Disclaimer: HP and the HP verse belong to JK Rowling. I only own my plot and OC's. Sadly.

A/N: Well hello, hello lovely readers! It's been a while.I do apologise for the delay, but it has been a rather horrid six months. I've had TWO relatives in hospital, one of whom is still in hospital, and the other, my aunt, sadly passed away in early October. As you can imagine, it has been a difficult time for my family. Thanks to those lovely people who inquired via PM and email. Special thanks to the fabulous Angelus Draco who has always been a staunch supporter and friend.

Exciting news! This fic was nominated for an Marauders Medal award in a number of categories by you, dear readers, and won the runner up prize for the best pairing award! This is all thanks to the wonderful readers who voted. It was all very unexpected and I am so touched, humbled and grateful that you like the story so much. Thank you very, very much!

Finally- I'm now on tumblr! If you have questions about this story or other works of mine, please feel free to drop me a line on tumblr at countessselena dot tumblr dot com.

And now, on with the show! I hope you like the chapter. It's a bit faster, time-wise, as things are starting to move on. My apologies to any Italian lawyers reading this- I only know common law systems, so there's a lot of improvisation here in regards to the Italian legal system.

NOTE: ffnet is merging words together and deleting others. I think I've got them all, but I'll be on the lookout for more. Hooray for formatting issues.

Hermione's kitchen, Roma, local time

"I can't!"

"Come on love, just a small piece," Sirius wheedled, waving the slice of lemon cake enticingly.

Hermione pushed the small, porcelain plate firmly away. "No, I can't!"

"Just a few bites!"

"NO!"

Sirius sighed and put the plate on the table. "Mione," he said gently, "It's only a few bites of lemon cake."

Hermione shook her head, trembling. "It's too soon. I had cake the other day, at my birthday party."

Sirius suppressed another sigh. "Love, that was two weeks ago."

"Close enough," she said stubbornly.

Sirius exhaled. Evidently, today was a bad day, food wise. Hermione had been eating almost reasonable sized portions with far less panic for the past two weeks, but she'd woken up particularly self-conscious today and was dragging her heels at every meal.

"It's good for you," he pointed out. "You know you need to eat things a bit out of your comfort zone and this is a very healthy lemon cake. Signora Martinelli made it herself. It's low in sugar, too. I know this recipe."

Her lip trembled. "I know, but I…I don't want it, Siri."

"Why not? You love lemon cake." Slipping his arm about her shoulders, he tugged her into him. "Come on Mione, what's really going on? Something's bothering you today."

Hermione stiffened. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing if it's bothering you. Come on, spill."

She looked down, picking at a loose thread in her black jeans. "It's not important."

Sirius waited and eventually she sighed.

"The invitations for the Ministry's Annual Charity Ball came today," she muttered.

"And?" He squeezed her shoulder, encouraging her to continue.

"And– "she took a deep breath. "-I-I don't want to – I want to look…nice."

"Oh, love." He turned and gently stroked her face. "You're going to look beautiful. You are beautiful. You don't need to do- this, to look good."

She sniffled. "I'm sorry. I know it's stupid. I gave in again, didn't I? God, I'm pathetic."

"Hey! None of that, now. You know very well that potion is lethal and it caused serious damage. Plus, it was in your system for a long time and it's going to take time to set things right. Patience, love."

He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips and she sighed.

"I know. I just- I hate this. All of it. I hate being weak and I hate being afraid. But I hate feeling so fat!"

"Love, you're not weak. And you're not fat!"

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

"As to this invitation," he said, knowing he was stirring the pot. "If it's bothering you that much, if you don't want to go, we don't have to go."

"No!" She burst out. "We're going. I won't have people saying that I'm too scared to show my face!"

Sirius hid a smile at her suddenly ferocious expression."You're sure?"

"Yes! I won't let…her control my life anymore." She snatched the plate of cake from the table and glared at it, before forcing herself to demolish half the slice. Soon enough, the surge of anger wore off and she started to tremble at what she'd done. Pushing the plate back on the table, she turned to him, shaking slightly.

"Hey." He took her hand and gently kissed it. "I'm so proud of you."

Hermione huffed, still shaking against him.

"Truly, I am! I know I said it was a just few bites of lemon cake, but you were scared of it and you ate it anyway. You've got guts, Hermione Granger. I'm so, so proud."

She blinked and finally looked at him, brown eyes full of tears. "How can you be? I was afraid of lemon cake! That's pathetic! I'm pathetic!"

'Mione," he said firmly, slipping a finger under her chin. "You're not pathetic. You're strong and courageous and brave and I'm in awe of you. You're fighting off two potions that have been in your system for years in stupid quantities. Anyone else would have crumbled under that, but not you! You're a fighter! So, yes, I'm proud of you and I don't care how many moments of weakness you have, I'll always be proud of you!"

She blinked. "You mean it?"

"I do. You're allowed to have moments of weakness, love," he told her gently. "You're human. You don't have to be superwoman. You don't have to be perfect. You can be vulnerable when you need to, you're allowed to have weak moments like everyone else. The people who love you are here for you when you do."

"That's what Daniela said last week," she sighed. "That I always punished myself for failing."

"And you don't need to. You're entitled to have bad days, you're entitled to be afraid, to make mistakes sometimes and you won't be any less for it."

She gave him a small smile as her trembling lessened slightly. Leaning her head against him, she concentrated on calming herself, running through Daniela's breathing exercises until the trembling had subsided.

When she finally gave asmall sigh of relief, Sirius pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "You taste like lemon and sweetness and Mione," he whispered huskily against her lips before drawing back.

