A/N - Hi everyone! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing the last chapter! You may or may not see jealous Remus again this chapter. ;) Enjoy!

Chapter 36

Jobs

28 June 1999

Hermione looked in the mirror one last time, letting out a breath. She was trying not to be nervous, but she wasn't having much success. Thinking about her first day at her new job had her stomach in knots.

"Hermione, sweetheart, I've got breakfast ready," her mum called upstairs. Hermione groaned. Knowing her mother, she'd made a full English and Hermione didn't even know how she was going to stomach a cup of tea.

"I'll be right down, Mum," she called back, turning back to the mirror again. She had enjoyed spending the last week with her parents, although it had ruined her plans of a lazy week with Anthony. She had communicated with him solely by owl until Friday when he had Apparated into her back garden.

When she'd answered the door, he had picked her up and spun her around before snogging her quite thoroughly. Anthony had indeed gotten the job as an Unspeakable, on a trial basis, of course, as was their protocol, and had come to tell Hermione about it. Or snog the life out of her, apparently. It wasn't until Hermione's mum cleared her throat, rather loudly, that the two of them had broken apart. Thankfully, her dad had been out.

Anthony had been horribly embarrassed, but Hermione had seen the amusement in her mum's eyes even as she was asking Anthony quite a few pointed questions before giving the two young people some privacy. Before she had left the room, Hermione's mother had invited Anthony to join them for dinner the following evening.

The dinner had been a bit stilted and awkward. Anthony was still self-conscious about Hermione's mum walking in on them and was sure that she had told Hermione's dad. Hermione felt like Anthony spent the entire evening waiting for her dad to throw him out for daring to touch his daughter. Anthony had relaxed a bit as the evening went on, but Hermione still felt like he hadn't been completely himself. She hadn't had a chance to speak to him about it, but intended to have him over after her parents returned to Australia Tuesday morning.

Taking one more deep breath, Hermione left the loo and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Don't you look smart," her mother said, taking in the French twist Hermione had forced her hair into and the new robes she had purchased specifically for today.

"Thanks, Mum," Hermione said.

"Sit down, I'll get you something to eat," her mother said. Hermione looked around, surprised not to see plates of food everywhere. Her father was eating an omelet, but there was nothing else on the table.

"I really don't think I could eat anything," Hermione said, even as she pulled out the chair next to her father.

"Just some tea and toast," her mum said setting a plate in front of her and pouring her a cup of tea. "I know your stomach is likely protesting, but try to put a little something in it, all right?" Hermione nodded, unable to speak. Her mum simply patted her arm and moved to her own chair. Hermione smiled at her fondly before managing a few bites of toast and drinking half of her cup of tea. Looking up at the clock, she set down her tea and stood.

"I should really get going," she said. She wanted to be a bit early on her first day. Her parents rose from their chairs.

"We'll celebrate when you get home," her mother said, giving her a hug. "Good luck."

"She doesn't need luck," her father declared, pulling her into his arms after her mother released her. "That department is lucky to have her." Hermione smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm glad you're both here." Her dad kissed the top of her head and Hermione grabbed the new briefcase her parents had bought her. She waved to her parents, walked out into the garden, took a deep breath, and Disapparated.

Hermione got her Ministry identification badge from the man at the wand check-in and made her way to the lifts. Riding to the fourth floor in silence, Hermione exited the lift along with three others. She knew that Mr. Satterfield's office was at the end of the main corridor, but found herself glancing around the rest of the department.

"You look a bit lost," a voice to her left said. Hermione turned to see a woman about ten years older than her.

"I'm on my way to Mr. Satterfield's office," Hermione said. "I start work today."

"Hermione Granger," the woman said, her eyes widening a bit. Hermione bit back a sigh.

"Yes," she replied instead, smiling brightly. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Gwendolyn Newberry, Being Division." She held out a hand and Hermione shook it.

"Nice to meet you," Hermione said.

"Mr. Satterfield's office is just there," Gwendolyn said, pointing to a door at the end of the corridor.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "I'm sure I'll see you around later." Gwendolyn nodded and then entered the Being Division office. Hermione saw a few cubicles with desks before the door closed behind her. Hermione reached the door to Mr. Satterfield's office, took one more deep breath and walked inside.

"Miss Granger," a booming voice said. Hermione looked up. Barnaby Satterfield was a huge wizard, taller than even Ron, but nearly as wide as Professor Slughorn.

"Mr. Satterfield," she said as she stood. "It's so nice to meet you, sir."

