A/N: I do not own any character references by JK Rowling in the Harry Potter series. This story is a product of my pure imagination.

Today was a fairytale. You were the prince.
I used to be a damsel in distress.
You took me by the hand, and you picked me up at six.
Today was a fairytale.

Today was a fairytale.

Today was a fairytale. I wore a dress.
You wore a dark grey T-shirt.
You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess.
Today was a fairytale.

Time slows down
Whenever you're around

But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me.
Fell in love when I saw you standin' there
It must have been the way.
Today was a fairytale.
It must have been the way.
Today was a fairytale.

Today was a fairytale. You've got a smile.
That takes me to another planet.
Every move you make, everything you say is right.
Today was a fairytale.
Today was a fairytale, all that I can say.
Is now, it's getting so much clearer.
Nothin' made sense 'til the time I saw your face.
Today was a fairytale.

Time slows down
Whenever you're around
Yeah

~Today Was a Fairytale by Taylor Swift

*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*

Hermione smiled as she turned in her journal. "It's hard to believe that we are almost a year ago when all it took was a year to change everything. Sirius was back and figuring himself out, getting healthier. We enjoyed our first Christmas with him, Kingsley, and my Mum. It was a nice calm Christmas, but Kingsley mentioned to Harry about his titles at Christmas."

"Titles?" Luna asked, confused.

Harry sighed, "Because I was the heir of two houses, I was to inherit a Lordship. My Dad was never old enough to claim it, and Sirius went to Azkaban before he could, but both were open. I just had to go to Gringotts, and Sirius had to go anyway, so after the new year, we stopped at Gringotts. Sirius and I, that is."

*~*~* January 3, 2007 *~*~*

Harry opened the doors to Gringotts Wizarding Bank with Sirius following behind him. Sirius nudged Harry's shoulder and patted it as they approached the head goblin.

"Harry Potter and Sirius Black here to see Blagric," Harry announced.

The goblin looked at Harry, then nodded towards a guard, "He is waiting for you."

Harry and Sirius followed the guard through the halls of Gringotts, which led them to Blagric's private office.

"Mr. Potter," Blagric said, nodding at him before turning his eyes to Sirius, "Mr. Black, if you are who you say you are."

"I am Sirius Black. I will submit to a blood test," Sirius said.

Blagric set a bowl out and handed Sirius a knife. Slicing his hand, Sirius let the blood drip into the bowl. Blagric took the bowl and waved his hand over it, then waved it over a sheet of parchment, "Welcome back, Lord Black. With your return to the living, I assume you will want to assume your Lordship?"

"Yes," Sirius nodded.

"Very well," Blagric said, folding his hands, "Mr. Potter, now that Mr. Black is who he says he is, you can no longer claim the Black lordship. Additionally, you must pay back the money from that account."

Harry opened his mouth, but Sirius cut him off. "Harry owes nothing. Whatever hasn't been used, he can return it," Sirius stated.

"I haven't even touched it other than to work on Grimmauld Place," Harry told him.

"That place can be leveled," Sirius said.

"It has been gutted," Harry stated.

"As a Potter, he will have the Potter and Peverell inheritance. The Black estate should have been given to your heir," Blagric stated.

Sirius looked confused, "Harry is my heir."

Blagric reached for the Sacred Twenty-Eight lineage book, "This text is similar to the Hogwarts book that updates whenever a magical child first manifests their magic. Instead, whenever a child is born to a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, this updates." He flipped through the pages until he found the Black family, then went to the end pages to see Sirius' name.

Turning the book to let Harry and Sirius see it. Beneath Sirius' name, written in an elegant script, were the words, 'Unclaimed baby girl Black- Magical- born the 19th of September, 1979.'

Harry's eyes widened, "Sirius, that's Hermione's birthday."

Sirius stared at the book, "That can't be right. I never knew…"

Blagric looked at Sirius, "You have a daughter, Mr. Black. The records don't lie, whether she is Miss Granger or not."

Sirius looked at Harry, confused, "Is Hermione adopted?"

"No, but Juliet doesn't know who her father is. Dan isn't fertile and they weren't together when Hermione was conceived. She remembers a man at a bar with curly hair like Hermione who left on a motorcycle."

Sirius ran his hand over his face, "Shite. I need to talk to Hermione and Juliet."

Blagric closed the book, "In the meantime, we need to transfer the Black fortune back to its rightful owner. If you return tomorrow, I will have the documents written for you to sign. Bring Miss. Granger, too, and we can attempt to confirm Mr. Potter's suspicions."

As Harry pulled into their driveway and parked the car, he glanced at Sirius, "Do we wait for Mum?"

"How far away does Juliet live?" Sirius asked.

"She shouldn't be that far behind us. She said she was leaving soon after I called," Harry told him as they exited the car.

Walking into the house, Teddy ran up to them, hugging Harry. Harry heard Juliet's car pull into the driveway behind them.

"Teddy, why don't you go play your video games for a bit?" Harry suggested.

Teddy nodded as he ran off into the sitting room.

Hermione came through the hallway, "You got news, didn't you?"

Harry nodded as Juliet came up behind them.

"Mum? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Harry called and told me that he needed me to come over for dinner," Juliet said, closing the door behind her.

"Let's go to the kitchen," Harry stated.

Everyone sat at the kitchen table, and Harry looked at them, "We went to Gringotts today to claim my Lordship. I am now Lord Peverell-Potter."

Hermione's eyes widened, "You figured that would happen, but congratulations."

Harry smiled, "But there is more. I can't claim the Black Lordship because Sirius is still alive. He is Lord Black now."

Harry looked at Sirius, "But that's not all. According to the Sacred Twenty-Eight book at Gringotts, I couldn't have been the heir because Sirius has a daughter."

Hermione gasped and looked at Harry, who nodded. "The book states Sirius has a magical daughter who was unclaimed by him and was born on the 19th of September, 1979."

Juliet stood up, her face a mask of confusion and shock, "I know I was drunk, but I don't remember Sirius."

Sirius looked at her, "I looked a lot different back then, before Azkaban."

Harry stood and entered the dining room, returning with a photo album that Hagrid had given him. He had added photos over the years, and he opened the album to the picture of the original Order of the Phoenix and set it in front of Juliet.

Juliet examined the picture. "They say you look like your father," she told Harry. "They aren't kidding." Her eyes glided to Sirius. "I don't remember a mustache."

Sirius shook his head, "That picture is from during the war. I thought the mustache was more distinguished when trying to seem older."

Juliet bit her lip, "It was New Year's Eve, 1978, when Hermione was conceived. I got drunk, and the man wore a band t-shirt. He called himself a-"

"Rock band roadie," Sirius interjected, "Lily had just taught me what they were, and all I wanted to do was travel the world listening to rock music."

Juliet looked at Harry, "Can they do a test to confirm it?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, Hermione just has to come with us to Gringotts tomorrow."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she looked at Sirius, "This is so much to take in…"

Sirius turned towards her, "I know, Hermione. We'll take it one step at a time. But if it's true, I want to know my daughter if she'll have me."

Hermione nodded, "We'll figure this out."

*~*~* January 4, 2007 *~*~*

As the guard led them down the halls of Gringotts, Harry took Hermione's hand and squeezed it. Walking into Blagric's office, he got right to business.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, if you sign these papers for the transfer of funds, we will settle this," Blagric stated, pointing to the stack of parchments.

Hermione watched Harry and Sirius sign the papers, transferring the Black estate back to Sirius. The process was quick, and Hermione's heart raced as it was closer to her turn.

