Written for Firefly

Prompt: Hermione/Sirius/Remus, [AU] Soulmates, [dialogue] "Oh my gods. You're in love with her.", [AU] Time Travel, [AU] Pureblood!Hermione, [AU] Arranged Marriage, [category] Post-Hogwarts.

Pairings: Hermione/Sirius/Remus, Remus/Sirius, James/Lily, James/Regulus (mention), (pre) Alice/Frank.

If you're a massive fan of Lily, I suggest turning back. She's not very nice in this.

I have just gotten a guest review on this, telling me this fic was: 'awful' and 'badly written'.

I'd like to say that this was written for Firefly with all the Hermione cliches that she loves to read. As long as Firefly likes this fic, it has achieved it's intended purpose.

I'd be happy if my other readers liked it too, but if you don't, I'm sure I wasn't the only one whose mother taught "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Feedback is always appreciated as I'm always looking to improve, but being nasty isn't appreciated at all.

Remember, no-one is forcing you to read this!

A Second Life

"You have to do what?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowing.

James hesitated, clutching the letters. "I… have to… pick a husband for you."

"And why, James, do I need a husband?"

"It's the law. Witches should be betrothed at seventeen and married before their next birthday. You said your birthday is September… so we need to do this now!"

"I've got time."

"If you don't have anything set soon, the Ministry will take it upon themselves to match you. There is a pureblood directory. Anyone signed up will get an owl whenever a Pureblooded witch that the law applies to turns seventeen."

"So those letters are…?"

"Wizards requesting your hand."

"But they've never even met me! I've met my Healer, you and Sirius!" she exclaimed.

"Well, there might be some good wizards here? I mean, I can arrange for you to meet?" James sat down and began to open them.

Immediately his brow furrowed as he looked at the names. "Avery, Mulciber, Lestrange…"

"Death Eaters, all of them," Hermione said. "Is that all?"

"Gideon Prewett… but -"

"He's not a Death Eater," Hermione replied.

"But he's also strictly into men," James said. "No doubts that his father sent this on his behalf."

"Oh… so do I have to pick one of them?"

"Or I'll see if I can come up with a list of eligible wizards."

"And what happens if I break the law?"

"You get stricken from your family. Like Andromeda. She didn't marry who she was supposed to -"

"But she married Ted Tonks?"

"Outside of the year though. I wouldn't be able to bring you back into the family, Hermione. You wouldn't be a Potter."

Part of Hermione felt like she didn't need to be a Potter, but there was a desperation in James' eyes. He had been searching for years to find her.

She knew that she was all James had left of his family and that he was very much like Harry. She would do what she could to remain a Potter.

"Bring me a list," she told him firmly.

...oOo...

Hermione had never known so much pain. A second of it was enough to want her to beg for death, though she resisted, not wanting to give the insane witch the pleasure of hearing the words leave her mouth.

After a few hours, Hermione lost all sense of caring. She was crying, screaming, begging. Hermione had lost track of the words falling from her lips.

She way lying in her own blood and knew that it wasn't long now.

Death seemed like a welcome escape from the agony she had been suffering for hours. She was ready to die, her friends not even on her mind. She just wanted an end to the pain.

A strange sensation ran through her, and she gave into it.

...oOo...

James sighed as he sifted through the letters, before handing them to Sirius. Sirius scanned for the names, before tossing them to the side.

"Black?" he laughed, setting it aside. "Mother and Father really think that you'd allow your sister to marry Regulus?"

James tensed. "Why? Is there something wrong with Regulus?"

"Only that he's Death Eater Junior," Sirius replied loftily. "Because that'd work. I might keep them guessing though… let them think he has a match."

James paused for a moment, before a forced laugh crossed his lips. "Yeah. At least you'll stop them from trying to marry him off to someone else in the meantime."

An awkward silence followed.

"So… you have a list?" Sirius asked.

"Not Gideon…" James started. "I was thinking… Frank?"

"Frank Longbottom?" Sirius asked, shaking his head. "I just… do you really think he's… right? You know, he doesn't seem like your sister's type."

James shrugged. "There's a very short list of wizards I trust with my sister," he replied. "Frank is top of that list. Nice family, definitely not a Death Eater. Might be able to handle -"

"Yeah… might."

"Do you have anyone better?" James asked.

Sirius shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "What does my input matter? She's your sister."

"I am your sister," came an amused voice. "So, what are you two boys doing?"

"I'll have you know that we're men," Sirius replied, glancing over at her. "Picking your husband."

She shuddered. "Right, who have you got?"

"Regulus?" Sirius joked.

She raised her eyebrows and the two wizards stared as Hermione contemplated it. "I… I'm not sure it'd work between us, but I'm willing to meet with him."

"What?" Sirius and James both shouted, jumping up.

"He's a junior Death Eater!" Sirius shouted.

"He's… I think he's gay," James said at the same time.

Sirius turned to James, his mouth dropping open. "What?"

"I… your… uh…" James bit his lip. "I think he was seeing Crouch back at school…"

"And you keep tabs on my brother?" Sirius asked.

Hermione stared at James with realisation. The look on his face was identical to the one on Harry's when he was desperate to lose all attention on him.

"He's going to die soon. He betrays Voldemort. He regrets what he's become. We could save him, Sirius. Don't you want to save your brother when he needs you the most - when he wants to fix his mistakes?"

Sirius turned his attention from James and Hermione didn't miss the look of relief on James' face. That was something she would have to examine, but there were more pressing issues.

Like having to get married.

"So… a list?"

"Uh - Frank -"

"No, he's going to marry Alice."

"Oh. Alice? But they... actually, they'd be really nice together. Benjy Fenwick?" James asked.

"He's going to propose to Marlene," Sirius replied.

"Okay, what about Barty Crouch? Yes, he was a Slytherin… but his father will be the minister -"

"Death Eater," Hermione replied, sighing. "It looks like I'm not going to find anyone."

"Don't say that," James insisted, walking over and taking her hands. "I'll find you someone - someone who will look after you… Not that you need looking after, of course, but someone who will treat you like you deserve."

He turned to Sirius. "What about Remus?"

Sirius froze for a moment. "Nah, he's not… Hermione wouldn't be his type. So, basically, Hermione has very few choices. Gay blokes, Death Eaters or Remus… so I have the perfect suggestion. I'll do it."

"You!" James and Hermione exclaimed, looking at each other in shock.

...oOo...

James paced the living room of Potter Manor as he waited for Sirius to wake up.

Had his mother still been alive, she would have insisted on not waking 'the poor boy' early, to let him sleep a few more minutes, but James had scoffed at that thought. Sirius was doing his hair. His hair took forever. He never said anything to his mum, though. Dorea had loved having a second child around the house ever since...

James didn't know the details. Just that once he had had a little sister, that his parents had to send her away somewhere. All of his searching didn't tell him where his sister was or what had happened to her. He didn't know if she was even still alive. His parents didn't talk about her, didn't even mention her. The name 'Hermione' wasn't uttered in the house.

So he had allowed his mum to baby Sirius, who was like a big baby and played up to the attention, and he had allowed his mum to fuss over Remus just after the full moon when Remus pretended that he was fine.

Well, not that he could have really stopped her.

James' head spun around. The wards had triggered and the air was pierced by a scream that echoed through the house. He had never heard a sound so gut-wrenching before, and he rushed to the hallway, where his eyes fell on a girl, blood pooling around her. Sirius was right behind him.

The girl stared unblinkingly up at James, her brown eyes empty, the screams turning into choked-breaths, and Sirius cast a quick stasis spell on her, making it possible to move her without causing her harm. James scooped the girl into his arms like she weighed nothing.

"Is she dead?" Sirius asked.

"S... Sirius?" the girl whispered, her gaze moving to his. "But...?"

Her voice was a whisper, sounding like someone had torn at her throat and James and Sirius wondered just how long she had been screaming for before she had appeared in the house.

...oOo...

Sirius nodded, looking as grave as Hermione had ever seen. "You need your sister… and there's no-one we can have her marry." He hesitated slightly. "I'll… I'll do it," he repeated, his teeth clenched as he tried not to stare at Hermione's breasts in the dress. James would kill him should his gaze fall below Hermione's shoulders. "It'll be a struggle but we'll get through this!"