"Yes, yes, come along to my office," he said. "Victoria, bring us some tea, won't you?"

"Right away, Mr. Satterfield," his secretary said, jumping up from her desk. Hermione followed her boss into his personal office and sat in the chair in front of his desk.

"I was quite surprised to hear you wanted to work in our lowly division, quite surprised indeed," Mr. Satterfield said. "I expected a witch such as yourself would want to do something more exciting or prestigious. Be a Healer or an Unspeakable or an Auror or some such." Hermione wanted to frown. While those were all very important careers, they weren't the only ones. Still, she kept a smile on her face.

"I'm very interested in the rights of all creatures, sir," she said. He seemed to harrumph, something she thought was odd, given that he was head of the creature department. He smiled again moments later though.

"Very admirable, Miss Granger, very admirable. Let me give you a bit of information about our department." He spent the next few minutes giving her an overview of the different divisions, as well as their sub-departments, something Hermione was already quite familiar with. She listened politely, however, and accepted the cup of tea that Victoria brought her a few minutes later.

"You mentioned House-elves in your initial inquiry letter," Mr. Satterfield said once Victoria had left.

"Yes, sir, the treatment of House-elves is deplorable in some cases and I really feel that they deserve-" but Mr. Satterfield cut her off.

"Slow down there, Miss Granger," he said with a chuckle. "Why don't you get acquainted with the department first before we get into all of that, hm?"

"Of course, sir," Hermione said, cheeks coloring slightly.

"Now, I hadn't decided on a permanent position for you here in the office as of yet," Mr. Satterfield continued.

"Sir?" Hermione questioned, thoroughly confused. In her letter of inquiry, she had mentioned she wanted to work in the Being division, as she had a particular interest in helping House-elves, as well as werewolves. The Werewolf Registry as well as the capture unit was part of the Beast Division, but Kingsley had recently reopened the Werewolf Support Services department which was part of the Being Division. Having the support services in the Being Division made sense as it was in place to help with housing and obtaining employment, but having the Registry in the Beast Division alongside the Capture Unit didn't seem very logical. If the Registry was in the Being Division, those that came in to register, could then immediately be directed to Support Services. She intended to suggest this to Mr. Satterfield at some point.

But, Hermione had assumed that there had been a position available in the Being Division, given the letter Mr. Satterfield had sent back to her offering her the job. Why then was he saying that he hadn't decided on a permanent position for her?

"Not to worry, not to worry," he said. "I'm sure you'll fit in quite nicely wherever you end up." He heaved his considerable bulk up from his chair. "Now, let me give you a tour of our little department." Hermione followed him out of his office, quite upset about what had just happened. She wouldn't be able to anything about the House-elf issue if she ended up, in say, the Spirit Division. She didn't understand why Mr. Satterfield hadn't explained this in his letter.

"So, you're not in the Being Division?" Harry asked as they ate lunch in the Ministry cafeteria.

"Well, my desk is, for now anyway," Hermione said. "And Mr. Satterfield introduced me to Gwendolyn Newberry, who is the head of the House-Elf Relocation Office. She's my direct supervisor, I guess. My desk is actually in her office. Which is odd because everyone else is out in the main office area in cubicles." Hermione sighed and picked at her salad.

"Something else is bothering you," Harry said.

"I don't know, I sort of get the feeling that there was no job available and Mr. Satterfield is trying to create one for me or something," Hermione said. Harry grimaced.

"What?"

"Nothing," Harry muttered.

"That look wasn't for nothing, Harry," Hermione said. "Out with it." Harry sighed.

"Even though I'm an Auror, I still get Department Heads offering me jobs all the time," he said. "They offer all kinds of perks too, my own office, my own secretary, what have you. When I finally said something to Kingsley about it, he told me that everyone wants to say that Harry Potter works in their Department. Ron said it's happened to him too, although not near as often."

"So, you think that Satterfield hired me just so he could say he had Hermione Granger working for him?" Hermione asked dejectedly.

"It's just, it sounds like he kind of made up a position for you and he's given you an office, sort of, and well," Harry shrugged. "I don't know for sure, of course, and you're brilliant Hermione, you could get any job you applied for, regardless of your name."

"No, Harry, you're right, that's exactly what it sounds like. I never had to interview and he didn't even make the position contingent on my N.E.W.T. scores like so many others have."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Harry said.

"You didn't," Hermione said. "I sort of knew that already, I guess."

"So, what are you going to do?" Hermione shrugged.

