Remus had assured them he'd be back in a week and a half. Yet, despite his promise, he never returned. In his absence, Hermione took to staying close to home. She was terrified that she'd miss him if she left. Consequently, she struggled to find ways to occupy the time, not that it really helped. Growing stir-crazy was inevitable.
In the meantime, her brain buzzed with all the questions she had for Remus, running through the different scenarios in her head. The question that was nagging at her the most was why he didn't just tell her the truth about the necklace. She loved that he had given it too her. In fact, she never took it off, but there were a lot of questions surrounding it.
The more she contemplated them, the more puzzled she became. The fact that he didn't mention the charm was for protection would have her believe that he didn't intended to protect her. Which of course was good, because then she wouldn't have to worry that she might be in danger. But at the same time, that argument made her question what his motive for giving it to her at all was. Why did he give her one of his own possessions and then lie about it? There was a significant difference between 'I got you something' and 'I've had this for a long time and am giving it to you'. The fact that Sirius had the same exact charm wrapped around his neck proved it had to be important to them. And in the back of her mind, Hermione knew that eventually she would have to ask Sirius for the story behind it, but honestly, she was dreading that conversation more than confronting Remus.
As days continued to pass, Hermione grew increasingly worried about Remus. Fear of the unknown had always been the hardest for her to deal with; you can't calculate a solution for what isn't known. The concern gnawed at her until finally, she couldn't take anymore. Sirius was noticeably worried too. He flopped about the house going room to room in search of chores. It was when Hermione caught him polishing the Black Family Portraits that she decided that they both needed to get out of the house.
Sirius was sitting in the dark living room smoking when Hermione marched in fully dressed for a night out and declared that they were leaving.
"I'd really rather stay here."
Hermione furrowed her brow, "You know he isn't coming."
Sirius turned on the lamp to his left. His face looked completely drained in the shadows it casted. "I know. I went looking for him. Checked all his normal spots, but nobodies seen him."
"So whatever he's doing—"
"He's not doing it here," Sirius finished her thought, leaning back in the chair and taking a long drag on his cigarette.
Sirius never smoked alone. So the fact that he was doing so now assured Hermione that he was more worried than he was letting on. She refrained from pointing this out to him.
"He could be anywhere," she replied dryly.
"He's probably at home."
"Which is exactly where nobody can find him," she answered brusquely. She was a bit on edge.
But Sirius seemed unfazed. "Unfortunate isn't it."
Hermione crossed her arms close to her chest as a familiar chill came over her body. The weight of the secret Remus had entrusted to her was taking its toll. And in the wake of his disappearance she was feeling a growing urgency to tell Sirius.
"Your worried about him." It wasn't a question, but rather an acknowledgment and it rescued Hermione from her internal debate.
"Aren't you?"
"Of course I am, but he's been doing this sort of thing ever since I've known him."
Hermione was unconvinced, but she wasn't about to tell Sirius that she knew Remus better than he did. And more importantly, she hoped she didn't.
"Come on," Sirius said, abruptly getting up. "You're right. We need to get out of this miserable house."
Hermione was taken back by his sudden change in opinion, but Sirius was already splashing water on his face and hair in the bathroom sink.
"There's no sense sitting here worrying ourselves, he'll show up when he's ready. He always does," he assured her as he retrieved his leather jacket from the hall closet.
Reluctantly, she took her jacket too. Hermione wasn't sure exactly what had changed his mind, but she now felt hesitant about going out. But before she could protest, Sirius led her out the door, kicking it closed behind them.
The night air was crisp and cool. And a rare summer breeze blew against them as they walked down the alley together. Once outside, Hermione felt revived. The worry in the pit of her stomach became much less agonizing and more like a dull pressure, annoying but tolerable. Remus was a grown man, smart, and he wouldn't deliberately put himself in danger, at least not without telling someone first. He was just busy and there was nothing more too it.
The end of the alley opened onto the center of the main strip. It was a busy Saturday night, with bar hoppers of all ages bumping into each other as they passed. Some were in a hurry, while others stumbled along barely able to stand. Hermione had been so preoccupied with getting out of the house that she had forgotten how much she hated the scene this late at night.
As she mentally berated herself for the slip up, a pack of disorderly muggle frat boys stormed past them trailing a pair of uninterested girls. Sirius instinctively pulled her under his arm, saving her from being trampled by them.
'I don't understand these muggles. What kind of man doesn't get out of the way for a lady?"
Hermione glanced up at him and smiled, "The kind girls like them run away from."
She remained close to him as they navigated the overcrowded streets. And as always, people took notice. Even here in the muggle world where Sirius wasn't recognized, he turned heads.
"It's always amusing to see different peoples reactions when I go out with you."
"Agreed," Hermione replied as two clearly underage girls glared at her.
"Some of the stares I get—I can't tell whether they're impressed or horrified."
