Breathe Chapter 4

[ceredwensirius]

Title: Breathe
Chapter: Reunite (4)
Chapter Rating: G
Warnings: None
Pairings: Sirius/Hermione
Summary: Sirius is propelled forward through time by a magical accident. He has to adjust to all the changes and maybe find love in the process. A romance between Hermione/Sirius.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
Author’s Note: Sorry for the slow update. The story is still bubbling away in my head but I'm having trouble feeling like writing these days.

 

Reunite

Sneaking icy fingers into their warm winter robes, the chill of a November night in London invaded Harry and Ginny as they took to the steps leading up to the house only a chosen few could see. They were responding to a letter from Hermione that contained an urgent message about a matter which required their immediate attention without a single clue about the emergency itself.

While they loved living together with friends that were closer than family, occasionally newlyweds needed time away to be alone together and that is what this week had been about. Whatever had happened must be truly catastrophic for Hermione to pull them out of the Cotswolds.

Sharing a last ominous look before flicking his wand at the door, Harry and Ginny returned home prepared for the worst. Once they were through the door Harry knew that something was different, the voices they had just heard floating up from the kitchen quieted altogether. Before they even had a chance to remove their warm outer robes Remus rushed down the hall, looking harried, like he’d had an awful night, greeting them nervously.

“Thanks for coming so quickly,” he said as he escorted them down the stairs.

“Remus,” began Harry slowly. “What’s going on?”

“You know that calendar Hermione was working on, the one for the Ministry?” asked Remus as he brushed his hair out of his eyes.

“For the charges I filed against Fudge. The wrongful imprisonment suit?” asked Harry, his green eyes puzzled.

“The same,” replied Remus as they approached the kitchen doorway. “Well, there was an accident which had a rather astonishing side affect.”

Hearing the voices down the hall, Sirius’ hands began to tremble. He hadn’t had a moment of peace to think about the awful events or the surreal quality his life had taken on and now he was about to meet the adult version of a baby he had held in his arms two nights ago, who apparently resembled his dead best friend. Feeling his limit approaching Sirius anxiously stood up and walked around behind Hermione, trying to shake off an overdue breakdown.

Remus looked up to see Hermione standing in the doorway to the kitchen as they approached.

“I want you to prepare yourself for a shock, Harry,” said Hermione, smiling softly at Harry and Ginny.

“Don’t forget big disappointment,” murmured Sirius in her ear, too quietly for anyone else to hear. Focusing on her discomfort had worked well for him so far and he was in desperate need of a distraction.

Hermione pushed him back into the kitchen, her hand catching his broad, muscular chest, snatching it back the second she realized she was impressed. She took a step towards Harry and put her hand up for him to stop. “It’s Sirius, Harry.”

“What’s serious? How serious is it?” asked Harry, caught unaware.

“No, no,” said Hermione with a small laugh. “It’s your godfather, Sirius.”

“What do you mean?” asked Harry nervously and then his tone flattened. “Sirius is dead, Hermione.”

“I know he is and this is a little confusing but…why don’t you come on in and meet him.” She turned in the doorway and gestured that he and Ginny should follow.

Harry took a few steps forward and caught sight of what had to be a ghost standing behind Hermione’s shoulder. “Sirius?” he whispered.

“He’s not the Sirius you knew,” explained Hermione. “He’s much younger.”

Looking around the doorframe, Sirius caught sight of Harry and it nearly knocked the wind out of him. He remembered closing James’ eyes and had to blink his own to force back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm.

Harry pushed gently past Hermione and entered the kitchen, unable to take his eyes off of Sirius. The face was undeniably that of his godfather, handsome but without all the lines and hollows in ‘his’ Sirius’ face. His hair was shorter than he ever remembered seeing Sirius wear it, the front falling carelessly into his face. As if he knew that his hair was being scrutinized he brought his hand up to run through it, sweeping it back.

