Hermione yawned as she finished washing the dishes in the sink and monitored her children making an event of their breakfast. She hardly slept and tried to shake her weary mind out while readying for the day. Once her hands were dried, she reached for her cup of tea and sighed as her mother-in-law entered the kitchen.
"Good morning, dear," Molly announced and leaned to kiss her cheek.
"Morning, Mum," Hermione grumbled.
The matriarch ran her fingers over the curly hair of the young mother and moved to the children. "You mum is going to work today, so we need to be extra good today, my ducklings," Molly told them as she sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.
Hermione walked around the table and kissed her daughter's head. "Please be good to your grandmother."
"Mum, can we come?" Rose asked with a pout.
"Not today, lovely. Mum has to work," Hermione murmured.
Hugo reached for her when she bent to him and gripped her neck. "Holdya," he ordered with a frown.
Hermione pushed down the squeezed feeling in her chest as her growing infant son pleaded with her to stay. "I'll be back later, baby. Be good for Gran," Hermione whispered as she kissed his cheek.
It was torture. Her children gave her the same forlorn expression as she moved to the door. "I will see you around tea time, Mum," the young woman announced and left the room.
Why couldn't this be just a bit easier?
When Hermione arrived at the small house, she had about ten minutes to spare. She planned such and was happy to see that her estimation was accurate. Climbing from the car, she retrieved her large bag from the backseat and straightened her suit. Not that she had anyone to impress. She was so accustomed to having to seem steely and a bit unapproachable at her former job. Pushing for new regulations on human rights was never an easy cause to attach to, and men would talk down to her efforts.
She missed it a bit. Hermione loved the fight and enjoyed the research involved. It was all a faint memory in comparison to the pain stemmed from the accident months ago. Now it all seemed like another life. A life without tears at night. A life with more harmony and peace. A life with someone to walk through it together. There was no magic left.
The woman decided to head to the front door after standing like a loon looking out at the forest nearby. It was vast, and so was her heartache, but both would wait for her to return. The door was a dark blue, in complete contrast to the cream color of the house. It was a beautiful design, and the lacquer was holding up far more than the paint on the walls.
Her fingers went to the barrier, and she frowned before knocking. There wasn't a knocker or even a doorbell in sight, but she wouldn't complain. She rocked her knuckles against the door twice before standing away from it and straightening her jacket. It seemed almost as if she wasn't heard, at least until the door unlatched and green eyes were staring down at her.
The man in front of her was towering in comparison to her stature. His brows seemed wrinkled slightly as he gazed at her. The lines that ran over his face were old scars that looked to only highlight his expression as his sandy, speckled hair feathered his forehead.
"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger," she announced as she found her tongue; nearly feeling incompetent by her loss of words.
He just stared, his nose flared in scrutiny. "Granger? Severus taught you chemistry?" He finally asked as he remained in front of the door.
"Yes, I had Professor Snape. Although, I don't believe he thought I was even par with the class," Hermione sighed, running her fingers through her hair.
His lips quirked and a smile appeared. "He thought more of you than you know, Miss Granger. I'm Remus Lupin," He announced holding out his hand.
Hermione wasn't sure how to make out his sudden mood change. "Lovely to meet you. Your son is adorable," she declared as she shook Remus's hand.
"Oh, I'm lucky, he's easy to please. Give him a garden to play in and books to read and he's the happiest," Remus said as he continued to shake her hand.
Hermione rocked her head slightly. "I was pretty similar myself as a child. I think most only children get to be that way," she responded as she glanced down at their hands.
Remus pulled his fingers away swiftly as his cheeks flushed with a tiny amount of color. "You never took my course in literature through the ages," He noted with a tilt of his head.
She laughed with a head shake. "I didn't realize you taught at the university I went to."
"I do. Severus and I don't see eye to eye, but he isn't a horrible professor," Remus spoke with a smirk as he leaned closer to her. "He just acts like he hates his job," he whispered.
Hermione pinched down on a bright smile. "He is quite daunting."
His eyes traced her face as he arched an eyebrow. "But you did take Minerva's sociology courses. She did speak about how impressed she was with your study habits."