Apparently that was the worst thing to say, as Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Struggle?" she shouted. "You think it'll be a struggle being married to me? You know what would be? Having to deal with you every day! James, surely there's someone, anyone… surely you don't want me to marry Sirius!"

James looked between the pair, his fist pressed against his mouth and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Actually, this is perfect - "

"How is it perfect?" Hermione demanded.

James shrugged. "Well, he's my best mate. He'll look after you."

"That's why it's perfect for you. How is it perfect for me?"

"Well… I mean… he has a big cock? I saw it - he used to walk around naked. I mean, it's great sex -"

"Great. It's nice to know that my brother is concerned about both my sex life and the size of his best friend's… his… willy." She blushed as the word passed her lips and ignored the snigger from Sirius. James looked a little uncomfortable. "I'll make sure to send you details after the wedding night, shall I? Maybe a memory for your pensieve of your best friend deflowering your little sister?"

Both boys shuddered at the choice of words.

"Did you have to say 'deflowering'?" James muttered. "Couldn't you have said…"

"Yes, James, what is the best way to phrase it? Shag? Fuck? Take my maidenhead? Make love? Ravish? Fornicate? Get it on? Get jiggy? Boink? Have coitus?" Hermione stopped, having run out of words, but Sirius seemed spurred on by what she was saying.

"Hiding the bishop? The Horizontal Hula? Bury the bone? Get into her Chamber of Sec - Fuck!"

James nursed his fist as Sirius cupped his nose, a betrayed look on his face. "She started it!"

"Yeah, like I was going to hit my own baby sister," James said. "You on the other hand… you should know better than to talk about doing any of that to my sister! If you dare touch her..."

"How about we get married in name only? That'll fit the law… right?" Hermione asked.

James shook his head. "I looked it up. I considered Gideon for this, but he's gay. So I thought… but a child must be produced from the union, or attempted at least."

Sirius was silent for a long moment as he thought about it. "I'll still do it."

"If you dare treat her like those girls you used to date…"

"I wouldn't," Sirius assured him, looking away. "I'd never do that - I owe your family too much than to treat your sister like nothing. Trust me, I'd do anything to keep her safe."

James nodded.

"So, what happens after the wedding?" Hermione asked.

"Usually the Manor would belong to the heir and it would be the husband's family that would provide the home… but Sirius was taken in by my parents, so you'd have your choice of Potter properties. There are small properties and a lovely cottage that are available for you to choose from, but you can stay here too. I wouldn't mind!"

"If we have to… sleep together, I'd rather not have my brother down the hall!"

"Right. It'll be quiet here without you."

"You'll get married to Lily soon enough and start producing little Potters of your own," Sirius stated.

James tried to smile. "I suppose," he muttered.

...oOo...

James stumbled from the fireplace, running to the front desk in St. Mungo's.

"I need a private room and Healer Longbottom!"

He was led to a hospital room, and the Healer joined them within seconds. Augusta Longbottom was a stern woman, but she really knew her stuff. She had been the only healer that Charlus had trusted with his family, and James trusted her too.

"Who is she?" Augusta asked, once the girl was stabilised.

James shrugged. "She just appeared out of the blue. She shouldn't have been able to… the wards…"

Confusion flickered over Augusta's face, before suspicion.

She reached up, plucking a hair from James' head and walked over to the bed, carefully pulling a hair from the girl's head. She pressed her wand against the hairs.

The hairs were drawn together, twisting together into one.

"What was that? What did that do?" he said, looking at the hair that was left.

"It's to see if she's a part of your bloodline," Augusta said. James opened his mouth to state that there was no way, but Augusta silenced him with just a look.

"Had the hairs moved away from each other, that would mean that there isn't any family connection between you in the slightest. A slight link would mean a distant connection. The fact that these have wound together to form one, has confirmed something for me."

"Yeah? What's that?" James asked.

"Your sister has returned to us," she said sadly.

...oOo...

"Remus, I… I've done something stupid," Sirius said, not able to even wait until after greeting the Werewolf. He still had his arms wrapped around Remus in an embrace. "Really stupid and you're not going to forgive me for it."

Remus pulled back, fixing Sirius with a suspicious look. "I know you'd never cheat on me," he murmured, amber eyes searching Sirius' desperately. "But… it's something big - are you breaking… no… you wouldn't break up with me… would you?"

Sirius shook his head. "Yes and no," he whimpered. He couldn't bring himself to meet Remus' gaze any longer, his grey eyes landing on Remus' horribly patterned jumper. "James can't find anyone for his sister to marry. He's terrified of her being cast from the family, and the only options were Death Eaters."

The fearful expression from Remus' face disappeared

"And it was narrowed down to you… and… I know that you can't with someone who isn't your mate…" Sirius stumbled over the words. "I couldn't… I can't let James down, I had to do something, but -"

"I know," Remus said, his hand coming up to stroke through Sirius' hair. "I know that you feel you owe the Potter's everything and I understand why you offered. I'm not surprised actually."

"You're… you're not mad at me?"

"How can I be? You're protecting James' sister, and I can understand because that's the sort of person you are. You give everything to the people you love, Sirius. You're selfless like that."

Sirius looked away guiltily.

"But there's more, isn't there? You like…" he trailed off, watching Sirius' eyes. "Oh my gods. You're in love with her!"

"No!" Sirius exclaimed. "I couldn't love anyone… not how I love you, Remus. You're my life, you know that. But I won't lie to you, I do feel something for Hermione. I asked James if we could marry in name only because I would never betray you like that - I wouldn't have offered if there was any other option because to be without you -"

"I know," Remus whispered. "And I've already forgiven you. Now, James would be rushing this wedding, I would imagine?"

Sirius nodded his head.

"That won't give us a lot of time together. Let's make the most of it, shall we?"

"You're perfect," Sirius murmured. "What did I ever do to deserve you? I don't, you know. I don't deserve you - to be your mate. I should have…"

"What? Allowed James' sister to marry a Death Eater? Can you imagine what would have happened? Death Eaters, Sirius! They could have hurt her or blackmailed Prongs, and by extension, me and you. James only just got her back - if she was threatened, who knows how far he would go to protect her? He would do something stupid and maybe get himself killed - and we'd willingly follow him to help. You did the right thing and I'm not angry that you offered. You do deserve me, it's me that -"

"No, let's not do this. Shall we agree that we deserve each other?" Sirius replied now leading Remus towards the bed.

"Yeah, I like the sound of that. Do you know what else I like?"

"What?"

"Seeing you on your knees," Remus murmured, his amber eyes flashing at the smirk on Sirius' lips.

"Your wish," he said, eagerly dropping and pulling at Remus' trousers. Managing to undo the button, his grey eyes slowly dragged up Remus' body. "Is my command," he finished.

...oOo...

James snorted. "No, my sister… my sister is a child! This girl is… fourteen?"

"Seventeen."

"How? She's so light? Weighs nothing. She can't be -"

"She is," Augusta replied impatiently. "I've been doing my job since before you were born, James Potter. I know how to check an age. The reason she weighs so little is because she's malnourished. It looks like she hasn't eaten a proper meal in a long time. She's suffered… quite extensive torture, there's damage to her mind, though that would need to be confirmed by a Mind-Healer."

"And she's somehow aged quickly," James muttered.

"You… you don't know where she was?" Augusta stared at him. "Your parents never told you?"

James shook his head.

"They must have set something in place. She's in a magically induced coma right now. She was in too much pain to leave awake and with mind-damage, some can be repaired with rest and no additional strain on the mind. I suggest you head to your Solicitors and see if there were any sealed documents that they were to hold onto until this event came about. I know that she wasn't supposed to enter your life for another three years."

James nodded his head. "I'll have Sirius stay with her for now… if there's a change…"

"I'm sure Sirius will let you know quicker than the hospital will be able to," Augusta finished. "I suggest not discussing this until you're somewhere private. If your parents haven't left a letter for you with details, I'm able to fill you in myself. It was… Order business." She lowered her voice for the last two words. "I'll have Sirius bring her home."

James nodded once more, trying not to feel resentment at the idea of Order business taking his sister away, and returning a seventeen year old. A girl that he hadn't been able to grow up with, to look after, to teach. To enjoy the excitement as she received her Hogwarts letter, and await her letter stating which House she would have been in.