Just as Harry was taking in Sirius, Sirius was doing the same with Harry. Before him stood the reincarnation of his dead best friend, forcibly shoving his last memory of James into his thoughts. Sirius drew a shaky breath, struggling to maintain his composure. It was Ginny, however, as she stepped into the room and took a hold of Harry’s hand, that ruined him, with her red hair and big smile, looking so right standing next to Harry, looking so similar to James and Lily. Falling against the wall for support, Sirius slid down, unable to hold himself up.

Harry was by his side in an instant, kneeling down beside him with anxious eyes, Lily’s eyes. “Sirius?”

“Harry,” rasped Sirius, attempting to hold off an emotional moment. “You look just like James.” Reality settled into Sirius like a cancer, corrupting everything in him with its icy touch.

“Can you get to your feet?” asked Harry. When Sirius didn’t even try he looked up at Hermione. “Do we have a Calming Draught somewhere in this house?” She nodded her head and disappeared around the corner. Taking in Sirius’ age and emotional state Harry made a shrewd deduction. “They just died a few days ago didn’t they, for you I mean?”

Sirius just nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak for fear of losing the tenuous grasp he had on his sanity. Harry swept his eyes hungrily over Sirius’ face, wanting him to be the godfather he knew but he wasn’t, not really. In some ways it was better, getting the chance to know a Sirius who wasn’t so utterly thrashed by life. In others it wasn’t, there was a depth to ‘his’ Sirius that he could feel this one lacked, not enough had happened to him yet.

“You look exhausted,” said Harry, noting that Sirius looked incredibly tired. Smiling at Harry for noticing he nodded his head after which his stomach let out a tremendous growl. Harry chuckled lightly and they shared another smile. Before he would help Sirius to his feet he said to him in an undertone, “Peter’s dead, I watched him die.”

“She told me,” said Sirius, trusting his voice to say that.

When Hermione came back in with a small brown bottle containing a single dose of the Calming Draught, which she handed to Sirius, Harry asked her if she would mind making sandwiches for everyone. Sirius took his potion and then Harry helped him to his feet and over to the table.

“Sirius, I’d like to introduce you to my wife Ginevra Weasley Potter,” said Harry, ushering his wife forward with a hand at her back. Sirius chivalrously took a hold of Ginny’s hand kissed it.

“Lovely to meet you, Ginny,” he charmed. “You keep this guy in line?” Teasing, joking and clinging to lightheartedness was his best bet at keeping it together.

“It’s a full time job,” said Ginny with a bright smile. Harry pulled a chair out for her and helped her into it.

“Can someone explain to me what is going on?” asked Harry, trying not to stare at Sirius.

“Beautiful? Care to explain?” said Sirius, the calming effect of the potion allowing him focus away from himself once again. His words earned curious looks around the room to see whom Sirius meant.

Hermione wanted desperately to tell him not to call her that because it was more intimate than he had earned the right for, but no one had ever called her beautiful and found that she just couldn’t stop him. She could defend herself against ‘love’ and ‘pet’ but not ‘beautiful.’

“Well,” began Hermione, noticing that Ginny’s head swiveled between Hermione and Sirius, watching irritably as the red head came to the wrong conclusion. She prayed for patience because Ginny had set her up on so many blind dates that she had lost count. If she thought she had a winner she was going to be so annoying. “There was a magical accident at work involving the calendar.”

“I got your note,” said Harry. “So, it works then?” He looked at Sirius and then back at Hermione.

“It wasn’t supposed to do,” she waved vaguely and rather dismissively at Sirius, “this.”

“This?” said Sirius offended. “I’m reduced to this.”

“Hermione,” said Harry, shocked by the venom in her voice, unmistakable to someone who had known her as long as he had.

“I didn’t mean it like that…exactly,” she said, chastised. Sirius had the grace to feel a little ashamed, it was his fault, her aggravation, but it had been so easy to get under her skin and so much fun.