"If he wants to create a position for me, then I'm going to do everything I can to deserve it," Hermione said with determination. "Starting with the House-Elf proposal." Harry smiled and Hermione grinned back. She would give her boss more reason to keep her around than just being Hermione Granger.

11 July 1999

Remus sat on the floor of Teddy's bedroom as his son pulled another book from his book shelf. Running back to his father, for he was now running, everywhere, he dropped down into Remus' lap and held up the book. It was one of the Muggle books Remus had bought for him, the pages full of animals to touch or pat, all with different textures and materials. It was such a favorite that Remus had gone back to the bookstore and purchased four more in the same style. They now rotated through the five books almost exclusively. Teddy rarely chose anything else.

"Can you feel the dog's fur?" Remus asked, turning to the first page of the book. Teddy reached out and ran his little fingers through the patch of fur on the back of the dog. He then abruptly stood, Remus having to reach out to steady him, ran to his cot and tried to pull his stuffed dog out of his bed.

"Pa!" Teddy said, looking back at Remus for help. Remus hauled himself up from the floor and reached into Teddy's cot for the stuffed black dog that was, of course, called Padfoot. Teddy hugged the dog to his chest and toddled back over to the book. He pointed at the open page with the picture of the dog. "Pa!" The dog in the book looked nothing like Padfoot, given it was a golden retriever. Still, Remus was not about to discount the connection his son had made.

"Yes, that's a dog just like Padfoot, isn't it?" Remus asked with a smile. Teddy looked extremely proud of himself and dropped back into Remus' lap once Remus had settled himself back on the floor. Teddy quickly turned the page of the book and they continued reading.

Given the book was more pictures than words, Remus' mind wandered as they flipped through the pages. He idly ran a hand through Teddy's hair, sandy brown today to match Remus' own, and thought about Dora. Today would have been their second wedding anniversary.

None of their family and friends had been in attendance, their witnesses were strangers from the local wizarding pub. Remus hadn't had any dress robes and Dora hadn't had a fancy dress, although Remus really couldn't picture her in some flowing set of bridal robes. They only had one photograph, taken by one of the patrons in the pub, which was a bit dark and slightly off-focus. Remus had been deliriously happy and absolutely petrified all at the same time. He was completely in love with his wife and still couldn't quite believe that he was the one that she wanted. But he was also terrified that the wrong people would find out about their marriage and the two of them would be ripped apart, imprisoned for marrying. Remus likely would have gotten the Kiss.

His fear of reprisal, as well as the general fear and stress the war brought, had made Remus cling to his wife and unborn son after Harry had read him the riot act for leaving, Remus' only priority keeping them safe. He rarely ventured out of the house except to do the Potterwatch broadcasts. He and Dora had spent more time together in the few short months of their marriage than some couples did in years. For that, he would be forever grateful. They hadn't loved long, but they had loved well.

Teddy was up from his lap again, off to pull another book from the shelf. Remus smiled fondly at the boy as he ran back towards him. Teddy echoed his grin and when he reached his father, Remus set the book on the floor before throwing Teddy lightly into the air, as his son shrieked in delight. When Remus caught him again, he brought the boy close and Teddy giggled as Remus tickled his sides. Teddy's hair began to cycle quickly through colors, as it was wont to do when the boy was particularly happy. Remus smiled, thinking of his wife, and the stab of pain that was normally there was less sharp, its edges blunted by the joy on his son's face.

12 July 1998

"So, how was your first day?" Hermione asked once they had settled on her couch with their take-away.

"Hermione, you know I can't talk about that," Anthony chastised gently. Hermione nearly rolled her eyes. He had been reminding her for days now that he wasn't going to be able to discuss his work in the Department of Mysteries. She wasn't an idiot. She was aware why they were called Unspeakables.

"I'm not asking for specifics," she said, trying not to sound snappish. "I was just wondering how it went in general." Anthony frowned for a moment, clearly, she hadn't been entirely successful in keeping the snippiness out of her tone. He seemed to dismiss it, though, as he smiled a second later.

"It was actually quite exciting," he said.

"So, what did you do?" she asked, then continued before he could scold her again. "Generally."

"Well, they gave me a tour, of course. And I met everyone in the Department, or at least those that could leave what they were doing at the moment. We discussed a bit about what I'd be working on to start and went through all the required Ministry paperwork."

"There's quite a bit of that," Hermione said with a laugh, taking a bite of her curry.

"Yes, that's an understatement," Anthony chuckled. They ate in silence for a few minutes.

