Love Lost, Not Forgotten

Upstairs Grace sat at the end of the table between Hermione and Harry and was looking at both of them. They had just recanted their tale of their—or what was supposed to be—final year. She had nearly had a heart attack when she heard about being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange and what happened in her Gringotts vault. But it seemed to put a more determined glint in her eye, something Hermione had never seen before.

“That’s it then, you’re both going back to Hogwarts.”

Harry looked up at her, “Mrs. Granger—”

“You can call me Ms Grace, dear.”

“Ms Grace, I’ve gotten several job offers already … some in the Auror department.”

The word ‘Auror’ made her brown eyes roll and she turned, looked at him, and pulled his hand between hers, “Harry, sweetie, if you don’t go back to school they’ll stick you with a lowly job and you’ll never be promoted. Being the chosen one doesn’t mean anything …yes you can prove you’re better than the majority of those imbeciles but without a tiny slip of paper I’m afraid you’ll just be the scum on their shoes. Their …” she paused trying to think of a word; Hermione, the fount of knowledge she was, spit out, “Gopher.” Grace nodded and looked at Harry, “You’ll be their gopher.”

Harry frowned and looked down at the table. Grace could tell that he knew she was right, but from the few tales spun by her only daughter she thought she might know what was wrong, “Or … I can write a letter to whoever is running the school and see if they will at least allow you to take your NEWTs. No classes just the final test. You can study all you want and then go and do whatever you like.”

Releasing his hands she began to examine her nails as the two teens looked at each other and seemingly conversed between them.

“School.”
“Test.”

The older woman lifted an eyebrow and looked between them, Hermione wanted to go to school but Harry just wanted the test. This wasn’t surprising in the least bit. Smiling she nodded, “Very well. Hermione, sweet, can you get me something to write a letter with … and I’ll need to know who I’m writing to. Also, Harry, go ask Ron what he would like to do. I may not be able to pull it off but surely you aren’t the only three that had a difficult year.”

The two left the room and Grace sat at the table for a little bit on her own. She looked around the stony kitchen and frowned, she hadn’t ever been in this area of the house when she was younger. In fact the only part of the house that Grace ever saw was Sirius’ bedroom. She could still recall the night she had run away from home … she had ran away from the man she married not two years later.

Where had her mind gone?

Running slim fingers through her hair she heard light footsteps behind her and turned slowly. Sirius was standing in the doorway smiling at her, he was up to something. It was that same wry smile he had when he told her about the Room of Requirement. Where they had … well … lets just say he had convinced her it was safe to do more things than just snog the hell out of each other.

“What are you up to?”

Sirius’ expression changed from one of mischief to one of mock hurt, “Me? Up to something? Gracie, I’m hurt!”

Her brown eyes rolled as Hermione walked past him with a quill, ink well, and a rolled up parchment. Grace turned back to the table when her daughter sat everything down and joined her, “What’s going on?” Sirius’ voice carried over her own thoughts for a moment before Hermione answered.

“Mum is trying to see if I can go back to school this coming year and if Harry and Ron can just take their NEWTs.”

The tall, lanky man nodded and took a seat on the other side of Grace—Harry’s forgotten perch—and looked between his ex-girlfriend and his daughter, “Hermione … have you thought about … oh I don’t know … your name?” Grace didn’t bother moving her head but spoke, “She’s keeping Granger. After all, Elliot is the man that raised her.”

Sirius tensed for a moment, his jaw clenching. Was it his fault he hadn’t been there? She had run off with another man! She didn’t remember him! He looked from Grace, who was scribbling away on the parchment, to Hermione who was watching him with, what he could only guess to be, avid interest.

“Very well, but I believe for her to come into her inheritance she’ll need my name somewhere. After all, she’s my heir,” he stated plainly looking at the bushy headed girl in front of him. Her eyes changed emotions so rapidly he was almost sure he was going to be decked again before they settled on plain confusion, “Hermione. As my daughter, my only child—”

“As far as he knows,” quipped Grace quickly with a quirky grin.