Laughing, Hermione wiped at her face. "Only you could get away with saying something that cheesy, Sirius."

"Honey, if I wanted cheesy, I would have waited until we had cheesecake!"

Hermione groaned at his terrible pun and he grinned, before getting back to the matter at hand.

"Honestly though, love. Whatever you want to do, we'll do," he told her in all seriousness. "If you want to go, we will. If you don't want to go, then they can all kiss my arse."

"Sirius!"

"What? I won't let those old bats dictate our lives either, you know."

"I know," she sighed. "But...I won't let this mess dictate my actions. And…and I don't want- I won't let the other Houses assume I'm too weak, too frightened to show my face after the trial."

Sirius snorted. "Love, anyone who saw the trial knows very well that Hermione Granger is not afraid of the Wizenagamot or the Weasleys."

She gave him a small smile as she fiddled with the tablecloth but said nothing.

Frowning, Sirius nudged her with an elbow. "Was there something else bothering you, love?"

Hermione dipped her head and stared determinedly at the table. "Not exactly."

The animagus raised an eyebrow. "Then what, exactly?"

Blushing furiously, she mumbled something that even his animagus hearing couldn't catch.

"What was that, love?"

She sighed. "I said, I can't dance."

Sirius blinked. "Of course you can. We danced together at your birthday party."

Casting him a tight smile, she shrugged. "I can sketch a waltz if my partner knows what they're doing, but that's about it. I can't tango or rhumba or foxtrot or…or salsa or jive or anything! I can't even waltz properly!"

"Hey." Sirius slipped an arm about her shoulders. "If that's what's worrying you, don't stress, love. I can teach you. Or we can find you a teacher, if you'd prefer."

She shook her head. "Just another thing I can't do properly. It's embarrassing."

"Hey! None of that, now. What did we just say about not being perfect? And nobody is born knowing how to dance that sort of thing. If you've never had lessons, then how d'you expect to know?"

"Yeah." She picked at her jeans again. "I….it's just, another fault on the list for 'Graceless Hermione', you know? Another thing that shows I'm better off staying out of this kind of thing."

"Rubbish, sweetheart. You deserve to go as much as the next person. And if you want dance lessons, then it'll be my pleasure to ensure you get them. Tell you what- why don't we start off with a few lessons here, ourselves and then we'll both have a few private lessons- I could do with a refresher."

"Really?" She turned to stare at him.

"Of course." He smiled somewhat sadly. "Been a while since I've needed to do any formal dancing. A long while."

"Oh." Hermione flushed. "I'm sorry, I was so busy feeling sorry for myself that I didn't think-"

"It's fine, love," he cut in, stroking the side of her face. "Honestly, don't let it worry you. Let's just get this dance practice sorted. We can start this afternoon, eh?"

She hesitated. "I-"

"No excuses," he gently cut in. "Padfoot's Dance School will open this afternoon and it needs its star pupil."

Hermione hesitated before giving herself a mental shake. Come on, Hermione, she told herself. Get a grip! It's just dance lessons with Sirius. Stop being a coward, already! Take control of your life.

Right.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, firmly. "OK."

Sirius grinned. "That's my girl."

"Shouldn't we ask Harry and Luna? I don't know that either of them has had formal dance training."

"Yeah, reckon we should. But why don't we have a few lessons ourselves, just to get the hang of it and then we can invite them to join us next week? The ministry ball is three months away so we have plenty of time."

Hermione smiled, properly, for the first time that morning. "I….alright."

Sirius smiled and then sobered a bit. "Right, now that's sorted, let's talk about Zabini's trial."

The notifications for the hearing had come yesterday afternoon and as they'd had guests, they hadn't had a chance to discuss the matter yet.

Both Zabini and Rossi were to be tried at the same time, due to their joint crimes against Hermione and the Italian magical government. There were a series of preliminary hearings, during which the Pubblico Ministero (the Italian equivalent of the Crown Prosecutor) would find and present evidence before a judge. Should the judge find there was sufficient evidence to move to trial, the trial would be held the following week. Zabini had been charged with attempting to subvert a senior Misteri official in order to obtain information for criminal purposes, a form of treason in magical Italy, in addition to conspiring to abduct a senior Ministry Official. Rossi had been charged with the same. Additionally, Zabini had been charged with illegally attempting to place an unauthorised tracking charm on a foreign government official and attempting to magically attack an Unspeakable. The sentence for the treason charge alone was life imprisonment.

It was a daunting thought, to say the least. But she'd come to terms with it. When it came to her work, it was much easier to take a stand, to be strong. She found that, whilst perhaps a few months ago she would have felt some guilt, now she felt only resolve to do what had to be done.

If only taking a stand against her poor self-image were half as easy.

"It's fine," she said softly.

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Honestly, Sirius. He attacked me, tried to interfere in my job and now he's been arrested. I'm more than prepared for this," she assured him.

"You're sure? I know that this is different to the Weasley trial, and that it's a lot less personal, but still, it'll be rough on you."

"Yes, I'm sure." Hermione's reply was unexpectedly firm, all traces of her previous indecision gone. "He tried to terrorise me, and intrude on my work at the Ministry. I'm not afraid to do this. I need to prove to him and my team and the whole Ministry that I'm not afraid of him, that I can handle the position I was given. I'm an Unspeakable and I have a duty to the Ministry. I'm not afraid of him."

He smiled, loving the strength she was suddenly exuding, despite her earlier panic.

Hermione Granger was slowly but surely on the mend.

Magical Criminal Court, Roma, Italia, one month later

"Please tell this court, Signorina Granger, the history and nature of your relationship with the first defendant."

