Author's Note
Please forgive any spelling and/or grammar errors. I hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think!
If anyone has been to Meribel I am sorry if I got the details wrong. I usually only write about places I have personally been to in order to be able to describe it more accurately, but skiing is one thing I've never done, so I'm sort of glossing over a lot of it.
When I hit 50 pages and I still wasn't finished, I decided to split this chapter into two. The good news is that it means the next chapter is nearly finished and should be up sooner than this chapter was. Sorry again for all the delays, real life has been extra, extra crazy.
PS I'm not J. K. Rowling, so I don't own anything :(
Chapter 10: Friends, Family and Holidays
January-March 1997
Meribel
"Here, let me help you with that," Sirius offered, reaching to take the long duffle bag belonging to a woman exiting the parking lot with them.
"And so it begins," Remus mumrmed by her ear. Hermione caught the amusement in the statement, but she'd been too wrapped up in memories of the last time she'd been there with her parents to know what he was laughing at.
It had been the Christmas Hols during her sixth year. If she'd known then that it would be her last real opportunity to spend time with them she would have appreciated the experience far more than she had. Not to mention her last Christmas with them. As it was, she'd spent most of the break trying not to cry over Ron ditching her for Lavender or feel hurt by Molly's withdrawal of her invitation to stay at the Burrow.
"What?" Hermione asked, glancing up to see Remus smirking fondly. He gave a nod to Sirius and Hermione turned in time to see him give the woman a flash of a rakish grin.
"Which chalet are you in?" Sirius asked, his grin growing at the flustered look on the brunette's face. She was pretty, though not in the traditional sense, her mouth a little too wide and her nose a little large, but she had an undeniable spark of life glinting in her eyes. Probably the latter was what had captured Sirius's attention in the first place.
Hermione was actually a little surprised and impressed that Sirius would go for the woman. Perhaps he had more taste than she'd previously given him credit for. Either that or it was as Remus had once said - Sirius liked all women and was always able to find something to adore in every one of them. Even if he did ultimately find them to all be nothing more than temporary amusements.
When the woman in question seemed to flounder, looking from Sirius to her and Remus then seemingly helplessly back again, Hermione laughed, accusing, "You're a menace."
"We can't take you anywhere, can we, Padfoot?" Remus added, thoroughly enjoying watching this scenario unfold.
The woman finally seemed to find her voice, saying, "Just this one here, but -"
"Honey? Er, excuse me," a man said, hurrying over. He seemed to take everything in at once, then he was lifting the elongated luggage, probably her skis, away from Sirius with a terse, "Thanks, but I've got it."
Then the obvious couple were rushing away, leaving Sirius standing near a lumpy pile of fluffy white snow on the side of the cleared path with a rather disgruntled expression on his face.
Remus burst out laughing, earning a glare from his wounded friend. Between peels, he managed to say, "I thought - you were - smoother than that!"
"Bit out of practice, aren't I, Moony?" Sirius gripped, obviously embarrassed if the bright spots of red on his cheeks meant anything. Though of course Sirius would probably attribute them to the biting wind blowing down from the nearby glittering peaks.
"No worries. There are plenty more for you to try out your charms on," Remus said consolingly, but his upturned lips did nothing to mask his enjoyment of the situation.
"Too right. I'm just polishing them up right now. Been a while since I've needed to bother," Sirius said lightly, shaking it off and perking up at the thought of trying again. "Besides, there's no way you're more charming than I am."
"Oi! Remus is plenty charming, I'll have you know," Hermione insisted.
It was true. He possessed a gentlemanly charm that he displayed every time he did something thoughtful for her like finding a book he knew she'd like or planning a midnight picnic. It might not be in line with Sirius's over-the-top flirting, but Hermione vastly preferred the more genuine and sincere nature of it.
Sirius slung an arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently, "Must be true to have landed such a fine witch as yourself. But just between you and me, I think we both know you lowered your standards a bit."
"Keep it up, Padfoot. You know I'll retaliate when you least expect it," Remus warned, leaning around Hermione to playfully slug his mate in the back.
"Promises, promises," Sirius said, obviously relishing the idea. "And when you do, I'll -"
But then his attention was captured by a pair of women crossing their path and Sirius was too busy shooting them a wicked grin to finish his threat. His look had both giggling like school girls as he silently vowed to make their trip the stuff of legends. A much cherished tale of remember-when they could gossip about in their nursing home when they were little old ladies scandalizing their grandchildren.
