Title: Jasper
Author: Jill
Rating: This part - G, may get slightly more grown-up in the future, still
to be decided.
Pairing: Hermione/Remus
Summary: Hermione's a teacher (bear with me) she comes upon Remus in a
unique situation one night and becomes determined to help, putting her in
the midst of a situation that could change everyone's lives.
Spoilers: None really
Disclaimer: The adult characters aren't mine, J.K. Rowling owns them.
Jasper is mine as are the rest of the kids.
Feedback: Yes Please! Let me know what you think!
Jasper - Chapter 1
The sound woke her from a fitful sleep. She'd fallen asleep on her sofa again, lulled by the warmth of the fire and the sheer dullness of the fifth years' History of Magic essays she had been trying diligently to grade. As much as she hated to admit it, fifth year History of Magic was about as exciting as watching flobberworms grow. Most of the curriculum is the History of the Ministry of Magic and the pointless arguments therein. It's pretty much a study in the Percy Weasleys of the world and the only word to describe it is dull, even to the Professor. She ignored the sound that awoke her, assuming it was part of another one of her "baby dreams" as she called them. I'm twenty-seven years old, she thought to herself, the biological clock is ticking.
She glanced at the clock which, to her despair read, "Time to finish grading essays." She sat up, and with a yawn, took up her discarded quill.
Then she heard the sound again, quieter this time, but just as clear. There was no mistaking that this was no dream. There was a baby crying in the hall outside her chambers.
Odd, she thought, there are no babies at Hogwarts. In fact, to her knowledge, none of the Hogwarts teachers had any children at all. The situation warranted an investigation, and it sure beat grading essays.
She stood and started towards the door. Immediately she noticed the absence of the warmth being away from the fire. The chill easily penetrated her loose fitting pajamas. The crimson silk covered her from ankle to wrist but didn't do much to keep out the drafty castle air. She threw the afghan she'd been wrapped in around her shoulders and tentatively left her chamber. Hearing the foreign sound of the obviously unhappy infant echo down the corridor nearly broke her heart and she headed toward the noise.
The sight that awaited her when she turned the corner charmed her to her toes. Sitting on the stone floor of the hallway leaning against the wall and cradling a wimpering bundle of something in his arms sat a very frustrated Remus Lupin.
"Remus?" she asked as she crossed to him and kneeled in front of him, reaching out tentatively to pull the blanket back, uncovering the face of the most beautiful baby Hermione had ever seen. "Okay, I'm going to bypass all of the obvious questions and ask the most immediate one. Can I help you?" She instinctively reached out to gather the child in her arms.
Remus didn't put up much of a fight, except to wearily say, "You don't have to do that Hermione," even as he allowed her to remove the squirming bundle from his arms.
But Hermione barely heard him. She was so wrapped up in the infant cuddled against her, Remus could have stripped all of his clothes off and stood on his head and Hermione wouldn't have noticed. The baby was still squirming and crying, obviously uncomfortable. Hermione quietly drew her wand and whispered a charm Remus had never heard before.
"Relaxo Pressum"
Almost immediately the child quieted, settled and within a few minutes was sleeping soundly.
Remus was astounded. "How did you do that?" he asked. He'd tried everything feeding, changing, rocking, singing, and various toys and noisemakers, nothing worked and he told her so.
She reluctantly tore her adoring gaze from the baby and her eyes met his even as a tear made it's way slowly down her cheek. Her voice broke as she answered him. "Just a simple relief charm. He needed a good burp, that's all." She returned her focus to the bundle and she wiped another tear from her cheek.
"Hermione, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He wanted to reach out to her, but thought better of it. Out of the frying pan, into the fire, he thought bemusedly, first a crying child, and now a crying woman. Remus knew just slightly less about crying women than he did about crying babies and was at a loss as to how to deal with this unusual situation. "Hermione, please don't cry, what did I do? Tell me." he gave up.
Hermione lifted her eyes to his and smiled, the happy twinkle in her eye was new. Remus had never seen it before. "He's beautiful" she stated simply as another tear escaped her eye. "What's his name?"
"Jasper" he answered, scooting closer to her on the floor so he could get a closer look at the baby. "but how did you know he's a boy? I mean you didn't.look" he blushed, "so."
Hermione chuckled through her tears. "Call it woman's intuition. I can just tell Remus."
Remus had more questions for her regarding her knowledge of and obvious talent with infants, but as he opened his mouth to speak he knew it was useless. Hermione's focus had fallen back on Jasper, and his questions would have to wait.
So he did. He watched Hermione watching Jasper and was struck at how beautiful and natural the scene was. There she sat, wrapped in a blanket on the stone floor of a hallway in her red silk pajama pants and for a second Remus considered telling her that one of the buttons on the matching silk shirt was undone, but decided not to disturb her. Snuggled safely in her arms was this mystery of a child, wrapped in a sea green blanket, breathing easily and sleeping peacefully. But for all the wackiness of the situation, Hermione seemed completely at home. She looked perfect.almost ethereal.
They sat in silence for several more minutes before Hermione looked up and realized what had been going on. "Oh, Remus, I'm sorry. I don't know why I reacted to him this way." She sniffed. "It's probably just because it's late, and I'm tired, and little Jasper here is quite a bit more interesting than the stack of essays waiting in my sitting room."
"You're very good with him," he said quietly, "you seemed to know what was wrong before you even touched him. It was quite amazing."
"The way he was moving," she explained, "it was obvious he was in pain. Didn't you burp him after his bottle Remus?" Remus looked sheepish.
"I tried.but nothing.well.I just.he was crying and.I thought it was something else. I thought maybe he was sick so I was bringing him to Madam Pomfrey, but she wasn't there.an emergency in the dungeon.so I tried to quiet him a bit.and.I'm so tired.I just sat for a second.he wouldn't stop.and.I.I."
"All right, Remus, no harm done, he's fine, see?" she looked down and her eyes shimmered again. She tucked the sleeping baby gently back into Remus's arms. "See?" She paused, watching him awkwardly trying to figure out how to hold Jasper without risking waking him. "He's perfect," she finished with reverence.
Once again Hermione rescued him. "Like this," she showed him how to cradle the baby's head and support his back.
Remus smiled. "I like him like this, he's a mite difficult when he's awake."
"It just takes patience, and practice, you'll get the hang of it before he goes back to his mum and dad." The statement was almost a dig for information, but Remus didn't bite so Hermione took a less subtle tack. "Remus, if you don't mind my asking, how on earth did an infant boy come under your care?"
