Thank you so much everyone for your kind words. It really does mean a lot to me.

Chapter 61 is one of those plots that is closest to my heart. A year back, one fine evening, while I was bored of writing, or doing anything for that matter, I sat down and decided to write something interesting. On that evening, I picked up this plot of the story and thought, "Well, if it happens in the future, what difference does it make, when I write it?". And what came out, as a result of that, was that chapter.

Since then, I had always wondered where I would place that chapter at, at what point would it make the most sense to the story. Chapter 61 is what I finally decided.

I'm deeply satisfied that all of you liked the chapter. And for those wondering, yes, there are more such chapters, set in the future, coming your way.

For now, here is Chapter 62, set in the present. Enjoy!

"It is a matter of time," reiterated Remus.

"Trial of the century," read out Ron, interrupting the conversation.

"Black vs The world," read out Ron, from another newspaper.

"Ronald," exclaimed Molly, angrily.

"What? I'm just pointing out that the papers don't think so," replied Ron, unamused. Molly glared at him, indifferently.

"The longer this takes, the worse it is for him," added Ron gesturing towards Sirius, who was sitting a fair few feet away.

"What we need is patience. We have the truth with us. We have proof, evidence and the perpetrator on our hands," chimed in Remus, strongly.

Sirius, the man who had managed to create a ripple around the wizarding world, was sitting calmly. His focus however was not on the conversation happening right in front of him, in his house, 12, Grimmauld Place. It was on the ever-so-quiet, Harry Potter, who sat sandwiched between a provocative Weasley and an undisturbed Granger.

Every single member of the Order of the Phoenix seemed to be on edge. It was already the middle of July and it had been over 2 months since a gift-wrapped Peter Pettigrew arrived on the doorstep of Sirius Black. In these 2 months, every single order member with any connection to the Ministry had done their bit to get justice served.

Sirius had been to 5 hearings, and 20+ enquiry sessions conducted by a wide range of Aurors and had received and declined countless interview requests. Not just Sirius, even Dumbledore and Remus had sat through a few enquiries. The only one who didn't, and was reprimanded for the same, was Jane Smith.

No one knew where Jane was. No one knew what Jane was doing.

"2 months and not a single attempt? It makes no sense... Surely, he'd know a lot about You-Know-Who's hideout," remarked Ron.

"2 of our men are always near Wormtail... And for the matter of details, I wouldn't keep my hopes high... I haven't seen a bigger dimwit," chimed in Percy. Remus glared at Percy.

"Thank you, Your Highness," retorted Ron, sarcastically.

"Ronald Weasley..." began Molly, but her voice was drowned by a roar of laughter from the Weasley twins, shortly followed by a chuckle from Remus, Sirius and Arthur Weasley.

Harry had been staying at 12, Grimmauld Place for just over a week. The Weasleys would often visit Sirius, Remus almost always spent his time there, whereas Hermione had just arrived there a day back. He was to return a couple of days later, along with Hermione. Thanks to Arthur, there was now a semi-permanent floo network link between 4, Privet Drive and 12, Grimmauld Place.

A couple of days went by, just as quickly as the few weeks prior. Harry and Hermione vanished into thin air and reappeared at 4, Privet Drive. Harry offered to accompany Hermione to the train station, and she gladly accepted. And for the first time in a while, Hermione found herself alone with Harry.

On their way, Hermione initiated a conversation. "Harry..." she called out softly.

"Hmm?"

"You have been awfully quiet," she remarked.

"Have I? I didn't realise," lied Harry in response, with a straight face.

"You have been... All seemed good between us, once we spoke about John... but you have been distant and quiet lately. Anything on your mind?" remarked Hermione, looking slightly concerned.

"No, Hermione... I am fine," replied Harry. "I guess, I have been occupied with Sirius' trial. It has all happened so quickly, you know?" he added.

Hermione didn't look convinced. "Sirius will be proven innocent. You have nothing to worry about," she said with a smile on her face.

"I know... it's just a matter of time," he remarked in reply.

After a few moments, Hermione spoke up once again. "So, your demeanour has nothing to do with Daphne?" she asked.

