At age 25, Hermione Granger always knew what she wanted. Right now, what she wanted was to sit outside at the Burrow and eat lunch in the grass, soaking up the sunshine before getting stuck inside once more to clean her new apartment in Marseille. Harry and Ron were there and had been suckered into helping her get their food outside. Just as they were about to sit down, they saw Fred, George, and Remus approaching the house. "Boys! Would you like to join us for lunch?" Hermione called to them, waving them over to the trio. Fred and George passed, saying they were only stopping by to borrow a something from their dad (no one bothered to ask what, their projects were best left in the 'ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies' category), and Remus looked torn. He seemed more awkward around them lately, and Hermione worried about him. "You, too, Remus!" He smiled.
"Hermione, you called for the 'boys.' I'm in my forties, I'm hardly a boy." Hermione chuckled at that.
"Remus, all men are boys. Now sit down and have a sandwich." Remus could not resist. He knew as well as the others that she could be downright scary if things did not go her way. He sat. He ate.
"So, Remus," Harry asked between bites of turkey. "How have you been lately? We haven't seen you around much. I haven't even seen Teddy in nearly a month!" Remus shrugged.
"Oh, I've been alright. Seven-year-olds are a handful, you know. I've just been busy." He was always busy. And he said Teddy was a handful no matter how old he got. He was being evasive and Hermione knew it.
"You know, if you wanted to take a day off, to just relax I'm sure Harry wouldn't mind watching Teddy." She smiled at him, and Harry nodded fervently. He loved Teddy very much and wanted desperately to be a bigger part of his life. Remus gave her a small smile in return. Maybe a day off would do him some good, help him clear his mind and figure out a particular issue he'd been working out. A very stubborn issue.
"Perhaps you're right," he said. "Maybe I'll take a day this weekend and go hiking, something relaxing." Her eyes immediately lit up. She adored hiking. Despite all of the time she and the boys had spent camping while they were on the run, she still very much enjoyed being outdoors. It reminded her of happy times with her parents, and she just always felt at ease in the woods.
"Oh my gosh, could I come with you!?" She sounded so excited, Remus couldn't possibly tell her that wouldn't be quite as relaxing as he'd hoped. He also couldn't possibly tell her no.
"Oh, um, of course!" he stumbled out. Hermione squealed with delight and immediately started making plans of where they'd go, where she would meet him, what time, and which boxes she'd have to get unpacked in order to find her camelback and hiking boots. Remus was silently cursing himself. This was not going to help his issue. Did he mention it was stubborn? After all, Hermione Granger always knew what she wanted.