Six Months Later

Gazing at the scene surrounding her, Hermione pressed her fingers to her temples even as she fought off a smile.

Their standing Friday night dinner at Grimmauld Place had devolved into a wild night of too much Firewhiskey after Sirius and Regulus had devised a complicated game involving the Black ancestral portraits. Shortly thereafter, the intricate rules had crumbled, leaving them swigging the spiced liquor every time a portrait said something derisive.

Once Harry and Theo joined in, there had been no hope for it, and Hermione found herself snickering at the bemused expression on Andromeda's face as she observed the chaos.

"Considering the pedigree of those in this room," Andromeda said idly, taking a sip of her wine, "this is quite barbaric."

Hermione snickered, shaking her head as she met Regulus' glassy stare across the room. "You can't tell me you're surprised."

"That I am not," Andromeda conceded, her lips curving into a smile as she watched her cousins before her grey eyes slid to meet Hermione's. "Are you sure you want to live with him?"

Feeling Regulus' gaze linger on her, she turned back to the older woman. "We already have lived together, remember? It worked out well—and if I'm honest, I think we've both missed it. It'll be nice, being so close again."

At a loud, fragile clattering, they both winced. Hermione peered across the room, wondering what sort of antique heirloom they might have just smashed.

"I know Reggie has," Andromeda went on, an innocent expression plastered on her face. "That boy's so smitten with you I'm surprised he hasn't asked you to marry him already."

Colour bloomed in her cheeks and Hermione glanced away, taking a gulp of her drink. "I can't imagine that to be the case. He hasn't brought it up at any rate."

Andromeda merely offered a flicker of her brows. "You know I've long considered you family already."

"Well," Hermione hedged, warmth creeping up her throat, "there's been plenty to do with family going on around here lately. I don't think even Reg anticipated how close he and Sirius would become."

"They were close as boys," Andromeda said thoughtfully. "Walburga always sought to drive them apart because Sirius dared have a mind of his own."

Observing the drunken group, she watched as Sirius grasped Regulus' shoulder, a broad grin chasing across his face. Regulus laughed at something, jabbing an elbow into his brother's ribcage. To her own surprise, Hermione found moisture peeking at the corners of her eyes.

"It's wonderful that Sirius has recovered so well," she said softly.

She found Andromeda's stare on her once more, a quiet vulnerability in the woman's gaze. "You brought them both back to me, Hermione. After losing Ted, and then Nymphadora and Remus—" Andromeda hesitated, swallowing and gazing up towards the ceiling as she clasped Hermione's hand within her own. "It's been wonderful having family around again."

Touched, Hermione offered a smile.

Another loud crash sounded across the room and they both looked up, startled from the moment. From where Hermione sat, it appeared as if Theo had fallen and taken a vase with him. Andromeda only chuckled. "Perhaps it's time we pull those four apart before they trash the entire house." She cast Hermione a crafty sidelong glance. "Don't go easy on him tomorrow."

"I won't," Hermione quipped. "He's helping me move, and at this rate he'll be cursing himself the whole time."

As they rose to their feet, Andromeda gave Hermione a quick embrace before moving forward to put an end to the chaos. Moments later, Regulus pulled her into his arms, planting a sloppy kiss to her temple.

"Come on, Reg," she breathed, a smile curling her lips as she found his hand with her own. "It's time to go home."

"Hermione."

Startled, Hermione glanced up from her book. Almost instantly she rolled her eyes as she met the iridescent stare of Regulus' sea lion Patronus hovering before her. It implored weakly, "Help me."

She turned the page in her book, snickering to herself, and called out, "You brought this upon yourself!"

Several minutes later she heard grumbling and Regulus emerged from the bedroom, clad only in his shorts, his hair sticking every direction. He fired her a scowl when she offered a bright smile and dragged a hand down his face.

"Have you got any hangover draught here?"

Considering the thought for a moment, she mused, "The potion supplies are already packed, I'm afraid."

Eyeing the collection of shrunken boxes along the far wall, she offered a banal shrug.

"No," he choked, wincing, before leaving the room. Moments later he returned, pointing at her. "This isn't my doing—the blasted game was Sirius' idea."

"Right," Hermione murmured under her breath as he vanished again, and shortly after she heard the shower running. Smiling to herself, she drew a small vial from her pocket and laid it on the coffee table for him to find when he emerged, before moving into the kitchen to prepare a quick breakfast.

They would have a long day ahead of them, and she didn't intend to deal with Regulus' hangover the entire time.

It had taken several trips but by the time evening fell, they'd moved the last of Hermione's possessions into Regulus' cottage and cleaned out her flat, and she sunk into the sofa with a sense of peace settled in her heart.

It hadn't been the easiest decision to leave London, but since Regulus had connected the fireplace in his cottage to the Floo Network, it was simple for her to get to work. His home was significantly larger and nicer than her flat, and over time she had come to prefer the quiet solitude over the bustle of London.