"How was your day?" Anthony asked. Hermione sighed and tipped her head back onto the couch. "That good?"

"It was fine," she said.

"More reports?" Anthony asked. For the past two weeks, Hermione had been reviewing reports from various divisions of the department, 'to familiarize' herself, according to Mr. Satterfield. Some of them were interesting, but most were dead boring, not to mention horribly written. If she saw one more misuse of 'their', 'there' and 'they're' she was going to scream. When she had given the first one back to him with a few notes written in the margin correcting the grammar and wording, his eyes had lit up and he'd asked her to revise every report she read through. Hermione had become the resident editor.

"Now I know why Professor Snape was always in such a bad mood when he handed back our essays," she said. Anthony laughed. Hermione tried to smile, but she couldn't. Her job was not at all what she had been expecting and she was getting a bit tired of it. She wasn't doing anything but correcting other people's work.

Gwendolyn, whom Hermione had thought would be a resource and an ally in her fight for House-Elves rights, seemed to use her as a personal assistant more than anything else. The fact that Hermione's desk was in her office seemed to make Gwendolyn think that Hermione was her secretary and often had her fetching and filing things. It wasn't that Hermione felt as if she was above such work or didn't want to help the woman out, but she hadn't been hired to do this. Or least she thought she hadn't.

"Have you tried to talk to Mr. Satterfield about your proposal again?" Anthony asked.

"He's much too busy right now, perhaps next week," Hermione said in a near perfect imitation of Victoria, Mr. Satterfield's secretary.

"I'm sorry," Anthony said with a frown. Hermione sighed.

"It's fine, I just have to put in my time like everyone else," she said, trying to stay positive about it. "Once I'm up to speed on everything, I'm sure Mr. Satterfield will be more open to my proposal." Anthony gave her a smile and Hermione knew that she was trying to convince herself as much as she was him.

27 July 1999

"She'll do fine, Harry," Hermione said at lunch. Harry's nervous energy was enough to drive her over the edge after the morning she'd had. She had finally cornered Mr. Satterfield on his way to lunch and asked him about her House-Elf proposal. She had been working in the DRCMC for nearly a month now and she was still reading and rewriting reports and acting as Gwendolyn's secretary. Her boss still hadn't even told her which division she was going to be assigned to.

Mr. Satterfield had given Hermione a metaphorical pat on the head, telling her not to worry about such things just now and concentrate instead on learning everything there was to know about their department. He had hurried away despite Hermione's protests.

"I know," Harry said, his left knee bouncing up and down. "She just wants this so much, Hermione."

"And she's going to get it," Hermione said. "Ginny's the best Chaser I've ever seen." Ginny's try-out with the Holyhead Harpies was today and Harry had been going spare. She certainly hoped that he didn't get sent out on a case today, he wouldn't be able to concentrate at all.

"When is she supposed to be back?" Hermione asked, pushing her food around on her plate. She had little appetite after her run-in with Mr. Satterfield.

"Not until dinner or after," Harry said with a sigh. "She is going to come to Grimmauld first, before she goes home. You know Molly will try to keep her at the Burrow, otherwise."

"Is she still giving you two grief?" Hermione asked. Molly had been quite upset at the number of nights Ginny was spending at Grimmauld Place with Harry. Molly had made a few comments about the appropriateness of her daughter spending the night at her boyfriend's home and Ginny had retorted by telling her mother she had better start checking up on George and Percy then. Hermione knew that George was occasionally seeing Angelina, but she hadn't realized that Percy had a new girlfriend.

"Not in so many words," Harry said. "And you know Gin, she does what she wants most of the time."

"But you feel guilty," Hermione guessed. Harry ran a hand through his messy hair.

"I can't help it," Harry said. "She's like my mum, Hermione. I hate disappointing her."

"She's not disappointed in you, Harry," Hermione said. "Honestly, I think she's just trying to keep some control over her life. Molly has been raising children for almost thirty years and now the last one has grown up. I don't think Molly knows what to do with herself."

"You're probably right," Harry said.

"Probably? I'm always right," Hermione quipped. Harry laughed.

"So humble too," he said wryly. Hermione grinned, glad she had agreed to lunch with her best friend. He could always make her feel better.

7 August 1999

Remus came through the Floo, Teddy in his arms. He made a note to try Apparating short distances with his son to see how the boy handled it. It was getting harder and harder to get Teddy to hold still and keep his mouth closed while they Floo'ed. When he was a baby, they could keep a blanket over his head, but Teddy would have none of that now. Not even when Remus had tried to make it into a game. At sixteen months, Teddy definitely had a mind of his own.

