Chapter 2

Harry woke with a scream. When he couldn't see anything or anybody, he just continued screaming. The noise woke Ginny up and sent her scurrying down the stairs from the bedroom; she rushed into the study ready to face whatever she found there.

"Lumos!" Ginny shouted, looking around to see where the attack was coming from. Strangely there wasn't anything, or anybody, attacking. Her boyfriend was lying on the sofa covered in a blanket, but he was still fully dressed and he was screaming.

Harry was staring wide eyed and unseeing around the room, terrified of what he'd seen in his sleep. Everything seemed so real. Seeing Hermione die, even if it might have only been in his dreams, frightened him. It took Ginny the rest of the night to settle him down, and he refused to even consider sleeping without a light on. He had never been so afraid.

Harry was late getting in to work the next morning. He was still very unsettled by his horrendous dream, but Ginny had told him to write every little detail he could remember down. She wasn't positive it was only a dream and not a foretelling, and she wanted to be prepared. Harry, however, didn't want to believe any of it. After all, wasn't Hermione busy with her Potions training at St Mungo's? If she was seeing someone, surely she would have told him – wouldn't she? He didn't want to face the possibility that he could be the cause of all that he'd seen.

Harry Floo'd into the office he worked in. Since he really didn't need to see anyone this morning, he was grateful that it had its own entrance. There was a stack of paperwork waiting for him, and there seemed to be no let up all day. Harry enjoyed his work. At work he was just one of the boys. He was someone who had worked his way up over the last three years. Now, unless he needed to use his celebrity status for something, he was just Harry.

Ron Weasley, Beater for the Chudley Cannons and star player of the English team, was the famous one. Ron had finally escaped from Harry's shadow. It was a wonderful day for both of them when Harry had been pushed out the way so some girl could get his mate's autograph.

Harry ploughed his way through the reports all morning, and he was glad of the break when Gladys, his secretary, came in and asked if there was an Auror spare. The minister needed some paperwork hand delivered to Gringotts.

Harry volunteered. He could do with the walk and the fresh air. The security wizard helped him attach the bag to his wrist, and he made his way to the Minister's Office. Percy Weasley waved him in, and Minister of Magic Shacklebolt was waiting for him.

" Would you please deliver these to the Head Goblin, Harry? Make sure he signs a receipt and signs to say that the bag seal is intact. You know what Goblins are like," he said with a smile.

Harry signed the paperwork with a wave of his wand and headed out towards the public entrance, looking forward to the time away from his desk. It was cold but bright as he made his way up Diagon Alley towards the Wizarding bank. The shops were not as busy as he expected. Mostly he saw mothers with younger children and ladies having lunch. He noticed Lady Malfoy, who acknowledged him with a wave of her hand before going into Madam Merkin's, and a few other people he knew from school and work. As he passed Faberge's, the jewellers shop, he noticed a shock of bright red hair that would only belong to a member of the Weasley clan.

Even though he was supposed to go straight to the bank, he couldn't resist taking a close look at what his friend was up to. Inside the jeweller's shop he saw Hermione and Ron, and Ron was down on one knee in front of her. Spread out on the counter there were several rings. Harry's mind jumped to the obvious conclusion or at least would have if it hadn't been for his nightmare. The parallel situation to his dream showed him that he needed more proof that today was the day he'd destroyed so many lives. He wanted to vomit, knowing what he was about to do to the people who loved him.

Harry nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw his godfather at the doorway into Gringotts. Sirius Black was getting the normal amount of stares from every female, and more than a few men, as he lounged against a pillar smoking a cigarette. The maleness of Padfoot the Marauder oozed out of his every pore: at least that's what Ginny told him. Harry wasn't sure how he felt about his girlfriend being besotted by his godfather, even if it was only in fun.

"Hermione will do you some serious injury if she sees you with those things, Sirius," Harry said with a grin, delighted to catch the Marauder breaking a Hermione-induced rule. Blackmail material was always useful.

Sirius just smiled. "Don't tell her, mate, please? I'm going to give up anyway." He almost seemed to shift nervously from one foot to another. "Look, we have to meet up soon for a drink. I need to talk to you about something." Sirius studied his godson. He looked so much like James, it was scary sometimes.