Blagric took the signed paper, "It is done. Mr. Black, your vault will have the amount stated in it."

Moving a silver bowl before her, Blagric handed her a small, sharp knife, "You know what to do, Miss Granger."

Hermione took the knife, her hand trembling. She made a small cut on her palm and watched three drops of blood pour into the bowl. The blood glowed and sizzled, separating into two helixes. Running his hand over the bowl and then over a piece of parchment, Blagric looked at it.

"She is a Black," Blagric announced, "Mr. Black, you are her father."

Hermione's heart felt like it jumped into her throat as she looked at Sirius, "It's true."

Sirius laughed, "My daughter and my best friend's son rescued me. I can't believe it."

Harry smiled, "Looks like our family is growing bigger."

Sirius looked at him, "We've always been family, but now she is really family."

Hermione gave up on sleeping in the middle of the night. She had been lying in bed for two hours, tossing and turning. Throwing the covers off her body and walked downstairs to find the kitchen light on.

Sirius was sitting at the table with a cup of tea, "Did I wake you?"

"Nope, couldn't sleep," Hermione said as she sat opposite him.

"I'm sorry," Sirius told her.

"You didn't know, I didn't know," Hermione sighed, "God, I could use a drink right now."

Sirius laughed, "That would be my blood talking," He sat back and looked at her, "You know that the Black family has a blood curse?"

Hermione nodded, "Draco told me about it. How if children aren't purebloods, they may not live long."

Sirius looked at her, "No, that's not the curse. Are you sick?"

Hermione frowned, "No, then what is the curse?"

Sirius set his mug down, "Long ago, a Black cursed the whole family, saying we would be pureists of the pure. ToujoursPur, French for Always Pure. We were cursed with a compulsion curse, and because of it, we had a pull towards our own. Why do you think that so many Blacks went insane or died out? Many Blacks were born Squibs and cast out. Bellatrix fought a relationship with another member of the Black family before she got Lestrange. It's twisted and sick. I'm glad the line will die with me, and you will break it. Finally, it will be broken. There are no more Blacks."

Hermione thought about it, "So, me and Draco? I don't have feelings for him whatsoever now. I thought it was off because we've been avoiding each other. I should feel something still, but I don't."

Sirius nodded, "It's the kinship curse. It's disgusting and vile. You were a victim of it. At least you got out of it before you married or had a child."

Hermione looked at her hands, "Ultimately, that's why I was with him. He needed to get married and have a child to inherit his inheritance."

Sirius frowned, "Why would you sacrifice yourself like that?"

Hermione swallowed, "I have been in love with the same man for years. He doesn't love me the same way that I love him. I thought I had the same feelings for Draco as I did for him. When we got engaged, I was happy. I could move on finally… but I couldn't do it. I'm destined to suffer alone."

Sirius looked at her, "You love Harry, don't you?"

Hermione looked at him, "We are magically compatible. I feel his magic. He's upstairs sleeping and content. It has to be a good dream, but obviously, it's one-sided."

Sirius sat back and laughed, "Oh James… if only you knew," Sirius said, looking at the ceiling, "James and Lily were magically compatible too."

Hermione looked at him, shocked, "They were?"

Sirius nodded, "And Lily fought it tooth and nail. She didn't understand it, just as you didn't know about it being a muggleborn at the time. Who told you?"

"Research, McGonagall, and Snape's portrait," Hermione told him, "It's been nearly ten years, though, Sirius. I don't think he feels it," Hermione sighed, "But even if he doesn't. I'm giving it until the end of the year. I'm going to show him what it could be like."

Sirius looked at her, "Or I can talk to him."

Hermione said, "No, I don't want to scare him. Harry has a level of fear that he runs from. No, he needs to figure it out himself."

Sirius looked at her, "I still think you should tell him, Hermione."

Hermione picked at the skin around her fingernails, "I have an appointment with a therapist this week. It was harder to get in with a therapist here in England."

Sirius reached out and took her hand, "What's wrong?"

"I just feel… broken," Hermione told him.

Sirius squeezed her hand, "We're all a little broken. All we can hope for is finding that person in your life who gathers those broken pieces as we lose them, holds onto them, and helps us heal as they put us back together when we are ready."

Hermione sighed, "Between being in love with Harry, my parents divorcing, nearly being killed because I was with someone, nearly being killed with Harry… being tortured by… my new cousin and having words carved into my arm," Hermione gasped her hands flying to her mouth, "Ewww I had sex with my cousin!"

Sirius laughed, "Welcome to a Pureblood family."

Hermione sighed, "Were you affected by the curse?"

Sirius scoffed as he sat back, "Merlin, I need a scotch. I fought it hard. It helped to be cast out of the family. I slept with a lot of muggles and let my father know to piss him off. Not that it affected the curse, but it helped me. I also had a close… friend, someone I loved, and I fought it just like you do with Harry. We weren't compatible, but we had a level of trust until it was too late, and I believed people around me, which ruined us."

Hermione looked at him, "It is none of my business, but was it Remus?"

"I don't want to talk about it. The past is in the past, but Remus was a big part of my life, and if we had not listened to Peter and had trusted Remus more, James and Lily would still be alive." Sirius ran his hand over his face as he stood up. "I'm going to head back to bed. Try to get some sleep."

Hermione felt her heart break for Sirius as she watched him slide open the door and walk out.

*~*~* January 10, 2007 *~*~*

"Ms. Granger?"

Hermione looked up from her spot in the waiting room, as her name was called, to the receptionist of a renowned mental healer.

"Dr. Stillwell will see you now."

Hermione walked into Dr. Stillwell's cozy office. Feeling a mix of anxiety and hope to see if she could feel better about herself. The room was in calming colors and had soft lighting, making her feel at ease. Dr. Stillwell was a kind-looking woman who reminded Hermione of her mother, with glasses that sat low on her nose. She stood smiling warmly at Hermione as she motioned for her to sit.

"Hello, Hermione. It is a pleasure to meet you. What brings you here today?" Dr. Stillwell asked.

Hermione bit her lip, "Is everything I say here in confidence?"

Dr. Stillwell nodded, "Nothing leaves this room. You can speak freely."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione said, "I'm in love with Harry. I assume you know who Harry is?"

Dr. Stillwell nodded.

"We've been through so much together and are magically compatible. But Harry has never shown any interest in me. Then, to make things even more complicated, I discovered that my father is Harry's godfather! He is Sirius Black, who was an innocent man who was locked away in Azkaban for 12 years, escaped, and then had to hide for years until he supposedly died. But he's alive. Then the man who raised me moved to Australia, and to make it all worse, I was engaged to my second cousin." Hermione ranted as she finally took a breath.

Dr. Stillwell nodded, "Well, marrying second cousins is quite common in Pureblood families."

Hermione sighed, "Yes, I know."

Dr. Stillwell put her quill down, "How do you feel about Harry? And how did you know he isn't in love with you, too?"

"I've loved Harry for a long time. He's brave and kind and always puts others before himself. We've shared many experiences and faced danger together. Our bond is hard to explain. But he's never looked at me the way he looked at Ginny. He'd never given me any indication that he feels the same way," Hermione stated.

"Have you talked to him about your feelings?" Dr. Stillwell asked.

Hermione shook her head, "If I do, I could lose him as a friend. I'm scared that it will ruin our friendship. Too much has happened too fast. I'm just so overwhelmed with everything that has happened. Finding out Sirius is my father, Dad staying in Australia, breaking off the engagement, and then I was drugged. I've had a string of horrible relationships."

