A/N: I do not own any character references by JK Rowling in the Harry Potter series or agree with her comments. This story is a product of my pure imagination.
It's been a long time
And seeing the shape of your name
Still spells out pain
It wasn't right
The way it all went down
Looks like you know that now
Yes, I got your letter
Yes, I'm doing better
It cut deep to know ya
Right to the bone
Yes, I got your letter
Yes, I'm doing better
I know that it's over
I don't need your closure
Your closure
~Closure by Taylor Swift
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"So, the dreams were still happening?" Luna asked.
Hermione nodded, "And they were getting more frequent."
Turning through her journal, she said, "In June, I met Nick. I honestly didn't want to date anymore. He just seemed always to be there."
*~*~* June 10, 2006 *~*~*
The beat of the music and colorful lights flashed through the club as Hermione found herself in a sea of people dancing with Luna, Parvati, and Pansy. Enjoying herself on a night out with the girls, she threw her arms around Luna's neck.
A tall, dark-haired man danced his way over. Smiling at her, he asked, "Mind if I cut in?"
"Not at all," Parvati replied, letting him in as they continued to dance.
After several dances, he leaned into Hermione, "Can I buy you a drink?"
Hermione nodded, glancing at Luna, then followed him to the bar as Luna followed them. She ordered water, and Hermione asked to keep the cap.
"Just water?" he asked, surprised.
Hermione nodded, "I'm Hermione, by the way."
"Nick Murphy," He stated, holding his hand out for her to shake, "Nice to meet you. Let's cut to the chase. I am a 30-year-old doctor. I love museums, running and cooking. What about you?"
"Hermione Granger. I am 26. I am a solicitor, and I love going to bookstores, running, and not cooking," Hermione told him, "Being a doctor is impressive."
Nick shrugged, "I enjoy helping people."
"Me too," Hermione stated.
"Sounds like we have a lot in common. Would you be interested in going out sometime?" Nick asked.
Hermione hesitated momentarily, "Would you be willing to double date?" She asked.
Nick grinned, "Absolutely, who do you have in mind?"
"My friend Padma and her boyfriend Dudley," Hermione said as he wrote down his contact information on a receipt, "I'll let you know.
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"You were still scared," Luna told her.
"Of course I was. I didn't feel comfortable going out alone with everything that went down," Hermione told her. "Oh! Gabrielle was born on June 13th, and I was there for her birth."
*~*~* June 13, 2006 *~*~*
"All right, what movie are we watching?" Hermione asked, walking into the sitting room to see Teddy in the recliner and Harry lying on the couch.
Harry looked up at her. "I found a good movie called The Pacifier at the video store." Harry pointed the remote at the VCR and hit play, then threw the remote down. "Come lay down with me."
Hermione stared at him momentarily and then moved carefully onto the couch. Her heartbeat increased as Harry wrapped his arm around her stomach to hold her as she settled against his chest.
Hermione tried to focus on the movie as she felt Harry's heartbeat and breathing through her back against Harry's chest as Teddy watched the film with them when the fireplace roared to life, and Blaise's face appeared in the flames.
"Hermione!" Blaise yelled, panicked, "Daphne is in labour, and I don't know what to do! The medi-witch isn't here yet."
Hermione looked over at Harry and Teddy.
"Go," Harry said, "I'll handle things here."
"Thank you," Hermione said as she stood up and kissed his cheek, "I'll be back as soon as possible."
Giving a quick hug to Teddy, Hermione flooed over to Blaise and Daphne's house, where Daphne's plan was for a home birth. When she arrived, Daphne was in the middle of a contraction, gripping Blaise's hand.
"You're here!" Daphne cried out in relief as she saw Hermione.
"I'm here," Hermione said, rushing to her side, "You are doing great, Daphne. Just keep breathing."
The next ten hours were a whirlwind of contractions, tears, pushing, and encouragement. Staying by their side the whole time, fetching anything that they needed. Hermione was sopping Daphne's forehead with a cool cloth as Daphne swore and threatened to cut off a certain appendage.
With one last push, the room was filled with the sound of a newborn's cry. Collapsing back against the pillows, tears of exhaustion and joy streamed down Daphne's face as the healer cleaned the baby.
"It's a girl!" The healer announced, wrapping her in a soft blanket and placing her in Daphne's arms.
Daphne looked down at her daughter, "She's beautiful."
Hermione watched, tears in her eyes, as Blaise took his daughter into his arms.
"Thank you, Hermione," Daphne said with a tired smile, "But before I pass out in exhaustion, we want to ask you something."
Blaise looked at Hermione, "Will you be Gabrielle's godmother?"
Hermione gasped in surprise, "Seriously?"
Daphne nodded as more tears came down her face, "I can't stop them. Of course, you are the best woman for the job. You will protect her."
Hermione wiped away a tear. "I would be honoured. Thank you for trusting me with this."
Daphne drifted off, and Blaise smiled, "We're lucky to have you in our lives, Hermione."
*~*~* June 18, 2006 *~*~*
She was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping her morning coffee as she flipped through the Daily Prophet. The usual headlines were about ministry policies, Quidditch matches, and gossip. Turning the page, her eyes landed on an article, Draco Malfoy Weds Astoria Greengrass in Lavish Ceremony.
Straightening the newspaper, she read the article, which stated that the couple had been betrothed since before Astoria was born and that Astoria was the younger sister of Daphne Zabini. The wedding was a spectacular affair.
"I'm surprised you weren't invited to the wedding," Hermione said, throwing the newspaper at Harry.
"Oh, he invited me. I didn't feel like going, honestly," Harry told her as he put toast on her plate and then took the paper, "The big Pureblood weddings just are too much."
Hermione bit her lip, "Are you still upset about you and Ginny?"
"Hell no, that's not it at all. If I had to choose, I'd be right here, though. Just like we did instead, we watched a Disney movie with Teddy. It was a great night. That was good enough for me," Harry told her as he kissed her head, "I'm going to shower before we go to the Burrow."
Hermione felt the top of her head as he raced away.
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"Had he ever kissed the top of your head before?" Luna asked.
"No, it confused me. Then, two days later, MACUSA requested that Harry come while Draco was on his honeymoon, so Harry was gone for another two weeks. They did catch a few more of the PPA members, though. They were getting bolder but making mistakes," Hermione told Luna.