"Daphne? Why? No... Why would you ask that?" retorted Harry, genuinely surprised.

"Come off it, Harry... She broke up with you, right before our summer break started," retorted back Hermione.

"Hermione... I am fine. I've told you this before... I half expected her to break up with me. Besides, we ended on good terms. Yes, I was a bit disheartened at first. But I'm over it," replied Harry.

Hermione sensed Harry's tone slightly increasing. If she continued prodding, it'd only end poorly between them.

"You know you can say anything to me, right?" remarked Hermione after a few seconds.

"Of course..." replied Harry with a gentle smile.

Harry checked once again. He had both his wands with him, the totem given to him by John, and the mirror that was given to him by Sirius. Once he was ready, he made an excuse to Aunt Petunia, like he had done all summer break and made his way out of the house. Some time away from the crowd, is exactly what he needed, he thought.

"The longer I stay away from people, the better I am going to be at keeping everything a secret," was something he strongly felt.

Harry had half a mind to take his firebolt and his invisibility cloak with him. There was nothing like the adrenaline rush of flying at an insane height, at over 100 miles an hour, to clear one's mind. However, the risk of being caught with a magical flying broomstick in broad daylight right in the middle of a heavy muggle residential zone far outweighed any pleasure Harry could derive from such an experience. So, he chose the next best thing.

It was a particularly warm summer. And Harry enjoyed roaming around on his bicycle. He would often go someplace a bit far away from home, park his bicycle and sit down in some park, surrounded by silence. Silence, he desired more than anything, for he had a head full of explosive information. And not to mention the ever so increasing nightmares.

Nightmares had become a constant in Harry's life. Fortunately for him, he had learnt to control his untimely outbursts. But their disturbing effect still remained. Harry was mentally tired. It was almost like he was thinking twice as much as he usually did. It always seemed to run at full tilt.

And then came things like the prophecy and the Horcrux situation. How do you defeat someone, if they have countless amount of lives? How does anyone find out, the number of Horcruxes one has?

In a conversation that happened shortly after, Harry was informed by Dumbledore that Tom Riddle's diary was one of his Horcruxes. If the diary was anything to go by, then the Horcruxes were going to be some of the most poisonous, vile things around, and bloody tough to destroy too.

As much as Harry was cocky immediately after learning the prophecy, it all went downhill thereafter.

"He is more powerful than I am... He has Horcruxes... And I can't even touch him with my own wand," he'd think. "Neither can he, touch me," he'd chuckle immediately. But his happiness would be short-lived. "Does he even need a wand to kill someone like me? He's probably just as good without a wand," he'd think. And then his brain would take a reverse, "... but he couldn't kill me when I was a baby. Though, that was probably because of John and Jane. I wonder how they knew Riddle's plans."

While Harry's mind would wander around worrying about things he couldn't have done anything about and thinking about hypotheticals that had no chance of becoming real, it'd often slip into directions that he absolutely did not want to think about. Direction like Daphne, for instance.

Was he hurt when Daphne uttered the words, "I can't be with you anymore, Harry... I'm not happy and haven't been for a long time."? Yes, he almost certainly was.

Did he know he messed up when he saw tears in Daphne's eyes as she uttered those words? Yes, he absolutely did.

Was he heartbroken when, the following morning, he found a portrait of himself with a heart on it, and a note along with it that read, "It was fun while it lasted."? Yes! As heartbroken as anyone could be, and more.

But as the days went by, Harry realised that it was probably for the best. One fewer person in his life he had to keep the secret from. After all, it was the secrets he had already kept from Daphne that broke them apart.

Harry's eyes were staring into nothingness, while his mind raced around in different directions. And then he saw something.

There was a roar of laughter, cynical and cunning laughter.

"I'm sorry... please don't hurt me..." begged the old man. Harry had seen him before, but he wasn't sure. His face was heavily bruised and he was sweating profusely. His clothes were ripped in multiple places.

"Please..." he begged and cried.

"I will let him go free... I'm sorry... I will ask everyone to back off... Please, don't hurt me..." he continued begging.

There was another roar of laughter as Harry saw Voldemort's red eyes staring back at him and he fell to the ground.

