Author's Note: This took longer than it should have. Anyway, it's done. Time to plot and plan and outline what's coming. Last update until I've gotten a head start for the next arc, which will be a while.

Many thanks to Tyrannic_Puppy for providing comments and beta work on this chapter.

Disclaimer: Is there any explanation for how the Hogwarts express gets out of London unnoticed? If not, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros., and whoever else she sold the rights to.

16th of August, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

Hermione was waiting for Harry in her private room, ostensibly to do more studying, but really, she needed to talk to him. She should have done it the night before—Dad had always said to never go to bed angry. And she had been angry with him. They probably should have explained things better, but…

He hadn't trusted her when she said she'd be okay. He hadn't trusted that Mia would take care of her. And, worst of all, he hadn't trusted them enough to stay safe when they both had told him interfering was dangerous. She wasn't sure what worried her more, that he didn't care enough about his own safety, or that he hadn't listened to them.

When Harry finally came in, she marked her page and closed it. She didn't get up to greet him, didn't smile—even though she wanted to, he just looked so worried that she wanted to reassure him—didn't shift to let him sit next to her.

His countenance fell further under her silent gaze as he moved to take a sit opposite her.

"Harry," her voice quivered, she didn't like doing this, "do you understand what you did wrong last night?"

He met her eyes briefly before they darted back to the floor. His hands clenched and unclenched as he fidgeted nervously. "You... weren't hurt. I shouldn't have left the, um, corner-thing."

Hermione sniffed at that. He wasn't wrong, but that wasn't the point. She kept her gaze on him as he continued to fidget, not hiding her disapproval in the slightest.

He didn't answer for some time. It was tempting to pick up her book and go back to reading, to get something productive done with her time. She didn't, however. Doing that to Harry—making him think he wasn't worth her time—would be just as bad as what he had done. So, she leaned back, crossed her arms, and continued to wait.

Eventually he took a deep breath and met her gaze, albeit unsteadily. "I… I didn't trust you. You said you would be fine—you should have said, though! I... what was I supposed to think when you collapsed?"

"We should've—but did you not trust Mia to make sure I was okay? You got hurt—" Her breath hitched, and it was surprising just how much she felt bad that he was hurt because of her. Because he wanted to make sure she was okay. "—because you didn't wait, you didn't trust Mia. Didn't trust me."

She bit her lip. He shouldn't have gotten hurt. "Maybe we should do something about your scar, if it—"

"No! It's stopped hurting. I had a nightmare, fine, that was… unpleasant." He turned away, staring blankly at a wall. "Horrible. But that doesn't—I can't get rid of it. Not just because it's unpleasant." He turned back to her, his eyes haunted by whatever he had seen in his latest vision. "If there's a way to end it sooner, I have to try."

"I—" Hermione cut off her retort; she wanted to argue that was more of a reason to get rid of his scar than to keep it, to keep himself from suffering. But his argument still stood—he was right that if they could end it sooner they needed to try. Riddle wouldn't be doing nothing while they waited. "Okay. Can you tell me what you saw, Harry?"

He opened his mouth and closed it a few times before sighing. "There were… it was a muggle. He was laughing, enjoying the screams. Like it was music." He sunk into his seat, voice dropping to a whisper. "It felt like I was enjoying it."

Hermione didn't hesitate this time. She got up from her chair, sat in his lap and engulfed Harry in a hug. "Never. You are not him. You aren't cruel like that. Never think that, Harry, you're noble and kind. Not sadistic." She kissed him lightly before drawing his head to her chest—she was still glad he wasn't any bigger than her, it would be harder to hold him like this if he was.

He returned her hug and the tension slowly left him. "Thank you, Hermione."

"You can tell me anything Harry, don't think that I'll ever hate you for it. That I'll ever care less for you because of what you've seen—because of what… happened to you. No matter what it is."

"Even if—even if I want to hurt someone…?"

"Harry, after what I've learned, I've wanted to curse Ron a dozen times in the last month alone. I'm not perfect either—remember Malfoy in June last year? I could barely believe it, but it felt so right at the time. I only haven't done it again because the consequences aren't worth it."

He laughed and she smiled in response. "It's funny, you've always been the most… physical of the three of us..." His humour quickly fled.

She sighed. Just because she punched Malfoy once—and maybe hit him playfully once in a while—didn't make her the most violent of their group. "I wasn't the one who got into an unsanctioned duel in my first weeks at school." She pushed herself off his chest so she could look him in the eye. "I'm not the violent one here! Nor do I get hurt half as much as you! Merlin, I wish you'd stop playing. Each game terrifies me. But that stupid sport—"

"Hey!"

Hermione grinned as she ignored his protest and continued on. "—is one of the few things you enjoy. I don't like it, I don't really care about it, but you do. So, I'm invested anyway. I'd like you to be more careful, but I'm not going to tell you to stop." She huffed and kissed his forehead briefly. "Not that I'd ever succeed, it'd be like telling me to stop reading."

Harry was grinning at her lopsidedly again, and Hermione found it was doing funny things to her insides again. As she began to blush she quickly became aware of just how close she was to Harry, which only made her blush harder.

Her words were far less precise as she went to finish what she was saying, simply trying to prevent herself from stammering taking most of her focus. "Anyway, I trust you when you play Quidditch. You know the game better than me, and you're a much better flyer. I trust you to avoid getting hurt as much as you can—and you do! You've gotten hurt, but only seriously when something interferes. You need to trust that I—and Mia—know what we're doing, that we've researched things properly."

Harry stared at her for a few minutes, making her blush ever more until he finally blurted something out. "I need to write a letter."

Hermione was taken aback—she was still sitting in his lap and wondering what he was thinking, and he decides he needs to write a letter. "What?" She tried to keep the hurt out of her voice, but the way his brow furrowed with concern told her something slipped through.

"I messed up. You're right about that. I need to apologise properly, so I need to write to Andromeda. I… I need advice, Hermione." He reached up and brushed her cheek with one hand, and she leaned into his touch. "I don't know what I'm doing, but I know I need to do it right. I'll do better, I promise."

Hermione reached up held his hand to her cheek with her own, then shifted until her head was rested on his shoulder. She hummed contentedly as he held her. Studying could wait, she needed time to be a girlfriend too.

–oOoOo–

"Will you tell me what you're working on, Miss Doppelgranger?"

"No, Sirius." She paused for a moment then looked up at him with an exasperated frown. "Doppelgranger? Really? It's better than Harry's shrubbery joke, but not by much."

"Shrubbery?"

"The Knights Who Say Ni. It's a Monty—it's a muggle thing. Maybe we'll get a chance to show you one day, I think you'd enjoy it."

Sirius blinked and shrugged. He was fairly used to obscure muggle references by this point. Some of them sounded pretty cool, really. He'd known about the men on the moon from Lily for ages, but people actually living in tin cans that spun around the planet? It was interesting, but very strange.

"Great. Now, really, tell me about what you're working on. I need a distraction—" he suppressed a growl, "—"I just fought with Harry over his dumb plan. Again. He's mad at me, and I'm mad at me for getting him mad at me. I just…"

"He was determined Sirius, that's why I didn't try." She sighed resignedly. "When he gets an idea in his head nothing short of it failing right in front of him will deter him. I hate it. I want him to change his mind. He won't. You've already gone over his nightmares, lack of sleep, moodiness, headaches, and everything else, right?"

"Yes," he nodded, "and the risk of Vol—Riddle trying possess him. Implanted suggestions, irrationality, all the risks of having a… a parasite like that."

"Then there's nothing we can do but try to stop his decision backfiring horribly. Damage control. I'm focusing on this… right now. How to do it right. After that, I'm going to start Occlumency sessions with him." Hermione put her quill down and stared at her notes. "Hopefully it will help if it's done right."

"I don't like having to hope, Hermione. I really don't."

Hermione shrugged and went back to what she was working on, leaving Sirius to puzzle over how to handle the growing problem with Molly. She wasn't doing anything in front of the kids anymore but kept trying to coerce him in private.

