A/N: Right, so I suffer from terminal stupidity, or livejournal hates me. Take your pick. I have issues whenever I try to post large amounts of text. So maybe no for posting all of Lost Lupin there, but we're still go for smut. Not smut here. Smut there. Smut likes it there. Shutting up now.
"Paris?" Andromeda's eyebrows rose in surprise.
Hermione bit her lip and then nodded.
"But…why?" Andromeda asked curiously.
"Well, you know the letter that you wrote to yourself?" Hermione reminded her gently.
Andromeda's brow wrinkled thoughtfully and then her eyes widened. The letter had detailed important things that the Other Andromeda had felt it crucial for this Andromeda to know — Remus' status had been one of those things.
"Oh." Andromeda breathed softly, understanding filling her dark eyes.
"France is more, um, accommodating," Hermione explained.
Andromeda nodded thoughtfully. In France it would be a lot easier for a werewolf to find gainful employment.
"Do you have a place to stay?" Andromeda asked.
Hermione bit her lip again. "We're working on it," she said hesitantly.
Andromeda looked pensive.
"I could call my great-uncle Marius," Andromeda said carefully, watching Hermione's face for her reaction.
Hermione frowned.
"Who?" Hermione asked slowly.
"My great-uncle Marius Black, he's my grandfather's brother. He was disowned for being a squib, but he's done quite well for himself in the muggle world and he has a Parisian town house that he has allowed us to use when we've gone to the continent. He doesn't use it all that much, and I think he'd like knowing that Sirius' girlfriend had somewhere safe to live," Andromeda said this last bit pointedly, watching Hermione's face carefully.
"That would be wonderful, if he'd agree," Hermione said gratefully.
Andromeda smirked at her.
"He already has agreed. I asked him last week," Andromeda said smugly.
"But, I never said anything!" Hermione protested.
Andromeda's smirk grew.
"Darling, you accidentally left your acceptance letters out," Andromeda informed her. Hermione blushed furiously.
"I'm sorry," she said contritely. "I don't want you to think that I don't appreciate you because I do. You have been wonderful and I'm grateful for everything, but you have your own life with a husband and a child."
"I know that, Hermione," Andromeda said calmly. "I happen to agree with you—I think perhaps that France might be the best choice for you and Remus right now. Have you talked to Sirius and James?"
"Is there anything you don't know?" Hermione grumbled.
Andromeda laughed. "No," she said simply. "Sirius and James?"
"Er, well, I haven't actually spoken to them yet," Hermione admitted.
Andromeda gave her a look that made her feel about three inches tall.
"Don't you think that they'll want to know where you'll be?" Andromeda asked coolly.
Hermione flushed in embarrassment. "Probably," she said in a small voice.
"And when, exactly, were you thinking about telling them?" Andromeda continued in an icy voice.
Hermione toed the carpet bashfully. "Erm, at Potter Manor?" She suggested.
Andromeda snorted. Little Tonks ran through the living room covered in jam and Andromeda put out one hand to stop her. A quick flick of her wrist and Tonks' cheeks were scrubbed clean and slightly pink.
"Hi Hermione!" Tonks said cheerfully.
Hermione grinned and tousled her ex-future-sister-in-law's bright pink hair.
"Hey, sproglet!"
"Want to see my new broom? It's ever so keen, an' it goes really fast, an' mum says that I'm going to be the death of her!" Tonks said quickly.
Little Tonks looked so proud of herself that Hermione had to actively bite back the laughter that wanted to bubble up out of her.
"Nymphadora," Andromeda began with a heavy sigh, but Tonks scowled at her.
"Dora," the six year-old said flatly.
Andromeda's lips tightened but she gave a small nod.
"Fine, Dora then," her mother replied. "We have discussed this, multiple times, a lady does not interrupt."
"But you said I was no lady!" Dora argued.
Andromeda's eyes narrowed on her daughter.
"Dora," Andromeda ground out tightly and her daughter's eyes widened.
"Sorry, mum, I'll just go play outside, yeah?" Dora knew that she'd pushed her mum too far and scurried out the back door, grabbing her broom on her way.
