A/N: THERE ARE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER. IF YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO MAY BE TRIGGERED PLEASE SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CHAPTER TO READ THE TRIGGER WARNING POSTED IN THE ENDING A/N.

Chapter 21: Friday, February 1, 1980

"Heartache purged the layers of baggage I didn't know I carried. Gifts hide under the layers of

grief."

-Shauna L Hoey

As the week passed, Hermione and Sirius fought with one another constantly. Hermione was furious with him for thwarting her attempts to get into the building. The door, she had noticed, had two runes etched into the peeling paint that covered the wood; Serpent and Death, which served only to solidify the knowledge of what was behind the door. After discovering this, sh became even more angry when Sirius sent a letter to Moody explaining what had happened and Moody responded, telling them to remain quiet and continue observing.

Three more children were dragged into the alley, stunned, and taken into the building.

The children seemed to range in age from about five or six to maybe twelve. Hermione's anger grew with each passing day as she kept notes of the approximate height and weight of the children, what she thought their ages may be, and their physical characteristics. Sirius had at least agreed to hang out in the alley as Padfoot, trying to pick up on any familiar scents.

They had learned that it was the same group of Death Eaters every time, and perhaps even more troubling, the scent of the werewolves were familiar to Sirius. A sickening thought had plagued Hermione ever since Sirius brought it up, if he recognized the scent of the werewolves within the building, it was possible that it was because the Alpha had turned all of them. The scent could be familiar if it was the same Alpha who turned Remus.

Fenrir Greyback was inside that building, collecting children and Hermione knew it. Tomorrow was the full moon, and every one of the children inside that building were going to be turned or slaughtered and the thought of that made her sick to her stomach.

She had convinced Sirius to walk with her through the seedy part of Muggle London they were staying in. He agreed that they should get a closer look and that he would shift into Padfoot in order to pick up any other details he might be able to get using the heightened senses his animagus form provided.

Up to this point, they had only tried to get into the building one time. Hermione had been able to break through many of the wards, but there were several in place she couldn't get through. She tried everything she could think of and silently cursed the fact that Bill was a child right now, because she could really use his expertise as a curse breaker. Unfortunately, there was nothing more she could do to get into the building without completely blowing their cover and Moody had been explicit to let whatever was happening happen, and they would infiltrate at a later date when they had the back up to do it.

They couldn't wait until that time, though. The full moon was tomorrow and the lives of several children were at risk. Hermione was frustrated as she looped back through the alley for the fifth time, Padfoot on her heels as he sniffed at the ground. Everytime she looked over her shoulder at him, he would give an apologetic howl and a shake of his furry head. He wasn't getting any more information, she knew that, but perhaps if they waited long enough, something would happen. Someone would open the door and she could slip in and get the children out alive. They must be so terrified in there, and Merlin knows the chances of them being fed and taken care of was slim to none.

It was just before six in the evening when a flash of light and a yell caught her attention from the bench she sat on outside of the rundown business across the street from the entrance to the alley. Padfoot had been curled up at her feet and he pulled his head off the ground, sniffing curiously at the air.

She heard the scream of a young boy pierce the air, "Mum! Mummy! What'd you do to my Mum!?"

"Shut up!"

She looked over the top of the Muggle newspaper she had been reading and watched as a man dressed in all black robes yanked on the child's arm, dragging the boy behind him and silencing him with his wand.

The terrified boy opened his mouth to scream, looking around in alarm as he realized no sound would push forth. He began to struggle and twist in the grip of the Death Eater and Hermione had seen enough. As the man turned to walk into the alley, Hermione tossed her paper to the side and jumped to her feet, her fingers tightening around her wand. She quickly crossed the road, her steps picking up pace even as Padfoot began barking in warning at her.

"We could get in!" Hermione hissed, "We could get in there right now and get them out. If you don't like it, look away. But I will not have a massacre of children on my conscience, Sirius!"

Padfoot stepped in front of her, trying to slow her down and Hermione barreled past him, stepping into the alley and following the Death Eater to the abandoned old building. Her fingers itched to slice her wand through the air, to kill the man where he stood, for kidnapping so many children and slaughtering their parents in cold blood. He didn't deserve mercy, he showed none whatsoever.

"Hey!" Hermione yelled, "You there! What are you doing with that boy?"

The Death Eater turned around, a sick smile spreading over his face. "None of your concern, missus, run along."

"Unhand him!" Hermione said, "Give him to me and I won't call the police."

She held her wand hand behind her back, knowing the Death Eater would be arrogant enough to believe he was the only wizard in the vicinity. Hermione smirked to herself, not disappointed when the Death Eater barked a laugh and raised his wand, sending a nasty stunning spell her way.