Merlin knew what she'd do when she found out Harry and Hermione—the other Hermione—were actually dating.

17th of August, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks paused for a moment, squinting at them, "Ni? Yeah, Wotcher, Ni,"

Hermione didn't properly register the intrusion into their work space, merely grumbling about someone interrupting her studying time. She was finding the mathematics workbooks Mia had acquired for them quite easy, and she was eager to finish off a third today. Harry was a fair bit behind her, still only working on his first, but it seemed he was having less trouble than he had expected.

Harry looked up from the multitude of paperwork spread out before him. "Hi, Tonks," He murmured blearily.

"Harry! Don't fall asleep on me, we were just reaching a good pace!" Hermione scolded him, but as she looked up, she saw Tonks. Tonks who worked long hours during the week and wouldn't be around if it wasn't evening. "Oh, Hi Tonks. Um, what time is it?"

"Mmm, seven? You missed supper, by the way." Tonks grinned at them.

Hermione turned to Harry and he blinked at her. She blushed brighter, leaned over at put a hand on his arm. "Er, sorry, Harry. We should take a break, shouldn't we?"

He rolled his eyes at her and nodded. "Yeah, it's been, what, six hours? Didn't think there would be this much work involved in this…"

"We're four years behind, Harry. Of course it's a lot of work!" Hermione felt a little annoyed he hadn't properly thought out how much they would need to do. They weren't trying for a full course load or anything, merely English and Mathematics for the moment. Still, he was trying… "Thank you for studying with me, Harry." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. If Tonks wasn't there, she might have done a little more.

"'S alright. I think I should've done this before I wrote my essays." Harry frowned at his workbook; he had chosen to work on his English first since it involved a lot of practice writing, and notes on how to write properly. Apparently even he didn't like the chicken scratch he produced. "I'm not doing them again, though."

Hermione clamped her mouth shut, cutting off her comment. She wasn't that predictable, was she? She shook her head quickly. "No, no, that's fine… I mean, I'd like you to do better, but you got them done early. I'm proud of you for doing that!" She beamed at him. Harry getting his work done early wasn't as absurd as Ron doing it, but it was still worth praising.

"Hogwarts should have something for writing though, they don't cover a lot of the things we need to learn, do they…" Hermione muttered. Ever since Mia had shown up she'd been questioning the quality of her education more. Hogwarts was still a good school for magic, but it was lacking in so many other ways.

"Mmm. Sirius was right, you two are adorable together." Tonks grinned at them both, and Harry joined Hermione in blushing. "Right, right. I want to say congratulations, ya know? My ickle cousin's got his first girlfriend."

"Tonks!" Harry whined. If she wasn't as embarrassed as he was, Hermione would be admonishing him for whinging. As it was, she was tempted to join him; Sirius was bad enough, they didn't need Tonks teasing them too!

"Was there anything else, or are you just here to embarrass us?" Hermione tried her best to glare Tonks into being sensible, but it was clear she was still enjoying herself.

"Heh. McGonagall's finishin' up a chat with Dumbledore, but afterwards she's asked to talk to you, Hermione. Both of you. Mia's already downstairs, waitin'." Tonks scratched her cheek absently. "Surprised she wasn't up here with you, to be honest. Would've thought it'd have been a three-way study session." Her expression froze for a moment, then she grinned.

"No! We don't do that, Tonks!" Harry blurted out.

Hermione groaned; he'd given her exactly the response she wanted. And now she was thinking about it too!

"I didn't say anythin'! Anyway, gotta run, Mum's expecting me home. Don't forget to write her, Harry!" Tonks sprinted out of the room, and a few moments later there was a loud thud and muffled curses as she tripped over something, again.

"I'm not sure how much I like you having a big sister figure, Harry. Sirius alone is bad enough."

Harry just shook his head and stood up. He offered his hand to help her up and she took it with a smile. "Well, Ni, shall we go see what the Professor wants with you?"

"Yes, let's," Hermione could still barely believe Harry had asked her to be his girlfriend. That he'd kissed her. It hadn't been her first kiss, and it hadn't been perfect like she had dreamed of as a girl, but it had been her best kiss in ways she couldn't even try to describe. Sweaty, smelly, and feeling a bit guilty about Mia and all.

Hermione frowned and felt a twinge of hurt in her chest. Mia still wasn't talking to them much and it stung. She really hoped that things cleared up before long, she missed being able to talk with Mia about everything.

–oOoOo–

Harry and Ni stepped into the sitting room Professor McGonagall had appropriated and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. It had just been her and the professor for the last few minutes, and the atmosphere was surprisingly tense. She'd thought the professor liked her before she came back. It had certainly felt like she was a prized student, but now she wasn't so sure. Their head of house never really did anything. Past or future, it didn't seem like she had ever interfered with the vicious infighting of Gryffindor house.

"Good of you to join us, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall remained impassive, betraying nothing. "Mister Potter, you may go."

"I'd like him to stay, professor." Ni replied.

McGonagall looked at Hermione, who simply shrugged. She didn't care too much if Harry was here; clearly McGonagall still wasn't going to give him his prefect badge—one he would use responsibly unlike a certain red-head. But that did bring up the question: where was that particular red-headed menace?

Somehow managing to look put-upon by simply having Harry in attendance, Professor McGonagall nodded her head and gestured for them to sit. Harry ended up in the middle on the settee and gave her a little smile. She wasn't as mad as she had been, but she still didn't feel like returning it, to his obvious dismay.

"As you may already be aware it is my duty as head of Gryffindor house to choose a prefect from both the boys and the girls entering fifth, sixth, and seventh year." The Professor pressed her lips into a thin line, standing over and peering down at them. "Despite some of your recent, reckless, actions Misses Granger, either of you remain my best choice for fifth year prefect. Your academic record is impeccable, and you have far fewer incidents on record than any other student in Gryffindor."

Hermione could barely keep herself from expressing her disbelief at that. She hadn't gotten into as much trouble as the other Gryffindors, but it had always been bigger. The professor's ignorance wasn't really a surprise in that regard, however. Dumbledore wasn't one to share secrets.

"However, formally, there can only be one fifth year girls' prefect. The Headmaster has also prepared the paperwork for you to sign for the cover identity of the… second Miss Granger. I will leave it amongst yourselves to resolve who shall take the cover, and who shall be prefect. The prefect, of course, must be Hermione Granger."

Professor McGonagall's gaze bored into them for a few moments, ever the picture of the stern teacher. "Is this all clear, Misses Granger?"

"Yes Professor," Hermione and Ni chanted in perfect sync. Harry stifled a chuckle by forcing a cough, but McGonagall didn't seem amused.

"Very well. Do you have any questions?"

"One, professor. Who is the boys' prefect?" Ni asked as she made furtive glances towards Harry.

"Mister Weasley," at their frowns the professor merely arched one eyebrow. "I am aware of your recent falling out. However, barring the twin Messrs Weasley, they have all made exceptional prefects. I am certain Mister Weasley will step up to his responsibilities."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Hermione muttered with a sigh. "Thank you, professor, for informing us in person."

Professor McGonagall nodded sternly. "If that is all I shall be returning to Hogwarts. I do believe Molly has prepared a party downstairs in celebration of your and Mr Weasley's new status, unfortunately I am too busy to join the festivities." The professor waited a moment, as if expecting something, before frowning when none of them responded. "Good day, Misses Granger, Mister Potter."

She strode out of the room, leaving little time for their own murmured farewells. Once she was gone Harry let out a sigh and leaned into Ni's shoulder.

"I'd hoped, a little, that she wouldn't. Why Ron of all people? He's… what makes him prefect material?"

"His brothers, apparently." Hermione couldn't help but growl. The professor had basically admitted to choosing Ron based solely on who his brothers were. "I thought it was because Dumbledore wanted you isolated, and it still could be that… but if it's just because of nepotism? I'm not sure I can respect her anymore."

