Disclaimer: Just apply the usual anti-litigation charm…
An enormous thank-you goes to R J Lupin's Kat for being my sounding board on such short notice, for the excellent suggestions, and for providing the last three lines of this chapter. I would be lost without you, my long-lost sister.
By the way, if anyone has not done so yet, please check out R J Lupin's Kat's excellent Hermione/Sirius fic "The Valiant Never". It is well-written, creative, and you will not be disappointed.
* Edited for content and tense - May 7, 2012
Man of the Night
Chapter Twenty-Six
Happy New Year
Albus
Wiggling my toes to get the feel of the new pair of wool socks Minerva gave me for Christmas, I glanced up at Fawkes. "What do you think?"
The recently reborn Phoenix let out a few beautiful notes. "I agree, my friend. They are definitely a nice pair of socks. Very cosy, indeed. Minerva certainly does have fine taste."
A brief ripple in the wards let me know someone was standing in front of the gargoyles protecting the entrance to my office. Another ripple alerted me that the same person had given the proper password.
"It appears that we have a visitor, Fawkes. Any guesses on who it might be?"
Another few beautiful notes and a ruffle of feathers was the Phoenix's response. "I do believe you are right," I said with a chuckle. At the brief knock on the door, I called out, "Come in, Severus."
The dark-haired man stalked into the room, scowling. "Headmaster, I have some information on Mister Malfoy."
"Ah, good. Sit down, my boy."
Sitting down stiffly, Severus glared at the bowl of muggle sweets I held out to him. The boy has never swayed on the muggle sweets, I thought with a chuckle.
"I was able to ask a few discreet questions through a few discreet sources. Unfortunately, the process was not as expedient as I had hoped it would be since Peter Pettigrew stuck his little rat nose into my business at a few inopportune times. It turns out that young Mr. Malfoy took the Dark Mark in a private initiation ceremony at Malfoy Manor just before Halloween. He was inducted earlier than planned because of information he gave the Dark Lord regarding his encounters with Miss Granger."
Severus paused briefly, weighing his words carefully.
"Mr. Malfoy has been ordered to seek his revenge on Miss Granger, which will be nothing short of abducting her and bringing her before the Dark Lord. His deadline for accomplishing this task is the end of term. From what I've discovered by speaking with Mr. Malfoy himself, I would say that it is likely to be within the next few months that he plans to strike. As per his father's instructions, he is to be patient and wait for everyone's guard to be down before making his move."
"Oh dear. Dark times do, indeed, lie ahead," I sighed. "We will need to keep a very close eye on young Mr. Malfoy. And I want someone with Miss Granger at all times. I will have a word with Remus and Sirius about that tomorrow. In the meantime, keep an eye on Mr. Malfoy and watch for any signs of movement on this situation. If we are fortunate, young Mr. Malfoy will seek your advice on just how to accomplish his task. We must utilize every advantage we can. I will not have Miss Granger brought to Tom as a prisoner over some misguided juvenile need for revenge."
"Yes, Headmaster. I will do whatever I can to ensure her safety. Perhaps entrusting Miss Granger with an emergency Portkey would not be remiss?" Severus replied, standing up.
"Thank you, Severus. That is an excellent idea." I watched as Severus nodded curtly and moved toward the door. Just before he opened it, I called out to him. "I hope to see you at Headquarters for the celebration tonight, Severus."
The younger man stiffened briefly before nodding reluctantly. "Only if there is plenty of firewhisky for me to drown myself in, sir."
"And Severus? I don't want to hear any mention of this tonight, understood? I want everyone to enjoy one night of peaceful happiness before they have to face the hardships of this Gods forsaken war – and that includes you, Severus. I want you to at least attempt to enjoy yourself." At his answering scowl, I added, "The world will not end if you smile, my boy."
The surly Potions Master stormed off, muttering under his breath about ruddy old fools minding their ruddy own business. Such a happy boy, that one.
Hermione
"Do you need help with anything, Mrs. Weasley?" I asked the Weasley matriarch before leaving the kitchen after lunch.
"Oh, no dear, everything is under control," the older woman replied distractedly as she bustled about cleaning the dishes. "All you need to do is show up at 7 p.m. ready to celebrate."
Nodding, I exited the kitchen and wandered the hall. What to do with myself until 5 p.m., when it would be time to get ready?
Glancing out the window, I spotted the boys, Ginny, Professor Morley, and Sirius mounting brooms for their mock quidditch game in the backyard. I could go watch them, but it was awfully chilly out there. It would be somewhat amusing to watch Professor Morley play though. And it was always fun to watch Sirius practically trip over himself to smother her with attention.
Shaking my head, I turned and continued to wander the house, completely unacquainted with boredom.