Hermione couldn't help the bark of laughter that came from her chest as she easily deflected the spell with a rather rudimentary shield charm. "Oh, come on now! Is that the best you've got?!" She taunted.

Take the attention off the boy, look at me you fumbling moron. Look at me! She thought.

A look of shock settled on his face and then he snarled, shoving the boy to the side, he raised his wand and shot a series of curses and stunners at her, all of which she deflected. Distantly, she heard Padfoot barking and growling, whether at the Death Eater or in warning to her, she didn't know.

Too late, did she realize that there were four more Death Eaters rearing up behind the one she was currently dueling. She shouted an angry impedimenta that sent the man soaring backward, and unconscious, a sickening thud from his skull cracking against the brick of the building.

"Let the children go, and I'll spare you!" Hermione called out, "Let them all go and I won't kill all of you myself."

"Kill us?" A large man with curly brown hair laughed as he began dueling, "You aren't going to kill us, girl!"

"Wanna bet on it?" Hermione spat, firing a Sectumsempra at the man and watching as he fell to the ground, his chest, neck, and face splitting open and bleeding.

Hermione had always been skilled with martial magic. She was quick on her feet and a wicked fast dueler, but she knew her downfall with dueling was her arrogance. A trait that had proven time and time again to get her injured in battle, this time being no different. As she stood over the man who was bleeding out beneath her, she felt her breath get knocked from her lungs as she went flying backward, smacking into the brick wall.

"You arrogant little bitch!" The Death Eater shouted, firing a quick succession of hexes at her.

When she looked up, she was horrified to see Rabastan Lestrange nearing her, his wand slicing through the air with ease.

"Let that boy go!" Hermione shouted, scrambling to her feet and casting shields to protect herself from the onslaught of curses from the Lestrange brother.

"You hear that, Rudy?" Rabastan yelled over his shoulder, "Let the little brat go!"

"Whatever you say, Rab!" Rudolphus Lestrange yelled from behind his brother, his hand clamped onto the boy's upper arm. He shoved the child onto his knees and looked at Hermione, a menacing smile spreading across his face. He pointed his wand at the back of the boy's head, "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!" Hermione screamed, dropping her shield charm and firing every terrible curse and hex she could think of.

Streaks of red, blue, and purple light filled the alley as she screamed curse after curse, closing in on the brothers, her chest heaving in desperate breaths. She heard Sirius yelp from over Rabastan's shoulder and saw another man give a swift kick to Padfoot's ribs.

Hermione shouted a levicorpus, hitting Rudolphus with it and twisting her wand sharply to the side to throw him into the Death Eater than had kicked Padfoot, sending both wizards into the brick wall of the motel.

Rabastan swore loudly and doubled his effort, and before Hermione had a chance to block it, she heard crucio leave his lips and she fell to the ground in a heap. She bit into her lip, trying her best not to scream as her bones shattered and pieced themselves back together. As the fire burned through her veins, searing her from the inside only to replace the burning with icy knives, flaying her nerves from her muscles and twisting her lungs like a vice. The screams that finally pulled from her throat sounded inhuman. She could feel the warmth of blood pooling in her mouth, the same warmth that was dripping down the side of her face from her temple.

When the crucio finally ended, Hermione heaved herself to her feet, spitting blood onto the ground and wiping the blood from her eyes. She screamed in fury and began sending a relentless wave of unforgiving hexes to the Lestrange brother, hitting him with curse after curse. Slicing, burning, and stabbing into him, watching with crazed eyes as the man yelped and fired back with curses meant to kill her.

Hermione could count the amount of people she had directly killed in battle on one hand, she was determined to break that count now.

Padfoot barked viciously, attacking the Death Eaters who had begun to file into the alley, snarling and growling at them before lunging at them, knocking them into the pavement and rendering them unconscious. For a fleeting moment, Hermione mused that she almost preferred Sirius as Padfoot, at least this way she didn't have to argue with him as they dueled.

While her attention had been taken from the duel at hand, she slipped and was caught in the chest by a nasty curse that made her feel as if her skin was on fire. She screamed in agony, dropping to her knees and crying out as Rabastan towered over her, grabbing the back of her head and leaning close to her face.

"I'm going to enjoy this very much. Don't worry love, I'll be sure to carve it into your body who ended you. Send Dumbledore a little message, yeah?"

Hermione spat at the man's face, "Fuck you," she hissed.

His arm pulled back and she felt her nose break as his fist connected with her face. She yelled out in pain as she saw stars dancing in her vision, her right eye rapidly swelling shut and blood pouring from her nose. As Rabastan raised his wand, a smile on his face, she saw a blur of black fur launch up from the ground, taking Rabastan down with his teeth to his throat.

Hermione pointed her wand to her own face, muttering "episkey!" and groaning as her nose snapped back into place. As she clambered to her feet, she realized Rabastan was now unconscious, and bleeding from the throat.

