Interruptions

By The Atomic Café

Disclaimer: Harry Potter fan fiction is based on the series by JK Rowling. All characters and situations other than my own are the property of the original author.

Hermione quietly slipped down the staircase, carrying a large tome at her side. Though Harry and Ron were fast asleep, she had been having a harder time lulling herself into a similar position. In Grimmauld Place, the days seemed to drag on in dreary confusion, and the lack of activity and sunlight combined made her blur the hours in her head. To make up for her lack of sleep, she had begun discovering books in the library, selecting new books as she finished old ones, reading her way through the glossy or decrepit covers. They all smelled familiar, like an ancient library full of secrets, and it gave her security. If she couldn't find the same comfort in her bed, she would continue coming here for it.

Opening the door into the library just a hair as she had trained herself to do to stop the inevitable squeaking of the hinges, she sneaked her way in, trying to remember which bookshelf this book had come off of. She had always tried to make herself discreet on these nights, making sure that no one would be able to identify which books she took and returned.

As she found the right location and lifted the book to slide it into place, she heard a muffled voice behind her.

"Sirius," the voice whispered, sounding muffled and distracted.

"It's Hermione," she answered, feeling guilty for being there. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't identify whose it was from the strange tone.

"Fuck," it whispered again, not sounding at all disappointed.

"Come again?" She felt her cheeks flush. Who was so disappointed by her appearance to let her know about it? She took a few steps forward, trying to look through the gloom to find a figure. Only a small shadow could be made out, and she squinted to try to see it clearer. It didn't look quite like anyone she knew in the house.

"Lumos," Hermione whispered, her wand extended. Whoever it was could just deal with her intruding, what with their bad manners.

The light fell upon two figures, and she quickly recognized the speaker as Remus Lupin. He was leaning backwards, kept upright only by the table behind him. His back was to her, but she could make out a fraction of another face near his shoulder. Sirius had him in the tight grip, his hands weaving through the tawny hair, vigorously trying to touch every free inch of skin. Lupin's hands were doing similar exploration closer to the level of Sirius' waist. Hermione could hear the quiet sounds of kissing as they ignored her.

"Shit," she hissed, shaking her wand quickly, hoping it could make the light from it disappear quickly. Once the light was out, she turned around and retreated as quickly and quietly as possible.

"Who was that?" came a quiet whisper, this time from Sirius.

"Hold on," Lupin responded quietly. His voice grew louder as he asked, "Hermione?"

Standing beside the door, she considered her options. She could bolt and hopefully leave them in confusion, avoiding their eyes from that moment on, or she could turn around and take the punishment she would be dealt for walking in on them.

"Professor," she said flatly, turning around and walking back to the table, her head bowed.

"Did you find the book you were looking for?" he asked, a smile evident in his voice. Lupin sounded downright friendly, and she looked up slowly, confused by his manner. He had turned around to face her, Sirius standing just behind him with a hand over his eyes. Besides his hair being disheveled and his shirt partly unbuttoned, nothing seemed different about Lupin. He quietly worked to button his shirt, and she got a glimpse of his chest, making her feel more terrified by her timing.

"I - I came to return something," she said quickly, staring back at the ground. "I didn't mean to interrupt anyone or be a nuisance."

"You're not a nuisance at all," he answered evenly, and she could still hear the smile in his voice. What was there to be happy about? She had just walked in on him snogging Harry's godfather. The thought of it made her chest tighten. It was as inherently as walking in on her parents having sex, she realized, surprised that she thought it. It was Harry's godfather and her professor, she justified, wrestling between looking at Lupin's face and staring at the ground to hide her brick-red face.

"I apologize that you had to see that." She glanced up to see the smile still on Lupin's face. "I'm afraid that things such as privacy are hard to find in this house for both you and I, and we both seem to take the opportunities we are presented. We'll leave you to your books. Might I suggest the third bookshelf, second row down? You'll need a ladder to reach it, but it will be well worth your effort."

Hermione nodded without thinking, still staring at him in confusion. Sirius had retreated a few steps and was harder to see at this point. She had never seen him look even remotely embarrassed, and she feared that, were he in view, she would have seen him in such a state.