After some time, I found myself in front of Remus' partially open bedroom door. I peeked inside to see Remus staring into the mirror I gave him. I watched as he reached one hand up to trace his reflection, a faint smile marking his lips. He continued for some time before his hand moved from his reflection to trace his actual face.
It was mesmerising, watching him like this.
His hand moved again, this time to the words inscribed around the enchanted mirror. His finger traced each letter as he read the poem. My heart swelled with love and pride as I watched him. Slowly, but surely, I kept telling myself. Slowly, but surely he was coming to terms with who he was.
Not wanting to disturb him, as he seemed completely absorbed in the mirror, I smiled at the sight one last time before turning back toward the stairs.
That killed about thirty minutes… what to do for the next three and a half hours?
Perhaps some reading in the Black Library would be nice?
Another half hour was spent perusing the bookshelves before I found a book worth reading. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. As difficult a read as it was, I enjoyed the ambiguity of the story. Was the governess truly mad? Were the ghosts actually there or were the children telling the truth when they deny seeing them? Did the governess actually long for the romantic attention of her employer? Nothing was resolved by the end and I was always left wondering what the real answers were, but, alas, we were not meant to know.
I quickly lost myself in the chilling tale and was not surprised to find that nearly four hours had passed when Ginny hunted me down in the library.
"Hermione Granger! Get your arse upstairs right now! We have to get ready for the party!" The fiery redhead stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips in a pose eerily reminiscent of her mother.
"Alright, you ruddy nag!" I exclaimed good naturedly. "Let's go make ourselves beautiful."
After an hour and a half of the requisite grooming and preening, Ginny and I emerged from our magically enlarged bedroom dressed in our best holiday wear. Our dresses were nowhere near as formal as what we wore to the Yule Ball a few years prior, but they were lovely nonetheless.
Ginny's dress was the epitome of the muggle phrase 'little black dress' and my dress was a smooth dark brown to accent my hair and eyes. Both dresses were knee length – so as not to seem too formal – and nearly the same cut. We both styled our hair to flow freely down our backs – Ginny with long, straight sheets and me with riotous curls.
Eager to see how everyone else was dressed, the two of us bounded down the stairs as quickly as we could in our smart shoes. Thankfully, neither of us stumbled or fell on our hurried voyage. Emerging in the sitting room, we paused in awe. The room had been expanded, with the far wall now missing, and tasteful decorations adorning the walls and available corners. The room was full of cheer and people, music playing in the background.
Looking around, I spotted Remus laughing with Sirius and Bill Weasley. He looked dashing in his smart muggle suit, his sandy brown hair lightly tousled and a youthful happiness alight on his face. Looking at him now, one would never guess that the full moon was only a few days ago.
Feeling my gaze on him, he looked up and grinned wolfishly. His eyes raked over my attire and his smile widened in appreciation before he turned back to the conversation.
Spotting the boys standing near the refreshments table with the very suspicious looking Weasley twins, I headed in that direction with Ginny following. Note to self, do not drink the punch, as nothing good can come from whatever was in the flask that one of the twins just emptied into the punchbowl.
Perhaps a bit of vodka and cranberry juice instead? Seemed a safer choice than the punch, I'd say.
The boys were deep in a heated discussion about quidditch – one which I wanted to avoid at all costs – so I offered the requisite holiday greeting while serving myself.
Armed with my drink, I moved to a corner of the room where Tonks was standing alone looking forlorn.
"Hullo, Tonks," I greeted her cheerfully, causing the normally vibrant woman to look up in surprise.
"Wotcher, 'Mione."
Her tone caused me to look at her curiously – her hair was a mousy brown tonight, making her look very plain and her expression was nearly hopeless, as if someone just told her she could no longer use her favourite hair colour any more.
"Is something wrong, Tonks?"
She looked up sharply, as if she forgot that I was standing next to her for the past few minutes. "W-What makes you think something's wrong?"
Right, something was definitely wrong with the woman.
"Oh, I don't know," I said facetiously. "You just don't seem yourself."
Tonks mulled over what I said for some time, occasionally gazing at me with guarded eyes. Was it me or had she been picking up facial expressions from a certain Potions professor?
With an exaggerated sigh, Tonks finally replied, "Do you really want to know, or are you just making idle conversation to fill the tense silence you were undoubtedly experiencing?"
Oh, no doubt about it. This woman has been spending entirely too much time with Severus Snape.
"Right. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say that you are unhappy about something that Professor Snape did, or perhaps didn't do."
"Severus was right, you really are a know-it-all," Tonks said amusedly, before continuing dejectedly. "He refused to accompany me to this 'night of dunderheaded debauchery' – said he would much rather spend his New Year's Eve pickling frog legs than set foot in this blasted house."
"Oh my, that sure does sound like the Professor Snape I know. Why didn't you just stay at Hogwarts with him for the evening?" Seemed like the obvious solution to me, but there was no doubt that the word 'obvious' rarely applied to Professor Snape.