Ni leaned over Harry and gave Hermione's hand a squeeze. "Do you want to be prefect, Mia? I know you don't want to—"

"Oh, Merlin no. I wouldn't last a day having to put up with his whining; I'll take patrols with the Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws if you want a break, but I'm not walking around the castle with Ronald." Hermione spotted Ni wincing and realised she was crushing Ni's hand. "Sorry," she let go and drew away.

She didn't expect Ni to crawl across Harry to hug her directly in response to being hurt. It felt good to have their closeness back, even if it was just for a moment or two. She had missed it more than she would've expected over the last few days.

"Mia, I'm sorry."

"What?"

Harry, still largely trapped underneath Ni, somehow got his arm around her as well. "I'm sorry too. We were insensitive about… my scar."

For a moment Hermione's heart soared, then it dropped again. It didn't even matter if he changed his mind, they didn't have the materials to cleanse it now that they had purified the ring, and it would be months before what she was preparing was potent enough for the ritual.

"I stand by my decision. It's my choice. But… I upset you. Is there something you want me to do to make up for it?"

"Occlumency," Hermione couldn't be called happy that he hadn't seen sense, but at least he still wanted her advice. "You need proper Occlumency shields so your connection doesn't ruin your life this year. You had constant headaches, visions, nightmares… we need to teach you Occlumency properly. The glasses won't cut it."

They shuffled around so she sat between the two of them, although not being embraced by either anymore. Ni looked on encouragingly, while Harry appeared more determined than anything.

"Right. When do you want to start?"

Hermione smiled, but before she could answer the door blew open and she remembered they weren't in one of their private rooms with alarm.

"Hey, Hermione!–" "–Can you believe it?–" "–you've got ickle Ronnikins–" "–as your prefect partner!" Fred and George were grinning as they stood in the doorway. "Mum's got a party–" "–It's for both of you–" "–down in the kitchen."

They looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to the stunned trio. "It's funny–" "–we thought Harry'd get it–" "but this way we're really the Black Sheep!" "Only Weasleys of our generation to not be prefects." "No way Ginny won't get it next year, right?"

Harry frowned briefly before schooling his features. Not that she was much better herself, although she was mostly annoyed at herself for forgetting they weren't secure. They couldn't afford mistakes like that. Not now, not ever.

"Shouldn't you be congratulating me, Fred, George?" Ni asked briskly, "Honestly, just because it's expected…" She shook her head and signed.

"Sorry, sorry!" Their wide grins belied their remorse, "Congratulations Hermione, you were clearly the first choice—out of the two who had any chance." Fred pulled a sickle out of his pocket and stared at his twin. "Why, we had a bet going on who would get the girls prefect…"

George grabbed his own coin and glanced between her and Ni. "so, who got it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and nudged Ni, who shot her a glance. Before either of them could decide how to respond, Harry cut in blithely.

"Why, Hermione did, of course."

They both slapped their coins into each other's hands with a laugh. "That's what we figured."

"You coming down to the party then?" George said as he looked on expectantly.

"Either of you interested in that party?" Harry asked dryly.

Hermione shook her head. "I'm going to go over the cover story Dumbledore has made for me. Better to do that sooner rather than later."

"Sorry, Fred, but no. We've not been getting… on well with Ron, as you know." Ni smiled apologetically at the twins. "Besides, I'd rather celebrate with my, um, boyfriend in private." She gave Hermione one last hug before she stood up and offered Harry her hand. "Coming, Harry?"

Hermione smiled as Harry and Ni left, but the frowns the twins had on their faces as they watched them go had her a little concerned. They had always been protective of their siblings in their own way.

"Getting a bit much, isn't it?" Fred said quietly as they turned to leave themselves.

"The hell did Ron do this time to upset all of them? It's definitely too much." George muttered back.

Hermione pulled out a notebook and jotted down the twin's reaction and turned back to her letter. It wasn't a very good cover story from her perspective. Separated at birth—not really any other way they could do it, considering—but the details of her upbringing and education were barely existent. Maybe that made it simpler, or maybe it made it worse. It wasn't really something she knew that much about.

After finishing the letter she leaned back with a sigh. Helen Jasmine Granger. Keeping the same initials was important for purposes of her signature's magical legitimacy, she knew, but the name just didn't feel right. She wasn't a Helen, nor was she a Jasmine. At least her new name did have one thing going for it: it wasn't Mia.

–oOoOo–

Harry heard a knocking at his door, which was a little surprising. Both Hermiones had gone to bed, and Sirius was talking with Tonks last he'd seen. It hadn't been that long ago either. Feeling curious, he opened the door and was surprised to see Ginny standing there, looking away shyly.

She glanced up at him, before looking away again. "Hey, Harry. Um. I don't… want to come in, but do you mind talking for a minute?"

He wasn't too sure what Ginny wanted from him—he hoped she hadn't gotten the idea of asking him out or anything. He had no idea how to handle that, and really, really, didn't want to upset her. It would make things awkward and set the twins on him. They were always going on about how they'd never forgive anyone who hurt their baby sister.

"Sure, I guess." He stepped out of his room and leaned against the wall, tugging lightly on his wand holster to reassure himself that nothing bad would happen.

"I wanted to know what happened with you and Ron. I mean, you were best friends, and I know he got jealous when the tournament started…"

"More than jealous! He, like everyone except Hermione, ditched me." He glared at her accusingly. She hadn't been any better, even if they hadn't been close enough for it be a betrayal.

She winced and accepted the rebuke. "Yeah, I know. But what did he do now? Mum's been trying to get all of us to help you make up. Fred and George thought it was funny at first, but since you three snubbed Mum's party… it wasn't pretty."

"McGonagall practically said Hermione was made prefect only because she didn't have a better candidate, and then gave Ron prefect. He's broken as many rules as me, and not done half the stuff I did! He's not responsible, or a good student. Why did he get prefect?" Harry glared off down the hall. He wasn't mad at Ginny, but Ron being prefect rubbed him the wrong way. Ron was even less responsible than he was, and not even a tenth as responsible as Hermione.

"I think you would have been a better prefect, Harry." Ginny smiled at him shyly. "But that's not why you stopped being friends."

Harry suppressed a shiver at Ginny's smile. He wasn't comfortable with her flirting with him, not knowing what he did. She did deserve an answer, though. Not that he was really sure how to give one without either lying or revealing too much.

"... He lost something of mine. Let out a secret, and got it confiscated. He hasn't admitted it or apologised, and I'm not letting him off until he does." Which, knowing Ron, will be the end of the month at the soonest. Probably longer.

"You mean the mirror?"

Harry snapped his attention back to Ginny and glowered at her. "How do you know about that?!"

"I just—he didn't tell me, I was wondering what he was doing in his room and I heard your voice. I spied on him a couple of times, that's how. I never told anyone, I swear. Not even mum."

Harry didn't let up his glower even as Ginny shrunk away. "This is what I mean! He didn't keep it a secret, at all. He messed up, lost me my dad's mirror, and hasn't apologised!"

"Oh—okay, I… I get it now. I'mgonnagonow, bye." Ginny dashed away, fleeing from his anger.

Harry retreated back into his room with a sigh. He knew without any doubt that it was Ron's fault now. Not that there were really any other possibilities to begin with.

18th of August, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

"Harry, Sirius, Hermione, today… I've decided what I'm going to do with the resurrection stone. I've used it before—in the future. We're down here, in the ritual chamber, because no one should notice what's happening down here. I'm not—I will not give up the stone. I don't have a reason to use it, I don't have anyone to call. It will only cause heartbreak if I give it to either of you."

Hermione put up her hand to stall their protests. Harry only knew what she or Ni had told him about the stone, but Sirius knew the stories for sure. "Being summoned starts to hurt the spirits after an hour. After two, they are crying from the agony. If you dismiss them and then call them back, they… they don't remember being summoned. They forget." She looked up at them and met Sirius' gaze firmly. "You could talk to them time and time again, but they would never change. This isn't so you can have your friends back Sirius, or your parents, Harry. It's so you can say goodbye. They won't know anything that happened after their deaths, the last thing they will remember is their deaths. However, they won't dwell on it. I don't know why."