Was the Order responsible for taking all this away from him?

If they were, that meant that the Order was responsible for the state she returned in. For the whole time, until his talk with Augusta, James had thought the girl in his arms was going to die.

And though that thought had deeply upset him, finding out that she was his sister and he could have lost her made it all the worse.

...oOo...

"James, I barely get to see you," Lily complained, sitting on the sofa next to him. Her normally laid-back fiance was looking exhausted, and her parents had left the room for a moment to check on dinner, leaving them alone. Petunia was upstairs, refusing to sit with them.

"I know, Lily," he began. "You know how things are with my sister -"

"The one that you never mentioned before," she muttered.

"Well," James began. He had told Sirius about Hermione, but he just didn't want to tell anyone else that Hermione had appeared from the future. He wanted the information to remain between them - just the pair of them for now. Lily was under the impression - as was the rest of the Wizarding World - that Hermione had been too sick to attend Hogwarts or leave home and that she had been home-schooled. "She was very ill, I didn't like thinking about it, and felt guilty for even leaving her and going to Hogwarts."

Lily nodded her head, green eyes moving around the room and not meeting his. "Yet there wasn't even a picture of her and you barely know a thing about her -"

"I spent so long in Hogwarts - holidays included," James shortly replied. "I spent more time away from my sister than with her, of course I missed a lot of her life. Had we gone to Hogwarts together, I'd have known her so much better - but she's my little sister and I love her dearly and I'm responsible for her now."

Lily nodded. "When do I get to meet her?"

"Her health is really improving recently," James said. "Our family healer thinks that turning seventeen has given a boost to her magical-core that's helping stabilize her heath. So soon, I promise…"

Lily looked unconvinced.

...oOo...

James paced up and down as the solicitor pulled out a file. "You'll need to place your wand on this," the elderly man said.

James walked over, his wand touching the Potter file. The file enlarged and opened.

"There's only one remaining envelope in here," the man said, looking up. "It wasn't due to be sent out until you were twenty-two -"

"Circumstances have changed. I'm certain that this is the information I need now," James replied. "I'll like to take it now."

The man nodded, removing it from the file and handing it over. "Will this be all, Mr Potter?"

"For now... though I'm sure I'll be by in the next few days. Thank you, Mr Edwards."

The man merely nodded and began to put the file away as James walked from the room, tucking the envelope into his robes.

...oOo...

"Lily? What are you doing here?" James asked, standing up from the table. Hermione curiously turned, following his gaze, eager to finally meet the woman she had heard so much about. Sirius' smile dropped at the sight of her.

"I just thought I'd stop by," Lily replied, as the house-elf who had escorted her in disappeared. "We've got so much to plan for the wedding… but we haven't even started."

"I need to organise Hermione's first, and we haven't even set a date yet!"

"Oh?" Lily asked. "Is her's more important? Surely her fiance would help her?"

"Actually, it would be down to Hermione's parents to organise the wedding, as the bride's family. Pureblood tradition. The bride's family provide the wedding and the groom's family provide somewhere for them to live - usually one of the family properties."

"So, she won't be living here?" Lily's face lit up at the thought.

"Hey? Got a problem with Hermione living here?" Sirius asked.

"No… I just thought two couples…" Lily trailed off. "That came out wrong, of course. So… Hermione, who is the… lucky man?"

"You're looking at him," Sirius grinned, moving to sit next to Hermione and take her hand in his. Hermione blushed slightly at the action.

"It really is nice to meet you," Hermione began, letting go of Sirius' hand and standing up. She held the seat for support, still weak from the recovery. "I've heard all about you - I feel like I've known you for years!"

James grinned. He knew that Hermione had heard about Lily from the future and loved the way she worded things.

"I wish I could say the same," Lily replied, with a side glance at James. "It seems as though you've just appeared from the blue. I'm sure James mentioned he was an only child."

"Hey, I'd never have said that," James insisted, frowning.

"When Sirius moved in with you, you mentioned it was nice to have a sibling."

"Brother," James corrected her. "It was nice to have a brother. Not a sibling. I already had Hermione."

"And did you ever see Sirius as a brother?" Lily asked, turning her gaze on Hermione.

Hermione snorted and shook her head. "I guess because I never grew up with him at Hogwarts, it was harder for me to see him as anything but Sirius Black… and then, well, I saw him as more."

"More?"

"Well, he's sweet - he's helped me so much with my recovery, I don't think I could have done it without Sirius. These past few weeks as my health has improved after…" she bit her lip, trailing off. "He's loyal and protective and he'd do anything for someone he cares for. I actually don't think there's anyone better -"

"Than Sirius?" Lily gave her a look as though she were insane. "Well, if he makes you happy." She turned back to James. "So… how about we set the venue?"

"What, now?" James asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "We have all the time in the world, but Hermione and Sirius have a couple of weeks before their wedding. I'm going to organise that first, and then me and you can talk. I'll send you details for the wedding -"

"So you're going to spend the next couple of weeks organising a wedding that they can organise themselves? Not to be rude, James, but your sister doesn't look very sick. Can't she deal with it herself? We have our own future to look at. Me and you!"

James opened his mouth to reply, but Hermione had moved over to Lily quickly.

"Just so you're aware," she began, her voice barely more than a whisper, "James is my brother, and family is very important to him. You might want to remember who you are talking about - his sister who he has proclaimed he would protect with his very life, and the man who James already sees as his brother - someone else he'd die for if needed. If James is choosing to help me, you should take the hint and leave -"

"What right do you have to tell me to leave, this is James' house -"

"And mine. This is the house that I was born into," Hermione said moving closer so their faces were inches apart. "And maybe you should learn to talk to my brother with a little more respect than you have been, because that is certainly not the way his wife should talk to him, or did your parents not bring you up better?"

Lily turned red in anger.

"You don't have an inkling about what I've been through - imagine having the crucio cast on you for hours, so your mind begins to crack and shatter. Whatever you think of Sirius, he's the one who helped me through that and nothing you think about him will change what a wonderful man he is, and my brother too, of course. So get out of my house, and next time you come in, I expect you to show each person in this room a lot more respect."

Lily backed up.

"Come on Lily, I'll walk you to the door," James said tiredly.

Hermione listened to the sounds of arguing as they walked from the room.

"I thought she was supposed to be nice and sweet and stuff?"

"Who told you that?" Sirius asked, scoffing at the idea.

"Remus… you. You'd tell Harry what a lovely person she was and -"

"Clearly we were good liars, unless she has a personality transplant," Sirius replied bitterly. "She's a bitch. She treated James like shit in school… and she wouldn't even give him the time of day until he started dating other people - acting like he betrayed her by doing so. She wouldn't date him - so what did she expect?"

"She does sound like a bitch," Hermione replied. "Why is James with her?"

Sirius shrugged. "Me and Remus wonder the same thing. We slipped a love-potion antidote into his drink once just to be sure, but she's not drugging him. I think he just can't see her flaws."

"Well, I don't like how she treats James," Hermione stated. "She's jealous that he's spending time with his own sister - that's wrong. I'm his family, even though I wasn't around - that wasn't either of our fault. Of course we need time to know each other again. How dare she talk to any of us like she did?"

Sirius sighed. "But James loves her," he said tiredly. "And because of that, we have to make-do and pretend to like her. Even Remus."

"Why?"

"She's weird around him. She tries to hide it, but I… Can we drop it for now?"

Hermione nodded, wondering what Sirius was going to say.

...oOo...

"So… who is she?" Sirius asked.

"It's not for me to talk about," Augusta stated as she checked the girl over, ensuring that she was ready to be taken home. "Now, she'll sleep for three days. I assume you know the spells to monitor her health? What of the house-elf that brought her?"

"James sent him to wait at home in the kitchen."

"If he brought her, he'll likely stay with her unless he has a master giving other orders," Augusta stated. "I'm sure placing her in a bedroom with the elf watching over her is the best idea for now. James will fill you in soon."

"Wait, you want me to take her where?"

"To Potter Manor," Augusta sighed. "James is aware of this. I have other patients to deal with and will be by in the morning to check on her. If there's an emergency, I'm reachable, as always, at my home."