"What was happening with you here?" Luna asked.
"Parvati, Dudley, and I went out with Nick because he wouldn't stop calling, and then I ran at the park and ran into Nick. That should have been my first clue that he was suspicious, but it was a public park. I was being nice, and it was in public, so we sat at the picnic tables and talked. Then, he started talking about love at first sight for him and that I was the only person he could talk to freely. I found it a bit weird, so I stepped back from him. I made excuses by saying that I was busy," Hermione told her, "I'm not stupid."
*~*~* July 9, 2006 *~*~*
Hermione and Teddy found themselves at the Weasley dinner table for the Sunday night dinner as the family passed dishes, exchanged stories, and enjoyed everyone's company. Glancing down to the other end of the table, she saw Harry, who had just come home, and Ginny sitting together, talking about Quidditch. Harry was laughing at whatever Ginny said and casually draped his arm around Ginny's shoulders.
Hermione tried to focus on the conversation Bill and Charlie had attempted to pull her into. Still, her mind kept drifting to Harry and Ginny. The taste of blood brought her back to the present, and she realized that she must have been chewing on her lips without realizing it.
"Hermione, your lip is bleeding," Charlie said, handing her a napkin.
Hermione blinked, then licked away the metallic tang, "Oh, thanks, Charlie."
Charlie looked at her, concerned, "Are you alright?"
Hermione breathed, glancing at Harry and Ginny, "I need to go. I just remembered that I need to take care of something."
Quickly gathering her things, Hermione walked outside and apparated to Pansy's house.
Pansy welcomed her with open arms and a bottle of wine, "So tell me what this is all about because you are a badass woman, and you've given up alcohol. Yet, here you are, drinking with me."
Hermione ran her hand over her face, "I think Harry and Ginny are back together."
"And Harry thought you were with Viktor, and you weren't. You are both idiots," Pansy told her, pouring another glass of wine.
After a couple of hours passed, Pansy went to bed and told her she could stay the night if she wanted. Hermione took out her phone.
Hermione: (20:23) Harry James… I miss you.
Setting her phone aside, she sighed and laid her head in her arms. Glancing at it, she saw his reply.
Harry: (20:24) Hermione, where are you? Are you okay? You just took off.
Hermione: (20:24) Did you know that I love you?
Harry: (20:25) I know. I love you too. Where are you? Please let me know if you are okay.
Hermione: (20:25) I'm great. I've been drinking at Pansys. Ive had too much to drink.
Harry: (20:25) Stay there. I'm coming to get you.
Hermione put her phone down and looked at the door as Pansy walked into the room in her robe, "Did I wake you?"
Pansy shook her head, "No, just can't sleep."
"Harry is coming to get me," Hermione told her, slurring her words.
"Good, you need to talk to him, Hermione," Pansy said as there was a knock on her door, and she frowned, "Did you tell him where to go?"
Hermione frowned, "No."
Pansy walked over to the door and opened it, "How the hell did you know where I live, Potter?"
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
Hermione frowned. "You just showed up, and you had never been there before. You ignored Pansy and came in screaming that she got me drunk," she stated to Harry, sitting on the couch beside her. "How did you know?"
Harry sighed, "I was starting to understand the bond and that somehow there is a pull, and I knew it would bring me to you, and it did. All I had to do was think about it and feel it, and I was there at this door. I was confused, then Pansy asked how I knew where she lived. And it scared me, so I lashed out at her. It scared me because I didn't understand it. So, I brought you home, put you to bed, and then went into the library to find answers."
Hermione groaned, "All the bond books are in my room. I'm sure you found nothing."
"And I didn't. I asked a few people at work if it would be possible, and they all said it would be possible if I used blood magic. I knew I didn't. I realized I'd done it in the past, too," Harry said, "That necklace acts like a beacon, but I must be in the area. It alerts me that something is wrong, but I won't know where to find you. When you were drugged, I didn't think. I just reacted."
Hermione sighed, "So anyways, I woke up the next day, and now I know why Harry was avoiding me."
"Then Rita saw you out with Nick and did her article. It blew up the PPA saying that Hermione was a traitor to the wizarding kind for dating a muggle," Harry said, running his hand over his face, "Rita put a target on Hermione's head. Draco returned from his honeymoon and was suddenly best friends with Astoria."
Luna frowned, "They were married. Wasn't that a good thing?"
"It was weird. He went from being with resisting the betrothal and being with Hermione to going back to Astoria. He talked about her a bit, but we never saw her," Harry said, "I don't know."
"Did anything else happen in July?" Luna asked.
Hermione groaned, "I discovered I'm an imbecile and can be jealous."
*~*~* July 29, 2006 *~*~*
As the evening wore on at their monthly DA meetup, which was also Harry and Neville's birthday, Hermione became increasingly frustrated as she observed Ginny and Harry laughing together. They seemed so comfortable together. Hermione had been stewing and had been drinking.
As Ginny walked towards the lavatories, Hermione stormed over to Ginny, "Ginny," She said, catching her attention, "We need to talk."
Ginny looked at her surprised, "Sure, what's up?"
Hermione breathed deeply, "You need to figure out what you want. Stop playing with Harry and toying with him. Either decide you want to be with him or let him go."
Ginny's eyes widened, confused, before she laughed, surprised, "What are you talking about?"
Hermione huffed, "I know you're trying to get back with Harry."
Ginny snorted, "That's what you think? Harry just finally forgave me for how I betrayed him. He shouldn't have, but he has."
Hermione blinked, "What do you mean?"
Ginny sighed, pulling Hermione to a quieter area, "Hermione, I cheated on Harry. One of his Auror team members saw and told Harry, but he thought they were wrong because why would I be kissing a team member?"
Hermione stared at her, "Who?"
"Her name is Jennifer. She is our seeker. It started with me cheating twice with her, and then she got traded last year. When Harry and I broke up, I confessed because I had to let it all out," Ginny explained. "She's back with our team now."
Hermione swallowed hard, "I've been thinking that you and Harry are getting back together because you are getting along so well again."
"We knew we'd be better as friends. Without forcing romance, we can be friends," Ginny said quietly.
Hermione felt relieved and embarrassed, "I'm sorry, Ginny. I didn't know."
Ginny gave her a small smile, "It's alright, Hermione. I'm just not ready to share it with anyone."