She loved the nearby Muggle community as well, and she knew how important it was to him to maintain certain aspects of the life he'd cultivated.

Although they'd been living apart, it had reached the point where they spent more nights together than not at one place or the other, and when Regulus had suggested they move in together again, it had been Hermione's idea to ultimately keep the cottage.

They hadn't spoken directly of the possibility, but several offhand comments had hinted at the fact that he wasn't as opposed to the thought of children as he'd once let on. Hermione looked forward to starting a family with him one day, but she found she wasn't in any rush.

He'd rearranged the smallest bedroom into a potions lab and split his time between his wooden projects and freelance brewing for St Mungo's and a handful of apothecaries.

And finally, just days before her birthday, he'd painted the fence.

She had seen the change from when they first met, and over time with the more she had learned about him, the deeper she'd fallen.

Watching the way he and Sirius had seamlessly folded back into one another's lives and easily integrated with her friends had mended her heart in ways she never could have imagined.

"I can't believe you're finally living here," Regulus announced, drawing her from her thoughts as he settled at her side, wrapping his arms around her in a tight squeeze. His grey eyes shone in her favourite way that spoke to the joy he'd found.

Tucking herself into his chest, Hermione smiled. "I'm excited."

He gazed at her for a moment before planting a kiss to her lips, his tongue grazing hers for just a moment before he pulled away. "I would say we should have a drink to celebrate but—" He offered an apologetic grimace, drawing a bright laugh from her.

Rarely had she seen him drink to excess, and never to the point he had reached the night before with the others; Hermione nudged him in the side, a teasing smile on her lips. "Perhaps a pot of tea will do."

"Tea is good," he said, flashing her a grin. "Under-steeped though you might find it."

It was an argument he'd never let go, but she still insisted his tea was weaker than hers.

Extricating himself from her hold, he rose to put the kettle on, and Hermione could feel the warmth of his stare across the room. Rising from her seat, she joined him, accepting a cup of tea when he offered, brandishing his own.

"To you," he mused, smirking, "and that for whatever reason you chose me."

"To us," she corrected. "And to creating a future together."

Regulus pressed his cup to hers, but didn't withdraw it. "The future," he amended quietly, "and learning from the past." His stare lingered hard on her for a long moment as they each took a sip, long enough that Hermione frowned, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

Gently, he snagged her cup and set it on the table with his, then took her hand into his.

A breath caught in the back of her throat with something like fuzzy recognition as Regulus dipped his chin, his grey eyes cautious.

"I know you think I'm crazy," he murmured, dragging his thumb across her knuckles. His lips tugged with a wry smirk. "And I probably am, but… I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

As he reached into his pocket, withdrawing a small box, her eyes stung with moisture and she gasped, "You're crazy."

"But sometimes, Hermione," he went on quietly, his expression softening, "you just know."

Hermione's heart raced an anxious, desperate cadence in her chest as Regulus dropped to one knee, still holding her hand in his, and snapped open the box. Her gaze barely registered the ring settled in its cushion because his eyes drifted up to find hers again. "Will you marry me?"

A tear broke from one eye, coursing down her cheek as she swiped the moisture away, clapping a hand to her mouth. Despite Andromeda's words the night before, Hermione had never expected—

"Yes," she choked with a bit of a sniffle. "Reg, of course."

With a breathtaking grin, he stared up at her for a moment longer before rising and pulling her into his arms. Hermione buried her face in his chest, her tears absorbing into his shirt, before he drew back, pressing a lingering kiss to her mouth.

Then he lifted the stunning ring from the box, sliding it onto her finger with careful reverence. She found herself eyeing the jewel for a moment before she leaned in again, planting another kiss to his lips. "I can't wait," she whispered against his mouth before drawing back. "I love you."

For a long time, she had wondered whether she could ever find someone she wanted to share her life with. And when Regulus had come along, fitting into her life just so, she had known. Now, he would be with her forever.

"I love you," he returned, trailing his fingertips along her cheekbone. A slow, devastating smile spread across his face, stealing with it her heart. "Welcome home, Hermione."

Author's Note: Well, that's it! Thanks for reading everyone. For my regular readers who came along for the ride, I'm honoured by your support. And for anyone who came along for Regulus, thanks for taking a chance on this little story. Mostly I write Dramione with the occasional rare pair, but I had so much fun writing these two I can see trying it again someday. :)

I'll have another short-ish piece (10-12 chapters) coming out soon on top of continued updates for Nocturnus, and if you're interested in what's upcoming, come check me out on Tumblr at indreamsink. I'll be doing a giveaway soon!

Mega love and hugs to LadyKenz347, who not only inspired my interest in Regulus, but was amazingly supportive of this story from the first word. MWAH.