Harry Potter

My ability?" Lucius questioned her with a frown. Hermione blushed lightly and bit her lip.

"The Dark Mark had several nasty charms linked to it. One of them affected your ability to father children. I don't believe that's why Voldemort used it, but that is one of the side-effects of prolonged exposure." Hermione explained carefully while simultaneously concentrating on a charming landscape painting on her parlor wall.

"Will I be…permanently affected?" He asked quietly, his face pale and set. Hermione lifted a shoulder helplessly and let it fall.

"I hope not," she said softly. "If you and Narcissa agree, it's possible to go to St. Mungo's and see if they can repair the damage."

"I will speak to her about it," he said finally, his voice barely audible.

"Of course. Please give her my regards," Hermione said politely. Narcissa was from a very old family, with rather hidebound customs, and she had been raised to believe that ladies of a certain delicate condition did not parade themselves in public once they drew close to their confinement. In addition to that, she was terrified that she might lose the baby, despite Hermione's reassurances that her son would be fine.

"I will," Lucius promised her. He paused slightly and shifted uncomfortably. "She told me that she had asked you to be our son's godmother…and that you said yes. Thank you, for that."

"No, it is Narcissa whom I should thank. She did not pity me, and she offered me a kindness when really it wasn't necessary for her to do so. I will always remember and appreciate that," Hermione stated firmly. Lucius, wisely, remained silent because truly, there was nothing he could say.

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HG/HP/HB

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"Now, Daddy," Hermione said soothingly. Charlus glared at his daughter over his copy of the Daily Prophet. "I am not planning a coup of the Wizengamot-,"

"Hmph!" Charlus Potter grouched to himself. He was still hurt that his daughter had managed to completely pull the wool over his eyes. What hurt even more was that Dorea had suspected something about the Ladies' Aide Society and he'd lost a hundred galleons in a bet with his wife.

"—this week," Hermione continued blithely and sipped at her tea. He glared at her.

"Hermione," Charlus began darkly and Hermione sighed heavily.

"Daddy," Hermione said coolly. "You and then James will hold a seat on the Wizengamot. Sirius will hold the Black family spots after Orion and eventually Alphard and Cygnus. I don't belong to any guilds, so it's unlikely that I'd be able to hold one of the guild votes. However, I believe that Minister of Magic Hermione Black has a certain ring to it."

"It does," Dorea said with a fond smile for her daughter. She, for her part, had been quite proud of Hermione's actions in the recent wizarding war. She also knew that her husband was mostly hurt that Hermione had done most of it right under his nose. It was, Dorea noted with a sense of pride, quite Slytherin of her. Hermione sent her mother a grateful smile.

"I plan on studying wizarding law to see what changes need to be made," Hermione continued on, giving her father a stern look. "Lily suggested that I try to attend Oxford or Cambridge, but really that would be almost worthless to me. I want to change the wizarding world, and I need to study wizarding law to do that properly."

"Well, poppet, Lily might not have been completely out of bounds," Charlus Potter said thoughtfully. Hermione looked sharply at her father.

"What do you mean, Daddy?" Hermione asked. Charlus smirked slightly.

"The governor assigned to the city of Oxford by William the Bastard was one Robert D'Oyly," Charlus said smoothly, and Hermione hid a smile. The Potters came from old, old blood and considered many of those families that had invaded their shores during the Battle of Hastings to be upstarts at best. "His youngest daughter married one Gregorius Peverell, the son of one of the commanders. Both children had attended the newly formed Hogwarts, and wanted to continue their studies. At that time, what would eventually become the colleges of the University of Oxford were being founded in their nascent forms. There were some surviving Druidic colleges in Scotland, Cornwall and Wales, but they refused to admit their invaders to their ranks, and I don't really blame them. The College of Merlin was founded with the hope that the newly come witches and wizards would be able to find a place in their new home. Their specific focus was study of the wizengamot and its laws, and it has remained their focus in the centuries since."