"At least Sirius doesn't pee to mark his territory," Hermione muttered with an exaggerated sigh that set Remus off in another bout of laughter.
"If the pair of you are through having a laugh at my expense," Sirius remarked dryly, returning his attention to them just in time to hear her.
"Not even close," Remus vowed.
"Moony's far more likely to mark -"
"Don't," Hermione warned, smothering a laugh.
"Right then. I'll meet you on the slopes in ten," Sirius suggested, breaking away to lope up the snow-covered steps to get the door for them. The frozen water crunched loudly beneath his boots, the sound as crisp and clear as the new year.
They were staying on separate floors of the cabin-like lodging, much to Hermione's relief. Sirius had insisted on paying for the entire trip, citing the fact that he had nothing else to spend his profits from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes on. He'd indulged and rented them rooms in one of the chalets that her family had never felt comfortable staying in. Instead, they'd stayed about an hour away and taken a bus to and from the resort in order to save money. Sirius didn't have the same concerns. Nor the restraint. Not that he really needed to worry about his spending considering his room and board were taken care of by the twins as payback for the startup loan, and he didn't exactly get out much.
The lodgings in Meribel all looked like little gingerbread houses, complete with icing roofs and dripping icicle flourishes. The thick layer of snow topping the wooden dwellings glittered in the morning sunlight, shimmering and reflecting little rainbows all around it. The glittering effect enhanced the romantic fairytale feel of the place, particularly when taken into account with the towering Alps in the background with their triangular peaks coated in a heavy powder of snow.
"Make it an hour," Remus said softly, eyeing Hermione. She bit her lip, trying to hide the reaction the heat in his look inspired.
"And you act like I'm the horny mutt," Sirius teased.
Hermione only barely noted the wood paneling and rustic decor once they were alone in the room. She was far too caught up in Remus. He was on her before the door was even fully shut, pinning her against the wall to devour her mouth.
Remus had drunk a hot chocolate that morning at the train station. Considering both she and Sirius weren't supposed to exist as they currently did, they'd opted for Muggle transportation for the trip and visited a cafe while they waited to board. The richness of the chocolate that they'd used filled her mouth now, a brush of velvet over her senses. The heat and decadence had her blood zinging, zipping and rocketing around. Each cell crashed and ricocheted off the walls of her vessels, firing her up from the inside out.
Far too soon, Hermione found herself groaning and burying her face against Remus's chest. His breathing was rough and fast, rising and falling irregularly beneath her cheek. The hands on her hips gripped her tightly as though he needed her to anchor him to the ground. She could relate. Gravity seemed a precarious concept just then. Her head was so light she felt certain she'd float away without his hold.
"We should head down," she whispered reluctantly, absently noting how breathy she sounded. Could it possibly be anymore so if she'd just run a marathon? Hermione seriously doubted it.
Checking in had taken far longer than they'd anticipated, and now there wasn't enough time for what they both wished to do - not when there was a rambunctious mutt running about.
"I know," Remus muttered, bending to kiss the column of her neck.
Hermione's eyes fell shut and she let her head roll back, silently granting him better access. When Remus chuckled appreciatively, she warned, "He'll come searching if we don't show up soon."
"I know," Remus repeated, though this time it held a heavy note of resignation. With a final lingering kiss just below her ear, Remus released his grip on her, letting his fingers ghost down her thighs before vanishing.
"Grab our things? I think I need a minute," Hermione said, backing towards the loo and savoring the look Remus was giving her. It was tempting her to say the hell with Sirius.
Remus seemed to have the same notion because he began stalking forward, devouring her with his eyes.
Hermione backpedalled faster, her breath catching as she caught hold of the edge of the door. In that moment she felt a spike of adrenaline, for she had just become the intended prey. Her response to him was primal. Instinctive. A knowing that reacted to the wolf proveling just beneath the surface of his skin more often than she'd ever realized when they'd first known one another.
"We could just be late," he suggested, stepping into her space until they were chest-to-chest again. His voice was smooth and seductive, every inch a coaxing predator.
"Go," Hermione ordered breathlessly, pushing off his chiseled abs and shutting the door between them before she had a chance to change her mind. His muffled groan floated through the door an instant before she heard the telltale sounds of him heading back downstairs.
When Hermione joined Remus in the lobby, it was to find him propped against the entry to the bar where he was watching Sirius charm the two women he'd noticed earlier.