It was only after a few seconds of lying on the grass did Harry realise that he had just had a vision. This was no nightmare... It felt so much more real.

Harry took out his wand and got up frantically. As he looked around, all he could see was broad daylight, grass, the road and just a regular neighbourhood far and wide. Just a few seconds ago, for a brief period of time, he was somewhere else.

He was in a dimly lit... house? Or was it somewhere else? He wasn't sure.

Harry sat on his seat after a couple of minutes. He felt like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on him.

It took him a few minutes to calm himself down. Just as he did, he heard a sound and he glanced. This wasn't a vision. Just a few meters away and cycling towards him was Daisy.

A moment later, Daisy was near him and had hopped out of her bicycle.

"Harry..." she exclaimed surprised. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Daisy..." retorted Harry, surprised too. "Uh... nothing really," he said in reply. "I didn't realise this was in your cycling route," he added, finishing awkwardly.

"It isn't... Nothing much here, is there? I was just running some errands for Olivia," replied Daisy. "Are you okay?" she asked glancing at Harry closely. "You look a little spooked," she added as she caressed his cheek.

"Really? I'm just tired, I guess... I was cycling in the heat for a while," lied Harry in response.

"How you still manage to enjoy cycling after having ridden your broomstick for years and years is beyond me," chuckled Daisy. "Come on... let's get some ice cream, shall we?" she added as she put an arm around him.

"I'd die for an ice cream," retorted Harry excitedly and the pair hopped onto their bicycles and rode away.

"What were you doing there, anyway?" asked Daisy as the pair continued cycling beside each other.

"I wasn't doing anything... just sitting around," replied back Harry.

"Aww... my poor baby... you were thinking about her, weren't you? Daphne Greengrass..." remarked Daisy with a cheeky smile.

"No... I was not... and don't ever call me that..." retorted Harry, annoyed.

"There is no shame in it, HP," remarked Daisy with a chuckle.

"Watch the road, will ya? I've had enough of your teasing this summer..." retorted Harry.

"I thought you'd be happy with your break-up, to be honest," remarked Daisy after a few seconds.

"Why is that?" retorted Harry, confused.

"You can chase Hermione with a clear conscience now," retorted Daisy.

"Chase Her... Have you lost your mind suddenly? I'm not chasing anybody," retorted Harry.

"Don't lie to me, HP... I can see you blushing beneath your mask," teased Daisy.

"I'm not lying... And I'm not blushing... where do you get these ideas from, anyway?" retorted Harry and sped ahead ferociously, trying to create some distance between him and Daisy.

"Hey... what do you think you're doing?" remarked Daisy as she peddled away vigorously. "Here I was thinking about going on a double date... Hermione and you... with Ron and I... I mean," she added with bated breath.

Harry jerked and came to a stop almost instantly as he heard the words from Daisy's mouth. Daisy rode ahead a few feet and came to a halt as well.

"What did you just say?" asked Harry, curiously. "Ron and you?" he added. Harry watched Daisy blush for a couple of seconds before she got off her bicycle and walked towards him.

"I was going to talk to you, you know? But I could never get a hold of you these past few days," said Daisy with a sheepish smile. Harry watched her curiously. "I was also hoping you wouldn't have a problem with it..." she added.

"Problem with what?" retorted Harry with a cheeky smile. He knew what was coming, he was acting coy for the fun of it.

"Ron... Your best friend Ron... asked me on a... on a date... and I might have said yes..." said Daisy as she came closer to Harry to hold his hand.

"Oh my God, Daisy... This is absolutely brilliant," exclaimed Harry, happily.

"So you don't have a problem with it?" asked Daisy.

"Of course not... I have been waiting for this... for a long time, might I add," replied Harry.

"Oh my God, HP... you are the absolute best..." exclaimed Daisy with a big smile as she grabbed him in a big hug.

"You have no idea how much I was panicking... What if you said no? What if you were angry with us or something?" remarked Daisy as she let go of him.

"That's silly... why would I be angry?" retorted Harry with a big smile.

With that, the pair hopped back onto their bicycles and rode away.

