Written for QL
Subject: Transfiguration
Task: CHASER 1: Write about someone doing their homework for the subject.
Prompts:
4 - Picture prompt (table with hot drink and book, looking out onto a street)
13 - (word) articulate
14 - (quote) 'The starting point of all achievement is desire.' - Napoleon Hill
This fic is AU. There is non-detailed time-travel involved.
Thanks to Lynn, Raybe, and Firefly for betaing. Hopefully between the four of us, there aren't any mistakes!
His Sort of Dating
"It's not a date. Homework isn't a date," Remus said as he paced the room. His friends hadn't stopped talking about his upcoming 'date' since he invited Hermione to do their homework in Hogsmeade.
"A study date is a date," Peter argued. "It's your sort of dating!"
"My sort? What makes it my sort?"
"Because you're both nerds and fancy each other, so of course you would do homework on your date," Sirius explained.
"No, that's... wait, you think she fancies me?" He stopped pacing, staring at Sirius in disbelief.
James rolled his eyes. "It's obvious, isn't it?"
"What? How?" Remus demanded.
"How? Because we have eyes and can see," Sirius laughed. "It's how she acts a bit strange around everyone except you."
"That could just mean she likes my company," Remus replied. "If she knew the truth about me -"
"Have you heard her in class? Have you heard about free-the-house-elves? The girl won't care," James assured him.
"And if she does, then she's not worthy of you!" Sirius stated. "Though that would never happen; you're a catch, Moony."
"But what can I even offer her?" Remus muttered. "A life of being judged because she's with a... We're talking like she'd really give me a chance. A smart girl like Hermione… Someone like me doesn't belong in her future."
Sirius groaned. "I'm too poor, I'm a Werewolf, I'm dangerous," he whined, attempting to impersonate Remus. "Whatever do I have to offer a girl like Hermione, except boring intellectual conversations which would fascinate her, kindness, loyalty -"
"Wild animalistic shagging?" James offered.
Remus glared at his laughing friends. "It's not funny," he snapped, blushing. "Anyway, it's not a date. We're just doing the homework for Transfiguration. That's it!"
"The two of you making sex-eyes over McGonagall's homework," James muttered. "It's terrible. What kind of story is that to tell your future children? Now, me and Lily - think of the stories -"
"You actually think she'll give you a chance?" Sirius snorted.
"When your father was trying to ask me out, he spent three years sending me the worst poetry in the world," Peter began in a scarily accurate impression of Lily. "It was even worse than the poetry your Uncle Sirius writes. He stalked me everywhere, and -"
"Shut up, Peter," James interrupted. "You make it sound like it's not romantic."
"It's really not," Remus pointed out. "But... what if Hermione likes that sort of thing?"
"Stalking and restraining orders?" Sirius offered, looking proud of his knowledge of Muggle restraining orders.
"No - love letters and poems and stuff. I mean, remember what she said to Lily?" Remus asked.
"When she first came here and I sent Lily the love poem Howler?" James asked.
"Yeah," Sirius said. "Hermione said that Lily should appreciate how much effort you're putting in, and that she's lucky there's a guy out there willing to put his heart on the line like that, and it wasn't nice to sneer at it."
"So… do you think she'd be expecting stuff like that?"
"I thought it wasn't a date." Sirius smirked. "If it's not a date, why would she expect love-poetry?"
Remus blushed. "I don't know. I'm not able to think straight when it comes to her. So, are we ready to head out? I'm not meeting her until lunch. We're going to eat first, and -"
"Wait. You're eating food with her too and trying to tell us it's not a date?" Sirius demanded. "There's a meal involved, then occupying a close space as you look over textbooks together and write. It's the datiest-date I've ever heard of!"
"Our little Moony is all grown up," James stated, reaching up to wipe away an imaginary tear. "Go forth into the world, my son, and -"
He was cut off by a silencing charm, and Remus smiled before putting his wand away.
