things. Some days they would study spells. Others they would work on their potion stock. Hermione was pleasantly surprised that Harry was working the hardest she had ever seen him. He would stay up late reading and studying. He would practice until he was exhausted. Some days she would find him asleep with a book imprinted on his cheek. She had tried to ask why he had changed his mind about his studies, but he would always deflect. Hermione was glad for the change in any way. She had written to Minerva and they would have her over once they had spoken to Ragnok. His visit had to be delayed because of the attack at Gringotts.

Harry was determined to be a competent partner. He would not excuse his lack of knowledge. Any time he saw Hermione doing a spell he didn't know; he would go to the library to find out or ask Remus or Tonks. He was starting to feel stronger. The potions were working, and his muscles were grateful to fun in a warm climate. Plus, Hermione was teaching him how to swim. Except for the time he almost drowned, because seeing her in a bikini made him forget how to breathe, he realized he loved swimming. This was quite fortunate in this island. There was an incredible pool and they still had to go see the waterfall and small lake that was in the center of the island.

The ashes of Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were indeed spread in the ocean. Harry had decided to attend the small ceremony that Dudley did. Hermione joined them just for Harry's sake. It was way too big of him to even allow for this to happen. The Dursleys did not deserve to rest in peace in a tropical paradise. Harry kept his petty (but fair) words to himself at the eulogy. It was no use, anyway.

Remus and Tonks did not attend. While Dudley was working hard every day to prove himself, they had no respect for Vernon and Petunia. They had yet to hear any complaints from him. He would do anything that was required of him, quietly and obediently. Dudley was particularly obstinate to follow commands to the tee, especially when it was Hermione who gave those commands. He had taken her leadership to heart. Harry was glad. He really meant it when he threatened to feed Dudley to the sharks.

Andromeda had been packing for a few days now. Leaving a home that you have lived in for over a decade makes you discover all the clutter you have been holding on to that is entirely unnecessary. Today was the last day of her notice and her boss told her to leave early so she could finish making arrangements for her trip. For St. Mungo's, she cited receiving a lucrative offer from Ilvermony to be Head Healer there.

Andromeda stopped by a store to get a large carry-all piece of luggage that she still needed. A big chunk of her last check would go there, but she didn't care. She made sure she wasn't followed and walked straight back home from there. Her and Teddy would have lunch then leave. For their own safety, she and her husband had decided to permanently disconnect their floo, but when Andi put her keys in the door, she wasn't expecting for them not to work. She tried not to panic. Any disruptions to her safe routine were not welcome, and more often than not, they meant trouble. Her husband opened the door after she did their special knock. He silenced her with his wand and kissed her so she wouldn't freak out too much.

"What's going on?" Andi narrowed her eyes once their kiss ended.

"Come with me to the living room, please."

"Ted, you are scaring me," Andromeda sat on her couch.

"Love, what would you say if I told you I saw Sirius Black?"

"That you need to eat a smaller dinner?" Andromeda was perplexed.

Someone cleared their throat, and Andy almost had a heart attack. Sitting on a chair at her kitchen table was her favorite cousin sipping coffee, "Or maybe you just need a little more faith, cousin," Sirius Black winked at her.

She ran to the kitchen and gave the man possibly the tightest hug she had ever given anyone in her life. "SIRIUS!"

"Easy, Andy. I need to keep breathing to help Harry," He squeezed her back softly. It turns out that coming back from the dead feels like restarting a body after years of no physical activity. It was as if he had been in a coma for years. All the training he did on the other side had done nothing for his body on this side.

"I am so glad you are alive! I have no idea how or what happened, but Harry needs you. We all do. Are you coming with us to the place?" she asked in code. She was a bit paranoid that there could be spying spells everywhere.

"Of course."

A soft pop sounded in the living room.

"Are you and your wifeys ready?" Dobby's cheery voice asked Ted who had gone in to compact the family grimoire.

"Yes. Dobby… But something changed in our plans. Can you pop three people at once?"

"No, I is being able of popping two. It is too far aways. Also, everyone is having to be approves by mistress Grangy and master Potter," Dobby got suspicious.

Andromeda walked inside with Sirius behind her. Dobby paled. "Lord Black! You is alive!"

"Yes, Dobby. I am alive, and I need to help Harry," Sirius explained.

