Chapter 31

Once back at Grimmauld Place, Hermione was curled up in Sirius' arms as they waited for the rest of the search crew to return.

Harry had contacted Ron, and as a result, many of Weasleys had been involved in trying to bring Hermione home. Ginny and George were still out looking, but Ron's Patronus had been sent to bring them back. Ron and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting a little uneasily in the dining room chairs that had been brought in so everyone had somewhere to sit. Mrs. Weasley was constantly on the verge of offering food and drink to everyone, having never quite gotten over the fact that she was no longer queen of this particular castle.

But Hermione was grateful for her help, as she couldn't bring herself to leave the warm safety of Sirius' arms.

Draco Malfoy and Renworth Alenksy were sitting in the corner talking quietly. Sirius nudged her ribs and gestured to them, but Hermione couldn't hear what they were saying. When Draco gave a quiet chuckle and a soft smile at something Renworth had said, Hermione felt warm inside. It was hard not to forgive Draco when he seemed so desperately unhappy, and it was nice to see him smile.

Snape and Harry had stayed with Frankenhodge at the Ministry of Magic so the latter could be processed. After a few choice words from Snape after the Potions master had used his skill to bring the young man back to consciousness, Frankenhodge had confessed everything, not that Hermione had doubted he would. He was a seriously disturbed person, but she didn't believe his intentions to be malicious, just misguided.

Harry was now talking with Snape about the punishments and possible treatment Frankenhodge would receive. Snape seemed appalled that Frankenhodge wouldn't be Kissed, but Harry seemed to know to let him rant it out instead of reasoning with him.

Hermione and Renworth had given statements to the Aurors under Harry's supervision, and thanks to him, they wouldn't have to go to the Ministry tonight, though they would have to testify when the time came.

Andromeda had placed Teddy in one of the guest rooms. He'd had a trying night, with all the Apparitions and Disapparitions, some of which hadn't been silenced. The wards were back up on Grimmauld Place, and for that, Hermione was glad; she felt much safer knowing that not just anyone could get in.

Sirius was being very quiet. Every now and then his hands would tighten on her as if to make sure she was truly in his arms. How he could forget, she didn't know, because she was sitting on his lap with her arms around his neck, her face resting in the crook of his shoulder.

He tilted her face up to meet his with a gentle finger. He seemed to be taking stock of her; he'd done this more than once in the time since they'd returned. Sirius placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth, and Hermione closed her eyes at the gentle treatment.

And then like a dam had burst, Sirius' mouth was moving over hers nearly frantically, his kisses demanding and life affirming. His tongue stroked hers forcefully, as if daring her to back down from a challenge. Hermione let him ravage her mouth because it did as much good for her as it did for him.

"You can't ever leave," he whispered urgently after he'd broken the kiss.

"I didn't leave," she said softly, caressing the side of his face with her hand, her heart warming at the way he leaned into the touch and closed his eyes.

"You can't let anything bad happen to you," he amended, his grey eyes searching hers.

Hermione kissed him again, a slower kiss to show him things hadn't changed. "I'll try my best," she promised.

He looked as though he wanted to say that wasn't good enough, but he just nodded slowly and gathered her more tightly in his grip.

They both heard the front door open, and a moment later, George and Ginny came in, both looking thankful to see her safe. Hermione reluctantly left Sirius' lap and stood to hug Ginny.

The petite redhead was crying unabashedly into Hermione's neck. "I'm glad you're okay, Hermione! I can't believe this happened, and so close to your wedding!" she wailed, snuffling loudly.

A predictable hush fell over the room as Ginny's words reached each and every ear. Only Ginny and Harry had known about their plans to marry.

"Um, Gin, this wasn't really the best time for that news," Hermione chided softly. Though if it became too much to handle, she could just pretend to feel faint and Sirius would whisk her away and force everyone to leave.

"Wedding?" repeated Mrs. Weasley. But she didn't look appalled or even upset. She looked resigned, and very, very tired. Mr. Weasley was smiling softly at Hermione, and then he went to shake Sirius' hand.

After that, the subdued crowd took Mr. Weasley's cue. Everyone congratulated them. Even Snape nodded at Sirius before softly saying congratulations to Hermione. He left immediately after, without saying goodbye.

As Ron approached her, Hermione looked to Sirius. He and Draco were talking with their heads close together, Draco nodding quickly and smiling that small smile again. Sirius met her gaze and nodded, and she knew that he'd be watching her interaction with Ron.

After Ron's breakup with Lavender Brown, he'd retreated somewhat from his group of friends, and he and Hermione had drifted even farther apart than they'd been before.