"Are you telling me that there's a magical college at the University of Oxford?" Hermione demanded.

"That's precisely what I'm telling you," Charlus said firmly. "Further, as one of the founding families of the College of Merlin, you will have an automatic place."

"Then again, as a descendent of Gloswinda Gryffindor, you could also attend one of the surviving Druidic colleges. I will tell you, however, that their focus has always been a pursuit of knowledge. They do not really focus on the law, at all, because it does not contribute to the gathering of knowledge, or the creation of new magics. Their feeling is that it rather constricts it," Dorea offered gently, a small smile on her lips. Hermione sat there, her mouth slightly open.

"I'll have to speak to Sirius, of course," Hermione said quietly, her brow furrowed.

"That would be best," Charlus allowed. "Make sure to tell him that the College of Merlin allows married students to live off campus. That should make him a little less hesitant."

"Very well," Hermione said slowly, her mind racing with the possibilities. "Now, if I studied, and did well, how would I go about becoming a judge of the Wizengamot?"

"You would have to begin at the beginning," Dorea said with a slight smile. "As a clerk of the court. You will be able to gain quite a bit of information that way."

"That's quite true," Hermione said thoughtfully, a wicked smile on her lips as she contemplated the sorts of things a clerk for the Wizengamot might discover.

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HG/HP/HB

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Harry Potter was adorable as a baby, Hermione Black decided. Her mental roommate heartily agreed, as she had never seen Harry as a baby, or even a picture. She held her nephew in her arms, and felt the intense love of Old Hermione for her very best friend sweep through her. Her breath caught in her throat, and she immediately felt Sirius' arms slid around her, steadying her.

"Not having a vision about the lad already, are you?" Sirius asked worriedly, his eyes on hers. She shook her head because she couldn't trust her throat to work properly at the moment. "No? Good. He doesn't need to be the sort that people have visions of, that's for sure. You just be nice and boring, Harry my boy."

"Not too boring though, son," James said firmly from across the room. "You're allowed to prank the pants off of Slytherin. Maybe get a few detentions. Just to keep up the family honor."

"James, really!" Lily huffed from her bed. Hermione gave a low throaty chuckle that never failed to make Sirius' blood rise.

"Unfortunately, my dear Lily, Jamie's actually quite correct. The Potter men have been earning detentions and plaguing their fellow classmates for generations. My great-great grandfather is the earliest we have records for, but I bet it goes back further," Hermione said with a pointed stare at her brother. "I would wager that it goes all the way back to Ignotus."

"My Own!" Jamie looked scandalized. "Why else should a person have such a thing if they aren't going to use it to its fullest extent?"

"Do I even want to know?" Lily asked Sirius. He shook his head and grinned at her.

"Just remember, Harry shouldn't come into that until his fifth year," Hermione reminded her brother firmly. James gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Fine!" He huffed.

He really is beautiful, Lily," Hermione said softly as she carefully placed the baby back in his mother's arms. Lily smiled luminously at her son. Hermione turned and left the room quickly. Sirius and James looked at one another, but assumed she needed a moment and let her go. She made it to the public apparition wards of St. Mungo's and apparated on the spot.

So where are we off to then?

Your house, I think.

Why would you want to go there?

Well, not to be rude, but I'm trying to figure out why you're still with me.

I should think that would be obvious.

Erm, it is?

We share the same soul, bound to Sirius' soul. We are separate lives of that soul, but it's still ours.

So…there is no little Hermione Granger at your old house right now?

I doubt it. In fact, I'm not even certain any child they have will be magical. It's possible, I suppose. We'd have to research their genealogy and see if they've got any squibs in their line.

Can we check anyway?

Of course dear, but be careful. I think we've almost hit your baby limit for the day.

Almost.