When they returned to the group, Harry came over concerned, "Hermione, are you drunk?"
Hermione laughed, "I'm not drunk. Can I drunk person do this?" She asked, waving her hands.
Harry stared at her, "You aren't doing anything."
"But I am. I sent you my love," she hiccupped. "Did you not get it?"
Harry couldn't help but laugh as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "Come on, let's get you some water. I think swearing off alcohol has turned you into a lightweight."
Hermione sat down and patted his face, "I can't wait for the room to stop spinning so I can focus on your face again."
"I'm going to get you some water," Harry told her.
Hermione watched him leave for the bar, "You're so perfect. How can anyone be so perfect? Maybe you're just a dream. Damn, my dreams."
*~*~* August 17, 2006 *~*~*
Hermione was sitting in her bedroom working on research for her latest proposal when she heard a knock at her bedroom door, "Come on in!"
Harry opened the door and stepped inside, looking tired and worn. Walking over, he threw himself on her bed, "I need your help," he told her, running his hand through his hair.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked, closing her book.
He took a deep breath, "We've been tracking the activities of the Pureblood Purity Alliance. They've used house elves and other magical beings to do their dirty work. We need to find a way to stop them. I've been tracking their paths for the last two days, apparating where the magical signatures are showing us, and I've found nothing."
Hermione looked at him, "Tell me everything you know."
For hours, they poured over documents, texts, and notes, trying to figure out the magical beings' activities and what they may use in the future. Finally, exhaustion hit Harry, and he lay back against her pillow, his eyes heavy. Hermione continued to read, "Look at this, Harry. This says that house elves…" Hermione trailed off as she saw he was asleep.
Setting aside her book, she laid down next to him, staring at him for a while before she closed her eyes for a moment.
When she woke, the moonlight barely lit the room through her bedroom window. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was past midnight. Looking down, she saw that Harry had moved to her lap in his sleep. Gently running her fingers through his hair, she watched over him.
Harry stirred, groaning softly. Blinking up at her, a sleepy smile was on his lips, "Hermione?" He murmured.
"You fell asleep," Hermione whispered back.
Harry shifted and went to sit up but paused, his face turning pale, "Hermione, I don't feel so good."
"Lumos," Hermione said, seeing his face, "What's wrong?" Hermione felt his forehead, which was warm and clammy.
"I don't know. I feel off," He replied.
"Stay here," Hermione said as she jumped up and ran down the stairs to the floo, "Padma Patil residence. Padma, are you here?"
Padma appeared in the room in her pajamas, "Hermione? What's wrong?"
"Something is wrong with Harry," Hermione told her, "He's sick, and he got sick fast."
"I'll be right there. Let me get my kit," Padma told her.
Hermione stepped back, and Padma walked through moments later, "Where is he?"
"We were researching something in my room, and he fell asleep. He was hot and clammy when he woke up," Hermione told her as she led Padma up to her room.
Padma got to work running diagnostic spells to determine his sudden illness. Pulling a bottle out of her bag, she said, "Harry, sit up so you can take some of this extract of bezoar and this pepper-up potion."
Harry took both and swallowed them. The pepper-up potion made him look better, but he was still pale.
"Get some rest, Harry. That's what you need right now," Padma told him.
"Lay down, I'll be back," Hermione told him as she led Padma out of her bedroom, "So what is wrong?"
"Magical exhaustion and what appears to be food poisoning," Padma told her, "Let him get a good night's rest, and after the food poisoning wears off if he's not gaining his energy, bring him in."
"Thank you, Padma," Hermione said, walking her over to the floo.
"No problem. Night," Padma said as she left.
Hermione walked back up to her bedroom, and Harry gave her a weak smile, "Hey."
"Rest. You have magical exhaustion and food poisoning," Hermione said as she sat on the bed next to him.
"Lay down with me," Harry told her.
Hermione sighed as she lay beside him, "Just for a bit."
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"Ginny made the Quidditch World Cup after that. The Harpies lost, but chaos broke out after the game ended. The PPA targeted Muggleborns, aiming toward the suites, thinking I was in one of them because of Ginny. Harry and Draco ended up battling a group of them, and it turned out that the leader was Rosier," Hermione told them, "Not Evan Rosier, who Mad-Eye had killed, but his son. His mother, who had been killed right after his birth, then his father soon after, had been brought up by radical Pureblood grandparents. He went to Durmstrang when we were at Hogwarts."
"We took him into custody, and it turned out that his second in charge was Nick," Harry told Luna.
"Wait, the guy you were seeing?" Luna asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I told you I thought he was being weird. He was trying to use me to get me to feed information to Rosier. Rosier came to Hogwarts with Durmstrang and saw how close I was to Harry. Obviously, I was giving him nothing because I was avoiding him. Thankfully, Harry, Draco, and the other Aurors caught most of them. They found their base, and the operation was shut down within months," Hermione told her.
*~*~* September 19, 2006 *~*~*
When Hermione arrived home on her birthday after a long day at work, she was met with the smell of pizza, fried chicken, and jojos, which reminded her of New York. Her nose led her to the kitchen, where she found Harry and Teddy at the kitchen table, working on his homework.
"Smells amazing in here," Hermione commented.
Harry stood up and walked over to her, "Happy Birthday, Hermione!"
"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said as he hugged her, then kissed the top of her head as Teddy ran over and hugged her.
"I found a restaurant that had chicken, jojos, and pizza. I'm not sure if they will taste the same as Sandy's place did in New York, but I figured you loved it so much back then, we could try it here," Harry told her as he looked at Teddy. "Wash your hands for dinner."
Teddy raced to the sink and washed his hands, "Then, after dinner, I can show you my new room."
Hermione looked at Harry, "New bedroom?"
Harry shrugged. "Ron moved into Luna's house, and I talked to him. He said that we should put Teddy into his room. So that's what we've been working on."
After dinner, Teddy took her hand and led her up to his newly transformed room. Harry had moved everything from Teddy's room and his books from the library in her room to new bookshelves in his room. He even gave Teddy a desk and computer to work on his schoolwork.
"You got him a computer?" Hermione asked Harry.
"Have to change with the technology," Harry told her.
"Mumma, want to see your present?" Teddy asked.