"How about now? I've just got to drop some stuff of at the bank, and I can walk you back to the Leaky Cauldron and grab a cold one. It'll be time for lunch by then," Harry said. It would be good to spend some time with Sirius again.

Sirius nodded as Harry went into the bank. By the time Harry had managed to persuade the Chief Goblin to sign all the paperwork, and handed over the case with the seals still intact, Sirius was surrounded by a gaggle of females. It was always the same when Sirius was out in public. Mind you, if he stopped wearing his snugly fitted clothes, maybe he wouldn't be mobbed quite so much, Harry thought with a humph. Then, he remembered the broken woman of his dreams and vowed to do all he could to make sure it never happened.

The Leaky Cauldron was near enough empty when they arrived. The lunch time crowd had vanished, and the evening crowd had yet to arrive. Sirius and Harry found a quiet table in the corner. They both sat quietly and watched their Butterbeer for a few minutes, neither one sure how to start the conversation.

"Sirius, I saw..." Harry started to say.

"Harry, I need to tell you..." Sirius started talking at exactly the same moment.

"You go first," Harry said. As he spoke he felt a wave of magic pass over him. It felt as though someone had walked on his grave.

Sirius took a deep breath. "Harry, I've met someone. I was at Gringotts to retrieve the Black family jewels. I..." he stopped, unsure of how to continue.

"What's she like?" Harry asked. "It is a she?" He had to tease the womaniser a bit, didn't he?

"Yes, she's a she, you cheeky young beggar!" Sirius laughed at James' son. Moments like this reminded him of how much like James that Harry was, and he took another swig of his pint. "She's beautiful and intelligent, and..." Harry laughed to himself as his godfather's eyes went dreamy and unfocused.

"Then why's she going out with you?" Ooh, it was fun to torment Sirius.

"I don't know," Sirius said earnestly. "She could have the choice of any wizard she wanted, but she seems to want an old man. She's so much younger than I am." Sirius looked straight at Harry. It made the younger wizard feel a little guilty about all the times he'd teased Sirius about his age, but he wasn't going to let him off that lightly.

"Mentally or physically?" Harry asked, grinning like mad. It was fun to listen to Sirius wax lyrical over a female. Old love 'em and leave 'em Sirius Black had fallen totally and completely in love. If his dream was anything to go by, he'd fallen for a book-loving witch instead of a complete airhead.

"If it was mentally younger than me she'd be about four, Harry. She's so smart and usually more mature than most. Physically she's the same age as you."

"So when are you and Hermione getting married?" Harry looked at the man in front of him and smirked. This was so much fun.

"As soon as possible," Sirius said without realising that Harry knew exactly who he had been talking about. "Hey, how did you know it was Hermione? Merlin, she's going to kill me! She wanted to tell you that bit herself!"

"She'll only kill you for smoking, Sirius, only for smoking." Harry took another drink. "Congratulations." Harry noticed the skeptical look on his godfather's face. "No, really, I mean it. You deserve one another," he told Sirius. They laughed together and they finished their beers before heading out of the pub.

"You know if you hurt her, I will have to kill you, right?" Harry said as they headed for the Floo.

"Right, I know. I would cut out my own heart or even go back into the veil forever before I ever hurt her intentionally, Harry. I promise." Harry saw the magic surrounding them. His godfather had just made an unbreakable oath.

Harry made his way back to the office happier than he'd been for ages. Sirius had shown him the ring he'd bought as well as the one he'd fetched from his vault. He wanted Hermione to have the choice of a family one with all the traditions attached or one for a fresh start. Knowing Hermione, she'd find a way to combine the two.

Waiting at the office for Harry was a house-elf that he didn't recognise. The elf bowed low when Harry approached him and asked, "You is Harry Potter?"

"I is... I mean I am Harry Potter; how can I help you?" he asked. It was unusual to see visiting house-elves in his office; they normally just went to the front desk, but he made it welcome.

"I is told to bring you this." The creature handed over a letter sealed with the Hogwarts' coat of arms before Apparating out of the office.

Dear Harry,

Albus Dumbledore

Harry was still laughing when he arrived home to Ginny. She told him the wonderful news that Hermione Granger and Sirius Black had eloped and would be back in a month. He kept the news of the baby to himself: it was the least he could do. Harry thanked Merlin for a better ending than his nightmare had promised.