"Hey, Ted," Harry said.

"Ha-wy!" Teddy cried, reaching his arms out for his godfather immediately. Remus passed the boy over and Teddy's hair shifted to black. Remus turned back to help Andromeda from the Floo and siphoned the soot off all of them as his mother-in-law stepped into the Burrow.

"Hello, Harry," Andromeda said.

"Andromeda," Harry greeted, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. Teddy watched Harry and then mimicked him, placing a sloppy kiss on his grandmother's other cheek. Andromeda laughed.

"Well, we know who to call the next time we can't get Teddy to eat his vegetables," she said.

"Everyone's outside," Harry said, carrying Teddy through the kitchen. Andromeda stopped to talk to Molly and Remus followed Harry into the back garden. A large banner emblazoned with "Congratulations, Ginny" was hung over a table laden with food. The woman in question was laughing with George and Angelina on the other side of the garden.

Teddy was squirming to be put down and Harry obliged him, taking the toddler's hand instead. When Teddy moved to get away, Harry squatted down next to him.

"Do you want to say hi to Ginny?" he asked.

"Gi!" Teddy replied with a wide grin.

"Then hold my hand, all right?" Teddy nodded and obediently took Harry's hand. Remus shook his head fondly. If there had ever been any doubt that Harry would make a good father, seeing him with Teddy would prove otherwise.

"Teddy!" Ginny exclaimed when they were close enough to see her. Harry let go of Teddy's hand and he ran to Ginny who scooped him up and hugged him. His hair shifted again, switching to the same deep auburn as Ginny's.

"Congratulations," Remus said as he reached the group.

"Thank you, Remus," Ginny said with a smile. "It's only the reserve team, but it's a start."

"Reserves," George scoffed. "You can outfly Gillian Williams on a bad day."

"Well, she knows all the plays and I don't, so it's the reserve team for now," Ginny said, nuzzling Teddy's cheek with her nose and making him laugh. After a few more minutes of small talk, Teddy began squirming to be put down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he took off running, Remus following him at a bit slower pace. He kept the boy in sight, but Teddy seemed happy investigating the grass and a bush here and there. Remus watched him in amusement as he picked up a bit of dandelion fluff and inspected it rather thoroughly before moving his hand towards his mouth. Remus immediately summoned the bit of fluff, much to Teddy's displeasure.

"Oh no, what's the matter?" a familiar voice said and Remus looked over to see warm brown eyes looking down at Teddy. Remus couldn't help the smile that spread over his face. Teddy sniffled and looked up at Hermione, tears ceasing and being replaced with a smile.

"My!" he shouted and Hermione laughed before she bent down and picked him up.

"Now, what are all these tears about?" she asked, wiping at Teddy's cheeks.

"Da-da," Teddy replied with a pout of his lips and then continued to babble away to Hermione about the perceived injustice. Remus couldn't help but chuckle.

"Is your Daddy being mean to you again?" Hermione teased. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"Yes, his father was preventing him from eating a dandelion seed," Remus said dryly. "Clearly, I am a horrible human being." Hermione's laughter brought another smile to Remus' face and Teddy began to laugh as well, although he had no idea what he was laughing at.

Teddy began to squirm again and Hermione kissed his forehead before putting him down. He didn't wander far, examining something else in the grass.

"It's good to see you," Remus said.

"You too," Hermione replied with a smile. "I feel like it's been ages." They had run into one another at the Ministry just after Hermione began working there. Remus had been escorting a young man to the Beast division to register as a werewolf. They hadn't had much time to talk as the man was very nervous and wanted Remus with him.

"How is the job going?" Remus asked as Teddy toddled off towards the flower garden. Andromeda and Molly came outside just then and with a wave of her hand, Andromeda let Remus know that she would look after him. Hermione sighed heavily and Remus looked at her in concern.

"It's just…not what I expected," Hermione finally said.

"How so?" Remus asked.

"I don't really have a position," Hermione said.

"I thought you were working in the Being Division," Remus said in confusion.

"So did I," Hermione replied crossing her arms over her chest. "But it turns out that Mr. Satterfield hired me with no real position available. He's said we'll figure out 'where I'll fit in best' soon enough. But it's been six weeks now and I'm still at a desk in the House-Elf Relocation office reading and editing reports and doing secretarial work. Not that there's anything wrong with being a secretary, but I wasn't aware that's what I was being hired to do."