Hermione Black knocked on the Granger's door with no small amount of trepidation. Dr. Granger opened the door, and Hermione felt a flash of recognition and affection from her other half. Old Hermione's mother was eyeing her oddly and Hermione glanced down at herself and realized her mistake. She was dressed for her own home, which was comprised of a silk day gown that one might expect if one were watching some sort of period piece about the last century. Hermione smiled awkwardly and hit upon the best possible solution.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you," Hermione said politely, "but my car's broken down and I'm going to be late. I'm, er, an actress and the play's set to start soon."

"You're already in costume?" Dr. Granger said in surprise. She had thought for one tiny moment that the beautiful young woman on her doorstep might actually be from the past. She certainly looked and sounded it. Then she gave a little mental laugh and dismissed the thought.

"Well…yes," Hermione said uncertainly. "I, er, the costume they have for me is dreadful, so my mother had this made and I thought if they saw it, they might let me wear it instead."

"Is that real silk?" Dr. Granger asked curiously, eyeing the beautiful gown. It was obviously handmade. Quality like that didn't come off the rack.

"Of course," Hermione said in surprise, confused that anyone would assume otherwise.

"Come in, dear, let's find you a phone," Dr. Granger said thoughtfully. Hermione quietly followed her into the house. Dr. Granger stopped in the living room to scoop up a happy baby that had been playing in a play pen. She noticed Hermione's curious look and smiled proudly. "This is our little darling, born last September."

"He's a beautiful little boy," she said quietly, but Dr. Granger saw the flash of pain in the young woman's eyes and guessed more than Hermione realized.

"Come along Sebastian, let's find this nice young lady a telephone," Dr. Granger said firmly and led Hermione to the kitchen.

"Sebastian? From Twelfth Night?" Hermione asked curiously. Dr. Granger stopped and looked completely surprised.

"Why yes, how did you know?" Dr. Granger replied. Hermione gave a small smile.

"My mother named me Hermione, after A Winter's Tale," Hermione confided. Dr. Granger now looked completely floored.

"That was to be Sebastian's name…if he had been a girl, I mean," she explained. She handed the receiver of the phone to Hermione who dialed a fake number and pretended to talk to her theater company.

"Thank you so much for your time and kindness," Hermione said politely. She looked at Sebastian and cocked her head slightly, and then handed Dr. Granger a thick vellum calling card. "If you ever have need of me, please don't hesitate to call."

"If I ever have need of you?" Dr. Granger said in surprise. Hermione smiled, showing her perfect teeth, and nodded.

If anything…odd…happens, or if you begin to have concerns about Sebastian that you can't share with his pediatrician, let me know," Hermione said firmly. Dr. Granger was now looking at her as though she might be insane.

"Er, yes," Dr. Granger said slowly as she edged away, her body turning slightly so that she was between her child and Hermione.

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HG/HP/HB

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Fleur Delacour loved visiting her marraine. She didn't get to do so often, it was usually every month or so, but she cherished her visits. This particular visit was going to be extra wonderful because there was going to be a birthday party. There was another little girl, everyone called her Dora, and it was to be her party. Fleur sat patiently while Hermione brushed her hair and helped her to dress. Uncle Sirius, her marraine's husband came in and said that they were both beautiful, but if they didn't leave now they would be late. Then Uncle Sirius spent some time laughing and teasing her marraine about wolves and this girl Dora. When they arrived at the party, Fleur was very impressed. It was everything a party should be, she decided. There were balloons and games. Uncle Alphard and Uncle Orion were both there; Fleur recognized them from family dinners that she had had at Hermione and Sirius' house. She liked both men, so she ran to them and hugged them. A pretty lady with curly black hair introduced herself as Mrs. Tonks in flawless French, and she introduced Fleur to Dora, the birthday girl who seemed sort of sad. Fleur thought that it was terrible to be sad on your birthday so she tried to cheer up the older girl.

"It's your birthday, why are you sad? There are games, and there will be cake," Fleur said with a serious little frown. Dora sighed heavily.

