"Come on Teddy, I'll give you a chocolate frog if you settle down" Remus Lupin looked over at his son who was sitting in his high chair at the Leaky Cauldron and the one thing he wouldn't do was sit still. He was moving around waving his hands in the air, trying to reach for things on the table, talking loudly even though allot of his words still didn't make sense. Two year olds weren't known for their great communication skills. He sighed when Teddy yelled "OG" and clapped his hands together bouncing in his chair.
He would be lying if he said that he hadn't noticed the other patrons of the small pub watching him and his son. It had been hard after the war, having lost Dora like that, in fact he spent a good three months locked away in their home mourning for his wife, barely taking care of himself or his son. If it wasn't for Teddy's Grandmother, checking in on them every day and caring for Teddy things might have taken a turn for the worse. But it was a visit from his former student that had really turned things around for him.
He remembered that day just like it was yesterday instead of a little over a year ago. He and Teddy were at home alone just like always. She flooed right in, not even bothering to ask if she was allowed to visit. He had been shocked to see her standing there, her hands on her hips as she looked around and took in the sound of Teddy crying form his play pen. Her eyes knitted together and she stepped into the room waving her wand having the curtains open to let the light from the day pour inside. She talked fast and with a purpose as she moved around his house casting cleaning charms, and charming the dirty dishes in the kitchen to be cleaned and put away. She then walked over to Teddy's play pen and reached in picking him up. His son went quiet almost immediately as he smiled up at her and reached up to touch her face. She turned around his son in her arms and said in her stern no nonsense voice "Remus Lupin, I've had enough of this, I know that you are still hurting, we all are in fact, but this is no way to carry on. You are a grown man with a son to take care of and it's about time you do that. You need to get a routine down, and who knows maybe even find yourself a job. I know Kingsley has been more than up front about wanting you to head up the Magic Creatures Department and it's high time you take him up on it. Now, you go get a shower and shave for heavens shake and I will take care of lunch."
Hermione Granger was a tornado that stormed into his house uninvited and apparently had no problems telling him what to do. He might have argued with her, but he had been so surprised and somewhat intimidated by her tone and actions, that he just stood up and headed toward his room without question.
That had been a turning point for him really, it was a slow and steady road but things changed after that. Remus and Teddy went out more, they played, and Remus even got in touch with Kingsley about the position in the Magical Creatures Department. Things got much better for the Lupin family even though Remus still missed Dora every day.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed Teddy's eyes go wide and his hair shift from sandy blonde to jet black. He chuckled to himself and turned around to face the door to see Harry Potter walking in his hand resting on the small of one Miss Ginny Weasley's back as they walked into the pub.
"'Arry" Teddy said loudly clapping his hands together again reaching for his Godfather.
Remus stood up and reached out shaking hands with Harry and then moving to give Ginny a brief hug, something that he had gotten used to doing in the past year. Harry reached down and picked Teddy up out of his chair to give him a proper hug, also something that Harry had gotten accustomed to doing whenever he saw his godson.
"Hey little man you ready for lunch" Harry asked as he put him back in his seat and then sat down next to Ginny on the other side of the table.
"'Unch" Teddy said again this time smacking his hands on the small table attached to his chair. "Unch inny unch" he said again laughing this time.
"He is full of it today" Ginny said glancing to Remus from Teddy. "And you look exhausted."
"He has been like that for two straight days now, it's like he's got endless energy he's slept a total of six hours in the last two days" he said fighting a yawn as he spoke running his hands through his hair. "And the moon is only two days away, which is one reason I asked you guys to lunch."
"Unch!" Ginny couldn't stop her laugh at Teddy's enthusiasm to speak whenever he thought he should, and she had a feeling he had Hermione to thank for that, since she baby sat for Remus for an entire week about a three months ago, when he had to go on a trip for work. That had been the start of Teddy's love of talking but it had also been the last time that anyone saw Hermione near or around the Lupin's and Ginny was dying to know why.
"You want us to watch him?" Harry asked his eyes drifting down to Ginny who was trying not to look at either one of them.
Remus read the look between them and knew the answer already. They couldn't watch Teddy during the full moon. He sighed to himself and started to go through the list, Andromeda was going out of town, Harry and Ginny were a no, Molly and Arthur were already watching over little Victoria and that only left one other person.
"I'm really sorry Remus, but Ginny has a chance to audition for the Holy Harpies and she wants me to be there with her."