"Now, don't think that I've forgotten you, missy," Andromeda said in that tight, cold voice that the Other Andromeda had only used when she was seriously angry. "Are you playing my cousin false?"
"What? No! I just, I-," Hermione spluttered for several minutes and then turned a brilliant red. She asked in a small voice: "Is that what he would think?"
"Hermione, I can tell you that Sirius is quite determined to pursue marriage with you. I had thought that you returned his affections," Andromeda's voice was icy in its politeness.
Hermione squirmed helplessly. "I do," she protested.
Andromeda eyed her coldly and Hermione shivered. She looked rather a lot like her sister at the moment.
"It's just very important to me that Remus is settled and that he will have a steady source of income for the future." Hermione explained.
"You will speak to Sirius about your plans."
It was not a question. Hermione nodded.
"Yes, I will," she promised in a small voice.
"Excellent, now let us discuss Uncle Marius' house," Andromeda said calmly.
/\/\/\/\/\
Potter Manor was impressive, awe-inspiring in the true sense of the word. Hermione felt fear mixed with trepidation as she approached the gate. Through the wrought-iron she could see the vast expanse that James Potter called home. No wonder he's a bit arrogant. It would be rather difficult to escape a little healthy arrogance if one grew up in a house like that. The grounds held a quiet peacefulness that seemed to permeate her very being. She felt calmer than she had, although that wouldn't have taken much. Hermione had been on tenterhooks anticipating this meeting between herself and James and Sirius. Perhaps that was part of the problem—she often perceived their relationship dynamic as her and them. She just knew in the secret core of her soul that James and Sirius were just that, and she wasn't so sure that there was really room for James and Sirius and Hermione. Harry and Draco had both hinted that this…whatever it was…might be a triad. The spell that Marlene had done seemed to say that it was certain. She was fairly sure that Draco was positive that it was. Despite being the unofficial Prince of Slytherin, he had never been subtle. This couldn't just be a fling for her. If this were going to work—it needed to be a long-term thing. Andromeda had said that Sirius wanted to marry her, but what about James? She did not want what had happened before to happen again. She refused to become another Lily Potter.
"Would you like a tour?" The voice was a deep, rich baritone and the tone was politely curious.
Hermione screamed and jumped three feet in the air. She whirled quickly, her wand in her hand and found it pressed firmly to a broad chest. She looked up in surprise to see an older version of James. With a sigh of disgust, she tucked her wand away. One sable brow rose and he pinned her in place with hazel eyes that were a cross between amused and wary.
"Can I assist you madam?" He asked politely.
"I'm Hermione," she said simply.
"Ah," he murmured quietly. His eyes had widened and now he seemed to be assessing her. He wasn't leering at her figure, or anything so crass. Rather, he seemed to be deciding something about her. He gestured elegantly toward the gate and it unlocked and swung open. "Shall we?"
"Thank you," she muttered and edged carefully passed the gate, shooting anxious glances around her as she did so.
The last wizarding estate she had visited had not been under the best circumstances and had not been voluntary. Thankfully, the Potter estate seemed to look nothing like Malfoy Manor and she relaxed incrementally the closer they came to the estate. There was some loud cheering and whooping and her head swung automatically toward the noise, her body tensing. It was just the Marauders, playing a pick-up game of Quidditch on the side lawn. She glanced up at Mr. Potter and saw him looking toward the young wizards, a fond smile on his lips.
"They remind me of young knights, eager for their first quest," he murmured, almost to himself.
"Arthur and his Lancelot," Hermione muttered darkly, her heart squeezing painfully.
"Not exactly," Mr. Potter said with a laugh. "I don't have enough hubris to declare myself Uther Pendragon nor my son to be the Once and Future King."
There wasn't much that Hermione could really contribute to that, so she remained silent. She could feel Mr. Potter's eyes on her and she turned her face away from the Quidditch players resolutely. She thought she heard him heave a small sigh and then he was moving toward the house again. She followed him silently, and found herself scanning her surroundings as she moved closer and closer to the main building. The door opened automatically, and Hermione wondered idly if it were house elves or some sort of house magic that was keyed to Mr. Potter.