"Maybe he won't -"
"He's already seen me," Remus interrupted, knowing she'd been about to suggest they leave Sirius to his own amusements for a while longer.
And even as he spoke, Sirius expertly extracted himself and santered over them, grinning unrepentantly the entire way as he easily balanced his skis against his shoulder. There was a glow about him, as though he were lit from within. His skin was vibrant rather than the sallow, thin appearance it'd had in Grimmauld Place. Nothing of the shadows and pain that he so often wore like a familiar cloak lingered, clinging like streaks of tar on a white cotton shirt. He looked healthy and confident - a man in his prime without a care in the world.
That was the thing about Sirius. When he was having one of his good days it was as though he was some larger-than-life mystical being. He drew people to him and just being near him was to have his joy - his passion for life - rub off on you. Harry used to talk about it sometimes, and from how people referenced James and Sirius in school, Hermione knew it was true, but she'd not really witnessed it for herself until after she'd saved him. It didn't happen often, but it certainly was that morning.
"Are we starting with a red slope or are you so distracted that we need to ease in with a green run first?" Remus taunted, looping his arm through Hermione's as they headed towards the nearest lift.
"As if you're asking for any reason beyond your advancing years," Sirius fired back. He jogged ahead of them then spun to walk backwards up the hill. Somehow he managed to gracefully side step all of the uneven parts in the heavily trodden path, nor did he slip on the few patches of ice that had formed during the night before. "Body not what it used to be?" he added, darting out a fist to jab Remus in the side.
"We're the same age," Remus huffed, straightening before drily adding, "in case you've forgotten."
"I suggest we start with a blue hill. No sense getting injured when we've only just arrived. Best to warm up our muscles first. But despite that, I can attest to the fact that Remus is in superb shape," Hermione chirped primly, tightening her grip on the skis she carried.
Sirius pounced on her statement with a daring glint, not used to her joining in on teasing of this sort. "Well, well, is that right?"
Hermione was on the verge of regretting her words when Remus spoke up again, saving her. "So which will it be? Blonde or Blonder?"
"I don't think either were blonde, but I catch your meaning and the answer is neither. They're here celebrating one of their birthdays with a girls' weekend while their husbands are at home with the kids," Sirius replied with a careless shrug. He didn't look the least put out to have struck out yet again.
Remus bit back more laughter when Hermione elbowed him.
"You know, I remember this being a whole lot easier before," Sirius added, a tiny perplexed wrinkle forming on his brow as his face scrunched.
"'Course it was. Back then the ladies your age didn't have any responsibilities yet. They were preparing for uni and the whole world was wide open to them," Remus pointed out reasonably as Sirius settled himself onto the next lift.
Sirius reclined back insouciantly, draping a casual arm across the back of the bench just as it started forward. Hermione and Remus waited for the next bench, settling in and beginning to strap on their skis as it took them up towards the peak.
"And now they've already settled down and been busy living their lives while I've...not," Sirius called suddenly back, his words slicing through the sharp wind like the cold steel of a finely honed blade.
The reply to Remus's earlier statement cut deeply, enough to startle Hermione. "Sirius?"
"I'm fine," he insisted loudly, tossing back a noticeably fake smile. "Race you to the bottom!"
The words hadn't yet reached them when Sirius recklessly launched himself from the lift, plummeting to the glittering path below. A scream strangled itself in her throat, knotting and tangling in her vocal cords as she watched. They weren't even close to the start of the trail and far too high up for her liking.
"We best follow him," Remus announced, grinning wildly as he too jumped.
"Remus!" Hermione gasped, watching Remus falling towards the same spot Sirius had landed. Both men were hollowing joyously with loose billowing laughter that rolled ever outward, caught up in the thrill of one of their crazy adventures. "Ugh, I hate heights! Merlin, save me from the idiot men in my life," she groaned, forcing herself to slide forward into the open air.
It was a teeth jarring landing with all of her bones vibrating and her feet throbbing, but she soon found herself laughing as well when she zipped past her companions, both too caught up in out pacing each other to notice her approach. Wind whipped her hair around her face making the tendrils dance and wave like silken ribbons round a maypole. She banked left then right, turning a corner on a dime then edging just left of a dusty evergreen, speeding so fast down the hill she could have sworn she was on a broom flying.
The three of them raced a dozen more times that day on a number of different runs. And while Sirius engaged in a few more dangerous moves than Hermione would have liked, it was obvious he was having fun. Remus was too, laughing far more frequently and boisterously than usual. She was herself for that matter.