Hermione carefully schooled her expression. Her testimony was identical to the one she'd given at the preliminary hearing (albeit before a different judge), after all, but Italian law required that, once the hearing moved to trial, the witnesses had to be re-sworn and re-testify at the trial. The presiding judge, who, according to Italian laws, conducted the bulk of questioning during a trial, seemed to be a formidable woman and not the kind to tolerate any form of waffle.

It was very different from the Weasleys' trial, and not only because she was dressed in her formal Ministero Robes (with a black tailored dress and matching jacket underneath) rather than her House robes. The Italian legal system was a civil law system, entirely different from both English muggle and magical legal system and had very strict protocols and procedures in place. Additionally, there was no special legal system for matters relating to the Old Families. She'd spent several hours with Enrico last week learning the protocols and proper forms of address and ensuring that she knew the correct procedures during the trial.

"We met at school in 1991- we both attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the duration of our magical education."

"And the duration of this education?"

"We both started school in September of 1991, and graduated in July of 1998. There was an additional year added to the usual seven because of the second blood war."

"I see. And after this? Did you correspond with the accused at all?"

"No, I did not."

"And when did you first have recent contact with him?" The grey haired woman asked.

"I didn't have any direct contact with him until the twenty-ninth of October in the Borghese Gardens."

"I see." The panel of three judges (which served in place of a jury) made notes. "Please explain the circumstances leading up to and including this contact."

Hermione took a deep breath and once again recounted the whole story, concluding with the arrest of Blaise Zabini by the aurors.

"And for the record, you have had no other contact with him?"

"To my knowledge, no. He may have followed me at other times, but I never knew of it."

"I see. Thank you, Signorina Granger."

At that point, Zabini's counsel stood and bowed to the bench.

"If you will permit, Signora Presidente, the defence would question Signorina Granger on behalf of Signore Zabini."

The presiding judge nodded.

"Very well. Signore Pubblico, do you also wish to question the witness?"

The tall, blond man rose and bowed. "Not at the current time, Signora Presidente, however, I may wish to clarify the testimony after the defence has asked his questions."

"Very well, ask your questions, Avvocato Poglione."

The older man bowed and then turned to Hermione. "Signorina Granger, at the time you were allegedly approached by Emilio Rossi, did he at any time give you reason to believe that he was employed by or sent by Signore Zabini?"

"Not at that time, no. He only said that he was acting on the instructions of his employer."

"And after the alleged abduction?"

Here the Pubblico stood. "I must object to the use of the word 'alleged'. Signorina Granger's abduction has already been established as a matter of fact during the Preliminary Hearing and was established as an offence under article twenty-five of the Codice Penale (magicale), that is, the abduction of a senior employee of the Dipartimenti dei Misteri. Both the first and second defendant are being tried for this offence during these proceedings."

Enrico had also stood, but remained silent until called upon by the presiding judge, as protocol demanded.

"You wish to speak, Signore Martinelli?"

Enrico bowed. "With your permission, Signora Presidente, I wish only to remind Avvocato Poglione that crimes against senior Misteri personnel are recorded automatically in the registers of the aurors. Unspeakables, as he has no doubt forgotten, are warded against attack and tracking charms. Whilst unable to prevent an abduction, those same wards ensure that an abduction or forced magical transport is recorded automatically."

The counsel for the defence paled dramatically. It appeared that he did not know that. Forcibly regaining his composure, however, he inclined his head. "My apologies. I will rephrase my question, if you will permit, Signora Presidente?"

Seeing the judge's nod, he continued. "Did you during or after the kidnapping, have any reason to suspect that Signore Zabini was responsible for this crime?"

Hermione cleared her throat and considered her words carefully, absently adjusting the string of grey pearls she wore. Giving testimony under magical oath was dangerous at the best of times.

"Signore Rossi did not say or do anything during the kidnapping that made me suspect that Signore Zabini was his employer, but he did make it clear that he was acting on the instructions of his employer. Afterwards, he was unconscious and I had no further interaction with him."

"But you had no reason to suspect Signore Zabini in the kidnapping?" the lawyer pressed.

"After I had been questioned, the head auror told us they had managed to extract the name of Signore Rossi's place of employment from him, despite the Unbreakable vow he had taken not to reveal his employer. They named Promesthius Industries. The head of this company has been ill and bedridden for a number of years and Signore Zabini has been managing the company in his stead. That was the first time I heard the defendant's name in conjunction with this matter."

"I see. But you had no other reason to suspect Signore Zabini's involvement in the attacks on you?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps not directly and at that time, but I did have every reason to suspect him of ill intent towards my person mere days later. The defendant fired a tracking charm in my direction in public, and only another person leaning in at the last moment prevented it from hitting me."

The lawyer raised. "But since it did not hit you, it was not recorded in the Ministero records." His implication was clear- there was no proof- even though the man must have known that there was. It was part of the trial evidence, after all.

Hermione took great pleasure in squashing that line of thought. "No, but it was recorded by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the British Ministry for Magic, as the charm hit an active duty Senior Auror. The British Ministry confirmed the identity of the defendant from the magical signature, as did the Italian Ministry. The Italian aurors were given permission to check the signature because, as you're aware, it is illegal to place unathorised location or tracking charms on foreign government personnel here in Italy."

The Pubblico stood once more. With a nod from the judge, he added, "I wish to remind the counsel for the defence that the tracking charm struck the Lord Black, the Conte d'Aversa and theHead of an Old Family per the protocols. It is illegal to place location charms on the Head of such a family without their explicit consent."