There was a flash of.what? Sadness? Anger? Fear? in his eyes and Remus became uncomfortable. He gently stood up so as not to disturb Jasper and made his excuses. "Thank you for your help Hermione, what you did tonight was truly miraculous, but it's late and I need to get him to bed, and it sounds like you should be getting there yourself. I suggest you leave those essays for tomorrow, they'll keep until then. I'll walk you to your rooms. It's been a big night for all of us."
It was obvious from Remus's lack of answer that there was no use talking about it anymore tonight, but there was obviously more to talk about and it would give her an excuse to see Jasper again, so Hermione let it go.
At her door she turned to face Remus and looked down at Jasper, still sound asleep. She swept a gentle hand across his forhead and whispered a soft "Goodnight" the tears threatening again as her eyes met Remus's.
He gave her a weak smile, muttered something that sounded like "thank you" and started down the hall.
"Let me know if you need anything else." She said just loud enough for him to hear. Her lonely voice echoed down the corridor, but Remus didn't turn around.
Hermione entered her chambers, took Remus's advice and left the essays for later. She folded the blanket neatly on the back of the sofa and crawled into bed. She went to sleep thinking about Jasper. What is he doing here? Why is Remus playing daddy all of a sudden? Why did I react the way I did when I held him? Her questions all remained unanswered.
End Chapter 1 TBC
Title: Jasper Author: Jill Rating: This part - G, may get slightly more grown-up in the future, still to be decided. Pairing: Hermione/Remus Summary: Hermione's a teacher (bear with me) she comes upon Remus in a unique situation one night and becomes determined to help, putting her in the midst of a situation that could change everyone's lives. Spoilers: None really Disclaimer: The adult characters aren't mine, J.K. Rowling owns them. Jasper is mine as are the rest of the kids. Feedback: Yes Please! Let me know what you think!
Jasper - Chapter 2
Hermione woke early the next morning and finished grading essays. Glad to have it done, she headed to the Great Hall. She had an hour before the second year Hufflepuffs invaded her classroom. It was a great way to start her Friday, Hufflepuffs are sweet and this particular batch were particularly inquisitive. They wanted her to teach them things, and because Ancient Chinese Dragon Lore was one of the most enjoyable units in her entire curriculum. She looked forward to getting started.
She sat down in her usual spot at the Head Table and poured a glass of pumpkin juice. She helped herself to a Belgian waffle, smothered generously with butter and maple syrup. She looked around, hoping to see that Remus had brought Jasper to breakfast with him, but she knew that the baby was probably a secret and showing up in the Great Hall with him would be opening some sort of Pandora's Box that Remus would just as soon avoid.
Still, she had so many unanswered questions. She decided to get to Remus's chambers after classes today to speak with him and see Jasper.
Classes went smoothly, Hermione didn't see Remus at lunch or dinner so after dinner and an hour or so getting her lesson plans for Monday put together so she could have an easy, worry free weekend, she headed for Remus's rooms.
She knocked quietly. She heard some muffled shuffling through the large portrait of a stern witch in red robes and what looked to be a crimson phoenix feather in her hat. "She looked down her long pointy nose at Hermione who was feeling quite meek in the presence of the formidable portrait. "The Professor cannot be disturbed," she stated smoothly.
"Please, I need to speak with him." She pleaded. This portrait was different that the large full moon that usually hung in front of Remus's door. Hermione wondered about the change, but had more important things on her mind.
"Password?" the witch snapped back.
"I'm sorry, I don't know the new password."
"Then, kindly remove yourself from this corridor, missy. The Professor cannot be disturbed." She repeated and turned her nose up.
Not to be dismissed that easily, Hermione knocked again, this time more firmly. The witch in red was becoming more incensed by Hermione's presence and just as she opened her mouth to speak again, the portrait swung open and there stood Remus.
"Hello Remus. I came to see how you were getting on with the little one."
"Hermione, good evening, um, I'm sorry, but Jasper's no longer here, he went back to his parents this afternoon, I'm sorry you didn't get to see him again, but, you see, you've nothing more to worry about. He's safe and sound.now, I've got some grading I really must do, so if you don't mind.perhaps we could have tea tomorrow? I'll come by your rooms around two. I'm sorry to be so abrupt. Good night." And he began to close the portrait.
But Hermione caught the door and held it open. "Remus, what's going on, you're acting very strangely" and almost as if the fates were intervening, a perfectly timed infants cry floated through the chambers.
Hermione's eyes narrowed and she pushed past Remus and made a beeline for the sound. Remus grabbed her elbow in an effort to try to stop her. "Hermione," he pleaded, "this is none of your business, go back to your rooms and forget you ever met Jasper."
"No, Remus, and get your hand off me. I don't know what's going on with that baby, but I can't help but feel it has something to do with me. I refuse to ignore a crying baby, so I'm going to see to Jasper, and you're going to let me. Then, we're going to sit down and you're going to tell me everything. Excuse me." And she was off.
"Hermione." but it was no use. Hermione returned to the front room, a now happy Jasper cooing in her arms, and on her face was the same look of reverant adoration he'd seen the night before. Remus sighed and shook his head. This was going to be hard, really, really hard.
Hermione sat in the antique wooden rocking chair in the hopes that a gentle rocking would put Jasper back to sleep. She, of course, was right. Within a few minutes the baby was snoring softly and a permanent lump had settled in Hermione's throat as she fought back tears. Why do I feel this connection to him? She asked herself for the millionth time. She couldn't help but thinking that Remus had the answer, so she looked at him expectantly. "Well, Remus, I'm waiting. Start explaining."
Remus shook his head again. "Please don't make me do this Hermione. You can be with Jasper as much as you want, but please don't make me tell you why he's here."
Hermione's turn to shake her head. "Not good enough Remus. I need to know why you've been put in charge of him. Why did you feel the need to lie to me? And why, when I look at him do I feel like my life finally makes sense?" her voice cracked at this last question and she resumed her adoration of the sleeping child. "I know you know, Remus, and I can stay here all night."
"Hermione, look at me." She did. "Hermione." he paused, unsure if he should actually start down this road. He knelt next to the rocking chair so he could see Jasper's face. "Jasper.is.my son." He'd said it, and it felt good, and now he looked to Hermione, gauging her reaction.
"Oh Remus," Hermione's already fragile composure fell, and she was crying again. "I.I don't know what to say."
"Well," he quipped good-naturedly, "this is a red-letter day. Hermione Granger with nothing to say." They both smiled.
"Remus, why couldn't you just tell me." She laid a hand on his cheek. "I think it's wonderful.but, there's more.isn't there.I need."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He cut her off.
"Try me," she countered.