...oOo...
"Such beautiful hair," Alice sighed, running a comb through it gently, trying to untangle it. "It's so wild. You can pull off the 'just shagged' look so easily."
"I just want it to look a bit tidier," Hermione said, ignoring the 'just shagged' comment. "Just a little tamer."
"I don't know. I prefer it wild: you look like a lion with a mane," Alice teased. "I have an idea though, instead of trying to make it sleek, I have some stuff here that'll enhance the curls?"
"I... I don't know..." Hermione began.
"I won't push you, but this stuff is amazing. It makes my hair into lovely curls, and my hair is only wavy, so imagine what it'll do to yours."
Hermione glanced at Alice through the mirror. The Hufflepuff had sought her out after she had snapped at Lily and informed Hermione that she had bigger balls than Sirius Black (and Hermione didn't want to know if that was a literal comparison or not), and that she knew the way into the kitchens and did Hermione want to sneak in with her and get some chocolate?
In her short time there, Alice had become an amazing and loyal friend and Hermione trusted her. It helped, as all the Gryffindors had their friends, but Alice's best friend (and more recently, boyfriend), had left Hogwarts.
"We can try out the curls," she agreed.
Alice smiled happily. "You're going to look beautiful - I mean... you always do. Maybe you should forget about Remus and go out to dinner with me?" She fluttered her eyelashes at Hermione.
"I'm sure Frank wouldn't mind at all," Hermione laughed. "But you're very convincing."
Alice grinned. "Remus isn't going to be able to concentrate on a textbook when he sees you!"
...oOo...
Hermione fought back a groan at her reflection. The shirt and high-waisted jeans that Alice had loaned her weren't her at all. But her own clothes were completely unsuitable. She had yet to find a style she felt comfortable with, but she needed to fit in.
Alice quickly tucked Hermione's shirt into her jeans. "Your hair looks amazing. It's still got a bit of the 'just shagged' look to it. Maybe some time with Remus will change that to the 'actually shagged' look?"
"Alice!" Hermione exclaimed. "I'm not going to... do that with Remus."
"And here I was, hoping to live vicariously through you and get all the juicy details. I bet he's amazing in bed. He just looks the sort!"
"He… he does?" Hermione replied. She had never looked at Remus in that way, considering when they had first met, she was only thirteen. It hadn't been until she had somehow fallen back in time that she had considered him in a romantic light.
She certainly hadn't thought about what he was like in bed. But that was okay, because clearly Alice was thinking about it enough for the both of them.
"It's just a study-date. We'll be doing homework."
"Whilst on a date," Alice replied cheerfully. "Otherwise you would have just called it studying or doing homework. You called it a study-date. You want it to be a date!"
"I… I mean..." Hermione stuttered.
"I think it's cute," Alice interrupted. "You've got so much in common. I can just picture the beautiful babies you could both have. Maybe even as cute as mine and Frank's children will be!"
Alice quickly noticed the haunted look on Hermione's face. "So, are you ready to go?" she asked, changing the subject and mentally adding children to the list of things not to mention around Hermione.
"I'm ready - but it's just homework. There can't be a me and Remus - it's not part of the plan. I shouldn't feel like this, Alice!"
"But you do," Alice offered softly. "Whatever your plans are, I don't see how Remus can't be a part of them. Maybe letting more people in would help with whatever you're working towards?"
Alice knew there was something - she was aware that Hermione met with the headmaster once a week, and she suspected something to do with the Order that Frank had sworn her to secrecy about.
Hermione had arrived with next to no belongings, no family, no friends, and a haunted look in her eyes. Alice suspected that something had happened during the war, and she wanted to show Hermione that she wasn't alone anymore.
...oOo...
"Do you want a condom, just in case?" Sirius asked loudly. A few nearby students looked over and Remus blushed in mortification. He glared at a grinning Sirius, pushing away the offered item and storming off, wondering where Sirius had managed to get his hands on a Muggle condom in the first place.