“We’ve been best friends since first year and I’ve never known you to be so insensitive.” Hearing Harry say the words ‘best friend’ plucked at something in Sirius’ heart.

“I…I know Harry…it’s just…it’s just been a hard night, for all of us,” she said, not quite willing to tell Harry that Sirius was a right foul git.

“It’s not really her fault, Harry,” said Sirius quietly, not willing to be a problem between these two. “I’ve been a bit…difficult.” Hermione’s eyebrows got lost somewhere in her hairline, surprised by him once again.

“So, you want to tell me what happened?” said Harry, getting back on topic.

“Allow me,” said Remus in a tired voice. While Hermione made sandwiches he explained about the two magical artifacts and the accident with the potion and how all of that had led up to Sirius sitting in front of them. Harry sat dumbstruck as things like duplicate dimensions and potions that combined the powers of magical artifacts were explained and detailed.

Harry took a deep breath. “Wow.” And then another. “So, he’s here for good?” he asked hopefully, as Hermione passed out plates and glasses and laid a tray of sandwiches on the table with a flagon of pumpkin juice.

“Looks that way,” said Remus with a smile for Sirius. “It’s going to be a bit difficult, adjusting to this new life I mean.”

Unwilling to acknowledge the fear that Remus had addressed he focused away from himself once again. “So, tell me about you,” said Sirius to Harry. “You’re married,” he winked at Ginny who blushed. “Are there kids? I just saw you, two days ago, only you were just over a year and now you’re what…twenty three?”

“Slow down,” said Harry, chuckling. “You’re obviously dead on your feet and have been through an ordeal. I imagine you could use some time to yourself and a good night’s sleep. What do you say we call it a night and pick this back up tomorrow? I’ll owl the Ministry and get the rest of the week off.”

Sirius smiled at Harry. ‘Just like Lily,’ he thought. “I am tired and some time alone would be appreciated.”

“You’ll live here of course,” said Harry. “Ginny and I have been staying in your old room but we can move into the master suite.”

“No, you shouldn’t change anything for me,” said Sirius, but Ginny just patted his hand.

“Hermione,” said Ginny. “Give me a hand?” Hermione nodded and followed Ginny out of the kitchen.

Once they were alone in Sirius’ old room Ginny rounded on Hermione. “Handsome isn’t he?”

“Right up until he opens his mouth,” returned Hermione.

“I think he fancies you,” said Ginny. “Beautiful.”

“Do you ever think about anything else?” asked Hermione, conjuring a basket and putting some of Harry and Ginny’s items in it.

“You’re lonely,” accused Ginny. “And it’s not like we don’t know him.”

“You need to slow that overactive imagination of yours down, Ginevra Weasley. Leave the poor man alone.” Hermione picked up the basket and left the room.

Ginny followed with a basket of her own, not to be deterred. When she made it to the master suite however Hermione was walking out. “Good night, Ginny,” she said and disappeared behind her bedroom door.

Ginny let out a quiet sigh and finished moving the room alone. A few minutes later she descended the steps and greeted the kitchen’s inhabitants.

“Your room is all ready for you, Sirius,” said Ginny. “You ready Harry?”

“Yeah, so we’ll see you in the morning?” Harry got up and squeezed Sirius’ shoulder as he followed his wife to bed.

“G’ night, Harry, Ginny,” said Sirius.

For the first time since he had arrived he was alone with Remus. They shared a small smile over the kitchen table.

“I am sorry, Sirius, that I didn’t come and talk to you myself,” said Remus. “I’ve regretted it for many, many years.”

Sirius acknowledged the apology with a smile, it was hard to believe but it hadn’t actually happened to him and getting along was in his best interest. It was best to let this go. “I just can’t believe they’re gone, that Harry is grown. Fuck! Remus, he’s…he’s my age! I was jailed for most of his life and then…how many years did I have with him?”

“About two,” said Remus sadly. “The first year after your escape you were on the run, so really, only one year.”