"So how do I…?"

"Carry her."

After a moment, Sirius moved to the bed and grabbed a small purple beaded bag and wand, and shoved them into his robes. He picked the girl up, surprised at her weight, and left the room. It didn't take long to get her to the house and he put her on the sofa, waiting for James' return.

"James, who -" Sirius began, when James returned.

"Hold on," James said, pulling the envelope out of his robes and setting it on the table. He took a long look at Hermione, before ripping it open.

He set aside the envelope with Hermione's name on, snorting at the comment about her not opening it until her seventeenth birthday, and opened the one with his own name on, setting it between him and Sirius on the table.

...oOo...

Hermione didn't know how to feel. She had only been aware for a few weeks now, and suddenly, she had an arranged marriage with one Sirius Black.

Her contact with people was still low - she only had James and Sirius, with Augusta Longbottom coming over as her healer. She had hoped to befriend Lily, but it took seconds for her to realise that Lily was a bitch.

She was lonely and Remus was away - she was sure she'd get on with Remus, be able to talk about intellectual things with him, where Sirius and James were always joking about.

As though he could read her mind, James told her they were having a guest for lunch once Augusta had come to do her daily check on Hermione.

Lunch was a short affair. Hermione had questioned the house-elf to ensure that she had been paid, whilst offering James some side-eye. James cleared his throat, insisting that the house-elves were both paid and had time off - one had the mornings free and the other had the evenings, with alternating weekends (much to the house-elves' displeasure).

Satisfied, Hermione ate the soup the house-elf had placed in front of her, dipping the bread in and eating slowly. She was starting to get used to eating properly again, but was on small meals still, due to her time on the run and not eating properly for so long, a big meal would make her feel ill.

Finishing the soup, she slowly rose from the chair and brought her bowl to the kitchen. James had attempted to get the house-elf to do it in the past, and also attempted to do it himself. He quickly learnt that Hermione liked to do these things for herself if possible, so she was left to it.

"Hello?"

Hermione dropped the bowl at the greeting, her wand quickly withdrawn and pointing at a blonde girl, who quickly held her hands up in defence. "Whoa - I'm… Hi, I'm Alice, James invited me over…"

"Alice?" Hermione examined her carefully, quickly realising that she had the same eyes as Neville, and the same shy smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect… Hi, I'm Hermione."

Relived that the wand wasn't pointing at her, Alice took her own out, quickly repairing the broken bowl and picking it up, before using a quick cleaning charm on the floor. She put the bowl next to the sink.

"Sorry I surprised you," she said. "I flooed over, but I don't think anyone heard me calling. So… you're James' sister that I've heard about? My… uh… friend, Frank - his mother mentioned your name and I have to admit I was curious." She linked her arm through Hermione's own. "Come on, let's sit in the living room and get James to wait on us."

She called James' name as she led the way to the living room.

"Alice! I wasn't expecting you for another half-an-hour!"

"You said after I have lunch, to come over! Now, you can get me and your sister some tea and something yummy to snack on."

"Bossy witch," he muttered, heading towards the kitchen.

"So… tell me everything about yourself. You didn't go to Hogwarts, so what was it like having a home tutor? What was it like growing up with James? And Sirius and Remus?"

Hermione bit her lip. She couldn't help but trust the other girl - she reminded her too much of Neville.

"Actually… if you can promise to keep it to yourself…"

"Of course," Alice sat down on the sofa next to Hermione, twisting and pulling her leg up under her.

"Uh… the Order… there was a prophecy and they sent me forward in time. I've only just come back."

"So you weren't sick -"

"Yeah. There seemed to be a clause to the time-travel. If I was on the verge of death, I would be returned. I was tortured for hours and my mind…" she struggled with the words, thinking about what Alice and Frank went through "My mind had started to shatter. I was…" She looked towards the door, before pulling up the sleeve of her dress. "This isn't the only scar. Sirius… I knew him in the future, so I responded to him and he's helped me through this. I haven't met Remus in this time."

"Not that I mind - but why are you telling me?" Alice asked, curiously.

"Because you remind me of your son," Hermione said. "Neville. He was wonderful - someone you would have been proud of."

Alice examined Hermione's sad expression and the way she wouldn't meet Alice's eyes. "I take it that you not responding to James means he's not part of your future, and the scar means that you weren't raised by any of his little cult… I mean, group of friends? And Neville is a child I would have been proud of… I don't see him grow up, do I?"

Hermione shook her head. "But I have a way to fix all that. I grew up with him," she said. "And with James' son. Me and Harry were best friends."

"Harry - so James reproduces? Who is the mother?"

"Lily," Hermione muttered.

Alice pulled a face, before smiling. "They're engaged, aren't they?"

"You don't like her," Hermione said, leaning forward. "I thought it was just me. She's so… so rude!"

"Yes," Alice agreed. "I…" she trailed off as the door opened.

"Alright ladies, getting along?"

"I've heard that you have a child with another woman, James," Alice said, clutching her heart. "I'm broken-hearted."

"Hermione told you -"

"Oh, but what about your son, Alice."

"Who is the lucky man who got with all this?" Alice asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Frank Longbottom."

"Frank?" Alice squeaked. "But he's my best… he's… but…"

"Well done, you broke her," James said, accusingly, looking amused.

"I've heard how much you and Frank were in love," Hermione admitted, and Alice blushed. "So you're not together… but you… you like him, you're blushing."

Alice blushed deeper. "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, I've heard from Frank himself that he hasn't sent out any 'intent to marry' letters at all," James said. "Maybe he's just waiting on the right girl?"

"Which is you," Hermione pushed. "Maybe you should just… just jump him? Just turn up wearing nothing but a trench-coat and seduce him!"

"Gross," James said, aghast. "I don't want to hear my little sister saying these things." He almost ran from the room, leaving the tray for the women.

Alice and Hermione's laughter followed him and James couldn't help but congratulate himself on a job well done in helping Hermione make a friend.

...oOo...

'James,

Happy twenty-second birthday. We're sorry that we're not there to see your birthday with you. We always thought we'd be around until you boys were both grown, able to see our grandchildren and possibly even our great-grandchildren. But once we found out about our failing health, we had to put some things into place.

Tomorrow will be a big day for you. You'll come into custody of a young girl, aged two. This is your little sister, Hermione. Due to a prophecy regarding her, we had to hide her existence. Our plan had been to send her to the future and raise her as we would have done before, but it would have altered her age. No one would consider her the girl that had fit the prophecy, instead thinking that she was a new edition to the family. We hoped it would give her the chance at a normal life.

We regret that we won't see our daughter again - we have held on as long as possible, but we know she'll be in safe hands as she'll be in yours and we know that between you, your friends and the Order, Hermione will come to no harm.

And hopefully the outdated marriage law that your mother was fighting will finally be changed.

I couldn't have wished for better sons - you and Sirius have made us both so proud and I know you'll continue to do so.

Upon opening this letter, her vault will open at Gringotts. You, as head of House Potter, will be in charge of her. I'm sorry to leave you so unprepared but we've had no choice. As I've stated before, we expected to have raised her ourselves, had our health not quickly taken a horrible turn.

Know that we'll always love you.

Mum and Dad.'

The pair looked away from the letter.

"But she's not two."

"I know that," James replied, frowning at his best friend. "But maybe there was some reason she came back - I mean, she was close to death so maybe a clause in the spell? She's going to be out for three days, so we need to make sure she's comfortable and stuff… and crap, that's my sister. She's not a baby!"

"She's definitely not," Sirius murmured.

"Touch her and I'll skin you alive," James growled. "I just… my parents wanted me to raise her from a kid and now she's only a few years younger than me."

"No nappies and toilet training and stuff," Sirius said. "And it could be worse."

"Really? How?"

"She could have been older than you when she returned."

James glanced at her again. "Yeah… you're right, that would have been worse. Let's get her into her bedroom, shall we? Should I… should I levitate her?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, before tucking an arm under Hermione's legs, and one under her back and lifting her with ease. "Show me where to put her," he said.

...oOo...

"So… you're already seventeen. Tell me - who has sent you marriage requests?"

"A ton of Death Eaters," Hermione replied. "But we've sorted out a solution… closer to home."