Just then a girl in a skimpy black dress, who couldn't have been much older than Hermione, winked at Sirius as she passed.
Hermione chuckled, "And I think that one might have been an invitation."
"Not a bad one either," Sirius replied as he turned his head to watch her walk away.
"I almost feel like I should be insulted."
Sirius smirked at her, "Come on, let's get out of the crowd."
Sirius opened the door to a dank little pub called the Grizzly Bear and Hermione was pleased by his choice. The Grizzly Bear was furnished in heavy dark woods with tattered seat cushions. It was dimly lit, aside from the faint yellow glow emitted by the lamps hanging above each table. There was always dust on the ground and smoke in the air. And it was never crowded, at least not with muggles. For the Wizarding World, it was a well-kept secret.
Tonight there were a decent number of tables taken up and even a couple of people at the bar, but it was by no means crowded, and in the gloom you hardly noticed anyone. Hermione grabbed them a booth as Sirius strode over to the bar. She sank into the familiar velvet cushion and fell into a comfortable stare, not really taking in any of what she was seeing. Absentmindedly, she touched the wolf charm around her neck, just to make sure it was still there. She would feel horrible if she lost it.
Sirius was taking an awful long time to just get two drinks, but then Hermione spotted the problem. Not for the first time, some woman had him trapped. She was an older woman, maybe around Sirius' age, and Hermione could just imagine what she was in the middle of telling him. He on the other hand, kept a polite, slightly distant, manner. He was using his trademark 'I'm-not-interested-but-I-want-you-to-think-I'm-a-gentleman' technique. Hermione had seen its effect many times before. In the end the women walked away beaming even though he had just rejected them. Yet, when this woman walked away she looked totally insulted. And Sirius was clearly struggling to hide a triumphant grin that pulled at the corner of his mouth.
"And what did she want?" Hermione solicited as he handed her the drink.
"That lovely woman named Veronica was just informing me that she saw the girl I walked."
"And what did she say about her?" Hermione giggled.
"Basically she sized you up and came to the conclusion that she could do anything you could, plus a whole lot more."
"Did she really? Well how dare she!" Hermione quipped.
"And then she let me know that experience is much more satisfying."
"And you said?"
"That I was very satisfied with the experiences you were providing me."
Hermione praised him for the perfect remark. "Ah, so we're lovers tonight. Thanks for informing me."
"Yeah, I forgot to ask before we came in, but I couldn't resist her reaction."
Hermione smiled into her drink.
This game that they were playing had started a long time ago, after Ron and Hermione had broken up for good. Ron started going out right away and Harry became his wingman. Hermione obviously wanted no part of it and Sirius got in the way, so the both of them were left out. Then they started going out together. In the beginning he was a comfort for her. He helped her through the breakup in an older brother fashion and then after that, they just enjoyed one another's company. Sirius could annoy her sometimes, especially when with the other two boys, but alone he was actually a lot of fun. And the more they went out, the more they both noticed the reaction they got from muggles who didn't know who they were. From then on, each night before they left, they would devise a story to tell strangers who questioned their relationship. Some nights they were siblings, other nights they were in a band together, and sometimes, like tonight, they fed the people what they wanted to hear and told them they were lovers. The funniest night Hermione could remember was when they told a pious old man that they were happily married with three children, and watched as he struggled to do the math in his head. In the end, he wasn't quite sure whether or not he accepted their relationship.
Hermione knew what all those women saw in Sirius, but after living together and getting to him so well, he had become like her protective and slightly erratic older brother. And since then she just couldn't see him in any other way.
"Ok Sirius," Hermione began, the drink giving her more confidence. "You must know that I'm going to ask you about the necklace."
"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up."
"I'm choosing this moment."
"Well to start, we never called them necklaces." Then he grimaced, "It sounds so girly. But Remus gave us the charms after we became animagi. He agreed to let us go out with him if we'd agree to wear them."
"To protect you from him?"
"To protect us from other Werewolves. I don't know exactly how it works but apparently the underground workings of the Werewolf Community is very proactive and had found a way to solve this problem."
"Problem?"
"The problem of protecting their families. Werewolves are territorial and competitive and also attracted to their own kind. Remus was worried that for whatever reason, other Werewolves would attack us, maybe even in our human form, to get at him. To force him into joining their pack."
"And?"
"And there's really nothing else to it. Somehow the charms are a part of him so he knows where you are, but others don't. Its like the four wearers are in their own secret pact invisible to other Werewolves. Like I said, I don't know how it works. I never really thought it was doing anything. But hey, I guess I've never been attacked right?"
"And Remus wore one too?"
"We all did."
"So he gave me his?"
"I'm not sure about that," Sirius began, but he broke eyes contact and his expression became hard. "The night James died and they were looking for me, Remus found me first. I had the charm on me because I wanted Remus to find me and I gave it to him before I ran off. Now I'm wondering if he somehow recovered the other two as well."
"How would he do that?"