"Don't worry about it Harry, I completely understand." Ginny hesitated a moment before she said the same they were all thinking.
"There is always Hermione" she said carefully watching her former professor carefully trying not to smile.
Remus shifted in his seat but nodded his head. "Yes, I believe she may be the only option left" he said not sounding at all too pleased about that fact. "If she's available that is" he added not sounding so sure.
"I happen to know that she is, she actually has a break from work, four days I think it was" Harry said with a nod completely glancing over at Ginny and the pair of them shared a look.
"Well I guess that settles it, I will have to ask her" Remus said turning his attention to Tom who had come over and asked what they all wanted to eat.
Remus took a deep breath and looked down briefly at the sleeping boy in his arms, now or never really he thought to himself as he reached out with one hand and knocked on the door. He knew why he was nervous but was doing his best to will it away, he needed her help and it didn't matter what happened between them the last time he saw her, he would just have to push that away.
When the door pulled open he was met with big brown eyes looking somewhat surprised. They were quiet for a second and he wondered what she would do because at the moment he had no idea what to say. She shifted away from the door and motioned for him to come inside.
"Come on in" she said softly waiting for him and Teddy to pass before she closed the door behind them. "You can put him in the spare bedroom if you'd like" she said smiling down at Teddy who was still sound asleep. Remus nodded "Second door on the left" she said as he started to move down her hallway.
Hermione moved into the kitchen amazed by the fact that Remus Lupin was in her home. They hadn't spoke in almost three and a half months, which she both understood and thought was silly. She had been in the middle of making tea when he knocked on her door, so she pulled out two cups and poured a cup for each of them, putting a bit of sugar in hers and honey in his.
When he came into the kitchen she was already sitting at the table her tea in one hand. She motioned toward the other chair "You take it with honey right?" she asked even though she already knew the answer.
"Yes thank you" he said taking the chair opposite her. They sat in silence for a few minutes just sipping their tea both not wanting to be the first to talk. Hermione sighed though knowing that this could go on forever and so she finally spoke first.
"I assume you need me to watch Teddy day after tomorrow?" She sat back in her chair and looked at him cautiously waiting for his response.
"As a matter of fact yes" he said his tone stressed, it was then that she saw how tired he looked and she felt her awkwardness shift.
"Are you alright? You look completely knackered." She spoke softly wondering if he had been having a hard time lately.
"Teddy has been more than a handful the past couple of days; he's only let me have about 6 hours of sleep in the past two days. If it wasn't for Harry and lunch he probably wouldn't be asleep now." Hermione chuckled, she knew that Harry thoroughly enjoyed his Godson and she knew that when the time came he would be a great Father. She hadn't realized that they had fallen into another awkward silence but when she focused on him again she knew that he was thinking and she had a pretty good feeling about what he was thinking, But before she could say anything he spoke.
"Hermione I really want to apologize for what happened the last time you watched Teddy, it was a mistake and it never should have happened." She knew he was still talking but she couldn't help but let herself sink into the memory of what happened so many months ago.
"And what are these?"
"Ooks" Hermione grinned wide as Teddy kept saying his new words, it had taken most of their week together but he was really getting it, Hermione had been determined to help him with his words, instead of all the pointing he was doing, this way more people would be able to help him get what he wanted. "Mik" he said suddenly waddling toward the kitchen his hands out stretched. She laughed and followed him into the kitchen and fixed him a drink and setting him up to watch a muggle tv show with cartoon characters that Hermione hadn't been able to figure out, but Teddy loved it and kept him quiet while she fixed dinner so she didn't want to rock that boat.
She was just about done with dinner when she heard Teddy yell happily "Daddy." Hermione stepped out of the kitchen whipping her hand on a towel and smiled as Remus picked up Teddy and give him a hug.
"How was everything?" he asked carrying Teddy into the kitchen "Did he behave for you?" he asked taking a deep breath and grinned "And what smells so good?"
"Everything was fine, Teddy was great, and that would be a roast with veggies and some fresh baked bread." Hermione said with a smile "And I hope Teddy has something to surprise you with." She said.
Remus looked down at his son and then back to Hermione and raised an eyebrow. "Teddy" Hermione said looking at him with a grin "What's in your cup." She asked. He looked at her and then down to the cup in his hand and then up at his Dad and said quietly, as though he wasn't sure if he was going to be right but said "Mik" Hermione beamed at him and looked to Remus.