Remus reluctantly removed her hand from his face, immediately missing the warmth of the intimate caress. He couldn't allow himself to feel that close to her when he told her the rest. "Hermione.Jasper, he's.God, he's.your son too."
End Chapter 2 TBC
Title: Jasper Author: Jill Rating: This part - PG to PG-13-ish. Hermione says some nasty things, but nothing too shocking. May get slightly more grown-up in the future, still to be decided. Pairing: Hermione/Remus Summary: Hermione's a teacher (bear with me) she comes upon Remus in a unique situation one night and becomes determined to help, putting her in the midst of a situation that could change everyone's lives. Spoilers: None really Disclaimer: The adult characters aren't mine, J.K. Rowling owns them. Jasper is mine. Feedback: Yes Please! Let me know what you think!
Author Notes: I know this part's short. I promise many more questions will be answered in the next chapter. I'm still drafting it.
Jasper - Chapter 3
The room was painfully silent, but only for a second. Almost immediately the sound of the palm of her hand landing with almost supernatural force across his left cheek echoed throughout the room.
SMACK!
The force of impact threw him backwards and he landed ungracefully on his arse. Hermione tore from the room. Fortunately, Jasper hadn't awoken and she was able to lay him gently in his crib before she lost complete control on the anger roiling through her.
What on earth would posess him to tell such horrible lies. To tell her something that was obviously impossible, which couldn't be true. How does one even make up something like that. That perfect infant couldn't be hers. Did he intend to bait her with something he knew would fill her with joy only to yank it away later? Why? Why? She simply didn't understand.
Hermione was pacing now, wringing her hands and running them through her hair. She was muttering incoherently to herself, trying desperately to clear her thoughts. Trying to make sense of each new pang of hurt threatening to overtake her.
Remus chose that time to approach her. "Hermione." he said tentatively. She didn't hear him. "Hermione." again no answer. "HERMIONE!" he said forcefully and she looked up at him. Her entire being radiated contempt.
"Please let me explain" he softened his voice now that he had her attention.
"Piss off Remus!" she exclaimed. He was taken aback. To his knowledge, Hermione never swore. "You don't get to talk right now. How could you? I don't know what you're playing at you insufferable bastard, but if this is your idea of a cruel joke, than you deserve the Unforgivable Curse I'm about to cast on you." At this she began to pull her wand from beneath her robes. "What would posess you to tell such a monstrous falsehood. What kind of twisted mind can even fabricate such a lie?" she raised her wand and pointed it at him. "How did you know, Remus?" Lupin began to approach her hesitantly, so as not to alarm her. She was serious about hexing him into next week, and now she wasn't making sense. How did he know what? She continued her rant. "How could you possibly know how badly I want to be a mother? The dreams, God the constant dreams. The hollow ache, it never goes away." At this point Hermione had drawn completely into herself as though she weren't even addressing him anymore. Her hands were in her hair and she was shaking her head. "To exploit something so precious, so personal, for what? For amusement? For revenge?" By now Remus had reached Hermione, had removed her wand from her hand without her noticing and was trying to get her attention once again. She reacted violently. She pushed him away. "Get your hands of me! Don't touch me LUPIN! To let me love that boy and tell me something like this!" she was struggling against him but he wasn't letting go. Her fists were flying, landing willy- nilly on his chest and arms. "I can't believe.I thought we were friends.I thought we were.more.you said you loved.no.no.you can't.I hate you, you hateful excuse for a human. LET GO DAMMIT!" she struggled more and he held on tighter, she was practically incoherent. Her face was red and tears covered her cheeks. "Why, Remus. I don't understand. Why would you.How can I." her fists were landing harder. "It's not true.it's NOT! It's not.it's not.it's not." With this last statement she collapsed against him, violent sobs wracking her body. She allowed him to envelop her in his arms. Remus stroked her back silently as she cried, trying diligently to hold back his own tears. He was unsuccessful. They streamed with abandon down his face and into her hair.
A half an hour later found them curled up with each other in an overstuffed arm chair next to the very spot the outburst had taken place. She sat on his lap, her face buried in the crook of his neck, hiccoughing quietly in her sleep. He continued to comfort her. His hands gently stroked her back, her cheeks, her hair. Neither of them had brought up the subject of his confession until tonight. Two weeks ago on a long walk together around the lake, he'd confessed to Hermione that he was in love with her. It was the truth, but she was taken aback. She told Remus that while she was very fond of him, there was a lot to think about and they should take things slow. He'd agreed, and until tonight neither of them had spoken of it again. Three days later he'd found out about Jasper and the day after that Dumbledore had presented him with his son, making Remus promise to keep him a secret from Hermione. Now he watched her sleep and rehearsed the upcoming conversation in his head.
Title: Jasper Author: Jill Rating: This part - PG to PG-13-ish. Hermione says some nasty things, but nothing too shocking. May get slightly more grown-up in the future, still to be decided. Pairing: Hermione/Remus Summary: Hermione's a teacher (bear with me) she comes upon Remus in a unique situation one night and becomes determined to help, putting her in the midst of a situation that could change everyone's lives. Spoilers: None really Disclaimer: The adult characters aren't mine, J.K. Rowling owns them. Baby Jasper is mine. Feedback: Yes Please! Let me know what you think!
Jasper - Chapter 4
Hermione woke after about an hour. Without looking at Remus she got up, went into the bedroom to check on Jasper and returned wrapped in a quilt. She sat herself on the sofa away from Remus and stared into the fire. She hadn't said a word.
After a few minutes Remus began to be concerned and just before he made a move towards her, to try to pull some kind of response from her, Hermione began to laugh. It started as just a small bubbling chuckle, became a louder giggle and within a few minutes Hermione was all but guffawing at the fire. She was clutching her stomach and could barely get a breath in.
"Sweet Merlin, she's gone bonkers," Remus muttered under his breath. "I've driven her mad."
The laughing stopped gradually. Hermione still did not look at Remus, she simply stated, "I'm listening."
Remus knew this was his cue to begin explaining. He cleared his throat. This was going to take awhile. He started with the good things.
"His full name is Jasper Horatio Lupin, he was born on July 5 at 2:09 am. Which makes him just over 3 months old. At birth he weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 22 inches long. It's probably best you don't remember your labor and delivery. Hardest 2 days of my life, and I imagine yours too." He smiled. It was an attempt to lighten the mood and he was surprised to find that it actually worked. Hermione managed a weak smirk directed towards the fire. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Remus anticipated her question.
"Before you ask, no, we never.er.copulated." at this Hermione snorted in an effort to stifle her laughter. She finally turned to face him.