She took off down the alley, sprinting as fast as she could. With all the Death Eater's out in the alley, there was a good chance the wards were down. She could get the children out, get them to safety and come back for Sirius. Before she reached the door, she felt a hand wrap around her arm, just beneath her elbow. She whipped around to see Sirius, panting heavily. His mouth, chin, and chest covered in Rabastan Lestrange's blood. His skin littered with purple bruises and his knuckles split open.

"Let's go!" Sirius said, "Now! We need to go now, Hermione!"

"Let go of me!" Hermione said, yanking her arm from his grip. "We need to get in! Get the children out and-

"Hermione, we don't have time! They've disapparated! Look!" Sirius waved his arm wildly behind him, only one body laid on the ground, all the others gone. "They're going to come back here and we will be killed. We can't do anything if we're dead!"

"They're going to come back here and slaughter these children, Sirius! We can't leave them here!"

"We have to!"

"Coward!" Hermione shouted, stepping forward so that the toes of their shoes touched. She smacked him hard in the chest, her hand burning from the sting of impact, "You would leave a dozen children to die simply because—

"I'M FOLLOWING ORDERS, HERMIONE!" Sirius bellowed, his breath hot against her face. "Something you clearly don't know how to do!"

"That's rich!" Hermione shouted back, cynical laughter bubbling past her lips, "The only damn time in your life you can find it in you actually do what you're told and it's only when children's lives are in danger?!"

"You stupid-

Whatever his next word was, it stopped in his throat as Hermione sank her fist into his jaw.

"I am not stupid!" She shouted.

"You're going to get us killed! I'm not fucking fighting with you anymore!" Sirius said, grabbing hold of her arm. "We're leaving!"

"Sirius no! You can't-

Her breath was forced from her lungs as she was squeezed through a tight rubber tube, her eyes felt like they would explode and just when she thought she would never breathe again, her feet hit carpet.

"You arsehole!" Hermione shrieked, throwing another punch at Sirius and snarling at him as it landed just below his eye. "You absolute arsehole! You-

"Stop. Fucking. Hitting. Me!" Sirius roared, shoving her fists off him.

"What in the hell…?" Somewhere off to the side, James' voice came.

"We could have done something!" Hermione shouted, landing another punch to his jaw, a sick satisfaction coming from the feel of his lip splitting beneath her knuckles.

"So, I take it the assignment went well?" Lily said.

"Do you even hear yourself?! You barmy witch! Those curses you used— you could have killed someone!"

"This is war Sirius! The time for disarming has passed! They killed that little boy and—

"They would have killed you too! They fucking crucioed you!" Sirius said.

"And... and you just left them all to die! How could you?!" Hermione cried, even more angry that tears had begun to flood her vision. "All of those children! We could have stopped it!"

"They were going to kill us, Hermione!" Sirius shouted, "I won't apologize for saving your life!"

"You're worried about a few Death Eaters?! Ha! I'm going to kill you myself!" Hermione said, shoving the tip of her wand into his throat.

Just as she opened her mouth to stun him, she felt a long arm wrap around her waist, a hand covered her wrist, squeezing it tightly.

"Drop your wand, Hermione." Remus' voice came from behind her, his breath hitting her neck.

"No!" Hermione said petulantly as she struggled against Remus. James grabbed the back of Sirius' leather jacket, pulling him out of the living room.

"Hermione, drop your wand." Remus' grip tightened painfully and she huffed indignantly, loosening the grip of the wand and clenching her jaw as it fell to the floor, hitting the carpet with a soft thud.

"Get her out of here," James said.

Hermione didn't struggle as Remus pulled her from the living room and into his own bedroom, leaving her wand on the ground. He closed the door to his room and guided her to his bed, lightly pressing on her shoulders to get her to sit on the edge of it.

As Hermione calmed down, and the adrenaline wore off, she began sobbing into her hands. Remus sat next to her, his hand resting between her shoulders, and somewhere in the depths of her mind, she realized this was the first time he had gone out of his way to physically comfort her; a realization that only exacerbated her tears.

After a few moments, he slipped off the bed, kneeling on the ground in front of her. She felt his hands wrap around her calves as he pulled her trainers from her feet and set them aside.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Remus said, his voice soft and full of concern.

Hermione just nodded, pulling her feet up to the bed and wrapping her arms around her knees, burying her face in them as she tried to quiet her sobs.

She felt terrible. Not only physically, the after effects of the cruciatus taking toll on her, the several hexes she had taken and the few hits to the face she sustained, causing her head to throb. But she knew those children were dead now. And if they weren't, they would be after the full moon. It was rare for non-magical children to survive a transformation. Those kids had been ripped away from their lives to die alone and terrified in an asbestos filled, abandoned building with a pack of Werewolves pacing around, waiting to either welcome a new member or feast upon their flesh.