"Charlus?"
Hermione turned toward the speaker and sucked half of the room's oxygen supply into her lungs. The woman standing by the grand staircase, one graceful hand on the balustrade, looked extremely familiar. There was a portrait in the hallways of the upper floors of Grimmauld Place that had enjoyed speaking with Hermione. From the thick black hair pulled back into an elegant French twist to the cool, grey eyes watching her to the impatiently tapping fingertips on the gleaming balustrade, this woman was almost the twin of Elladora Black, sister of the first Sirius Black. James' mother was a Black. That explained quite a few things about Harry.
"Elladora," Hermione whispered without thinking.
James' mother's eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed dangerously.
"Who are you?" She snapped coldly.
"This is Hermione," Mr. Potter said calmly.
The woman's eyebrows rose in surprise and then her eyes narrowed speculatively.
"How are you acquainted with my aunt?" Mrs. Potter asked icily. Hermione floundered helplessly for a moment and then decided that the truth was the only option.
"I've spoken with her portrait," Hermione said with seeming calmness.
"I was not aware that Andromeda had a portrait of Aunt Elladora," Mrs. Potter said thoughtfully. Hermione shrugged helplessly.
"I cannot say how Andromeda would acquire any Black family mementos," Hermione said carefully. The woman's lips twitched.
"Miss Lupin, may I introduce my wife, Dorea Potter," Mr. Potter murmured at her side. Hermione automatically swept into a low curtsey and rose gracefully. Mrs. Potter's eyes narrowed speculatively again.
"I've put you in the ivory room, next to Remus," Dorea said thoughtfully. "Why don't I show you to your room? You can freshen up before dinner. Normally, I ask the boys to dress for dinner and they ignore me completely. You are free to follow their example if you wish."
"Yes, ma'am," Hermione murmured quietly as she followed Dorea up the impressive staircase. She thought she heard Mrs. Potter snort, but that couldn't be right.
The ivory room referred to the color of the furniture and the silk wall covering, as far as Hermione could determine. She couldn't see any carvings made out of actual ivory, and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. The room itself was impressive, the sort of thing she'd seen on the telly, but never in real life. She supposed that Malfoy Manor most likely had room similar, but she hadn't exactly been in a position to explore them.
"Is it to your liking?" Mrs. Potter asked quietly.
"Yes, thank you," Hermione murmured quietly.
"My boys are quite taken with you," Mrs. Potter said after a moment, moving to perch on one of the ivory damask wingbacks.
"They appear to be, ma'am," Hermione agreed and sat down gingerly.
"James says that it's a triad," Mrs. Potter said thoughtfully, her dark grey eyes watching Hermione's face.
"Ah," Hermione said nervously.
"Is it?"
"Yes, ma'am," Hermione admitted reluctantly.
"You're not pleased," Mrs. Potter said in surprise.
"Pleased, ma'am?" Hermione was slightly confused.
Surely Mrs. Potter wasn't suggesting what it sounded as though she were suggesting. No mother was going to sit there and rhapsodize about the benefits of having two men at the same time when one of them was her own son and the other was as near as.
"Yes, you do realize that by marrying both James and Sirius your status is assured," Mrs. Potter explained impatiently.
"M-marrying? My status?" Hermione was even more confused. It was just as Andromeda had guessed. They did plan on marrying her after all.
"Of course. With the protection of House Potter and House Black you will have carte blanche among the pure-bloods. It would be a great coup for your House." Mrs. Potter pointed out drily.
"I don't think I understand," Hermione said slowly.
"I'm quite sure that you do, my girl," Mrs. Potter's voice had become glacially cold. "James told me about that little stunt that Marlene pulled and frankly I'm shocked at her. The McKinnons have always been a decent family. However, I am not just any old mother, I was born a Black. I know all about the triad spell, and I know that gold isn't one of the possible colours. I don't know what you were thinking to gain, but it won't be from my son."
