Chapter 9: Day 16/180 Part One

She padded down the hallway and down the stairs, wearing one of Ron's old Chudley Cannons shirts and a pair of yellow, microfiber short shorts. After laying in her bed for two hours, she'd finally decided that she didn't even want to attempt sleep tonight, despite the fact that she was exhausted. After handing the woman over to an Order member named Elizabeth Troy, who was a healer and looked to be much more caring and gentle than Hermione was capable of being, she was led by Professor McGonagall to a waiting Professor Dumbledore, in his office at Hogwarts. The pair listened to James, Sirius, and her recount their mission details, his blue eyes void of their familiar twinkle when Hermione emptily told them what she'd encountered in the house.

After they were finished debriefing, they were dismissed by an unusually soft-spoken McGonagall. When they were outside the statue of the gargoyle, James asked lightly if she wanted a tour of Hogwarts, and promised her that he could show her some things he thought she might enjoy, like a Giant Squid which liked to arm wrestle or less excitingly, the library.

Hermione suppressed a dry laugh and shook her head, rejecting his kind offer and telling him that she was just going to take a walk around for a bit. James apologized but said he promised Lily he'd tell her when he got back. Hermione waved him off with a smile, and he practically ran toward the gates.

She walked next to Sirius in silence for a good bit, unsure of why he was following her, or even if he was following her, or if she was following him. After a few minutes of tense emptiness, he abruptly pulled her into a hug and told her that he understood why the adult him trusted her with his amulet.

This was enough to make her burst into tears, and she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his robes. Sirius, to his credit, let her cry as long as she wanted. He let her cry for the woman, for all the friends she'd left back at home, for the unfamiliar time, for Percy who she was so afraid for, and for all of the things he didn't even know about, like the paranormal force trying to kill her and kill him and everyone else who she'd brought back, and for all of the victims she'd made to suffer without even realizing, by being selfish, even though she'd been warned that time was give-and-take.

She didn't know how long she was in his arms, but when she felt no more tears come, Sirius, gently held her at arm's length and gave her his most charming heartthrob smile, and said, "I betchya were a Gryffindor."

She couldn't help but crack a smile, and she nodded guiltily, telling him that she was, indeed, a Gryffindor and always would be. This, in turn, made him smile even more brightly, and he led her toward the gates, his arm around her. She also added in, "just for your information, Percy was in Gryffindor, too," which caused him to drop his jaw in mock shock, like he'd been told something particularly scandalous.

Still, she couldn't help but hear the haunting words the woman moaned every time she was in a quiet room, so Hermione gave up on sleep and approached the sitting area, intent on reading. She smiled when she saw the light on, as she'd gotten used to Remus's company.

She was mildly disappointed when she saw the room was empty, but she heard voices from the adjacent room. She followed them, and peeked into the kitchen, where she saw Sirius, James, Remus, and Lily, seated at the kitchen table.

"Hermione," Lily called warmly, beckoning her over.

"Is that clock right?" Hermione joked, pointing at the kitchen clock which showed it was a quarter past two.

"The night is for the young, love," Sirius retorted, winking at her.

He stood up as she walked over, and bowed dramatically, letting her slide in between him and Remus. When she sat down, she smiled gently at everyone sitting at the table, and Sirius slid back in, throwing his arm around her casually.

"Funny," she replied, "because if I didn't know I was older than you, I'd assume that Remus and I were the youngest then, since it's usually he and I who stay up and read."

"There are more exciting ways to spend your evening," Sirius said smoothly, looking at James for back-up.

James laughed conspiratorially, and Lily slapped his arm. Hermione didn't know if Sirius was referring to pranks or sex, and frankly, she didn't want to know - judging by Lily's reaction, anyway.

"I think I prefer the peace of my current arrangement," Hermione said.

"You're going to make a bloke jealous," Sirius whined. "If I have to pick up a book to get your attention, then... man, are you difficult."

"Nice to see you two finally getting on," Lily commented, in surprise.

Hermione, Sirius, and James all looked away uncomfortably for a moment, remembering the previous night's events, and Lily seemed to have gotten the message, because she laughed awkwardly.

"So," James said, clearing his throat. "Mum and Dad have been nagging me to come by and see them and tell them about the honeymoon, and they want all of you to come along, too."

"Your mum's cooking, too?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"I assume so," James said, sharing an amused look with Lily, who giggled.

"Fantastic," Sirius exclaimed slapping his hand against the wooden table loudly. "I'm going to buy her a bouquet of those hue-changing sunflowers she loves so much. She always looks so excited to get them, like her deadbeat son never buys them for her."