"Well, goodness Remus, the way you make it sound, I'm glad. You make it sound like a science experiment."
Remus shook his head. "In a way it was." Her smile died and she looked back into the comfort of the fire.
Remus continued. "Jasper was conceived and carried to term magically, all within a month's time. This is where it gets frightening. I spoke to Dumbledore while you were asleep and he's reluctantly agreed to let me tell you about your summer."
Hermione looked confused. "Remus, I spent my entire summer in the South of."
"The South of France, I know" he interrupted. "That's what you remember, but Hermione, I need you to sit tight and listen, because your memories of the last six months of your life are not entirely accurate." Remus took a deep breath and continued, noting the fear in Hermione's eyes.
"What you remember as a relaxing, fun, vacation with your sister was actually the most harrowing, pain-filled experience of either of our lives. It includes memories of things I'm going to have trouble discussing without becoming physically sick, but if we both stay calm I'll be able to answer all of your questions and then you can decide where to go from here. What I'm asking you to do is just sit and listen, don't interrupt, Please."
Hermione nodded.
"It started at the graduation ceremony in May. We sat next to each other. You kept making comments about your students, the weather, the speeches, it was quite bothersome, but I have to admit I was so enamored with you I didn't care" they smiled simultaneously. "I had to leave my seat to present the DADA Fellowship award and when I returned you were gone. It never occurred to me you'd actually gone missing until you didn't show up for our scheduled tea that afternoon. We searched the castle top to bottom. I enlisted Sirius's help, as well as Severus and Dumbledore's. It only took us three days to figure out you'd been kidnapped by Lucius Malfoy, but we had no idea if you were still alive. Severus and I infiltrated Malfoy Manor, we found you, alive, but in rotten shape. We were discovered and Severus played "Death Eater" while I was captured and thrown in a cage. Over the next two weeks Severus did his best to keep our beatings to a minimum, but there was only so much he could do without blowing his cover. He'd come to me whenever possible and give me as much information as he could gather from his 'cohorts'. You were generally kept only semi-conscious and I never saw you. I relied on Severus for word of you. What we found out.God, Hermione.I don't even know how to say it. Lucius is trying to breed pureblood wizards from muggleborn witches. He's got it in his sick, twisted head that the best way to eradicate the muggleborns without leaving a bunch of bodies in his wake is to make sure that muggleborn mothers give birth to babies with none of their muggle ancestry. I know it doesn't make much sense, but then nothing Lucius did ever made any sense. The magicks he was using on you are very dark, very ancient, and very dangerous. It took a lot of.well.trial and error, and you were his guinea pig." Remus shuddered and buried his face in his hands for a moment, trying to purge his mind of images. Hermione's face had turned a particularly pale shade of gray.
"When Severus found out exactly what was happening, he tried to stop it, blowing his cover and essentially dooming himself. He barely escaped with his life. He did rescue us, both of us, but not before Lucius succeeded in his sick little plan. He'd used me, my.essence.on you because of the werewolf. The wolf inside of me made the magic strong enough to allow the baby to survive the gestation process, when none of the others had. You'd already undergone weeks of torture, beatings, and exposure to very experimental magic. Four miscarriages in as many weeks, malnutrition.rape.it was." Remus trailed off, not sure he could continue. His breath was shallow and he was shaking. Hermione was now curled up on the couch with her eyes shut, willing the images to stop.
"We got you out and back here. We couldn't risk St. Mungo's, too many people. Poppy took good care of you. She took care of your injuries, charmed away your pain and made you as comfortable as possible. You were pregnant with Jasper, but none of us knew the origin of the magic used in the conception. We were shocked at how fast everything happened. A month later you were in labor. Forty-three hours of labor and when Jasper finally came, you slipped into a coma. I think your body had finally had enough." Remus had gotten control of himself. He found that if he spoke of the incident clinically enough, with just enough detachment, he could almost make it seem all a bad dream. Hermione had become unreadable, her expressionless face staring intently into the fire.
Remus continued. "While you were.um.out, we were ambushed, by Lucius's flunkies. They were apparently ordered not to kill anyone, but they cast enough memory charms about the place to cause permanent amnesia in half the country. You and I were both hit, Poppy got one, and Severus a mild one that made him think he was a hippogriff." This actually got a chuckle from Hermione. "Luckily, being summer, there weren't that many people about. A few of the other teachers were hit, but nothing serious. Dumbledore was spared and he reversed most of the charms, except yours and mine. You were made to think you'd been on vacation with your sister, and I thought I'd been sent on a mission to Greenland to tame a rogue Abominable Snowman."
Forgetting her promise to not interrupt him Hermione again opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off by Remus's anticipation of her question. He held up a hand and continued.
"Just over a week ago Dumbledore approached me and cryptically told me 'It was time', he took me to his office and carefully lifted my memory charm. It took hours for me to calm down long enough to even open my eyes. Dumbledore was waiting patiently and once I had fully recovered he introduced me to Jasper, dumped him into my arms, set me up with all the necessities and informed me that I was to be Jasper's primary caregiver. We decided to . wait, to lift your charm. Dumbledore says it will be tricky and that the memories could drive you mad. We just wanted to make sure you were strong enough. It was in no effort to keep you from Jasper, honestly, darling, we were truly just.waiting for the right time. And now that you know.well,.I'll speak to Dumbledore, we'll figure it out."
The room was deadly silent. Hermione watched Remus intently, searching his face for some sign of a lie, but it read complete honesty. She nodded her head in acceptance, but didn't speak. She turned back to the fire and the silence seemed to grow deeper. Jasper's perfectly-timed wail cut through the quiet like a well-sharpened knife. Hermione gasped, startled by the sound and looked toward the bedroom door.
Remus held out a hand indicating he'd take care of it. He disappeared for a moment and came back in with Jasper over his shoulder and a bottle in his hand. Without having to ask he gently deposited the baby on Hermione's lap. He cast a subtle warming charm on the bottle and gave it to her. Jasper began sucking voraciously and Hermione's heart swelled. My son, she thought. I'm a mum!
Remus turned to sit back in the armchair he'd claimed previously, but Hermione's gentle hand on his stopped him. Her fingers curled around his wrist and tugged. "Sit with us Remus? Please?"
It was all the invitation he needed and he sat apprehensively next to Hermione, but he relaxed considerably when she shifted Jasper just enough so she could lay her head on Remus's shoulder. Remus moved closer to her, tucked his arm around her shoulder and looked proudly at his.yes, it was.his family. The thought warmed him and he smiled.