Harry felt really happy for the first time in a long time. However, somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew he was watching the future transpire right before him.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Daisy, feeling slightly nervous.

"Trust me... you're going to look beautiful in this," reassured Hermione.

A few minutes went by. And Daisy walked out, with Hermione a few steps behind her.

"Oh, wow," gasped Harry, mildly shocked.

"Oh no... What was that, HP? Is this a bit much?" retorted Daisy, anxiously.

"No no... this is great... Wow, you look great," remarked Harry with a big smile. "Hermione... who knew you had this in you?" he added with a chuckle.

"Harry... be honest... I feel like I'm going to a posh wedding looking like this... Don't you two dare trick me into wearing something that looks desperate," remarked Daisy, unconvinced by Harry's remarks.

"Hey... Though I'd love to do that, you do actually look brilliant. Ron's going to lose his mind when he sees you like this," remarked Harry as he walked towards Daisy. "Besides, your dress looks perfectly ordinary for any witch. Nobody's going to think twice," he added.

"Yes... You look beautiful, Daisy. And I was never going to let you wear muggle clothes into the wizarding world. You'll be caught in seconds... I don't understand the need to do something dangerous..." chimed in Hermione, but got interrupted by Harry.

"Hermione is just paranoid," he said glaring at her. "Nobody's going to know, that you are a muggle... You have absolutely nothing to worry about," he added reassuringly.

"What do we have here? You look, gorgeous dear," remarked Aunt Petunia as she walked in and laid her eyes on Daisy.

"Really, Aunt Petunia?" gasped Daisy happily as she ran towards Petunia to hug her. And just as she released the hug, she added, "This feels weird to walk in... How do they even walk and do things in this?" she remarked with a chuckle.

A few moments later, Harry spoke up. "You've got your totem, right?" he asked.

"Yes... It'll always be with me," replied Daisy pointing at her totem.

"Any sign of trouble, you use that to get back home," continued Harry.

"I know HP. I'm not going to stick around, and I'll not let Ron do anything stupid either," retorted Daisy confidently. And their wait for Ron began.

Just about a couple of minutes later, arrived Ron, from the fireplace, using the floo powder. Ron dusted himself a bit, then laid his eyes on Harry, Hermione, and then... Daisy.

For a moment there, none of the three was sure what Ron was doing. For he was making some gestures with his face, but quickly, they watched it change. Though, all the while, Ron's eyes stayed rooted at Daisy.

"You..." he remarked. "You look..." he added with a gasp. "Wow... this is... You look... nice," remarked Ron, stumbling his way through the compliment. And then a moment later, he got himself back. "Daisy... Wow, you look great," he said. "I didn't expect you to be wearing our clothes," he added, looking gobsmacked.

"What did I tell you?" remarked Harry with a smirk.

"Thank you, Ron," blushed Daisy. "You look great too," she added, barely able to contain her smile.

"Hello, Mr Weasley... How are you?" she asked, finally taking her eyes from Ron and towards Arthur.

"Hello dear... I'm fine, how are you? Hope everyone at home is well," replied Arthur with a gentle smile. "Hello, Harry and Hermione... Mrs Dursley," he added with a glance towards the rest one by one.

Once the pleasantries were over, it was time for Ron and Daisy to leave, together.

"Harry... Hermione... might I have a word with you two?" he asked. Harry and Hermione glanced at each other and then at Ron, and then back at Arthur Weasley. Ron gave them a look as if he knew the context.

"Sure, Mr Weasley," they replied together.

The three of them went away from the crowd.

"Have you two been following the news? I mean, wizarding news?" asked Arthur.

"No," replied Harry, confused. Hermione shook her head.

"Well... 3 days back, Janus passed away in his home," said Arthur Weasley. Hermione gave a gasp while Harry stared at Arthur still confused.

"You mean, Janus Keddle?" asked Hermione. And the name finally struck Harry.

"Yes, the very. The man who was leading the charge against Sirius. Well, with his untimely death, the group that was against Sirius' innocence will no longer carry the same weight. We are expecting good news pretty soon," replied Arthur with a big smile, hidden behind an image of mourning.