"That's right" he said tossing his son into the air laughing. Teddy realized that his words had pleased his father and decided to say more.
"Inner Miney inner!" Teddy reached for Hermione and laughed.
"I had better go and let you guys eat" she said but Remus was already shaking his head.
"Nonsense, you should stay, after all you made it and it smells delicious."
Hermione stayed for dinner, and even cleaned the kitchen while Remus gave Teddy a bath and then got him ready for bed. They all played a game together, then sat down in the living room, Teddy curled up in Remus' lap while they watched another muggle cartoon that served its purpose of putting the young boy to sleep. Hermione thought about leaving when he went to put him to bed. Instead she put all of her stuff in her single bag, grinning at the extendable charm she had placed on the bag so that she would only have to carry one.
"Leaving already?" Remus asked coming back from Teddy's room. Hermione nodded "Stay for a night cap, I can tell you all about my trip?" She hesitated but then nodded letting her curiosity of his trip getting the better of her. They settled in the living room, Remus nursing a small glass of firewhiskey while Hermione had a class of wine in hand. Remus had made a great deal of progress with gaining support for wanting to keep the Werewolf and Vampire Registry secret, or rather not open to the public. It was a major issue, people thought they had a right to know, while those who were on the registry thought that they deserved the right to keep their lives private. Remus had suggested that as long as nothing happened, and the correct provisions were taken to ensure that no creature would hurt a human, that there shouldn't be any reason why they couldn't keep the registry secret.
"Remus that's great, you made allot of progress, and I am sure that you were able to give them a fresh point of view." She smiled at him and then happened to glance at the clock. "I should be going it's getting late" she said standing up. He did as well, moving across the living room toward the door where her bag was.
"Thank you again for watching him all week." He said as the both stood by the door.
"It was no problem, he learned a good variety of words with me this week, make sure he uses them" she said with a grin, before reaching up and giving him a hug. This was something she would normally do, it was a very Hermione thing to do, something that Remus had taken a while to get used to.
But what changed this time was the fact that when she went to place her normal kiss on his cheek he shifted probably wanting to say something to her but her lips happen to graze over his and in that moment they both froze as she pulled back slightly, completely unsure of what had just happened. Her eyes were wide and careful though waiting to see what he was going to do. She was about to apologize and slid out the front door but she never got the chance.
He closed the small gap between them and pressed his lips to her's in another kiss. Her brain was completely blank, but her lips acted of their own accord moving in time with his. She had never thought about kissing him before, it was Remus, but the only thing she could think at the moment was how nice it felt, his lips were softer than she thought they would be, and when his tongue caressed the seam of her lips she gasped in surprise and let him in, her tongue darting forward carefully at first but soon they became tangled together.
He had a strong grip, she had remembered the feel of his hand holding onto her hip while his other moved up to cradle her neck. Seconds turned to minutes and she lost herself completely their lips moving effortlessly together. She didn't even seem to notice what they were really doing when his lips left hers and he kissed his way down her neck stopping at her collar bone. Hermione let her body decide what to do, instead she tilted her head letting her hair fall away and then she leaned into him a gentle moan escaping her lips when he gently bit on her neck. That seem to be some sort of wake up call for him, because he moved again taking her lips with his, pressing himself against her and in effect pressing her further into the door. Her hands moved finally it seemed from their resting place around his waist, she did her best to maneuver her hands from his waist up to his neck. She laced her fingers in the air at the base of his neck and kissed him hard as she felt herself starting to really get carried away with what they were doing, and she really didn't care. He answered in kind the hand that was on her hip shifting to grab her bum. She gasped again against his lips arching into him at the same time. She could have sworn she heard him growl before pulling at her bottom lip with his teeth.
"DADDY!"
That was the one thing that would have stopped them. He pulled away from her and both of them just sort of stared at each other for a moment. Her lips were red and plump she could feel them along with the fact that she felt ten degrees hotter than normal. He looked completely lost for a moment and it almost looked as though he was going to say something when they heard Teddy call for him again.
"You should go" was what came from his lips next, she was shocked but nodded anyway, and opened the door, glancing inside as he headed toward Teddy's room before she closed the door behind her and headed back to her place.
