So, for a few of you that are worried, I am NOT holding chapters hostage, I promise. What I meant by reviewing to get chapters faster is that I would possibly update more than once a week. Otherwise, this story WILL be updated every Sunday. I don't need a specific amount of reviews to post a chapter, I just like reviews :) They feed my muse and she's such a greedy little thing.
And a huge thank you to everyone that is following/favourited this story! This is the best response I've ever gotten for an HP fic and it makes my geeky heart happy.
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Chapter 2: Bent
"If I need some other love, then give me more than I can stand.
And when my smile gets old and faded, wait around until I smile again."
Bent – Matchbox 20
13 July 1999 – Number 12 Grimmauld Place
The summer had crept up on Hermione, leaving her with more work than she knew what to do with. It was now July and Hogwarts was officially out for the summer and, while she was happy to be busy, she was up to her ears in war orphans home for the summer. She and Harry were working on a more permanent placement for the orphans, seeing as they were difficult to get adopted, but the funding simply wasn't there. They needed something that was in the wizarding world, so that meant that Hermione's childhood home wouldn't work, and they needed it to be big enough to accommodate all the children.
Kingsley was trying to start a fund for the orphanage, hoping to get the Wizengamot on board, too, but Lucius Malfoy was making things infinitely harder. One would think that having the Chosen One testify for his release from Azkaban would soften the former Death Eater, but no such luck. The pompous blond made it his life's mission to overturn whatever efforts there were to rebuild. The Malfoys had enough money to fund ten orphanages, let alone one, but it simply wasn't a necessity to them.
"Harry, no. We're not using what your parents left you to fund an orphanage," Hermione said, exasperated that they were having this conversation once more. She took a sip of her tea to try to calm down and sighed, "I'm sure the right donor will come along eventually. You defeated Voldemort, don't worry about a silly thing like donations."
It was easy to project the easygoing attitude on the outside, but the war raging inside of her was anything but. The people that opened their doors to foster the orphans were getting antsy about it becoming permanent and many were threatening to give the children back. Hermione was at the end of her rope with trying to find a donor to give a big enough contribution.
Harry rolled his eyes, clinking his spoon against the edge of the teacup with a resounding clink! "Come on, Hermione. You know as well as I do that our funding is running lower than usual. The rich are happy to donate if it keeps the kids out of their houses, but they don't want to donate anything extra. It's like pulling teeth! And Kingsley only has so much pull with the Wizengamot."
Just then, the front door to the townhouse slammed shut, alerting the occupants, and Mrs. Black, of the newcomer.
"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR! STAIN ON MY HOUSE-""
"Oh, give it a rest, you wretched old woman! You're lucky I don't have you painted over!" Sirius' voice growled back, closing the portrait's curtains with a bang.
The little witch looked over her teacup at Harry and said dryly, "He always knows how to make an entrance, doesn't he?"
"To be honest, his mum's not exactly quiet, either," the raven-haired man shrugged, looking towards the doorway and waiting for his godfather to appear.
Sirius had been spending more time out of house recently and it was making the pair nervous. He would get up before Hermione, a feat in itself, and normally make it home just in time for dinner to be on the table. He didn't have to work – the substantial Black family vault saw to that – and since he was the sole beneficiary, it wasn't as if any one else had access to the money. And it all served to beg the question of what the animagus was doing outside the house every single day. Hermione had tried to ask, only to be shot down, and Harry simply let him go about his business.
"Hello, my favourite duo," Sirius greeted as he set the bag he was carrying down on the table between them. "I wasn't sure if you'd both be home, but I picked up some take-away from the Leaky. They weren't too crowded, surprising since it's Tuesday-"
"What were you doing in Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked, her ears perked in curiosity.
He grinned and tapped the tip of her nose with his finger, "That, little one, is none of your business. Perhaps in time, I'll let out my daring secret, but, for now, my lips are sealed."
"Ooh, are there wedding bells in the air?" Ginny asked as she floated into the room, grabbing the take-away off the table and putting it on the counter to plate up. Grabbing a few plates, she talked as she worked, "You know, Charlie's always secretive when it comes to things and mum and I think it's because he's got a girl that we haven't been introduced to."
Sirius barked out a laugh to cover his insecurity, "Me? With a bird? No, no. There was only one bird for me." He sighed, thinking back to a time that seemed so long ago. "She was in the Order. She was brilliant, absolutely brilliant, and she always knew exactly what to do. She was strong and courageous and never took 'no' for an answer."