"Have you spoken to Satterfield about it?" Remus asked. Hermione snorted.

"I've tried," she said. "But either he's busy and doesn't have time to meet with me or tells me that we'll work it out 'soon'. Meanwhile, that time never seems to arrive." Remus was irritated on her behalf. She had discussed her House-Elf right proposal with him at length and while her initial S.P.E.W. campaign had been misguided, she had really done her research.

No longer wanting freedom for all elves, as she now understood that's not what most of the elves wanted, she instead wanted to ensure their fair treatment and establish punishments for those that abused them. While she still felt they should be paid, Remus knew that Hermione had accepted the fact that not only was that unlikely to pass in the Wizengamot, but that most elves would refuse any kind of monetary payment. House-Elves had no real use for wizarding money and it made more sense to offer them other rewards such as nicer quarters or days off or allowing trips to other households to visit with family and friends. Remus had been very impressed with her ideas and felt they had a real chance of becoming law. Hermione was brilliant, she deserved an opportunity to present her proposal.

"Perhaps you should talk to Kingsley. He could schedule a hearing with the Wizengamot directly," Remus suggested. Hermione shook her head.

"I don't want to go over Mr. Satterfield's head and be accused of getting special treatment. I want to succeed in this job by my own merits. I'll just have to figure out a way to get my boss to listen." Remus couldn't help but be proud of her, even if he still wanted to find the Head of her department and persuade him to see reason.

"I admire your resolve," he said, putting a hand on her arm. Hermione looked up at him with a smile. Remus returned it, staring down at her and unable to look away. Hermione stared back at him for a few moments, as Remus' hand slowly moved down her arm of its own volition until he was grasping her wrist.

"Hermione!" a voice called. Hermione turned around, breaking eye contact with Remus. He took a step back, shaking his head as if to clear it, releasing her wrist as if he'd been burned. He looked over at whoever had said her name and frowned when Anthony Goldstein walked towards her. Anthony took Hermione's hand and kissed her cheek before looking at Remus.

"Professor," Anthony said. "I didn't realize you were going to be here."

"I am no longer your professor, Mr. Goldstein," Remus said, almost growling. Anthony looked a bit taken aback and Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Right," Anthony said looking a bit nervous. "Sorry, old habit, I suppose." Remus forced himself to calm and pasted a smile on his face.

"No harm done," he said. "I'll just go check on Teddy." Remus walked away, forcing himself not to look back, although he could feel Hermione's eyes on him.

"What was that about?" Anthony asked once Remus had walked away.

"I don't know," Hermione admitted, still following Remus' retreating back.

"I told you that he hates me," Anthony said. Hermione turned back to her boyfriend.

"He doesn't hate you," she said, a bit exasperated.

"Were we in the same conversation just now?" Anthony asked.

"Of course, but," Hermione shook her head. "Let's just forget it. Come on, we should congratulate Ginny."

Remus sat at a table sipping a glass of wine, pretending he wasn't watching Hermione and Anthony across the garden. They were talking to Percy and his new girlfriend, Audrey. It had been easier to pretend when Remus had been speaking to Bill and Fleur, but the pair had gone home.

"Hey, Remus," Harry said as he sat down, a sleeping Teddy cradled in his arms.

"Do you want me to take him?" Remus asked, smiling at his son whose hair was still black and as messy as Harry's.

"Nah, we're fine," Harry said. Ginny joined them moments later, plopping down in a chair next to Harry and giving Teddy a fond look.

"Finally tired him out, I see," she said. Harry had been chasing his godson through the garden, as Teddy had squealed in delight, running to various guests at the party to 'save' him from Harry. Teddy would squirm to be put down moments later and the game would start again. Remus admired Harry's stamina.

"Took a while," Harry said.

"He does seem to have a limitless supply of energy," Remus agreed, grateful again that his son had younger, more energetic people in his life.

"When do you start practice, Ginny?" Remus asked, trying to keep from glancing at Hermione.

"Next week," she said. "I have to report to the training facility in Wales on Wednesday." Harry looked a bit unhappy about this. "We train for a couple of weeks at a time, then I'll have a few days off." Harry reached over and took her hand, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. Remus was aware that they'd basically been living together since Ginny had finished at Hogwarts. He was sure that Harry was going to miss her terribly.

"And, of course, I'll travel with the team when they have a match, in case someone gets injured and needs a replacement." Remus nodded.