"We're on our own for dinner tonight, yeah?" Hermione asked from where she and Remus were curled up on one of the sofas in front of the fire in the great room of the hotel.
She popped a roasted chestnut into her mouth as she waited, savoring the warmth and earthy richness of the freshly seared treat. The nutty aroma engulfed the whole room from where one of the workers was preparing them for the guests in a nearby corner. Secretly she suspected that Remus had only declined his portion because there'd been no chocolate for him to dip them in. Honestly, who would want to mix chocolate and nuts? It sounded positively disgusting!
"So much for family time," Sirius grumbled, though he didn't actually look upset. He'd already known that Remus and Hermione planned to spend at least one night alone together on this trip and it might as well be the first one.
"Try the bar again. You might have a bit more luck now," Remus suggested, leaning over to drop a sweet kiss just beneath her ear. The brush of his soft lips sent chills down her spine.
"That actually sounds like a marvelous plan," Sirius replied, though he made no move to get up as he added, "for later. It's still early."
"Goodbye, Sirius," Hermione said pointedly.
"Care to try out the hot tub on our balcony then maybe order room service afterwards?" Remus asked, tugging Hermione up from the plush leather couch and ignoring his best mate's teasing catcall.
"That sounds perfect," she breathed, anticipating having an evening all to themselves and indulging in the man that held her heart so absolutely.
Hours later Hermione marveled at the tingling echoes that brushed over her sensitized flesh. The memory of slick wet hands gliding over her, Remus enticing a heady response, wringing pleasure from her. It was enough to leave her dizzy and lightheaded despite the fact that they'd since retired to the bed. Never before had she had such a luxurious experience.
"You've been so tense and stressed lately. I can tell when we talk - even if you try to hide it when I visit," Remus murmured quietly, lightly tracing a circle against her hip.
"It's to be expected," she replied, feeling guilty for making him worry. He had enough to deal with on his own if the dozen new scars he sported were anything to go by.
It seemed that the worse things got in Britain, the more aggressive the packs were behaving. Almost as though it was some airborne infectious disease. More likely it was merely the animalistic nature of the wolves reacting instinctively.
"Fair enough, though I can't remember the last time I heard you laugh like you did today," Remus countered, apparently determined to discuss the topic.
"I could say the same of you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face against his neck. She didn't want to ruin the evening. It had been so... magical up to this point. Already she could feel the oppressive cloud of doom and gloom invading the sanctuary of their room.
"It won't always be this way," Remus breathed, the words vague enough that she could take them a number of ways. Knowing Remus, he likely meant them to encompass all meanings - including the fact they might never have a happy vacation again.
Hermione sat up, staring down at Remus and silently pleading with him to give her this night to forget. Finally, in a choked declaration she said, "You give my life meaning in a way it never has before."
Remus inhaled audibly, his chest rising rapidly beneath her hand. He moved to cover it, squeezing gently before he nodded.
"High praise indeed," he said, a hint of forced teasing snaking through the words. "Shall I show you what you mean to me?"
"Please," she begged, letting go of all of her dark thoughts and worries then losing herself in the one person that had ever managed to get her out of her own head.
The next two days had passed much as the first. Hermione wished they'd been able to get away for more than four days, but it just hadn't been possible. Not when they had to plan things around both the war and the moon. Hermione hadn't wanted Remus to feel guilty when he didn't have enough energy to participate, so she'd used the excuse of the potions she had going being ready for the next step to explain why they were leaving when they were.
Hermione was reading about goblin transactions and negotiations, attempting to prepare for any potential meetings Bill was able to arrange. Remus had vanished hours earlier, long before the first rays of morning light had made an appearance for their final day. She had no idea what he was up to, but coming up with a few ideas in particular left her breathless and giddy in a way that would have made Lavender and Parvati proud.
"I should have known you'd bring a book with you while we are supposed to be on vacation," Sirius said, fondness buffering the chiding observation.
Hermione didn't feel the need to admit that she'd actually brought three books with her. Or that she'd managed to entirely read one of them already while Sirius and Remus had gone back out the second night to try the hardest run in the middle of the night after all of the seasonal staff had already retired and shut things down.
