Disclaimer: Not mine. Never was, never will be. But I can dream, can't I?

A.N. My apologies for the incredibly long delay. This past semester at college was nuts, to say the least. I took advantage of my break before starting summer classes to update this. With any luck, I may have a new start to another chapter this week, and hopefully have another update for you soon! Thanks for hanging in there with me. Hope you all enjoy!

Nobody Said It Was Easy

Chapter Fourteen: Meet the Parents

Hermione stood outside her childhood home, staring at the front door with a growing sense of trepidation. She knew she couldn't put this visit off any longer; as it was, her mother would be deeply annoyed and grouchy that she had waited this long to come visit, and her father would be disappointed that he hadn't had the opportunity to pass judgment any sooner than this.

Sirius squeezed her hand, which felt cold and clammy. "Are you all right, love?"

She grimaced up at him. "Hardly. But I couldn't put this off any longer. My mother and father would both murder me."

"Oh, I don't really think they would do that to you, Hermione. They can't be that bad," he reasoned, hoping that he wasn't about to be disappointed.

"You know how unbearable I can be at times?" she questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't say you're unbearable, love."

"You're missing my point," she frowned.

"Oh, all right, I'll bite. Yes, I know how difficult you can be at times."

"My mother can be ten times worse, if you'll entertain that thought for a moment."

Sirius did his best to keep his face from falling. "I'm sure she'll absolutely love me. There's no need for her to get difficult."

"And as for my father, well, don't be surprised if you get the third degree, the twenty questions times a thousand, and the ever famous 'what-are-your-intentions-with-my-daughter' speech," Hermione concluded as she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Sirius gulped as he heard footsteps approach the door from the inside. He had just enough time to compose his features into a relaxed smile before the door was flung open, and Hermione's mother stood before them, her face going from curiosity to elation to surprise and then finally to suspicion as she took in Sirius and the hand that was holding on to her daughter's hand rather tightly.

"Hermione! Darling, it's been so long! Come in, come in, what's this nonsense about knocking on the door at your own house? And who is your friend here?"

Hermione and Sirius moved through the doorway at her insistence. As she was shutting the door, Hermione looked up at Sirius and gave him what clearly was an 'I-told-you-so' look.

"Mum, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, this is my mother, Jane Granger," Hermione introduced once her mother had turned back to face the two.

Jane surveyed this man with her critical 'mother' eye. Goodness, he was devilishly handsome, what with his shaggy dark hair, his glittering gray eyes, and the scruff gracing his face making him appear as though he hadn't shaved for a few days. He wore those odd robe things that she was all too used to her daughter wearing in the wizarding world, and he wore leather pants. His grin lit up his whole face, she noticed, as she stuck out her hand to shake his. Lord above, was this in fact the Sirius Black, the one whom Hermione had brought back from that veil contraption?

Sirius could tell he was getting the once over by one incredibly over-protective mother, so he did his best to turn the full force of his charm on her. When she went to shake his hand, he deftly took it carefully into his own and covered it with his other hand, a gesture he hoped showed how pleased he was to meet her. Judging by the slight blush that graced Jane Granger's cheeks, he'd say he succeeded at damn near charming the pants right off her (though he would hardly do such a thing, she was his fiancée's mother, for crissakes!).

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Sirius Black," Jane declared in a slightly breathless voice.

Hermione smirked and shook her head from where she was standing behind her mother. If there was one thing Sirius Black was good at, it was winning over a woman within mere seconds of meeting her.

"Jane, love, did I hear the doorbell-? Well, pumpkin, this is a pleasant surprise!" Thomas Granger descended the stairs to find his beloved daughter, his wife, and a roguish looking fellow standing in the foyer.

"Hi, Daddy. I thought I'd drop in and surprise you and Mum. It's been awhile, I know, but there's someone I want you to meet," Hermione said, stepping around her mother and Sirius to greet her father with a hug once he'd reached the bottom of the stairs.