Sirius growled. "And what gives you the right to make this decision?"

"I own the stone, for one. I recovered it, I broke the protections, cleansed it. It. Is. Mine." She stared Sirius in the eye, glad Ni was whispering in Harry's ear reasons why he shouldn't object to her decision himself. He could claim the stone from her if he chose; it was his heritage and she was mostly bluffing. "Another reason is that I have used it before. I—back in the future—summoned Harry's wraith. I loved talking to him, it was a respite from all the… horrible things I learnt. But every time I called him, it hurt." She clenched a hand over her heart and looked down at the floor; even remembering it hurt a little. "I had to tell him why I was a teenager again. I had to tell him about the potions… going back in time. I always lost precious minutes to his arguments, and I had practiced them dozens of times.

"I won't let you do that with James and Lily. I've called them once and spoken with them on how to handle this; one hour, you get to talk to them for one hour. After that, they go back to their rest. You get to say goodbye. Nothing more."

"James… Lily… they chose to do it this way?" Sirius drooped, his shoulders falling and his arms hanging limply.

"Yes, I consulted them. They won't remember, and you don't want to waste time asking. Your time will be shared because they have things they want to say to both of you while they're here, or at least that's what they told me."

"Okay, right, okay." Sirius began. "Please, don't make me wait any longer. I need to say—I need to say I'm sorry."

Hermione twisted the stone three times, remembering and focusing on the image of James and Lily Potter. They had been nice to talk to, and once she had explained what she could to them, were both saddened by what she was doing and overjoyed at getting to tell their son how proud they were. As they appeared she stepped towards the door, grabbing Ni's arm as she went. This wasn't their place, it was for Harry and Sirius alone.

"Come on, we should leave." It took some tugging to convince Ni to leave, but as Harry started weeping when Lily tried to hug him and phased through him Ni followed her out and let the door close quietly behind them.

After a few moments silence in the open corridor Ni took in a deep breath. "Mia? I know I—we, me and Harry that is, already said we're sorry… but it wasn't enough." She bowed her head and wrung her hands nervously. "I should have gotten Harry to discuss it more, to talk over how to do his plan safely; instead I got caught up in him being self-sacrificing and noble. I encouraged him…

"I didn't forget, you know, that you said you—that she watched him die. That he died because you… because he didn't give up on the older Hermione." Ni looked up, her eyes sparkling with tears in the dim light of the corridor and reached out a hand tentatively. Hermione ignored it and pulled Ni into a hug.

"It's okay, Hermione."

"It's not! I got caught up in Harry, and he got caught up in me. We completely forgot about you, and that's not okay! We cut you off and ignored you, and if us being together means we do that maybe it—"

Hermione slapped a hand over Nia's mouth, cutting her off. "No, don't you dare say it." She squeezed Ni as tightly as she could. She wouldn't let her counterpart throw away half the reason she had come back. Harry was happy, and that was why she was doing this. She didn't matter. "You and Harry are brilliant together. Love him, take care of him, and I'll handle the rest. That's what I told you when we started this."

Hermione relaxed her grip and hoped Ni understood. There was nothing more important to her than seeing Harry through this war alive, safe, and happy.

"You shouldn't have to do it alone. You don't have to do it alone!" Ni protested as she pushed herself off of Hermione and swatted at her shoulder. "Don't—don't act like we're not part of this. We're in this together. You, me, Sirius, Harry. Even Tonks and Andy can help."

Hermione nodded, but it wasn't sincere. It was her job to fix everything. Not Ni's, not Andy's, not Tonks', not even Sirius' or Harry's. Especially not Harry's. Ni didn't understand, and since she didn't the only one who might was Sirius. But she couldn't tell him. It would only make him do something reckless; Harry couldn't lose his Godfather he did before.

–oOoOo–

Hermione had sat in the corridor with Mia for an hour waiting for Sirius and Harry to finish their conversation with James and Lily, and they still weren't done. She wasn't too sure if the spirits summoned by the stone were real. They seemed a lot like ghosts to her. Every textbook she had read said ghosts weren't really people, but just echoes. Like magical paintings.

It probably didn't matter, not from anything other than an academic standpoint. If they knew, felt, and acted the same as the real person had at the time of their death, would anyone be able to tell the difference?

It also made a chilling parallel to her and Mia's situation. They were very, very similar. The same person in almost every way. If the spirits summoned by the stone, that were so close to their originals were fake, what did that mean for Mia? Hermione couldn't think of her as fake. That would be too cruel.

Maybe she should be thinking of her as Helen now, rather than Mia, since it was going to be her new name? It didn't fit. Maybe they could protest it, and… well, the story was that her dad wasn't their biological dad and they were twins separated at birth. Mia had been raised in another country by her father, learned magic there. What if they just said they were both called Hermione? That their parents both wanted that name for their twin?

It made as much sense as Helen did, and wouldn't be as cruel to Mia. She would have to write to Dumbledore. Hopefully it wasn't too late.

She was about to tell Mia what she was going to do when Harry burst out of the chamber crying. Before she could get to her feet, he had collapsed onto them both and was hugging them.

"Thank you, thank you. Thank you for being my friend, for… for being here. For forgiving me, for not abandoning me. Thank you, Hermione." He squeezed them both so tightly they were pressing into one another, and then he kissed her cheek. And Mia's.

"Harry," Hermione reached up and hugged him back. She had known this would be emotional, but this was beyond anything she had seen from Harry before. "It's okay, you're my best friend. Our best friend. Of course we're going to be here for you."

He shook his head, burrowing in between their shoulders and into their hair. "You've… I've not said it properly. I don't, I don't… You let me have my—my parents back. Even if it was just to... I don't deserve you, either of you. I'm sorry for not being a better friend…"

Mia joined her in hugging him back and they let him continue crying and murmuring into their shoulders. Hermione watched the door for Sirius, but it wasn't Sirius that emerged. Padfoot, the Grim, did instead.

He walked forward and curled up at their feet, behind Harry, and whined softly. Hermione had never seen a dog cry before, but there he was with tears spilling out of his eyes.

"You're welcome, both of you." Mia whispered, "I'm glad you got to say goodbye."

Harry nodded into their shoulders, no longer able to do more than sob as he cried himself out. Sirius shifted until he was atop their laps; a pile of three teenagers and an oversized dog. One where Harry was squeezed in between all of them, held tightly as he let go of the parents he had never truly had.

19th of August, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

Harry smiled as Mia walked up beside him and sat leaned on the side of his chair. Ni was taking a nap on his shoulder as he read through a textbook, having spent far too long the previous night going over the rules and regulations that a prefect was expected to know.

"Feeling better today, Harry?" Mia said quietly, trying not to disturb Ni.

"Yeah, a lot better. Yesterday was… It was a lot. Thank you, thank you so much."

"You're welcome, but I said that already. And so did you." She grinned at him. "Not that I mind being thanked, it's nice to be appreciated."

Harry winced internally. He knew now that he had a bad habit of taking advantage of Hermione. Not intentionally, but just by expecting her to be there for him. She did things for him on her own, without him asking, and he'd gotten used to it.

"I do appreciate you, both of you. Really," he ran a hand through Ni's hair and she wriggled to make herself more comfortable before mewling quietly. He started rubbing her shoulder slowly, which thankfully settled her down; she needed her sleep.

"You remember what you promised me two days ago, Harry?"

"Um," His mind was still a little scattered from the events of yesterday—meeting, and talking with his Mum and Dad… it had taken over everything in his mind. "Occlumency…?" It was for his scar, to stop the nightmares. That was it. It had been hurting every so often, and more since he… ran into the ritual. "Yeah, you wanted to start me learning Occlumency properly."

Mia nodded. "You think you're able to start?"

He looked down at Ni resting beside him and frowned. It wasn't really the best time, but he had promised. "Does it have to be now?"

"Harry, if it's not now, then when?" Mia put a hand on her hips and gave that look which informed him of just how disappointed she was. Like he was skiving off on his homework again. "Putting this off isn't helping."