Ron stuck out his hand stiffly, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Ron," she said quietly, taking his hand. "We're still friends, aren't we?"

He looked as though he didn't quite know what to say, so, as she had so many times over the course of their friendship, Hermione answered for him.

"Of course we are. At least, I want us to be. Can we do that?"

Exhaling sharply in relief, Ron grinned. "Yeah, we can do that." He pulled her into one of those full-body hugs, practically lifting her off the ground. "I'm really glad you're okay, Hermione. We were really worried." He pulled back from the hug, and she could see in his honest blue eyes that he really meant he had been worried.

"Everything's fine now," Hermione said reassuringly. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed having his friendship, but she was sure glad it was back. And it would certainly make things easier on Harry and Ginny, who'd always been rather in the middle of their complicated relationship.

"All right, love?" Sirius asked, coming up beside her and slipping an arm around her waist. She nodded. He raised a question eyebrow at Ron, but the redhead only mumbled his congratulations and walked back to his parents and George. Mrs. Weasley was tearfully talking with Ginny, and Hermione could see that Ginny was trying to talk her out of a scene.

Draco had come over with Sirius, and Renworth was with him as well.

"Congratulations, Granger," Draco said quietly, making Hermione laugh. It felt strange to talk to Draco without feelings of resentment or anger, but it was hard to hate someone who had no one. Sirius was his only family, and that made Hermione family as well.

"Thanks, Draco. You can call me Hermione if you want," she offered. He shrugged, but nodded a little.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger," Renworth said jovially. Even after being kidnapped, Body-Bound, and forced to help push a dead body through the Veil, Renworth's disposition hadn't suffered a bit. Hermione noticed he was standing rather close to Draco. Sirius seemed to notice as well and narrowed his eyes at Renworth.

"Thanks, Renworth. Is there anything I can get you? Food, tea? Or maybe you'd like to stay the night? I can't imagine you'd want to go back to your place right now."

Oddly enough, Draco blushed at her words. Sirius' eyes narrowed further. Renworth cleared his throat, saying, "Actually, Mr. Malfoy has been kind enough to offer his abode while the Aurors deal with the evidence at my house."

"Ah," Hermione said, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"In fact, I'd like to leave now, if you wouldn't mind, Mr. Alensky," said Draco, former haughtiness showing itself a little.

Renworth and Draco said their goodbyes, and she could hear Renworth tell Draco to call him by his given name.

Hermione turned to Sirius and whispered, "Did you know?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know anything about him." He sounded almost angry with himself, and Hermione drew him into a hug.

"But you will," she said firmly. "You will."

"Hermione, dear?" Mrs. Weasley left her small group and stood before Hermione and Sirius. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley were all watching carefully. So was Andromeda from across the room. George was staring into the fire.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione smiled, trying not to cringe as she thought of what the Weasley matriarch might have to say.

"Well, a wedding! That's lovely. Will it be here?"

Hermione looked to Sirius, who shrugged. Hermione hadn't really spared much thought about the wedding since the proposal. She didn't care much for weddings, despite all of Ginny's admittedly infectious enthusiasm.

"We haven't decided the details, yet," she admitted.

Mrs. Weasley finally smiled. "I'd be happy to help, if you find yourself in need of it. I think it would be lovely to have a wedding here, don't you, Sirius?" But she didn't wait for him to answer as she went on. "And it is rather where you fell in love, isn't it? It's romantic, really, when you think about it. He came back from the dead for you!"

Hermione didn't bother correcting her, as she'd brought him back for him, but Mrs. Weasley was talking about decorations anyway.

Eventually Ginny sidled in and flawlessly directed the conversation to herself so that Hermione and Sirius could slip away. They sat on the couch beside Harry, who looked very tired.

He hugged Hermione for what must have been the eighth time. After kissing her softly on the cheek, Harry closed his eyes.

"You and Ginny are welcome to stay here tonight, Harry," Hermione offered, not sure her friend could handle the Floo at his level of exhaustion. "And Teddy's here, so you'd get to see him in the morning."

"Thanks, 'Mione," Harry said gratefully, sinking back into the cushions. "I think we will. I'm just dead exhausted." Harry clenched his eyes closed and sniffed. When he opened them, they were bright with tears. "I thought you were dead, you know. I was sure of it. We found dead energy at Frankenhodge's house. But Sirius didn't give up. He made me swear not to tell, but I thought he was mad, ignoring the obvious. I told Snape. Hermione, I gave up!"

Sirius reached around Hermione and pulled them both into an awkward hug. Laughing, Hermione embraced Harry. "Harry, you're trained to acknowledge evidence! You didn't give up; you just faced facts as you saw them. I would have done the same. Please, everything is fine. Don't worry!"