"Sure," Hermione said as Teddy took her by the hand and led her to his old room. He opened the door, and Hermione gasped. Every inch of the room was covered in bookshelves and looked larger than before.
Glancing at Harry, Hermione nearly cried as she looked at the newly expanded room.
"I knocked out that wall to give you more room. We didn't need the closet on this floor; we should have done that for Teddy. I was able to put all the cleaning stuff in the closet in the bathroom," Harry told her, "I figured that we could make this your library. I wanted to make it into an office for you, but there isn't enough room for the desk up here and to open the shelves. I tried."
Hermione swallowed hard as she walked into the room and explored the shelves. Harry walked over to her. "The shelves are on wheels, and they pull out for a second row of shelves."
Hermione grabbed a handle and pulled it out to see another full shelf of books, "Harry, these aren't my books."
"Well, they are. I went to your favourite bookstore and found you had a wish list. I told the owner, and he got me all the books from it. He recommended some, too. I also got your wish list from Flourish and Blotts," Harry told her.
Tears fell down her face, "This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me."
Harry stepped closer to her, "I wouldn't do this for anyone but you, Hermione."
Hermione wiped away her tears, "If you give gifts like this to Barbie, you'll go broke, Harry."
Harry shook his head, "Barbie and I aren't serious. We like hanging out. This is different. You're different."
Staring into his eyes, Teddy ran into the room before she could reply. "Happy Birthday, Mumma! " he said, handing her a wrapped present.
Hermione took it, "I think it may be a book. Let me look." Tearing the paper, Hermione unwrapped the book and saw it was a handmade book within a journal. Opening the cover, he had drawn a castle and two males and a female.
"Teddy has been working hard on it," Harry told her.
"It's the story of a dragon slayer and the princess saving the world together. The princess is the smartest princess ever, and then they save the young prince after the King and Queen die," Teddy told her.
Hermione looked at Harry, who nodded. Pulling Teddy into a hug, she kissed his head, "I cannot wait to read it. I love it already."
*~*~* October 14, 2006 *~*~*
Arriving at Zabini Winery, Hermione inhaled the fresh air of the Italian countryside. She and the girls had come here to unwind and enjoy each other's company for the weekend, and Blaise even offered them their own rooms. After settling into her room, she met the girls on the patio for drinks. As they raised their glasses, Parvati held up her hand, drawing everyone's attention to a set of rings on her finger.
"You bitch!" Padma screamed as she came over and took Parvati's hand.
Parvati laughed, "I have some news. I can't drink this weekend because… I'm pregnant, and because of that, we got married."
Everyone toasted the news and gave Parvati hugs. Their moods were high as they caught up with each other. When they first started doing these girls' nights, it was chatting about dates and work or school. Now, conversations were about jobs, husbands and boyfriends, and funny stories about kids. With Emma Boot being born in September and Parvati being pregnant, the DA kid total was eleven, counting the Weasley children. Hogwarts would be busy in 10 or so years.
Heading down to dinner, a delicious spread of dishes and fine wines had been prepared for them. Laughter filled their table as they reminisced about their own Hogwarts years. The sunset gave the room a gorgeous glow as it seemed to grow colder than the breeze blowing through the open patio doors should have been.
"What happened to you in our second year, Hermione?" Parvati asked. "You were gone for weeks before you were petrified."
Hermione groaned, "It's a long story, I…" Hermione trailed off as the room suddenly plunged into winter, and a familiar icy dread washed over her. "Dementor."
Hermione, Luna, Parvati, and others stood, their wands ready. Surveying the room, Hermione saw a dementor glide through the patio doors sucking the warmth and happiness from the room. Hermione watched in terror as it zeroed in on a man four tables away from them. Pulling back its hood, it was about to deliver the man's fate.
Closing her eyes, she thought of Harry and Teddy giving her the library and how he made her feel. Pulling magic to her core and from the room around her, she opened her eyes, "Expecto Patronum!" She shouted.
A brilliant, bright blue doe burst from her wand, more powerful than any Patronus she had ever cast. It charged at the dementor. When it impacted with it, the light was so intense that the dementor seemed to explode into shreds, nothingness other than pieces of robes.
The room was filled with stunned silence as the blue light faded and her patronus faded away. Luna put her hand on Hermione's arm as she shook, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Pulling her phone out, she called Harry.
"Hey Hermione, having fun?" Harry asked as he answered.
"Harry, a dementor just attacked the winery," Hermione told him.
"Is it still there?" Harry asked as she heard him screaming for Draco.
"No, I destroyed it," Hermione told him.
"I'll be right there," Harry said as he hung up.
Harry, Draco, and their team arrived at the winery within minutes. The Aurors spread out, interviewing all the patrons and securing the area. A healer examined the victim, who was out of it but thankfully not soulless, and then transported the man to St. Mungo's.
Harry finally walked over to Hermione, who was still visibly shaken, and grabbed her shoulders, "What happened?"
"We were sitting eating dinner," Hermione began, "Then it got cold, just like it did when we were on the Hogwarts Express and in the forest. Then the dementor just… came through the doors. It sucked all the energy out of the room, then zeroed in on that man. I cast my patronus, and it was brighter than I've ever done for some reason. It… it blew the dementor to shreds."
Parvati nodded, "I've never seen anything like it. Hermione's Patronus was the brightest blue-"
"Otter that we've ever seen." Hermione interrupted.
Harry nodded, "Is everyone doing okay?"
The girls all nodded.
"Great," Harry said, "Stay here for a bit in case Chief Robards wants more statements. I advise you all to go home to be safe. It doesn't look like any of you were the targets, but just to be safe."
"Thanks, Potter," Pansy said as he walked away.
Parvati turned to Hermione, "Anything you want to share with the class? Like why that wasn't your usual Patronus?"
Hermione glanced towards Harry, who was talking to Draco, "Not here," She whispered, "Shhh."
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"Why didn't you want me to know that your patronus had changed?" Harry asked, confused.
Hermione sighed, "Remember when Tonks' patronus changed? How freaked out she and Remus were? I didn't want that to happen to us." Hermione turned through the pages in her journal, "Nothing significant happened in October."
"For you," Harry commented as he sighed, "A pretty monumental thing happened to me, and it changed everything."