Alice clutched her teacup in her hands. "Tell me now!" she demanded in excitement. "Who?"

"Sirius."

Alice fell back on the sofa dramatically. "That man could make any girl swoon," she said, from her new position. "You are the luckiest witch in the world… you know, apart from the witch that wins Remus Lupin's heart."

"Really? What's Remus like in this time?"

"All quiet, and he has these smouldering eyes that could almost stop your heart from beating and he's gorgeous - not in the obvious way that Sirius is, he's just… when you see him, you won't be able to resist having some adult dreams about him."

Hermione grinned. "Dream a lot about Remus Lupin?"

"When I was like fourteen," Alice admitted boldly. "But my dreams tend to feature… okay, yes, I'm in love with Frank. I have some right dirty dreams about him and let me tell you, he's really good in bed!"

"And is Sirius?" Hermione whispered.

Alice nodded her head. "From what I've heard… he had a thing with Marlene and with Mary… but then he didn't seem all that bothered. We thought he had a secret relationship after that, but no-one ever found out the truth."

Hermione nodded her head. "I'm quite nervous. The wedding is in a couple of weeks and I've left James to organise it. I've never really thought about marriage, and want it as a small affair, but I don't even know anyone in this time… I know this is a bit sudden, but would you like to me my bridesmaid? Do we have bridesmaids?"

"It's optional," Alice replied, "but I'd love to be! If I marry Frank you can be mine. I sadly lack female friends."

"I'm the same. Back in my time, my friends were all male. My only female friend was the younger sister of one of my best friends."

"Well," Alice said, reaching for a bit of cake. "You have me now! Being around James and Sirius must be tiring. Who else comes here?"

"Just them and Augusta."

Alice looked shocked. "How boring! Well, I'll come over and keep you company whilst you heal. Can I ask… why I wasn't able to raise my son?"

"You were tortured - far beyond the level I was. Both you and Frank…" Hermione shook her head. "But I can change things, Alice. I can fix this so the future won't be as terrible." She clutched Alice's hand in her own.

"I'll do what I can to help," Alice promised her.

...oOo...

"Hermione, this is Sirius," Sirius tried. James had been talking to her for hours, without a single response. Augusta had returned, advising James to leave it to Sirius.

She had told James that it wasn't the time to sulk if his sister didn't know him, what mattered was her recovery - no matter who she responded to - even if it was his worst enemy, he should care most about her getting better.

James had sighed and nodded, sending Sirius into the bedroom in his place, whilst he silently waited in the doorway.

"S...Sirius?" came the hesitant response.

"That's it, Kitten. Do you remember anything? Tell me something - anything."

"Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix," she whimpered, her head turning and her eyes starting to flutter closed.

"Love? Look at me, don't close your eyes," Sirius said, slipping from the seat onto the floor so they were face to face. She met his eyes, and her own widened slightly.

"You're… young?"

"I am. Just turned nineteen," he informed her.

"No, but you're dead. Am I dead?"

"No, of course not. Have you ever heard of time-travel, kitten?"

Hermione gave the smallest of nods.

"Well, to keep it simple, you've travelled from the time you were in, to when I was nineteen."

"Oh? Why?" She looked around curiously, the look in her eyes more expression than James had seen.

"Well, that's where we get complicated," Sirius told her. "You see, you were sent forward in time for your own protection, but if you were close to death, the spell would pull you back here. We have no idea why it picked this year though, but you're home."

"Home?"

"Yeah. Your family… your parents, I'm sorry, but they've passed away. Your brother is here and eager to talk to you, to meet you!"

"Who… is he?" came a whisper.

"James. James Potter."

"Oh Merlin," she whispered. "That makes me Harry's aunt!" This time her eyes closed and Sirius allowed her to rest.

"Very good," Augusta stated. "That amount of conversation means that your sister will have a shorter recovery than I first thought. It'll be a few weeks before she's really aware of herself, but it will happen. Now… leave her to rest, but I'd suggest setting some charms for when she wakes up. It'd comfort her to have a familiar face to wake up to."

Sirius nodded his head. "I'll set that one. I'll keep an eye on her."

He looked at James for approval and his friend nodded, looking slightly jealous, but mostly relieved that his sister would be okay.

...oOo...

Hermione shyly fixed her hair. She knew that Sirius had said that it would be to keep her safe, but she was sure that she hadn't imagined the attraction between them. Sirius tended to keep his distance, fighting it, but Hermione could see. She had waited a few days until James was out, and was taking Alice's advice.

Hermione had admitted that she hadn't even kissed Sirius, yet she was supposed to have marital relations with him (a phrase that made Alice laugh). Alice had agreed that she'd try with Frank, if Hermione made a move on Sirius. Even if it was just a peck on the lips at the end of the night.

Having semi-tamed her curls, knowing that there was a reason behind the hair - after all, Harry couldn't tame his, and neither could James - she walked to Sirius' room. Mostly Hermione wanted to get to know Sirius better. She was signing up to spend her life with him, after all.

She knocked on the door, waiting a moment. There was silence, but that was nothing new. Sometimes Sirius put silencing charms in his room so he couldn't hear the outside noise, and forgot to take the charm off.

She gave it a moment, before knocking a second time. After a pause, she slowly opened the door, and looked around the room, her gaze falling on the bed.

Before that moment, Hermione had always thought of sex as an 'ugly' past-time. Having braved looking at porn, she had been disgusted at how gross it had seemed to her. But as she watched the two bodies on the bed move against each other, or the way the two wizards clung to each other, only breaking eye contact to kiss, Hermione couldn't think of anything more perfect. Her eyes moved over the forms, falling on a bite mark just above Sirius' collar-bone.

Guilt shot through her as she heard whispers of love, and she realised that she shouldn't be watching. She was intruding on such a beautiful moment between Sirius and… was that Remus? Sirius and Remus! She gasped at the realisation.

The bodies froze, and Sirius turned to look at her, whilst Remus kept his gaze down, unable to look at her. Hermione backed out of the room, quickly shutting the door. She rushed towards her own room, heat in her stomach, but it was seconds before Sirius, clad only in a sheet, was grabbing her arm. She spun around to face him.

"Look, Kitten -"

"I get it. You love someone else and… and we should call this off, because this isn't fair to either of you if you have to marry me. I'll manage, I know it. You and… that was Remus, correct? You and Remus should be happy."

Sirius stared at her. "I thought you'd be pissed?"

"Why? Because you were going to marry me, even though you loved someone else? I could be pissed that I thought we… could have... but I'd rather think of it as you being loyal to your friend and noble and all that stuff."

"The wedding is still on, Kitten. We're just saying our goodbyes."

"Well, all the time out here is less time with Remus," she whispered, looking towards the bedroom. "And the wedding isn't for another couple of weeks… the stuff written in the marriage contract only comes into effect once the wedding has happened, so you have more time together… if that helps any. If you'll excuse me…" her gaze moved down his chest to where the sheet was tented and she bit her lip, before running into her room and slamming the door.

That was one memory that she hoped never to forget.

Sirius walked back to the room. "She's not going to tell James… she's not angry. Thinks we should call it off. Told you I didn't need to worry about going after her."

Remus gave a sad smile. "Well, get back on the bed, I wasn't finished with you. I'm surprised you were so quick."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, I think she was quite worked up from what she saw. She practically ran to her bedroom." He lay on the bed, pulling Remus down to meet his lips. "Now, where were we?"

Remus grinned. "I think I was right in here," he muttered, slowly sliding back inside his mate, and listening to the moan that Sirius tried to stifle. "Should we reset the silencing charm?"

Sirius shook his head. "One guess what she's doing right now. Let's help her along shall we?"

"You're filthy," Remus growled, leaning down to nip at Sirius' neck.

At the end of the hall, Hermione was happy that James was away for the night as she replayed what she had seen, and listened to the sounds coming from Sirius' bedroom.

...oOo...

"Okay, Kitten, we're going to try movement today." He held his hand out to help her from the bed.

"But -"

"But nothing," Sirius replied, smiling at her. "Hey, look at me." Brown eyes met his and he tried to not let them affect him as they always seemed to do. "Just take my hands and I'll help you. I'll catch you if you fall. You trust me, right?"