"Right," He sighed, there wasn't much he could do about it but listen. Unless he wanted them both mad at him. "Help me set her down, please?"

As Mia gently levitated Ni off of him she mewled piteously again, gently clinging to his shirt. It drew a small smile to his face, knowing how even in her sleep, she wanted to be close to him. A few silencing charms later and he felt comfortable enough that she would get her rest even while he and Mia practiced in the same room.

"So, how are we going to do this?" He asked as they settled down on the other side of the room from Ni.

"You are going to have to… trust me. Hermione had an easier time with this—"

"Mia, why are you back to calling her Hermione? She picked out a nickname to make it easier for you…"

Mia froze still for a moment before she sighed resignedly. "I'm going to be calling her Hermione at Hogwarts, aren't I? Because I'm Helen now."

Harry nearly flinched at how bitter she sounded over her new name. "You're not Helen; you're Hermione. Ni was telling me she sent a letter to Dumbledore—" He ignored the look of horror on Mia's face and pushed onward; it wasn't like Ni had revealed any of their secrets or anything. "—with a story about how you could both use the same name. Your, er, parents splitting up both wanting their twin to have the name Hermione, or something like that."

Mia stayed quiet, but Harry could see her going over everything in her head. It only seemed like she was glaring him into submission, she wasn't really paying any attention to the outside world. Eventually her disgust faded and she nodded. "I doubt it will happen but I'll have to thank her for trying."

"Now, as I was saying before you interrupted me…" She shot a glare at him which he wasn't so sure was fake. "Hermione had an easier time with this because I already knew everything. There weren't any secrets she had from me—except for the events of the time between the winter and summer solstices. For you, you'll have to… trust that I won't use anything I learn against you. I need to get into your head and stay there, with you learning how to detect and deflect my intrusion.

"I'll be seeing anything you think about while we do that, and some of it you probably won't be comfortable with me seeing. Private moments, old hurts, things you don't want to talk about, and…" A faint blush coloured her cheeks. "Um, fantasies."

She ignored his attempt to ask a question and began talking again to cover her embarrassment. "This is going to be a little different from normal Occlumency practice, as we aren't trying to teach you to defend against an outside intruder, but an interior possession. Which means the focus is on finding me when I'm in your head, and then throwing me out. Or, if we're lucky, finding where your scar sits in your mind and isolating that entirely. But that's not likely to happen, sadly.

"Now, if you're ready, we should get started."

"Er, I'm not really sure—"

"You don't get to pick when he attacks you, Harry." She raised her wand and pointed it at him with a grim look on her face. With a flick, his glasses flew to her outstretched hand. "Try to stay relaxed. And don't forget to look for me. Legilimens."

–oOoOo–

"Well, um." Hermione blushed awkwardly. She knew delving into Harry's head would be… different than Ni's But that wasn't what she had been expecting. "I don't think… brooms aren't exactly, um, comfortable enough for that, Harry." She had stayed as unobtrusively as she could in his head, wanting to be harder to find. Apparently just the idea of her, Hermione, even if she wasn't the one he was dating had set him off.

Snogging atop a broom above a Quidditch pitch wasn't exactly one of her fantasies. They were rickety, uncomfortable, and terrible in so many ways. Maybe if Britain didn't have that stupid rule against flying carpets she would try to get better at flying. But not with brooms as the only option.

Hippogriffs weren't too terrible, but she would have preferred Buckbeak had a saddle for their little rescue mission. Or at least some straps.

Harry was blushing up a storm in front of her, sputtering awkwardly. It was cute, really. He hadn't done too badly either. His thoughts had stayed pretty focused on flying throughout, only occasionally flickering to her or Ni, and eventually to his little snogging fantasy.

"Er, I, I didn't, um… can you… maybe not tell her…?"

"Well, I think you were on the right track. A nice romantic evening where you kiss her? She'd love it. Just… ditch the broom." Hermione looked off to the side, at Ni. It really would be nice to experience something like that for herself. She smiled softly; she couldn't be unhappy that they were together. "Maybe take her down to the boathouse before it gets too cold. It's always pretty there in the evenings. And it's one of the places I, well, we go when we want some privacy." Turning back to Harry she grinned. "I won't tell her anything; it'll work better as a surprise."

She raised her wand again. "We best keep going. Just tell me when you have a headache and we'll stop; pushing you too hard will make things worse, not better." At his nod she braced herself. Legilimency wasn't really all that pleasant, whichever side you were on. "Legilimens."

–oOoOo–

She had woken up to find Harry had vanished, but Mia had her head on her lap and was brushing her hair. It wasn't what she had expected. Still, it was pleasant to be fussed over.

"Mia? W'res Harry?" she mumbled, still a little bleary from her unintended nap.

"He went back to his room. I started his Occlumency training properly, and he got a headache."

"Mmm…"

"Feel free to go back to sleep, Hermione. Dinner's not for another couple of hours."

"But, I didn't finish making my notes…" she murmured, but quickly fell back into a drowsy haze as Mia soothingly brushed her hair.

–oOoOo–

Dinner time at Grimmauld hadn't been something Harry had enjoyed at any point since he had arrived. Mrs Weasley's cooking was good, the food was plentiful, but her doting and the common lack of both Hermiones had made it worrying. He'd had to take food up to them more often than not, usually to comments from Mrs Weasley about their lack of respect for her efforts cooking.

The times they were around it was so tense it was painful, but when they weren't, the only people he felt comfortable talking with being Sirius, Tonks, and some of the friendlier order members who stayed for the food after meetings. The twins too at first, but less so recently.

Today was one of the days they were joining him at the table. It was just them, Sirius, and the Weasleys today—Bill included. He was the only Weasley Mia didn't hate, since he had left the family after the truth about Hermione's marriage came to light.

As Ni slipped into a seat beside him and Mia on the other—between him and Sirius—he smiled and kissed his girlfriend's cheek with a blush. Not counting Mia, it was the first time he had kissed her in front of anyway. Even Sirius, who was whistling at them appreciatively and causing Hermione cheeks to turn adorably rosy as she glared at him.

Not everyone was appreciative, though. Ron mumbled something about Harry being a bad friend before attacking his food and ignoring them both. Mrs Weasley glared, but before she said anything she took in a deep breath and forced a smile onto her face.

"Come now, Hermione dear, why don't you sit next to Ron? You're both prefects—you'll be spending a lot of time together this year."

Mia scoffed and shot Ron a glare, but Ni was the one to set things off. "I'd rather sit next to my boyfriend, thank you." She smiled, leaned her head against Harry's shoulder and gripped his hand tightly.

Ron swallowed his food noisily. "You're dating Hermione?!" he yelled, "But! You know I like—" His face flushed crimson as he grit his teeth and glared. "You're a bad friend, Potter."

"I'm not the one who refuses to apologise for getting my father's heirloom confiscated—where the hell is my mirror anyway, has no one tried to get Dumbledore to give it back?" Harry glared at Molly as Sirius shrugged. "And yes, I'm dating Hermione. That was why I kissed her." Harry shook his head and freed his hand from Ni's to prepare his meal.

"Honestly, I expected Fred and George to say something. I told them a few days ago—and it's not like we were hiding it or anything." Ni mumbled as she sat up and made her own plate.

"Are you sure this is… a good idea?" Molly started wringing her hands worriedly, but her eyes sparked with anger. "We don't know how they…" Her voice began to rise but she took a deep breath and continued evenly. "Ended up like they did. Or if it's still permanent. It's still dark, I say."

Ni rolled her eyes. "Well, if I suddenly vanish on Harry, I'm sure that Hermione will be there for him. We both like him after all—he won't be lonely."

Harry glanced at Ni worriedly—the very idea of treating them interchangeably felt wrong. They were both Hermione, his best friend, but that didn't mean he could just swap them if he felt like it. Not mourn losing Ni because he had Mia, or vice versa.

Ni noticed his concerned and whispered into his ear. "Just arguing with her; I know you're not like that."

