Hermione subconsciously snuggled into the warmth beside her. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes she had to suppress a gasp. The warmth was coming from a body. Not any body though. A black tousle haired, tall yet skinny body. Harry.
"Morning!" Sirius smirked from the other side, making Hermione jump.
"Sirius! You… startled me!" she stammered. "Why isn't Harry in his room?"
Sirius grinned at her.
"You probably don't remember… but you were having a nightmare last night. We decided that one of us should stay with you. Remus thought you might object to the idea of having either of us here, and Harry was all too willing.
The young witch blushed brightly and ran her hand through her hair.
Just then, Harry groaned and began to stir. Hermione instantly jumped up off of the sofa to give him some space.
"Morning Prongslet!" Sirius chimed. "Moony's making breakfast!"
"G.. Great!" Harry yawned. "Where's… oh morning 'Mione!"
"M.. Morning H.. Harry." Hermione mumbled blushing furiously again.
"Breakfast is up guys!" Remus called from the kitchen.
Looking down at herself, Hermione sighed approvingly- she was wearing a tracksuit and t-shirt. Thank god she was in pj's and not underwear!
Sirius shot a wink at her before he put his arm around Harry and led the two of them into the kitchen.
Hermione ate her egg and toast in silence, smiling as Remus, Sirius and Harry chatted and laughed easily. After she finished eating, Hermione sat fidgeting with her shirt, whilst she waited for the others to finish.
"Hey, Hermione. Why don't you go and get dressed?" Remus suggested.
Nodding Hermione stood from her seat.
"Leave your stuff in my room. I don't mind sleeping on the sofa." Harry instructed.
"Oh, no, Harry you sleep in your room. I'll be fine in the living room." Hermione protested.
"I'd give in now, Hermione." Sirius smirked. "You'll never beat the bloody Potter stubbornness."
Harry winked at his best friend causing her to blush and run out of the room. Sirius snickered at Harry, making his godson avoid his eyes embarrassedly.
"Sooooo Prongslet, is there something going on between you and darling Mione?" Sirius teased.
"N.. No. N.. nothing…. Why?" Harry stammered.
"Well, you were rather quick to volunteer last night." Remus pointed out, causing Harry to scowl at the werewolf.
"Neither of you could have done anything!" Harry protested. "Remus, you were our teacher, Sirius, you're my godfather."
"Yep, keep the excuses coming, pup." Sirius chortled.
Harry glared at his godfather and the two marauders rolled their eyes. The three spent the next 20 minutes talking of what they would do today, deciding to leave the decision to Hermione.
When said girl did return, she was dressed in denim shorts and a white slouch top, her thick, curly hair tied in a messy bun on the top of her head.
Offering Harry a small smile she told them all to go and change.
Sirius jokingly set her the job of washing up, which she immediately took to as a task that would distract her buzzing mind.
When the boys returned, the washing up was done, the table was cleaned, the cutlery was organised and put away, the floor was swept and even the windows had been cleaned.
"Wow! Are we really that dirty?" Sirius laughed.
Hermione jumped and mouthed wordlessly while Harry grinned at her and Remus inspected the kitchen with a surprised yet impressed expression.
"There was no need to clean up, Hermione. Padfoot was joking about the washing up, you know." Remus told her with a genuine smile that made her feel at ease.
"I… I suppose I just wanted something to fix my attention to, Professor." Hermione stammered.
"There is no need to call me Professor, Hermione. I haven't taught you in a couple of years." Remus informed her.
"Sorry… Remus." Hermione beamed. "Anyway, I suppose we should get on with whatever it is we're doing."
"That is up to you. We do whatever you want to do." Sirius smirked. "I rather favour spending our time exploring the country's clubs and bars."
"Sirius! Harry and I are not of age!" Hermione gaped. "That's a completely ludicrous suggestion."
At this the other three burst into laughter.
"Only joking!" Sirius snickered. "Of course I wouldn't let you and little baby Harry go drinking."
Harry scowled at the emphasis on little and baby.
"Come on Sirius!" he complained. "I'm fifteen! And Hermione is nearly sixteen."
"Still not going clubbing." Hermione and Remus pressed forcefully.
"Fine!" Harry grumbled, making Sirius chuckle.
"So where will it be, Hermione?" Remus asked.
"Well, I've always wanted to visit Stonehenge. Apart from it being an incredible historical sight, it's also a mind-blowingly powerful magical place of sanctuary." Hermione decided.