"I understands. I will ask mistress Grangy, and comes back for yous right away," Dobby nodded quickly.

"Sirius, get in your dog form and wait in the pantry, please. There have been raids lately. They won't think anything of a black dog in my home because I keep a picture of you in your dog form in my office. No matter who comes in from the Ministry or the Snatchers, do nothing. Be a dog, alright? Promise me," Andromeda used her most stern Healer tone.

"Of course, if I hear anything strange, I will run to the pantry," Sirius transformed and got on the couch.

Andromeda tied a scarf to the inside of the pantry's door so Sirius could pull it shut from inside. "Dobby, let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner you will be back."

Dobby snapped his fingers, and all their suitcases became tiny. Ted and Andy pocketed the miniatures and held on to the elf.

Harry had decided he wanted to learn how to fish properly. It was a good survival skill and a physical task that was a welcome break from all the studying. Dobby had left them to go pick up Mr. and Mrs. Tonks. So, a much healthier-looking Kreacher was to his utter astonishment explaining to Harry Potter and his muggle cousin how to fish with live lure.

"But you have to be careful, Harry Potter. If you get a big fish hooked, it will pull away with significant strength. If you are not careful, it may pull you with it, or at the very least, it may steal your fishing rod."

"Noted, thank you, Kreacher," Harry nodded as he tried not to grimace when pushing worms through the sharp hook.

"This is being why you need to have a knife with you," Kreacher reminded the young men. "So, you can cut they line before you lose your rod."

Hermione watched the boys and Kreacher fish from a distance as she studied a Healing Potions book. Tonks was adding ingredients to a cauldron as Hermione dictated. A pop made them turn. The Tonks had finally arrived with Dobby.

"Mom! Dad!" Tonks embraced her parents fiercely. "Oh, I am so glad you are here. I can breathe better already."

"Yes, dear, so can we… but we need to talk."

"Mr. and Mrs. Tonks, welcome," Hermione smiled. "Do you want me to leave so you can talk in private?"

"No! Missy Grangy you is staying!" Dobby shook his head. He felt like he should punish himself for his tone.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up and she smiled. Had Dobby just given her an order? It was good to know he had it in him.

"Should I get Harry then?"

"No! But we is needing Mr. Wolf," Dobby vanished and popped back with a half-dressed Remus.

"Dobby!" Remus transfigured his towel to be a long bathrobe. "I apologize. I had no warning.

Hermione was red in the face and looking pointedly away. She had thought once that the professor had to be freakishly strong because, well… werewolf. But he always dressed baggy, so she had never actually seen proof until now and, Morgana, he had to be very strong.

"Son," Ted shook the man's hand.

"Honey," Andi smiled and squeezed him with one arm.

"Sit down, all of you," Ted motioned to the beach chairs.

"Is it bad news?" Hermione tensed and held Dobby's hand. "Are you sure Harry shouldn't-"

"No. We need you to assess and tell us how best to proceed," Andromeda frowned.

"Okay, privacy wards," Remus waved his wand intricately.

"You will not believe this, but Sirius Black is alive," Andromeda said softly.

Hermione gasped. "WHAT?! How-!? Do you… Are you-?"

"Yes, we are sure. No, we are not under the influence of any drugs or potions, and we didn't hit our heads."

"That's impossible! He fell through the veil in the Department of Mysteries!" Remus had to sit down. "I saw him myself," Remus croaked as his eyes filled with tears. Tonks wrapped her arm around his waist as her own shock didn't allow for anything else.

"D-Did you make sure h-he was actually S-Sirius?" Hermione wanted to believe them, but such a powerful hope, if it ended up being false, it would crush Harry.

"Yes. I asked Sirius questions that only he could answer and did several tests with spells and potions," Ted replied. "Do you want to go make sure?"

"Missy Grangy, can he comes here?" Dobby asked. "I is saying I would go back right away if you is giving permission."

"I'm coming with you. Let's go," Hermione held on to Dobby and they vanished.

Remus was too perplexed to say anything. If this was true, it would be the ultimate Marauder joke. Through his shock, he told so to the Tonks, and they all started laughing.