Hermione hemmed as she shifted on her heels. "Well, she is an astute professor."
"She is," he echoed with a curl to his lips. "I'm curious to find out why someone so entranced by books didn't choose to take my class."
"Is there a salesman at the door, Remus, dear?" Andromeda's voice bounced over the opening and outside.
She soon appeared around his side as Remus jerked from the center of the doorway. "Oh, no, I was just speaking to Miss Granger about the university," Remus said with a nod.
Andromeda rolled her eyes and waved Hermione inside. "Don't mind him, dear. Remus doesn't realize that academia can be talked about at the table," she teased the man while patting his shoulder.
Hermione entered the house and noted the extreme difference between the outside. It was cozy and smelt of fresh baking; a buttery texture with delicious lingering. The walls were decorated with pictures of people and events of their lives that brought life to the home. She followed the older woman who glided in front of her in a well-tailor dress.
They journeyed into a lovely kitchen where a nice sized table sat near the back door. Edward was sitting with a plate in front of him and a book in his lap. When his green eyes met the curly-haired woman, he gasped. "Hermione! You're here!" He shouted with a toothy smile.
"Sit down, girl. Let's have some tea. I know we are a bit behind, but today might be an easier day than most," Andromeda announced as she put the pot on the table.
Hermione switched the balance on her feet and tossed a bit of her hair behind her. "Well, I suppose," she huffed and sat down across from the older woman.
The professor wandered around the other end of the table and sat down in front of the paper he must have abandoned earlier. He returned to his reading as his son pressed his book down on the table, glancing over at Hermione. "You have a girl and a boy?" He asked as if they were continuing a conversation.
"Yes, Edward," Hermione replied with a nod.
Andromeda handed her a cup and sighed. "They must be darling."
"They are rambunctious. Rose likes to color, but books haven't become of huge interest for her yet. Hugo is a bit young to decide either or and follows his older sister about. Molly tells me all the time that they are less like Ronald and more like me, but only time will tell."
Remus flicked the tip of his paper down enough to glance over at Hermione. "Molly Weasley? You're married to her son?"
Andromeda hemmed while tapping her teacup. "Dear, I told you her husband was in that horrible car accident several months ago," she murmured, a clear warning in her tone.
Hermione sipped her tea and exhaled. "Yes, we were married for six years."
"And you have two children?" Remus inquired with a frown.
"You are correct," Hermione said with a nod.
His brow was still very condensed as he stared at her. Hermione wasn't sure what he was trying to decipher, but to her, everything seemed very clear; his confusion seemed undefined.
"How are Molly and Arthur? I haven't spoken to them in near twenty years," Andromeda interjected.
Despite the definite change in subject, Hermione answered. "They are very well. Molly has melded into the grandmother role well. I don't think any of our children will ever go without. Arthur will always be the wonderful example of how hard work pays off. He's enjoying retirement."
Andromeda rocked her head before turning to her grandson. "Teddy, why don't you go get ready, and I will show Hermione to the library. Then you both can go over the lesson plan together," she told him.
The boy hopped off his chair with exaggerated glee and skipped from the room, book in hand. "He's very excited to learn. That is lovely to see. I used to have to break Harry and Ron's fingers to get them to study for anything," Hermione sighed with a large breath.
"He's a good boy. Has a naughty streak like his mother. However, the desire to learn and devour books came straight from this man," Andromeda teased as she pressed her fingers to Remus's arm.
The man hemmed as he straightened his jumper. "Well, books are a fond company to those with a thirst for knowledge."
Hermione motioned agreement. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Professor," she said with a curl to her lips. "Now, I'm just going to pop into the restroom, and I can get started for the day. Where might it be?" She asked, and the older woman waved a hand.
"Down the hallway to the left, you will see it next to the sitting room," Andromeda declared with a nod.
A smile etched across Hermione's lips as she stood. "Thank you," she said.
Hermione resituated her bag as she walked from the room, but caught the edge of the conversation. "Molly and Arthurs children, hm?" Remus asked with a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Hush now, we'll talk about things after you're done with work for the day," Andromeda dismissed the subject.
