For seven months Hermione would return home from work, change into more comfortable cloths and run to the kitchen to make dinner with Sirius. Today was no different… until she passed by a room near to end of the hall opposite of her own on her way to the kitchen. It was yet another empty bedroom that she usually didn't take notice of. But usually there wasn't the sound of hushed voices on the other side.
Curiously, Hermione slowly opened the door and peeked in to see the room had been freshly cleaned and made up for someone. From the looks of all the personal belongings neatly arranged in the room, that someone was planning on an extended visit. She opened the door a little further and gasped when Sirius glanced at her, eyes boring directly into her own from his place on the bed. She wasn't so shocked at his presence as she was at Lupin's. The werewolf was actually curled up in his old friend's arms, struggling to speak about sobs so violent they didn't make a sound. The hushed voices proved to be mostly Sirius' gentle responses.
"Professor?" Hermione whispered halfway into the room and slowly approaching the bed. She was so upset at the sight that she mindlessly lapsed into their time at Hogwarts. The man looked up; there was a fearful look in his eyes when he saw her. He quickly began to retreat into himself, the same way she had before Harry found her at the lake. Spurred into action, she sprinted forward and slide the last few inches on her sweat-pant covered knees to reach desperately for his hand, her body pressed against the side of the bed in front of him. Her mind filled with memories of the pain of hiding behind a mask as she gripped in tightly and spoke to him beseechingly. "Please don't. Don't hide form me… I want to help. I'm here for you."
"Hermione," Sirius whispered, worried for her and how Lupin would react. Lupin's initial reaction was to begin to tell her to leave him alone. But he froze; through his own tears he could see tears flooding her eyes. It was enough to make him realize she'd managed to say and do the one thing he needed most.
"I… you… I can't," Lupin struggled to speak as his sobs redoubled at the thoughts floating through his head tortured him yet again.
Quickly, with his voice still hushed as though the words themselves could physically hurt the broken man, Sirius explained. Early that morning Lupin had received a letter from the Ministry. The letter cited an old, almost forgotten law that forbids werewolves the civil right to marriage or children. Because werewolves were uncommon and normally lived lives consumed by their place in a pack, the law rarely needed to be enforced. However, given the circumstances, Lupin was now forbidden from having any contact with his family. If he tried to disregard their orders, they would step in, forcibly remove him and place him in isolation. He had no choice but to flee to Grimmauld and loose his loved ones for good. His only hope was the possibility of some form of contact through messages and stories relayed through mutual friends.
By the time he finished, Lupin was a mess. Hearing what had happened only made it worse; made it feel more real. Tears were flowing freely down Hermione's face. Her lips quivered with her attempts to not allow the sobs building pass though. Throughout the story she'd been subconsciously gripping Lupin's hand tighter and tighter. Now she pulled her hand from his equally tight grasp, stood and pulled him to the edge of the bed into a hug. Immediately Lupin turned and sat upright with his feet on ground, legs on either side of Hermione's. At the same time his arms wrapped around her upper thighs and he buried his face in her abdomen; his tears soaking her loose fitting tee-shirt as he hugged her close like a frightened child. Hermione stroked her hand over his shoulders as the other combed through his messy hair slowly and rhythmically, her nails lightly scratching his scalp.
"I'm so sorry… I had no idea," Hermione's voice was thick with the tears she continued to shed for the torn family. Lupin hovered nearby, wanting to help his 'pack' but at a loss about what to do. He watched in borderline amazement as Lupin's sibs subsided, his quaking body beginning to relax. Leave it to Hermione to bring the semi-peace he'd been trying to bring the man all day in a matter of minutes.
Reviews make the pen flow faster...