Hermione woke with a start. She was having a horrible dream about being underwater and then a shark coming at her. When she jerked and sat up, she nudged a body lying next to her. The witch glanced over and noted she was in her bed, but the person beside her wasn't Remus nor Lily, it was Sirius.
He had not stirred from her rigid movements. This gave Hermione the time to examine him for the first time. The marauder that she barely knew, but somehow he made more sense now than the fragmented memories she had of him. Sirius was splayed out in bed, sheets tucked around his stomach, revealing his chest and the curly dark tuffs of hair blending with his tattoos.
Fingertips moved on their own accord as she touched his chest, tracing the markings. The time was not in the forefront of her mind, at least until his hand pressed over hers. Without opening his eyes, he hummed and stopped her exploration. "The grey wolf- Amalgamation," He grumbled as her fingers pressed against the large tattoo.
"Alchemy," Hermione mused.
"Would you like to get a tattoo? I have an excellent spell for them. The old alchemist I used to fence for taught me," Sirius grumbled as he released her fingers.
Hermione trailed her fingers over his chest. "No, I don't think so. Where did Remus go? I thought he stayed with me last night."
Sirius tugged Hermione to the bed and scooped her up while groaning. "He went for a run. His restlessness is high this month. We rescued you only two days after the full moon. He's always been a bit high voltage after, but usually that's solved with a good romp," the animagus grunted as he pulled her to him.
"Remus is still concerned I'll judge him for his tendencies?" Hermione questioned as she tucked into his embrace.
Sirius sounded agreement. "Oh yes, he's worried you'll see him get wolfish and run."
"Sirius, I'm not scared of him. I never will be. You both saved my life, don't you understand the gravity of that?"
He pressed her to the pillows and pressed his torso over her form, staring down at her with a sleepy smile. "Angel, you've been a blessing. If you weren't so damn important, I'd shag ya until next Sunday, but I have a strict rule on not having sex with those that are my friends."
Hermione almost retorted- almost. She realized what he was doing and exhaled. "Sirius, I'm honest. Nothing either of you does will ever change my gratitude and regard for you both," Hermione said before touching his cheek.
It wasn't even a profound action that stirred the tightness in Sirius's ribcage. The calm expression melding with her genuine eyes nearly took his breath away. Hermione was truthful about her feelings. This young witch lived her feelings so freely it shook Sirius to his core. "Where did you come from?" He asked glancing between her eyes as his brow knitted.
Hermione giggled while shaking her head. "Out of this time."
Sirius's eyes faded from their intense gazing, and he smirked. "Come on, love. Let's get you in a bath and then we'll get some grub."
The witch was about to argue, but Sirius pulled from the bed and yanked her with him, carrying her like she weighed almost nothing. "Sirius Orion Black, you put me down this instant!" Hermione howled as she jostled in his grip.
The animagus set her down on the counter and turned to the tub in the bathroom. Hermione knew she could very well argue with him until her face was blue, but he wasn't going to yield. So, she pouted with her arms crossed and her lips pursed. Sirius was fiddling with the faucets and pouring different vials in the basin before he was satisfied with the water.
When he did turn to her, he barked out a stream of laughter that bounced off the walls. "You actually look your age with that type of sulking, love."
"I will have you know, I'm," she paused and tilted her head. "Nineteen."
Sirius arched an eyebrow as he scratched his chin. "Well, you're of age. At least I got one thing right. I owe Moony two galleons now."
"How old did you think I was?" Hermione huffed, still quite perturbed at his manhandling.
"Twenty-five, maybe twenty-six. Not due to your beauty, but due to your brain. Moony and you have that in common. Probably the most bloody attractive thing about him," Sirius remarked as he helped the witch off the counter.
Hermione scowled as Sirius gathered her towels and a robe off the door. "Sirius, are you two?" She left him to fill in the blanks.
"In love? No. We dated in school, but we decided it all was doomed when we couldn't build each other up any longer. Two destructive forces on the road to ruin together. It changed the dynamic of our friendship, and we are better for it now, but it was a painful growing experience then."
The witch watched him turn around before shedding her clothes. Sirius was a dunderhead, but silently respectful and that she indeed appreciated immensely. "What of it now?" Hermione asked.
Sirius tilted his head, but she couldn't see him observing the extent of her scars in the mirror. The jagged keloid flesh that roamed down her torso and marred the perfect skin she had. Those were signatures of the Carrow twins. The deep slices on her right shoulder were of a werewolf. That was a prior wound from a time she wasn't sure of living. It disturbed him to see such damage to such a bright witch.
"Remus and I will grow old and likely die together. I can only hope he finds himself a nice witch as Prongs did, but neither of us is certain that our wounds will ever heal from our childhoods," Sirius murmured as he subtly watched her reflection climb into the tub.