Hermione's voice pulled him from his reverie. "What's this?" she asked. She was pulling at a chain around Jasper's neck. Remus stiffened. Hermione continued. "I have one just like it, she said pulling on her own chain. An amulet hung on the end, a smooth red stone set in the center. It was identical to the one Jasper wore. "What does this mean Remus?"
End Chapter 4 TBC
Jasper - Chapter 1
The sound woke her from a fitful sleep. She'd fallen asleep on her sofa again, lulled by the warmth of the fire and the sheer dullness of the fifth years' History of Magic essays she had been trying diligently to grade. As much as she hated to admit it, fifth year History of Magic was about as exciting as watching flobberworms grow. Most of the curriculum is the History of the Ministry of Magic and the pointless arguments therein. It's pretty much a study in the Percy Weasleys of the world and the only word to describe it is dull, even to the Professor. She ignored the sound that awoke her, assuming it was part of another one of her "baby dreams" as she called them. I'm twenty-seven years old, she thought to herself, the biological clock is ticking.
She glanced at the clock which, to her despair read, "Time to finish grading essays." She sat up, and with a yawn, took up her discarded quill.
Then she heard the sound again, quieter this time, but just as clear. There was no mistaking that this was no dream. There was a baby crying in the hall outside her chambers.
Odd, she thought, there are no babies at Hogwarts. In fact, to her knowledge, none of the Hogwarts teachers had any children at all. The situation warranted an investigation, and it sure beat grading essays.
She stood and started towards the door. Immediately she noticed the absence of the warmth being away from the fire. The chill easily penetrated her loose fitting pajamas. The crimson silk covered her from ankle to wrist but didn't do much to keep out the drafty castle air. She threw the afghan she'd been wrapped in around her shoulders and tentatively left her chamber. Hearing the foreign sound of the obviously unhappy infant echo down the corridor nearly broke her heart and she headed toward the noise.
The sight that awaited her when she turned the corner charmed her to her toes. Sitting on the stone floor of the hallway leaning against the wall and cradling a wimpering bundle of something in his arms sat a very frustrated Remus Lupin.
"Remus?" she asked as she crossed to him and kneeled in front of him, reaching out tentatively to pull the blanket back, uncovering the face of the most beautiful baby Hermione had ever seen. "Okay, I'm going to bypass all of the obvious questions and ask the most immediate one. Can I help you?" She instinctively reached out to gather the child in her arms.
Remus didn't put up much of a fight, except to wearily say, "You don't have to do that Hermione," even as he allowed her to remove the squirming bundle from his arms.
But Hermione barely heard him. She was so wrapped up in the infant cuddled against her, Remus could have stripped all of his clothes off and stood on his head and Hermione wouldn't have noticed. The baby was still squirming and crying, obviously uncomfortable. Hermione quietly drew her wand and whispered a charm Remus had never heard before.
"Relaxo Pressum"
Almost immediately the child quieted, settled and within a few minutes was sleeping soundly.
Remus was astounded. "How did you do that?" he asked. He'd tried everything feeding, changing, rocking, singing, and various toys and noisemakers, nothing worked and he told her so.
She reluctantly tore her adoring gaze from the baby and her eyes met his even as a tear made it's way slowly down her cheek. Her voice broke as she answered him. "Just a simple relief charm. He needed a good burp, that's all." She returned her focus to the bundle and she wiped another tear from her cheek.
"Hermione, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He wanted to reach out to her, but thought better of it. Out of the frying pan, into the fire, he thought bemusedly, first a crying child, and now a crying woman. Remus knew just slightly less about crying women than he did about crying babies and was at a loss as to how to deal with this unusual situation. "Hermione, please don't cry, what did I do? Tell me." he gave up.
Hermione lifted her eyes to his and smiled, the happy twinkle in her eye was new. Remus had never seen it before. "He's beautiful" she stated simply as another tear escaped her eye. "What's his name?"
"Jasper" he answered, scooting closer to her on the floor so he could get a closer look at the baby. "but how did you know he's a boy? I mean you didn't.look" he blushed, "so."
Hermione chuckled through her tears. "Call it woman's intuition. I can just tell Remus."
Remus had more questions for her regarding her knowledge of and obvious talent with infants, but as he opened his mouth to speak he knew it was useless. Hermione's focus had fallen back on Jasper, and his questions would have to wait.
So he did. He watched Hermione watching Jasper and was struck at how beautiful and natural the scene was. There she sat, wrapped in a blanket on the stone floor of a hallway in her red silk pajama pants and for a second Remus considered telling her that one of the buttons on the matching silk shirt was undone, but decided not to disturb her. Snuggled safely in her arms was this mystery of a child, wrapped in a sea green blanket, breathing easily and sleeping peacefully. But for all the wackiness of the situation, Hermione seemed completely at home. She looked perfect.almost ethereal.
They sat in silence for several more minutes before Hermione looked up and realized what had been going on. "Oh, Remus, I'm sorry. I don't know why I reacted to him this way." She sniffed. "It's probably just because it's late, and I'm tired, and little Jasper here is quite a bit more interesting than the stack of essays waiting in my sitting room."
"You're very good with him," he said quietly, "you seemed to know what was wrong before you even touched him. It was quite amazing."
"The way he was moving," she explained, "it was obvious he was in pain. Didn't you burp him after his bottle Remus?" Remus looked sheepish.
"I tried.but nothing.well.I just.he was crying and.I thought it was something else. I thought maybe he was sick so I was bringing him to Madam Pomfrey, but she wasn't there.an emergency in the dungeon.so I tried to quiet him a bit.and.I'm so tired.I just sat for a second.he wouldn't stop.and.I.I."
"All right, Remus, no harm done, he's fine, see?" she looked down and her eyes shimmered again. She tucked the sleeping baby gently back into Remus's arms. "See?" She paused, watching him awkwardly trying to figure out how to hold Jasper without risking waking him. "He's perfect," she finished with reverence.
Once again Hermione rescued him. "Like this," she showed him how to cradle the baby's head and support his back.
Remus smiled. "I like him like this, he's a mite difficult when he's awake."
"It just takes patience, and practice, you'll get the hang of it before he goes back to his mum and dad." The statement was almost a dig for information, but Remus didn't bite so Hermione took a less subtle tack. "Remus, if you don't mind my asking, how on earth did an infant boy come under your care?"
There was a flash of.what? Sadness? Anger? Fear? in his eyes and Remus became uncomfortable. He gently stood up so as not to disturb Jasper and made his excuses. "Thank you for your help Hermione, what you did tonight was truly miraculous, but it's late and I need to get him to bed, and it sounds like you should be getting there yourself. I suggest you leave those essays for tomorrow, they'll keep until then. I'll walk you to your rooms. It's been a big night for all of us."
