Chapter 22: Birth, Life, Death.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any part, the characters and the HP universe all still belong to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Last I checked. * sighs in disappointment *
A/N: Hey all, just a quick reminder that there has been a time jump this chapter. I'll be giving you a quick round-up of fifth year throughout, but this chapter primarily takes place in the summer before sixth year. Also check out my Pinterest, NifflerNogtailsNargles, to see pictures of what I imagine the tattoos to look like.
Life is not a love song that we like
We're all broken pieces floating by
Life is not a love song, we can try
To fix our broken pieces one at a time
I like that you're broken
Broken like me
Maybe that makes me a fool
I like that you're lonely
Lonely like me
I could be lonely with you
-lovelytheband
Spinner's End, Cokeworth, England, August 18th 1976
Silence. Hermione sighed. There had been too much silence this summer. She had known that her mother wouldn't take it well, but she hadn't expected her to stay angry for quite so long. Maybe Severus' ability to hold a grudge hadn't come entirely from their father. It was only a tattoo, after all.
Granted, she mused, it wasn't every day one's sixteen year old twins came home with matching tattoos, but this relentless cold-shoulder seemed like a bit of an overreaction to her. And it wasn't as though they had been a purely aesthetic choice. Although she was rather fond of the thunderbird that currently decorated the skin of her right forearm. To her frustration though, she had been unable to tell her mother the true nature of the ink.
"What in the name of Merlin's baggy left ball-sack is a kinship mark?" Harry snorted at Sirius' crude phrasing, earning him a sharp glare from Hermione.
"I found out about them while I was researching the Dark Mark." She watched Regulus stiffen slightly at her words, clearly he was familiar with the term.
"Those ugly snake tattoos Voldemort marks his followers with?" Lily asked cautiously.
Hermione nodded. "Yes. From what I've managed to work out, the Dark Mark is a bastardized version of a kinship mark."
"Which brings me back to; what the fuck is a kinship mark?"
"For Christ sake Padfoot, give her a minute!" Remus barked. It was two days until the full moon, leaving him tense and ready to snap at the slightest provocation.
Hermione smiled, grabbing his hand in her own, patting it gratefully. He immediately responded by wrapping his free arm around her waist, nuzzling his face into her hair. She fought the urge to giggle, secretly pleased by this uncommonly public display of affection.
"Yes, thank you Remus." she beamed. "Kinship marks were commonly used in the times of Avalon. Small groups of witches or wizards would form alliances based on friendship and shared goals. They would make vows to each other, promising loyalty, and aid in times of strife. The bonds would be made in blood and sealed by a shared mark."
"Like the Dark Mark?" Regulus asked, not quite able to keep the distaste out of his voice.
"Not originally" Hermione argued, "I believe that Voldemort found a way to make the ritual work without contributing any blood of his own. He replaced the vows of loyalty with ones of fealty and used their blood to seal their fate. Total control. He can call them to his side, use the mark to track them, to torture them."
She took a deep breath, fighting back her anger. "He took a beautiful, brilliant piece of ancient magic and twisted it for his own gains."
Amelia looked as outraged as Hermione had felt upon realising the truth of the mark. "That's barbaric!" she scowled. "Although, not surprising. Monster that he is. Ruining a perfectly good piece of magic."
Harry grinned at the redhead fondly as Hermione fought back a smirk. She hadn't been entirely pleased when Harry informed her that he wanted to bring Amelia Bones into their group, but the girl had proved to be both a valuable asset and a firm friend. Although how she ended up in Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin, ambitious as she was, Hermione would never know.
"Fascinating as all of this is," Sev interjected, "What does any of it have to do with us?"
Hermione stared at her brother in confusion, had she not already said?
"I think Hermione's brain is working three steps ahead of her mouth again." James quipped, making her blush furiously. She smiled as she felt Remus snicker into her shoulder.
"Yes. Sorry." she cleared her throat. "I think we should take up kinship bonds of our own."
Remus lifted his head from its resting place, staring at her curiously. "Why?"
"For our own protection." she explained. "We've been training, researching, actively working behind the backs of not only Voldemort and his Death Eaters, but the Order of the Phoenix as well. We need a way to find each other, to signal for help if we need it. A way that no-one can take from us if we're caught."