Thomas folded her into a hug while giving Sirius a rather inquisitive, searching look. Sirius offered a polite smile and a nod. He could tell that Hermione's father was going to be quite a different story from her mother. After all, they had come here today to tell her parents about their impending nuptials. And Sirius hadn't exactly asked for Thomas' daughter's hand in marriage, which would have been the proper thing to do, by his own standards. Come to think of it, Sirius was pretty sure that Hermione hadn't even told her parents that she was seeing someone.

"Daddy, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, this is my father, Thomas," Hermione said in a somewhat gentle tone, as though she were trying to break things to her father as easily as she could.

"Ah, so this is the famous Sirius Black, eh? My girl brought you back from that veil thing, correct?" Thomas asked as he moved forward to grasp hands with Sirius.

"That's correct, sir. Without Hermione, I wouldn't be here today to meet you and your wonderful wife," Sirius declared.

Jane fluttered about somewhat nervously. "I'm afraid I don't have anything made to bring out for you two. Goodness, you just caught me completely off-guard! Why don't we go out onto the veranda and I can stir up some lemonade for us all?"

"That would be marvelous, Mrs. Granger," Sirius said with a smile.

"Oh, none of that nonsense, call me Jane!" she laughed.

Hermione traded a small grin with Sirius as they followed her mother through the kitchen and out the sliding door onto the veranda. He had definitely won over her mother, for the moment anyway. The three of them sat down at the table on the patio and waited for Jane to return with a pitcher of lemonade and glasses for everyone.

"So, Sirius, what have you been up to since your return?" Thomas asked after taking as sip from his glass.

Sirius set his glass down and turned to Hermione's father. "I've been doing what I can do help the Order out with the war."

"And how are things going with that?" Jane asked, looking mildly worried.

Hermione stepped in before Sirius could open his mouth and say something potentially damaging. "It's difficult, as you could understand, Mum. It's war, after all. But we're doing our best."

"Have you lost anyone recently?" Thomas asked rather boldly.

Hermione and Sirius exchanged a look.

"Remus Lupin's wife has been kidnapped," Hermione said finally.

Jane took on a sympathetic look. "That poor man."

"What's being done about it? Are you sure she's still alive?" Thomas wondered.

"We're almost positive that she's still alive. The Death Eaters want her alive for a reason. They're going to try to lure us out in numbers to wipe us out," Sirius explained. "But we've got plans in place so that something of that nature doesn't happen. We're pretty well prepared, actually. We've been having bi-weekly meetings to finalize rescue plans and the like."

Jane and Thomas both turned to Hermione, giving her stern looks.

"And what exactly is your role in all of this, Pumpkin?" Her father asked seriously.

Hermione looked indignant. "If you think I'm just going to sit back and let the others do everything, you've been sadly mistaken. I'm doing what I can to help out. But rest assured, I'm going to be perfectly safe. We've all got each others' backs. We've had the best defensive and tactical training anyone can have."

Her parents didn't look remotely satisfied, but Sirius was smart enough to change the subject.

"Really, this is such a depressing subject. Tell me about yourselves. I hear you're both dentists? What's that like?"

Thomas had a telling look on his face that said clearly he knew what Sirius was up to, but he went with it. "Well, it's an interesting job. . ."

Hermione sat back and let her parents hold court for awhile. It was better to let Sirius interact with them for the present moment anyway; he was buttering them up and warming them to the idea of him being a permanent fixture in their lives, though they had no idea what was coming.

"Hermione, darling, what have you been doing with yourself now that you're no longer going into the Ministry every day?" Jane asked after the subject of dentistry had been exhausted.

"Oh, just keeping myself busy. I help Ginny with the chores around the house and play with Sophie. Occasionally we tackle a couple of the rooms on the third floor and clean them out. I'm trying to help Ginny with some decorating ideas for up there. I spend a lot of time with Sirius too," she added with a grin.

"Oh? And what do you two get up to?" Thomas asked with an amused expression.

Sirius gave Hermione a funny look before answering the question. "We spend a lot of time in the library looking for anything that could help us with the war."

"Are you two dating?" Jane asked bluntly, looking between the two with a very interested look on her face.

Hermione had a slight moment of panic. She had forgotten how completely perceptive her mother was when it came to matters such as these. Leave it to her mother to cut to the chase so quickly and bluntly.