"I trust you," she said, allowing Sirius to take her hand. She got up shakily from the bed, feeling his arm slip around her waist. "Now, just a few steps until the end of the room. You've been in the bed for weeks now, you need to recover - you need to walk. The… incident has taken a lot from you and we want to make sure that you're healing in all aspects. Your mind is healing well, so we want to check what motor-functions are affected - if any."

Hermione took nervous steps, relieved at Sirius' arm around her. For the first few weeks, she could remember bits and pieces. All of those involving Sirius, and she didn't know what she would do without him.

Her steps started to get more confident, and finally they had walked to the kitchen, where Sirius helped her into a seat.

Her gaze fell on a man with messy black hair and glasses, who looked surprised that she was in the room.

"Hermione, this is your brother."

She bit her lip shyly. "Hi, James," she whispered. "I'm glad to finally meet you - I've always wanted a sibling."

She hadn't expected him to cross the room and pull her into a tight hug. "I've missed you so much," he muttered. "I didn't know where Mum and Dad sent you, only that you went away for protection. I've never stopped looking for you!"

"Well, now you've found me."

He nodded against her shoulder. "Though you should still be a kid. I've missed so much, we have so much to talk about."

She made a contented sound, allowing her eyes to shut. "Well, I was a Gryffindor, just like you, and my best friend was Harry - your son. You would have been proud of him!"

That was her last thought before she slipped off to sleep. James pulled her tighter against him and slipped his arms under her legs, carrying her back to bed.

"And here I thought she might have managed a bite to eat," Sirius sighed. "Though she did walk out here, so that's good!"

"It's brilliant," James said. "And Augusta said it'd be weeks before she'd be walking. She's strong, isn't she?"

"She is," Sirius said. "How long do we wait to ask her about everything that has happened?"

"Until she's fully aware and ready to talk," James insisted.

...oOo...

"Remus, there's a call for you." Hope smiled. "It's a girl!"

Remus picked up the phone, wondering just who was calling him.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is that Remus? Of course it is." Hermione sighed. "Remus, please don't hang up, but it's Hermione Gran… Potter here."

There was a long silence, before Remus took a deep breath. "Hello, Hermione. Is something the matter?"

"I… I was hoping you would agree to meet me. I think we should talk."

"Is this is about yesterday -"

"It's not," Hermione replied. "I'm not asking to meet so we can argue or fight. You don't know me, but I've known you since I was thirteen - you and Sirius both. I can't even begin to tell you how much respect I have for you both - especially you. I want to see if we can work this whole situation out. Please, Remus."

Remus wasn't quite sure why he agreed - it could have had something to do with the fact that he hated to upset anyone, or maybe because a lot of the Order looked at him wrong, and hearing someone talking so nicely to him was a nice change, but Remus made plans to meet her that afternoon.

...oOo...

When Hermione came too, she was alone. Her head was aching, and the last thing she remembered was Bellatrix over her, a knife in her hand. Hermione remembered screaming.

But Sirius had been there… Had he saved her?

She sat up, looking around and taking in the room around her as she attempted to assess what was happening. She took a few deep breaths, trying to clear some of the pain in her head, but struggled. She swung her legs over the bed, wondering about the pyjamas she was in, before spotting both her bag and wand on the table next to the bed.

She grabbed both, and got up from the bed, heading for the door. Her fingers closed around the cool metal of the handle as she twisted it.

"-don't know what to do!" a frustrated voice filtered down the hallway, and Hermione paused, trying to determine whether they were friendly or not. After all, a Death Eater wouldn't have put her in a soft bed or tended to her wounds… Flashes of a younger Sirius and James passed her eyes, and she froze.

"Yes, you do. You are going to wait for her to wake up and explain everything to her. She's probably completely confused."

"Dammit, Remus, I can't tell her everything," came the first voice. "I thought she was dead or something. I thought my parents were just trying to hide it from me!"

She watched someone with a mess of black hair pass the door. She knew without a doubt that it was James Potter.

"Mate, we've been having this conversation for weeks. You and Hermione need to sit down and talk. You explain everything to her. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Understand? Our parents sent her away. What can anyone understand about that? If they sent me away like that, I'd be… I'd never forgive them."

"You would," came Remus' voice, though it was softer and less tired than before. "Sirius is right about this. Look, I've got to get home, we've got a portkey to catch, I was just over to say goodbye. Sirius - want to see me off? James - you should check on your sister, she'll be waking soon. Healer Longbottom said that Hermione would be herself and you don't want her to wake up confused and alone!"

Hermione quickly slipped back into the bedroom and took a seat on the bed. She lowered the wand. Memories of the past few weeks returned to her.

The door opened, and James appeared. He froze at the sight of Hermione. "I didn't expect you to be awake."

"I am," she offered, standing up. "I'm Hermione Granger… or I guess, Potter now?"

"Would you like to come through to the living room? I'd offer for you to change your clothes, but I'm sure you'd want to shower and I get the impression that you're an answers first sort of girl."

She nodded, watching as James reached around the back of the door and grabbed a dark-blue dressing gown and held it out to her.

"Thank you," she said, taking it and slipping her arms through the material. She tied to gown at the front and accepted the offered arm.

When they returned to the living room, Sirius and Remus were both absent, and James took a seat on the armchair. He let his gaze move across Hermione's face, knowing she was doing the same.

"I don't know how much you remember over the last few weeks…" James began.

"Most of it is in my head," Hermione replied. "Thank you for taking care of me - you and Sirius both. I'm struggling to grasp the idea that I'm in the past."

"Well, technically you're not in the past, you're in your right time," James pointed out. "But now you're here, I can't wait to get to know you - if you want to that is. I've been searching for you since you were a baby - I thought you had died and Mum and Dad were hiding it from me!"

"They're dead. Why… James, why did they…"

"Why did they send you away? From what I've gathered, there was a prophecy that placed your birth and your family. Sending you into the future by a few years would change your year of birth, leaving no child fitting the prophecy," James explained. "Mother and Father… they did it to protect you, expecting to still be alive when you were returned to us."

"When was I supposed to return?"

"In another three years," James said, smiling sadly. "You were supposed to be still a baby - you were two, Hermione. And I would be twenty-two when you came back, but I would have been able to watch you go to Hogwarts and wave you off from the platform. I would have been there when you started walking and talking and I've missed everything, but I don't want to miss another moment of your life. I know with your age, you might not even want me as a brother… but -"

"What are you talking about? It wasn't your fault I was sent away, yet you've taken me into your home and looked after me and helped me recover! Of course I want you as my brother."

"Our home," he said, before moving to the sofa and hugging her tightly. "We've got so much to learn about each other."

When they pulled apart, Sirius was watching from James' armchair. "Sorry, didn't want to interrupt the family moment," he said, looking at James. His gaze moved to Hermione, and locked onto her brown eyes.

"James, I didn't realise till now, but your sister is beautiful," he murmured, slightly dazed.

Hermione blushed. "It's nice to see you again, Sirius," she said. "Last time I saw you… well, you were pretty old."

"Tell me, do I grow old gracefully?"

Hermione shook her head. "Nope, your hair goes completely grey at an early age and even starts to fall out."

James couldn't help but laugh at Sirius' mortified face.

"I have so much to tell you of the future," Hermione said, looking between the pair. "But I'm going to start with Peter Pettigrew."

As she continued, the eager smiles on the two men's faces began to fade.

"That little rat," Sirius growled.

...oOo...

Hermione sat at the table in the suggested cafe. It was just after two and the lunch crowd had left.

She was quite nervous, having not had a proper chance to see Remus yet, though she had seen more of him than she could have dreamed the day before.

She blushed at the memory, just as Remus walked in, looking around. Hermione waved, taking a moment to admire how handsome the younger Remus was, before he glanced over. She slipped back into her seat and watched as he approached. He barely glanced in her direction, as though he was unable to look at her.

He stared at his clasped hands as he sat down.

"I've changed the… the contract," she began. "Once a child is produced, the couple do not have to be monogamous after that point. I know a child is expected from this, but once that happens… I don't want to stand in your way for happiness - Sirius' either."

"And… the child?"

"Will have you as much a part of his or her life," Hermione assured him. "Despite how much you must hate me, I've never felt anything but respect and admiration for you. I tried to talk James out of the marriage altogether this morning before calling… but he wasn't having any of it, neither was Sirius."