*~*~* October 17, 2006 *~*~*
Harry was doing paperwork in his office when an interoffice memo fluttered onto his desk. He was being summoned by Unspeakable 64 in the Department of Mysteries. The message stated that it was urgent, and they suspected a break-in at the Death room. With yesterday's report of two people being found catatonic with suspected dementor kisses, Harry grabbed his robe, wasting no time heading down to the DoM in case they were connected.
Reaching the door, Harry opened it, and the eerie silence of the place always put him on edge as memories came rushing back from his fifth year. When he reached the room with multiple doors, he uttered the password the unspeakable had given to him. One of the doors lit up, and as Harry reached for the handle, the doors spun. Harry kept an eye on the spinning lit-up door, and the doors slowed down as the light went out.
Opening the door, he stepped inside, and as soon as he did, the door slammed shut behind him with a thud, "Shite."
Looking forward, he was transported to the girl's lavatory in his first year, which made his blood run cold. The troll was in front of him, club high in the air.
"Hermione!" Harry yelled as the club came down on her, crushing her. Rushing towards her, it was like the Earth quaked, and he was standing next to Hermione as they solved Snape's potion riddle.
Hermione tipped back the potion and collapsed as he caught her in his arms, lifeless.
The horror repeated over and over. Each time, Harry had to watch Hermione die differently. Choking on a hairball when she was a cat, being killed instead of petrified by the basilisk, seeing herself while using the time turner and killing herself, being killed by werewolf Remus, being struck by the dragon's tail during his first task, drowning in the lake during the second task, perishing in the Department of Mysteries, dying in the battle of the Astronomy tower, dying during the battle of the seven Potters, eating bad mushrooms, snatchers killing her, Bellatrix killing her, dying in the Battle of Hogwarts. Each time the room changed, it was more horrific than the last. Each time he couldn't save her, no matter how hard he tried, she died right in front of him.
Suddenly, he felt strong hands pulling him. The room shifted, and he fell onto a cold stone floor, retching onto it.
"Harry! Harry! Can you hear me? It's Theo," Theo's voice broke through the haze of his torment.
"Hermione! Hermione! Is she dead? Oh God, Theo, I killed her. Is she dead?" Harry's eyes were wild with terror.
"No, she is fine. She's alive and safe. It was just the time room messing with your worst fears," Theo reassured him, pressing a glass of water into his trembling hands.
Harry blinked, and the reality of where he was slowly came back to him as he focused on the dais in the Death room, "No, no, I'm still stuck there," He mumbled, his mind still reeling with visions of his past. Suddenly, he jumped up and ran towards the dais, "Sirius! Sirius!"
Theo grabbed him around the middle and threw Harry to the floor. Harry barely heard Theo yell into his badge for backup as his voice got hoarse from screaming, "Sirius! Hermione! I killed them both!" Harry sobbed, curling up into the fetal position as he yelled their names repeatedly.
"Harry, listen to me," Theo said firmly, "You're safe. Hermione is safe. You didn't kill anyone."
Backup arrived, and Draco ran over to help Theo restrain Harry. Draco pulled Harry to his feet.
"Get him out of here!" Theo yelled at Draco over Harry, screaming himself hoarse, yelling Hermione and Sirius' names.
Draco pulled Harry, limp and unfocused, to the lift, and he hit the floor as soon as they were inside. His eyes were unfocused as he stared out the lift, "I killed her, Draco. It's all my fault."
"Department for the Regulations and Control of Magical Creatures!" Draco yelled.
The lift moved, and Draco pulled Harry out onto Hermione's floor. "Hermione! Hermione!"
Hermione came out of her office, "Draco?" Hermione asked, dropping what she had in her hands as she ran over, "Draco! What's wrong with Harry?"
"He went to the Department of Mysteries and got stuck in the time room. He is delirious," Draco told her as she hit the floor before Harry as he sunk to the floor.
"Harry, Harry, it's me. Can you hear me?" Hermione asked, touching his face.
"Hermione?" Harry asked as he focused on her, "You're dead."
"No, I'm here. I don't know what you saw, but I'm here," Hermione said, pulling him into her arms.
Harry put his head on her chest and sobbed.
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"Harry wasn't himself for weeks afterward. He took off on a mission for a week-"
"It wasn't a mission. I was at Kingsley's on mandatory leave," Harry told her, "My nightmares had fresh fire to keep them burning. I broke up with Barbie for good. Not that we were even together at that point. I hadn't seen her in months. We only were with each other once. After that, it was mostly a long-distance phone relationship."
Hermione swallowed hard, "Then, in November, the world turned upside down."
Harry nodded, "Everything changed with one Patronus call."
.
*~*~* November 3, 2006 *~*~*
Walking through the doors to the Auror's offices, Hermione greeted the Aurors, who she frequently saw, and walked back to Harry's desk to check on him after his first day back after his mission. When he came home the day before, he looked exhausted. Today, when she saw him, he still had exhaustion etched on his face, but he smiled when he saw her.
"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.
Harry sighed, sitting back in his chair. "I'm ready for bed, " he said with a small smile.
As she went to open her mouth, a lynx patronus raced between them, "Harry," it spoke in Kingsley's voice, "You need to come to the Department of Mysteries immediately. Go to the front door, and someone will escort you this time."
Hermione looked at Harry as he paled, "Do you want me to come with you?"
Harry nodded, and together, they made their way to the Department of Mysteries. Theo awaited them as they approached the entrance with his mask down.
Seeing Hermione, Theo smiled, "Maybe you should accompany him, Hermione."
Frowning, she grabbed Harry's hand. Together, they followed Theo through the hallway and through the now open door in the door room, into the Death room to see a man lying on the floor restrained, "Give me my godson!"
Hermione gasped as Harry's knees gave out next to her, and the man's eyes met Harry's, "Sirius?" Hermione asked.
Hermione swallowed and looked at Theo, "We've been conducting experiments with the dais. Someone has been attempting to steal souls from the veil, and the magical energy has been vanishing in waves. We aren't sure if they were successful, but it's been a highly guarded secret that people have been able to break into the ministry. During the latest experiment, this man appeared. He's been screaming and had to be restrained, but he claims to be Sirius Black. He will only say, 'Give me my godson' and Harry's name. Kingsley summoned you at once when he saw him, but he won't even talk to Kingsley."
Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled himself up. "It's Sirius. I know it is."
Sirius stopped screaming at hearing Harry's voice, "Harry? Hermione?" His raspy voice asked.