Harry nodded and pulled away after a moment. He must have been waiting to get that off his chest, because he immediately looked more alert, though he still had a bit of a haunted look in his eye. As long as it wasn't guilt, Hermione knew they could easily work through it.

Andromeda went up to bed, followed shortly by Harry and Ginny. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and George stayed for a while, but eventually even Mrs. Weasley couldn't think up any more excuses to stay and pat Hermione on the cheek, head, and shoulders. After promising to owl first thing in the morning, the Weasleys all left.

"Finally," Sirius drawled, drawing Hermione into his arms again.

Hermione wholeheartedly agreed. She was eternally grateful to her friends for searching for her, but she was exhausted. "Bed?" she suggested softly, meeting Sirius' tired eyes.

"Bed," he confirmed, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs.

He undressed her slowly, making every moment count, brushing his fingers against her skin whenever he unbuttoned something or slid something off. When she was naked and shivering before him, Hermione waited for him to take her into his arms and make her burn. She needed this, needed this confirmation, this proof of life. He would show her that no one could hurt her, no one would ever take her away again.

"Into bed, love," he directed, taking off his own clothing. He quickly cast silencing spells for the first time in ages, the house having more guests than either were used to.

When he crawled into bed with her and pulled her into his arms, Hermione snuggled as close as humanly possible. If she could, she'd become part of him, and allow him to become part of her.

"So looks like Molly'll be taking over the wedding plans, hmm?" he murmured against her skin, his heated lips making fiery brands on her throat.

"More fool her," she quipped, grateful to no longer have to worry about those details that seemed to plague every bride-to-be.

"Just make sure she confirms with one of us before she makes major decisions. I don't want to end up with an orange and brown colour scheme or anything like that."

"I'm not entirely convinced you'd notice," Hermione said, pushing his long hair away from his face. What she wouldn't do to have lovely straight hair like his.

"Not when I have you walking toward me," he agreed, taking on a seriousness he hadn't had before.

Hermione bussed his lips softly, holding him. She sensed that there was something he needed to say, and like Harry, he'd feel better once he got it out of his system.

"I almost lost you," he began slowly, and Hermione could tell he was working out his words as he said them, putting form to something he'd obviously hoped to keep inside. "I was so scared, Hermione, so angry and so scared. I never want to fight with you again. What if... gods, what if something really bad, you know, had happened to you? I'd never be able to forgive myself. It was my fault your guard was down, my fault that reporter got to you..."

Hermione had heard enough. Guilt like that would fester and ruin. "It wasn't anyone's fault but Frankenhodge's. You're smart enough to know that you can't control other people. My guard wasn't down, Sirius. I was alert, as always. He took me by surprise and Disapparated with me before I could even blink. And that wasn't my fault, that I trusted him when maybe I shouldn't have. We can't live our lives in the fear that someone will hurt us, because that will hurt us. We have to trust and love and learn. I don't want to hear you say you're to blame. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I just want to move on, you and me. The way it should be."

Luckily, Sirius' guilt was assuaged almost as easily as Harry's, but Hermione could already tell this conversation would be repeated in the near future. She didn't mind. Sirius' happiness was imperative to hers, and if she had to reassure him every single day for the rest of her life, she'd gladly do it, just to be his and have him be hers.

"My little bride," Sirius whispered against her skin, his mouth moving sensually.

"My groom," she countered, laughing as he tickled her ribs in retaliation.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

Hermione snorted. "That wasn't very subtle, Mr. Black. You want to ravish me, don't you?"

Sirius' eyes twinkled, but he very seriously said, "No."

Hermione pouted and went to turn away, but he held fast.

"I want to make love you," he said, brushing the hair away from her eyes and kissing her protruding lower lip before nipping it soundly.

"I want that, too," she whispered.

Sirius kissed her softly, but he couldn't seem to manage to keep the fire between them burning at a manageable level. It soon grew out of control, and neither wanted to douse the flames.

He quickly moved on top of her, and she eagerly parted her legs, desperate to feel him inside her again. After their fight, and everything that had followed, it was easy to understand why she needed him so badly. And she could tell that he needed her just as much.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and guided him into her. The feeling of fullness was so intense she knew she could never really be whole without him. And even if she didn't fill him in the same way, she knew, both instinctively, and from the many times he told her, that he felt the same way.

"Love the way you feel around me, love your body, love you," Sirius chanted, thrusting into her. He wasn't being gentle, and she was grateful. As much as he'd wanted to make love, she wanted it hard so she would always remember that when anyone hurt her, Sirius would put her back together again.