Hermione winced as she took in the stricken faces of the teens before her. It was so easy to forget sometimes, that they had not been through the same things she had. She'd already fought, already lost so much by the time she was sixteen the first time around. These teenagers had never been forced to anticipate and prepare for the worst-case scenario. She could see the same sympathy and regret she felt reflected in Harry's eyes.
"Do you think this will be... necessary?" Sev asked, voice shaking ever so slightly.
"I hope not." she smiled tightly, voice dripping with false cheer. "But, better to be safe than sorry eh?"
An unnatural hush fell over the room then, each of them lost in their own thoughts. The silence was only broken when Lily let out a loud gasp, burying her head in her hands.
"Hermione." Lily groaned. "We're getting tattoos. My mum's going to kill us."
Remus couldn't help it; he burst out laughing and was quickly joined by the rest of the group. All except James, who looked positively horrified at the prospect of Dorea Potter' wrath.
Hermione smiled. James had gotten his mark on his chest in the end, right in the centre underneath his collarbone. According to him, if he was going to be murdered by his own mother anyway, then he was going out in style. Lily, Hermione and Amelia had all gotten theirs on their inner arms, directly beneath the crook of their elbows. Sirius, Reggie and Sev had all gotten theirs on their right biceps while Harry placed his directly behind his left ear. Pandora, of course, had gone a different route entirely and chose to have her mark placed on her hip. Hermione had tried her best to ignore the hungry look in her best friend's eyes as he'd watched her apply it.
The thunderbird had been Sirius' idea.
"It's perfect! Think about it. They can always tell when danger's coming, and they bring the storm. The oncoming storm!" He had deepened his voice dramatically, making the rest of the group laugh.
"It's cheesy, but I like it!" Amelia laughed. And just like that, it had been decided.
"Thunderbirds are go!" Lily yelled, giggling. The pure-bloods amongst them just stared in confusion as Hermione, Harry and Severus all joined in her laughter.
The ritual had gone perfectly. More so than she'd imagined, in fact. Even now, sitting at the worn-down kitchen table in Cokeworth, she could feel the thrum of energy pulse through her. If she reached for them, she could feel Lily's contentment, James' concern, Severus' boredom.
Hermione smiled. She tried not to reach out for her friends too often, out of respect for their privacy, but it was comforting to know that they were always right there with her if she needed them. So, despite her mother's cold shoulder, she couldn't bring herself to regret her decision. She knew that Sev felt the same. She sighed again. Hopefully it would all blow over before summer's end.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She swivelled her eyes towards the window where a large tawny owl was perched, two envelopes attached to its leg. She gasped. How could she have forgotten?
"SEV!" she screeched.
The sound of footsteps thundering downstairs followed.
"Hermione? What's wrong?" She blushed as she registered the panicked tone of his voice. Perhaps she had been slightly overenthusiastic.
"Oh. Nothing, sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "I think those are our O.W.L results." She indicated the owl who was now glaring at the pair impatiently from the windowsill.
"Oh." Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she turned to face him. She'd never seen her brother so pale. He seemed frozen, struck dumb. She would have laughed if she weren't having her own momentary breakdown.
Eileen swept into the room coldly before stopping dead in her tracks, observing the scene before her.
"What's wrong with you two then?"
Sev simply shook his head in terror while Hermione pointed towards the now irate bird behind the glass.
"Well? Aren't either of you going to let it in?" She huffed when neither of them made a move. "Oh for heaven's sake."
She made her way across the kitchen and retrieved the letters, sending the bird on its way with a handful of owl treats for its trouble.
"Oh it's your O.W.L results." she said lightly, before a look of understanding dawned on her face. "Oh." For that first time in weeks, she smiled. The smile quickly became a full on laughing fit as she stared at the pained looks on her twins' faces.
"Get over here and open your bloody letters you daft buggers!" She chuckled, "You won't change the results by staring at them."