Harry seemed to sense something was wrong and turned around to watch Dobby disappear with Hermione. He couldn't run towards where they had been fast enough. "Hey! What the hell?! Where did they go?! They can't be safe alone! Why did you let them go?! Someone better tell me what the bloody hell is happening before I lose my shit!"

Remus chuckled, "This is you not losing your shit, I suppose."

"MOONY! Fuck off! IT'S HERMIONE! I can't calm down!" Harry snapped. "Why are you all laughing!?"

"She needed to do something only she can do. Okay? They will be back soon," Tonks tried to calm Harry.

Andromeda shook Harry's hand, "Sorry, dear. Moony said something funny, but you had to be there for it to make sense."

Harry huffed and started to pace on the wet white sand. He would have to have a talk with Dobby. Hermione couldn't leave the island ever again without him.

Hermione padded lightly towards the pantry as Dobby did elven magic to scan the house. She opened the door to find Padfoot whimpering as if afraid. She approached him with a smile and right before she caressed his head, her wand pressed against the dog's right temple.

"You better be Sirius Black. I love dogs and would feel very bad killing one," Hermione said in a threatening tone. "Transform back."

Sirius Black was seated in front of her. He looked very much alive. Hermione had to make a conscious effort not to jump in his arms. "Where did Buckbeak first take you when Harry and I rescued you?"

"A cave about five minutes away from the Shrieking Shack. If it hadn't been for the food packages you sent, I would have starved. Your books kept me sane," Sirius smiled.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, "What was the first book I gave you?" she pointed her wand at his chest.

"Don Quixote," Sirius chuckled.

Hermione let out a strangled sob and jumped into his arms. "It's really you!"

The front door rattled. Someone was trying to come inside. Dobby jumped inside the pantry and pulled the door closed. Nobody wanted to stay to find out who it was. Dobby held them and they popped away as the front door was taken down with a bombarda. In their first jump, they landed only to have to jump away from the street, where they were narrowly missed by a car. Their second landing was equally unfortunate. They landed on top of a fountain and got soaked. Someone screamed when they saw people and a strange creature appear out of thin air, so Dobby rushed to pop them again which resulted in them all falling in a heap as they landed on the island.

Harry was growing desperate. It had been more than 10 minutes. None of the Tonks would tell him anything. He was starting not to like them. Dudley was proud that he had caught a big fish, and Kreacher had a bucket full of them. Apparently, the elf had a knack for hunting in general. Harry was about to yell at the Tonks when a pop followed by grunts and huffs sounded behind him. He ran to the pile of bodies.

"Hermione!"

The witch coughed sand out violently. The wind had been knocked out of her. Harry helped her up and raised her arms so she would breathe better. He was so concerned for Hermione that he didn't even notice his godfather until he cursed.

"Bloody motherfucking hell, Dobby! We are going to need to designate better apparition points that aren't death traps," Sirius grunted in between coughs. "Merlin's saggy balls! I feel like I ate Crookshanks' sand box!" He spit a couple of times in between coughs.

Harry blanched and turned slowly. That's it, he thought. I'm finally losing my mind. He shut his eyes tightly and opened them slowly. A few feet away from him was a staggering, soaked, and sandy Sirius Black. His godfather looked alive and well. Harry couldn't speak. He could scarcely breathe. He was frozen. Sirius stepped towards him, but Harry was terrified his godfather would vanish into thin air and he took a fearful step back.

"Harry," Sirius smiled and opened his arms. "Come here, son."

"No… This can't be… You are d-dead… W-What is happening? Is this some sort of j-joke?" Harry looked at the Tonks in dismay.

"No, pup. I came back for you. May I give you a hug? I have missed you so much," Sirius' eyes were glistening. Harry nodded weakly and Sirius crossed the distance to engulf him in a bear hug.

Harry inhaled deeply, but shakily. This was Sirius. His godfather was solid and alive, and Harry couldn't care less how on Earth he had come back because the only thing that mattered was that he was here. Everything else could wait. He found himself unable to stop the tears as he clutched to his godfather with all his strength. He could finally apologize "I'm so s-sorry! I wasn't g-good enough to keep you s-safe. If I hadn't been so stupid… If I had listened to Hermione as I should have,"

Hermione buried her face in her hands.