"And you?" Hermione's questions still came.
The animagus pivoted toward the tub and reached for the glass pitcher. It had a refillable spell, and he warmed it to the right temperature before holding her hair from her back and dousing it. "Well, I expect I'll be happy to shag countless witches and enjoy life with the remaining Marauders. It will be a life I never expected after the cruelty I have seen. A pleasant and simple life."
Hermione let out an audible sigh. "I want a simple life too," she murmured.
"Then, love, you've come to the right time. After this business with the war is over, we're moving out to the country. Someplace quiet," Sirius mumbled as he reached for the shampoo.
She glanced back at him before he lathered her hair. "Sirius, are you sincerely going to move out to the country?" Hermione questioned.
"I would like to," Sirius grumbled and touched her hair with his soapy hands.
There was a long silence between them as she enjoyed his doting. This was different than what she experienced with Lily. It was tender and gentle, almost as if he was apologizing, but for what, Hermione couldn't say. Was it possible that he couldn't delve deeper into his emotional disconnect or even the concept that life was only going to get harder? Hermione wasn't positive on the motives behind such a gentle action.
"Hermione," Sirius whispered.
She murmured a sound of question.
"Do, was, did I do something wrong in your time? Why were dementors after me? You said that Peter framed me, but how was that enough?" Sirius asked, his fingers laced through her clean hair.
"No, Sirius, you didn't do anything wrong. I thought about it plenty after last night. From what I can pull from my memories is that Peter faked his death after you confronted him about letting the dark lord know where the Potters were. You convinced them that he should be their secret keeper and not yourself."
"Why not Remus?"
Hermione pressed her lips together and glanced back at the puzzled animagus. "You thought he was a spy."
Sirius's expression suddenly grew crest-fallen. "I did? I, well, I wondered. The last mission Remus was sent on. He was gone a month longer than he should have been. Order members were attacked twice during that time," he murmured before pressing his fingers to his face.
"It's not your fault. He doesn't blame you either," Hermione interjected his turmoil.
"I love him, darlin', I should have trusted him more. Looking back at Peter mentioning those things budded these visions of a werewolf looking for a better life, but I tried desperately to hold onto the fact that Remus hasn't changed. I'm guilty of even imagining these things," Sirius groaned and shook his head.
"Sirius, we are all human," Hermione reminded him.
He pulled his hands away from his face and exhaled. "You're a good little witch. I'm so relieved that someone is here to help us avoid a life not worth living."
"Now, let me clean up so we can go to breakfast, please?" Hermione sighed with a soft smile.
Sirius bent forward and kissed her forehead gently. "You're a treasure. I'm glad we could save you from those fucks."
Hermione touched his cheek before he pulled away. "Me too, Sirius."
The animagus waved at her before ducking out of the room. Hermione sank into the water and stared up at the surface glinting in fragmented glimmers like wind through chimes. She wished her relief was stronger than it was. The witch still felt so alone and a longing for someone to take her anxiety from her. The next portion of this was just about surviving it. Why couldn't she get the secure feelings of Remus holding her out of her head?
James stopped and bent his body as he panted. "You, are, killing me, Moony," he huffed.
Remus pivoted and sustained his pace while staying in place. "Come on, once more around the lake," he pushed as sweat dripped down his brow.
"Why are you so high maintenance? That witch has you twisted?" James questioned as he erected his form and wiped his face with his shirt.
"I'm not twisted. She's just a girl," Remus grumbled as he slowed his pace.
"A girl who happens to know your secret and is quite fond of books," James pointed out.
Remus halted his movements, and his scowl said it all. "What of it? You know where I stand with romantic attachments," he snapped, wiping his forehead on his arm.
"You and Padfoot are absolutely tossers if you think I don't know what's going on," James growled.
Remus tossed his head and flung the wet strands of his hair off his face. "What do you mean?" His voice was stiff and accusatory.
James flailed his hands in the air. "You begged Dumbledore to save her! You, pleaded with Lily to befriend her when she arrived. Sirius hasn't once made a move or sprung a real line on her. It's like you both are avoiding the reality that you don't just want to bend her over your bed and shag her furiously," He finished before removing his glasses and cleaning them with his shirt.
The werewolf growled and ground the tip of his sneaker into the dirt. "Prongs, leave it alone. What was rule forty-seven?"
"You can't claim forty-seven when you broke rule sixty-eight," James hissed with a narrowed glare.
Remus straightened his track pants and groaned. "Sixty-eight? No Marauder will hide information from another? How did I break sixty-eight?"
"You didn't tell me my wife was pregnant!" James retorted with a sharp glare.
The werewolf dropped his anger and winced. "Prongs, that's not my business to call her out on her bodily changes."
"That may be so, but you still didn't tell me," James sighed.