Sirius got up and started to pace. “No matter what…no matter what, I missed it all, I was never there for him. I failed James!”

“It’s true you were only in Harry’s life for a short time but you had a huge impact on him.” Sirius nodded at the kindness of Remus’ words.

Suddenly Sirius slammed his back against the kitchen wall. “They’re gone…they’re really gone…,” he whispered desperately, hysteria edging into his voice. The quiet of the kitchen and the company of his friend allowed for the impact of the loss of James and Lily to steal into his heart, squeezing it in a stranglehold. “It’s all my fault, they’re gone and I did it.” The tears he’d been strong enough to keep at bay through sickness and finding a pretty, brunette witch to torment suddenly had nothing to hold them back. Nothing could keep him from his grief so he succumbed to it, sliding down the wall once again.

“Sirius, no,” said Remus, standing up and taking a chair closer to his distraught friend. “There was a spy, what you did made sense at the time. You did it to keep them alive. None of us suspected Peter could rise to anything so grand as betrayer.”

“He was always just little Pete, the wannabe Marauder, just happy to be in our company,” croaked Sirius. “When did he turn? When did he have time?”

“You know as well as I do that Voldemort had Death Eaters in his number that went to school with us,” said Remus. “They identified Peter as being the weak link in our friendships.”

“So they recruited him?” asked Sirius, his voice still heavy with sorrow.

“He was afraid of Voldemort, of being killed by Death Eaters. I believe he joined of his own accord,” said Remus. “From his confession it sounded like Voldemort, who is a skilled Legillimens, riffled through his mind and found the Secret.”

Sirius sighed heavily. “I really want to hate him but you make it sound like he almost wasn’t to blame.”

“I don’t think he realized that the Secret could be taken from him but like I said, he joined of his own accord. They must have been courting him for months, offering him protection in return for our secrets. The first act was of his own choosing, so by all means, hate him,” said Remus, offering his hand to Sirius to help him up.

“How did Harry survive?” asked Sirius, taking Remus’ hand and standing. “I only got a vague account from Hagrid that night. He said that Harry was to go live with Petunia because of Lily’s blood. I understood that part, that Lily’s sacrifice made him safe but it didn’t explain why he was still there.”

“Ah,” said Remus. “It is easy to forget that you don’t know the full story. There is more to my brief explanation here but Harry remembers the events from that night. James died first protecting Lily and Harry. Then he gave Lily the option to stand aside but she refused, of course, so he killed her too.

“When Voldemort cast the Killing Curse it rebounded on him because of Lily’s blood protection. Her sacrifice that night ensured Harry’s protection and gave the world a brief reprieve from the war.”

“Merlin,” breathed Sirius. “If...if they hadn’t died that night…what…what would have happened?”

“Well, that’s impossible to say,” replied Remus. “The war would have gone on, Harry would have needed protection until the prophecy could be fulfilled. You don’t know about the prophecy, do you?”

“Of course I know about the prophecy,” said Sirius. “You really think James wouldn’t have told me?”

“Right, right,” said Remus, nodding his head.

“So…was it fulfilled? Where is the world today? None of you seem to have the sort of edginess that comes with being hunted,” said Sirius.

“Harry fulfilled the prophecy and defeated Voldemort. There was a battle at Hogwarts which the kids…erm,” he and Sirius exchanged an embarrassed smile seeing as Sirius was the same age as ‘the kids.’ “Well, anyway, they can tell you more about it, Dora and I were knocked out and missed most of the battle.”

Sirius had about a thousand questions but only one came out. “Whose Dora?”

“Oh, heh…yeah, I’m married, Sirius.” A hand waved in front of Sirius waggling a finger clad in a gold band. “I married your cousin Andromeda’s daughter Nymphadora.”

“Nymphie?” guessed Sirius. “You married little Nymphadora, Dromeda’s daughter. Does she still hate the name?”

“Give it a go and find out,” said Remus with a smirk. “Could be amusing.”