Harry smirked at his best friend's choice of outing and watched as Sirius tried to conceal a groan.
"We'll need to have you disguised, Hermione. We've all got different names too. Harry is Harvey Evans. Sirius and I are his two uncles, Robert and Steven Evans. You could be his sister, we could make the two of you look similar. We all have to change appearance anyway." Remus explained.
"Do I get to choose my name?" Hermione questioned eagerly.
"Not a chance! Harry chose mine I wanna choose one." Sirius agreed.
"Erm.. Ok but nothing inappropriate or stupid… right?" Hermione agreed nervously, making Harry and Remus chuckle.
"I was going to say Hannah, but if you'd prefer something a little more… risqué" Sirius teased.
"No! No! Hannah is fine thank you, Sirius." Hermione said instantly. "Let's go."
Sirius and Harry groaned, hoping that they might have been able to somehow wriggle out of the outing, but Remus offered them all his arm, and the four disapparated.
"It's simply fascinating here!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.
"Really Pup? You have a crush on a bookworm?" Sirius grumbled jokingly.
"She's not just a bookworm, Padfoot. She's my best friend. We've been through a lot together, and she's got me out of a lot of sticky situations. I trust her with my life." Harry told him truthfully.
"So when are you going to tell her?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"What? Erm… I dunno….. I can't ask her out, Sirius! She might not like me!" Harry protested.
Remus chuckled, "You can see where James breaks off and Harry starts."
"Yeah, the girl's opinion never mattered to James as long as he won in the end." Sirius snickered.
"So.. I'm wrong. I should be more like Dad?" Harry questioned, biting his lip anxiously.
"No, Prongslet, you be you." Sirius said firmly.
"But you could do with building up your confidence a bit. Hermione's a lovely girl." Remus suggested.
Harry shifted awkwardly and blushed when Hermione ran over and grabbed his hand pulling him no over to see something that she found 'incredibly fascinating'.
"Ahh, don't you think their cute Moony." Sirius cooed.
"You know, in some ways, they remind me of James and Lily." Remus smiled softly. "Harry is of course his father's image long with his bravery and nose for trouble. But he also has Lily's compassion. Hermione has this too, along with Lily's smarts and the way her eyes dance when she's excited."
"You know Moony, you couldn't be more right! Those two kids really are James and Lily." Sirius chuckled.
Two hours later, Hermione was sat cross legged on the sofa with a book in her lap and her hair falling lightly into her eyes.
"Hermione, can I have a word?" Remus asked at last. He had been watching the young girl for half an hour now and knew that there was definitely something wrong!
"Sure, Remus." Hermione agreed. Standing and closing her book.
Hermione followed her ex professor into his bedroom where she took a seat on the bed and looked nervously up at Remus.
"Hermione, you were not reading." Remus began.
"I.. I was reading!" Hermione stammered.
"You were not paying attention to the book. Your eye line was just above the page. You have not turned the page once in half an hour." Remus told her bluntly.
"Oh." Hermione murmured.
"What's on your mind, Hermione?" Remus asked quietly, taking a seat beside her.
"My parents. My parents have an effect on me even when they are not in the room." She sighed. "I love them very much, but they are not exactly the most understanding of people at times. When Professor McGonagall told us that I was a witch, they were extremely disappointed and it showed. They told me that all of the plans that they had made for me had fallen through. I was so ashamed of myself for being different, but I couldn't help being excited for Hogwarts. When I first got my wand and equipment, they looked at them with great distaste. I locked myself in my room for days learning my books by heart. I thought perhaps if I did well, then my parents would love me again. I know now that they did love me, but I have always felt like a disappointment."
"Oh Hermione. Being a witch is a wonderful thing. You were born from muggles with the powers of those born from wizards. That alone is not just something to be proud of, but something to adore. Parents are difficult things. My condition often made me feel like a disappointment to my parents, I felt as if I was something to be ashamed of. My logic worked like yours. Do well and be loved. But my parents loved me anyway, just as yours love you. Whether your parents had plans for you or not, this is your life, you have worked hard, you should be very very proud of yourself. Just as I am. Just as everyone else who loves you is." Remus preached.
Tears formed in Hermione's eyes and Remus put his arm around her. Hermione let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding and slowly put her head in his shoulder.
"Thank you, Remus." she whispered, and the werewolf squeezed her arm.