Realistically, she knew that Sirius was right. It had been reckless of her to jump into the center of it without a real plan. But they had tried to get back up from The Order! They had written to Moody and received nothing but a 'keep your head down' in response! She couldn't just do nothing! But now, there would be no chance of protection for those kids, if anything, she had only sped up their demise.

She looked up as Remus re-entered the room, her feet slipping off the edge of the mattress to land in the soft cushion of the carpet again. In his hands, he held a tray with two steaming mugs on it, along with various potions, a small bowl, and a few scraps of cloth. He set the tray on his desk and she realized he had retrieved her wand as well.

"I'm not giving it back to you yet," Remus said, following her line of sight to the Vinewood on the tray. "Let me help you clean up, and… And after you've calmed down, you can have your wand back."

Hermione remained silent, giving a slight nod to indicate she understood. She was afraid if she opened her mouth, she would begin crying again.

"Sirius gave me the quick version of what happened," Remus said, kneeling in front of her and handing her a phial of what looked to be a pain relief potion. "Hermione, you know he was right to apparate you both out of there, right?"

Hermione sighed, giving a stiff nod and swallowed down the potion, handing the phial back to Remus. "I know," she whispered, closing her eyes. "But Remus, all those poor children…"

"James called an Order meeting," Remus said. "He's headed with Sirius and Lily over to Dorcas' now. Hopefully we can get some people together and get to them before the Death Eaters finish them off."

"You should go-

"No," Remus said, shaking his head as he began mixing a few things together in the small bowl on the tray. He dipped one of cloths into it, soaking up some of the soapy solution, and began dabbing at her face. "Lily agreed you shouldn't be left alone. And she's been rather queasy at the sight of blood since getting pregnant, so I offered to stay behind."

Hermione stared at him, studying his face as he lightly held her chin, wiping the blood and dirt from her face. The full moon was tomorrow, making his eyes nearly completely gold, with flecks of green throughout. He remained quiet as he washed her face, careful to avoid the more painful bruising. His brows were pulled together in concentration and his lips slightly parted, occasional puffs of breath hitting her skin. His fingertips felt warm where they held her chin, and he mumbled an apology every few seconds as she winced here and there. She found herself thinking back to the drunken conversation she had had with Sirius her first night in the motel, about how Remus fancied her and would never make the first move.

In for a Knut, in for a Galleon.

Before she could think too heavily about it, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. She felt as his entire body stiffened, his hand dropping from her chin. She instantly regretted the action, silently cursing Sirius' stupid notion that Remus fancied her. Screaming inside at herself, so frustrated that she had let Remus' kindness and compassion get the better of her and put thoughts into her head that he wanted something besides a friendship with her. Of course, he wouldn't! How could she be so stupid to think that he would! It was a moment of weakness, she convinced herself, a moment of weakness after a mentally exhausting and traumatic day. She was seeking comfort and she should just leave and never—

Remus' lips moved against hers.

It was slight and completely unsure, but they moved. She felt his hand come back to her chin, his fingertips searing into her skin as he leaned into her. His chin tilted up a bit, his lips impossibly soft and warm as they melted into hers. She sighed, her hand finding the back of his neck, her fingers twisting into the hair that brushed against his collar. The slight part of her lips was soon filled as Remus' tongue slipped into her mouth and roamed over teeth, his tongue seeking hers. His mouth was hot against hers, and his tongue felt like silk and tasted of chocolate. It was as the hand that wasn't holding her chin sank into her curls, she found herself wondering if Sirius had lied to her. She had never experienced a kiss like this, there was simply no way that Remus hadn't kissed anyone like this before.

She heard a low groan rumble in Remus' chest and as quickly as the kiss had happened, it ended. Remus pulled away, quickly standing up and stumbling backward, knocking the tray off the desk and spilling the bowl of potion solution all over the carpet.

"Fuck. I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I should…" He looked around for a moment, avoiding her gaze before he opened the door and stepped out of the room.

"Remus, wait!" Hermione called, scrambling to her feet and dashing into the hall after him.

"No, Shit! I- I need… I need to go for a run or something," Remus said, pulling his cloak over his shoulders and exiting through the front door.

Hermione stood in the living room, flinching as the front door slammed shut. Idiot, she scolded herself. You absolute idiot. Children are dying and your focus is on snogging Remus. Get your priorities sorted.

.

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a/n: TRIGGER WARNING: There is the death of a child in this chapter. While I have not been shy about blood/gore up to this point, there's mention of that, as well as a detail of the effects of cruciatus curse. For future reference, any TW that apply to chapters will be listed in this format (with an a/n at the start of the chapter) to ensure that readers who do not have any triggers do not have the chapter spoiled.

Ahem, now that's out of the way.

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xo