"Sounds like a fine lady," Ginny said, hovering the filled plates to the table and taking a seat.
Harry's brow furrowed, catching the past tense, "'Was'? What happened to her?"
"She went missing the spring of 1981. No one could find her and we just assumed she had been targeted by Death Eaters."
A slight frown marred Hermione's face as she asked, "Did anyone ever look into it after…"
The end of the sentence hung in the air and Sirius cleared his throat, "No. I was sent to Azkaban and, as far as I know, they never tried to look for her again."
"What was her name?" Harry asked, taking a bite of the Sheppard's pie that was on his plate.
"Mia," Sirius swallowed dryly, "Mia Lupin."
"Lupin? As in Remus?" Harry's eyes widened, "Remus has a sister?"
"Had," Sirius corrected softly, avoiding Hermione's eyes, "And it was actually a cousin. Mia had to come from Beauxbatons Academy because Voldemort targeted her family. Her parents died and she was sent to live with Remus. She went to Hogwarts with us for sixth and seventh year."
Hermione stayed quiet during the exchange, choosing instead to stare at the skinned potatoes on her plate. The thought of Sirius being genuinely happy at one point in time made her happy, too, but also sad because it was so long ago. He deserved happiness; he deserved a life that he was proud of.
23 August 1999 – Diagon Alley
"Do you honestly think that this is the way she'll notice you?" Remus asked, running a tired hand across his face as he and Sirius stood in a gutted building.
"No," he shook his head, looking at paint swatches intently, "But it's a way to show her how much I loved her before she left. Then, when she comes back, she'll know that I never forgot about her! Brilliant, eh?"
Remus shook his head in disbelief, "You're either very optimistic or very thick. I don't think I've quite decided which yet."
"You can't tell me that you don't miss her," he said softly, looking up from the paint swatches as vulnerability flashed across his face, "You two were closer than me and James! And that was hard to accomplish. She was a little swot-"
"And she still is," the werewolf said firmly, "Hermione is Mia just as Mia is Hermione. They're one in the same, yet Mia has yet to be discovered in Hermione's psyche. It'll be curious to know which personality she'll take once she returns; I favor Mia because it will be fresher, but perhaps she'll revert to Hermione. Or maybe a hybrid of the two."
Sirius shrugged, "As long as my Mia is in there, she could be a dragon and I'd still love her." He held up a happy yellow-coloured swatch, "What do you think of this for the entry way? I want it to be welcoming for possible parents. And since the kids have to live here year-round, I've decided on charm-able paints."
Remus raised an eyebrow, "'Charm-able'?"
"The kids can change it whatever colour they'd like," the animagus explained, walking up the rickety stairs to the second level that had yet to be divided into rooms, "I'm hoping that they never have to stay long enough to really settle in, but they'll still have a sense of independence."
"Brilliant."
The two made their way across the second floor, taking notes of measurements and spaces before walking up to the third and fourth floors and doing the same. When it was all said and done, it was determined that the new orphanage could hold over two hundred children comfortably, as well as staff.
Sirius had purchased an entire row of old building in Diagon Alley, ordering the construction workers to open them up into a single building. The war left most of the wizarding street in shambles and the owners were more than happy to be rid of their loses. He knew that Harry and Hermione were searching in vain to find a suitable place for an orphanage, but he wanted to keep his project under wraps until it was finished. It was difficult that he had been such a hermit before because now his little swot insisted on asking where he was going every day without fail. The witch needed to learn the value of patience.
"This will house almost all the children when Hogwarts isn't in session," Remus said, looking down at his clipboard and referencing it with their numbers, "Hopefully, children will start getting adopted soon and the problem will fix itself. But, for now, this could be exactly what Harry and Hermione are looking for."
"That's the plan," he nodded, waving his wand and vanishing the papers temporarily, "Now, let's go get a drink-"
"Ah, tonight is dinner at the Weasley's," Remus reminded him, "I can't miss that and I'm sure Harry will be disappointed if you do, too. We can have a pint tomorrow, but I'm not facing an angry Molly Weasley for anything."
Hermione was perusing the Order folders, hoping to find the one for Mia Lupin. It was strange that neither Sirius nor Remus had mentioned the girl sooner, and it was even stranger that Hermione had never come across her name in all the research she did looking through the files from the first war.
Reaching the 'L's, she shifted the files faster. When 'Lupin, Mia' came up, she pulled it out eagerly and flipped it open.