The defence counsel nodded, looking as though he had bitten a lemon. "Noted." Taking a deep breath, he tried a different tack. "Miss Granger, it is your testimony that Signore Zabini attacked you on the twenty-ninth of October?"

"It is."

"I see. But you also, by your own admission, attacked Signore Zabini, did you not?"

Hermione fixed him with a pointed look. "I defended myself, Signore. The defendant threw the first spell."

"Ah, yes." The defence counsel made a great show of consulting a document on the table."You fired seven stinging hexes at his genitals in rapid succession."

There was an outbreak of murmured laughter from the viewing galleries before they were silenced by a glare from the Bench.

"I did," Hermione agreed. "However, he first tried to stun me whilst hiding under a disillusionment charm. I responded accordingly."

"You don't believe that your reaction was….excessivein comparison to a single stunning charm which, after all, was dispelled by the warding on your person?"

The Pubblico sighed and stood again. "Signora Presidente, I must object to this irregular and irrelevant questioning of the witness. Signorina Granger is not on trial. It is sufficient that Signorina Granger has stated that the defendant fired a stunning spell at her and she responded. That is all that is needed for the purposes of this trial."

The judge nodded. "I agree. And such a reaction would not mitigate any of the offences with which the defendant is charged in any case, since it occurred after the fact." Turning her head, she fixed the defence counsel with a stern look. "You will confine your testimony, Avvocato Poglione, to that which relates to the offences of which your client stands accused. Otherwise, you will forfeit your right to further examine the witness."

The defence counsel pursed his mouth in obvious disapproval and inclined his head. "Very well, Signora Presidente. My apologies." Turning back to Hermione, he paused, obviously considering his next ploy. "Signorina Granger, can you tell us why you believe Signore Zabini might wish to obtain a placement on your team? The Pubblico would have us believe that he went to some considerable effort, allegedly attempting bribery and coercion to do so."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. This man's grandstanding ploys were more than a little annoying. He knew very well that she was oath-sworn not to discuss her work. He probably even knew his client would be convicted today, when all was said and done, but it seemed he was intent on causing as much trouble as possible on the way.

"I wouldn't presume to know what was running through his mind, Signore."

He smiled insincerely. "Of course but the work itself- is it truly so enticing?"

"I like to think so," she said evenly.

"Enticing enough to incite such…unusual behaviour?"

It was Hermione's turn to smile thinly. "Like most Misteri work, it is secret and highly sensitive, and yes, I'm sure that there are those who would not hesitate to resort to criminal behaviour to get to it."

"But surely you do not expect this court to accept such an assertion without knowing the nature of the work itself?"

Hermione quirked an eyebrow. "You're not seriously suggesting I attempt to break the magical vow I took not to discuss my work?" She noticed that both Enrico and the Pubblico had stood.

"Of course not," the defence counsel hastened to assure her. "But you understand my dilemma, Signorina Granger- it is very difficult to establish guilt or innocence for an offence without some form of motive, for the accused. Your…inability to discuss your work leaves very little room to establish such an element."

"You could always ask your client," she suggested wryly. "I'm sure the truth spells on this witness box would compel him to speak to the truth as well as they do me."

There was an outbreak of tittering across the courtroom.

"Enough!" The presiding judge snapped, and the room fell silent. "Avvocato Poglione, since you clearly have no further pertinent questions to ask, the witness is excused. You may step down, Signorina Granger."

The grey-haired man glared as Hermione made her way from the witness box to her seat beside Enrico. Sirius was in the row behind her, as her Head of House, however, she was appearing first and foremost today as an Unspeakable and so sat with the Misteri team.

"Signorina Granger is perfectly correct- the time has come to hear from Signore Zabini and Signore Rossi themselves. And," the grey haired woman added, gazing narrowly at the two disgruntled defence counsel, "you may save your protests. You know that under ordinary circumstances, the accused may decline to testify. However, in matters relating to a High Crime, such as the attempted subversion and the abduction of an Unspeakable, the court is obliged to compel the witness to testify."

And just like that, it was over. First Zabini, and then Rossi were compelled to testify under magical vow and truth serum. By making Zabini go first, the court ensured that his involvement in the matter at hand was established without breaking Rossi's Unbreakble Vow. The full extent of their crimes and their ultimate goal- to capture and use the information from Hermione's research to further illegal weapons dealing- was unfolded and both men were unanimously convicted by the judging panel.

Zabini was convicted of multiple charges relating to the subversion and abduction of an Unspeakable, the intent to steal secret government knowledge and use it for criminal purposes, the tracking charm he placed on Sirius and his attempts to stun and track Hermione. Rossi was convicted of attempting subversion and the abduction of an Unspeakable. Both men were sentenced to life defendants were taken away for incarceration and the judges left the room.

Hermione took a deep breath. She knew that what Rossi and Zabini had done was wrong, that it was actually treason; they had made a direct attempt to cause harm to an Unspeakable and they intended to provide aid to enemies of the government- various criminal organisations- with their stolen knowledge. Still, she had contributed to two men being sentenced to life in prison today, and it was a weighty consideration nonetheless.

"You are well, piccola?"

Turning, she smiled tiredly at Enrico. "Yes. It's just…difficult."

The old man smiled gently. "It is a heavy burden we bear, sometimes, is it not? But you, you did your duty, and did it well. They knew the penalties and they acted anyway. It is not your fault."

"I know that," she nodded. "I do. I'm alright. It's just…this is the first time that…."

"Ah. It is always the shock, no? To know that an attack on you is an attack on the government?"

"Yes." She smiled wryly. "I'd never quite thought of it in those terms before."