Hermione let go of Harry's hand and asked Sirius, "How were you saved from the Dementor's Kiss?"
Sirius slowly blinked, and then a small smile appeared on his sunken face, "You brilliant, brilliant witch saved me by riding Buckbeak to help me escape." His eyes moved to Harry, "You truly are James' son… but where are your glasses?"
Harry ran past Hermione and threw his arms around the frail Sirius. Tears streamed down Harry's face as he held onto his godfather, who weakly wrapped his arms around Harry in return as soon as the restraint spell was broken.
"It's you," Harry whispered, "I thought I lost you forever."
Sirius coughed but chuckled, "I thought I was lost too, but somehow I'm here."
Hermione looked at Theo, "How is this possible?"
"We're not sure," Theo admitted, "The experiments we've been doing are supposed to be purely theoretical. The idea was to see if those outside the veil could communicate with souls in the veil. We never expected this."
Hermione stared at Sirius in shock, "He needs to go to St. Mungo's. He needs tests and medical attention."
"We are setting up a secure room and a plan to sneak him in. We need to figure out how to let it be known. Kingsley acquitted him of all his crimes when he announced it was Pettigrew, but everyone knows he died, not how, but that he was dead."
Healers appeared through the door and knelt beside Sirius to prepare him for transport.
Sirius grabbed Harry's hand, "Don't let them take me away without you," Sirius said, scared.
Harry shook his head, "I'm staying with you."
Hermione walked over to them, knelt beside Sirius, and touched both their joined hands, "You're going to be okay. We're going to take care of you."
Sirius frowned as Hermione felt her magic reacting under her skin. Her magic seemed to be pushing toward him, reaching out to him, and she pulled her hand away with a slight gasp. Sirius nodded weakly, "Thank you, both of you again."
The healers carefully levitated Sirius onto a stretcher as he succumbed to his exhaustion. Harry and Hermione followed them out of the Department of Mysteries with Sirius's shielded and disillusioned stretcher. Following the healers and the Auror team, they flooed to St. Mungos.
At St. Mungo's, they were ushered into a private room where Sirius was put into a bed. The emergency healer guided them out of the room as other healers arrived and began their work casting diagnostic spells.
Harry looked at the Ministry Healer, "Carolina, make sure they do whatever they need, no matter the cost."
"Oh, trust me, they will. The knowledge he may hold could change everything," Carolina told him.
Hermione put her arm around his waist as they watched the healers start administering potions to him.
Eventually, a couch was brought for them to sit on in the restricted hallway. Hermione put her arm around Harry as he watched the people through the glass, and Harry fell asleep against her. Running her fingers through his hair, her eyes were heavy as Kingsley appeared. Placing her finger to her lips, Kingsley cast a privacy bubble around them, "He looks exhausted."
"After whatever happened to him at the DoM, then him going on the mission… he is wiped. Sirius coming back from the dead now too?" Hermione said as she glanced at Harry, "Did you get Teddy?"
Kingsley nodded, "He's at Ron and Luna's."
"Thank you," Hermione said as she lay her head back on the couch. "I can't believe it, Kings."
Kingsley sighed, "Neither can we. It's not supposed to be possible, but to our knowledge, no one has ever fallen through the veil. He is going to be here for a while to recover. We must figure out what to do when he is released."
"He will live with us," Hermione told him, "Even if Teddy has to stay in my room, we will make it work."
Kingsley smiled as he looked at Harry, who was still asleep. "I'll have a healer come out and give an update, then you take Harry home. He has a mission in Russia that he must leave for in two days. It shouldn't be long, but he will need his rest."
Hermione nodded as Kingsley ended the privacy bubble and got up. Hermione woke Harry as the lead healer, Michael Johnson, came out to talk to them.
"We have him in an enchanted sleep. He is barely clinging to life. How he survived wherever he was… is unbelievable. He is going to be here for a while recovering," Healer Johnson stated, "Go home. We won't wake him for a few days."
Harry ran his hand over his face, "I'm going on a mission for a few days. If anything happens, contact Hermione."
Healer Johnson nodded, "We will, and Mr. Potter? Go get some sleep yourself."
Harry looked at Hermione and frowned.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"What is today?" Harry asked.
"The 3rd of November. Why?" Hermione asked.
Harry laughed, "Today is Sirius' birthday."
Hermione turned to look at the room, "In more ways than one now."
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"Sirius was kept in an enchanted sleep for a week while they tested him, gave him potions, and brought him back from magical exhaustion. Somehow, his magic kept him alive. Sirius doesn't remember much about it. To him, it seemed both forever and not long at all. He was gone for ten years," Hermione told Luna, "Ten years and four months. To him, it was like ten days. He said it was like being in a cloud. He heard voices far away but nothing that he could touch or see. Then he heard Harry. It was after Harry was trapped in the time room. He said that Harry's voice was like a beacon for him, and he fought to get towards it. Whatever experiment they did opened the veil. They haven't been able to replicate it since."
Harry sighed, "I wasn't mentally ready, but I went on a mission to Russia. Came home frozen nearly literally."
*~*~* November 9, 2006 *~*~*
Hermione looked up as the floo lit up, and Harry stumbled through. He appeared soaking wet from the rain that had not stopped for days. Jumping up, Hermione rushed to him and grabbed him to survey him for injuries, "Are you alright?"
Harry sighed as he removed his drenched robes, which plopped onto the ground, showing their wet weight, "I am now. I'm freezing, but I'm home."
Hermione stepped over the pile of his robes, lit the fireplace with a flick of her wand, and called for Holly.
"Yes, Hermione?" Holly asked.
"Can you get Harry a dry outfit?" Hermione asked, pulling him onto the couch and taking his hand in hers as she saw that his hair appeared to have icicles. She massaged his hand to warm it and asked, "Why didn't you use a warming charm?"
"I did," Harry replied, exhausted as he closed his eyes, "It was just so cold that they weren't working well."
Harmony walked into the room, "Is Harry okay?"
"He will be fine, honey. He's just very cold," Hermione reassured her.
"I'll go make cocoa!" Harmony said, rushing off towards the kitchen.
Hermione looked at Harry as she switched to his other hand, "There hasn't been much change with Sirius. They say he is doing well with his treatments and is gaining weight. They can tell that he has been having nightmares, so they are having him take dreamless sleep now, too."
