Christmas Collection Challenge. Prompt: (food) Candy Cane
The Full Moon
"Remus, it's the full-moon tomorrow night," Hermione commented, as Remus turned up to collect Teddy. "Do you need me to watch Teddy for you?"
Remus smiled at her. "Thank you for the offer, Hermione," he began. "But I'm already asking enough of you. Fred and George -"
Hermione folded her arms. "You know, for someone who keeps pulling the 'family' card on me, you seem reluctant to let me do very much. I really enjoy having Teddy around, and I have to collect him from school anyway. Why don't you come here when you finish work, have dinner and see Teddy, and he can stay here overnight? Or if you'd rather him stay in the cottage, I could -"
"Are you sure?" Remus interrupted. "I don't want you to feel like you have to keep doing everything for us."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You need to stop worrying," she insisted. "I offer because I want to help, not because I feel as though I have to."
...oOo...
Hermione couldn't help as her eyes stayed focused on the clock after Remus left. Teddy was contentedly watching the film with her, insisting that it was the weekend so he was allowed to stay up late.
Though he seemed quite restless, as though he could feel Hermione's nerves at Remus' transformation. She had tried to distract him by making hot chocolate and opening some candy canes that she had bought to hang on the tree, but the distraction didn't seem to last very long, and Teddy was agitated once more.
An hour after his actual bedtime, Hermione finally got Teddy to fall asleep and carried him into Harry's room, settling him on the middle of the large bed. He clung to a dinosaur teddy tightly as covers were pulled up and tucked around him.
Hermione waved her wand, casting spells to stop Teddy from rolling off the edge of the bed and she set some wards that would wake her should he get up from the bed whilst she was still asleep.
She settled in her own and closed her eyes, but found herself watching the clock instead, unable to stop worrying about Remus' transformation.
...oOo...
"Rough night? Did Teddy keep you up?"
"Is that your way of telling me that I look completely awful?" Hermione retorted.
"Not at all, I must admit I like the look," Remus replied, gesturing to the untidy hair that looked like it would break any hairbrush that tried to untangle it, and to the pyjamas that Hermione was still wearing. "Didn't you sleep well?"
Hermione shrugged. "I'm not the one that should be complaining about last night," she replied.
Remus nodded. "Teddy?"
"Apart from a bit of a restless start and an evening filled with him trying to convince me to let him stay up late, slept without waking up once. I had wards on the bed so I'd wake up if he got up, and some to stop him falling out."
"How was he this morning?" Remus asked.
"Quite subdued," Hermione said. "I mean, he was happy to be here, but he was upset and missing you at the same time. I was tempted to head over to see if you needed any healing, but I thought, if you were hurt, the last thing you'd want is Teddy to see you in pain."
"You're right," Remus admitted. "He tends to get upset after the full-moon. Even if he stays at Andromeda's or Sirius' when there is no full-moon, I think he can sense it and knows that it has an effect on me. I wouldn't want him to see me hurt afterwards."
"Did you heal alright?" Hermione asked. "Anything I can help with?"
Remus shook his head, touched by the concern in her voice. "You're already doing so much for me," he assured her. "I think that the changes over the last couple of years in the potion have helped with pain management. I've not had as rough of a recovery as before."
"That's good," Hermione whispered.
Remus smiled softly at her. "Do you want to let Teddy know that I'm here? I'll take him home now."
"I'll just go and get him."
Remus watched Hermione walk away. He hadn't been lying when he said he liked the look. She looked like she had not been out of bed long - and her just shagged wild mane of hair was perfect.
As he waited for Teddy, he wondered if he could get away with turning up earlier with Teddy, just in hopes of seeing that wonderful sight again.
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