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It's About Time	By : Koukla22 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Sirius/Hermione Views: 16043 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor any of JK Rowling�s wonderful characters. I am merely borrowing them.

A/N: Again, I must thank my readers, each of you amazing and loyal beyond reason. I haven�t abandoned you nor have I abandoned this story� Thank you to my readers who always, in the end, bring me back to this story.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

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None of them moved a muscle when the patronus that stopped before them was not Harry�s stag but a familiar large dog.

James looked to Sirius. �It�s Padfoot?�

Sirius shrugged, equally as puzzled.

Hermione�s steady voice addressed them from the canine patronus, �We will floo from Hogwarts straight away. Send our best to Remus and Tonks. See you shortly.�

James watched the Patronus disappear before him, mystified. He looked to Sirius and then to Lily, �But it was Padfoot� wasn�t it?�

Lily�s sober face nodded at him, knowingly.

�But how?� James asked.

They both turned to Sirius whose deep charcoal eyes were wide and fixed upon the place where Hermione�s voice was heard coming from his own Patronus. His heart was racing beneath the still waters of his exterior.

He looked up at James and Lily, realization dawning on his face. It wasn�t too late.

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Hermione heard nothing. Only the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

Ecstatic faces and beaming smiles were all she noticed of the joyful reunion before her.

Harry ran to his godfather, greeting him with a solid embrace. Ginny and Ron rushed forward out of the floo and into the corridor. All present were overjoyed to see him alive and well.

Hermione, though, stood fast in the hearth, unable to move, unable to comprehend anything other than the sight of the man before her.

She heard only the constant thump of her pulse and saw only Sirius Black. Alive.

Sirius' twinkling eyes lifted, stopping dead once they crossed paths with Hermione's disbelieving gaze. She swallowed thickly. Her knees betrayed her by weakening under his scrutiny and she placed a hand on the mantle to steady herself.

His clothes, she noticed, were tattered. The evidence of sleeplessness was worn like a mask, marring his perennially handsome face� but then, he would always be beautiful to Hermione.

The coupled beats of her heart drummed a steadying rhythm throughout her body, quickening when Sirius rose to his feet, his eyes still aimed for hers.

He was smiling... Tentatively though it was. But it warmed her throughout nonetheless. His face bore the very same expression he'd had, in a time long since passed, when he had come to her dormitory at Hogwarts, just in time to catch her before she'd gone.

The faces of their friends around them fell away.

The two of them stood now a corridor's width apart. Impulse told Hermione to bolt forward into his arms, to wrap herself within his embrace, and to make up for every day that they had missed together.

But her brain, her most powerful asset and most self-destructive weapon, forbade her to reach out for him. The part of her that recalled the pain, even now when looking upon his achingly perfect face, refused to let go.
It would take only seconds to disobey her conscience. Only three strides stood between protecting her heart and complete, if only fleeting, bliss.

But she remained rooted to the floor. The distance between them was filled only by the heat conducted from their stares which filled the space around them.

The suffocating silence in the corridor was broken by the sound of a door swinging open. A collective breath was held as Remus� face emerged, weary yet shining with a beam of a smile that allowed all the world to see his elation.

Hermione and Sirius broke their gaze for the first time.

�Moony?� James asked eagerly.

�I have a son,� Remus announced, his voice full of pride. �Dominic Peter Lupin.�

�A boy! I knew it!� James whooped with glee. He hugged Remus tightly.

Lily wiped a stray tear from her cheek. �Dominic Peter... it�s lovely.�

�A perfect tribute to Wormtail,� said James.

Sirius stepped forward and embraced his friend, clapping him heartily on the back. �Congratulations, Moony.�

Sirius stepped back, away from the group as then the rush of questions bombarded Remus from every side.

�How is Tonks?�

�Can we see him?�

�Who does he look like?�

�Is he a werewolf? Or a metamorphmagus?�

Before he could begin to field all of the eager questions, they were quieted for him. A petite woman with brilliant lavender hair and a smile equally as bright walked out into the corridor carrying a tiny bundle in her arms.

�Tonks!�

Remus turned at Harry�s shout to see his wife standing in the hallway barefoot in her hospital gown.

�Nymphadora?� He looked at her incredulously. �What are you doing out of bed?�

�You didn�t think I was going to let you receive all the praise when I�m the one that did all the work, did you?� She laughed.

Baby Dominic was passed from friend to friend, each marveling at the beautiful little boy and debating which of his parent�s features he shared.