Ron jumped up from his chair abruptly, knocking it to the floor. "So, not only do you push me away, you go and get two girlfriends." He spat as his hands clenched into fists on the table. "I'm not stupid, you just want them for… that. You've ditched me to get some. What did you promise them? To show them how you cheated to get into the Tournament?! Your piles of gold?! To share your FAME?!" He screamed, huffing and panting. He grabbed two platters of food and started striding from the room, but turned around to glare one last time. "You're not my best mate. You're not a mate at all. We're through, Potter."

Ginny, who had sat next to Ron, stared at him in shock. She followed him to try to whisper something in his ear but was shoved aside by an elbow before she got the chance.

Everyone except Mia watched him leave with a mixture of surprise and shock, but she simply watched him leave calmly then started eating.

The twins glance between each other and grinned before turning their gaze on Harry and the Hermiones. "Maybe it should've been them that left," "You know, to get some private time." They chuckled lightly, but no one else joined in. "Or maybe we should follow Ron's lead, and all leave?" "They'd get some time alone that way too!"

Mrs Weasley turned red and stared between Harry and the Hermiones, her eyes growing wider with each passing moment. "You… That… That's not proper! How could you, Harry! Two girls at once—That's it, Sirius, you cannot let them do this! Look at what they're doing to poor Harry, ruining his friendship with my little Ronald and falling into debauchery with both of them! I told you it had to be dark magic! I told you and you didn't listen to me!"

Sirius turned to the screeching Weasley Matron and stared at her incredulously. "Molly, you have no right, and it is not—"

Mr Weasley shot a pained look at his wife as he tried to attract her attention, but she ignored him and continued on. "I knew she was awful from the moment Skeeter exposed her! Potioning the boy-who-lived and stringing him along while she dallied with that—that Bulgarian! As if that wasn't enough for you—"

As Ni started shaking at his side Harry sprung to his feet. "Shut up! How dare you accuse Hermione of something You did!"

"Mother!" Bill cried out, but she paid no heed to her eldest son.

"ENOUGH! That is it! I've had enough!" Sirius bellowed as he stood. "You are not in charge in this house, and I've had it with you disparaging the girls! Molly, you and your brood are leaving! Go home!"

"You can't! You need a proper influence for the poor boy before they corrupt him completely!" Mrs Weasley stared at Sirius, horror etched onto her face. "How can you not see that they are dark? They convinced you to keep your family's trinkets." A flash of revelation crossed her face and she gasps. "No, they must have—"

Sirius whipped his wand at Mrs Weasley, silencing her. A moment later her wand flew from her apron pocket to his other hand. "Arthur," he growled, "take your wife and get her out of my sight. The rest of you, pack up and go home. You have half an hour."

"That's not enough time!" Ginny shouted.

"Use your wand to pack! Or get your brothers to help! Get out!" He snarled at the youngest Weasley and she fled, with the twins following behind worriedly.

"Sirius, are you sure this is a good idea?" Arthur asked nervously as Molly strode up to Sirius.

Sirius, seeing Mrs Weasley coming, hit her with another spell freezing her in place. "She is in my house, accusing my guests—guests I owe a debt to—of crimes she committed. If I want her out, she gets out. Get her out of here, Arthur." Sirius voice continued to rumble with barely constrained anger. "I put up with her ranting, whining, for weeks. After she tried to poison me."

Mr Weasley bowed his head and lifted his wife towards the Floo. "I'll be back for… our things soon. Take care, Harry, Hermione." With a burst of flame the Weasley parents were gone.

"Ah, Sirius… I would like to apologise for…"

"Save it, Bill. You weren't a part of that and she isn't sorry. Go help your brothers and sister. And get Ronald to pack too. I just want the lot of you gone."

Bill nodded and sighed. As he made his way out of the kitchen he muttered quietly about this being why he chose to work in Egypt.

Harry sat back down and enveloped his still shaking girlfriend in a hug, reassuring her that he knew Mrs Weasley was wrong. He chose to be her boyfriend, and that was his choice. Not something she tricked him into. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and leaned into him.

A few moments later Mia moved over and wrapped them both up in her arms from Ni's other side, and Ni finally stopped shaking.

"I… she's horrible." She whispered so that only he and Mia could hear.

"I thought they were like my family. But… how can she think that?" Harry murmured back, still in shock over Mrs Weasley's behaviour. Arthur hadn't even really tried to stop her either, just stood by as she attacked the Hermiones. It was like she thought they were evil.

He didn't have much of an appetite, but Mia coaxed them both into eating after ensuring their food was potion free—having done so to her own without him having ever noticed. There was a slow procession of Weasleys departing, beginning with Bill sending Ginny through the Floo, then the twins, and finally a protesting Ron who nearly attacked Sirius over kicking his mother out.

When they had all left the house felt strangely quiet for a while, before Mia started up a conversation with Sirius about the process of becoming an Animagus—it drew Ni in quickly and kept Harry himself enthralled. He didn't think he was likely to do it himself, he had too much else to worry about, but it was interesting to hear a detailed explanation of what Sirius and his dad had done to help Remus.

20th of August, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

"Sirius, I understand your issues with Molly, but I must ask… is it possible for her to return?" Dumbledore asked

"She is not getting another chance to try and take over here—nor to talk to the kids in my care. I don't care that it's not legal, they are mine." He growled at the old man for daring to return the harpy to his home.

"I do not mean like that, Sirius, she… she has burnt too many bridges for that. However, she, Arthur, and young Bill are members of the Order. I am asking that she is permitted to attend meetings, and perhaps bring food she has prepared at home for the meetings." Dumbledore smiled placatingly. "I understand your concerns about such and will not begrudge your refusal on that last."

Sirius narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore; he had expected more interference, the demand for the Weasleys to return. Yet Dumbledore was being almost cooperative. "The Har—She may come into the kitchen, but no further. Even if other members are staying the night, she will not."

Dumbledore sighed and nodded. "Very well, now Sirius might I ask—" He paused, shook his head and waved a hand. "No, it is no matter. I will ask Miss Tonks if she is amenable to spending more time here, to help act as…" he hesitates noticeably, "a responsible party for the children. I trust this is of no concern?"

Sirius shook his head and said Tonks was welcome whenever; Little Nymmie being around more was no trouble at all. She was good for Harry. Better than he was, really. He'd seen the way he lit up when she played the big sister role—talking with Harry was something he enjoyed greatly, but his godson needed someone separate from the time-travel insanity they were wrapped up in.

He did too, really. Maybe he could convince Dumbledore to let Andromeda in on the secret; she already knew where they were for the most part.

23rd of August, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

"You know, I'm almost missing Mrs Weasley right now." Hermione said as she picked listlessly at her food. "This is… I don't think you're really suited to be a chef, Sirius."

A deep chuckle escaped from the sole adult at the table. "Well, she had her uses. Shame about her choice of seasonings."

No one laughed, for which Hermione was thankful. If any of them didn't take it seriously it would've hurt.

"Do you think Tonks would mind getting us take away each night? You can afford it, right Sirius? She's already on the accounts for our school shopping, and it would be so much better than this." Ni pushed her plate away having barely eaten half of it.

"I can cook, you know." Harry piped up, "I don't really mind."

"I think my objections to using you as a chef are losing to my distaste for this food, Harry." Hermione sighed. "We'll let you cook."

He grinned, got up, and went straight to the counter. Within five minutes he had made a plate of sandwiches which was vastly more appealing than Sirius' attempt at a Full English Breakfast. Letting him near the stove had almost been worse than her and Ni's second attempt to use the cooking charms. She would never look at a roast chicken the same way again.

Whoever made that stuffing spell was not a good person.

24th of August, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

Tonks was walking down Diagon Alley feeling a little apprehensive. She'd been given access to three very full vaults at Gringotts. Three. The Potter trust vault, which had more in it than she'd ever seen in her mum and dad's and it was just a trust. The Dagworth-Granger vault, which admittedly didn't have much gold but there were a lot of potions and books.

She might have nabbed one of the books for her own reading—with Hermione's permission, of course. Those girls wouldn't begrudge anyone wanting to read a book.