Steeling herself. Hermione snatched her own envelope from the table. With one deep breath, she ripped it open.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS
Pass Grades Fail Grades
OUTSTANDING (O) POOR (P)
EXCEEDS EXPECTATONS (E) DREADFUL (D)
ACCEPTABLE (A) TROLL (T)
HERMIONE EILEEN SNAPE
has achieved
ANCIENT RUNES...O*
ARITHMANCY...O*
ASTRONOMY...O
CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES...O
CHARMS...O*
DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS...O
HERBOLOGY...O
HISTORY OF MAGIC...O
POTIONS...O
TRANSFIGURATION...O
* indicates distinction in given subject
Hermione let out an involuntary whoop of excitement. She had done it! She had finally managed to get an O in Defence! Despite her statements to the contrary, she had in fact been extremely disappointed by her grade the first time around.
"Sev! Sev I did it!" She jumped up and down gleefully. "How did you do?" She grabbed the parchment from his hands before waiting for a reply.
"Ouch!" he grumbled, bringing his index finger to his lip. "Bloody menace."
She waved her hand dismissively. "You're fine, it's just a paper cut, now hush!" Her eyes scanned the document in front of her.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS
Pass Grades Fail Grades
OUTSTANDING (O) POOR (P)
EXCEEDS EXPECTATONS (E) DREADFUL (D)
ACCEPTABLE (A) TROLL (T)
SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE
has achieved
ANCIENT RUNES...O
ARITHMANCY...O
ASTRONOMY...E
CHARMS...O
DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS...O*
HERBOLOGY...O
HISTORY OF MAGIC...A
MUGGLE STUDIES...O
POTIONS...O*
TRANSFIGURATION...O
*indicates distinction in given subject
"Amazing! Distinction in Potions and Defence. I knew you could do it!" She beamed at her twin before gathering him up in a bone-grinding hug, ignoring his sounds of protest. The pair stayed like that until they heard a quiet sniffling noise from behind them. They turned towards their mother in shock.
"Mum, are you okay?" Hermione asked, her tone concerned. Eileen just shook her head silently as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Mum, what's wrong?" Severus asked, approaching the crying woman cautiously.
Eileen lifted her eyes to meet her son's as her tears slowed. She sniffled as she spoke. "I just can't believe that the two of you turned out so well." Hermione smiled softly as she continued. "Especially when I've been such a terrible mother."
The twins reeled back in shock. Whatever they'd been expecting her to say, that wasn't it. Severus frowned. "Mum, you weren't-"
"Severus, stop. I need to say this. The two of you, sit. We need to talk."
The pair obeyed, exchanging hesitant looks.
Eileen took a fortifying breath as she joined them at the table.
"I just want you both to know how incredibly proud I am of you both. Ridiculous, permanent body art aside, you have grown to be strong, wonderful, independent young people. And you've done it all on your own."
Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. Why now? Why did her mother want to have this conversation now?
"I have been weak, and selfish. I wasn't always there when I should have been and you both paid the price. It never should have been up to you to get rid of your father. It never should have been up to you to make sure I was fed, and cleaned. It was my responsibility. And I failed you. I've been worried sick, waiting with baited breath for years for the moment it would all finally take its toll. But you've weathered it all. You've taken on every challenge and come out the other side. Brilliant, kind, funny, bright. Both of you, You are the lights of my life."
Severus shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Thanks mum, we love you too."
She smiled sadly. "I know you do. I don't deserve it, but you both love me nonetheless. That's what makes this so difficult."
Hermione was stone in her chair. She recognised that tone, she'd heard it too many times. On Ron, telling her he loved her before running into the fray, buying their escape with his own life. On Fleur, whispering sweet words of goodbye to her husband as the blood flowed freely from her side. ON Harry, holding her hand as they performed a ritual almost guaranteed to fail.
"Is this the part where you tell us why you've been so cold all summer." She asked, her voice like granite.
Eileen lowered her eyes in defeat.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I thought maybe it would be easier somehow..."
"Thought it would be easier for our last interactions with our mother to be cold and silent?" Hermione scoffed angrily, fury rolling off of her in waves.
Eileen smiled wryly. "You always were too clever for your old mum, Hermione."
She refused to cry, clenching her jaw as she clinked back tears. She would not cry.