"Quit trying to make my mum love you more than me!" James huffed. "Under no circumstances are you to buy her those overpriced flowers."

"I'm going to tell her you said that," Sirius threatened.

"You're uninvited," James quickly shot back.

"You can't uninvite me. I'm owling her in the morning to confirm," Sirius said. "This is why she likes me better than you."

Hermione joined Lily in giggling, as the men argued like schoolboys. They were momentarily distracted by her laughing, and James smiled like a young lad and eyed the quiet Remus.

"Remus, you're coming, too, right?" James asked. "Mum was sad that you couldn't last time."

"Sure," Remus replied, with a smile. "Your dad was going to let me borrow some of his texts anyway. When?"

"Tomorrow, for dinner," Lily replied. "Sorry for the short notice, but Mrs. Potter asked while you three were on your mission, and I agreed without thinking."

"It's alright," Remus said. "I don't have any prior plans."

"Excellent," James said. "What about you, Hermione?"

"I'm invited?" Hermione asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Of course you are," Sirius replied, pulling her toward him tightly. "Mrs. Potter will love you."

"Stopinviting people to my house," James said in exasperation.

"I'll invite who I want," Sirius haughtily retorted. "It's my house, too. Mrs. Potter said so."

"It's not your house," James repeated. "It's my -"

"Children," Lily cut off, with a laugh. "The point is, that yes, Hermione, you're invited. I've already told Mrs. Potter to expect you."

"You can't just invite people to mine and James's house, Lily," Sirius mockingly admonished, winking at Hermione.

Hermione burst out laughing and buried her face in her hands. Sirius pulled her toward him again and ruffled her hair. She uncovered her face and smiled at the laughing group of people before her.

"Thank you for inviting me," she said, looking forward to meeting the Potters. "What time are we going?"

"Around six, I reckon," James answered. "Did you have plans?"

"I just have a potion I'm working on that requires precise brewing, and I have to add the next ingredient tomorrow at four-thirty, so six works perfectly," she beamed.

"I haven't heard anyone say something like that in a long time," Lily said with a bittersweet smile on her face.

Hermione didn't miss the brief frown flash on James's face, even as he put his arm around his wife and kissed the top of her head. Nor did she miss the way she tensed in his arms despite the fact that she reciprocated his embrace.

Uh-oh.

"You're still brewing that?" Remus asked, clearly not oblivious to the sudden tension between the newlyweds either and looking to change the subject eagerly. "I figured now that Sirius isn't being a prat, you'd not try to poison him."

"What?" Sirius asked, letting go of her, and looking at her in pretend shock. "You were going to try to poison me?!"

He stood up quickly and made a show of tossing the tea out of his cup and grasping at his throat, as if he was dying.

"You pillock, you had that before she even got here," Remus reminded, laughing.

"Oh yeah," Sirius said, darting his eyes back and forth before he poured himself another cup.

The tension in the room seemed to be quelled for now, and Sirius sat back down, pouring Hermione a cup as well.

"So, what are you brewing?" Sirius asked, genuinely curious.

"Don't bother asking," Remus answered for her. "I've been trying to get her to tell me for days."

"It's a surprise," she said whimsically, smiling at the two men in turn.

"I love surprises," Sirius said, excitedly, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"Too bad it's not for you," she quickly said, shooting him down.

"Awwww," he moaned, pouting out his lips.

"It's a potion for someone?" Lily asked, cocking her head to the side. "What sort of potion is specific to a person? Other than a love potion or a poison?"

Hermione smiled and shrugged, in mock ignorance. "Guess we'll have to wait and see. It'll be ready in another week."

"It's a potion that takes three weeks to brew then, and it's for a specific person," Remus mused, the cogs in his head working in overtime to come up with something but being unable to find anything.

Hermione could see the same thoughts running through the heads of the others, but she simply giggled to herself, knowing it was futile, as none of them would come up with the right answer.

"Well, as fun as this game is," Sirius said, getting to his feet again, "I feel like our new friend here is brewing something we won't be able to guess, so I'm going to head to bed. Good night, friends."

"Us, too," Lily said, yawning. "We have to write 'thank you' cards tomorrow."

"Can't we just get a house-elf to - ouch!" James yelped, as Lily stomped on his foot and frowned. "Fine, no house-elves."

"Good night," Lily said, grabbing James's hand and following Sirius out of the room.

Hermione heard them climb the stairs noisily, and she sighed, resting her head on Remus's shoulder, closing her eyes.

"It's for you, you know," she said, when he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder, now that she was freed from Sirius's coarse grasp.