Dr. Stillwell looked at Hermione and said, "It sounds like you are carrying a lot of emotional weight. It's understandable to be overwhelmed. Have you considered that Harry may have feelings he has never expressed for you?"

Hermione chewed her lip, "I don't know. He's always been so focused on other things. Being an Auror, he deals with the war's aftermath and his own personal struggles. We are raising Teddy. I don't want to add to his burdens."

"Sometimes sharing your feelings can be a relief for both parties. It can bring clarity and open up new possibilities. You deserve to be honest about your feelings, Hermione, and to give Harry a chance to be honest about his," Dr. Stillwell stated gently.

Hermione picked at the loose skin around her nails, "I guess I'm just scared of what might happen if he doesn't return my feelings."

"That's perfectly natural," Dr. Stillwell assured her, "But remember, the fear of the unknown can sometimes be worse than the reality. You are a strong woman, Hermione. You've faced so much already. This is another challenge, and you don't have to face it alone."

"Thank you," Hermione smiled.

"Now, I'd like to book a second session with you next week so we can review your family situation more. Do Wednesdays work best for you?" Dr. Stillwell asked.

Hermione nodded

*~*~* January 17, 2007 *~*~*

Hermione knocked on the door to Kingsley's office, "Kings, you sent me a note that you wanted to see me?"

"Hermione, please shut the door and have a seat," Kingsley gestured for her to sit.

Hermione sat, and her eyes met Kingsley's, "What's wrong?"

"First, how are you doing? Finding out that Sirius is your father had to be hard," Kingsley stated.

Hermione inhaled, "It's taken some getting used to. Still doesn't feel real."

"It was a big shock to us all," Kingsley told her, "Now the reason I requested you to come. We are starting the preparations for the MLE Spirit and Beings division. The tentative name for it will be the MLE Sentinel Creatures Division."

Hermione frowned, "And Beasts aren't sentinel? If you want to call it Sentinel Creatures, you might as well absorb my entire department into Magical Law Enforcement. Honestly, I don't know why it's not already."

Kingsley leaned back in his chair, considering her words, "Do you think it would be beneficial?"

"Yes," Hermione replied without hesitation, "How often do I have to call an Auror to assist me with the illegal trade of a creature? Often. You don't have to make all the Aurors work for my department, but you could reassign some of them interested in magical creature cases to work with us."

Kingsley nodded slowly, "So you move upstairs?"

Hermione nodded, "It would make sense. I also have an idea of what to do with the floor once we abandon it," Hermione stated, "After Teddy broke his arm that one time, and even with Andromeda's health scares, Harry and I wondered something. It's been bugging me. Why don't we have a fire force? Like Muggles have firefighters?"

Kinglsey looked at her puzzle, "Because we have wands to put out fires."

Hermione leaned forward, "We rely too much on magic. What if someone loses their wand? Or are there people who don't have strong enough magic to put a fire out or Squibs who have none at all? They would need wizards to fight the fire or treat an injury like a paramedic."

Kingsley stared, "How would they contact us?"

"Floo or patronus or other means that we can develop. Telephone, for example," Hermione suggested.

Kingsley shook his head, "Why this hasn't been thought of before? You are right." Kingsley sighed, "A whole family died last week because a candle in their home was knocked over, and they were stuck in the fire when their wands ignited. We need to figure out an alert system."

Hermione nodded, "If the MLE absorbs the DRCMC, that opens up the third floor. The fire brigade and response center can be stationed there. Like you said, we have to figure out an alert system. This could save lives. It would also help the Aurors figure out where they are needed."

Kingsley stared at her, "Are you sure you don't want my job?"

Hermione laughed, "No, thank you."

Kingsley smiled, "Well, you've given us a lot to think about. Let's start by reorganizing the departments, then move on to developing the fire brigade and alert system. Your ideas could make a significant difference in our world, Hermione."

Hermione smiled, "I'm just trying to make it a better world for Teddy."

*~*~* February 3, 2007 *~*~*

The bell over Hermione's head chimed as Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Daphne, and Parvati entered Pansy and Lavender's Phoenix Boutique. The air was filled with the faint scent of lavender as the real Lavender walked over to them, "Is it too much?" Lavender asked.

Hermione shook her head, "No, it's very pleasant."

"Alright, we are on a mission, ladies. The St. Mungo's Bachelor Auction is on the 9th. Eligible wizards, including Harry and Ron, will be auctioned off for charity, and we need to look damn good," Ginny stated.

They all separated into the racks.

"I want to find an outfit that will highlight my best features and make me look amazing," Hermione told Luna.

Ginny grinned, "Are you ready to start the operation and knock his socks off?"

Hermione laughed, "Let's be honest, it would freak Harry out. Let's just get his toes wet first."

They giggled and then set off to find their perfect dresses.

Hermione found a plain white dress and looked at it. With a smile, she looked at Luna and said, "I'm going to get this one."

Luna stared at it, "But it's so plain."

Hermione held it to her body, "I'm going to have Teddy design it."

Luna smiled, "That's perfect."

*~*~* February 9, 2007 *~*~*

Stepping out of the floo at the ballroom of the Ministry of Magic, she saw many witches and some wizards gathered for St. Mungo's Charity Bachelor Auction. There were soft floating candles to create a romantic atmosphere, and everyone was eager to give their money to a good cause.

Hermione sat with Ginny, Luna, Hannah, and Parvati, flipping her bidding paddle as they waited for the event to start. They had found a great spot near the stage, where the bachelors of the wizarding world were about to be auctioned off for a date.

Sirius walked over and sat beside her in an empty chair near the aisle. "I had to talk the witch running this out of putting me up there. I know I'm good-looking, but she was an animal." Sirius said, running his hands down his vest. "So, how much do you think Harry will go for?"

Hermione shrugged, "I'll put a few galleons down at least."

Five wizards she had never heard of were first and went for 25-50 galleons each.

"Next up, ladies, we have Ron Weasley, co-owner of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Ron enjoys Quidditch and watching his favorite team, the Chuddly Cannons. For an evening of laughter and dinner at the Leaky Cauldron, bid on Mr. Weasley."

Ron came out and walked down the runway. The bids started at five galleons, and Luna raised them to 10. They kept climbing before topping out at 100 galleons.

Luna pouted, watching an older witch celebrate, "Damn, but at least that old witch looks happy."

Hermione laughed as Neville was announced. Neville had aged well and thinned out after their sixth year, so he was a popular bid. His final bid reached 200 galleons, making him blush, and Hannah shook her head as she seemed to pout.

Two more unfamiliar wizards went up for bid, both reaching 50 galleons.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the man you've all been waiting for… Harry Potter!"

All the ladies around them screamed as Harry stepped onto the stage, looking dashing in his formal robes. The opening bid was set to five galleons, and Hermione raised her paddle immediately.

"This date includes a restaurant of your choice tomorrow, starting the bid at five… ten…fifteen… give me twenty… twenty-five," The big quickly climbed. Glaring at the other woman bidding against her the most, Hermione raised her paddle again, "100!"

Sirius snorted, "A few galleons?"

"Shut up," Hermione told him as the other witch narrowed her eyes, "200!" causing the room around them to buzz excitedly.

The witch locked narrowed eyes with Hermione.

"Get her," Sirius whispered.

Closing her eyes, Hermione raised her paddle, "300 galleons!" She yelled, her heart pounding.

"350 galleons!" The witch countered.

"400 galleons!" Hermione called.