“I’ll just bet,” said Sirius, grinning.

“She should be here any minute now,” said Remus. “She’ll be delighted to see you again.”

“Merlin! She’s older than me now, isn’t she?” said Sirius, the impact of the huge change in his life hitting him full force once again. Just then the front door opened and they could hear something being knocked over and then righted along with a soft swear.

“Wotcher, Remus,” called Tonks from the hallway. “Sorry I’m running a little behind …” Tonks rounded the corner, caught sight of Sirius and startled, nearly falling into the door.

“Merlin, sorry,” she gushed. “I didn’t realize we had company. I’m Tonks, Remus’ wife,” she paused for a moment to get a better look at Sirius. “You know for a minute there I almost thought you were…”

“He is,” interrupted Remus. “Sirius, I mean. He is Sirius.”

“Sure,” laughed Tonks. “Although you could pass for his son.”

“I can’t believe you don’t recognize me, Nymphie,” said Sirius with a wide grin.

Tonks suddenly drew her wand as the Auror in her broke through. “Who are you,” she asked dangerously.

“Dora,” said Remus patiently. “There is a perfectly good, if somewhat lengthy explanation for all of this.”

“I’ll prove to you I am who I say I am. Do you remember when Cissy came to your, let’s see, what was it, seventh birthday party? And me and James and Remus had come round to see you. We were on our summer hols and Cissy had just gotten engaged to Lucius and she went on and on and on about her pureblood match because she was stupid enough to think it would make your mum feel bad? And James transfigured her engagement ring into a niffler and I made him really small and really fast so he’d be hard to catch and she spent the next three hours trying to catch the little tosser to turn him back into her precious ring?”

Without any warning whatsoever Tonks threw herself into Sirius’ arms, hugging his neck fiercely. “God, I missed you!” She was sobbing in his arms and he had never felt more helpless in his life.

Remus gently pried Tonks off of Sirius and pulled the blubbering, pink haired mess into his arms. Sirius really didn’t know how to feel, realizing for the first time that there was an expectation for him to be his other self returned. It was like being forced into a play but you didn’t know the plot or which character you were playing. If Rod Serling showed up it wouldn’t shock Sirius in the least.

“I need some rest,” said Sirius abruptly, standing, having had all he could take, missing the worried glance Tonks gave Remus. “Good night, you two.”

Without a look back he left the kitchen for his room, knowing the way only too well. Each step on the stairs sighed quietly under his feet as the portraits muttered at his passing. Never in his darkest dreams did he imagine coming back to this place, even stranger was the sense of relief he felt once his bedroom door was closed.

Sirius didn’t bother to take a good look around the room, catching Gryffindor banners and posters of scantily clad muggle girls out of the corners of his eyes. Locking the door and silencing the room, he threw his back across the dark, silken cover of his bed, dangling his legs over the side from the knees down and closed his eyes, letting the horror take him.

The scene replayed in his head, starting from the point where he threw off his bike and ran into the devastated house. When he got to the point where he found James’ lifeless body he was howling out his grief and anger, his body quaking from head to toe.

Not even Regulus’ death had hurt this much, his own flesh and blood. The bond between James and Sirius was soul deep, it was like losing a limb.

Infant Harry’s screams of fear and confusion ripped him off of his bed in a rage, picking up whatever he could find, gas lamps, the sneakoscope he nicked from Filch, various books and anything else he could get his hands on and threw them at the walls, finding some small satisfaction in the sounds of destruction. The room was a complete shambles by the time he was spent, nothing left untouched as he physically expressed every inch of his heartache on the innocent room.

Seeing his hand close Lily’s eyes brought him suddenly and violently to his knees, sobbing in anguished sorrow. Unable to still his defeated heart that had shattered on the broken bodies of James and Lily, numbed by an overdose of woe, Sirius held his position on the floor as the sobs quieted but not the tears.