"Really?" he asked quietly, rubbing her bare arm with his rough hand.

"Yes," she purred, sinking into his arms.

His touch was feather light, even though his hands were bumpy and worn. He cradled her gently, like she was fragile, his sturdy yet lean frame searing. His sandy hair tickled her forehead when he leaned his head against hers, and her heart rate increased when she felt his warm breath against her face. It was the first time she had leaned against him like this, but she was exhilarated from it and glad that he acted so easily affectionate toward her now. They'd spent just over two weeks reading together every night. And by reading, she meant reading, talking, reminiscing, bonding, and even flirting occasionally.

"Are you finally going to tell me what it is you're brewing?" he questioned. "I promise not to tell the peanut gallery."

She laughed heartily, and put her arms around him, snuggling into him, wishing they were on their regular couch instead of on the hard wooden bench.

"I really want it to be a surprise," she said, "but it's something you'd have to drink every day for a week in order for it to be effective, and you're probably not going to want to do that without knowing what it is."

To her surprise, he didn't tense at her words. He was as relaxed as ever, as he continued rubbing her arm.

"It's not the ideal situation, but if you're confident in what you're brewing, and you want it to be a good surprise, I'll drink it," he said.

"Really?" she asked, floored that someone with such trust issues was willing to trust her after such a short period of time. She was fully willing to tell him what she was brewing in order to get him to take it. She never expected in her wildest dreams that she'd actually be able to surprise him with the Wolfsbane potion.

"Not a lot of people who really know me still smile at me the way you do," Remus said, "so I'm willing to take a risk so you keep doing that."

She didn't think it was possible for her to be even more surprised than she was, but he did it. She was astounded by the depth, by the sadness, by the sweetness of his words, and she grasped him tightly, now doubly wishing they were on the comfortable, worn-in sofa.

"You might be the sweetest man I've ever met," she said softly.

"You might be the most generous woman I've ever met," he replied easily.

She detached herself from him just enough to be able to look up to meet his light blue eyes. Her gaze traveled across his smooth skin, down his perfectly shaped nose, and toward his masculine jaw, pausing at his rosy lips. She couldn't look away, especially when she noticed the light blond stubble that littered the otherwise flawless skin on his face, and she realized that Lily and Marlene had known something she hadn't even been aware of.

"Dear Merlin, they were right," she mumbled, letting her eyes drift back up to meet his gaze.

"Who was right, and about what?" he asked, although it appeared he wasn't wholly interested in it.

"Marlene and Lily," she answered, swinging one of her legs over the bench so that she could face him without craning her neck.

He mirrored her action and brought his other hand up to her neck, caressing her sensitive skin. "Marlene and Lily?"

"They were right," she repeated, her breath caught in her throat, as she brought one hand to the front of Remus's black T-shirt and wrapped the other around his neck.

"About what?" he asked, barely comprehending her words as he lazily stared into her eyes, unconsciously moving forward.

"About me fancying you," she replied, feeling her face and neck burn a deep red from her admission

"Funny," he said, finally understanding her words, an amused smile gracing his lips as he leaned forward to hover above her lips. "James and I had a similar talk just the other day, albeit more vulgar."

"Did you?" she asked, waiting with bated breath. "And what conclusion did you draw?

"That I want to shag your brains out," he said, and his lips were on hers before she even had a chance to react.

His lips felt fuller than they looked, and they fluidly moved against hers, as he pulled her legs around his waist and pulled her body flush against his. She moaned, as she felt the heat of his tongue penetrate her mouth and felt his shallow breathing against her chest.

She let her hands wander to his hair, like she'd wanted to do since she saw it, and he mimicked the motion, except that he tugged her hair firmly, disconnecting their frenzied lips. She took a sharp breath in as his mouth traveled down her jaw and to her neck, expertly sucking on the sensitive spot his hand had been teasing just moments ago.

She mewed at his kisses, and attempted to push his head down lower, but he stopped his kissing, grabbed her ass, and stood them both up.

"My room," he commanded, taking her hand, and rushing her past the other room, up the stairs, and to his room across from the guest quarters where she was staying.

Once inside, she couldn't see anything except his silvery sheets illuminated by the moonlight, and his fair skin, lighter than her own. He was already kissing her feverishly again, pulling her shirt over her head, and pushing her onto the bed.

She didn't resist and couldn't speak at all once he began kissing down her chest and took her right nipple in his mouth, sucking it, biting it, and then pulling, causing it to pucker up, and causing her to arch forward from the pain. She groaned, grasping at his shirt's hem, trying to get it off, too.