Enrico patted her shoulder. "Come, your Sirius, he waits. We get out of these robes and go have a nice caffè, hmmmm?"

Thinking longingly of a nice coffee, she sighed. "I think that's a lovely idea, Enrico."

Ten minutes later, divested of their formal robes, Hermione and Enrico met Sirius in the lobby of the Ministero. Sirius took her arm with a smile and they made their way to one of Hermione's favourite cafes.

It was only as she plodded along in the biting air, wrapped in her coat and scarf against the Roman winter, that she suddenly realised: she hadn't blamed herself once for either Zabini or Rossi's fates. She'd felt the weight of it, but she hadn't blamed herself.

For once, the dark voice had been silent.

Smiling brightly, she pressed closer to Sirius. It was only one small victory in a very long battle, but it was a victory nonetheless. She couldn't wait to tell Daniela at their next session.

Slowly but surely, she was getting better.

Two weeks later:In a field nearSan Casciano in Val di Pesa, south of Firenze, 7.15am (shortly after sunrise) local time

"Is COLD, Aunty My-Knee!"

"I know it is, Teddy, but soon we're going to go up, up, up into the sky and it will be wonderful! You don't want to miss that, do you?"

"No! Teddy big boy!"

Hermione chuckled and bent down to hug the small bundle of parkas and scarves hugging her leg. "You are! You're a big boy who's going on a balloon ride! And how do you like Rosa?"

Rosa, they had been told by Marco, their pilot, was the name of their red and white striped balloon.

"Pitty Wosa." Teddy patted the side of the basket before toddling off to his mother. Tonks, who was wearing a fleece lined brown suede jacket, bent down and rearranged Teddy's hood, which seemed to keep falling off. Since they were 'going muggle' on this weekend trip, Teddy's hair had been charmed to appear sandy brown.

A black, suede clad arm wrapped around Hermione's middle and tugged her backwards into a hard, warm body. The warm breath on her neck caused tingles to run up her spine.

"All right, love?"

"Very," she grinned, wriggling comfortably into Sirius and giggling at his low groan. "This was a lovely idea, Sirius. Thank you for suggesting it."

"Hey, I just thought of it- you and Remus organised it. We should be thanking you!"

"Yes, thank you Hermione," Luna called from the corner, beaming from under the fur-lined hood of her teal parka. The blonde woman was still staying with them, to Hermione's delight, although sometimes she would disappear for hours on end, hunting for various magical creatures.

"Thanks Mione!" Harry grinned as he climbed back into the basket and surreptitiously handed Remus a package.

Hermione covered her mouth to hide her laughter. She'd bet that she knew exactly what was in that package. Behind her, Sirius coughed loudly- it seemed he too, had ideas about the package Remus had begged Harry to retrieve before they left.

Winking at her, Sirius called out, "And thanks Moony!"

Remus, still staring at the package in his hand, didn't answer. Tonks elbowed him in the ribs and he hastily shoved the package into his pocket.

"What was that?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Sirius was thanking you and Hermione for organising the weekend, love."

"Oh! Right. You're welcome, Padfoot. It was no trouble. No trouble at all…"

The others laughed as he trailed off, obviously distracted. However, Marco returned then, having made all of the safety checks and quickly got their attention.

"We are ready, yes?"

"Yes!" They chorused, flocking to different sides of the basket to distribute their weight more evenly.

"Bene. Then we go!" With that, he turned the valve and the balloon rose from the ground. It would only take them a few minutes to reach their chosen height of one thousand five hundred feet.

"Mummy! Mummy! We go fly?" Teddy bounced excitedly, one hand fixed firmly in each of his parents'.[i]

Marco smiled indulgently at the excited little boy. "We fly! Like a bird, hmmm?"

Teddy bounced. "Like an owl!"

The pilot chuckled. "Essatamente, like an owl."

Meanwhile, Harry was gripping the edge of the basket on the far right, pointing out interesting landmarks to Luna. The group had only arrived in Firenze last night and hadn't had a chance to look around yet, and Harry was keen to make a list of places to see.

"Oh, and that must be the cathedral!" He was saying to Luna over the noise of the balloon. He scrunched his face in thought, trying to remember the name he'd seen in the guidebook earlier. "Santa…oh, what was it…oh! Santa Maria del Fiore! That was it." He beamed. "Just look at it! It looks amazing!"

"The name is very pretty," Luna said, her breath puffing in the cold air. "St Mary of the Flower, isn't it?"

"Si!!" Marco nodded enthusiastically. A local, he was more than pleased by their enthusiasm for his home city. "St Mary of the Flower. Is lovely, no?"

"Oh yes!" Luna enthused, still staring at the majestic building as they continued to rise. "It's just beautiful. And so big! It looks enormous even from up here- it must be so much bigger on the ground."

"Si, si, it is very big and very beautiful!"

Luna nodded in agreement and seized the small, compact camera that hung about her neck. Hermione suspected that she intended to use the photos to make a series of paintings, later.

Turning her attention back to the scenery below, Hermione gasped. "And there's the Ponte Vecchio[ii]! Look, Sirius! We have to go and see it later."

"Of course," he smiled, dropping a kiss on her neck. "We can go after lunch if you like."

Snuggling back into him, Hermione sighed and gazed at panoramic vista spread out below them. Despite the cold, it was a beautiful, clear day and the view was stunning. In that moment, she was keenly aware of just how lucky she was. She was healing from the potions induced illness, she was slowly trying to build up her self-esteem, she had friends and family who loved her and she was in a beautiful place with the man she loved. Despite everything that had happened, life was very, very good. It had been a very hard journey and she still had a long way to go, but she wouldn't change a thing, as it had brought her here in the end.