Lupin, Mia
19 September 1960
That was it. There was nothing else there besides what looked like a sticky-note in the bottom corner. Pursing her lips in frustration, she unstuck it and her brows furrowed.
Nice try, little love.
-FP
Who was FP? Who were they talking to? She groaned and pocketed the note before returning the file to the cabinet. Whoever FP was had wiped the entire file before she could get to it, perhaps even years before. She grimaced, having been resigned to asking people who were around for the first war if they knew who Mia was.
Adding that to the list of her priorities, she flicked off the light in the basement and made her way upstairs. She was so enthralled with what she had found that she didn't notice the small red bird watching her from the rafters with interested eyes.
"George Fabian Weasley, get in here this instant!" Mrs. Weasley yelled from the kitchen, causing every other redhead at the Burrow to pale instantly. Everyone knew what voice the Weasley matriarch had when she was angry.
George stood up with a half grin on his face, "Must've found the dungbombs Fred and I hid in the pantry the year before last…I was wondering how long it'd take."
Ginny rolled her eyes and looked at her bestfriend, "You'd think they…he was still in school or something." She looked down after her slip up, still not used to George without his counterpart.
"Who else is coming tonight?" Hermione asked, trying to take her friend's mind off the loss, "I know Bill isn't coming because Fleur won't let Victoire leave the house, but what about Charlie?"
Ginny rolled her eyes, tucking her feet under her and waving her wand at the knitting to continue itself, "Charlie is preoccupied with his dragons. He said he'd try to make it home for Christmas, though."
"That's nearly six months away!"
"Dragons."
The girls shrugged and understood. Charlie was always too involved in his dragons to do much more than a Christmas visit. Occasionally, he'd make it home for his parents' birthdays, but that was happening less and less.
"Oh! Remus is coming and he's bringing Teddy," Ginny smiled, knowing that would brighten the brunette witch's day.
Just then, the floo sounded and out popped a disgruntled Remus with a squirming son held in his arms. Teddy was trying valiantly to be put down, but his father wasn't having any of it.
"Teddy, stop. I know you don't like the floo, but-"
"DOWN, DADDY! NOW!"
Hermione took pity on her former professor and stepped forward, easily taking the toddler into her own arms. Teddy instantly calmed and Remus sent her a look of gratitude. The small metamorphmagus changed his hair from turquoise to yellow before finally settling on a chocolate brown to reflect his godmother's while his eyes changed to grey when Sirius bustled through the floo next.
It was disconcerting to watch as Teddy morphed his features between the little witch and animagus; grey eyes with brown hair, a small button nose with a sprinkling of freckles, and pouty lips.
"That's…weird," Harry said slowly, looking between the pair and the child. It couldn't be denied that the child in Hermione's arms was absolutely stunning.
Sirius stared at Teddy, his mouth dry as he tried to form a coherent sentence. He'd always wondered what their child would look like after his and Mia's pregnancy scare towards the end of seventh-year and to have a doppelganger of said child in front of him was hard to wrap his head around.
Remus, watching his friend's face intently, sternly said, "Teddy."
Teddy looked at his father and shook his head, normal turquoise replacing brown and green replacing grey.
Mrs. Weasley bustled into the room, the tension ignored as she announced, "Dinner!"
The meal progressed with Remus keeping a tight rein on his son. Sirius had yet to return to his normal self, but no one, save for the werewolf, seemed to truly notice. Mrs. Weasley, Harry, and Ginny were discussing wedding plans for their youngest's wedding to the Chosen One that was to take place before Christmas while Mr. Weasley and George were talking about possibilities for the orphanage. Ron was simply trying to inhale all the food he could fit on his plate.
"You see, the problem is that the Wizengamot just isn't behind it," Mr. Weasley said, shaking his head as he looked at Hermione. "Without the Sacred Twenty-eight behind you, it makes winning them over difficult."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "But who's a part of that? I can't win them over without knowing who they are. Honestly, there's over fifty members!"
"Avery, Bulstrode, Burke, Flint, Greengrass, Longbottom, MacMillan, Malfoy, Nott, Parkinson, Rowle," George said, ticking off his fingers.
"That's not even twenty!" The brunette huffed, "Who are the others?"
Mr. Weasley sighed, "Some of the seats remain empty. Whether it's because the seat has been revoked like Abbott, Fawley, Ollivander, and Rosier or there's no surviving members like Lestrange, Carrow, Crouch, and Prewett." He whispered the last name, chancing a glance at his wife, grateful that she didn't hear him. Her brothers, Fabian and Gideon, were the last of the Prewetts and had been killed by Antonin Dolohov during the first war.