He didn't notice his bag opening and a small foil square slipping in.
Hermione already had her Transfiguration book out in front of her when Remus arrived. He froze, taking in the sight of her. He had found her beautiful before, but there was a new bounce to her hair which made him want to reach out and run his fingers through it.
He struggled to articulate as he took in the sight of Hermione engrossed in a book. Even if he wanted to, the words wouldn't have left his lips.
After a moment, Hermione seemed to sense she was being watched and looked up. "Remus!" she exclaimed happily. "Sorry, I was a little distracted and didn't hear you!"
"Hey," he began, glad that Hermione didn't realise that he hadn't actually spoken. "I'm going to get a drink. Can I get you one?"
"A hot-chocolate would be lovely, thank you," Hermione replied. Remus smiled before turning and heading to the bar.
...oOo...
Remus watched as Hermione finished off the last of her shepherd's pie before swiping at her mouth with her napkin. He was glad that Hermione wasn't one of those girls that only ate salad as they were 'watching their figure'. He liked watching her enjoy her meal.
She caught his gaze and blushed. "Sorry, I just really enjoyed that. Rosmerta makes the best Shepherd's pie. Have you tried it?"
Remus shook his head. "I never look past the steak on the menu," he replied.
"Well, maybe next time you can let me try a bit of your steak, and I'll let you try a bit of my shepherd's pie?"
"Next time?" Remus couldn't help but grin at the thought of having lunch with her again. "Yeah... we should do that."
Hermione pushed the plate away. "So… what's better? The chocolate ice-cream sundae or the chocolate fudge cake with ice-cream?"
"Have I mentioned how perfect you are?" Remus blurted out, before looking horrified at himself.
Hermione let out a small laugh. "You're pretty perfect yourself, Remus."
...oOo...
Once the plates were cleared, Remus reluctantly pulled out his textbook and some parchment and ink.
"Have you got any thoughts on the homework?" Remus asked.
Hermione finished unpacking her own things. "I've got a few ideas," she stated. "But let me read through the assignment again."
She unrolled a piece of parchment, which had the assignment written on it. "Okay, it's Human to Animal Transfiguration. That means one of us has to transform, and the other has to reverse the spell."
Hermione glanced up at Remus. "How you would feel about being the one transfigured into an animal?"
"Oh," Remus began. He bit his lip, internally panicking at the idea of willingly transforming into an animal. What if he turned into a wolf? What if giving the wolf form in the classroom caused a transformation? What if he was stuck in wolf form and the creature inside refused to let him turn back?
"I... I don't..." he began, looking away. "I mean, what if... what if I don't… can't transfigure myself into animal form, but I know I'd be more proficient at using the spell on someone else." He tried to control the quake of his voice, hoping Hermione wouldn't notice. It was hard to articulate when the panic was building up.
"Okay - I'll do it, as long as I don't have to turn into a cat-hybrid," Hermione replied.
"A cat-hybrid? I'm going to bet there's a story behind that," Remus said, relieved for the change of subject.
"Trust me, you don't want to know." Hermione shuddered. "In fact, I may Obliviate you so you don't even remember me mentioning it!"
"Do you really want to risk me forgetting what a great time we're having?" Remus asked softly, meeting her eyes.
"Of... of course not," she whispered. She ducked her head as her cheeks reddened slightly, her eyes moving to the parchment once more.
Remus turned his attention to his book, opening it to the bookmark. His mouth dropped open at the sight of a little silver foil square.
He tried to grab it, but Hermione was faster. "Do you make a habit of carrying condoms around in your books? Most people are satisfied with bookmarks to hold their page."
Remus was mortified at the sight of it. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "I didn't… I… it wasn't… it wasn't me! I'm so sorry!"
"Let me guess: Sirius or James?" Hermione asked, amused.
"Sirius tried to give this to me earlier," Remus muttered, not able to meet her gaze. "I, of course, refused it."