Muffled laughter broke into her musings a moment later. Looking over at the others, she burst out laughing. Remus had attempted to fish out, one-handed (the hand other firmly holding Teddy's) some of the chocolate that Harry had brought him earlier, only to fumble and drop the bar over the edge of the basket.

He looked so forlorn that Hermione couldn't help but giggle. "I hope it didn't fall on anyone."

"On da head! SPLAT!" Teddy added helpfully.

Sirius snorted as Remus flinched. "It's still early, so I doubt it. But I'd wait until we land before you try for anymore. Oh, come on, Moony!" He added, seeing Remus' pout. "You don't want to drop anymore, do you?"

"No," the werewolf grumbled. "I suppose not. But still…"

"Oh, honestly, Remus!" Tonks rolled her eyes. Sticking her hand in Remus' coat pocket, she carefully pulled out a chocolate bar with her one free hand and tore the wrapper with her teeth. "All right now?"

Remus beamed as he accepted the chocolate and gobbled it down. The goofy smile on his face had them all bursting into laughter again. "What?" he muttered. "It's medicinal!"

This only made them laugh all the more. Even Marco was in fits.

Remus shrugged and dropped a kiss on Tonks' lips before turning back to his son, who was asking about the spires he could see below.

Before Hermione knew it, the hour ride had passed and they were landing back in the field. They all laughed as the basket tipped over on the ground and they fell onto one another. After untangling themselves, they thanked Marco and followed him to the waiting cars, where they were all taken back to downtown Florence. They went to a small café and had a delicious breakfast before heading back to their hotel to shower, change and have a small rest. An hour and a half later, they were ready to explore Florence.

When later thinking back on that first trip to Florence, Hermione was amazed at just how much they managed to fit into two days. They went to the Duomo, and explored the Piazza Del Duomo. They spent two hours at the San Lorenzo markets[iii] and came away with more leather goods than any sane person could ever need. Hermione alone bought a burgundy leather coat, leather jackets in fawn, black, red and brown and a gorgeous skirt in grey suede. She also acquired (SOMEHOW) at least five handbags and three wallets. And a pair of adorable leather pumps.

"Thank goodness for shrinking charms!" she muttered to Tonks as they all entered a deserted ally to shrink their purchases.

"Too right! But I'll tell you what, Mione- this lot is GORGEOUS and I'm never buying leather anywhere else ever again!"

Hermione agreed wholeheartedly.

Then it was time for lunch. Surprisingly, although nervous and slightly panicked, Hermione managed to eat all of her wild boar pasta without attempting to reduce the portion. It tasted fantastic.

Later, Sirius had kissed her breathless as they strolled along the Ponte Vecchio. "Well done, love," he'd whispered before devouring her lips again. She'd been very smug when she noticed that his lips were just as swollen as hers. Tonks and Remus had taken Teddy to have a nap at the hotel, and Harry and Luna were nearby somewhere. It was lovely to have a little quiet time with Sirius.

They spent a lovely couple of hours poking around the jewellers and taking pictures before meeting up with the others to tour the Piazza Signoria.[iv]

After an early (fabulous) dinner in a tiny restaurant in a hidden little backstreet, Remus and Tonks took Teddy back to the hotel. The little boy was already fast asleep on Remus' shoulder, worn out after a long day.

Harry decided to go for a walk around the shops and Luna decided she wanted to sketch the exterior of the Duomo for a while. They bid them good night and agreed to meet the group for breakfast at nine in the hotel.

Sirius and Hermione decided to go for a little walk near the Ponte Vecchio. They had a long, romantic stroll in the moonlight, enjoying the street musicians and the bustling crowds, before returning to the hotel, where, worn out from the long day, she'd fallen straight to sleep wrapped in Sirius' arms.

The next morning, after breakfast, the group decided to tour the Uffizi Gallery, which Luna particularly loved. Afterwards, they'd had a quick lunch before enjoying a stroll in the beautiful Boboli Gardens. Teddy had been particularly enamoured of Neptune's fountain and had been begging for a pitch fork (or, as he called it, a 'pit fowk') since then.

The group decided to split, with the Lupins taking Teddy back to the hotel for a nap and the others going to the Acaedmia Scienciato see Micheloangelo's David and numerous other works. They'd reconvened later for dinner.

Almost before they knew it, it was time to return to the hotel and pack before apparating to Hermione's flat. The group parted with many hugs and smiles and agreed to make the weekend trips a monthly occurrence. There were so many places to see, both in Italy and the rest of Europe, that it would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

Harry disappeared to his room, and Luna to her tent, which Hermione was thankful to note she'd at least pitched in the living room, as the weather was very cold outside nowadays. Sirius had gone to put his things away in his room and Hermione really should do the same. Instead, she stretched out on her bed fully clothed. She was so tired, she just wanted to close her eyes for little. Just a few minutes….

It was there that Sirius found her ten minutes later, fast asleep.

He smiled at her peaceful expression and carefully transfigured her clothes into pyjamas. Slipping his arms about her, he gently lifted her and tucked her under the covers.

Hermione stirred, mumbling slightly.

"It's alright love," he soothed her. "Sleep."

She mumbled again before falling back to sleep.

Stripping out of his own clothes, Sirius donned a pair of pyjama pants and slipped into bed. Gathering his witch in his arms, he sighed happily. It had been a long day.

But it had also been a good day. A very good day.

Hermione's living room, Roma, two days later 7.00pm

George stepped into Hermione's living room and stared.