Harry looked at her, "What are we going to do? He has nowhere to go."
Hermione shook her head gently as she let go of his hand, "He does. He has us. We will expand the house and add it to the back. There are mother-in-law suites, so we will give him a father-in-law suite. I already have the house elf builders hired. I was waiting for you to get home so we could decide what to do with it together. We can add an extra room for each floor. Sirius can have his own space but still be attached to us. He can have a sitting room, lavatory, and bedroom on each separate floor. If he's ready to come home before that, Teddy can stay with me, and he can be in Teddy's room. We need to make sure it's soundproofed, though."
Harry looked at her, confused, "Soundproofed?"
"Harry, we don't know what he experienced beyond that veil. He will have nightmares and trouble sleeping for a while," Hermione explained.
Harry nodded, "You're right. He'll need a place where he feels safe and comfortable."
Harmony returned, levitating two mugs of cocoa before her, "Here you go, Dadda Harry! This will warm you up."
Harry smiled, taking the mug from her, "Thank you, Harmony."
Hermione rubbed Harry's knee as Holly brought him a dry outfit, "We'll get him through this, Harry. We will have a home for Sirius and help him heal."
Harry looked at her, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Hermione."
Hermione smiled at him and kissed his forehead, "You'll never have to find out. You are stuck with me forever."
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"Sirius didn't come home for over a month, but they woke him up on the 13th of November," Hermione told Luna.
*~*~* November 13, 2006 *~*~*
Healer Johnson looked at the monitors one last time before turning to look at Harry, "Do you want to be in the room when we wake Sirius up?"
Harry nodded, and Hermione felt his heart pounding through their joined hands, "Yes."
Approaching Sirius' bed, "Enervate." Sirius' heart rate slowly climbed, and he opened his eyes to survey the room. "It was real. I'm back?"
Harry stepped forward, "You are here, Sirius. In St Mungo's."
Healer Johnson nodded to Harry. "If you need me, let me know. Vitals are all good," he said before leaving the room.
Hermione walked over to the bed, "How are you feeling, Sirius?"
"Alive. How much time did I lose?" Sirius asked, looking around the room, "What year is it?"
Hermione glanced at Harry, "Today is the 13th of November 2006."
Sirius stared at them in shock, "2006? I was gone for ten years?"
Harry nodded, "But I have you back now. That's all that matters."
Sirius stared at the ceiling, "What have I missed? Is Voldemort gone?"
Harry nodded, "Yes. In June of 1998, I defeated him, well… he defeated himself. But don't worry about it right now. We have plenty of time to catch up on what you missed."
Sirius nodded slowly. Looking past them, he commented, "I'm surprised Remus isn't here."
Harry's face fell as he looked away.
"He's gone, isn't he?" Sirius asked, his voice breaking.
"Yeah," Harry sighed, "He died in the final battle."
Sirius swallowed hard, his eyes closing in grief, "Was it at Hogwarts?"
Harry stared at him, curious, "Yeah, why?"
Sirius looked at him, his eyes haunted, "One of my… dreams in the veil was of you in the forest, walking to your death. Lily, James, Remus… they were all there. It was real, wasn't it?"
Harry nodded, "I used the resurrection stone in the final battle and saw you."
Sirius nodded, "And Worm… Peter?"
"Dead by his own hand," Harry told him, "Look, Sirius, you need rest. We will tell you everything when you have recovered. I don't want to stress you out."
Hermione glanced at her watch, then looked at Harry, "I need to go get Teddy from school."
Harry nodded, "Go, I'll see you at home."
Sirius' eyes lit up with a smile, "Teddy?"
Hermione smiled warmly, "Edward Remus Lupin. Our godson."
Sirius' eyes widened in surprise, "Remus had a son?"
Harry's smile grew, "You have a cousin too. Remus was married to Tonks."
"Little Nymphy? My baby cousin? That dog!" Sirius said with a laugh.
Hermione laughed with them, "Bye, boys."
As she left, she glanced in to see Harry sitting next to Sirius, "Rest, Sirius, then you get to come home with me. We finally get to live together."
Sirius smiled as his eyes closed, "Thank you, Harry."
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
"Pansy and Christopher got married on the 18th of November. We visited with Sirius as he gained his strength and magical energy back. He finally came home a week before Christmas on the 19th. Thankfully, the expansion on the house was finished." Hermione supplied.
"Don't forget about the book. You started it in that month so that Sirius knew about our adventures," Harry told her.
"Oh yeah, I did start my outline for a single book. Dean offered to do the art for it. He knew most of the big moments from experiencing it himself. We realized, including all seven years, it would take a book a year," Hermione told her, "So I went to my publisher and got the biggest advance for the seven books in the company's history. We mostly used it to furnish Sirius' suite. Simone advised making it into a tale and targeting it towards young adults from my point of view. I vetoed that because, besides my adventures with Harry, my schooling was mostly studying, and I missed most of my second year. So, I had to bring Harry and Ron into it. Together, we did it. Wrote out all the stories."
"The third book is being released next month, right?" Luna asked.
Harry nodded, "Thanks to Sirius. We were able to bring in his point of view for that year, so it's taken longer."
*~*~* December 19, 2006 *~*~*
"Hermione, did you cut your hair?" Sirius asked from the back seat.
Hermione turned, "I got tired of it with the winter static. Curls and winter don't mix sometimes."
Sirius smiled, "I get it. James gave me a whole tub of Sleekeze for Christmas one year because my hair was so bad. Bastard didn't even have to pay for it."
Sirius looked out the window as they drove through the countryside. Sirius was better, but his core was still recovering, so he was not supposed to use magic until it was recovered. So, they drove him home from London, "Where do you guys live?"
"Cornwall," Harry replied, glancing at him in the rearview mirror, "It's one of the old Potter properties."
Harry pulled into the driveway of their house. "Welcome home, Sirius," Hermione told him.
Harry let Sirius go inside first, "You are free to use any part of the house, but we thought you deserved your own space."
Leading him through the kitchen, Harry slid open the patio door and revealed the new addition to the house. Opening the door it revealed his sitting room. "This is all for you. You can decorate it any way that you want. We just wanted it livable for you. Up the stairs is the lavatory. The top floor is your bedroom. The fireplace isn't connected to the floo network yet, but we can do that when you're ready."