"Well he would know exactly where they were. James' was probably in his house and the rat would have left his behind before he disappeared."
"So Remus knows where we are right now?"
"If he's checking up on us, then yes. He knows exactly where we are."
Hermione was about to ask another question when a high-pitched shriek came from behind and startled her.
"Hermione! Sirius!" Luna Lovegood greeted them.
They said hello back and Hermione scooted further into the booth so Luna could sit down.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked. Honestly she hoped that Luna wouldn't stay long as she really wanted to get back to the conversation she was having with Sirius.
"I'm meeting Neville here soon, but I came a little early. It's such a nice night out and I wanted to walk."
"Probably why there are so many people out there," Sirius answered. He never seemed to know what to say to her and always ended up just making awkward conversation.
"It is crowded tonight! But I find that they are fascinating to watch."
Hermione and Sirius both smiled at her, neither of them ready with something else to say. Hermione sipped her drink to buy herself some time.
"Is Remus with you?" Luna asked.
"Nope, haven't a clue where he is either," Sirius replied.
"Oh I thought he'd be here. I saw him today."
Hermione choked on her drink.
"You saw him today?" Sirius questioned.
"Uh huh," Luna answered, completely oblivious to the significance.
"Where?"
"At my house," she replied, a little wary of Sirius' forcefulness.
Then it was Hermione's turn to shout. "Your house?" she questioned with disbelief, and the tiniest bit of jealousy. "What was he doing there?"
Luna had obviously not expected such a reaction and glanced curiously between them. "He came over this afternoon and helped me move some boxes and then we had lunch."
"Oh so you asked him to help you move some furniture," Sirius specified and Hermione eased up.
"I didn't ask him. He just showed up at the door."
A silent conversation passed between Hermione and Sirius. They had both assumed him to be extremely busy and possibly in danger, while really he was hanging out at Luna's place? Something wasn't right.
Hermione proceeded, attempting not to come off sounding so abrupt. "So when he showed up, what did he say?"
"How did he look?" added Sirius.
Luna laughed at them. "He looked fine and he said that he had some free time and remembered me saying that I was trying to take down my mothers things from the attic and he offered to help."
"And that's what you two did?" Sirius inquired.
"Yes, first we brought down all the boxes. Then he went through them dusting and polishing the stuff while I found a place to put it all."
"And then you had lunch and then he left?"
"Well we had lunch, and then tea, and then he left," she clarified.
"He didn't happen to mention what he was working on did he?"
"No, What's he working on?"
"And he seemed perfectly fine?"
"Yes, why wouldn't he?"
"And your sure nothing else interesting happened."
"Like what?"
Sirius went silent. Hermione had been silent the whole time, they both just looked at Luna expecting her to say something that might give then an insight into what Remus was doing.
"Oh actually," Luna began as she brought her hand to her neck and pulled a red cord out of her shirt. "Remus gave me this."
Dangling at the end of it was a golden wolf. The very same one that she and Sirius were both wearing.
"Oh my god! You have one too!" Luna exclaimed pointing at Sirius' neck.
"So does Hermione," he answered as he looked to her.
Hermione cleared her face too late. Sirius must have caught the disappointment in her look, but at this point she could care less. Who was she kidding if she thought Sirius didn't already know she liked Remus? She had always believed that out of the order members, her and Remus shared a special bond, but maybe she was completely wrong. She wanted to ask Luna how he gave her the necklace, what he had said. But she was too much of a coward to do it. Instead she forced a smile at her and tried to remind herself that it wasn't Luna she was mad at.
"Ooo I think Neville just walked in. I better go," Luna said jumping up from the booth. "Oh and I'm working on throwing a party at my house, so I'll see you guys soon!"
They said goodbye and then Luna bounced away completely unaware of the tension that had just descended on the three of them.
Hermione stared at her empty glass, unable to look Sirius in the eye. She could keep it together, she was good at hiding her true feelings, but Sirius knew her too well to buy it. With any luck, he just wouldn't say anything.
"Let's get out of here," he said as he got to him feet. Hermione moved to get up, but still said nothing. He grabbed her hand and held it as they made their way out of the bar. It was a foreign, un-Sirius-like gesture, but it was comforting. As they approached the door Hermione saw his intended purpose, Veronica was in perfect view of the door and she was looking daggers at her holding hands with Sirius. Hermione could practically feel the grin on Sirius' face and it did help to cheer her up; she even let a tiny laugh escape.
Outside the bar Hermione went right, but Sirius pulled her left.
"We're not going home?" she tried not to whine.
"We are, we're taking the scenic route."
Hermione groaned inwardly. It was a nice night and she knew Sirius was trying to put time between now and her going home to brood in her room, but that's really all she wanted to do. Still she fallowed him left into the invigorating night air and managed to let go of some of the anger. The only thing worse than being angry with Remus, was not knowing if she should be angry with Remus.