"Excuse me?" Hermione stared at the woman across from her.
"I don't think I shall," Mrs. Potter snapped coldly.
"Are you saying that I…that I fooled James and Sirius into thinking that we were a triad for…for nefarious purposes?" Hermione was stunned. She honestly couldn't comprehend what Mrs. Potter was saying. She jumped to her feet.
"What else am I to think?" Mrs. Potter demanded angrily. "I don't know how you altered the spell, and I don't really care. What I do care about are my boys. I won't let you hurt them."
"I need to leave," Hermione said anxiously as she wrung her hands together.
"There's no need to do that," Mrs. Potter said primly. "I extended an invitation to both you and your brother. It stands. I just could not allow you to stay under my roof under false pretenses."
"I understand," Hermione said distantly. Inside, her heart was racing and she was finding it difficult to breathe.
"I'll just leave you to get settled in," Mrs. Potter said with cool politeness.
When the boys came in, Remus followed his nose directly to his sister. He found her staring out the window at the grounds, her fingers wound into the curtain clutching it tightly. He paused in the doorway and watched her for several moments.
"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.
"Mrs. Potter feels that I am attempting to manipulate James and Sirius into a relationship with me," Hermione said quietly, still staring out the window.
"She what?" Remus was insulted on his sister's behalf. "You have fought them both about that on more than one occasion. It's taken them a year to get you to go out with them!"
"I know," she agreed quietly.
"We can leave," Remus said flatly, his protective nature coming to the fore.
"We could," agreed Hermione.
"But we're not going to?" He guessed. Pride for his sister flared within him; Hermione was an amazing witch.
"No, we aren't," Hermione agreed. She shifted slightly and turned to glance at him over her shoulder. "I believe they dress for dinner here. I've laid out dress robes on your bed."
"James and Sirius never dress for dinner," Remus protested.
"That is fine for them," Hermione said calmly. "You are my brother, not James or Sirius. Go get changed. I would like you to escort me to dinner."
Remus huffed slightly, but he did as she asked. He knew what she was doing, and he supposed he could see her point. The Lupin family had been insulted, and when pure-bloods were insulted they retreated into very stiff formality. Hermione was going to play her part to the hilt and he did not blame her. Unfortunately, that meant that he needed to hurry to his rooms to change into the formal dress robes that his sister had laid out for him.
Dinner was possibly the most painful meal that Remus had ever experienced in his entire life. He hoped that he never had to endure anything like that ever again. Hermione had swept into the formal dining room on her brother's arm. He seated her and sat next to her. She spoke only when directly spoken to, and when she did respond it was in the chillingly correct form of formal speech. Lily seemed utterly confused by Hermione's behavior, but Marlene and Dorcas kept sending comforting glances in Hermione's direction. Sirius and James appeared hurt by her behavior, and Remus understood that as well. As soon as the meal ended, Hermione pled illness and retired to her rooms. Remus escorted her to her rooms as custom dictated.
"They are both going to ask me what the hell is going on—you do realize that, don't you?" Remus inquired politely.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Remus don't be so overdramatic."
"Actually, I don't think Remus is being dramatic enough," James said tightly from behind them.
Surprise made Hermione whirl around to face them, which unbalanced her slightly and made her fall against her brother who wrapped one solid arm around her and hoisted her back to her feet. She noticed that he kept her next to his side in a protective stance that Harry had adopted far too many times in her past. She narrowed her eyes at Remus to let him know that she was aware of what he was doing. The wanker just grinned at her and patted her absently. She turned her attention back to James and Sirius who both looked angry and upset.
"What's going on Hermione?" Sirius demanded.
"James' mum thinks that the Lupins are moneygrubbing liars who are out to entrap the Black heir and the Potter heir," Remus said coldly, his eyes flashing amber.
"She… I'm sorry, what?" James asked with a weak laugh. His gaze flicked back and forth between Remus and Hermione. He paused and appeared hesitant and uncertain. "You aren't joking?"