"Believe me, I tried. He didn't want me around. Said that I was an unnecessary distraction," Tonks said with a humourless laugh. "Ruddy bastard, he is."
I was saved from having to think up an appropriately supportive response by the entrance of a few key guests. Headmaster Dumbledore was dressed in clothing more suited to that American muggle singer Jimmy Buffet – the outfit really looked outrageous on the old wizard. Professor McGonagall was beside him with a more conservative muggle holiday dress.
A sulking figure in black could be seen just beyond the bright colours of Dumbledore's clothing. The surprised gasp beside me confirmed the figure's identity. Severus Snape decided to grace us with his presence for a night of 'dunderheaded debauchery' after all. How wonderful. At least Tonks would be happy now.
Greeting the professors politely, I excused myself to find someone else to talk to, knowing that Tonks wanted to attach herself to Professor Snape. Walking through the enlarged room, I greeted Order members that I had not seen since the summer when they came for meetings. Spotting the Weasley twins plotting near the broom cupboard in the hallway, I moved to put an end to whatever nonsense they were planning to inflict on the party guests. I mean, those two really were nothing but trouble.
A warm hand on my shoulder stopped me before I left the room. "Where are you going, Hermione?"
"Remus," I breathed. "I was just going to break up whatever trouble the twins are up to."
Glancing in the twins' direction, Remus chuckled and shook his head. In true Marauder fashion, his eyes were gleaming with the thought of causing mischief. "Oh, leave the boys to their fun. Come join me for a bit of dancing."
Following him to a makeshift dance floor, I saw Sirius and Professor Morley - Tamara! - dancing next to Ginny and Harry. Ron stood off to the side chatting merrily with his two eldest brothers. We waited for the next song to start before Remus led me onto the floor and pulled me close – but not too close, since we didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention. Mrs. Weasley was suspicious enough about the 'nature' of our relationship.
The song was a long, slow one and I revelled in the feel of his arms around me. We danced in silence, neither of us wanting to ruin the moment. The first song turned into another and another as we lost ourselves in the music. During the fourth song, I felt Remus stiffen at something he saw over my shoulder and we stopped dancing. "Remus?" I questioned, turning around to follow his line of sight. Mrs. Weasley was standing just outside the dance floor, hands on her hips, glaring at Remus.
Turning back to Remus, I smiled. "Seems someone is not happy with you."
"Seems that way, doesn't it. Perhaps we ought to mingle for a while. I really don't want to be on the receiving end of one of Molly's lectures about appropriate behaviour and such." Lifting my right hand – where the Claddagh ring was still charmed to be invisible – he placed a soft kiss to my knuckles. "Thank you for the dances, love."
"You're welcome. I'll go find the boys and Ginny while you can go mingle with the men. Maybe we can sneak in another dance later?" I smiled cheekily as I wandered off to get another drink and find Ginny and the boys.
Remus
"Mum seems to think that there is some kind of illicit attraction between you and Hermione," Bill said quietly. "She's been going on about it all night – well, all night since she noticed you two 'dancing entirely too closely for entirely too long'."
I shrugged, not really knowing how to respond to this line of conversation without inadvertently incriminating myself. I changed the subject to something Sirius mentioned earlier in the evening, but the conversation fell flat after a few minutes.
Bill watched me closely for some time before narrowing his eyes. "Is there anything going on between the two of you?"
"Between who?" I feigned ignorance.
Shaking his head, Bill spoke in a tone one would use on a three-year-old. "Between you and Hermione, Remus."
Apparently the entire family was on a mission tonight. I gave him the same explanation that I supposed Sirius gave Molly over a week ago. "She's been helping me with a possible cure for my lycanthropy, but we've been keeping it quiet. Don't want to draw a lot of attention and heighten expectations just in case it doesn't work."
"Ah, right. Mum did mention something about that. If anyone could help you with that, Hermione would be the best one for it."
A commotion from the hallway put an end to that horrid conversation, thank Merlin. Turning toward the source of the commotion, I watched as a very rumpled-looking Severus and a bright-haired Tonks stumbled out of the broom cupboard the Weasley twins were hovering around a few hours ago. It was obvious from their expressions that whatever happened in the closet was quite 'special', though upon spying the twins chuckling faces, Severus' face turned rather unpleasant. It seemed that Severus and Tonks were victims of a rather amusing Weasley prank.
Not wanting to bear witness to that confrontation, I made my way to the refreshment table for a bit of punch. One small sip let me know that it had been tampered with and I quickly put the cup in the rubbish bin. Perhaps preparing my own drink would be a bit safer.
"Ah, Remus, just the man I was looking for," Albus said as he appeared next to me, making himself a Shirley Temple – a muggle drink I vaguely recalled my muggle grandmother enjoying when I was young.