Ron joined their table, drinking a glass of Firewhiskey and carrying the bottle. He had been at work when the party started and just arrived a little over an hour ago. Unlike Remus, Ron had made no secret of his staring at Hermione and Anthony. Even now, he looked over at them with a glower. Ginny slapped the back of his head.

"Oi!" Ron protested. "What was that for?"

"Stop being such a git," she said. "Everyone has noticed you glaring at Anthony, including Anthony." Remus shifted in his chair, cursing in his head when his eyes darted back to Hermione and Anthony.

"I can't believe she's still dating that tosser," Ron grumbled. He threw back the rest of his drink and poured himself another. Harry glanced at Ginny.

"Is it really Anthony you object to or just the fact that Hermione's dating someone that isn't you?" Ginny asked. Remus shifted uncomfortably.

"It's him," Ron insisted. "I don't know what she sees in him. He's so uptight it's ridiculous."

"Just because he's serious, doesn't mean he's uptight," Ginny argued.

"Really?" Ron said. "I overheard you telling Harry that he got all bent out of shape when he found out about Hermione setting Snape on fire." Remus' eyes widened. Hermione had done what?

"You overheard? Were you eavesdropping?" Ginny demanded. Ron rolled his eyes.

"You and Harry were in the sitting room," Ron said. "It's not like I was standing outside your bedroom door or something." Ginny glared at him.

"It's still eavesdropping," she said. Ron shook his head and waved a hand, sloshing some of his drink over the rim of the glass.

"If you want it to be private, put up a spell or something," he said. "How I heard it doesn't change the fact that he said it." Ginny sighed.

"Fine, that was a bit over the top, but he got over that," Ginny said. "Just leave them alone, Ron."

"Excuse me, but can we go back to where Hermione set Severus on fire," Remus said.

"First year," Ron said, taking another sip of the drink that he clearly did not need. "Harry's first Quidditch game and his broom starts acting all wonky. Jerking him around and throwing him about. Pretty soon Harry's hanging from it by one arm." Ron accentuated his story with hand and arm movements, spilling more of his Firewhiskey. "We all thought Harry was going to fall off his broom, right? So, Hermione starts scanning the crowd and sees Snape staring at Harry and reciting some incantation. Hermione thinks Snape's cursing Harry, so she runs over to the teacher's box and hides under the stands and sets Snape's robes on fire. As soon as it breaks Snape's concentration, she scoops the flames into a jar and runs away. It was fucking brilliant!" Ron threw back the rest of his drink. Ginny summoned the bottle before he could pour another and he scowled at her.

"So then, Harry, he gets back on his broom and goes for the Snitch. And he catches it, in his mouth! Fucking brilliant mate, fucking brilliant." Ron reached clumsily over the table to try and clap Harry on the back, but missed. He shifted on his chair and nearly fell out of it. Ginny rolled her eyes again. Remus was extremely glad that Teddy was asleep.

"So, Hermione actually set Severus on fire?" Remus clarified, still gobsmacked that this had even happened. Harry grinned.

"Yeah," he said with a laugh. Remus' lips twitched and a burst of laughter escaped him seconds later. Soon, he was laughing so hard, tears were running down his face. The rest of them were laughing as well, although no one as hard as Remus. To imagine Hermione as a tiny first year, setting the robes of the most-feared professor on staff on fire was too much. Remus' sides ached. Teddy began to stir and they all immediately muffled their laughter as Harry soothed Teddy back to sleep.

"And it turns out that it wasn't even Snape that was cursing me," Harry said a few minutes later when Remus had finally collected himself. "It was Quirrell and Snape was trying to cast the counter-curse."

"And Severus never knew?" Remus asked, wiping at his eyes again.

"Not that we know of," Harry replied, wide grin still on his face.

"Sirius would have loved that story," Remus said fondly. Harry's smile faltered a bit, but Ginny squeezed his hand and he gave her a grateful look.

"But that pillock," Ron said, jabbing a thumb in Anthony's direction, "finds out about it and is all 'You set a teacher on fire?' and 'I can't believe you did that'." Ron had raised his voice to a higher pitch that sounded nothing like Goldstein, but was amusing nonetheless.

"Give it a rest, Ron," Ginny said tiredly. "Obviously, it doesn't bother Hermione." Ron muttered something under his breath and went to take another drink when he realized his glass was empty. Sullenly, he sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He's not good enough for her," Ron said.

"No one is," Remus said softly and Ron turned to look at him blearily.