Sirius seemed particularly chipper just then. She wondered if it was the trip or his luck with the lady he'd met the day before on the slopes that had put things into perspective for him. Each day his cocky confidence had grown until he was so charming Hermione barely recognized him. Remus was thrilled by the not so subtle change in Sirius. Hermione only hoped it lasted after they returned to the relatively bleak existence that was their lives amidst a war. She personally hadn't yet allowed herself to feel guilty for stealing this time, but she knew she would once she read the papers and saw the deaths she hadn't been around to prevent.
Part of her wondered if the change in Sirius was real or an act. Perhaps that was why he'd never been serious with a girl. The suave, charismatic charmer wasn't the real him. It was just a front. A persona the people around him expected to see so he willingly played the part. And if it wasn't real, then the relationships he developed while donning the role could never last long term.
"This trip was a good suggestion," Hermione announced, wrapping her arms tightly about the book to prevent Sirius from snatching it away when he tried.
"I'll say," he agreed, reaching for it again.
Hermione glanced about, then silently shrank the book and tucked it away in her pocket. Sirius rolled his eyes at her, then seemed to hesitate. "What is it?"
"This is the first time I've really felt like myself since...well, before James. I mean... truly like myself."
"You've remembered who you were," Hermione said softly, reaching over to squeeze his hand. His words seemed to echo her earlier thoughts. Sometimes it amazed her how in sync she could be with those around her. Though possibly it was simply because she was rather observant, and often tried to figure out other people's motives and rationales prior to them discussing the topic with her.
"And how much fun I can have," Sirius said, smirking.
"You should come with a warning label," Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes, though privately she was pleased.
"What would it say? Hop on for a devilishly good time," Sirius suggested, wiggling his eyebrows and reclining back with a half smile. He looked like a male model out of some magazine advertisement.
"Smooth talker without a serious bone in his body," Hermione countered, enjoying the banter.
"I'll have you know all of my bones are Sirius," he said, employing his favorite play on his name as he so often did. "One in particular."
"I think I preferred you sullen and wasted," Hermione quipped, shaking her head at him.
"No you didn't," he said, suddenly serious.
"No," she agreed, looking him over. "But you're certainly a handful."
"Been saying that myself for years now," Remus said easily, sliding icy hands and chilly arms around her from the back of the sofa. She shivered into his embrace, reaching up to rub her hands over the sleeves of his cold arms.
"Where have you been?" she asked, noting the sparkle in his glacial blue eyes. His face was paler than usual from the cold and the chips of color stood out starkly, as did various lines of scar tissue that trailed down his throat before vanishing beneath the collar of his winter gear.
"Sirius challenged me to that final race today, remember? I was... preparing," he said vaguely.
"It took three hours to do?" she asked, feeling far more disappointed than she had expected to feel upon hearing his absence was because of Sirius rather than her.
It wasn't until right then that she allowed herself to be honest about what she'd been hoping he was up to. She'd thought he might have been planning a surprise proposal for her. They didn't often have the opportunity to have lighthearted romantic moments. But the way his attention was locked on Sirius made it abundantly clear that he'd used the time to plan a prank for his best mate.
Her heart lurched unpleasantly. A dozen little paper cuts maring its surface and oozing blood into her chest. It stung, making her throat close. She swallowed the thick lump, and quickly composed her face into a mask of casual interest, determined not to linger on her girlish upset.
"Three hours to do what?" Sirius demanded, sitting abruptly forward, a dog catching a whiff of new prey. Anticipation had him practically vibrating, and Hermione felt more than heard Remus's chest rumble at the sight.
"You're still planning to watch when -"
"Remus, what did you do?" Hermione asked, wondering just what all he'd done, particularly considering they were in a public place full of Muggles.
Sirius opened and closed his mouth twice before demanding, "You planned something? I didn't know we were doing anything special! What -"
"Really?" Remus interrupted, looking almost surprised that his friend hadn't thought to do something first.
"Remus, you didn't," Hermione warned, feeling obligated to act as the voice of reason that she had always been where the men in her life were concerned.
"I don't think I like what you're implying," he teased.
"Give me an hour before we start," Sirius said, leaping up and hurrying outside.
At the sight of Hermione's pursed lips, Remus hastily added, "You know I wouldn't do anything too over the top or anything the Muggles would notice. But I had to do something special for him during this trip. I owe him. He knows better too, so don't worry."
"Oh, Merlin," she sighed, resigning herself. At least it should prove entertaining. "Here I thought it was just Sirius, but I can't take the two of you anywhere."