It was nearly impossible to accept, a concept his mind found comforting, that maybe this was just some horrible and truly bizarre dream. Maybe he had fallen asleep at that witch’s apartment after shagging her, er…Doreen was it, or maybe Dorcas, and this was just some fevered hallucination he was having. She’d wake him up any minute and coo to him, telling him it was all ok and that he just needed to get up.

Sirius sighed after a minute of waiting for something he knew wasn’t coming; pleasant fiction though it was.

There was nothing left for him to do and that was almost the worst part for Sirius, the punishments had already been meted out. Voldemort was defeated, Pettigrew was dead. Who else was left that had a hand in the deaths of James and Lily?

What was there left for him to do but try to make sense of his situation?

That really was too much to ask at this point in time, especially since it was easier for him to accept that James and Lily were dead than it was to believe he had traveled some twenty odd years into the future. James loved The Twilight Zone, the days events had taken on the quality of a truly excellent episode.

“Prongs…”

And then the tears started all over again. Quieter, less angry with a little more acceptance and the finality that accompanied that, the world would forever be diminished in Sirius’ eyes because James was no longer in it.

Standing from his position on the floor, his knees popping in complaint, he crawled back onto the bed, positioning himself in the center with a pillow under his head. Sirius let his mind drift to happier days, before all the fear and doubt, when he and James still got up to a few hijinx when Lily wasn’t looking, crashing at his flat when James was too drunk to face her ire. Those were the innocent days before wives and babies, just after Hogwarts, reveling in the power of youth and rebellious masculinity.

Exhausted from traumatic events, time travel and sorrow, Sirius fell asleep with the memory of James burning brightly in his mind.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Shuffling sleepily into the kitchen, Remus found Hermione enjoying her early morning cup of coffee. It was a time of day they had come to cherish and had grown closer during those crack of dawn chats. He was pleased to see that she was in a much better mood then yesterday, smiling at him as he entered the kitchen, looking considerably less stressed.

“Good morning.” She returned the greeting and then took a sip of her coffee, breathing in the aroma that she loved so much.

“I’ve got to be at work early, Remus,” she said by way of an apology for not staying to chat.

“He won’t be up for another hour at least,” said Remus with a smirk.

“I want to like him,” said Hermione, breezing past all the intros. “But he is such an arse.”

“He’s just coping, Hermione. You’ll see, in a few days he’ll much better, smoother, not so rough around the edges,” consoled Remus.

“Well, that’s something, I guess,” she grumbled.

“Not that he won’t still be a handful, but I think he’ll let up on you a bit,” reassured Remus, sitting down with his own cup of coffee.

“I wonder how Harry is doing with all of this?” she asked, taking another sip of her coffee.

“Hmm…hard to say. One thing that is for sure is that Sirius will be a fixture in our lives from now on,” answered Remus.

“Maybe it’s time for me to get my own flat,” mused Hermione, surprised by Remus who was now laughing at her.

“You’re not going to let him drive you out of your home, Hermione,” said Remus, still chuckling.

She smiled, realizing he was right. “Except for you, we’re all a bunch of strangers,” observed Hermione. “Must be awfully strange.”

“So, has Ginny chewed your ear yet?” asked Remus with a smirk.

Hermione groaned. “She is going to be completely insufferable.”

“I thought as much,” said Remus.

“I wish she would leave my love life in my hands and keep her fat nose out of it. She is so like her mother,” grumped Hermione.

“Yes, her mother can be quite a bother,” agreed Remus, uncharacteristically unflattering of the Weasley matriarch.

“Oh, no,” said Hermione. “That was completely different Remus and you know it. You and Tonks were in love, you were just being stubborn.”

“It still wasn’t any of her business,” groused Remus.

“You needed a push,” insisted Hermione. “Look how happy you are now.” Remus took a sip of his coffee to hide the smile if not the blush, Hermione clucked her tongue knowingly.