"Too right, mate, too right." Remus' gaze had settled on Hermione again and when he looked up, Harry and Ginny were staring at him. Harry looked confused, but Ginny had a knowing glint in her eye that Remus did not like at all.

"I had better get Teddy home," he said, standing from his chair. Harry rose as well and managed to pass Teddy to Remus without waking him.

"See you Wednesday, mate," Harry said to Teddy, rubbing Teddy's back for a moment. Remus nodded in acknowledgement.

"Congratulations again, Ginny," he said. "The Harpies are lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Remus," Ginny said, knowing smile on her face. "Shall I tell Hermione you said good-bye?"

"Oh, er, yes, thank you," Remus said feeling a bit flustered. He crossed the garden to where Andromeda sat with Molly. Seeing her sleeping grandson, Andromeda made her good-byes and the two of them walked into the house to use the Floo. Remus forced himself not to glance back. Andromeda grasped his arm as she stumbled slightly over a small rock near the flower garden. Likely Teddy's work that Remus hadn't noticed. He saw her look up at him with a strange expression on her face.

"Are you all right?" Andromeda asked when they had reached the fireplace.

"Yes, why?" Remus replied.

"Your arm is tight as a bowstring," she said. Remus forced himself to relax.

"Just trying not to jostle Teddy," Remus said. She stared at him for a moment, clearly not convinced, but didn't ask any other questions.

Remus settled Teddy into his cot, using magic to change him into his pajamas and kissed his son's forehead before leaving the room.

Making his way back to his own bedroom, Remus closed the door behind him and leaned back against it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. The entire evening had him disconcerted. He went over everything that had happened from his initial conversation with Hermione to his reaction to Goldstein's arrival to his final comment of the night.

Remus never thought that he would sympathize with Ron Weasley of all people, when it came to Hermione, but he found himself doing just that. Ron was clearly jealous of Goldstein and Remus was…what? He was concerned about Hermione, that much was true. She was a friend and Remus didn't want her to be hurt. Surely, it didn't go any further than that.

Not that he had any indication that Goldstein would hurt her. By all accounts and appearances, he treated her well and Hermione appeared to be happy. Still, Gold-, Anthony, Remus had to stop doing that. Anthony had been upset to hear about the incident with Severus. Remus couldn't understand why. He had thought it hilarious, not to mention the fact that it had been seven years ago. Hermione had been twelve. Remus wondered what Anthony would think if he found out about Hermione's and Harry's exploits with the Time-turner.

Remus began to pace. He didn't want to think about his conversation with Hermione when he had lightly grasped her wrist or that he had tried to keep her in his line of sight for the rest of the night. He didn't want to contemplate what it meant that he agreed with everything Ron said about Anthony, even though he hadn't had any negative thoughts about the boy before he started dating Hermione. Remus especially didn't want to think about what it meant when he'd said that no one was good enough for her.

Groaning, Remus put his head in his hand and sunk down onto his bed. He was jealous. Jealous of a nineteen-year-old wizard. Jealous because Remus cared about Hermione Granger. Cared about her as more than just a friend. Fuck.

No, he thought as he stood abruptly. No, this was not going to happen. Hermione was half his age, she was Harry's best friend, she had her entire life ahead of her. She was happily in a relationship with someone else, someone far more suited to her than Remus would ever be. He was old, scarred, unemployed, a werewolf, and had a child to raise. He was not going to even entertain the idea of another relationship, especially with Hermione. She deserved far better than him.

Ginny was going to be a problem. Remus had seen the look in her eye when he'd made that idiotic statement. Idiotic not because it wasn't true, but because he'd said it out loud. Ron likely wouldn't remember it and Harry had looked confused enough that Remus could explain it away if Harry asked. But Ginny, Ginny wasn't likely to let this go. She was like Molly in that way. Molly had been the biggest catalyst in getting Remus to finally admit his feelings for Dora. Thankfully, Ginny was leaving for Wales in a few days and would be extremely busy. Hopefully, she wouldn't have a chance to say anything.

Remus had to put this entire thing out of his head right now. No good would come of dwelling on it because it was never going to happen.

He quickly readied himself for bed, his mind still swirling with thoughts that he didn't want to be having. He crawled between his sheets and put an arm behind his head. Turning slightly, he picked up the photograph of Dora holding Teddy and stared at it. Remus had had his chance at happiness and even though it had been short, he wasn't going to ask for anything else. He didn't deserve to.

Remus set the photograph back on his bedside table and turned over on his side. He adjusted his pillow and settled down to sleep with a sigh.