"I'll give you 500 galleons," Sirius whispered.

The witch hesitated for a moment, "450 galleons."

Taking a deep breath, "500 galleons!" she declared.

The auctioneer looked at the other witch who kept her paddle down, "Going once, going twice, sold for 500 galleons!

The crowd applauded as she lowered her paddle as Sirius snickered next to her.

After the auction, Hermione went to the hall where the bachelors were waiting to meet their winning bidders. She spotted Harry leaning against the wall and looking at her, amused.

"Really? 500 galleons? Are you insane?" Harry asked, his eyes wide as she walked over to him.

Hermione smiled, "It was for a good reason, and it's not all my money. Sirius gave me some."

Harry just shook his head, "Look, we should talk about what happened and what's going to happen."

Hermione shrugged, "We go out to dinner tomorrow. No big deal."

*~*~* February 10, 2007 *~*~*

Walking through Luna and Ron's floo, her heart pounded. It was the evening of her Bachelor Auction date with Harry. Getting ready, she realized that this may be the only date she would ever have with Harry, which sent her on the verge of a panic attack. She second-guessed every decision she made, sending her further into a spiral.

Luna walked into the room as if sensing her distress, with Ron following close behind.

"Hermione, you need to breathe," Luna said as she touched Hermione's shoulder.

"I can't do this, Luna. What if I mess everything up? What if this ruins our friendship?" Hermione said, her voice trembling, "Fuck, I can't breathe."

Ron exchanged glances with Luna, "Hermione, it's just dinner. You've known Harry for years. This is just a chance to spend time together."

Hermione sat down on their couch and put her head between her knees, trying to steady her breathing, "Dinner. We said it was only going to be dinner," She repeated.

Luna sat beside her, rubbing her back, "Exactly, Hermione. Just a simple, low-key dinner. Have some subtle flirting. Let's be honest, Harry won't probably pick up on any of it, but maybe you'll plant the idea in his head."

Hermione looked at Luna, "I think I'm going to be sick. Subtle flirting? I'm not sure I even know how to do that!"

Ron chuckled, "Hermione, you're among the smartest witches I know. If anyone can figure this out, it's you."

Hermione took a deep breath and straightened up, "Alright, low-key dinner, subtle flirting. I can do this."

Luna smiled, "Just be yourself, Hermione. Harry already cares about you. Tonight is about showing him a new possible side to you."

Hermione took a slow, deep breath and slowly stood up. "Thank you, both of you," she said, smoothing out her dress. "I don't want it to seem like I'm trying too hard. This is a dress for work. Is it okay?"

"Perfect," Luna told her.

"I think you look hot," Ron stated.

Hermione smiled, rolling her eyes, "Thank you, Ronald."

"Now go knock his socks off," Ron said, looking at Luna. "Isn't that what this is called?"

"Yes, honey," Luna said, patting his hand.

Hugging them both, Hermione walked back through the floo to 'Prongslet's Manor,' feeling the tension in her shoulders begin to ease. Running upstairs, she found a simple pair of white heels and an off-white robe/coat over her white dress. She looked in the mirror and threw her hair into a messy bun. It looked like she wasn't trying too hard, at least.

Thankfully, Harry was not in the house to hear her freakouts as he had to work this morning. Teddy was at Bill and Fleur's having a play date with Victoire, and Sirius was doing whatever Sirius wanted.

Closing her eyes, she opened them and looked at her reflection. "Let's do this."

Walking downstairs, she gave Hope and Crookshanks more kibble, yelled downstairs to Hope, Harmony, and Swift that she was leaving, and then left the house. Disapparating into Muggle London, she walked down to a quaint little Italian restaurant that she had been wanting to try that Harry had agreed upon.

Straightening her dress, she saw Harry at a corner table. Walking back to him, he smiled when he saw her.

"Hermione, you look amazing. New dress?" Harry asked, standing to greet her.

Hermione hugged him, "No, just the same as I wear to work. You look nice. Did you have to meet with someone at work?" Hermione asked as he pulled out her chair.

"Yeah, there were some meetings today about changes that may be coming. Robards told me he thinks that some shakeups are coming," Harry told her, handing her the menu.

"Thank you," Hermione said, opening it.

The restaurant's atmosphere was cozy and intimate. Soft music played around them, and candles flickered on their small table.

"The shakeups may be my fault," Hermione confessed, "I met with Kingsley and gave him some suggestions. I want my division to be absorbed into the MLE."

Harry sat back, "Really?"

Hermione nodded as the waitress approached for their drink order, "Just a lemon water for me, please."

"How would that work?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked at him, "I always use Aurors to help me with my illegal trade cases. With us working together officially, I wouldn't have to jump through hoops any longer to do so. The whole thing was Kingsley wanted to start an MLE Sentinel Creatures division but didn't want to include Beasts. Even beasts are sentinel. They hurt, they feel, they bleed. I was not too fond of that terminology, so we discussed it. I hope he takes my suggestions for an MLE Creatures division, but we will see."

"It makes sense," Harry said as the waitress brought over their drinks and took their orders. "Did you see Teddy this morning?"

"No, what did he do?" Hermione asked.

"He tried to turn his hair purple because it is Victoire's favorite color, but he ended up turning every hair on his body purple," Harry told her, making her laugh.

"Oh, we are going to have our hands full when he is a teenager," Hermione told him.

"Sirius and I couldn't stop laughing," Harry said, "How are you dealing with everything about Sirius?"

Hermione shrugged, "It doesn't seem real, and we haven't talked much about it. He's there, but nothing is different right now."

"He seems to be doing much better than I thought he would. He found some friends he used to have back in school from other houses and is out with them tonight," Harry said, "I was honestly afraid he'd fall apart without Remus."

Hermione sighed, "Part of it is probably me. I told him about my alcoholic issues, and he promised that he would keep sober for both of us."

"Good," Harry said.

As dinner was served, they continued to chat and exchange funny stories about work and Teddy. Hermione hoped that she was flirting subtly. She touched his arm lightly, laughed at his jokes, and stared into his eyes.

"Any new cases?" Hermione asked.

"Not really," Harry said, setting his fork down, "I'm fine with that after what happened with the PPA. We haven't found out who broke into the DoM, but with higher security, it helps, and we finally rounded up the rest of the dementors."

The waitress approached them with a large slice of cheesecake covered in strawberries, "Compliments of the chef," she said, placing the plate between them.

Harry smiled, "I'm glad you won me, Hermione."

Hermione took a bite of the cheesecake and then smiled around her fork, "Me too."

After finishing the dessert, they left the restaurant and went home. Settling on the couch, Harry sat down next to Hermione, "I had a nice time tonight, Hermione," Harry told her, "We need to go out more often, just the two of us."

"We do need to do this again soon," Hermione said, leaning towards him.

Harry sighed and stood up, "I better go get Teddy."

Hermione tried not to sigh out loud, "Alright."

*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*

"Were you leaning in to kiss him?" Luna asked.

"I thought about it, but he jumped away so fast," Hermione told her.

Harry winced, "I thought you were too, or I thought about it, and I thought you had other reasons like you weren't going to kiss me, so I freaked out."

Hermione sighed, "After that, I went to my therapist. We discussed many things, and she made me realize that I struggle with social cues. She told me that it was possible that Harry was interested in me, but I didn't realize it. Between being an only child, being highly intelligent, and having ADHD, I … sometimes don't understand other perspectives or points of view."