By the time they reached the airport that evening all three were exhausted. Hermione had waited for them to reach the bottom then started an epic snowball fight on the way back to the chalet that a number of other people had ended up joining in on.
Remus and Sirius went back and forth during the train ride to Paris and continued the debate during the one to London, each boasting about the traps they'd set for the other. Remus had charmed a number of small hills to look like smooth patches, so when he went over them they actually ended up being jumps that he used to get ahead of Sirius. He'd also spelled a few spots to be very uneven which managed to trip Sirius up. Sirius, having less time, had concentrated on a single place and had managed to steer Remus into a spot where the snow acted as quicksand and a nearby tree "accidentally" managed to slingshot huge piles of snow at the trapped figure.
Overall, the trip was a wonderful balance between romance, fun, and relaxation. Precisely the sort of selfish indulgence she'd never have considered arranging for herself, and exactly why Sirius, and of course Remus, were so good for her. She only hoped there would be more trips of a similar nature in the future.
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
'I love you. Happy Valentine's Day.'
The words Hermione had written that morning upon waking stared up at her from the charmed parchment she and Remus had been using for the last several months.
She'd checked the well-used page a dozen times that day, but there was still no reply from Remus. She should have known. The full moon was the night before, and if it had been a bad one, he'd probably sleep straight through to the following day.
The last she'd heard from him had been the day before when he'd sent an owl, but there'd been no note, only a red, folded paper heart.
"No," Sirius warned, snatching a knife from Tonks. He waved the instrument at the witch, shooing her away.
"What do you mean I can't help?" Tonks demanded, stubbornly planting her hands on the counter to glare at the man across from her.
"Face it - you're a disaster, Cousin," Sirius said blithely. The two looked more like siblings than cousins just then with Tonks's shining black hair and pale grey eyes. For the first time Hermione realized that Draco also shared the Black family eyes.
"Fair point. But why isn't Hermione at least helping?" Tonks asked, turning to grin at Hermione.
She knew the other witch was only asking as a way to draw her out of the mood she'd been in since arriving. It wasn't as though Hermione didn't want to be there, she'd just have rather spent the holiday with Remus. But since that was impossible, being with her friends was a far superior alternative to being alone.
"I'm a terrible cook," Hermione admitted frankly when it became clear Tonks was waiting for a reply.
"That's true enough," Sirius agreed, returning to his preparations.
"Hmph," Tonks huffed, moving to flop unceremoniously down beside Hermione. The witch's seat was extra cushioned with about two dozen cloaks that Siruis had left off charming for the Ministry when she had arrived. "So we're to just wait while you pamper us?"
"Exactly. It'll almost be like a real Valentine's Day," Sirius declared, winking at the pair of them.
"You mean you having two dates?" Hermione quipped.
"Well…" Sirius began, his smile growing. After a beat, though, he froze, head tilting slightly as the look wilted, twisting into a distasteful grimace. "Except one isn't usually practically married to my best mate and the other isn't family."
"Actually, most of the Blacks that married in the past are cousins," Tonks corrected glibly, only barely managing to maintain a straight face at Sirius's knowing shutter.
"Well that explains it," Hermione chimed in, biting back the majority of her laughter though some still ringed her words, lightening them.
"Not another word or there'll be no dessert for either of you," Sirius threatened, waving his spatula at them.
"That from Remus?" Tonks suddenly asked, nodding at the paper heart Hermione had been fiddling with.
"Yes, but I'm fairly certain it's his idea of a joke," she answered, unfolding it and handing it to Tonks. He must have remembered her refusal to ever return to the place he'd filched the heart from when he'd joked about taking her for their anniversary. "We were following Harry in Madam Puddifoot's last year, and I think he saved this from that day."
"I think it's sweet that he knew you'd be together long enough to give it to you as a reminder," Tonks gushed, smiling wistfully at Hermione as she returned the present.
"It is when you put it like that," Hermione agreed, feeling a tendril of love for the ever-thoughtful man wrap tightly around her heart.
Perhaps the tea shop wasn't so horrible that she'd not join him there again. Maybe she could talk him into sitting outside though… That'd surely be preferable for both of them.
"George is downstairs," Hermione said tentatively.
"I know," Tonks said softly, nodding. "He's alone, but I didn't want to assume I'd be welcome."
"Hmm," Hermione hummed noncommittally. The fact Tonks knew George didn't have a date was at least promising.
"We… well... " Tonks began, blushing. "Anyways, yeah."