The last vault—Sirius' vault—had been the worst. All the named Blacks had died off and it was just Sirius left, so everything had been consolidated under his name. The goblins didn't care about whether Wizards were fugitives or not unless they committed crimes against Gringotts. He'd even told her to grab a sack of gold for herself, which she hadn't done.

It felt too much like a bribe, even if it wasn't meant as one.

As she idly ambled towards Flourish and Blotts she bumped into someone shorter than her, and rather predictably, fell over into a heap on top of them.

"Agh! Ow, wait… Susan?" Tonks recognised the red-head she had bumped into and scrambled upright quickly, offering a hand to her acquaintance. "Er, sorry, Sus', was a bit distracted."

Susan took Tonks' hand and pulled herself upright. "It's okay, Tonks. I don't mind." She smiled happily. "Can't say Auntie won't, though. Or Mum."

Tonks paled rapidly and turned towards a coughing sound on her left. "Um. Wotcher, Boss! Fancy seeing you here?" She grinned and fought to get control of her rapidly colour-shifting hair.

"Good day, Junior Auror Tonks. I'm surprised to see you here today; didn't you say you had family business you were working on?" Madame Bones' stern gaze fixed Tonks in place as Susan giggled off to the side.

"Well, I do. That's why I'm here. Doing the same thing you are, I reckon." Tonks patted her robe's inner pocket which jangled noisily. "Got asked to do some shoppin' for my cousin, Harry, by his regent. His friends too, well a couple of 'em anyway."

"Oh, so Hermione and… wouldn't Ron have his Mum do his shopping?" Susan asked confusedly.

"Er, well… yeah it's Hermione." Tonks felt a little worried. She hadn't been briefed on the second Granger's cover story, and the girls didn't seem to like changing their names. Something she could relate to, if from a different angle. "And her twin sister. Who also answers to Hermione? It's a little weird."

"Hermione has a twin?! Aw, is she coming to Hogwarts? I'll be even further down the rankings! Did she get prefect? I mean, Hermione—they're both really answering to Hermione? It'll be worse than the Weasleys or Patils… Well, maybe not the Weasleys since they don't prank but still." Susan paused briefly to breathe, then started rambling again. "Our Hermione—the one I know, not her twin—did she get prefect? That was what I was asking.

"Hannah wanted to know, she had a bet with Ernie. He thought she caused too much trouble with Harry to get it. He still goes on about the heir of Slytherin stuff, and him being a cheater. He bet Harry'd get it though; favouritism." She took another breath quickly. "Which doesn't make sense to me; not Hermione because she gets in trouble, but Harry because he gets away with trouble? Not that he does." She frowned as she finished talking. "He just attracts it."

Madame Bones looked on amused while another woman, who must be Susan's mother due to their resemblance, smiled at Susan.

Tonks, herself, was still a little nervous about bumping into her bosses boss in the middle of the alley and interrupting her family time. "Well, um. Yeah, she got prefect. Harry didn't though, Weasley did."

Susan made a disgusted face. "Eugh, glad I'm not prefect then. He insults us 'puffs almost as much as the Slytherins."

"You're seeing Potter regularly then Tonks?"

"Yes, boss." Tonks replied automatically, but quickly amended as she saw the frown on Madame Bones' face. "I mean; yes, Madame Bones."

"Tell him I apologise for that farce of a hearing. If Shacklebolt had provided his evidence sooner I'd have had the entire thing pulled; as it is Hopkirk's gotten a severe reprimand. The Patronus should be on a special list considering its usage." Madame Bones turned to Susan and put her hand on Susan's shoulder. "I'm debating asking if he would be willing to tutor Susan here, she hasn't been doing well in Defense."

Susan rolled her eyes; it was clearly a common topic between them.

"Susan prefers Transfiguration, Amelia. And unlike you, she doesn't plan to join the DMLE." Susan's mother turned to Tonks. "Sorry for being rude, Rosanna Bones. Susan's mother and Amelia's sister in law." She smiled and held out her hand, which Tonks took. "You'd be surprised how much I hear about you, Auror Tonks. Susan likes you best out of all her assigned bodyguards."

"Muuum!" Susan whined. "She's fun! Proudfoot's just boring, and Shacklebolt never lets me see him! It's creepy."

"I'm a little surprised you're doing the shopping for this Hermione, Tonks. You said the regent asked you to do it? I would have thought she would be shopping with her own parents."

"Ah… they're, um, dead, Madame Bones. They were the ones attacked by Yaxley and Goyle at the start of July…" Tonks flinched as Susan gasped. She would have preferred not to say it in front of the girl, but it wasn't like she wouldn't find out at some point anyway. "They've been taken in by the regent 'cause they're close to Harry. Mum's been contacted to handle the legal stuff for 'em, the regent trusts us for some reason."

Madame Bones' face turned stony and her tone shifted from the polite casual she had been using to completely formal. "If you would, Auror Tonks, you may inform Miss Granger that former Auror Yaxley has been posthumously convicted and his remaining wealth confiscated. It will be awarded to her as a victim of his attack and the ministry as is policy. Mister Goyle is still awaiting trial thanks to… interference, but if she is willing to testify—sometime in October I suspect—he'll be in Azkaban for a few years."

"I'll tell her, thanks."

"Tell her—oh! Her birthday is in September, I'll have to get her something and tell her…" Susan trailed off and went silent, staring at the floor. "This is awful. Do you think Harry was right, Auntie?"

Madame Bones turned her head towards her niece. "I think, Susan, that it would be a good idea to practice harder for your defence OWL this year."

Susan grimaced for a moment but quickly pressed her lips into a determined line. "I'll talk to Hannah, too. Thank you, Tonks—it… it wasn't nice to hear, but I prefer knowing than… than being left in the dark." She turned a glare towards her aunt for a moment before smiling. "Be seeing you!" She grabbed her mother's hand and dragged her towards Madame Malkin's.

"Auror Tonks."

"Yes Boss?"

Madame Bones narrowed her eyes. "I know you're working with Dumbledore's little group. Remember you're an Auror first, but the minister isn't listening, and my hands are tied, so I'm not going to fire you. Keep that boy safe. I'll see you assigned to Hogsmeade patrol on the right weekends if you think it'll help."

"Er, thank you Madame Bones?"

"Good day, Auror." Madame Bones hurried off after her sister-in-law and niece, leaving Tonks standing there feeling a little shocked. She was in the Order because she had to be doing something and the Aurors weren't, but now her bosses' boss was telling her that it was okay to be part of a vigilante group?

Tonks shook her head and started walking down the alley again. She had books to buy and some birthday presents to get for the girls. She glanced sidelong into the shops and spotted something perfect; it'd be a joint gift for both of them, but she could get something simpler for each of 'em without breaking her own vault too much.

They were easier to shop for than Harry was at least. He didn't have much stuff, but he also didn't seem to care about much other than his heirlooms. She couldn't go dredging those up as easily as some others.

28th of August, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

"Hey, Hermione?" Hermione looked up at the sound of her boyfriend's voice. She had been leaning on him comfortably while reading through her new Arithmancy book in preparation for the coming year but didn't really mind the interruption. "Do you think we could take a break from studying until school starts?"

"Why?" She wasn't totally against the idea—she would still end up reading her books with Mia, there wasn't really any doubt about that, but they didn't urgently need to work on anything.

"It's just… all we seem to do is study, practice duelling," his face flushed red up to his ears. "and cuddle and kiss a bit."

She smiled and kissed his cheek then wriggled her way underneath his arm while humming. "Kiss a bit, yes." She sighed. "I do understand, Harry. There just isn't much to do in this awful house. I would normally take a walk, go watch the stars—even play some chess with… Ron sometimes, but here? We can't go outside, we can't see the sky, neither of us like chess that much. We could play a few games, but wizard games are…" She tried to think of a word quickly and gave up. "Honestly they're not very good. The pieces move, explode, or spit—" She made a face at the very idea of Gobstones; why anyone would want to play a game about being spat at she didn't know. "—but compared to the games I play with Mum and Dad at home, or even compare to watching a bit of tele, they're just not as interesting."