“The only child I’ll claim,” he thumped Grace’s forearm but smiled at her before turning back to his daughter, “you have some things that will become yours when you get married or I pass on to the after life. Whichever comes first, and Merlin the boys better pray that I die before the first happens.”

He couldn’t help but let his smile grow as Hermione giggled a bit, “Anyway, you would have inherited some when you turned seventeen, but … it isn’t in any of the Ministry’s papers that you are my girl. It’ll take a lot of work but now that Wormtail has been put into Azkaban and I’ve been freed of all of my charges it should be a bit quicker than if it was otherwise. Blood tests, your name, and the like. But if you’re wanting to keep Ole Granger’s name … I suppose that’s fine as well.”

Grace signed her name with a flourish and pushed the letter over to her daughter to read, “Sirius … let Hermione choose on her own. If you bribe her and try to force things down her throat she’ll never agree to it.”

He nodded his head and lifted a hand to run it through his hair, this wasn’t going as he and Remus had planned. Where was the wolf?

-----------------------------------------
As if his ears had been burning, Remus stepped into the kitchen carrying three letters, “The post just arrived. Hermione this is for you, Grace … you’ve got something to but I left it with the owl. It tried to bite me.”

“There’s only one bird like that in the world,” stated Sirius a bit dryly.

“Mother’s.”

Grace got up and started to leave before Hermione’s voice stopped her.

“Mum!”
“What?”

Hermione jumped up and started waving the letter around before handing it to her mother. Grace skimmed the letter and grinned throwing her arms around Hermione, “They read our minds!”

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks before the wolf was able to snatch the letter away, clearing his throat he looked at Sirius and read,

“Dear Miss Granger,

It has come to my attention the events of this past year has made it difficult for some of Hogwarts former students to attend to their studies. The castle has undergone repairs since the final battle and I would like to extend a proposal to you and students like you who were unable to complete their year.

Starting September 1st there will be the first set of 8th year students, you will take the normal seventh year courses but will have the seniority over a few other students who will be classified the same.

If you agree to this we will see you at Hogwarts this year.
A list of supplies has been attached to this letter.

Headmistress Minerva McGonagall”

Sirius grinned, “Well I guess there’s no point in this then,” he picked up the letter Grace had written and turned to look at the two as they jumped in a circle clinging to each other nearly squealing in excitement.

Hermione stopped moving and looked at the three adults, “I have to go tell Harry and Ron!” She grabbed the final letters from Remus and dashed out of the room. The men chuckled softly as Grace moved towards the table again, “Don’t rip it up Sirius, I still need to ask her if it would work for Harry and Ron to take their NEWTs.”

Remus shook his head, “Its McGonagall in charge, Grace, they’ll have to go to school or get jobs now. I imagine Ronald will want to stay with his mother, Harry … he’ll probably want to go to work in the Auror department.”

“I don’t like it,” two voices said simultaneously. Sirius and Grace looked at one another and nodded, Sirius grinned, “Neither one of us care for him getting in that field. He’s done enough work saving the world … twice.”

Grace sighed and sat down, “Lily wouldn’t want him putting his life on the line like that. Do you think … maybe he’s just … running?”

Remus shook his head and moved to stand behind her rubbing her shoulders, “I don’t think so. But maybe Sirius is right; he has done quite a bit to save the wizarding world more than once. Maybe we should have a talk with him.”

The three adults stood, or in Grace’s case—sat, in silence until there was a hooting sound. Grace jumped up, “I forgot about the owl. I’ll … well, nevermind.” Looking between the two she turned and left them there as they watched her leave.

“Did you start the plan?” asked Remus before taking Grace’s forgotten seat. Sirius shook his head and moved over to the counter top where Mrs. Weasley had been cooking, fingering a few things he sighed, “I think I’ll wait until the kids are gone, that way there’s no thought of Hermione walking in on an … awkward situation.”