�He definitely has Remus� eyes,� Ginny decided.

�His nose looks like Tonks�, I think� or at least the way her nose looks today,� Ron said.

James held Dominic and examined him closely. �What do you think, Padfoot? The kid�s got Moony�s fur coat, eh?�

The friends erupted in joyful laughter. James handed the baby to Hermione next.

�Oh� umm,� she looked petrified for a moment while she adjusted her arms to carefully cradle the baby. �Is this right, Tonks?�

�You�re doing just fine, Hermione,� she reassured.

�I�ve never held a baby before,� she explained. �He�s really�� Before she could tell Remus and Tonks how handsome their son was, Sirius completed her sentence.

��beautiful.�

Her eyes met Sirius�. Although they were surrounded by friends, at once, the moment felt intimate and private. His eyes bore into hers, emotions gleaming in the gray depths within, a small contemplative smile on his face.

Hermione was drawn abruptly from her daze. �Yes, exactly.� She turned to Remus and thrust the baby back into his father�s arms. �He is beautiful, Remus. Excuse me, everyone.�

Moving as quickly as she could without breaking into a full run, she pushed open a door at the end of the corridor, paying little attention to where she was going. A breath of night chilled London air coursed over her body and she noticed she was outside. She shivered and wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

Her eyes took time adjusting to the dark. The small courtyard came into view around her. Enclosed on all sides by the walls of the hospital, the tiny garden was an oasis for Hermione. She breathed deeply, letting the cool fresh air fill her lungs. With each shaky exhale, her body released a fraction of the exhaustion from the feverish struggle within.

There wasn�t any preparation for seeing Sirius at the hospital. There wasn�t any way to prepare for the flood of emotions at seeing him alive.

�Hermione.�

And there was no way to keep her entire body from trembling when she heard his voice behind her now.

She took a step away from him. Looking at him would be too much.

�It�s brilliant isn�t it?� He said, encouraging a response. �Remus being a father?�

Placing her palm flat on her chest, Hermione willed her breathing to steady before answering. �Yes, it�s wonderful.�

She sensed him moving toward her.

�You� you�re doing well?� He asked.

�I am.�

�I haven�t- I� I�ve only just returned so I haven�t heard so� it� I mean, I am glad to see that you�re doing well.�

The stilted conversation hung stagnant in the air around them, like the darkness, shrouding their true feelings.

Hermione turned to face him and they both spoke at once, breaking the silence in unison.

�If you�re wo-�

�I don�t know how-�

Sirius nodded his head toward her. �Please, go on.�

She swallowed thickly. �I was going to say that� if you�re worried that I am going to continue to be a nuisance or try discussing� us� you needn�t.�

Sirius stared at her blankly. �I needn�t�.?�

�You needn�t worry. I don�t intend to pursue any such unpleasantries with you.�

He continued to watch her silently. It was unnerving to her.

�That is all I was going to say�� Looking into his questioning eyes, she was losing her nerve.

�Unpleasantries?� He asked.

She moved back a step. �I� I know that I behaved horribly when we last we spoke. You asked me to leave you alone��

�Hermione,� He took a step towards her. �I know I said that� but you must know that I never meant � I never wanted you to go.�

�Yes, you did.� Hearing his denial, the anger began returning to her. The anger she felt that night, the night he kissed her moments before accusing her of ruining his life.

�I thought I was doing the right thing,� he admitted.

�The right thing for whom exactly?� She shot back.

�For you.�

�That�s a lie. I stood before you and told you that I believed you were the person I was meant to be with and you could not afford me the courtesy of looking me in the eye.�

He shrugged defensively. �I was wrong.�

�You were.� She softened. �But so was I. I had no place disrupting your life after so many years.�

Sirius was taken aback. �I am sorry for what I said. I was angry and� frustrated, I suppose, but my intention was not to hu-�

�Please don�t finish that sentence,� she begged.

The words froze in his throat. He furrowed his brow.

�If you are about to say that you didn�t intend to hurt me, then I must ask you to stop. Please, don�t lie to me.�

"Hurting you was not what I wanted to do."

"But just the same, you did."

Sirius yanked a hand through his hair in frustration. "I admit, I said some terrible things that you did not deserve. But you must understand that the circumstances of this... of us... they're unusual and... I spent so many years..." He trailed off.

Hermione watched him, her lips pursed in a firm line.