"Was the ADHD a new diagnosis?" Luna asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I always knew that I was different. It just made me understand that there was a reason for it. ADHD in girls is different than in boys. It explained to me why I could go from talking up a storm and being so excited about a subject," Hermione told her as she flipped through her journal, "March wasn't very interesting. Ginny brought her friend to girls' night, and I told you about my visit to the therapist, which made her seek help. She dealt with the psychological effects of having a dark wizard in your brain for years."

"It was the one thing Ginny and I would actually talk about," Harry said sadly.

"At my third appointment, we spoke about my Dad and Sirius and the issues I've had with my family. You know, the usual therapist talks," Hermione said with a laugh. "Oh! We had the first science fair in March at the Lily Potter School."

Harry laughed, "Oh, the fun that Arthur had with that."

*~*~* March 16, 2007 *~*~*

"Mumma, where are my potatoes?" Teddy asked.

"Under the table, if you need more," Hermione told Teddy as she set up the display board.

"Looks amazing"

Teddy's face lit up, "Sirius!"

Hermione smiled as Sirius hugged Teddy, and he threw his arms around Sirius' waist.

"So, you did your project about electricity?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah! Look! I can light this light bulb with a potato!" Teddy said as he connected everything.

"Look at this, Sirius!" Arthur's voice proclaimed.

Hermione smiled as Sirius walked over to the older man. "It's a lever and a pulley system. It is their form of levitation," Sirius informed him.

"It's amazing how much they've managed to blend magic and muggle science," Arthur stated.

"Let's go look at the other projects," Arthur said like an excited schoolboy.

Harry bumped Hermione's shoulder. "I think seeing Muggle culture this way is good for him."

Hermione nodded as Arthur watched one of the older students demonstrate buoyancy principles. Hermione glanced over at Teddy, who showed a small motor to add to the electrical current.

"Wait, this is powered by a potato?" One of the parents asked.

"Yes," Teddy said with a smile, "There are no wires overhead. There is solar-powered electricity, too. Muggles put big panels on their roofs and power their houses with the sun."

"So, we could have electricity in our homes without being hooked to wires in the streets?"

Harry smiled at Hermione, "He's our kid, alright. He's changing the public's ideas."

Hermione laughed as she held up her hand, and he fist-bumped her, "Hey, do you have plans tomorrow?"

"Plans? No, why?" Harry asked.

"I got us tickets to Puddlemere United. Would you be interested?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at her suspiciously, "You bought tickets for Puddlemere? Who are you, and what have you done with Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged, "I figured Teddy would enjoy it, and it was mostly the worry that you and Ron were in danger, not hate for the sport itself."

*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*

"You went to a Quidditch game?" Luna asked, surprised.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I figured I better start getting used to them because when Harry and I got together, I'd have to go to more of them," Hermione said, taking Harry's hand. "I started trying to do little things for him and focusing on him. I started helping him cook dinner and such, but I am never helpful in that area."

*~*~* April 8, 2007 *~*~*

The sun shone over the Burrow as the Weasley family gathered for Easter. Molly had put together an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids this year, and laughter filled the air as they chased each other in the backyard. Bill, Charlie, and Ron scattered eggs and other treats for the kids.

"Everyone gather round! Shorties in front!" Ron yelled.

"Ronald!" Luna yelled.

"Sorry, kiddos come here. Now listen, we hid all the special eggs. You go run around and get as many as you can when I say go," Ron said as Fred and Lorcan ran off, and everyone else followed, "Well, I guess you can go now."

Hermione laughed as she grabbed Harry's arm as they watched Teddy, "Look at him, look how happy he is."

Harry frowned, "How is he nine today, Hermione?"

"I don't know," Hermione said sadly, leaning on his shoulder, "Way too soon, and he will be off to Hogwarts. I'm not ready."

Harry leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We'll never be ready, but it's going to happen soon."

George walked over to them, "Here," he said, handing them each a basket.

Hermione took it, "What is this for?"

George grinned, "Do you think I would let them have all the fun? Nah, I hid special eggs for us in the marsh as soon as they're done. Accio should do it."

Hermione grinned at Harry as the kids returned, "I think I'll get more eggs than you."

Harry stared at her, "It's on Granger."

As soon as Fred II was announced as the winner, George had the adults get ready, and off they ran. Hermione snorted as Harry dove for an egg, trying to keep it from Ginny. Shaking her head, Hermione stood in one spot, "Accio red egg." Two eggs came flying. "Accio orange eggs," and so on through the rainbow. Looking towards George, she heard Angelina scream profanities at Percy through the reeds, "How many eggs were hidden for us?"

George asked her, "25. How many do you have?"

"Umm…" Hermione counted them, "15."

George laughed, then sonorous, saying, "Hey losers, Hermione has 15, and there are only ten more."

Slowly, everyone emerged from the marsh, many wet and dirty. Harry walked over to Hermione, "How'd you do it?"

"Accio worked just like George said," Hermione said with a grin as she saw dirt all over his chest. Brushing the dirt away, she couldn't help but linger for a moment, feeling the firmness of his chest beneath the fabric.

Harry looked at her, "What?"

"Nothing. How many did you get?" she asked, stepping back.

"Six," Harry said, looking at her basket, "I can't believe Accio worked."

Hermione shrugged, "I just called for all the solid colors. Work smarter, not harder," she said with a grin.

"Time for cake!" Molly announced as she walked to the set-up table to put Teddy's birthday cake on it.

*~*~* April 14, 2007 *~*~*

As Hermione stepped inside, she scanned the room for her friends. It had been a while since most, if not all, of the girls had been able to get together, and nearly all of them were able to come today. It would be nice to catch up with all of them. Spotting three tables shoved together in the back of the restaurant, she saw Hannah, Parvati, Susan, Daphne, Lavender, Katie, Alicia, Luna, Pansy, Angelina, and Ginny were all seated, drinks already in hand, laughing.

"Hermione!" Luna called out as the other girls echoed her name.

Walking through the crowded restaurant, she sat in an available chair and thanked everyone. "It's so good to see all of you," Hermione said, looking around the table, "It's been too long."

"It really has," Hannah agreed.

As the conversation flowed, Hermione looked at Angelina, "How are you feeling?"

Angelina rubbed her stomach, "I'm ready for her to be out. As much as she loves to play with my lungs and liver, I think she will be a copy of her father."

Alicia turned to Hermione, "So, who are you dating these days?"

Hermione blushed, "No one at the moment."

Parvati frowned, "You are the last of us to not be in a relationship, Hermione."

"Hey!" Ginny interjected.

Parvati stared at Ginny, "We all know you're sleeping with your teammate. Just friends, my arse. Anyways, don't you want to be in a relationship?"

"Of course I do, I just… I made the mistake of preferring to put my career first, and," Hermione bit her lip, "The relationships I've been in just haven't worked out."

"Well, there is a new thing called Wizarding Blind Dating. Have you heard of it?" Lavender asked.

Hermione scoffed, "Wizarding Blind Dating? Seriously?"

Lavender nodded, "It's all the rage right now, inspired by Muggles. Instead of completely blind dates like muggles. Everyone goes through an interview process. They run checks on everyone. They even do a compatibility test. You wear this special glamour that gives you a different look when you go. You can even change your voice if you want. You even get a fake name that is given to you. It would be perfect for you because no one knows they're talking to Hermione Granger until you decide to reveal it."

"Would you think about it?" Parvati asked.

Hermione shook her head, "No, never."

"Oh, come on, Hermione," Daphne chimed in, "It could be fun."

"You might meet someone amazing," Susan added.

Hermione laughed, "I appreciate the thought, but I'm good now."