The room was in a shambles. The furniture had been pushed against the wall, there was a soft Latino melody playing and Sirius and Hermione were shuffling across the floor in some sort of complicated dance. They were too caught up in what they were doing to notice he'd arrived.

"Right back, left side down, left up, right side up- just a little more!- and back to starting position." Sirius was saying."That's it, you've got it, Mione! You've got the basic Rhumba!"

Hermione sighed and stopped shuffling. "Finally! I thought I'd never get the feet right! I always seem to be moving the wrong foot."

"Love, you only learned the steps this morning. Of course you're going to mix it up at first- that's why we need to practice!"

"I know, I know," she grumbled. "It's still embarrassing."

"No embarrassment necessary, love. Come on, once more from the top."

They assumed the position again, counted off and started moving. This time, it was less of a shuffle and almost a glide. After a few bars, they stopped and George figured that was his cue.

He began to clap. "Nicely done, love birds! 'Spose all this fancy footwork is because of that wretched ball in a couple of months?"

Hermione jumped and turned. "George! I didn't see you come in."

"Evidently." He grinned. "You were" and here he waggled his eyebrows suggestively "otherwise occupied."

Hermione blushed. "It's just dance practice."

"Oh, I'm not complaining, love. Gave me a chance to examine you from your best angle!"

The smile instantly vanished from Hermione's face. "That's…that's really not funny George," she said quietly.

"What? It's a compliment, love! You know, you have a very shapely rear angle."

Hermione exhaled, her expression tense. "I'm sure you'd like a drink. Excuse me for a moment." Then she turned and left the room.

George turned to Sirius. "What did I say?"

Sirius glared and flicked his wand, ending the music and sending the furniture back to its rightful place. 'Honestly, George, what possessed you? You know she's very sensitive about her appearance. She still struggles to take a compliment! Did you have to say that? She'll spend ages looking for ulterior meanings in it- especially the shapely bit!"

"But I didn't mean anything bad!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You know that, and I know that, but we're not trying to rebuild our entire self-perception and any comment about her rear makes her very upset! Remember last week?"

George grimaced. "Yeah. Sorry, I didn't- I didn't mean to upset her."

Pinching his nose in frustration, Sirius sighed. "I know. But yesterday was not one of her good days and she was happier, today."

"And now I've gone and stuck my foot in it."George winced.

The raven-haired wizard made his way to the door. "Excuse me for a moment."

George called out just before he left the room. "No, wait, don't go- I'll talk to her."

Sirius raised a skeptical brow.

The redhead sighed. "I stuck my foot in it and I'll fix it. I want to apologise, anyway."

Staring at him for a moment, Sirius eventually nodded. "Alright. But you'd better watch your tongue, this time, George." He fixed him with a narrow look. "I don't want you upsetting her again. And keep your eyes off her arse!"

George cracked a smile at Sirius' protectiveness. "Worry not, lover boy. I shall be gentle." With a sweeping bow, he left the room and made his way to the kitchen, where he hoped Hermione was.

Sure enough, she was poking around the fridge. George cleared his throat, feeling slightly awkward.

"Mione."

Hermione tensed slightly and stayed as she was. "George. I won't be a moment, I'll just fix up a tray and bring it to the living room."

Moving closer, George took the bottle from her hand and put it on the counter, gently turning her to face him. "Mione, I'm sorry."

"Whatever for? Honestly, I won't be a minute…"

"Come on, Hermione," he pushed. You know what I'm talking about. I'm sorry I stuck my foot in it. I honestly didn't mean anything by it."

"It's fine, George, honestly."

"If it was fine, why'd you clam up and leave the room?" He countered gently, taking her hand.

"I was getting the drinks…"

"Mione."

With that, her resistance seemed to crumble. "It's fine George. If anything, I overreacted and I owe you an apology."

"No, Mione," he told her firmly. "You don't apologise to me for the way you feel about anything."

She smiled bitterly. "Even if it's a gross overreaction?"

"Even then. But honestly, Mione I am sorry- it was pretty thoughtless of me and I should have thought it through. You know me- sometimes I say things and think about them a week later."

Hermione huffed.

"It's true!" he insisted. "And I promise you, I didn't mean anything by it except that you have a nice bum." He looked around quickly. "Just," he added hastily, "don't tell Sirius I said that!"

At least that got a giggle out of her.

"That's better," he smiled, shifting to slip his arm around her shoulders. "You've a lovely smile, Mione."

"You don't need to-"

"Oi! No interrupting Prince George the Wise while he's philosophising!" He broke in.

She raised a brow. "Prince George the Wise?"

"Doubting the royal wisdom, are we?" He fixed her with a falsely disapproving look. "We are not amused."

Hermione snorted. "That's a bit of a promotion, isn't it?"

"Not at all, love. It's a just reward for my clear-sighted wisdom and irresistible charm." Seeing her smile widen, he hammed it up a bit more.

"I, Prince George, the wise," he began in a regal, high-pitched imitation of the Queen, "the irresistible, the lovely, beautifully fragrant specimen of manliness and all around sexypants hereby decree that Hermione Granger has a smile which is almost comparable in loveliness to mine. I further decree that all those who do not immediately agree will be shot, run over, thrown off a broom and fed Percy's cooking."

With that, Hermione burst out laughing. "You…you…" she laughed, clutching her stomach. "You're a complete idiot, George Weasley!"

"Yeah, but I note you didn't refute the sexypants bit." He waggled his eyebrows. "Can't blame you, really. I'm rather spectacular, both with and without pants."

This only made Hermione laugh all the more and it took several minutes for her to calm down and catch her breath. Every time she looked at him, she'd burst out laughing again.

"Feeling better?" he grinned when she finally calmed.