"Love you, Sirius," she responded, happily giving herself up to the way his body owned and knew hers. His pelvic bone ground against her clit and brought her to the edge so quickly it made her dizzy.

"Come, love, I need to see you come," he demanded. And even if Hermione wouldn't do everything Sirius asked, like keep a house-elf, for starters, coming when he told her to was something she'd always strive to obey.

She cried out as her body clamped down around him, making it impossible for him to thrust as quickly.

Sirius came a minute later, shouting her name almost triumphantly, flooding her with warmth and satisfaction and safety, inside her all the way to her heart.

After a few moments, thought obviously reluctant to part, Sirius rolled off Hermione and gathered her into his arms. He gently kissed her hair, looking into her eyes in a way that made her feel vulnerable but completely secure.

"Hermione," he whispered as his fingers tried to brush through her curls.

"Yes?"

"Remember in the journals? 'The Veil has a plan for us all'?"

"Of course," she said, covering her mouth to yawn.

"What do you think its plan for us is?"

Hermione paused. "I have no idea. For Sofie and Rolpho it was to have a brilliant baby, a child who grew up to save thousands of lives and change the world."

"That's a lot to live up to," Sirius said.

"But if the plan is for our child, it could be that he or she is just supposed to save one person. That's just as worthwhile, isn't it? Or it could be something else entirely. Any number of events have been set in motion from our getting together. We really have no way of knowing. Is a child growing up to create a vaccine to cure a disease more valuable than Draco Malfoy having his only family back, or Harry Potter having his godfather back, or Teddy Lupin having the connection to his father? Or me having the man I love in my life? They're all special and important in different ways."

"It's hard to believe that something good could come of my being around," Sirius said lightly, but Hermione could hear, as she always could with him, the underlying tones of disbelief that he deserved to be here.

"It's not hard for me to believe. Only good things have come for me."

"Except tonight," he added darkly.

"Well, yes, but even some good came of that," Hermione mused. Sirius looked disbelieving, so she went on. "Well, we were both afraid that the dark magic I did would be revealed to the world, that I'd be exposed, perhaps even charged. Now the only person who knows the story is Frankenhodge, and no one will believe anything he's written, once the story of what happened tonight gets out. Though I might have to tell the truth to the Wizengamot at Frankenhodge's hearing. But then again, having Harry Potter on my side will probably help with that." Hermione very rarely asked Harry to use his name for anything for her, but this was something she suspected he wouldn't have a problem with. "And if I do tell the Wizengamot, it's not as though they will leak it to the press. The secret will be safe and buried, and no one will think I've the ability to bring people back from the dead. Nothing like this will ever happen again."

Suddenly, Hermione was more tired than she'd been all night. Or rather, all morning, as midnight had come and gone ages ago.

"Let's talk about something else," Hermione suggested tiredly, wanting to end the evening on a light note, knowing she'd always remember it.

"Well, I did have a point, but we got sidetracked," he said, laughing softly. He leaned down to kiss her throat, little confirmations of love.

"What was your point?" she said as if she doubted very much that he'd had one.

"Well, it's our responsibility, really, to do as the Veil commands."

Hermione shrugged, unwilling to agree until she knew what he was on about.

"So, in light of that, maybe you should cast the counter-spell to your contraceptive charm..." He bit his lip, stilling all movement, and pulled back to watch her face.

"What... you want to... now? Right now?" she stuttered, shaking her head as if to help his words sink in more quickly. Cancelling the charm now meant that the semen inside her would have a chance to get to an egg and make her pregnant. She wasn't exactly sure where she was on her cycle, but it seemed possible that it was a viable time.

"Hermione, I want to have babies with you. I want to have so many babies that we save the world six times over and then some. We don't have to do it now...it might not even take right away, but..."

"Yes."

"...If it does, I just know our children will be beautiful, and..."

"Yes!"

"...I promise you'd never even know I was raised in the most fucked up house ever, so..."

"Sirius! Shut up! I'm saying yes. I want to have babies with you. Maybe not six, though. But yes!"

"Oh," Sirius said, looking momentarily stunned. "You do? With me?"

"Well, that's what we're talking about, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I just thought..."

"What, that you'd have to convince me? Gods, Sirius, I love you more than anything else in this world. Nothing would make me happier than having children with you. Even if they don't save the world and only invent some new type of cheese or something."

"Cheese?" Sirius looked as though he was having a hard time keeping track of the conversation, but the dopy, endearing smile on his face made it all too easy to forgive him.

"I love you, Sirius Black," she whispered, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

"I love you, too," he said against her lips. "Always. For good."