"Remus said he can't come," the little girl said sadly. Fleur cocked her head.

"He is your best friend?" Fleur asked curiously. Dora shook her head.

"No, he's my betrothed," Dora explained, "but I don't think he likes me very much."

"Why not?" Fleur asked.

"Because he's really, really old, and he thinks that I'm just a dumb baby," Dora said sadly.

"Remus does not think that you're a dumb baby," Hermione said firmly as she sat down next to the two little girls. "He really did have something important that he had to do today. He felt badly because he knew that you would most likely be upset."

"He doesn't like me very much, though," Dora insisted. Hermione sighed and hugged the little girl tightly for a moment.

"Right now, you're a little girl, and that's all he can see. Someday, he'll become your friend, and he'll be able see your heart," Hermione soothed the little girl.

"When?" Dora demanded, her chin jutting out sharply. Hermione thought for a moment. In the other timeline, Remus might have met Dora as a child once or twice, but he really only knew her as an adult Auror.

"When you're a little older," Hermione said helplessly. She pointed toward Mr. and Mrs. Lupin who had come to their future daughter-in-law's birthday party in their son's place. "Oh, look! It's Mr. and Mrs. Lupin!"

Dora jumped up with a squeal of happiness and ran toward the Lupins, who adored her and had always treated her well. They had become almost like another set of parents to Miss Nymphadora Tonks, which was a good thing because someday, they would be. The party proceeded according to plan, and everything was going quite well when they came to opening presents. Hermione almost murdered her husband when Dora opened his present and pulled out a beautiful cloak and hood and a bright, vibrant red. Dora, having never read muggle fairy tales, didn't understand why Uncle Sirius and Uncle James were snickering and why her Aunt Hermione and Aunt Lily looked like they wanted to smack their husbands.

"Oh, I love it!" Dora exclaimed, stroking the thick velvet of her cloak. "Mama, help me?"

Andromeda Tonks helped her daughter put on the cloak and hood, which only made Sirius and James snicker even more. Hermione elbowed her husband sharply and glared at him.

"What?" Sirius asked innocently. "I thought the color would suit her!"

"When Remus sees her in that, he's going to come unglued," Hermione growled at her husband. "We have a hard enough time as it is, getting him to view her as her own person, and as his mate."

"He won't see it," Sirius said smugly. "When he looks at it, it will appear to be dark blue."

"Sirius Orion Black!" Hermione snapped, her face pink with her displeasure.

"What?" Sirius asked in surprise, his grey eyes wide in surprise.

"You, you, you!" Hermione sputtered incoherently.

"I don't know what you've done now, Padfoot, but you're in for it," Remus said mildly from behind Hermione. She whirled about, her eyes wide as they settled on her friend. Her mouth open and closed for several moments and she settled for glaring darkly at her husband, her eyes promising severe retribution. Then she turned her attention to Remus.

"Remus, it's wonderful to see you," Hermione said warmly, giving him a quick hug and a kiss. "Have you said hello to the birthday girl?"

"Not yet, I got here just in time for the floor show," he teased Hermione who flushed pink and shot another dark look in her husband's direction.

"Let's go see her, she was terribly upset earlier," Hermione said calmly. They approached Dora who was playing with Fleur, but the moment she saw Remus she stood and walked toward him.

"Thank you for coming, Remus," she said politely. He nodded and handed her a small package. She opened it eagerly and exclaimed over the gold locket inscribed with an ornate 'L'. She opened the locket, and inside was a picture of Remus on one side and her on the other.

"I might not be able to come to all of your birthdays," he said quietly, and Hermione knew he was thinking about his phasing, although Wolfsbane potion had helped him greatly in that department. "At least this way I can sort of be there when you need me."

"I love it," Dora declared firmly, and insisted that Remus help her put it on. He blushed awkwardly and almost refused until he saw the look in Hermione's eye. He sighed heavily and did as he was told.