"The last interaction...? What the fuck is going on!" Severus demanded, panic visible on his face.
Black Family Manor, Abergele, Wales, August 18th 1976
"Padfoot mate! We fucking did it!" A blur of messy black hair flew from the fireplace, waving a sheet of parchment in the air.
Sirius dropped the biscuit he was holding in surprise. "Prongs? You're free?"
"Yeah, Mum was so thrilled by my results she granted me early release." James grinned, swiping a biscuit from Sirius' plate.
"Brilliant" he beamed. "So, how'd you do?"
James shrugged nonchalantly. "Not bad. You?"
Sirius barked out a laugh. "Not bad... Swap you?"
"Go on then."
They exchanged results excitedly, eyes searching the pages greedily.
"No fucking way." Sirius released am incredulous chuckle. James' eyebrows rose to his hairline, equally surprised.
Harry walked in whistling, hands resting casually in the pockets of his grey slacks. He'd been visiting the Wizengamot that morning with his grandfather, which had been dull and entertaining in turns. Mostly, he was just thrilled to have it over and done with.
"Are those O.W.L results? Give them here then." He held out his hands to receive the letters. The pair handed them over with matching mischievous smiles.
Harry laughed as he read the papers. "Identical scores, You two were bloody well made for each other."
"Ours is a pure love." James agreed solemnly.
"You read your letter yet?" Sirius asked.
"Mines came?" He asked, pleased. Sirius nodded, pointing towards the envelope on the small side table next to the freshly-baked biscuits. Harry tore the letter opened, shock to discover that two badges lay inside. He had been named Quidditch captain and Head Boy. His heart twisted painfully.
"That's me! Only I'm head boy. And I'm holding the Quidditch Cup. And bloody hell! I'm Quidditch captain too!" Harry took a minute to mourn his first best friend. Ron had never gotten his chance at Head Boy. Maybe this time, he would. If he worked a lot bloody harder at least. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips at the thought. "Oi! What's that you have there?" Sirius demanded."Head Boy," he held the badge up with his left hand, "Quidditch Captain." He held the other badge up with his right.
Sirius groaned. "My brother the Head Prat. I'll never live it down!" James nodded in agreement.
"He's right you know." James said seriously. "You're going to have to do some serious pranking as soon as school starts back, or else you might lose your status as a Marauder."
Harry raised one eyebrow sceptically. "Is that so?"
"It is" The pair said simultaneously.
"That's just creepy. Honestly. You two are-"
All at once, the three boys gasped. For the first time, they felt a wave of distress wash over them, a panic that certainly was not their own.
"Is that..?" James trailed off uncertainly.
"Hermione." Sirius nodded, his face pinched with worry. Harry made his way towards the entrance hall without a word, summoning his day robe as he went.
"Ceph! Wait up." Sirius rushed to his older brother's side, James hot on his heels. They had to find their friend. Harry held out his left arm and gestured for the boys to take hold. He still hadn't spoken, his face hard and expressionless as he disapparated with a loud crack.
Evans Household, Weaver's Way, Cokeworth, England, August 18th 1976
"I'm still not happy about this Petunia. You're far too young to be out of the house living on your own. And I swear, if that boy lays a finger on you before there's a wedding, I'll string him up by his-"
Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation as her father went on his third rant of the morning. When she'd first arrived home, she'd been delighted to find her parents so distracted by Petunia's latest 'indiscretion' that they'd barely reacted to Lily's tattoo beyond a cursory disapproving glare. After almost a month of hearing the same speeches though, she was growing tired of it.
Apparently, Petunia agreed. She turned her sharp eyes towards her father as she spoke.
"I'm sorry father, but you seem to be under the mistaken impression that my body is yours to police." Her voice dripped with disdain and cold fury. "Let me assure you it is not. And you needn't worry about my 'virtue', for all that's worth. That ship sailed a long time ago."
Lily gaped at her older sister. Surely she hadn't just announced the loss of her virginity over her morning cornflakes. Gladys stared guiltily down at her coffee, refusing to meet her husbands eyes. Ah, so she already knows then. Lily smirked then. Of course she did. Nothing went on under Gladys Evans' roof without her knowing about it.