Pansy shook her head and raised her glass of sparkling grape juice thanks to her newly announced pregnancy, "To Hermione and her independence!"

The women laughed and raised their glasses as Luna and Ginny looked at Hermione.

*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*

"The rest of April was nothing significant. At the beginning of May, we announced The Golden Trio: The Hogwarts Years series at the Remembrance Ceremony. I had finished the first book, The Golden Trio and the Philosopher's Stone. The Wands for Warriors Charity Ball was coming up, and I was going to announce the first book at it," Hermione told Luna as she looked at Harry, "Harry offered to come with me."

Luna smiled as she looked at Harry, "That's when we started Operation Knock Your Socks off Part Two?"

"That's when we did Part Two," Hermione said, squeezing Harry's hand as he left the room to check on Teddy.

*~*~* May 19, 2007 *~*~*

Hermione stepped out of her bedroom wearing a black cold-shoulder dress with large gold sequins running down from her left shoulder across her body like a sash. Walking down the stairs, she saw Harry waiting at the bottom of them, wearing a suit and tie. "Well, don't you look nice?"

Harry glanced up at her, and his eyes widened, "You look amazing."

Hermione smiled as she set foot on the floor, "Are we ready?"

"Teddy is at Luna and Ron's house already. I didn't even have to walk him through the floo. He held up his hand, said, 'I got this, Dad,' and left. Since when did I become Dad?" Harry asked as Hermione grabbed her purse off the decorative table and slid on her heels.

"He is growing up," Hermione said sadly, "Mumma will be a name in the past sooner than I would want. Ready?"

Harry held out his arm, "Let's apparate."

When they arrived, the Wands for Warriors Charity Ball was already in full swing as witches and wizards in elegant wear milled around in their finest attire. Arm in arm with Harry, they stood at the entrance, taking in the scene before them.

Smoothing down her dress, she looked at him, "It's a bit overwhelming, isn't it?"

Harry looked at her, "I don't know how you come to so many of these, but we are here for a good cause, and you will do great with your announcement."

Hermione nodded as she let out a breath. Tonight, she would announce that the first book in their series, The Golden Trio and the Philosopher's Stone, would be released on the 29th of the month. People would begin to understand the story of their adventures, struggles, and victories they went through each year to survive. They were waiting for the teachers mentioned in the book to sign off on using their names, and they could begin publishing this week.

Wizards and witches from the Ministry started approaching them, mingling as they made their way to the bar. Finally reaching it, Harry ordered himself a Firewhiskey and her a Gilly Water. Hermione glanced down the bar to see Draco staring at a drink in front of him, "Harry," she said, motioning down the bar.

Taking their drinks, Harry led her down the bar, "Hey Draco."

Draco glanced up at him, "Harry, Hermione," He nodded, seeing her.

"Draco," Hermione greeted, "How are you?"

Draco sighed as he glanced around before leaning towards them, "Astoria is pregnant. She is due in January."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, "Draco, that's wonderful news. The curse will be off your back, finally. Congratulations to both of you."

Harry grasped his shoulder, "Congrats, Draco. That's fantastic."

Draco took a sip, "Yeah, it's just a lot. We're both very excited." Draco glanced behind him and stood up, finishing his drink, "And morning sickness is a lie. It's all the time."

Hermione watched him hurry over to the more pale than normal Astoria and take her arm to pull her towards the dance floor.

As the band began to play a slow tune, Harry asked Hermione, "Would you like to dance?"

Hermione looked at him momentarily, "I'd love to."

Taking her hand in his, Harry led her to the dance floor as a song ended. Hermione tried not to gasp as a famous muggle song by Etta James, "At Last," began to play as Harry pulled her close. They swayed gently to the music as the rest of the room faded away, and she felt his heart beating in time with hers.

"Are you okay with Draco's announcement?" Harry asked softly against her ear.

Hermione's eyes closed as the warmth from his breath sent tingles through her body, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm fine because Draco and I would never have lasted. I wasn't in love with Draco. Sirius told me there is a curse on his… our family, purebloods trying to stay pure. That's why I felt the pull to him."

Harry frowned in thought, "Because…oh."

"Yeah, because we are family. It's as revolting now as you'd think," Hermione said with a small laugh, "Sirius told me not to think about it. It's the Pureblood way. It's weird to think now that I'm a half-blood after knowing differently for so long."

Harry stepped back as the song ended and gently tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers briefly lingering on her cheek, "So it just members of the Black family or all Purebloods?"

Hermione licked her lips, meeting his gaze, "Just members of the Black family. I don't feel the pull with Draco anymore, and other than Draco, there aren't any other members of that family now. So, I guess I'm safe now."

Harry spun her around gracefully, then brought her back into his arms, "Good."

Hermione felt a sense of peace and contentment as they danced in comfortable silence. Harry held her close when the song ended, "You know Hermione, I'm glad I came with you tonight."

She smiled up at him, "Me too, Harry." With a sigh, she looked up to see her publisher at the top of the stairs, "Damnit, but duty calls."

Harry held out his arm, "Let's go announce that book."

Standing before everyone, Hermione looked to Harry as she made the preorder announcement, which was met with applause and excitement. Walking to the platform's edge, Harry held out his hand for her as she stepped down off it to people yelling for comments from the few press members. She ignored most of it until someone yelled, "Hermione, you look amazing in that dress. Witch Weekly wants to know where you got it!"

Hermione smiled, taking Harry's hand, "Phoenix Boutique, of course." Glancing at Harry, she grinned, "Let's go home."

*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*

"So, were things changing in your relationship?" Luna asked, "I didn't realize it started that early."

"Nothing was changing, but I let myself be more comfortable with him. It was easy to forget about Ginny when we were in New York. So, we were… lest I say it, physical with our interactions. We slept in the same bed, hugged and cuddled. Honestly, I thought nothing about it at the time. Ginny was a reality when we came home, and he chose her, so I stepped back. But she was out of the picture when they broke up, but I was with Draco. By the time I broke up with Draco, he was…well, I thought he was sleeping around and doing what he wanted to do for the first time. I didn't want to push him into anything he wasn't ready for. Then he was with Barbie. After Barbie, though, he never seemed to date, and it was almost like… we were back in New York." Hermione smiled as she closed her eyes, "I don't know how many nights we fell asleep together on the couch. We'd wake up with stiff necks but rested. But I think we were both scared to push past that point. Afraid to take that leap."

"When did it change?" Luna asked.

"Not yet. We released the Golden Trio and the Philosopher's Stone on the 29th. It was a huge seller. The publisher also tweaked a few things and went to a Muggle publisher. It wasn't a popular choice, but after going to three publishers, she found one that was interested in it as a children's book for older children and teens. Dean was our illustrator. We are a book behind in the muggle market because they don't want to rush it like the Flourish and Blott publishers do," Hermione told her.

*~*~* June 22, 2007 *~*~*

Walking through the Ministry of Magic halls, Hermione felt the plush carpet of the Minister's floor padding her steps as she neared Kingsley's office upon her summons. She thought he had news for her since nothing new was developing in her office. Knocking on his door, Kingsley called her in.

"Hermione, please have a seat," he said warmly.

"Thank you, Minster," Hermione replied, sitting down, "Are we finally ready to announce the Sentient division?"

Kingsley nodded, "Yes indeed. The announcement will go out on Monday, but the Wizengamot didn't like the sentient wording, so we will call it the MLE Creatures Division."

Hermione nodded, "That's fantastic news. Thank you for pushing this forward."