"What is it you are you trying to say, Sirius?" She finally asked, tired of the extended silences that wore on her resolve.

He raised his head slowly, looking every bit the aristocrat he was, despite his tattered cloak and disheveled appearance.

"Do you know how often I thought of you while I was away?"

Hermione recoiled. That was not the response she had expected him to give. "No.�

Sirius smiled thoughtfully. "All the time," He answered simply. "You were the reason I knew I had to return. Hermione, I need you to know that the manner in which I have behaved towards you is in no way a reflection of my feelings. I was angry and cruel... And I'm sorry."

"Thank you for your apology."

The two just stared at one another; his regret, forcing a wedge between them. Her unwillingness to give in to this man, whose power over her would only break her over and over again, would allow the wedge to keep them apart.

�We should get back,� she said, twisting her hands in front of her.

�Hermione, I thought about you all the time� �

�While you were on your mission, I know,� she said.

Sirius shook his head. �No. All the time. All of the years that I had to go on without you� every moment of every day, you were never gone from my thoughts!�

Hermione told herself again to steady her voice. �Why are you telling me this now? Why now and not three months ago or six months ago for that matter?�

�Because I had spent years living with your ghost and when you, the real you, awoke in the hospital, showed up on my doorstep, it was all I could do to keep from going mad!�

�I lost something too, Sirius! Maybe I haven�t suffered as long as you have but I have suffered! You turned me away, treated me like a petulant child!�

�I�ve apologized for that. What�s done is done. I can�t change it now, Hermione!�

�Then I suppose it�s something we�ll both have to live to accept,� She said sadly, as she turned to leave.

Sirius grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him.

�Hermione, I know that there is a part of you that doesn�t want to walk away.�

�I can�t do this�� She tried to pull away.

�I saw your patronus!� He stopped her.

She froze. �You did?�

�Yes.� A smile cracked his weary face despite himself.

�Then you know.� Hermione looked up at him, scrutinizing every detail of his expression as the tears she�d been fighting welled in her eyes. �You already know.�

�I know that there is still something there. I know that neither of us will ever be as happy with another as we would be together.�

�That may be true, Sirius, but I also know that I am never going to let you break my heart again.�

Sirius pleaded with her. �I don�t know how I can respond to that other than to say, I won�t. Can�t it be that simple?� He smiled hopefully.

�If only it could be.�

�Who�s to say it isn�t?� Sirius� eyes caught the light and gleamed with anticipatory passion and bent his head down, his lips seeking hers.

�No,� protested Hermione, feeling the warmth of his breath mingling with hers. His face was so close and his scent intoxicating. Her knees were growing weak beneath her and she was grateful for the strength of his hold on her shoulders. �This can�t be fixed with a kiss, Sirius.�

With that, she turned away from him, reaching the door in a few brisk strides, leaving Sirius standing alone, the warmth of her breath still felt upon his face.

Pulling the door open, Hermione retreated inside the hospital. Eventually, she told herself, eventually it would all fade. The memories would fade and she would move on, live a normal life without Sirius Black haunting her every thought. She could hope.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One Month Later

�Though we do not know what your respective destinies hold, there is no doubt that you each possess the ability to achieve greatness.�

Dumbledore�s voice was carried across the grounds of Hogwarts by the warm summer breeze. The day couldn't have been more picturesque. The amber sun began its slow decent over the Great Lake and the excitement of family and friends could be felt amongst all of the new graduates as they listened to the Headmaster�s address.

�Greatness can mean many things; heroism in our war that has yet to be won, triumph over the evils that impede our progress, and leading the Wizarding World into a time of peace. Whatever path you choose, know that time is your only true enemy.�

Sirius, who until then had been instinctively scanning the edge of the Forbidden Forest, turned his full attention to Dumbledore.

�You may have the ability to achieve greatness but doing so before the sand in the hourglass runs out, that, my friends, is the real challenge.�

Hermione chewed contemplatively on her lower lip as she considered the truth in this statement.

�I wish each of you the very best in your futures and know that you will always have a home here at Hogwarts.�

Applause and cheers roared throughout the audience as the Headmaster descended the stage.

Sitting across the grounds from one another, Hermione and Sirius� thoughts each turned to the other, both sharing the very same thought, echoing the wizened Headmaster�s advice: Time was their only enemy.

�Oi, Sirius! Are you awake, old man?� James laughed over the lively chatter of the crowd.

Sirius looked up at him and grimaced at the �old man� remark.