Harold was struck dumb, his face pale and grey looking. In all honestly, Lily didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Despite the strange setting for the announcement, she saw it as Tuney's business, and it was her father's own fault for pushing the issue so hard this summer.
"Tuney," her father began, his voice shaking. "My little Pet. That's not true, is it?"
Petunia scoffed. "It bloody well is. And you have around seven months to come around to that fact too."
Lily froze, spoonful of cereal suspended in mid-air. Seven months? Oh bloody hell!
Harold's face had regained it's colouring now, changing rapidly from white to deep red. That was never a good sign.
"Petunia you didn't?" He demanded. "Haven't you a brain in your head? Did your mother and I teach you nothing? We're Catholic for Pete's sake."
Petunia drew herself up, clearly offended by her father's tone. Before she could reply though, she found her path blocked by a diminutive blonde.
"Harold Patrick Evans, how dare you. You're a filthy hypocrite. Your father made over again. What was it he said when we told him about Petunia?"
The older man looked sheepish then, unable to fully look his wife in the eye.
"This is different" he insisted.
"Oh? In what way?"
Determined to escape her parent's squabbling, Lily gestured to her sister, pointing her finger slightly towards the kitchen door. Petunia nodded in agreement and the two girls made their way into the sitting room. They each took an end of the squishy old couch, neither sure where to begin.
"So-"
"Lily, I-"
The pair giggled as they tried to speak over one another. Lily was the first to recover.
"So is it true then? You and Dorian are having a baby?"
"We are." Petunia nodded, finally allowing a hint of nerves to creep into her expression.
"Is that why the pair of you have been looking for a place together this summer?" Lily asked gently, not wanting to upset her.
"Well, yes and no." She allowed a small smile to grace her face as she thought of the dark-haired boy. "We'd been talking about it for a while, but this just forced us to move our plans up a bit."
Lily took in the peaceful expression that flooded the older girl when she spoke of her boyfriend and sighed internally. She wished that she had someone who could male her feel like that. She'd gone on a few dates with Amos Diggory last year, and she'd even snogged Frank Longbottom a few times, but none of them had given her butterflies like the ones Hermione described when she talked about Remus.
"Are you happy, Tuney?" she asked quietly.
"I'm scared," she admitted. "I'm sick all the time, and I cry at the drop of a hat-pin. But yes, I am happy. I love Dorian, and as strange as it sounds, I already love this little leech growing inside of me."
Lily felt her eyes prick with tears as she looked at the woman in front of her with wonder.
"Tuney, you're going to be a Mum... Merlin, I'm going to be an Aunt!" She threw herself to the other side of the couch, laughing giddily as she grabbed Petunia up in a tight hug. And there they sat, hugging tightly, the silence only punctuated by the occasional sniffle from one sister or the other until the moment was broken by the sound of a owl tapping insistently on the sitting room window.
"Oh, Lily, weren't you waiting on an owl from school today?" Lily froze. How could she have forgotten about O.W.L results? She ran towards the window excitedly. She would finally find out if all of her hard work had paid off.
"It's my exam results Tuney. Will you stay and open them with me?" She bit her lip as she stared at the envelope, suddenly nervous.
"Of course I will, don't be ridiculous." Petunia laughed, patting the place on the sofa directly beside her. Lily grinned widely as she made her way over to sit down. Without hesitation, she tore the letter open, scanning its contents hungrily.
"Wahoooooo!" Lily called out. She was ecstatic, dancing around the living room in the silliest manner Petunia had ever seen. She couldn't help but laugh at her younger sister's antics.
"I did it Pet. Perfect O's! Now all those snotty pureblood pricks can stick it up their perfectly groomed arsehol-"
"Lily!" Harold exclaimed in shock. The poor man stared at his two daughters as though he'd never seen them in his life.
"Sorry Dad." Lily responded brightly, not sounding sorry at all.
"Of course you are." Gladys responded with a teasing roll of her eyes. "Care to tell us what's got you all in a tizzy?"
"O.W.L results Mum, look!" Lily handed the parchment over to her mother, who read it before immediately joining on the redhead's happy dancing.