It was obvious from Remus's lack of answer that there was no use talking about it anymore tonight, but there was obviously more to talk about and it would give her an excuse to see Jasper again, so Hermione let it go.
At her door she turned to face Remus and looked down at Jasper, still sound asleep. She swept a gentle hand across his forhead and whispered a soft "Goodnight" the tears threatening again as her eyes met Remus's.
He gave her a weak smile, muttered something that sounded like "thank you" and started down the hall.
"Let me know if you need anything else." She said just loud enough for him to hear. Her lonely voice echoed down the corridor, but Remus didn't turn around.
Hermione entered her chambers, took Remus's advice and left the essays for later. She folded the blanket neatly on the back of the sofa and crawled into bed. She went to sleep thinking about Jasper. What is he doing here? Why is Remus playing daddy all of a sudden? Why did I react the way I did when I held him? Her questions all remained unanswered.
End Chapter 1 TBC
Title: Jasper Author: Jill Rating: This part - G, may get slightly more grown-up in the future, still to be decided. Pairing: Hermione/Remus Summary: Hermione's a teacher (bear with me) she comes upon Remus in a unique situation one night and becomes determined to help, putting her in the midst of a situation that could change everyone's lives. Spoilers: None really Disclaimer: The adult characters aren't mine, J.K. Rowling owns them. Jasper is mine as are the rest of the kids. Feedback: Yes Please! Let me know what you think!
Jasper - Chapter 2
Hermione woke early the next morning and finished grading essays. Glad to have it done, she headed to the Great Hall. She had an hour before the second year Hufflepuffs invaded her classroom. It was a great way to start her Friday, Hufflepuffs are sweet and this particular batch were particularly inquisitive. They wanted her to teach them things, and because Ancient Chinese Dragon Lore was one of the most enjoyable units in her entire curriculum. She looked forward to getting started.
She sat down in her usual spot at the Head Table and poured a glass of pumpkin juice. She helped herself to a Belgian waffle, smothered generously with butter and maple syrup. She looked around, hoping to see that Remus had brought Jasper to breakfast with him, but she knew that the baby was probably a secret and showing up in the Great Hall with him would be opening some sort of Pandora's Box that Remus would just as soon avoid.
Still, she had so many unanswered questions. She decided to get to Remus's chambers after classes today to speak with him and see Jasper.
Classes went smoothly, Hermione didn't see Remus at lunch or dinner so after dinner and an hour or so getting her lesson plans for Monday put together so she could have an easy, worry free weekend, she headed for Remus's rooms.
She knocked quietly. She heard some muffled shuffling through the large portrait of a stern witch in red robes and what looked to be a crimson phoenix feather in her hat. "She looked down her long pointy nose at Hermione who was feeling quite meek in the presence of the formidable portrait. "The Professor cannot be disturbed," she stated smoothly.
"Please, I need to speak with him." She pleaded. This portrait was different that the large full moon that usually hung in front of Remus's door. Hermione wondered about the change, but had more important things on her mind.
"Password?" the witch snapped back.
"I'm sorry, I don't know the new password."
"Then, kindly remove yourself from this corridor, missy. The Professor cannot be disturbed." She repeated and turned her nose up.
Not to be dismissed that easily, Hermione knocked again, this time more firmly. The witch in red was becoming more incensed by Hermione's presence and just as she opened her mouth to speak again, the portrait swung open and there stood Remus.
"Hello Remus. I came to see how you were getting on with the little one."
"Hermione, good evening, um, I'm sorry, but Jasper's no longer here, he went back to his parents this afternoon, I'm sorry you didn't get to see him again, but, you see, you've nothing more to worry about. He's safe and sound.now, I've got some grading I really must do, so if you don't mind.perhaps we could have tea tomorrow? I'll come by your rooms around two. I'm sorry to be so abrupt. Good night." And he began to close the portrait.
But Hermione caught the door and held it open. "Remus, what's going on, you're acting very strangely" and almost as if the fates were intervening, a perfectly timed infants cry floated through the chambers.
Hermione's eyes narrowed and she pushed past Remus and made a beeline for the sound. Remus grabbed her elbow in an effort to try to stop her. "Hermione," he pleaded, "this is none of your business, go back to your rooms and forget you ever met Jasper."
"No, Remus, and get your hand off me. I don't know what's going on with that baby, but I can't help but feel it has something to do with me. I refuse to ignore a crying baby, so I'm going to see to Jasper, and you're going to let me. Then, we're going to sit down and you're going to tell me everything. Excuse me." And she was off.
"Hermione." but it was no use. Hermione returned to the front room, a now happy Jasper cooing in her arms, and on her face was the same look of reverant adoration he'd seen the night before. Remus sighed and shook his head. This was going to be hard, really, really hard.
Hermione sat in the antique wooden rocking chair in the hopes that a gentle rocking would put Jasper back to sleep. She, of course, was right. Within a few minutes the baby was snoring softly and a permanent lump had settled in Hermione's throat as she fought back tears. Why do I feel this connection to him? She asked herself for the millionth time. She couldn't help but thinking that Remus had the answer, so she looked at him expectantly. "Well, Remus, I'm waiting. Start explaining."
Remus shook his head again. "Please don't make me do this Hermione. You can be with Jasper as much as you want, but please don't make me tell you why he's here."
Hermione's turn to shake her head. "Not good enough Remus. I need to know why you've been put in charge of him. Why did you feel the need to lie to me? And why, when I look at him do I feel like my life finally makes sense?" her voice cracked at this last question and she resumed her adoration of the sleeping child. "I know you know, Remus, and I can stay here all night."
"Hermione, look at me." She did. "Hermione." he paused, unsure if he should actually start down this road. He knelt next to the rocking chair so he could see Jasper's face. "Jasper.is.my son." He'd said it, and it felt good, and now he looked to Hermione, gauging her reaction.
"Oh Remus," Hermione's already fragile composure fell, and she was crying again. "I.I don't know what to say."
"Well," he quipped good-naturedly, "this is a red-letter day. Hermione Granger with nothing to say." They both smiled.
"Remus, why couldn't you just tell me." She laid a hand on his cheek. "I think it's wonderful.but, there's more.isn't there.I need."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He cut her off.
"Try me," she countered.
Remus reluctantly removed her hand from his face, immediately missing the warmth of the intimate caress. He couldn't allow himself to feel that close to her when he told her the rest. "Hermione.Jasper, he's.God, he's.your son too."