She found the bathroom just where it was said to be and disappeared inside. Unusual. That was the only word she could see that defined them. It wasn't that she felt odd or uncomfortable, just out of place. Maybe it was the isolation they had and created such a strong family unit from it? Hermione couldn't put her finger on it.
When she left the bathroom, she curiously checked the other rooms on the floor. The library was near the sitting room which was near the staircase to go up to the next landing. By the structure, it seemed the house was maybe three floors? It seemed far larger inside and roomy.
Her exploration was cut short when footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, and Teddy appeared. "Hello, Hermione. Are we going to get started?" He asked with a bright smile.
"Yes, let's go," she responded.
The boy led her into the library, and they got started at the long table.
It wasn't until lunchtime that anything significant happened. Hermione was outside with a book, watching the boy play after eating. It wasn't that she needed to be there, but inside felt so stuffy after pouring over mathematics all morning. It was welcoming to be sitting out in the air.
She was sipping on her tea and reading one of her favorite books when a large black dog strolled out of the forest. Hermione froze a moment as she watched the menacing creature sniffed the air. Its bright eyes stared at her after realizing the woman was sitting on the bench. The woman wasn't confident the large animal was real until she saw the dust it flung from its coat as it shook.
Hermione set her book down and attempted to move toward the house. "Teddy," she said with a calm tone.
Teddy turned to her and jumped over a log. "Hermione, what's wrong?" He questioned.
The dog paced toward her, and she almost stumbled backward over the bench. It was a few feet away when it stopped and sat down in front of her. "Padfoot!" Teddy shouted and ran up to the animal. "Dad said you ran away again," he sighed as his arms encircled the massive beast.
Hermione was still pale as she blinked down at the dog. "He's your dog?"
"No, he's not my dog. He's my dad's. My dad said he runs away for months and then comes back for a while. Padfoot is like my uncle," Teddy said with a smile and snuggled the grumbling dog.
The woman bent toward the dog who was panting happily, and her eyes narrowed; she recognized this dog. "You travel up north, boy?" she asked while scrunching her nose.
Padfoot lunged from Teddy's arms and tackled Hermione. She fell flat to the grass, and its tongue swiped across her face with a slobbery attack. Hermione was attempting to fight the beast off, but its assault went down her face and to her neck. "Get off me! Now!" She shouted, pushing at the massive dog roughly.
"Pads," A stern voice sounded. The dog has pulled away from Hermione's chest and panted happily as it glanced up at the house. "I mean it," Remus huffed as Hermione pulled herself from Padfoot.
Her stare was potent as she glared at the dog. "You need to train him better," Hermione snapped as she climbed off the ground.
Remus had met her out in the yard with a frown. "I apologize, he's a bit too friendly," he murmured, guilt clearly displayed on his face.
"Well," Hermione sighed and reached out to pat the animal. "At least he doesn't bite."
The animals grey eyes lingered on her as she shook the imagery from that night and turned to Remus. "Well, I'll just take him in," the man mumbled and waved at the dog. "Come along, Padfoot. Let's leave Hermione and Teddy be."
The dog grumbled and cast Hermione another tilted expression before following Remus inside. There was something oddly aware about the beast, and she heard the man whispering to him as they went inside. Maybe the dog was his therapy after losing his wife? Hermione had no idea the rare closeness the man had to his canine.
Glancing at her watch as Teddy tilted his head. "Hermione," he started.
"Yes?" she responded after regarding the ten minutes they had left on their break.
"That's the first time Padfoot did that in forever," he said with a nod.
"How long has your dad had Padfoot?" Hermione questioned suspiciously.
Teddy just bounced his shoulder with a smile. "Since I've been alive."
The woman tilted her head and scratched her neck. "Well, that's good I suppose. Shall we go see what your grammar level is, Edward?"
The boy nearly skipped as he walked toward the back door, but Hermione stayed by the bench a moment and glanced back at the tree line. She almost expected to see the man with silver hair come out of the darkness — the ghost in her nightmare. That night a dog ran into the road and caused the accident that ended in green light. She was almost positive that the dog was the blond stranger's, but now she wasn't that sure. It all seemed like walking into Wonderland.