"Well done Lil!" Harold called out proudly, flicking the radio on so the woman would have something better to dance to than the hum of the old radiator.
Chuckling, he sat down on the sofa. Petunia noticeably stiffened at his proximity, all earlier humour vanished form her face, Harold winced guiltily.
"I made a right old mess of things back there Petal."
Petunia blinked furiously, trying to stave off the tears that had formed at his use of the childhood nickname.
"You did." She agreed, her voice carefully neutral.
"I'm sorry. I'm an arse." He stated simply, coaxing a watery chuckle from his surly older daughter. "Dorian's a good lad, and he seems to make you happy." She smiled at that.
"He really does Dad."
"Then that's all that matters." He nodded. "I just hadn't expected to become a grandpa when I was still so young and good-looking." He grinned cheekily as Petunia swatted him playfully on the shoulder.
"Young? Good-looking? I think it's time we got you fitted for a pair of glasses." He laughed, and they both knew that all was forgiven between the pair.
Lily and her mother had slowed their dancing, straining to listen in to the conversation. They exchanged an amused glance at Harold's clumsy but sincere apology, both happy that their family would not be irreparably fractured by a few harsh words.
All of a sudden, Lily felt overwhelmed with anguish and pain. She'd never felt anything like it, and she was certain that the emotions did not belong to her. She closed her eyes and reached out with her magic, feeling the invisible strings that connected her to her kin. Severus. Hermione. They needed her.
Lupin House, Shropshire, England, August 18th 1976
Remus chuckled at his father's exuberance. The man was more excited about Remus' O.W.L results than he was.
"Must've gotten all of your brains from your mother Remy, because you certainly didn't get them from me!"
Hope smirked. "Very true."
Lyall reeled back in mock hurt. "You wound me, good woman! I give you my heart, my very name, and this is how you repay me?"
Remus laughed as he felt the warmth of home seep into his bones. He loved to see his parents like this, so playful and carefree. It was a sight he hadn't seen much of growing up, but one that had become much more commonplace since his first year at Hogwarts. He was glad. His parents had spent too much of their lives worrying about their only son.
"Oh hush you." Hope scolded lightly, bustling around the kitchen merrily. "Tea, love?" she asked.
"Please. Thanks mum." She beamed at him before busying herself with the old kettle.
"What, I don't get any tea?" Lyall teased.
Hope raised one eyebrow, not bothering to slow her task as she spoke. "You'll get tea when you ask nicely like Remus. At least one man in this house has manners!"
Lyall pouted. "Please may I have a cup of tea, oh sweet wife of mine?"
"Much better." She nodded imperiously, trying not to smile.
"You're an angel!" Lyall winked at Remus as he returned his attention to the letter in front of him.
"So, Remus. Have you given much thought as to what you want to do after Hogwarts?"
He blinked at the sudden change in topic. "Not in any serious way."
"Well with scores like these, maybe you should start." Lyall was positively beaming with pride as he handed the letter over to his son. "I didn't want to get your hopes up by saying anything before your results came through."
Remus' jaw dropped in shock. "Dad, is this... is this for real?"
"Yep." The man looked incredibly smug as he sipped his freshly-brewed cup of tea.
"Galatea Merrythought. Wow... But she hasn't taken on an apprentice since Dumbeldore."
"Well apparently she's taken a keen interest in you, son. A few of your teachers mentioned your work to Dumbledore and he took it upon himself to share a few of your essays with her when they met up for tea."
Remus shook his head in disbelief. "But they're just for homework, they're nothing special."
"Well apparently Mistress Merrythought thinks differently. And I would say that as the expert in the subject, she would know, wouldn't she?" Hope quipped, snatching the letter from it's place at the table.
"What was it she said again? Ah yes: 'rarely have I seen a young mind with such deep understanding of the subject matter, nor the innate talent and passion for the craft.'"
Remus blushed a deep crimson at his mother's teasing. He wasn't used to such praise or attention. He had known that he was good at defence of course, maybe even the best in the year, but nothing like this.
"Did you write her back?" Remus asked his father nervously, determined to avoid his mother's laughing stare.