Kingsley's face slightly smiled before it grew more serious. "Hermione, I wanted you here for another reason." He stated as there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" he called.

The door opened, and Gawain Robards entered, followed closely by Harry. Hermione felt her heart race as she saw Harry, who looked just as puzzled as she was.

"Sir," Hermione nodded to Robards.

Harry gave her a questioning look, and she shrugged, equally confused.

Kingsley stood up and walked around to the front of his desk, leaning against it, "I've brought you all here because, on Monday, we will be having our first promotion ceremony since before the war. We have some significant announcements to make." He turned to Hermione, "We are appointing Hermione as the new Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Creatures Division. The MLE will absorb her department."

"Congratulations, Ms. Granger," Robards said.

"Thank you, I'm honoured," Hermione told him.

Kingsley looked at him, "Percy Weasley will be named the head of the Department of Magical Transportation, and Gawain will be named the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Kingsley turned to Harry, "And for that reason, we need a new head auror."

Harry's eyes widened, and Hermione felt him grab her hand, his magic swirling under his skin, reaching out to her. She tried to use her occlumency to calm him.

"Sir?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Potter, no one else deserves the position of Head Auror more than you. Do you want the job?" Robards asked.

Hermione could barely contain her excitement. She knew what this meant. Harry would be safer, more in a command role than in the field all the time. "Yes!" She wanted to shout but held herself back.

Harry looked conflicted, "Can I take a moment to think about it?"

"Of course," Kingsley replied.

Hermione found herself being pulled out of the office as Harry pulled Hermione into an empty one next door, "What do I say?" he asked, panicked.

Hermione smiled, "It's your choice, Harry, not mine. I would love it if you were Head Auror, but it's up to you."

Harry began pacing, "It could mean longer hours."

"We'll make do," Hermione said with a shrug.

Harry stopped pacing and looked at her, "I'll do it, but only on one condition."

Hermione followed him back to Kingsley's office, and Kingsley smiled, "That was fast."

Harry took a deep breath, "I have one stipulation. I'll do it on one condition. We start a wolfsbane program, since Hermione's division is working with us."

Robards nodded immediately, "Together, we can make it happen."

Kingsley stood up, extending his hand, "Do we have a deal?"

Hermione's eyes welled up as Harry took Kingsley's hand, "We have a deal."

"Congratulations, Head Auror Potter," Robards said, hitting Harry on the shoulder.

*~*~* June 22, 2007 *~*~*

Stepping out of the floo, laughing as Harry came right after her, Hermione smiled at Sirius, "Hey, Sirius."

Sirius set down the draft of the second book that Hermione had given him, "You two seem to be in a good mood."

"You are looking at the new Head Auror of the Department of Law Enforcement," Hermione said with a smile.

"And the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement Creature Division," Harry said proudly.

Sirius jumped up, making them both jump back, surprised. "This calls for a celebration! We have to go out and celebrate. I'll get Molly to get Teddy, and I know exactly where to get reservations. You two get dressed up all nice, and I'll get it all set up!" he said as he grinned and went to his suite.

"I guess we are going to dinner," Hermione stated.

Harry frowned at his dress shirt, "And I guess what we are wearing isn't suitable."

Hermione started up the stairs, Harry following her. "I'm going to change, at the very least, get out of this pantyhose."

Harry stumbled on the stairs, nearly falling into her legs, "Shite, I need to fix that step."

Hermione glanced back at him as she walked backward, teasing him, "Careful there, Head Auror. Wouldn't want to see your career cut short over a broken step."

Harry laughed as he caught himself on the railing, "Yeah, I can't be taken down by a staircase. Not after all the dark wizards I've faced."

Hermione headed up to her room as Harry went into his own. Harry knocked on her door as she flipped through her wardrobe. " Are you decent?"

"Yeah," Hermione told him as he came in, "I can't figure out what he thinks would be appropriate. Do you think it will be karaoke? I know he's been on about going to karaoke lately."

Harry groaned as he sat on her bed, "I hope not."

Hermione pulled a deep blue dress out and held it to her, "What do you think?"

Harry looked at her, "You could wear anything, but wear the white one."

Hermione nodded as she pulled out the white short-sleeved dress, and Harry turned over, placing his face into one of her pillows so she could get dressed. She glanced at him as she reached behind her, "Oh no."

"What?" his muffled voice asked.

"I can't reach my zipper. Can you help me?" Hermione asked, biting her lip.

Harry pushed himself up and sat on his knees, "Come here."

Hermione held her hair to the side as Harry slid the zipper down slightly, "More, right down to my bra strap, please."

Slowly Harry slid it down, then Hermione turned, looking at him, "Thanks."

Harry reassumed his position face down in her pillow, and Hermione smiled as she stepped out of her dress. She then put the white dress on and started buttoning it up, "Alright, I have my dress on."

Harry rolled over and opened his eyes, "Shit, I can see your bra," Harry stated, covering his eyes.

Hermione rolled her eyes with a smile as she buttoned it the rest of the way, "How about this now?"

Harry looked between his fingers and then dropped his hands. Standing up, he walked over to her and buttoned another button. " There are too many awful guys out there."

Hermione stared into his eyes and was about to say something when Sirius came to her door.

"Good, you are both dressed. Come on! Our reservations are in 30 minutes," Sirius told them.

Harry cleared his throat, "Coming."

"Thank you," Hermione smiled as Harry held the door open for her and Sirius.

Sirius approached the hostess, "Reservation for a table for Black, please."

She smiled, "Hello, Mr. Black. I will go see if your table is ready," she said as she walked away.

Sirius frowned and looked at his phone, "Oh no, Molly needs me to get Teddy. You two enjoy dinner without me."

Hermione watched him as he left, "Molly doesn't have a mobile phone."

Harry just laughed as the waiter came over with their menus. "Right this way."

Hermione followed the waiter to their table, where he stopped at a table for two with lit candles and a bottle of champagne chilling.

"That dog," Harry stated as Hermione giggled.

"Well, we might as well enjoy it," Hermione told him as she looked at the waiter, "This is the table for Mr. Black, right?"

The waiter nodded, "This is Mr. Black's usual table and setup. Is it not to your liking? I can get a different bottle of wine."

Hermione shook her head. "No, this is fine. Thank you," she said as Harry pulled her chair out.

Sitting down, she opened her menu as the waiter left, "Why do I think that Sirius may have a girlfriend if this is his usual table?" Hermione asked, "Why do I feel he's hiding something?"

Harry looked at her, "Shit, I think you are right. Who else would he be bringing to a place like this regularly."

Hermione laughed as the waiter returned to pour them two glasses of wine and take their order.

As they relaxed and started talking about work, the sweet sounds of a violin filled the air as a violinist appeared at their table.

Glancing at each other, they started laughing.

*~*~* June 23, 2007 *~*~*

Harry was brushing his teeth while Hermione tried taming her hair when his phone rang. Hermione glanced at it as Harry spit into the sink, "It's Dudley."

Quickly rinsing his mouth, Harry answered it on speaker, "Hey, Dud. I can't talk long. What's up?"

"Harry, is it possible for you to come to Privet Drive tonight? Mum invited Padma and me to have dinner with them for my birthday, but they don't know Padma is magical, and I may need your support."

Harry looked at Hermione, who nodded, "Can Hermione and Teddy come too?"

"Of course," Dudley said relieved.

That evening, Harry pulled into the familiar driveway of Privet Drive. Teddy had happily chatted about a new video game, keeping the silence minimal during their whole drive there and cutting into the tension. Parking behind another car, they saw Dudley getting out of his own.