As Lupin turned to join Sirius, she quickly blurted out, "Professor."

Lupin turned again, raising his eyebrows. "As I'm not your professor anymore and the title feels more like salt in my wounds than a compliment, I ask that you refer to me by Remus, provided you're comfortable with that."

It felt as though her father was inviting her to use his first name, and she felt another strange roll of her stomach, surprised at a second comparison of Lupin to one of her parents. At this point, she reasoned, she was probably seeing more of him that she was of her own father.

"May I call you Lupin instead?"

He gave her a crooked smile. "Not as personal, perhaps, but I understand it considering the current circumstances."

"No," she quickly cut in, feeling embarrassed. "It's just - Ron and Harry -"

Lupin nodded in understanding. "I'm afraid it's so rare for me to run into the three of you that I've never been able to extend the invitation to each of you, but it stands open for as long as you need. However, I believe you called me back for a question."

Hermione felt the hot blush come over her cheeks again. She struggled to find composure, almost reaching it before Sirius finally returned and stood beside Lupin, giving Hermione a long look.

"I'd appreciate it if Harry didn't hear about this," he finally said. She let out a sigh of relief, glad that he didn't seem angry at her.

"Of course," she answered quickly, nodding a bit too enthusiastically.

"Teenage boys never want to hear that their godfather is snogging a man." Sirius smiled, and she realized it was directed more at Lupin than her. Lupin still didn't take his eyes off of Hermione.

"I don't know if you still have a question, but we can leave you to your reading," he said, straightening himself up.

"Are - are you two gay?" she blurted out, clapping her hands over her mouth once the words were out. She felt her face burn again as terror settled in. She wanted to take back the question, but both were giving her thoughtful looks.

"Sometimes two people just get very comfortable around each other and begin to love one another," Lupin answered. "I'm sure that you'll find that about yourself with Ron and Harry."

"I don't snog -"

"And I don't mean to imply that you do." His smile was back, and it calmed her once more. "I simply meant that spending time with them has probably made you more comfortable with both boys, and you probably love them in some way at this point. Love comes in many different variations."

"And yours is romantic," she said dumbly, still working up the courage to make complete eye contact with them.

"Yes." The conviction in his voice, the way she could hear the love behind it, startled her. That one word felt like the most personal declaration she had ever heard from him. "As for your question, I couldn't say if I'm gay, and I won't speak for Sirius -"

"I'm sorry for asking," she cut in quickly, covering her mouth again in apology. The words came out muffled. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's quite alright." The small smile and the calmness in his voice made her feel better, and the tension finally dropped from her shoulders as she managed to look at both of them conversationally, as if she had seen nothing. "We'll leave you to your books now. I'm afraid that we aren't quite so cautionary about where we meet these days, and we need to remember that we have children here."

"I'm not a child."

Lupin's smile changed slightly, and it confused her. She couldn't understand if he was growing upset or actually looked happier.

"I have wondered," he began slowly, "ever since I met you, I wondered how such a brilliant witch escaped Ravenclaw. Now I understand. A Ravenclaw would have left as soon as I said your name, knowing that I wasn't sure who it was. A Gryffindor would have stayed to settle her own curiosities and leave only when content with the answer."

Hermione didn't know how to respond, so she gave him a curt nod. Lupin's smile widened.

"Go to bed, Hermione. You look exhausted, and books won't help but to make you more curious tonight."

"Yes, sir," she answered quickly, then caught herself. "Yes, Remus."

His smile faded, and she worried for a moment that she had done something wrong. When he spoke again, there was a strange quality about his voice. "Thank you, Hermione."

She looked him in the eye, trying to steady herself. His shirt was finally buttoned again, the collar slightly askew. Lupin looked exhausted, explainable as she had not seen him in days and realized he must have been off on a mission, but his eyes were shining, and the messy hair made him look years younger. It felt like a glimpse into his childhood.

"Night, Sirius. Night... Remus. Sleep well."

"We will be," Sirius muttered quietly, and she didn't miss the way Remus quickly elbowed him in the ribs without looking away from Hermione.

"Goodnight, Hermione."