Story: Disconnected

Chapter: Four; Right Beside You

Pairing: Hermione/Remus

Rating: M (Eventually)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm not JK. I'm neither famous, powerful nor rich. Simply playing with the ideas, characters, places, etc.

A/N: Been gone a long time, starting this story up again. Hopefully some of you stuck with it, or if you're just picking this story up I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always, always welcomed and adored – Good or Bad, just be respectful and mature about it if you have an issue with something I've written, thanks. Also! I am currently looking for some Betas for this story and others – Contact me if interested, through a PM please, not the reviews.


Hermione wondered when Remus would begin to question her silent emotional moments, he seemed to be the only one that had caught on to them, so far. She thought it was possible that Lily had heard her crying one night, or seen the lost look in her eyes at times. But, Lily Evans would never push or question Hermione that was one thing she knew for sure about the red head – fiercely loyal and patient to a fault almost. Hermione squeezed Remus' hand tightly, leaning her body further against him, soaking in his warmth. She watched as the sunlight played across the lake, shimmering and shining as the waves rolled softly towards the shore.

"I'd never ask," Remus said quietly. "But just know I'm always here." Hermione blinked heavily, as the tears falling from her eyes doubled in strength at his softly spoken words. She tilted her head against his shoulder, looking up at him from below thick brown lashes. He was looking back at her intently, his eyes even and serious, his slim mouth turned down in a slight frown at the corners. His face was strong and solid, masculine in a way that even in his later years had caused Hermione's stomach to turn over in knots. She lifted a hand to place against his cheek, closing her eyes tightly as his head tilted into it.

"I know," Hermione said hoarsely, her voice rough with tears and emotion. They were both people that surrounded themselves within words strung together to form endless sentences. They could spend entire days at a time, lost within the world of words, stories and information. Though, when it came to actual spoken language, neither teen seemed prone to voice much unless it was of importance in a situation as serious as this one. Hermione opened her eyes, rubbing her thumb softly down Remus' angled jaw, before dropping it back to where their other hands were still intertwined together. "I'd tell you everything if I could, though I'm not sure how much of it you would believe. Can you trust me thought, Remus? Enough to know that there will be things I can't always share with you, questions I won't have the answers to, things I'll know without having an explanation for." Hermione whispered softly, burying her face into his shoulder, afraid for the first time of his reaction.

"Mia," Remus said roughly, his voice catching. "Look at me, please." Hermione tilted her head back up, slowly opening her eyes to look up at the young man again. "I will trust you, no matter what. And believe anything you tell me is true." Hermione felt the sting of tears again, blinking against them and fighting them back. She was tired of mourning, of crying, of being sad. She smiled at him, a slight quirk at the corner of her pouted lips.

"Thank you," she said softly, nuzzling her nose into his shoulder and tilting her head to look back out at the lake. "I have important things to do, to study, to research. I have a role to play, that isn't easy Remus. Please don't tell me I'm too young, when you start to understand, when I start to share pieces with you. I hope you respect me enough, to give me that small thing if nothing else."

"I'll be by your side, Hermione." Remus said evenly, his tone clueing her into the fact that there was no way he would allow himself to be pushed aside. Hermione smiled at that thinking of Harry and Ron, wondering if it was a general male quality or a male Gryffindor quality specifically, not wanting to be left out of anything especially the juicy bits.

"I'd never dream of you being anywhere else, Rem." Hermione chuckled softly, patting his hand. Remus shook his head at the young witch leaning against him. She was different, and she was special he could just feel it. He could feel the power that coursed around her, the knowledge and understanding she possessed reached far beyond the number of years she'd lived on earth so far. He couldn't help but wonder about what tragedies, what horrors she'd seen to make her seem so untouchable – not in the sense of physicality but, something deeper, something more. Hermione was an endlessly deep pool of darkened water, a lake that had no known bottom, and Remus wasn't so sure he'd mind drowning in her.

They sat in silence as time slowly continued to trickle by, the sun was beginning to lower across the horizon in front of them, dimming the light, changing the angle of reflection of the calm waters of the lake. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she felt so at peace with herself, or her surroundings. She sighed wistfully, trying to push her mind into the here and now, she'd forever remember Harry's never wavering bravery and the dimples that would flit across Ron's cheek in a show of true happy laughter, but she had to also remember that she was here to change things, to fix things, to make everything okay in the future she'd never see through the same eyes again. She couldn't help but wonder if things would truly be better, hating herself for even contemplating that Harry having his parents back would be anything but wonderfully perfect. But her brain wouldn't let her not look at the situation from an outside perspective, burying the emotions and running through list after list of possibility. She wouldn't be changing just one little thing – she would be changing everything, if she succeeded.

She pushed away the depressing thoughts quickly, squeezing Remus' hand tightly before letting go of him and pushing herself up off the ground. There wasn't enough time for fears or tears, but there was time to enjoy the simple moments because who knew how long they would last. She needed to start truly planning soon, she already knew where to find nearly everything she needed, but it had to work perfectly. Everything had to work out perfectly, the plan could have no more for mistakes or missteps, and she only had a small amount of years before everything she had come back to do must be completed. She smiled down at Remus; the light was playing across his face, shining in his eyes that seemed much deeper than she'd ever taken the time to realize.

She had always adored and looked up to her one time Professor when he'd first wandered into their lives. He was a strong man, despite his vulnerabilities and insecurities. He was brave and loyal, and his intelligence was something she'd always found so fascinating. He pushed so hard to be this perfect model citizen, no matter how harshly the world objected to what he truly was – something he couldn't control, something he couldn't help. Hermione could see a small scar at the corner of his mouth, another one nearly hidden by the collar of his shirt, she knew there were more and that the amount of them would continue to grow over the years. She frowned softly, thinking of what would happen to him, how differently would his life turn out if all his friends lived and were still in his life? She hoped that the mischief, the life, and the laughter that she often times could see in his eyes wouldn't ever go out. She couldn't imagine what great misery had befallen upon him at the news of the Potter's the death, Sirius' betrayal, and Peter's murder – how that must have crushed the soft hearted boy he was now, and turned him into the stoic man she knew from her past.

"What's wrong?" Remus said, pushing himself from the ground, dusting his robes of meticulously. Hermione giggled at him, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her before shaking his head.

"Just lost in thought," Hermione said around a chuckle, link her arm through his and turning them towards the castle. "I think dinner has already started, and I for one am starving!"

"Well, we must get you to the Great Hall at once before you simply just waste away," Remus said dryly, though the quirk of his lips gave away his amusement. Hermione simply patted his arm with her free hand, as they continued on their journey towards the Great Hall in a comfortable silence.


It's a little short, I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things though. I have to re-think where I want this story to go, and what I want to happen. I have the basic plot ideas and lines, but I just have to add the meat and fill to it all, and put it down into words - Easy enough, eh? Anyways, I am looking for a Beta or Two, interested in Betaing for this story. PM me! Andddd - Review, I love them. Thanks! Love, Bre.