End Chapter 2 TBC
Title: Jasper Author: Jill Rating: This part - PG to PG-13-ish. Hermione says some nasty things, but nothing too shocking. May get slightly more grown-up in the future, still to be decided. Pairing: Hermione/Remus Summary: Hermione's a teacher (bear with me) she comes upon Remus in a unique situation one night and becomes determined to help, putting her in the midst of a situation that could change everyone's lives. Spoilers: None really Disclaimer: The adult characters aren't mine, J.K. Rowling owns them. Jasper is mine. Feedback: Yes Please! Let me know what you think!
Author Notes: I know this part's short. I promise many more questions will be answered in the next chapter. I'm still drafting it.
Jasper - Chapter 3
The room was painfully silent, but only for a second. Almost immediately the sound of the palm of her hand landing with almost supernatural force across his left cheek echoed throughout the room.
SMACK!
The force of impact threw him backwards and he landed ungracefully on his arse. Hermione tore from the room. Fortunately, Jasper hadn't awoken and she was able to lay him gently in his crib before she lost complete control on the anger roiling through her.
What on earth would posess him to tell such horrible lies. To tell her something that was obviously impossible, which couldn't be true. How does one even make up something like that. That perfect infant couldn't be hers. Did he intend to bait her with something he knew would fill her with joy only to yank it away later? Why? Why? She simply didn't understand.
Hermione was pacing now, wringing her hands and running them through her hair. She was muttering incoherently to herself, trying desperately to clear her thoughts. Trying to make sense of each new pang of hurt threatening to overtake her.
Remus chose that time to approach her. "Hermione." he said tentatively. She didn't hear him. "Hermione." again no answer. "HERMIONE!" he said forcefully and she looked up at him. Her entire being radiated contempt.
"Please let me explain" he softened his voice now that he had her attention.
"Piss off Remus!" she exclaimed. He was taken aback. To his knowledge, Hermione never swore. "You don't get to talk right now. How could you? I don't know what you're playing at you insufferable bastard, but if this is your idea of a cruel joke, than you deserve the Unforgivable Curse I'm about to cast on you." At this she began to pull her wand from beneath her robes. "What would posess you to tell such a monstrous falsehood. What kind of twisted mind can even fabricate such a lie?" she raised her wand and pointed it at him. "How did you know, Remus?" Lupin began to approach her hesitantly, so as not to alarm her. She was serious about hexing him into next week, and now she wasn't making sense. How did he know what? She continued her rant. "How could you possibly know how badly I want to be a mother? The dreams, God the constant dreams. The hollow ache, it never goes away." At this point Hermione had drawn completely into herself as though she weren't even addressing him anymore. Her hands were in her hair and she was shaking her head. "To exploit something so precious, so personal, for what? For amusement? For revenge?" By now Remus had reached Hermione, had removed her wand from her hand without her noticing and was trying to get her attention once again. She reacted violently. She pushed him away. "Get your hands of me! Don't touch me LUPIN! To let me love that boy and tell me something like this!" she was struggling against him but he wasn't letting go. Her fists were flying, landing willy- nilly on his chest and arms. "I can't believe.I thought we were friends.I thought we were.more.you said you loved.no.no.you can't.I hate you, you hateful excuse for a human. LET GO DAMMIT!" she struggled more and he held on tighter, she was practically incoherent. Her face was red and tears covered her cheeks. "Why, Remus. I don't understand. Why would you.How can I." her fists were landing harder. "It's not true.it's NOT! It's not.it's not.it's not." With this last statement she collapsed against him, violent sobs wracking her body. She allowed him to envelop her in his arms. Remus stroked her back silently as she cried, trying diligently to hold back his own tears. He was unsuccessful. They streamed with abandon down his face and into her hair.
A half an hour later found them curled up with each other in an overstuffed arm chair next to the very spot the outburst had taken place. She sat on his lap, her face buried in the crook of his neck, hiccoughing quietly in her sleep. He continued to comfort her. His hands gently stroked her back, her cheeks, her hair. Neither of them had brought up the subject of his confession until tonight. Two weeks ago on a long walk together around the lake, he'd confessed to Hermione that he was in love with her. It was the truth, but she was taken aback. She told Remus that while she was very fond of him, there was a lot to think about and they should take things slow. He'd agreed, and until tonight neither of them had spoken of it again. Three days later he'd found out about Jasper and the day after that Dumbledore had presented him with his son, making Remus promise to keep him a secret from Hermione. Now he watched her sleep and rehearsed the upcoming conversation in his head.
Title: Jasper Author: Jill Rating: This part - PG to PG-13-ish. Hermione says some nasty things, but nothing too shocking. May get slightly more grown-up in the future, still to be decided. Pairing: Hermione/Remus Summary: Hermione's a teacher (bear with me) she comes upon Remus in a unique situation one night and becomes determined to help, putting her in the midst of a situation that could change everyone's lives. Spoilers: None really Disclaimer: The adult characters aren't mine, J.K. Rowling owns them. Baby Jasper is mine. Feedback: Yes Please! Let me know what you think!
Jasper - Chapter 4
Hermione woke after about an hour. Without looking at Remus she got up, went into the bedroom to check on Jasper and returned wrapped in a quilt. She sat herself on the sofa away from Remus and stared into the fire. She hadn't said a word.
After a few minutes Remus began to be concerned and just before he made a move towards her, to try to pull some kind of response from her, Hermione began to laugh. It started as just a small bubbling chuckle, became a louder giggle and within a few minutes Hermione was all but guffawing at the fire. She was clutching her stomach and could barely get a breath in.
"Sweet Merlin, she's gone bonkers," Remus muttered under his breath. "I've driven her mad."
The laughing stopped gradually. Hermione still did not look at Remus, she simply stated, "I'm listening."
Remus knew this was his cue to begin explaining. He cleared his throat. This was going to take awhile. He started with the good things.
"His full name is Jasper Horatio Lupin, he was born on July 5 at 2:09 am. Which makes him just over 3 months old. At birth he weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 22 inches long. It's probably best you don't remember your labor and delivery. Hardest 2 days of my life, and I imagine yours too." He smiled. It was an attempt to lighten the mood and he was surprised to find that it actually worked. Hermione managed a weak smirk directed towards the fire. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Remus anticipated her question.
"Before you ask, no, we never.er.copulated." at this Hermione snorted in an effort to stifle her laughter. She finally turned to face him.
"Well, goodness Remus, the way you make it sound, I'm glad. You make it sound like a science experiment."
Remus shook his head. "In a way it was." Her smile died and she looked back into the comfort of the fire.
Remus continued. "Jasper was conceived and carried to term magically, all within a month's time. This is where it gets frightening. I spoke to Dumbledore while you were asleep and he's reluctantly agreed to let me tell you about your summer."