Hermione's eyes drifted to Sirius, "Don't the Blacks-"
"The Blacks have a seat on the Wizengamot," Sirius said roughly, looking away from her and focusing on the Firewhisky in front of him. The people that raised him were not what he would call family. Family were the people that loved you unconditionally and the Potters has seen to that, as had the Weasleys when he escaped Azkaban. No, the Blacks were not his family; he just carried their name. "It's sat vacant since my father's death. Regulus was supposed to take it over, but…"
The conversation had lulled when Regulus was mentioned and the only entertainment was Teddy trying to turn his nose into a pig's as his mother liked to do.
"Come on, Teddy! Just scrunch up your nose!" Ginny encouraged, mimicking the motions as if she could do it, too.
Harry watched as Teddy did as she asked, his little nose scrunched so tight that he looked like a slinky. He laughed and looked at his fiancée, "Why don't you try to change your nose if it's so easy?"
"If I was a metamorph, I would!" She retorted, pinching Teddy's cheek affectionately, "He'll get the hang of it soon enough. He's too smart not to!"
"Anyone up for a game of Quidditch?" George asked, hoping to lighten up the mood a little. He looked towards the remaining Marauders, "You two aren't too old to fly, eh?"
Sirius scoffed, "I could beat you on a broom with my eyes closed."
A flurry of agreement went around the table, leaving Mr. Weasley, George, Ron, and Ginny on one team while Remus, Sirius, and Harry were the other.
"We're one short," Harry said, looking at Hermione with pleading eyes, "Can you play, please? I'll take your orphan rounds for next week."
The brunette witch thought about it for a moment. She truly needed a break from the sad faces of the children and she could focus on devoting the extra time to the orphanage. Nodding, she said, "On one condition: I'm Keeper. You know I don't like moving around too much."
Remus agreed, relinquishing his normal position and stood before looking at Mrs. Weasley, "Molly, are you sure you don't mind watching Teddy for a game?"
"Or two," George cut in as he disappeared outside to find brooms and balls.
The players slowly made their way outside, Hermione bringing up the rear as her mind went into overdrive about how she would spend her free time in the coming week. There was so much to do between rehoming the children and taking the students back to school shopping in Diagon Alley. She had to get a head start on supply shopping, otherwise they'd never be done in time.
The thoughts left her head as soon as a broom was thrust into her face, causing her to gasp slightly.
"C'mon, Granger," George winked, handing her the ratty old broom that had survived through all seven Weasley children, "Get your game face on or else we'll be wiping the floor with you."
Mounting the broom, she kicked off and circled the makeshift hoops hoping that Remus and Sirius would keep the Quaffle away from her. Her nerves were getting the better of her; flying wasn't her strong suit and falling to her death was always a fear.
"All right, Hermione?" Sirius asked, flying up next to her and watching her intently. He longed for the days when she would fly around the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts with him – nearly beating him every time – and not be so petrified on a broom.
"We're not playing with Bludgers, right? Because if we are-"
"No Bludgers, little one," the animagus laughed, struggling not to brush the stray lock of hair off of her cheek that the wind had moved.
She nodded gratefully, keeping her eye on the Quaffle as Ron passed it back and forth with Harry. The Weasleys always started with the ball, it was practically an unspoken rule.
"Can you try to…keep the Quaffle away from me?" She asked softly, her brown doe eyes pleading the steel grey in front of her.
"That's the point!" Remus snorted, swooping down on the other side of her.
Sirius winked, "Moony and I got you covered, love. Don't worry your little head about it."
With a whistle from Mr. Weasley, the game commenced. Hermione's eyes tracked the Quaffle while Harry and Ginny focused on the Snitch. She couldn't help the way that her eyes often drifted to Sirius. His flying form was worthy of envy; even though he was thirty-seven, he kept in shape. She caught herself blushing and looked away, biting her lip as the illicit thoughts ran through her head.
"Hermione, look out!"
Ron's voice brought her back to the game just as the Quaffle hit her chest hard. She felt something break before she was falling, bright light swirling around her before she felt a familiar tug behind her navel and she knew no more.
Sirius had been racing towards her when he saw the Quaffle, but he brought his broom to a dead stop when he watched her disappear. Blinking rapidly, he was hoping that she would reappear, but she was gone.
Remus' eyes widened as he remembered the state that Mia had arrived at his home in. Realizing what was happening, he groaned, "Shite."
Sirius nodded, "Fuck."
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~Grace