Padma exited the passenger side and hugged Hermione, "Congratulations on the new job! That's exciting. You and Harry are working together now."

Hermione blushed, "Thanks."

The front door opened, and Petunia Dursley stood in the doorway as Harry was getting Teddy and the bottles of wine out of the car. Dudley took Padma's hand and led her over to his mother.

"Hey Mum, I told you that I was bringing some friends. I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Padma. Padma, this is my Mum, Petunia."

Padma smiled, "It's nice to meet you finally. I brought a pie," she said as she held it up. "Is that okay?"

"That looks delightful," Petunia said, eyeing the pie.

Hermione took Teddy's hand as he and Harry walked up to her and followed him to the house.

"Harry?" Petunia asked as she saw him.

Harry gave her a slight smile, "Hello, Aunt Petunia. I know you've met Hermione before but haven't met my godson, Teddy. Teddy, this is my Aunt Petunia."

Teddy walked over to her with a polite smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

Petunia stared at him momentarily, then stepped aside, "Come in."

Harry trailed behind everyone and looked around after crossing the threshold, "You've changed the wallpaper," He commented as Hermione looked around to see a new floral pattern.

Vernon Dursley entered the room, hiking up his trousers, "Dudders, you brought friends." Looking past Padma, he smiled at Hermione, "You must be Padma."

Dudley frowned, "No, Dad. This is Padma. Padma, this is my dad, Vernon."

Vernon's jaw clenched as he looked at Padma. Glancing back at Hermione, his eyes fell on Harry, "Potter?"

"Hello, Uncle Vernon," Harry said calmly.

Vernon turned his signature red shade and stormed into the sitting room. Dudley sighed and turned to Padma, "Don't hate me if he says something stupid."

Padma smiled, kissing his cheek, "Never."

Hermione took Teddy's hand and then followed them towards the sitting room.

"I cannot believe how much you've grown," Petunia said sadly to Harry.

Hermione stopped at the doorway, surprised as she saw Harry look at her just as surprised.

"I'm turning 27 next month," Harry told her, "Just like Dudley. He and I have been in touch. Did he tell you?"

Petunia nodded, then looked at Hermione, "And this is Hermione, was it?"

"Hello, ma'am," Hermione said politely.

Petunia looked at Teddy sadly, "You have a son?"

Harry shook his head, "As good as, but no. He is my godson. His parents were killed in the war, and he lost his grandmother. Hermione and I are his godparents, so he lives with us."

A tear rolled down Petunia's cheek, "I know you'll never forgive us, but I'm so sorry, Harry. I never meant for any of what happened to happen. We should have raised the two of you together. Instead, I let Vernon win, and he was awful to you. I was awful to you. Lily would hate me if she knew."

Harry stared at her, "Dudley will tell you both today that Padma is a witch. We went to school together. Don't screw their relationship up with old archaic prejudices. We've lived through enough trauma in our lives. He likes her."

Petunia nodded, "I will try to be better."

Hermione watched her walk past her and looked at Harry as he ran his hand over his face. Swallowing hard, she glanced at the cupboard under the stairs, "Is that it?"

Harry nodded, and Hermione moved towards it, but he stopped her, "No," He said firmly, "I've moved past it. Don't dwell on it, Hermione."

A tear rolled down her cheek, "It's hard not to."

Harry put his arm around her waist and guided her towards the sitting room, "I know. Let's go support Dud."

*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*

Hermione ran her hand over her face, "God, this seems like it happened just yesterday, but so long ago at the same time."

Luna smiled, "What happened in July?"

"Well, we settled in our new positions. It was nice to have Harry around more. Robards only got called out on the field for the big cases. Draco was assigned a new partner and was in Harry's office often complaining about him," Hermione told her, "I was mostly coordinating incidents and teams with a new team of Aurors. I would send out three members of my teams and one auror."

"You guys weren't together yet, but you seemed closer than ever," Luna stated.

Hermione nodded, "We started doing things together again. He told me that he was glad to have his best friend back. I didn't realize I had left, but I guess I had put too much distance between us. We went hiking and had Friday night movie nights again, just like we did in New York. Mondays were coffee dates in the morning. On Tuesdays, we always had lunch together. Harry brings me lunch to my office. Wednesdays are his field day, and on Thursdays, Ron comes to the Ministry, and we have lunch with him. Fridays are our early days if we can. We got into a nice routine."

"How were things with Sirius?" Luna asked.

"We all were in therapy," Hermione laughed, "Still are. Now that we are together, we do family therapy once a month. It helps, but we started finding our groove as a family. I got tickets in the Harpies suite through Ginny for Harry's birthday."

*~*~* July 28, 2007 *~*~*

Hermione took a moment to enjoy the view of the filling stands, with many fans wearing Weasley jerseys. The stadium was a sea of green and blue as fans cheered and waved banners. Teddy was beside her, looking over the railing as his hair turned green and blue. Harry was next to him, looking equally excited.

Harry and Teddy were barely in their seats throughout the game, and they shouted and cheered with the crowd. Hermione watched them from their seats with a smile. Sirius came over and sat beside her, handing her a pretzel.

"So, when are you going to tell him?" Sirius asked.

Hermione looked at him, "Tell him what?"

Sirius sighed, "That you love him. He loves you too, Hermione. Trust me."

Glancing at Harry, holding Teddy up as the Harpies scored, she couldn't help but smile, "Soon. If we aren't together by the end of the year, I'll tell him."

Sirius leaned back in his seat, "Good."

The final whistle blew, and the Harpies were heading to the finals next week. Hermione couldn't help but laugh as Harry raised Teddy onto his shoulders. "Best day ever!" Teddy yelled.

Time slowed as Hermione's eyes met Harry's, and he smiled at her, making her heart skip a beat.

a/n: We have made it to 2007! Things will rapidly start moving along now and they will be together before the end of this month!

Thank you for the follows this week: gidae2016, crazybeasty, oliviarials, sbooth5077, from some world over there, bkohl, , Baba2Trappy, and Katie Knoshaug.

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Preview of next week's Chapter 27: Enchanted

Stephen sat back, "Easy, accio."

Maybe it was the wine or her feelings towards him, but when the timer went off, Hermione nearly grabbed him and disapparated.

Stephen got off the stool and walked over to her. Kissing the back of her hand, he ran his fingers over the ink stains on her hands, "I hope the rest of your night is filled with laughter and uncovering the secrets of the wizarding world. I bid you goodnight, my lady."

She glanced at her card and saw, 'Wizard 38- Stephen- 98%.' just before it switched to the next wizard. Gasping, she looked up and tried to catch his eye. She saw the woman next to her pouting, "Where did the wizard that was just with me go?" Hermione asked.

The woman pouted, "He was gorgeous, wasn't he? He said he got a call and had to leave."

Hermione barely remembered anything about the final 10 wizards sitting in the chair across her. The remainder of the session consisted of fake laughter, fake smiles, and insincere conversation as she glanced around, watching for Stephen to come back.

Ginny bounded over as the session ended, "How'd it go?"

Hermione watched the wizards file out, "Well, there was one that stuck out."

"Just one?" Ginny asked, "What happened?"

"He was… different," Hermione told her, "His name was Stephen, and he was funny, charming and…" She glanced at her card, "We had a 98% compatibility score."

Ginny's eyes widened, "98%? That's amazing! Did you get his contact information?"

Hermione shook her head, "He had to leave suddenly. Some kind of call."