"Oh."

"That's why all I do is studying; I enjoy it, and the other options don't appeal as much. What would you like to do, Harry?" Hermione put her book down and turned around so her head was resting on his chest and she could wrap her arms around him. "More kissing?"

"Um, yes. But… why don't we just ask Tonks to pick up a pack of cards or something? Or check your house for some of those games? It didn't get burned down, from what Sirius told me."

Hermione blinked. "Um. I'll ask Mia, actually. She can get out of the house and would know where everything is. You find Sirius and Tonks and ask if they'd be up for a muggle game? Monopoly should work, I think."

"Sure, you'll have to explain it. I've never played."

Hermione gave him another hug and kissed him lightly on the lips. She didn't let her sadness reach her eyes; Harry's childhood was always so upsetting to hear about, but he didn't deserve any pity. It wasn't what he wanted.

"I'll go get Mia; maybe you should make some snacks? I'll clear a table when I get back."

"Alright." He smiled at he as she stood up, but before she could walk away he stood up and gave her another kiss. "See you in a bit."

Hermione walked out of the room with her heart fluttering. He didn't initiate often, and they hadn't progressed beyond little kisses, but she knew each little step from Harry was a milestone worth celebrating.

1st of September, 1995, No. 12 Grimmauld Place, Islington, London

"Are you sure I can't come?" Sirius whined plaintively, "I'll be Padfoot the entire time—I just, the house is going to be so empty."

"What about me, ya bloody mutt?" Tonks smacked Sirius on the back. "What am I, chopped liver?"

"You're not my godson and his wonderful little girlfriends, that's what." He barked back.

Hermione sighed and shook her head. She nudged Harry and gestured towards Sirius; he was the only one who had a chance to convince him not to come. She and Mia would never manage it, even with how much time they spent with him.

Harry, fortunately, took the hint. "Sirius, you can't. Wormtail is against us and he knows. What if the rat told Malfoy and he casts a revealing or reversal spell on you? I don't want to leave you behind," Harry walked back and gave Sirius a hug. "but I want my godfather alive more."

Sirius grimaced as he wrapped Harry up in his arms. "Alright, alright. Got that speech from the girls, didn't you? I'll stay. But I don't like it. I want to see you off from the station like a proper parental figure."

Harry snorted with laughter. "You? A parental figure? Sirius! You're the fun uncle at best!" He grinned grandly but the hint of wetness prickling the corner of his eyes. "I'll miss you. I'll get the mirror back off the Headmaster as soon as I can. We need to be able to talk."

"I'll miss you too. See you at Christmas at the latest, kids."

"If we're done with the sappy crap we can get going." Professor Moody grumbled, "It's Tonks, Arthur, Remus, and Diggle on guard. Potter, you're to stick with Tonks at all times. No wandering. Remus' outside and will be watching the girls and I've got your trunks." His magical eye swept over them before spinning to look behind him. "Got all that? Good. Let's go."

He marched out of the room towards the entrance and they fell in behind him. Tonks looped one arm through Harry's and led him away. Watching the two chat animatedly as they walked was kind of fun, really. Tonks never seemed to fail at brightening Harry's mood.

Which was good since he had been moping about leaving Sirius behind for the last couple of days.

The walk to King's Cross was a pleasant one. Just having a chance to be outside for the first time in two months made it a wonderful experience. It wasn't a morning wandering through Hampstead Heath, however. And the noise of a London morning was a little jarring after so long behind No. 12's silencing charms.

She stuck with Mia the entire way but neither of them had much to say; she was going to change into her robes and head off to the prefect meeting and Mia would find and sit with Luna, taking Harry with her. At some point one of the staff would take Mia to be sorted on the train since the ceremony was for first years only.

It would be interesting to see what the sorting hat made of her. Hermione just hoped it wouldn't reveal any secrets.

–oOoOo–

Stepping through the barrier to nine and three quarters was a strange feeling for Harry. He was going to the place he considered home again. Back to Hogwarts aboard the express, with the same smell of soot and the sound of whistling steam filling the air. But at the same time, he had gone through the barrier—or not in the case of his second year—with the Weasleys all four years before this. Mr Weasley was here, keeping an eye on them, but that wasn't the same.

Moody walked up to them pushing a trolley covered in three school trunks; his and the Hermiones. "All OK, don't think we were followed…"

"This is where I leave you; I need to get home and help Molly get the kids ready." Mr Weasley nodded at Moody before vanishing with a pop.

"Should've waited and given me a report… No trouble, then?" He turned to Lupin.

"Nothing," Lupin shook his head. "Well, look after yourself, Harry." He clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Be careful."

Harry couldn't help but notice the glance and frown Lupin aimed at the Hermiones who were unloading Moody's trolley. He wasn't the only one looking at them, as a few students Harry recognised had stopped to stare briefly before moving on. Hermione having a twin would have gone up and down the train before they even found a compartment with how fast gossip spread.

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand then grabbing Mia and Ni's in turn. "And get the ruddy mirror off of Dumbledore. Letters aren't safe. Don't put anything in writing you aren't willing to go public."

"It's been good seeing you three so much, I'll keep the mutt company—" Tonks yelped as her hug with Ni was interrupted by her mother stepping up behind her and clearing her throat.

"Nymphadora?"

"Mum!" Tonks' hair flashed white as she jumped before going back to black with purple highlights. "Don't call me that!"

"Do I need to send you through awareness training again, Auror Tonks?" The stern lady from his trial—Madame Bones—stood next to Andy, a little smile quirking at her lips. "Mister Potter, Miss… Misses Granger. My sister-in-law fell ill and so I'm escorting my niece today. She insisted," she shot the red-head next to her a quick glare, "that I apologise to you in person."

"Oh, I'm… it's alright—"

"Not to you, Mister Potter, although I hope Tonks delivered my message." At Harry's nod she turned to the Hermiones. "I understand that one of my staff, bloody Yaxley is at fault for your current situation."

The Hermiones looked confused for a moment but it quickly changed to alarm.

"That one of my Aurors might have been subverted has been a concern of mine for many years. I can do little more than offer my condolences for your loss." Madame Bones bowed her head then glanced at Moody. "Mad-Eye,"

"Bones,"

She nodded abruptly. "Tonks, you're on Hogsmeade duty starting this weekend. Enjoy the student rabble from our side from now on."

Susan, who had been fidgeting rushed forward and wrapped Mia up in a hug. "I can't believe that happened to you. It's horrible." She didn't release Mia but turned her head towards Harry. "I believe you Harry, the Daily Prophet's full of nonsense." She let go of Mia flushed red with embarrassment. "I'd like to talk at some point Hermione, Harry, um…"

"Hermione." Mia said with an amused smile.

"Really? I thought Tonks was joking! Um. Right, I need to find Hannah. I'll see you three at Hogwarts!" She waved goodbye and trotted off with her aunt following behind shortly after.

"Amelia's niece is quite energetic, isn't she?" Andy stepped up next to Harry. "They don't look as if they have only known each other for two months." She smiled at Harry as he started to fidget. "I won't pry; it isn't my place. I came here to see you off; you've left with others before and had them wave goodbye to you. But they weren't here for just you, were they?" She leaned down and hugged him gently.

"I am. And so is my daughter. You have family here, Harry." She stood back up and turned towards the Hermiones. "More importantly, it's the family you've chosen that is here. Blood related or not."

"Aunt Andy?" Harry pushes his glasses aside to brush away the wetness forming in his eyes. He was happy. He shouldn't be crying.

"Have a good year, Harry. Learn and prepare, it's going to get worse before it gets better."

He nodded solemnly. "I'll… I'll make you proud." He met her gaze with determination. "Maybe I'll need help, but I'll do better this year than before. A lot better."

"You've already made me proud, my dear little cousin. Now get going; your girls are waiting for you."

Harry blushed and rushed off after Mia and Ni—his Hermiones. They had a long year ahead of them, but they wouldn't bow down and give up. They knew what was coming, and they would win.