"Hermione?" Remus had been trying to get her attention for the last few moments, though she seemed to be lost in thought completely. "Hermione?" he said again reaching across the table and touching her arm. Her eyes flew up at the same moment and looked at him somewhat startled. "Are you okay?"
She looked at him and wondered if he had been talking the whole time and how long he had been trying to get her attention. She had the memory fresh in her mind and looked at him and got this determined feelings. She took a breath and decided, they were going to talk, whether he wanted to or not.
"It wasn't a mistake" she said her eyes shifting up to meet his. She held his gaze and wasn't at all surprised to see the look of shock on his face. He parted his lips as though he was going to say something but then closed them. "I can't say that I have harbored secret feelings for you over the years, but what happened," she paused for a minute, her eyes darkening as she remembered their shared kisses. "Was not a mistake, it felt too right to be a mistake."
Remus took a steadying breath, he had no idea that she would have defended what had happened between them. She had been the first woman that he kissed since his wife passed, and that was something else that made him feel guilty about the whole thing. He knew it was ridiculous to feel guilty, he knew that Dora would want him to be happy and find love again, but he still missed her.
"Remus say something, besides it was a mistake." Hermione raised an eyebrow waiting for him to answer her challenge.
"Perhaps mistake is the wrong word," he said slowly shifting his eyes from hers. She waited, hoping for something more, anything really but it seemed as though he still had no idea what to say. She sighed feeling herself get frustrated.
"Well I don't know about you but I enjoyed it." Her voice was even, as if she was stating a fact like she would have done in school. She eyed him carefully wondering if this was going to illicit a response from him, and it did.
"I can't be in a relationship Hermione," Hermione felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of her, she hadn't even thought about a relationship, she had wanted to talk about it, maybe put it behind them and get on with being friends instead of feeling awkward and not speaking to each other for months.
"I don't remember asking you for one" she said leaning back in her chair her cup of tea forgotten on the table. "I am tired of things being so weird with us, we kissed. We both liked it, unless I am mistaken." She looked at him and when he nodded his head in agreement she went on. "You don't want a relationship, which is fine by me, but I would like my friend back." She folded her arms over her chest and watched him. His face seemed to relax as she said this and he nodded again. "Good, no more weirdness, and no more avoiding each other?" She asked extending her hand across the table. She heard him chuckle but he reached out and took her hand firmly in his.
"Promise" as he spoke Hermione was hit with a realization that she hadn't had while she was talking before, Remus was warm, warmer than everything else around her it seemed. She smiled back at him and wondered if he was always this warm, or if was just from his hands having been wrapped around his hot cup of tea.
"So day after tomorrow?" she asked sliding her hand from his.
"I really appreciate it, it seemed like everyone else already had plans." He looked tired again, and she wondered if it was more than just Teddy being wound up for the past two days. "I'm glad we are back on good terms. I have hated being on the outs with you. You've been a great motivator for me after the war, Teddy and I owe you allot."
"I've missed you and Teddy too." Hermione said with a soft smile, "I'm looking forward to watching him, I've had something in mind for us to work on, and this weekend will be perfect." Since it was close to Halloween, Hermione had a muggle craft project for them to do. Hopefully he would enjoy it as much as she did when she was younger.
"I'm sure he will like that." Remus said standing up from the table. She glanced at the clock and sighed, it would be time for dinner soon and she didn't want to push it by inviting him to stay for dinner. Better keep things casual with them right now. "I better go and…"
"Miney" Hermione laughed but glanced out from the kitchen as she moved from her seat to see Teddy moving down the hallway at a steady pace clapping his hands together. She met him half way and scooped him up.
"Hey there Teddy Bear," she said giving him a hug,
"Miney, ungry," he said again reaching up and patting her face lightly. "Eeos?"
"What on earth?" Remus said looking confused at his son's words.
"He means Cheetos." Hermione said. "Something I keep on hand, it's a muggle snack."
"Ees and Eeos!" Teddy said loudly grinning toothily at Hermione
She thought for a minute and then looked over at Remus "Would you two like to stay for Grilled Cheeses sandwiches and possibility Cheetos?" Remus laughed but nodded reaching out to take Teddy so that Hermione could get started on their dinner.
"How on earth do you understand what he says?" He asked, and as Hermione launched into an explanation about how she had taught him how to say some words, and then it just was a matter of her paying close attention. Remus was amazed at this young almost 20 year old woman. What would he have ever done without her?