Hermione's face glowed up.

"That is great news, Mr Weasley... It's sad that it had to be this way, though..." remarked Hermione with a brief smile.

However, Harry stood silent like a statue. He knew Janus Keddle. Of course, he knew Janus Keddle. He was the main reason why Sirius wasn't declared innocent already. He was also the man he had seen in his visions, begging for his life... begging Voldemort to spare his life.

"Harry..." called out Hermione as she patted his shoulder.

"What?" gasped Harry, coming out of his thoughts. "I can't believe it... I'm stunned..." he said, trying to fake a smile.

"None of us could believe it, Harry... Janus might have been salty, but he was a good man. Nature can be cruel that way..." remarked Arthur.

"Mr Weasley..." called out Harry. "Do we know how he passed away?" he asked.

"Not sure, dear... Died of natural causes was the official verdict. He was an old man after all," replied Arthur.

"Dad," called out Ron from behind them. "Can we get a move on?" he added.

"Someone's too eager," retorted Hermione with a chuckle. Harry gave a brief smile.

"Watch your tongue, Granger," retorted back Ron.

"Have a great evening, both of you," said Harry with a smile. Daisy nodded at him with a smile.

While Arthur was giving Harry and Hermione the news, Ron was giving Daisy tips on how to use the floo powder.

"Can I even use it? Will it work for me?" asked Daisy.

"It's floo powder... not the sorting hat, that'll judge you. It doesn't know if you're a wizard, witch or just a muggle," replied Ron with a chuckle. Daisy glared at him. "Okay, sorry... I know this might be difficult at first. Just relax," he continued.

"Harry struggled with it the first time as well. He ended up in a different alley altogether..." said Ron and quickly added, "I shouldn't have told you that..."

Daisy looked at him, genuinely worried.

"Listen," he said and grabbed a hold of Daisy's hand, though immediately after, he released with an embarrassed look on his face.

"I want you to experience this... You will be fine. So, just relax. One second you'll be here. The next you'll be at Diagon alley, alright?" he remarked, trying to sound calm and confident. "You won't feel anything," he added.

Daisy stood contemplating her life choices while Arthur came back from his private talk with Harry and Hermione.

The plan was simple. Ron would go first, followed by Daisy, and then Arthur. Though he wasn't going to hang around for long.

Ron nodded at Daisy and then gave a quick smile to Harry and Hermione. "Diagon Alley" and Ron disappeared.

"Hey... Don't panic, you'll be fine," whispered Harry close to Daisy's ear.

Daisy slowly repeated, "Diagon Alley" multiple times to herself. After a few seconds, she threw the powder into the flames. With a roar, the fire turned emerald green and rose tall. Instantly, Daisy stepped onto the flames and shouted, "Diagon Alley" and vanished.

And the next moment, Arthur followed suit and vanished.

A few seconds after everyone had left, Hermione turned towards Harry.

"What happened earlier?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Nothing... I just didn't want you scaring Daisy... I haven't seen her happier. I don't want her thinking about anything else..." replied Harry coolly. Hermione stared at him, confused.

"I didn't mean that... I mean back when Mr Weasley told us about Janus," retorted Hermione.

It was Harry's time to stare at Hermione with confusion, even if he was pretending. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You were not acting normally..." remarked Hermione.

"There's nothing of the sort, Hermione. I'm thrilled, I couldn't be happier. All of this is so sudden and... anticlimactic. One second I was worried about Sirius, the next I find out that his main threat is no longer alive. Took me a second to process," replied Harry confidently.

Hermione however was not convinced. There were words, and yet the expressions told a different story. The difference in Harry's response as compared to his usual self was noticeable.

"Speaking of which..." began Hermione after a few seconds. "What do we think about this?" she asked.

Harry knew what she was referring to.

"If it is meant to happen... who are we to stop it? It almost feels cruel to let this happen, knowing the end," replied Harry, resorting to a sigh.

"Ron and Daisy..." sighed Hermione with an expression of pure happiness mixed with pure sadness.

PS - Chapter 63 is in the works. Will try to get it published by end of this week. Ciao!