"I did." He nodded. "Keep your grades up, get a good score on your NEWTs, and the apprenticeship's yours. Well done, son." Remus blinked back tears as his mother hugged him from behind his chair as his father looked on, smiling. This was a memory that could fuel a thousand Patronuses, he was sure of it.
Slowly, his happiness started to fade away as it was replaced by a deep sense of foreboding. Within minutes, the feeling grew to an all-encompassing grief. Hermione.
Remus stood up, panicked as he made his way towards the floo. He needed to get to Hermione.
"Remus son, what's wrong?" He ignored his father as he reached towards the mantle where the floo-powder was kept. He was just lifting the lid when he was forced back by a rush of green flames. Within seconds he found himself bowled over by a tear-streaked mass of dark curls.
"Remus!" she cried, burying her head in his chest, much to the bemusement of his parents.
"Hermione, love, what's wrong?" He tried to pry her fingers from his shirt so that he could see her face, but that only made her cry harder.
Knock Knock Knock.
"What on Earth?" Lyall huffed in annoyance as he went to answer the door. When he got there, he found himself faced with four anxious looking teenage boys and one apologetic redhead.
"Sorry to disturb you mister Lupin. Is Hermione here by any chance?"
"She's just come through the floo," he answered without thinking.
"Oh, brilliant! Thanks." Lily smiled politely as she made her way inside, clearly taking his words to be an invitation. The boys rushed in behind her, determined to see their friend. Lyall and Hope locked eyes as they processed the strange events of the last five minutes.
"Well, then" Hope said cheerily. "I suppose I had better put on another pot of tea eh?" Lyall laughed then, that was his wife's answer to everything. Well, that and chocolate biscuits.
"What do you mean, dying?" Lily asked, shaking.
"Dying, as in not going to be alive much longer Lily!" Severus snapped harshly. She took a deep breath, refusing to rise to his bait, she knew that he was just upset.
"Yes of course, sorry Sev." She placed a hand on his comfortingly only to have it snatched away roughly. "I meant, what's wrong with her."
Hermione's voice was dull as she answered. "It was Tobias. What he done to her. It done something to her magic, twisted it up inside her somehow. Apparently it must have been working on her for years." She stared blankly ahead as she replayed the memories in her mind over and over again. Every migraine, Every time she forgot what she was saying mid sentence. Every time she'd been so exhausted she hadn't been able to get out of bed for days. How had she not noticed? She had thought her mother was depressed. Had been too focused on her own life to notice that she was ill.
Remus wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, trying desperately to offer her whatever small measure of strength he could. "She started having fits last year while we were away at school. That's why she asked us not to come home for the holidays. She was in St. Mungo's having tests done."
She had told her children that she was going on a trip to visit an old school friend. Hermione had though that maybe her mother had started dating again. She had been happy for her.
Surprisingly, Sirius was the first one to break the silence.
"This is bullshit." Everyone turned their eyes towards him in shock. "What?" he asked defensively. "It is. It's shite, and it's unfair. Your mum is a nice woman Sev, Hermione. I'm so sorry that this is happening. What can we do?"
"Nothing. There's nothing you can do." Hermione answered in a small voice.
"I could use a drink." Severus answered miserably.
"Done." James jumped up from his seat, desperate to help in any way he could, even if it meant that he would be grounded again until the end of summer.
"What?" Severus scoffed.
"My mum and dad are out at some meeting or the other for the evening, and we have an impressive collection of firewhisky and elven wine."
Lily looked scandalized, while Remus just looked annoyed. "Prongs, I hardly think this is the time to-"
"I'm in." Hermione stood up swiftly. She'd regret it in the morning, but at the moment she just wanted to get rip-roaring drunk the way she hadn't since the war. Harry met her eyes and nodded in understanding. Grief felt cold, empty. Alcohol burned all of that away, even if it was only for a few short hours.
Lily laughed nervously. "Well then, I guess we're getting drunk."
Decision made, the group headed through the floo towards the extremely well stocked liquor cabinet at Potter Manor.
A/N: I'm sorry, I know it's been a while. Hope this slightly longer chapter makes up for it. Let me know what you guys think! As always, thanks for reading, you guys are amazing.
'Til next time,
SJ