Remus smiled at his hands. "Stubborn, the pair of them."

"I will admit I'm attracted to Sirius - I don't think it's possible for someone not to be, and had you not been in the picture, I would have… but I would never hurt you. I considered changing the wording - that Sirius couldn't be with another woman, but that would raise questions. James would… I didn't want him to ask questions. After all, you haven't told him so far, and I doubted you'd want him to guess."

"Oh, that's… thank you," Remus whispered. "I don't hate you. You're James' little sister - I helped him look for you and I'm glad you're here, but it's hard to… it hurts the thought of losing Sirius. I love him more than anything. Have you really changed it?"

"I have. I hope that maybe over time we could be friends?" There wasn't a single doubt in her voice, surprising Remus. He had wanted so hard to hate her for taking Sirius, but he wasn't able to. She was doing what she could to allow him and Sirius to be together.

And it wasn't an easy thing to give up Sirius after falling for his charms, and there was no doubt to Remus that Hermione had fallen in love with him, yet was still willing to give him up.

Remus glanced up, a sad smile on his lips at how messed up the situation was. "I think we can," he began, before meeting her brown eyes and losing all train of thought.

Hermione couldn't explain the sensations that ran through her body as Remus finally met her eyes. She was certain that she had never had this sensation run through her before when looking at her former professor.

"You're beautiful," he muttered, looking just as lost as her as he grabbed her hand. "You could be mi…m..." He yanked his hand away, looking appalled at himself. "No, I can't do that to Sirius. Thank you, Hermione, it was nice meeting you!" With that, he rushed from the cafe, leaving Hermione alone and completely confused.

Hermione remained in her seat, drinking the rest of the tea that she had sitting in front of her and wondering what had happened.

...oOo...

"Okay, let's check we've done everything. You've got the birth records changed?" Sirius asked, looking at the list.

"Yup. Augusta helped with that."

"And you've spoken to Moody?"

"He'll confirm if anyone asks that Hermione was home-schooled," James confirmed.

"Have you told Lily?"

"Yes, I… actually, crap. No. I'll go and see Lily later."

Sirius looked back at the parchment and said nothing.

...oOo...

"Sirius… something has happened. I've done something bad."

"You, love? You could never do anything bad."

"I… I went behind your back to meet Hermione."

"You met with her? Why? What happened?"

"Well, at first she was telling me that… that she changed the contract. That once you and her… conceive a child… than the Monogamy clause would be finished and we could be together. She assured me that I'd be part of the baby's life too…"

"Remus, you need to tell me why you're shaking."

"That's when I looked into her eyes, Sirius. You're my mate, but… but she is too! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen. Please don't be mad at me!"

"Mad? How could I ever be mad at you? Remus, you're a Werewolf and Werewolves have mates. I told you already so many times that I accept everything about you, if I was mad, I'd be going back on my word. This just makes things easier."

"I'm sorry, easier? I… I don't understand."

"Love, it means that the feelings that I have for Hermione make sense. I thought that falling for her was a betrayal to you, but it was just because the three of us are meant to be together."

"No, I'm a -"

"You're a Werewolf, I know that, love. I'm pretty sure Hermione knows that too."

"But we can't all -"

"We can and we will. Remus, picture it. Waking up in the morning with Hermione between us. Having two mates to tend to your every need and desire. Picture Hermione laying on the bed under you, or under me. She's a virgin, love. No man has touched her. Pure just for you - for us!"

Remus let out a moan as the thoughts forced their way into his head. "But -"

Sirius' hands ran down to the bottom of Remus' top, pulling it over his head. "You like the feel of my lips on your body, imagine Hermione's lips too," he whispered, before moving his mouth to Remus' body and trailing them down his chest to his stomach. "Imagine Hermione on her knees - both of us." He dropped down and opened Remus' trousers.

"She wants us, she was watching us before. Imagine her eyes on us right now," he said, pulling Remus' trousers down and smirking.

"Less talk, put those clever lips to good use," Remus gasped.

"But the law that won't allow two men to marry, would allow Hermione to marry the both of us! You'd be my husband and she'd be our wife," Sirius finished, before leaning in and making Remus groan.

...oOo...

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much. My sister… her recovery has changed, she's getting better and needs me."

"Your sister?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

James nodded. "Our family healer thinks it's because Hermione has turned seventeen and this has given her magical core a boost - there's a reason why seventeen is of age - it's a change to our magical core, making us stronger. That's how she's healing."

"So I'm not going to see you that much?" Lily asked, pouting. "But we have a wedding to plan!"

"We haven't set a date yet, we've all the time in the world." He leaned in for a kiss but she turned her head.

"I didn't realise I'd have to share your time," she muttered.

James frowned. "I love you, but she's my sister."

...oOo...

"Three days," Hermione muttered, seeing Alice off. The girls had just had the dressmaker over to check the sizes of the dresses for the pair. Hermione had insisted on a muggle wedding dress for the occasion rather than wedding robes. She couldn't believe time had passed so quickly, and the guilt was eating her up.

Even though the marriage contract they would sign would allow Sirius to be with Remus after their first child, she felt terrible that she was coming between the pair.

Hermione glanced in the main sitting room and the kitchen, finding them both empty, before passing Sirius' room. She didn't dare open that door again, not after last time. She headed to her own room instead, pushing the door open and walking in.

She froze, her wand out, as the door shut behind her. "Relax, Kitten," came Sirius' husky voice.

She lowered her wand at once, as her eyes fell on Remus Lupin, who was relaxing on her bed with a book.

"Remus?"

"And me," Sirius said, his breath on her ear. "Don't forget that I'm here."

"Oh, I haven't forgotten," she said, her voice shaking slightly at the close proximity.

Remus closed the book. "Interesting," he murmured. "There is some good literature in the future. Sirius said you turned up with nothing but a small bag?"

"Undetectable extension charm," Hermione whispered. "There's more… you can look through them as much as you want."

"As interesting as your books no doubt will be, that's not what I came here to look at," Remus said, sliding his long legs off the bed and standing up. "I find myself fascinated by more than books."

"Really? Whatever could have caught your attention?" she whispered.

He moved slowly, his eyes locked on hers. His moves were predatory and she instinctively took a step back, only to find herself against Sirius.

"Now, now, Kitten. Surely you don't want to get away from Remus?" he murmured. "But just so you know, we respect that stop means stop. Got it?"

She nodded, not quite understanding what was happening.

His lips moved down her neck, barely brushing it, and Hermione's eyes fluttered shut.

"Now, did I say you could close your eyes?" Remus murmured, making her brown eyes quickly open and fix on his. "Did you think you could just sit there at the cafe after what happened between us, and not expect me to come and claim you?"

"C… claim me?"

"Do you hear her, trying to sound all innocent?" the lips stopped caressing her neck and Sirius sounded too delighted. "I bet she knows exactly what you mean!"

"Explain," she demanded, pulling away from Sirius' touch, but unable to move away as Remus had closed the small distance.

Remus leaned in, kissing Sirius over her shoulder, and she forgot her demand, transfixed by the sight and wanting more than anything to be part of what was happening.

"You're my mate, Hermione," Remus murmured.

"But…" She turned to look at Sirius. "No. You love Sirius, this is wrong, I should leave -"

"Werewolves can sometimes have two mates," Sirius said, his hands moving to keep her from running. "Hear us out and if you still want to leave, if you want this to stop, we'll stop. We're not going to make you do anything you don't want to do. I promise."

She felt Sirius' fingers slip under her cardigan, slowly moving it from her shoulders. He took his time, offering her a chance to refuse. She didn't; she trusted him when he said he'd stop if she wanted, and she trusted Remus.

"What does it mean?" Hermione asked.

"It means that on Sunday, there will be two grooms instead of one," Sirius murmured against her neck. "It means that we belong to him, Kitten. That he's ours! That the three of us were made for each other! It means that you now have two wizards willing to die to protect you."

"James said he would die to -"

"Now, now, love, do you really want to talk about your brother when we're trying to seduce you?" Remus asked softly.

She shook her head.

"What would you like, Hermione? We're yours now," Remus asked.