"No, James, he's not joking," Hermione said quietly.
"But we're a triad!" Sirius protested.
"Mrs. Potter has doubts about the color gold. She is correct… it is an unusual color for a triad and I'm not sure what that means," Hermione murmured this last bit absently to Remus.
"Hermione!" James and Sirius protested.
"You can't shut us out over this," Sirius said flatly.
"I'm not trying to shut you out," Hermione argued weakly.
James just looked at her. "Funny, it feels like you shutting us out."
"I'm struggling to deal with this to the best of my ability," Hermione said with chilly dignity. "It took all of my self-control not to run away. I wanted to quite badly, but I decided it would be unfair for me to vanish without a trace."
"Unfair? Try bloody cruel," Sirius said flatly, glaring at her.
"It's completely ridiculous because the reason that I agreed to come to Potter Manor was to talk to you two about my plans," Hermione stated flatly.
"What plans?" James asked.
"Why is it ridiculous?" Sirius demanded.
"Right," Hermione muttered under breath before she squared her shoulders. "I had planned on approaching this from a completely different angle, but here goes: I'm going to France. I've been accepted into an Enchanter's apprentice program."
"FRANCE!"
James and Sirius bellowing at the same time made Hermione's ears ring and she blinked. Remus winced and covered his ears. Both men appeared furious and were breathing harshly. James visibly took several deep breaths in an obvious effort to calm himself down. Sirius' fists were clenching and unclenching and a muscle was jumping in his jaw. The tendons of his neck stood out in stark relief as he struggle to control himself.
"What do you mean when you say that you are going to France?" James asked in a strained voice.
"The anti-werewolf regulations are becoming stricter and stricter. Remus needs to be able to find steady employment. He wants to marry Lily and he wants to be able to provide for her. I need to be close to my brother. In addition to that, I want to become an Enchantress and the only place that I can do that is on the continent," Hermione explained calmly.
James and Sirius stared at her, shock visible in their expressions.
"So…you're leaving us?" Sirius muttered, his grey eyes dark with emotion.
"No," Hermione corrected gently. "I'm going to do an apprentice program at the same time that you two are doing your Auror training."
"You knew about the Auror training?" James said in surprise. He exchanged a glance with Sirius.
"Of course I did," Hermione said drily.
"But we'll never see you!" Sirius complained.
"Sirius, you two will be in Auror training. You'll never see anyone—except Auror Moody," Hermione pointed out. "However, you are more than welcome to come and visit me on your days off."
"But—but—"
"Sirius," Hermione said gently and moved forward to touch his cheek. "I'm not leaving you; I'm just leaving this narrow-minded, bigoted country we happen to live in."
"You can't go to France, Moony," James informed his friend. "You don't want your kids going to Beauxbatons, do you?"
"Then you'd best convince your Dad to support the right sort of legislature in the Wizengamot," Hermione said tartly. "Help make it possible for your best friend and his family to live fulfilling lives right here in Great Britain."
"Remus?" Sirius' voice was sad and uncertain.
"You guys… Hermione's right. Things aren't getting any better here for me. I actually agree with her—if I want a life and a family with Lily I'm going to have to go where I can get a decent job and I won't be discriminated against," Remus said slowly, hating himself for hurting James and Sirius.
"I get that," James said unhappily—his expression clearly saying that he wished he didn't get it. "I still don't like the idea of you going so far away."
"Unless your Floo becomes broken somehow, we aren't going to be all that far away," Hermione said drily.
"I suppose not," James muttered unhappily.
"This feels wrong," Sirius groused, scowling deeply at the wall.
"I'm sorry that you're unhappy, but this is something that Remus and I must do," Hermione explained calmly.
"And we can visit you on our days off?" Sirius demanded suspicion gleaming in his dark grey eyes.
"Of course," Hermione replied mildly.
"Fine," Sirius muttered sourly. "Run off to France then. Become an Enchantress."
"Sirius," Hermione sighed. She turned to her brother. "Can you give us some time?"