Hermione laughed. "It sounds like something they'd do. Extra la… oh my." She dropped the condom back onto the book. "Let's pretend this didn't happen and we can get revenge once the homework is finished?"
Remus nodded, relieved. "Yeah. This never happened." He grabbed the offending item and shoved it into his bag.
...oOo...
"I need to choose an animal. We have the easy option of a four legged basic mammal or we could go with something harder?"
Remus grinned. "Well, the question is: do we want to be like the rest of the class? Or do we want to be the best?"
"The best," Hermione replied, a smile on her lips. "I must admit that ever since I started my Magical education, I've strived to be the best. I've desired to have the top marks in all my lessons!"
"The starting point of all achievement is desire," Remus replied. "And I understand that all too well. I feel the need to prove myself at Hogwarts, I want my parents to... to be proud of me. I want to prove to the world that..." He trailed off, sighing deeply. "Do you have any preference in which animal you want to be?"
"We should start off with a four legged creature. Once we've perfected it, we can move on to something harder." Her gaze moved to the book. "So that could be a reptile, a fish, or a bird."
"Well, a fish I would assume would be the hardest," Remus murmured, his eyes scanning the text.
"Yes, but then we'd have to consider a tank of water," Hermione said. "I'd have to be in the water when I transfigure myself. I'm not a big fan of that idea. I can just picture Sirius trying to see through my wet shirt."
Remus privately liked the idea even more all of a sudden but was smart enough to keep that to himself.
"So, which do you prefer? Reptile or bird? Oh…" he trailed off, finding a passage in the text. "Bugs are quite difficult too."
Hermione contemplated the idea of being a bug for a minute, before thinking of Rita Skeeter and shaking her head. "I think I'd prefer to be a bird."
"How about an owl?"
"A robin?"
"A peacock?"
"Oh! I love that idea," Hermione said. "So, we can practice with me turning into a dog or something at first, and then work our way up to peacock?"
Remus grinned. "A dog? I thought you were more of a cat person."
She playfully slapped him on the arm. "I'm warning you, I will Obliviate you," she threatened jokingly. "My Patronus is an otter, so maybe that instead?"
"That would be interesting," Remus agreed. "We could do some of the written work now - the theory and procedure for example. The rest can be written whilst doing the actual transfiguration."
"I can add my observations about turning into the animal - the preparation and such, and you can add yours about transfiguring me back. We could make a pros and cons list for the benefits and risks of Human to Animal Transfiguration."
"And, maybe, write the pros and cons of Transfiguration compared to being an Animagus," Remus added. "So, do you want to do this here, or should we do it back at the castle?"
Hermione shook her head. "We have a nice seat and no-one is bothering us here. I'll get us more drinks before we start."
...oOo...
Hermione returned with two hot-chocolates. She set one down in front of Remus, taking the seat next to him once more. "Okay, I'm ready to start when you are."
Remus shifted the book between them. "You know that we'll be spending a lot of time doing this, don't you? I mean, if we're going with a more difficult animal?"
Hermione didn't look away from the book. "You say that like it's a bad thing. Have you ever considered that I want to spend all this time with you?"
Oh.
"Remus, can I ask you something?" Hermione continued.
Remus prepared himself. Of course Hermione would have worked it out with the full moons and always seeming to know things that she shouldn't. Here it was - the dreaded 'are you a Werewolf?' question.
"Of course."
"Alice said that this wasn't just homework. She thinks it's a date. Is that what it is?" she asked hopefully.
Remus sighed in relief. "You know, my friends think it's a date too. Maybe… maybe our friends are seeing something that we've somehow overlooked until today?"
"If you don't mind, I'm going to take that as a 'yes'," Hermione replied. Remus' hand moved across, resting on hers, and Hermione turned her hand over, letting their fingers entwine.
Silently, they both turned their attention back to the textbook.
2981