“Tell me if this is too personal a question,” began Remus. “But is Ron the reason that you haven’t been interested in finding a significant other?”

Hermione glanced at Remus sharply, mostly because it wasn’t like him to pry. She realized he was only being a friend and softened her gaze. Before answering she could feel the blush flooding her face, making her feel a bit warm.

“Ron and I were, are, better as friends,” she explained. “I guess after we broke up it was just easier to throw myself into work and not worry too much about my personal life. I have my friends and for now, it is enough.”

Remus wanted to say more, wanted to say that whether she realized it or not she was lonely and it showed. The problem with that was that it might sound like he was encouraging her towards Sirius and in his mind it was not for him to say. There did seem to be an odd chemistry between them, Sirius wouldn’t have harassed her so mercilessly if he didn’t consider her on some level. Her attraction to him was undeniable but she also found him extremely aggravating and that wasn’t necessarily a recipe for bliss.

“You really do have some wonderful friendships,” he said instead. “Even with Ron despite your brief romantic history.”

“Best friends,” she confirmed. “I have two of the most wonderful friends that anyone could ask for.”

“Harry and Ron are good men,” he offered and then smiled.

“Well,” she said, getting up. “I had better shower and get dressed. I’ve got a busy day ahead of me.” She took her cup into the kitchen, as she was leaving she paused by Remus’ shoulder. “You’re a pretty fantastic friend, too, you know.”

Remus smiled into his cup as she left and waited for the rest of the house to wake up. Before anyone else made it down, Hermione dashed into the kitchen and chirruped a good bye and then she was off for the day.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ginny was the first of the Potter’s to make it down the stairs. Expecting to see Hermione and Remus discussing the coming day, she was surprised to see Remus on his own, eating a bit of toast, drinking coffee and reading the morning Prophet.

Yawning as she walked into the kitchen, she grinned at Remus. “Pretty exciting day yesterday.”

“Indeed,” replied Remus, returning her grin.

“Must be odd for you,” she mused. “You were rather close, you and Sirius. I know his death was hard on you.”

“He was never quite the same after Azkaban,” said Remus, thoughtfully. “It really took something from him. He was worn far beyond his years, it was hard to see him like that. He could be difficult to relate to. I think in many ways he was stuck somewhere in his twenties, just without all the…self confidence he used to have.”

Ginny snorted. “Self confidence? Is that what you call that?” Her tone was far from critical, more affectionate, even indulgent.

“Oh, well,” chuckled Remus. “You missed the real fireworks that went on before you arrived. I’m honestly surprised that she didn’t hex him.”

“So what was that all about?” asked Ginny, warming to the topic, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“That was Sirius avoiding his feelings,” replied Remus. “Somehow he managed to crawl under her skin almost immediately. As long as he could focus on tormenting her he didn’t have to focus on the enormity of the situation.”

“It is staggering,” said Ginny. “I can’t imagine losing my best friends not to mention being ripped away from all that I knew and those I cared about. If I had to try and start over with a twenty year gap and the legacy of another person to always be compared with, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Sirius is good at surviving, at coping in the midst of tremendous odds,” said Remus. “He’s got a quick, agile mind…it will be difficult at first but I think the more he learns about his incarceration and the brief few years that followed after he got out, the more he will realize that the fates have handed him a remarkable opportunity.”

“G’ mornin’,” mumbled a yawning, stretching Harry as he ambled into the kitchen.

“Good morning, my love,” sang Ginny from the table.

“Weird day yesterday,” said Harry as he got himself a cup of coffee.

“We were just discussing that,” said Remus, smiling as he buttered another piece of toast.

“Oh?” said Harry, as he took his seat.

“We talked a little last night, he and I,” began Remus. “I told him what your mother’s sacrifice did for the world. He’ll be struggling with the grief of their passing for quite some time. I’ve never known two closer people than your father and Sirius. He’s doing his best to cover it up but I imagine he thought of little else after he went up to bed last night.”