"I'm sure that was supposed to make sense," Hermione prompted, trying not to laugh at the flustered look Tonks wore.
"Too soon to know," Tonks admitted, shrugging. She bit her lip though, seeming lost in a memory before she blinked and shrugged again. "Are Harry and Ginny together yet?" she asked, changing the subject. "Because Molly said they were making eyes at each other at the Burrow."
"Soon. They will be soon."
The rest of the evening was spent much as Christmas had been with the three of them laughing and teasing each other mercilessly or reminiscing over easier times. And of course dinner concluded with a prank from Sirius that had both witches belching heart shaped bubbles that smelled of vallina cake when they popped.
No wonder he hadn't wanted any help preparing it.
Lupin Cabin
"What the hell, Granger?" Fred demanded angrily.
Hermione blinked, shifting her gaze from one identical scowl aimed at her to another. She'd opened her door to find the Weasley twins both looking fit to murder her. Or at the very least do her some serious bodily harm.
"Excuse me?" she asked, baffled as to the reason for this confrontation.
"We know the two of you didn't work out, but did you really have to let him almost die?" Fred demanded. George looked content to let his brother do all of the talking.
As she thought of the word brother, the reason for their visit came to her. It was Ron's birthday. He'd just been poisoned.
"Oh," she breathed quietly.
"Oh? Oh? That's all you've got to say?" George asked, fury making the words sharp as blades.
"Our brother was poisoned, and you didn't try to prevent it! He could have died! He's in the hospital wing!"
"I knew he'd be fine. I can't interfere every time someone I care about ends up in Madam Pomprey's care," Hermione said defensively, speaking so fast it sounded like she was hissing.
"Why do you always get to be the one to decide when you do or don't interfere?" George asked, scowling.
"Because I know more," Hermione replied waspishly, allowing, "if not always best."
"It's not like it was a Quidditch injury! Poisoning is serious business," Fred accused, smacking his hand against the doorframe not five inches from her face.
"Merlin, save me from idiots with brooms. Quidditch," she muttered. "I suppose if it had been a Quidditch injury you'd have been perfectly all right with me letting it happen so long as he saved the Quaffle first. Is that right?"
She actually enjoyed watching a rousing game, the fast pace, adrenaline and anxiety, but you wouldn't ever find her losing her head over the outcome of a stupid match!
"Do you think that's likely? I mean, what are the chances he helps Gryffindor get the Quidditch Cup?" George asked suddenly, seeming to consider the possibility now that she'd mentioned it, and more than a little eager to use her knowledge.
"You don't honestly expect me to answer that, do you?" Hermione groaned, beyond annoyed with the Weasley obsession with the wizarding sport.
"No," Fred allowed, making Hermione believe that he at least was still focused on their original reason for visiting her. At least until he ruined it by adding, "But since Harry and Ginny are on the team I bet we're a shoe in."
"If we're done here -"
"We're not. There's still the bit about Ron," George interrupted, holding his hand out to prevent her from shutting the door in his face.
"Remembered that, did you?" she asked drolly.
"Yes," they answered in unison.
"How did you expect me to avert this particular event?" Hermione asked boldly, willing them to recognize how impossible such a demand or expectation would be. "Should I have knocked on Slughorn's door and told Ron personally not to drink the wine?"
"I don't know about all that," Fred shrugged, suggesting, "but maybe you could have just used a secret passage to sneak in and steal the -"
"Can't. Or have you forgotten about the map the pair of you gave Harry?" Hermione reminded them brusquely, tone crisp and cold as an early winter morning. Harry was currently obsessed with watching it, constantly searching it to follow Malfoy's every move.
Both men colored at her rejoinder, flushing scarlet all the way to the tips of their ears. The color clashed horribly with the carroty red of their hair.
"How did the wine get poisoned in the first place?" George asked suddenly. "I thought they were checking all incoming items for dark magic."
"Someone, and don't bother asking who because I have no intention of telling, got the idea from a pair of troublemakers that figured out a way around Filch to smuggle their products into Hogwarts by disguising the liquids in different bottles. So if you're looking for someone to blame, look to each other," Hermione said harshly, unwilling to accept the blame they'd seemed eager to heap on her.
"But our stuff is harmless," George said quickly, his lips parting in surprise at what she was implying.
"Just good for a bit of a laugh," Fred added.
"Your idea inspired others to do the same with something far less harmless. Not that anyone with a lick of intelligence could call your products harmless," Hermione said crossly.