"Son, it was me who didn't keep you safe. It was me who is sorry. Your mother welcomed me to the In-Between place with a resounding slap that knocked me out. I didn't even know you could be knocked out after death. Turns out you can, and even though you are technically a soul with no body, it still hurts like a motherfucker," Sirius pulled away to look at Harry, who was shocked but slightly amused.

"Padfoot," Moony stood up and fell to his knees. He still looked incredulous.

"Moony!" Sirius let go of Harry and fell to his knees to embrace his brother as well. "It's really me, here. Touch me. Make your wife jelly!"

"You asshat! Not even dying changed you!" Tonks punched Sirius' arm but then she hugged him as well.

Sirius noticed her belly and placed his hand on it. "I'm going to be an uncle?"

"Yes!" Tonks confirmed, happily.

Hermione was checking Dobby to make sure he wasn't hurt. Apparently, he was more scared than anything. He thought he had seriously injured his people. Kreacher vanished as soon as he saw Sirius Black was the person who came to the island. Hermione decided she needed to talk to both the man and the elf to have peace.

They sat at the dining room table to wait for the account manager. Kreacher and Dobby had made a feast. Fish, crab, prawns, and many delicious side dishes. Sirius promised to fill them in about everything that happened once their meeting with the manager was over.

Dobby went to Britain to bring Ragnok to their tropical island. The goblin appeared before them with a snug blindfold. "Thank you, Dobby," Ragnok nodded as the elf took off the blinding strip of fabric. "Lord Black!? How on Earth!?"

"Take a seat, Ragnok. We need to talk,"

"We do. Whatever happened I am glad you are back. That brat Draco Malfoy is being pushed on the Wizengamot as a great alternative to take the Black House mantle as Harry is both missing and persona non grata at the moment," Ragnok replied.

"Let us all eat first. Then we can talk over something stronger than iced tea," Sirius nodded. While the elves fixed their meal, Hermione had told him off in hushed whispers about the Black family elf and his pitiful condition when they found him. "Kreacher!"

"Lord Black calls Kreacher?" the elf was perplexed.

"Yes. Kreacher, I want to ask for your forgiveness. I was not a good master to you. I should have ensured your safety if I passed, and I didn't. That was irresponsible and unfair. You deserve better. I refuse to mistreat you going forward. Whatever happened in the past is in the past. You were following orders. Please join us for this meal. You are a member of this family."

Kreacher was struggling not to burst into tears. This. This was all he had ever wanted. "I... Kreacher is... Thank you, master." He sat down next to Dobby.

"Tomorrow we can discuss whether you want to stay as a House Black elf or if you prefer to be bound to anyone else here. I am not firing you or releasing you. I am giving you a choice. I want you to be happy and healthy."

Kreacher was at a loss for words. "Kreacher doesn't know-"

"You don't have to say anything. Think about it and let him know," Andy squeezed the elf's hand.

Hermione was trying not to cry. She was surprised to find Harry's hand squeezing hers under the table. Things could always get better. Dudley was eating his share of the meal down by the beach. He wanted to be alone for a while. Everyone understood. Sirius really wanted to put the fear of God on the kid but after hearing what had happened to his parents, he thought that was punishment enough.

A/N: Happy New Year my lovelies! Thank you so much for reading! I have not abandoned any stories. I promise. I hope you had a lovely holiday season. Mine wasn't so great as my laptop died. It truly is a modern tragedy to have my faithful companion die on me at the end of the year. I had a few chapters ready to upload and one-shots. I don't know if I can recover them. The only reason I was able to post this is that I had it backed on a cloud system.

IDK when I'll be able to afford to get a new laptop because it looks like mine can't be fixed. I just hope the person working on it can recover some of my files. I hope your year is starting much better than mine and that you were able to enjoy the holidays. Thank you to all of you who have sent me messages or have nudged me in reviews about more content and updates. I wish I had it so I could share it. :( I hope the muses have mercy on me and remind me of the plot points I had made.

The worst part is that I may have also lost a lot of other important files from my freelancing work that cannot go in the cloud because they are confidential. *Sighs* What a way to start the year! I am hopeful that since it is a rough beginning, things can only go up from here, right? I really do hope so. I appreciate good vibes and energy or prayers that you can spare and send my way so things improve. I wish you the best this new year and I hope that you stay safe and healthy. xoxo -Lux-