“I was thinking about taking him to Godric’s Hollow,” said Harry. “To visit their graves, see the statue, visit the house.”

“I think that is a very good idea,” said Remus. “He’s so raw right now and there isn’t anyone left to enact vengeance on.”

“Remus thinks that’s what that business with Hermione was last night,” said Ginny.

“Yeah, that was strange. She was so hostile to him!” exclaimed Harry.

“Well, said Remus. “It was not unprovoked. He was a right arse and just wouldn’t let up.”

“Oh,” replied harry. “Like what did he say?”

“Yeah, I want to hear this too,” said Ginny.

Remus flushed slightly at repeating Sirius’ words. “He, ah, well, he made a lot of rather suggestive remarks that insinuated that she, well, more or less, had a burning attraction for him.”

Harry nearly spit his coffee across the table. “To Hermione?”

Remus chuckled. “Yes, and he insisted on calling her ‘beautiful’ no matter how much it irritated her.”

“And was he right?” asked Ginny. “Was she attracted to him?”

“Undeniably,” said Remus with a smirk. “It still wasn’t very nice or appropriate.”

“Hmm…” murmured Ginny.

“Oh, no,” said Harry. “No, Ginny. You’re not going to start with that match making business. He has been through something awful and needs time to adjust. You won’t be doing either of them any favors.”

“Oh, fine,” she sighed. “Have it your way.” Remus had a feeling that would not be the end of it. Ginny had a single minded determination when it came to finding love for Hermione, badgering her into one blind date after another.

“Good morning,” said a deep, hoarse voice from the kitchen doorway. Sirius didn’t look like he had slept very well as he had circles under his bloodshot eyes. The three breakfast companions shared a furtive glance but the new comer showed no sign of alarm or suspicion as he shuffled sleepily into the kitchen he was only too familiar with.

“How’d you sleep?” asked Harry.

“Not too well,” replied Sirius. “S’alright though. A little coffee and I’ll perk right up.” After making his cup he fell heavily into a chair.

“It’ll get better,” soothed Ginny. “You may not realize it yet, but you’re among family.”

“Be careful there, red,” said Sirius. “You haven’t met my family.” There were a few chuckles from around the table which brought a puzzled look to Sirius’ face.

“Actually, Sirius, we have,” corrected Harry. “Until Hermione figured out how to take it down, your mother’s horrid portrait hung in the entry hall.”

Sirius gave an affected shudder for the amusement of his companions. “Where is she by the way?”

“Work,” replied Remus, pointedly ignoring the significant look Ginny was trying to throw him.

“She’s the first to leave in the morning and the last to come home at night,” confirmed Ginny.

“Well, unless we go for a pint,” said Harry.

“Sounds delightful,” said Sirius sarcastically, a few of his early impressions of her were being confirmed.

“Yeah, well, that’s Hermione,” said Harry with a tone of mild concern for his friend.

“Well, no,” said Ginny. “That’s Hermione ever since things didn’t work out with Ron.”

“Bad break?” asked Sirius.

“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” said Harry rhetorically. “But no, in fact they’re fine now, as friends.”

Sirius just quirked his eyebrows in response and took a sip of his coffee. “So, what are we going to do with Sirius Black?” he asked, a little joking, a little not.

“I thought maybe you and I could visit Godric’s Hollow, if you wanted,” said Harry.

Sirius stilled for a moment, caught off guard and then swallowed a hard lump in his throat. “Yeah, I think that would be a good idea.”

“What about you Ginny? Remus?” asked Harry.

“I’ve got to go see mum today, remember?” reminded Ginny.

“Right, right,” said Harry. “What about you Remus?”

“I’d like that actually,” he began. “But I’m opening the store for Fred and George.”

“Just you and me then, eh, mate?” said Sirius, trying to sound light hearted but his smile was too somber to be very convincing.

“After that,” said Harry, in a teasing tone, “we’ll figure out what to do with you.”

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