"Would a kiss be too much?" she whispered, blushing. "I don't want to… I've not…"

Remus smiled, moving closer to her and bringing his hand up to cup her face. "We'll save that for the wedding night," he assured her. "But for tonight, all I want is to lay you on the bed and for me and Sirius to worship you. Will you let us?"

Soft lips teased hers, as Sirius made quick work of her buttons, his lips running down her spine as her shirt was removed.

"Yes," she whispered. "You know… I'm starting to like the sound of this marriage law!"

...oOo...

"I'm sure Hermione is fine," James insisted, following Alice towards Hermione's room. "She'll be along in a minute."

"What if she's hurt?" Alice replied.

"Inconsiderate to keep us all waiting to have dinner," Lily snapped, following the pair.

"Stop being such a bitch," Alice said, not turning to look at the redhead. "If you dislike Hermione so much, maybe you should find some other poor guy and ruin his life instead?"

"Wait, do you dislike my sister?" James asked, turning to look at Lily.

Alice opened the bedroom door and immediately tried to shut it again.

"No, no. Let's not go in there," she said, but James pushed past her, flinging the door open.

Three sets of eyes fell on the bed, which contained a very naked Remus and Sirius, and half-naked Hermione.

"Fuck, I need to bleach my eyes!" James cried, covering his eyes as Hermione firmly wrapped the cover around her, her face red with embarrassment.

Sirius and Remus didn't seem to care that they were naked. "Like what you see, ladies?" Sirius asked, with a wink.

Alice closed her mouth, her eyes moving from Sirius' naked body, to Remus', and finally landing on Hermione.

"You lucky witch," she whispered in awe. "You must teach me all your secrets, you are the master, and I am but a lowly student, wishing to bathe in your fountain of knowledge -"

She was cut off by James dragging her from the room.

"Living room, two minutes. Clothes are mandatory!" came his shout through the door.

...oOo...

"What the hell?" James asked. Hermione couldn't meet his gaze, Remus looked at James, daring him to challenge his claim on Hermione and Sirius looked too happy for his own good. "What the fuck was that?"

"Well, she said no sex, so we were showing her that we could have fun without actually shagging her," Sirius said.

James' hand twitched, and Sirius' hand moved instinctively up to his nose.

"Okay… you and my sister are getting married, I get that… but locking charms? And Remus was there and he was naked!"

Hermione tried not to laugh at the scandalised tone.

"You've seen him naked lots of times," Sirius pointed out. "And why were you looking at his gorgeous body? That's only for my eyes… and Hermione's eyes!"

"I've never seen him naked and doing… things to my sister!" James shouted. "Does anyone else have a problem with this?"

He looked at Alice and Lily for support, but Alice shook her head.

"I'm impressed, actually. Hermione's living every girl from our year's dream and getting both Sirius and Remus at the same time! I need to know how, maybe I don't have to have Frank alone, maybe I could..." she trailed off with a smile to rival the cheshire cat's on her face, and no-one dared ask what she was thinking.

"She's my mate," Remus explained.

"Okay," James said, taking a few breaths. "We could change the contract so Hermione marries you… though that doesn't explain why Sirius -"

"Sirius is my mate."

"Right… wait, what? How… what?"

"Whatever it is, it's disgusting!" Lily snorted. "What self-respecting woman would be with two men at the same time? It's… slatternly!"

"What the fuck does slatternly mean?" Alice asked, turning to her. "Can't you just use words people will understand? I thought you were done with showing off and pretending to be smarter than everyone else!"

"It means whorish, slutty, trampy," Lily snapped, curling her lip in disgust. "It's almost as bad as the thought of Remus and Black…" she shuddered, "together."

Hermione's wand was in her hand, but James pulled her back.

"You horrible girl!" Hermione spat. "I saw how you couldn't take your eyes of Remus in the bedroom, jealous that he'd rather sleep with a man than with you, or is it because I got him?"

James was unable to stop the flick of Hermione's wand.

"What did you do? What did she do?"

She touched her face, spots appearing across her forehead, spelling out the word 'BITCH'.

James looked at his fiance in shock. "I want my mother's ring back," he said.

"What?" she whispered.

"Sirius and Remus are my best friends. If that's your view on being gay, no wonder they kept it to themselves that they were involved," James began. "Hermione is my baby sister, and it's her choice if she wants to be with both of them. I know they'd protect her and both Sirius and Hermione are Remus' mates, so that makes it fate. If Hermione is happy, than I'm happy. I'm also happy for Remus and Sirius - I've wondered for the last few years why they just seem so much happier and now I know! I won't hear a single bad word against any of them… Furthermore, I've had sex with a guy before and it was amazing. Actually, I prefered it to sex with a woman. In the wizarding world, we don't have prejudice against gender."

Hermione grinned. "You had sex with Regulus, didn't you?"

"My little brother? How could you -"

"Hypocrite," Alice laughed. "You're getting it on with James' sister, you can't be mad that James is getting it on with your brother. I really need some popcorn, this is excellent!"

"He's a Death Eater!"

"So is Snape," James hissed. "Yet you still write to him and I didn't say anything because I thought I loved you. My mother's ring… now!"

Hermione's wand was up again. "Now," she snarled. "The ring isn't yours, the ring belongs to James."

"To you," James said, as Lily pulled it off and handed it over. "Lady of the house, after all."

"This is all... " Lily began. "I'm glad I'm not marrying you. Your family and your friends are disgusting!"

"Your homophobia and jealousy are disgusting," Alice replied. "Let me escort you out!" She pushed Lily towards the door.

"So… you both are marrying Hermione?" James asked.

"We are," Remus replied.

"Do you know how crazy this is?"

"As crazy as you shagging my brother? What did you do? Shag him and dump him?" Sirius growled.

"He became a Death Eater and he left me," James muttered, turning away.

"Well, we could still summon him in regards to the marriage petition that was sent," Hermione said, smiling softly. "He wants out of the Death Eaters - you can offer him safety… Regulus also cut ties with Sirius to protect him, so it seems that he purposely pushed away those he cared about."

"I can… arrange a meeting?" James said.

"And this time, you look after my brother. I mean, if he has to be with someone…"

"Yeah. I will, I kinda thought me and Reg were forever… but he left, and Lily was interested, and I thought I loved her, but Reg has always been on my mind…

"I've got my sister back, she's going to marry my two best friends. Remus has found two mates - two people to love him. I found out the truth about Lily before marrying her, and I get to see Regulus again - maybe even help him! I think things are getting better for us! All we need now is to win the war, and Hermione's given us all the answers!"

"And I get to hear how good Sirius and Remus are in bed," Alice said from the doorway. "Right, Hermione? You're going to give me all the details? I mean, you need to tell me how you managed this, because I still need to get Frank!"

"What do you mean 'need to get'?" Sirius asked. "Can't tell you how many times Frank forgot the silencing charms and we heard your name from behind his curtains! I say you go to his house, send him to get you a drink, and when he returns, just be on his bed in your underwear!"

Alice considered it. "Well, I am wearing my favourite bra," she said. "Does your floo connect to the Longbottom manor?"

James nodded his head.

"Right. Wish me luck," Alice said, grinning at them before skipping off to the floo.

"Now to tell my parents that I'm getting married on Sunday," Remus replied.

"Which will be easy. They love me, and who wouldn't love Hermione?" Sirius replied.

"And after we meet them, how about we start looking at the Potter properties and picking somewhere to live?"

"Oi, you need to get Regulus over here first," James demanded. "It's not fair that you get two blokes and I don't even have one!"

Hermione smiled. She knew she had a future with prophecies and war to deal with, but that was nothing new for her. She was marrying her two wizards, she had a brother and a new best friend, and a future to change.

"But what about Harry? If James isn't with a woman, how can he be born?"

"Magic, love!" Remus murmured in her ear. "I'm sure James and Regulus will find a way!"

"But let's not worry about James' need to start a family," Sirius insisted, pulling Hermione close. "Let's talk about the one the three of us will make!"

"And after that, we have to face the order," Hermione replied firmly. "After all, I'm part of a prophecy and I need to find out what it is. We have a war to end."

Thanks to Lynn and Raybe for the help. This was a lot longer than I thought it would be. I hope you like it! :)

Review please :D