"Yes, we are," Sirius said to fill the silence, smiling at Hermione to reassure her.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Erm, actually, there's something we want to tell you both. And Daddy, I'd really appreciate it if you were completely open-minded about this, because I know how you are."

Thomas looked confused for a moment. "Sure thing, Pumpkin. Anything for you."

Sirius looked down into Hermione's face and saw the sheer look of panic in her eyes. He smiled at her again and tipped her a wink before taking her hand in his.

"I've asked Hermione to marry me," he declared, looking between both her parents to gauge their reactions.

They both looked equally shocked for a moment. Then Jane gave a little hop in her seat and squealed with delight.

"Oh, how simply wonderful! Hermione, love, I'm so happy for you! Of course, we had no idea that you were dating again, but this is certainly a brilliant surprise! That is, you did say yes, didn't you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course I said yes, Mum. Do you really think I'd turn him down?"

"I'm rather glad you didn't, love," Sirius said with a grin.

Hermione glanced at her father to see what his face looked like. He looked rather thoughtful, and kept looking between his daughter and her intended, as though trying to determine how well they went together.

"Daddy, are you okay with this?" she asked tentatively.

He sighed, but then smiled. "As long as you're happy, Pumpkin, that's all I can ask for."

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and then jumped up to hug her father. He squeezed her back rather tightly, but he was genuinely happy for her nonetheless. It was about time she had someone to take care of her and keep her from feeling alone. He had watched her suffer for far too long and she deserved this more than anyone he knew.

"Hermione, I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time! All the planning we have to do! This is just fantastic!" Jane exclaimed.

"Yes, I knew you'd enjoy this, Mum. I expect you'll want to help plan with me, Gin, and Mrs. Weasley. I know Molly would never forgive me if she wasn't allowed to help," Hermione said ruefully.

Jane beamed. "I must get in touch with the two of them immediately. There's just so much to do!"

Hermione placed a hand on her mother's shoulder to calm her down. "Just a minute, Mum. Sirius and I were planning on getting married after the war was over. We wanted to wait for things to settle down before we celebrated."

"But that could be ages away!" Jane declared, looking slightly horrified at the thought of waiting for so long.

"But it's the right thing to do. Besides, I don't think Remus's wife would forgive me if we got married before she was returned to us. She's Sirius's cousin, you see, and I was planning on having her as one of my bridesmaids."

Jane nodded understandingly. "That's so sweet of you, dear. Of course I understand now. We'll wait. But that doesn't mean that we can't have everything planned in advance!"

"Oh boy," Hermione muttered under her breath.

Two weeks after Hermione and Sirius visited her parents, the Order had their final meeting before the planned rescue mission to snatch Tonks from the Death Eaters was to take place. The kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place was packed that evening. Every person who had been in on the planning was there, and even those who weren't taking part in the mission were there to lend moral support and offer a helping hand if there was anything else that needed to be done. Hermione and Sirius also wanted to announce their engagement to the Order at the end of the meeting to share a bit of good news in the face of a terrifying new mission.

Dumbledore stood at the head of the table, Remus to his left, Minerva at his right. He motioned for them to come to order, and immediately, the kitchen went silent, all faces turned eagerly toward their leader.

"As you are all aware, this is the last meeting we will have before we carry out the mission to extract Nymphadora Tonks from captivity. Now, the plan is to carry on with the mission three nights from now. Those of us who are participating will meet here at Grimmauld Place at precisely eleven o'clock that evening, not a minute later, or you will be left behind. We will ambush the Death Eaters from three different angles once Ms. Granger has done her bit to distract them," Dumbledore explained.

Hermione felt Sirius shift beside her at the mention of her role in the plan. He still was not happy about it in the least, but he knew it was for the greater good and to get his cousin back. Hermione patted his knee comfortingly as she continued to listen to Dumbledore.

"Now, we will be operating under the pretense that Nymphadora is indeed still alive. This means we must be very careful about our attack. We will be aiming to kill or greatly incapacitate. We must not take any chances on this one, or else we could put her life in great danger. We will have to move swiftly, before the Death Eaters who are more than likely guarding Tonks have the chance to take care of her before we get to her. Any questions so far?"