James jerked his head in the direction of the graduates who were being mobbed by enthusiastic family members. �Shall we go collect Harry before heading back to Molly�s?�

Hermione pushed her way through the crowd searching for Harry, her parents excitedly chatting to her as they hastened to keep up in her wake.

Finally she spotted Harry just ahead. Turning to her parents, she urged them forward and they approached the group.

"Mum, Dad, of course you remember�," she gestured to Harry but, when she looked up, her eyes fell upon Sirius� instead. She hadn�t expected him to be there. Breathlessly, his name fell from her lips, "Sirius."

Her parents looked at one another in confusion and then to Harry.

"I thought Sirius was Harry's godfather, isn't that right?" Said Mrs. Granger to her unhearing daughter.

"Er," Harry laughed awkwardly from beside Sirius. "Yes, that's right. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. It's a pleasure to see you both again." He shook both their hands while eyeing Hermione suspiciously.

Hermione was still. She examined Sirius� gray eyes, almost silver in the late afternoon light, his solemn face, his newly shorn hair�

The gathering of friends and family had fallen uncomfortably quiet around them.

Clearing his throat, Harry nudged Hermione with his elbow. �Hermione, have your parent�s been introduced to everyone?�

She whirled her head around to look at Harry, surprised, as though she had forgotten where she was. �Oh� right. Mum, Dad, um� this is Harry�s godfather.� She stepped back, allowing them to greet one another.

Sirius�s eyes flew from Hermione to her parents. He smiled with aristocratic poise and reached his hand out politely, �Sirius Black. It's a pleasure to finally meet you both.�

Her parents smiled warmly at the man, curious, though, at their daughter�s odd reaction to him.

Sirius looked back to the girl before him. "Congratulations, Hermione."

"Thank you."

Every time their eyes locked it was as though the rest of world was falling away. Hermione was in terrible danger of losing her composure and herself.

"I thought you weren't going to make it today, Sirius," Harry said, breaking the silence. "Dad said you had to work."

"I do. I am on duty now actually. We decided we needed to reinforce security around the perimeter of the grounds."

"We can never be too careful," Remus added.

"Merlin, Padfoot. I never thought I'd see the day when you and Remus saw eye to eye on taking precautions," James laughed.

"We should begin heading back home," Ron spoke up. "Mum'll be devastated if we don't allow her to force feed and smother us all soon."

Crossing through the group, Lily smiled warmly at the Grangers and approached them with a welcoming hug. �You will both be joining us at the Burrow, won�t you?�

They nodded happily, eager to spend a day in their daughter�s world, among the people who were so important to her.

"Shall we?" James gestured to everyone and began heading off the grounds to apparate back to the Burrow.
"Not me."

All eyes turned to Sirius, except for Hermione who looked dutifully away.

"You're not coming?" Harry asked with obvious disappointment.

Sirius shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I do have to work, actually."

"Come on, Sirius! No one at the Ministry will miss you for a few hours," James argued. "Most of them will be at the party anyway."

"I'm sorry. Next time."

"That's alright, Sirius. I understand." He offered a half-hearted smile.

"Anyone want to make a wager that my mum won't be so forgiving?" Ron mumbled under his breath.

Sirius laughed. "Send Molly my regrets. Congratulations again, each of you."

"Yeah, thanks," Ron grumbled.

They group began to disband as they all headed off to the celebration. Hermione�s father caught Sirius� eye briefly and shook his hand again. �It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Black.�

The younger man smile humbly. �The pleasure was mine.�

Hermione slowly fell back as her parents followed the Potters across the grounds. She didn�t look up but she knew Sirius was still standing only feet away.

�I was thinking about Dumbledore�s speech, what he was saying about � �

�Time.� Sirius broke in.

�Yes,� She looked to him. �I was thinking, perhaps we ��

�Come on, Hermione!� Ron bellowed across the grounds. �We�ve got to apparate your parents!�

Hermione waved to Ron in acknowledgement, frustrated. Looking back up at Sirius, she sighed regretfully, �Well� thank you for coming.�

Without pausing for a response, she strode briskly toward the gates of Hogwarts, chastising herself for her cowardice with each step that took her farther away from Sirius.

She reached Ron, who stood impatiently on the road waiting for her. �Finally,� he said sarcastically.

�Don�t even start with me, Weasley.�

Taking hold of her mother�s arm, Hermione said shortly, �Hang on�. With a turn, they vanished on the spot.
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It's About Time