"Oh, yes," she giggled. "Although my stomach is killing me."

"Ah, laughing tummy pains- the very best kind," he smirked. "Excellent, excellent."

Hermione shook her head.

"I am glad you're feeling better though, Mione- and I meant what I said. You're gorgeous, you know. You really are, inside and out. I won't pretend to understand what all this has done to you, but…I hate seeing you doubt yourself. I hate it that the first thing that came to your head when I commented on your bum was that there was something wrong with it. I don't like seeing you assume the worst of yourself."

"I know," she said quietly, all traces of mirth gone. "I-I hate it too. But so often it seems to be automatic, as easy as breathing. I don't even have to think about it and it's there. I know it sounds silly…"

"No it doesn't!" he told her sharply. "It's not silly, Mione. You've been through a lot and you were drugged for years and it takes time to repair that kind of damage. I just….please know that you're more than you think you are. You're not weak or ugly or plain or stupid. You're bloody brilliant, you are. So if I say something stupid or thoughtless, I'm sorry and know that I could never think anything bad about you. Never you."

"George…"

"I mean it, Mione. So if I say something that bothers you, you tell me. You stay and tell me and whack me on the head if you need to. Just…don't walk off and let it fester in your head. That's all I'm asking. Be upfront. It'll help me, because I'll know how not to stick my foot in it next time, and it'll help you, because you'll get it out. Sound fair?"

She was silent for a while, seemingly engaged in an internal battle. Finally, she sighed and nodded. "Fair."

"That's my girl!" he crowed, feeling seriously relieved at her acceptance. "C'mere and give us a hug!"

Drawing her close, he squeezed her until she squeaked in protest. Pulling back, he gave her his best grin, the one that usually made his mother suspicious.

"Right! Let's go and find that wizard of yours before he decides to commit Georigicide!"

With that, he grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room, thankful that he'd managed to fix the situation before it had a chance to fester.

From what he'd seen, Hermione was slowly on the mend and he'd hate himself if he'd managed to set her back.

She had to get better.

She deserved it.

The Grun Facility, The Alps, Switzerland 8.00am local time

"Vhat are you doing, Rote?"

Ginny glared at the supervising warden. "Digging, like you told me to!"

The warden raised an eyebrow. "You sink ve are building sandcastles here, Rote? I told you to clear ze path to ze greenhouses!"

The snow-covered path was currently a series of uneven holes. Ginny had been thinking furiously as she worked and hadn't really been paying attention to what she was doing.

She flushed with anger at being singled out by the warden. "How should I know? I've never had to dig snow by hand before!"

The warden fixed her with a stony look. "How many times have you been shown how to do zis vork, Rote?

Ginny flushed, tugging at the lining of her hood in embarrassment. "I don't know."

"Vell I know. Shall I tell you? It vas tvelve! Tvelve times I haff showed you how to clear ze path. I sink it is not zat you don't know, I sink it is zat you don't pay attention to zevork you do! Your mind is somewhere else!"

Unable to help herself, the angry redhead snapped at the other woman. "Of course it is! I have places to be! I don't belong here doing servants work by hand! I'm not a muggle!"

The older woman snorted. "Better places to be, is it? You are a convicted criminal, Rote, vith years in zis place ahead of you. It vill be ten years before you leave zis place and five more before you are free, even in your own England."

Ginny trembled angrily. "I'm only here because of a mistake! It was a mistake that they sent me here! I'm going to be Lady Potter! I'm going to marry Harry and then I'm going to ruin this place!"

The warden barely blinked at this outburst. It wasn't the first. "You're not going to marry anyone for a long time, Rote. You're going to serve out your sentence here and attend your sessions. And you vill do your vork- all of it. If you don't, you vill be put in confinement. As for zis path…it vill be done before you go inside again. If it isn't done, you don't go inside."

With that, she turned and made her way down the path. She had to speak to Healer Fiedler again. The redhead had refused to admit her circumstances over the past couple of months and was clinging to her delusional plans. Something had to be done.

Behind her, Ginny continued seething as she angrily flung snow from the path. She was better than this! She was Ginny Weasley, mover and shaker on the British social scene! She was a War Hero and the future Lady Potter! She shouldn't be doing servants work.

It wasn't fair. She deserved better.

She did!

"Damn you, Hermione Granger," she thought viciously.

It was all her fault.

[i] The minimum age limit for balloon rides is actually 7 years of age, and the kids need to be tall enough to see over the sides of the basket. However, for the purposes of this story, Teddy is somehow allowed on even though he's three and a half. I'm sure Remus and Tonks have cast a million charms to ensure his safety, probably including temporary sticking charms to their hands, or something.

[ii] The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone bridge over the River Arno, in Florence. There are two neighbouring bridges running parallel to it- the Ponte Santa Trinita and the Ponte Alle Grazie. The area surrounding it is famous for its jewellers and shops (although being in a tourist area, those shops are generally more expensive than others you'd find about Florence). It's a gorgeous area and one of my personal favourites to stroll around. The view is amazing.

[iii]The San Lorenzo markets (the leather markets) are one of my absolute favourite places in the world to shop. They sell every leather good conceivable- bags, jackets, coats, wallets, purses, belts, you name it! The prices are very reasonable and if you visit a reputable vendor, it's made in Italy and Italian leather is heaaaaaaven! A must see. A small word of advice though- set yourself a limit before you go! It's so easy to buy everything in sight!

[iv] The Piazza Signoria is a massive square with gorgeous 14th century buildings (including the Palazzo Vecchio) and some fantastic sculptures by the masters. It's fabulous and VERY impressive.