"Happy New Year, Albus," I replied. "What can I do for you?"
"I would like you and Sirius to stop by my office in the morning. I have some news on the Draco Malfoy situation."
My expression faltered, but I nodded in understanding. "Certainly, sir."
"Very good. Oh, look at that, it's almost midnight! I better go find Minerva if I want a New Year's kiss. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Remus."
I watched the Headmaster hurry off and chuckled. As old as he was, the man still moved fast when he wanted to.
Thinking about what Albus said, I moved through the party guests and spotted Hermione and the rest of the group. A New Year's kiss, eh?
I would like one of those too, but I would rather not attract Molly's wrath any more tonight.
At midnight, I settled for giving Hermione a chaste kiss on her forehead when Molly was distracted by her husband kissing her. I knew by her expression that Hermione was disappointed, but she understood that we really needed to be a bit more subtle about our relationship.
…..
In the morning, Sirius and I Apparated to Hogwarts for the meeting with Albus, hangovers and all. A quick detour to the hospital wing for some hangover potion was an absolute necessity though.
Luckily, Albus was standing in front of the gargoyles when we arrived outside his office, so we didn't have to play the guessing game for the password.
"Good morning, gentlemen. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Much improved now that we have some hangover potion in us," Sirius answered for us both, grinning broadly.
"Wonderful." Albus chuckled, turning to give the gargoyle the password. Following the Headmaster up the moving staircase and into his office, Sirius and I took the two seats immediately in front of his desk.
Getting right down to the point, Albus relayed the information Severus gave him yesterday. Listening as Albus explained the information Severus obtained, I felt the wolf stirring – his possessive nature wanting to protect Hermione at all costs. It was the first time I completely related to the wolf's desire – I wanted to keep Hermione safe at all costs as well.
"So, it is as we feared," Albus said. "We need to make sure that Miss Granger is not alone outside of her Head Girl room – I do not want her wandering the hallways on her own. The less opportunity Mr. Malfoy is presented with, the harder it will be to meet his goal. Severus also brought up the idea of giving Miss Granger an emergency Portkey. I will arrange for that, if, in the meantime, you gentlemen let the other children know that they will need to continue in the same protective capacities as they did before the holiday."
"Of course, sir," I replied, still trying to absorb the enormity of the situation. It just kept getting worse and worse.
"How long will it take to obtain a Portkey?" Sirius inquired.
"If I apply for a legal one through the Ministry, it could take a long time. Instead, I plan to make one myself, right now."
Reaching into the top drawer of his desk, Albus pulled out a braided black leather bracelet. Laying it in front of him, Albus' wand appeared in his hand with barely a flick of his wrist. Tapping the bracelet with his wand, Albus cast Portus and the bracelet glowed blue and trembled for a second. Another tap of his wand, Albus muttered a few unintelligible words and the bracelet glowed blue briefly again.
"Remus, if you wouldn't mind giving this to Miss Granger," Albus said, handing me the bracelet. "I'm sure that you could pass it off as a gift to ensure that she will wear it at all times. The activation word is 'wolf' and it will take Miss Granger directly to Hogwarts' hospital wing – just in case she has been hurt when she needs to use it. I also put a charm on it that will alert me whenever she uses it, so that I can have someone meet her in the hospital wing."
Running the bracelet through my shaky fingers, I looked up at the old man. "Thank you, Albus."
…..
Later in the evening, after most of the Weasley family left us to our peace once again, I led Hermione up to the roof for a bit of star-gazing. Oh, and honestly, a bit of snogging, as well.
After doing just that for some time, I pulled the bracelet from my pocket. Running my fingers over the soft leather, I gazed at Hermione and wondered just how to present her with this pseudo-gift. Summoning my inner-Gryffindor, I grasped her left wrist and wrapped the bracelet around it before she realized what I was about. A quick flick of the wrist and the bracelet was connected seamlessly, giving Hermione no way of manually removing it.
"What is that, Remus?" she asked, eyeing the bracelet curiously and somewhat suspiciously.
"It is a bracelet, my dear."
"I can see that. Why is it on my wrist?"
"Er, because that is generally where bracelets are worn?"
She looked at me with narrowed eyes, expecting a legitimate answer. "I just wanted to give you something… to start the New Year right." Thinking quickly and hoping she took the bait, I added, "I would have given it to you last night, but I did not want to attract any more attention or suspicion than we already did."
She ran the braid between her thumb and forefinger, studying its delicate weave. I saw her admiration of the craftsmanship, and felt slightly guilty at the ulterior motive of its presentation.
After what seemed innumerable moments, a smile creased her face. I sighed, relieved she was pleased. She looked up at me, her eyes bright with love.
"So, tell me Remus," she began, her voice light and sweet. "What security measure did you enchant it with?"