"Oi!" Fred replied, clearly affronted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Love potions can have serious consequences if left too long. They strengthen over time and can make a person very sick...among other things. That's why Ron was with Slughorn in the first place."
"Who was trying to get Ron to fall for them?" George asked, startled.
"Was it you, Granger?" Fred asked, grinning deviously.
"No," Hermione snapped, offended by the assumption. "It was intended for Harry, but Ron ate the chocolates instead," she explained, pursing her lips disapprovingly.
"Well that makes much more sense," Fred said. George nodded his agreement, neither seeming to believe a witch might like their brother enough to go to such an extreme.
"You might try dialing their strength back a bit or discontinuing them entirely. A product like that could easily be abused," Hermione said, using the bossy, lecturing voice that she'd mastered with Harry and Ron so very long ago.
She already knew they stopped selling the love potions and replaced it with candies spelled with a Cheering Charm that were marketed as making a person more receptive to agreeing when asked out. Hermione wasn't entirely in favor of anything that altered a person's state of mind, but it was far less deceptive and manipulative. Nor did it take away a person's free will even temporarily.
"How?" George asked. His crinkled expression made it clear he was mystified and not following her far quicker and more logical brain path.
"Muggles have something similar. It's called a date-rape drug," Hermione warned.
"No one would dare try that in Hogwarts - Dumbledore has spells that prevent it," George insisted, looking faintly green at the idea someone would misuse their product in such a way.
A person wasn't in their right mind and able to say no if they'd been tricked into believing they were in love. It was disgusting to even think about. And Voldemort's existence was proof that love potions were abused in precisely that manner.
"Dumbledore won't be around forever, and students eventually graduate," Hermione said icily.
For as clever and ingenious as the twins usually were, they could be disturbingly short-sighted. And they weren't afraid to get their hands a bit dirty in their pursuit for success. They reminded her a bit of Percy in that regard.
A brief, calculating look crossed Fred's face before he said, "I'd love to call you a buzzkill right about now -"
"But you may have a valid point," George interrupted, sighing and scratching the back of his neck. A sure sign that he was a bit embarrassed by the entire situation - not to mention his role in it.
Watching the stocky redhead, Hermione could see evidence of how much more relaxed he was now that he and Tonks were trying to move forward. He looked much more rested, the dark smudged she'd seen beneath his eyes the last several months gone. He'd recently gotten a haircut too, as though he were trying to impress someone.
Hermione didn't know what had inspired the change of heart, but Tonks had stopped in a few days earlier to tell her about how George had surprised her by showing up in Hogsmeade to patrol with her. The pair had gone to dinner afterwards and talked everything out. Tonks was feeling cautiously optimistic that they'd be able to patch things up and had admitted that they'd been bowling since the start of the year.
That belief was bolstered when Tonks told her about how George had been investigating charms that could help Tonks with her work. He'd come across a few that had made him think of her while working on the defence line they had for the shop, including one that displaced the sound of footsteps instead of silencing them so that it actually created a distraction. Tonks already knew the charm from her Auror training, but she'd let George think it was new to her and had let him teach it to her because she'd been so touched by the gesture and the knowledge that he'd obviously been thinking of her.
The metamorphmagus also mentioned seeing Ron and Hermione together in Hogsmeade - at least until Lavender joined them and dragged Ron away. That was probably what had inspired the twins to think Hermione had purposely let Ron get hurt. She had a feeling they sometimes forgot just how separate she was from her younger counterpart — not that she'd willingly allow Ron to come to harm at any age.
"I hope you know I'd never let anything happen to Ron if it was possible to change. Just because we aren't together romantically doesn't mean I don't love him dearly," Hermione said, feeling better now that she'd given them a piece of her mind.
"We know," Fred acknowledged, sounding a bit abashed.
"He probably wouldn't mind a visit," she suggested subtly, sending them on their way and getting back to making schedules for the Order members.
Albus wanted Dolohov and all three Lestranges followed this month. Hermione wasn't entirely certain what he believed they were up to, but she was glad she was in a position not to assign herself to Dolohov or Bellatrix. She'd have been hard pressed to stop herself from either crumbling or attempting to kill them if she encountered either right then.
Hermione sighed. It was her best mate's birthday. He was in the hospital wing after being poisoned. And she was making schedules. Alone. Decidedly not how she would have wished to spend the day. Worse, there was still more than a year to go before things would get better.