"Yeah," Remus said with a sigh and scrubbed at his face with one hand. "Lily's probably on her way to yell at me. I'm sure Marlene and Dorcas are busy explaining, but she's still going to want to know what the hell is going on."
"I can imagine," Hermione said drily.
Without a backward glance Remus left Sirius and James alone with his sister. She looked at both of them and then turned and walked into her room. Sirius and James exchanged a glance and then filed in after her. Hermione sat down at the vanity and began pulling out hair combs one at a time. She watched them in the vanities mirror.
"I'm not doing this to hurt you," she said after several moments of heavy silence.
"Could have fooled me," Sirius grumbled.
"Sirius… that's not fair," Hermione whispered finally. She looked to James and saw the tight line of his jaw. "You're angry with me as well then?"
"No," James muttered. "I wish I could be angry with you. I wish I could blame you for everything, but I can't."
"James," Hermione whispered softly.
He looked up at her and the sad, lost look in those hazel eyes pierced her heart. She held out her hair brush mutely and he took it from her and began to brush her hair. He watched her eyes close and her face relax as he stroked the brush carefully through her hair. This was all she needed or wanted—to be close to Sirius and James. She could feel Sirius' presence nearby and she reveled in the feel of the both of them so close to her. When James was done brushing out her hair she stood back up and looked toward Sirius. He moved forward silently and unbuttoned her gown, helping her out of it. She took the gown from him and hung it carefully so that the house elves would take it to be cleaned. She turned back to James and Sirius who were both watching her warily.
It had taken a lot of time for Hermione to become comfortable with it being all right for her to have lascivious thoughts about James and Sirius. She knew that they were a triad and she knew that in the minds of James and Sirius that made everything okay. They encouraged her to take advantage of their poor, delicate male bodies whenever she felt a pressing need. She knew that they wanted her, and she knew that she was holding them back at arm's length because all of this scared her. She didn't deserve to be happy. She certainly didn't deserve Sirius or James… let alone both of them. It was dangerous for her to want anything close to happiness because fate would step in and remove them both from her life.
That night she looked at the both of them for the space of a moment that stretched out to forever. She could see everything in that moment and she wanted it all so badly that her chest hurt. What if they die? What if I'm left alone… again? Then she heard a snide, bitchy voice in her head that sounded so much like Malfoy that she almost turned her head in surprise. Are you a Gryffindor or what? That voice goaded her just as Malfoy's real voice always did. She took a step forward and slid her fingers into the soft hair at the nape of Sirius' neck. His eyes widened and turned dark and stormy grey.
"Hermione," he whispered against her lips.
Hermione ignored him and bit his lower lip instead. Sirius decided to bow to her greater judgment and snaked his tongue between her lips to lick at her teeth and slide along her tongue. Fire slid along her senses in a slow burn that promised a long, steady flame. That was the way it always was with Sirius and James—at times she felt as though that fire would burn her sense of self away and leave a burned-out husk behind… at times she hoped that it would. The burn, the heat, the fire of the three of them together was like nothing else… ever.
Heat pressed against her back and she knew that James was there, his full lips nibbling along her shoulder. The rasp of his tongue flicking against her skin made her shiver with desire and want.
"Please," she mumbled against Sirius' lips.
He pulled back and looked at her carefully.
"Are you sure?" He asked quietly.
The complete stillness at her back meant that James was waiting for her answer as well. Both boys… no, both men had been ridiculously respectful of her space. She took a deep breath and then looked over her shoulder at James before turning back to Sirius.
"Yes," she replied firmly.
[Redacted]
In the morning, Remus left with the girls leaving James and Sirius behind. Hermione ignored the dull ache in her chest and focused instead on Paris and her upcoming training. It was going to be intense, but she knew that she could do this. In addition, she had every confidence that Remus and Lily could do this as well.
The townhouse was perfect—everything she'd been hoping to find. That evening she sat out on her balcony with a glass of wine and looked at the city. Paris. From here on out everything was going to be different.
A/N: For the redacted sex scenes with copious amounts of smut you will need to go to my livejournal page. It's under MaryRoyale.