Sirius smiled, "Everyone I would want to talk to is here in this room. So, when can I meet Teddy?"
Hermione smiled, "Get settled first. Take a shower or a bath and relax. He will be home for dinner. Kingsley will bring him home."
Sirius looked at her, surprised, "Shacklebolt? Isn't he the Minister now? Why is he picking him up from school?"
"Andromeda married Kingsley before she died. He's Teddy's step-grandfather."
Sirius sighed, "That's right. She's gone, too."
"Do you want me to show you upstairs?" Harry asked him.
"No, I've got it. Thank you, though," Sirius replied.
"If you need anything, you know where we are. We also have a house-elf family that lives with us. Holly is the mother, Swift is the father, and our little girl is Harmony from the child-rearing project. They will help you with anything you may need," Hermione told him, "I'm going to go see if Holly needs help with dinner."
Harry frowned, "I better go do it because we don't want to poison Sirius on his first day home."
Hermione hit him lightly on the arm, "That was rude!"
Harry laughed as he shut the door behind them, "It was true, too!" They heard Sirius laughing behind them as the door closed.
A couple of hours later, Sirius made his way into the main part of the house as Hermione and Harry were laughing about something. Hermione was setting the table, Harry was stirring something on the stove, and Harmony was putting flowers in a vase as he walked in.
Harry saw him and smiled, "Feeling better?"
"Much better. Nap and a shower helped," Sirius said, sitting at the table.
Glancing as he heard the front door open, a young boy with blue hair raced into the room. "Dadda! Guess what I got at school!?" Teddy stopped as he saw Sirius. "Are you Sirius Black?"
Hermione saw Sirius swallow hard as he got up and crouched down to Teddy's level, "I am, and you must be Teddy."
Teddy nodded, "You were my Daddy's best friend."
"I'm very glad to meet you, Teddy," Sirius told him.
"Mumma says we are cousins, too! Just like Draco is my cousin," Teddy told him.
Sirius looked up at Harry, "Malfoy is Draco now?"
Harry scoffed, "Well, he is my Auror partner, and this one was engaged to him for a bit," he said, pointing at Hermione.
Sirius looked at Hermione, "Seriously?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "It was a relationship…of…. interest. We wouldn't have worked out in the long run."
"You were nearly my second cousin's wife," Sirius laughed.
Hermione frowned.
*~*~* December 25, 2006 *~*~*
Hermione walked down the now familiar sidewalk in Godric's Hollow under a dreary, overcast sky as she, Harry, Teddy, and Sirius made it through the quiet village of Godric's Hollow.
Teddy held tightly to her hand as Sirius walked beside Harry as they approached the cemetery. Each year, making their way down the path to the graves of Lily and James Potter never got easier. This year was more meaningful as they were bringing Sirius and Teddy.
Hermione cast a white rose wreath as she approached the familiar headstone. Gently placing the wreath against it, her fingers brushed the names.
Harry took a deep breath and stepped forward, "Hey, Mum, Dad. I brought some special guests this year. Sirius is back, and I brought Teddy."
Teddy gently set his drawing down on their stone as Sirius dropped to his knees, his hands trembling, "I'm so sorry, Prongs. I failed. I failed you; I failed Lily. I failed Harry."
Harry knelt beside him, "You didn't fail me, Sirius. You were innocent, and no one would listen. None of it was your fault."
Sirius sobbed, leaning his forehead against the cold stone, "I shouldn't have talked them into switching to Peter."
Hermione squeezed Teddy's shoulders as she pulled him to her.
Harry spoke up, "You did what you thought was best to protect them. None of you knew what Peter was capable of. You didn't fail, Sirius. You're here now, and you can guide me through the rest of my life."
Sirius traced James' name, "I'll do better. I'll be here for you, Harry, and for Teddy. I promise."
*~*~* March 2, 2008 *~*~*
Hermione looked at Harry, "We finished 2006 at a wedding. Dean and Seamus' civil union, at that. Not knowing that just in one year, so much would change. It was the best year of my life."
Harry took her hand and kissed it, "So far."
*~*~*December 30, 2006 *~*~*
Hermione put her earring in and looked in the front hall mirror. "Sirius, Kingsley, thank you both for watching Teddy tonight," she said.
"Don't mention it," Kingsley replied, "We'll have a great time, and it will be good to catch up with Sirius."
"Uncle Sirius is teaching me Gobstones!" Teddy said excitedly.
Sirius ruffled Teddy's hair, "Of course, we will play little man!"
Harry crouched before Teddy, "You be good for Sirius and Papa Kings."
Teddy grinned, "I will Dadda. Have fun."
Harry opened the door to let Hermione into the car first, nodding at the Aurors sitting outside of their home for the night. After they got in the car, Harry drove them to the banquet hall. Once arriving, they walked inside to celebrate Dean and Seamus' special day and found their friends chatting. Seamus was wearing a traditional kilt, and his excitement was contagious.
"Harry! Hermione! You made it," Seamus exclaimed, pulling Harry into a hug.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Hermione said as she saw Neville in his kilt and laughed.
"Seamus talked me into wearing it," Neville explained.
Harry laughed, patting Neville's back, "You look great, but don't ask me to wear one, Seamus. No one wants to see my legs."
After the beautiful ceremony, the celebration began. Harry and Hermione danced together and with their friends. At one point, shortly before midnight, Hermione danced with Neville, "I can't believe you are wearing a kilt."
Neville laughed, "It's more comfortable than you would think."
Hermione looked at Harry, laughing as he talked to Ron, "I'm going to make my move this year."
"About damn time," Neville told her.
a/n: Thank you for the new follows/favorites this week: babyangelz7, MsRaqual91, momaster2009, jo94enw, CGinny, AdamantiumKinesis, SlytherinGirl1991, Camkonan, sage-kkm, HadrianOrioJamesPotterBlack, Sandria99, greeningha, Nitcha, gilrand, and hmbrz25.
To the reviews:
Alix33: Thank you for reading and reviewing!
chocolatedad: You never know :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
We will officially make it to 2007 next week. Sirius is back! He will be their cheerleader, getting the ball rolling. They will be together by the end of 2007. The prologue will soon happen as well.
Preview of Chapter 36- Today was a Fairytale
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."