There was a low murmur from everyone in the room as they all shook their heads.

"Excellent. Now, so as to save on time, I shall be designating who will be in what group according to our attack plan. Kingsley, Minerva and I shall head up each group. Right then, Charlie, Arthur, Bill, and Remus will be with me. Sirius, you and Harry will join Kingsley and. . ."

Hermione stopped listening after this. She wasn't going to worry as much now that she knew that Sirius would be with Harry and Kingsley. She didn't have to worry about too much else other than her role in distracting the Death Eaters. Once she had them properly distracted and the fire was turned on her, Minerva and her group would be at her back to help her keep the Death Eaters are bay.

"Well then, now that this is all settled, I expect to see you all before eleven o'clock three evenings from now. Those of you who are remaining behind will be expected as back up should we need it. If there is nothing else, then this meeting is concluded," Dumbledore finished.

Sirius stood up, Hermione following suit. "Actually, sir, Sirius and I have a bit of news to share with everyone."

The kitchen ceased movement for the second time that evening as everyone stopped preparing to depart and looked curiously at the couple.

Sirius smiled down at her as she took a deep breath. "We're getting married!" she said happily, lifting her left hand to show off her sparkling diamond.

Everyone exploded into a chorus of well wishes and congratulations for the couple as they moved forward to give them hugs and to shake Sirius's hand.

Molly Weasley enveloped them both into bone crushing hugs, which greatly surprised Sirius, as the two were often at each others' throats.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you both! Hermione, you're going to make a beautiful bride! I must get in touch with your mother soon so we can help you plan everything! And Sirius, I just know you'll do right by Hermione. You'll make a fine husband indeed. . ."

Hermione looked up at Sirius with a small smirk on her face and was surprised to find her betrothed actually blushing from Molly's praise. As Molly moved off, Hermione gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"Ah, is my darling future husband actually blushing? I don't believe it! If only I had a camera right now. . ."

Sirius growled low in his throat. "Quiet, witch, or you'll be sorry."

Hermione giggled. "Oh please, Sirius. I'm hardly frightened."

Sirius trailed a finger down her arm, from shoulder to wrist, leaving goosebumps erupting in its wake. He chuckled slightly and gave her a bit of a leer. "You should be, dear witch. You don't even know what all I can get up to."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his suggestive tone and look. "All the more reason for me to look forward to our wedding night and honeymoon, love."

"You mean I have to wait that long?" Sirius almost whined, a look of sheer pain on his face.

Hermione patted his cheek lovingly. "Patience, my dear, patience."

As she turned away to help Ginny get dinner going, she could have sworn she heard Sirius give another low growl, and mutter what sounded suspiciously like, "minx".

Charlie Weasley came over to clap Sirius on the shoulder. "Well done, mate! It's about time you two found some happiness. Hermione's a great girl and I think you two will do well together. Might as well be adding you to the family now, since Hermione's as good as part of it."

"Thanks, Charlie. I hope I live up to everyone's expectations," Sirius chuckled.

"Oh, I think you will, and then some, Sirius," Dumbledore interjected as he walked over to the two men.

Sirius was surprised, but greatly pleased by the headmaster's praise. "Thank you, sir. It means a lot to me."

Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder as well. "You two are well suited for each other, no matter what anyone says. You both complement each other greatly. I think you'll have a good, long life together. Just make sure I receive an invitation to the wedding," he added with a wink before departing.

Charlie chuckled as Sirius stared after the headmaster. "Dumbledore's off his rocker, no doubt about it. But hell, if he thinks you and Hermione will make it, then that's all the reassurance you need, mate."

Sirius beamed at the younger man. "I think you're right, Charlie. Dumbledore might be crazy, but if he thinks we'll make it, that's all I need."

He looked up and caught Hermione's eye from where she was watching him at the counter, a questioning look on her face as she looked between him and the departing Dumbledore. He simply shrugged and beamed at her, getting one of her pretty smiles in return.

Sirius felt as though he were on cloud nine.