"Can I ask you a real question?" Remus exhaled as they stood on the edge of the lake.
James nodded and shifted in his workout clothes. "What?"
"Albus told me that she might not change, but there is a chance that she could have a mental breakdown when her memories start surfacing. I implored for a route to help her cope, but he didn't give me one. He stated that she couldn't be helped. Do you believe that?" Remus asked.
James examined his friend with a new light. Remus's sweat was pooling at the center of his chest, and his scarred arms were lined with his pronounced veins. It wasn't being infatuated with the girl that had him restless; it was the inevitable chance that she would fall apart and he couldn't save her. "Why are you trying so hard with her, Moony? You're caring, but this is turning your insides out."
Remus ran a hand through his damp hair and puffed out a full breath. His features read guilt. "I'm sorry that I haven't said anything, but it all has been moving so fast. She just, I don't know how to describe it, but she smells like home. It's odd, and a bit unnerving. Like seeing someone through a window pane in a crowded room and knowing just what they smell like before you can enter the room. Prongs, I know it's not possible, but I feel like we've met before."
James glanced back at the castle and tilted his head. "Does Sirius know that?"
"Yes, he agrees with me. He said it was as if she knew our stories without ever being there. This invisible string tied between all of us marauders, this bond, she somehow became apart of that without us even realizing," Remus finished and scrunched his shoulders. "It's hard to explain."
"No, I understand, Moony. I may not know the extent of your agreement to the witch, but I think she'd be willing to die for us, especially my future son. We can't let that happen. Lily was very clear on that this morning."
"How do we prevent it?" Remus said with exasperation reaching his tone.
James turned back to him and grimaced. "I'll have to think on that. This is new territory for us all."
The thunderous sound of a broom overhead went by, and a broomstick landed on the ground. "Come on, Prongs! Let's go!" Sirius shouted.
James laughed and took up the broom, nodded at Remus. "We'll see you inside," he declared and took off.
Remus watched them flying over the lake with flips and corkscrews. They were dueling mid-flight, much as Remus assumed was practice. The world was full of terrors, but being attacked on a broom was another fear for the Order. Without great skill, one could fall to their death.
"I was debating on coming to find you," Remus mused as a sweet scent of lavender filled the air.
A form appeared next to him, and her darker hair shimmered with honeyed gold in the sunlight. "Well, Sirius held my attention captive after breakfast," Hermione announced. "They're good, but Harry flew better than James does. I always imagined James to be far more skilled than his son, but I'm learning that people exaggerated many things about him."
Remus nodded slowly. "That tends to happen. How did you sleep?" He inquired as she bounced on her heels.
"I kept dreaming of things that didn't make sense. Remus, can we do some research? I had a thought that kept repeating in my dreams. A snake. A snake that he kept by his side. Other than familiars, why would that be some important?"
The werewolf turned to Hermione and frowned while rubbing his jawline. "A snake? I know he doesn't have one currently. Was there more to these images?"
Hermione rocked her head but exhaled. "Does the Beedle the Bard Tales, make any logic to this? I was holding the book in one of these images."
Remus's face tightened as he thought, his fingernails scratching at the sweat stain on his shirt. "As in the children's book? Odd. There's a copy in the library."
Hermione's eyes traced him and blood pooled in her cheeks. "I didn't mean to interrupt your run," she mumbled.
He glanced down and cleared his throat. "I was done for the day anyway. My partner got stolen by a broom," he replied while pressing down the embarrassment.
"Lily offered to help," Hermione voiced as she ran her foot over the dirt, not meeting his eyes.
Remus stood straight and hemmed. "How about I change, and we meet in the library? We could check for possible answers to your dreams as well as look into some books on your enchanted object."
The pleasant smell of her was encapsulating. Remus knew he was enthralled with how calm it made him feel when she was near. Hermione had no idea the effect she created around her, that was almost certain. The witch bounced her shoulders and glanced at him with a motion of agreement. "Alright, I will see you in the library."
Remus still feeling rather exposed just nodded. "Yes, that sounds brilliant."
Hermione waved and began her walk up toward the castle. The werewolf watched and noticed something particularly odd… he felt fear as she walked away. This feeling propelled his feet into a sprint as he caught up to her. "Wait! Let me walk you," he insisted in a breathy tone.
The witch smiled and held out her hand. "Did you know that the Founders created this entire castle with the vision of teaching generations. They had that foresight because back then they weren't sure how many wizarding families were in the United Kingdoms at the time. It's in Hogwarts, A History."
Remus bit the inside of his cheek as he encompassed her hand with his own. "Yes, and they only had a handful of house-elves at the time."
Hermione beamed up at him, and they continued their journey up and into the castle. The werewolf wasn't comfortable with being so attached to someone, but it was evident she might need him in the near future.