He bent over her and kissed her mouth again, just long enough to allow her to reach the bottom of his shirt and pull it up. He allowed her to pull it over his head, and she gazed hungrily at his exposed chest as he straddled her. He had better defined abs than she expected, and his belly was taut. She could see multiple scars and raw scratches covering his chest, and she reached her hand up to touch a particularly nasty one.

He intercepted her hand and kissed it. "You can fix them if they bother you."

She furrowed her eyebrows and blinked in confusion. "Why would they bother me?"

"They're not the most attractive things to see on a man, I'd imagine," he said, bending back down to kiss her neck again, his hands cupping her breasts.

"I'd disagree with that," she groaned, as he bit her shoulder.

She knew he probably didn't realize this, as he was following his more animalistic instincts to mark her, but the back of her mind told her that if he were to bite her just a little harder, the marks would be permanent, ones that not even her brand of illegal magic would be able to cure. She briefly considered warning him of this, but she dismissed the thought almost immediately. She didn't want him to stop.

"You disagree with that," he repeated, skeptically, grinding his crotch against hers.

She could feel his hardness, and she felt herself growing wetter in anticipation of what was to come.

"Since we're past formalities," she breathed, "I may as well tell you that I couldn't be more turned on right now, and it's you who's making me this way, and those markings are a part of you, so if you want them gone, I can try my best, but the way you are right now is everything I want."

He paused momentarily and hovered over her again, his wide blues meeting her browns. She wrapped her arms around his upper back and tried to pull him back down to her, desperate for the contact she was missing.

"Merlin, you're fucking incredible," he groaned, his voice becoming deep and animalistic, "and I'm going to have you now."

"Okay," she squealed, once he'd already tugged her shorts and panties off.

He didn't bother taking his own pants off. He just pulled them down enough to expose his fully erect shaft, which he placed at her soaking opening, and thrust inside without hesitation.

She cried out and instinctively wrapped her legs around him, feeling his buttocks tense with every single deep thrust. She could feel his length and his girth, filling her, stretching her, causing her aching walls to pulse around him.

She opened her eyes to see him staring down at her, his lips slightly parted, panting as he drove himself into her. He looked incredible, his hair swaying, his eyes darkened and cloudy from the lust, his biceps flexed as he leaned on them for support. And she could feel his breath right above her mouth.

She craned her neck upward and took his lips, feeling his stubble against her face, and she closed her eyes again, overwhelmed by the feeling of his tongue and his dick, both moving against her, inside of her.

His lips disconnected from hers again, and he grasped her thighs, pushing them down on the bed, further apart, allowing him to drive deeper into her, and that's when she began to feel her climax building.

She could hear the sound of their panting, of her moaning, of his balls slapping against her ass, and she could feel his crotch meeting hers as he went all the way inside of her, hitting a spot she sometimes forgot existed, as well as stimulating her clit with the rubbing of his own skin against it.

She moaned, feeling him starting to speed up, and she felt her own walls pulsing against him. Her breathing became more frantic, and her moans became more high-pitched, the intervals shorter. He bent down over her, digging into her thighs and bruising them, and he bit her shoulder deeply, drawing blood, and something inside her snapped.

Her entire body shook from the orgasm, and she gasped his name, as he continued to thrust into her through her orgasm, faster and faster, until he finally joined her in ecstasy, spilling himself into her languidly, before pulling out.

She was still breathing raggedly when he collapsed beside her, pulling the blanket at the foot of the bed over them, kicking off his half-discarded pants and underwear while he was at it.

When he laid down beside her, he enveloped her in his arms and pulled her snugly against him. She was acutely aware of her own blood on her shoulder and his cum oozing out of her, sticking to her thighs and dirtying the sheets, but he didn't seem to care, as he nuzzled her neck and then kissed her neck, then her cheek, and finally her lips.

"By the way, I don't just want to shag you," he said, smiling innocently, too innocently for what he'd just done.

She snorted, but smiled back at him. "And I suppose it's obvious, but my feelings for you weren't as innocent as just 'fancying' you either."

He smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry about rushing things a bit. I meant to be a bit more gentle, but I couldn't help myself after what you said."

"I'm glad I said it then," she replied cheekily.

"You wench," he teased. "I shouldn't feel bad about the bite then?"

"No," she said, surprising herself in the process. "I like it."

He looked at her in surprise, but that look slowly turned into a smile. "Good, because the wolf in me likes it, too."

Author's Note: I got tired of the story being a bit depressing, so I decided I'd dump a whole bunch of chapters on you guys until we got to some smut. I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. Feel free to show me some love for it. Hehe. :D