Hermione looked confused. "Remus, I spent my entire summer in the South of."
"The South of France, I know" he interrupted. "That's what you remember, but Hermione, I need you to sit tight and listen, because your memories of the last six months of your life are not entirely accurate." Remus took a deep breath and continued, noting the fear in Hermione's eyes.
"What you remember as a relaxing, fun, vacation with your sister was actually the most harrowing, pain-filled experience of either of our lives. It includes memories of things I'm going to have trouble discussing without becoming physically sick, but if we both stay calm I'll be able to answer all of your questions and then you can decide where to go from here. What I'm asking you to do is just sit and listen, don't interrupt, Please."
Hermione nodded.
"It started at the graduation ceremony in May. We sat next to each other. You kept making comments about your students, the weather, the speeches, it was quite bothersome, but I have to admit I was so enamored with you I didn't care" they smiled simultaneously. "I had to leave my seat to present the DADA Fellowship award and when I returned you were gone. It never occurred to me you'd actually gone missing until you didn't show up for our scheduled tea that afternoon. We searched the castle top to bottom. I enlisted Sirius's help, as well as Severus and Dumbledore's. It only took us three days to figure out you'd been kidnapped by Lucius Malfoy, but we had no idea if you were still alive. Severus and I infiltrated Malfoy Manor, we found you, alive, but in rotten shape. We were discovered and Severus played "Death Eater" while I was captured and thrown in a cage. Over the next two weeks Severus did his best to keep our beatings to a minimum, but there was only so much he could do without blowing his cover. He'd come to me whenever possible and give me as much information as he could gather from his 'cohorts'. You were generally kept only semi-conscious and I never saw you. I relied on Severus for word of you. What we found out.God, Hermione.I don't even know how to say it. Lucius is trying to breed pureblood wizards from muggleborn witches. He's got it in his sick, twisted head that the best way to eradicate the muggleborns without leaving a bunch of bodies in his wake is to make sure that muggleborn mothers give birth to babies with none of their muggle ancestry. I know it doesn't make much sense, but then nothing Lucius did ever made any sense. The magicks he was using on you are very dark, very ancient, and very dangerous. It took a lot of.well.trial and error, and you were his guinea pig." Remus shuddered and buried his face in his hands for a moment, trying to purge his mind of images. Hermione's face had turned a particularly pale shade of gray.
"When Severus found out exactly what was happening, he tried to stop it, blowing his cover and essentially dooming himself. He barely escaped with his life. He did rescue us, both of us, but not before Lucius succeeded in his sick little plan. He'd used me, my.essence.on you because of the werewolf. The wolf inside of me made the magic strong enough to allow the baby to survive the gestation process, when none of the others had. You'd already undergone weeks of torture, beatings, and exposure to very experimental magic. Four miscarriages in as many weeks, malnutrition.rape.it was." Remus trailed off, not sure he could continue. His breath was shallow and he was shaking. Hermione was now curled up on the couch with her eyes shut, willing the images to stop.
"We got you out and back here. We couldn't risk St. Mungo's, too many people. Poppy took good care of you. She took care of your injuries, charmed away your pain and made you as comfortable as possible. You were pregnant with Jasper, but none of us knew the origin of the magic used in the conception. We were shocked at how fast everything happened. A month later you were in labor. Forty-three hours of labor and when Jasper finally came, you slipped into a coma. I think your body had finally had enough." Remus had gotten control of himself. He found that if he spoke of the incident clinically enough, with just enough detachment, he could almost make it seem all a bad dream. Hermione had become unreadable, her expressionless face staring intently into the fire.
Remus continued. "While you were.um.out, we were ambushed, by Lucius's flunkies. They were apparently ordered not to kill anyone, but they cast enough memory charms about the place to cause permanent amnesia in half the country. You and I were both hit, Poppy got one, and Severus a mild one that made him think he was a hippogriff." This actually got a chuckle from Hermione. "Luckily, being summer, there weren't that many people about. A few of the other teachers were hit, but nothing serious. Dumbledore was spared and he reversed most of the charms, except yours and mine. You were made to think you'd been on vacation with your sister, and I thought I'd been sent on a mission to Greenland to tame a rogue Abominable Snowman."
Forgetting her promise to not interrupt him Hermione again opened her mouth to speak only to be cut off by Remus's anticipation of her question. He held up a hand and continued.
"Just over a week ago Dumbledore approached me and cryptically told me 'It was time', he took me to his office and carefully lifted my memory charm. It took hours for me to calm down long enough to even open my eyes. Dumbledore was waiting patiently and once I had fully recovered he introduced me to Jasper, dumped him into my arms, set me up with all the necessities and informed me that I was to be Jasper's primary caregiver. We decided to . wait, to lift your charm. Dumbledore says it will be tricky and that the memories could drive you mad. We just wanted to make sure you were strong enough. It was in no effort to keep you from Jasper, honestly, darling, we were truly just.waiting for the right time. And now that you know.well,.I'll speak to Dumbledore, we'll figure it out."
The room was deadly silent. Hermione watched Remus intently, searching his face for some sign of a lie, but it read complete honesty. She nodded her head in acceptance, but didn't speak. She turned back to the fire and the silence seemed to grow deeper. Jasper's perfectly-timed wail cut through the quiet like a well-sharpened knife. Hermione gasped, startled by the sound and looked toward the bedroom door.
Remus held out a hand indicating he'd take care of it. He disappeared for a moment and came back in with Jasper over his shoulder and a bottle in his hand. Without having to ask he gently deposited the baby on Hermione's lap. He cast a subtle warming charm on the bottle and gave it to her. Jasper began sucking voraciously and Hermione's heart swelled. My son, she thought. I'm a mum!
Remus turned to sit back in the armchair he'd claimed previously, but Hermione's gentle hand on his stopped him. Her fingers curled around his wrist and tugged. "Sit with us Remus? Please?"
It was all the invitation he needed and he sat apprehensively next to Hermione, but he relaxed considerably when she shifted Jasper just enough so she could lay her head on Remus's shoulder. Remus moved closer to her, tucked his arm around her shoulder and looked proudly at his.yes, it was.his family. The thought warmed him and he smiled.
Hermione's voice pulled him from his reverie. "What's this?" she asked. She was pulling at a chain around Jasper's neck. Remus stiffened. Hermione continued. "I have one just like it, she said pulling on her own chain. An amulet hung on the end, a smooth red stone set in the center. It was identical to the one Jasper wore. "What does this mean Remus?"
End Chapter 4 TBC
