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Chapter 14: Forever

Hermione stared down at the parchment in front of her.

Snape

Pettigrew

Black

Yaxley

Mulciber

Avery

Nott

Malfoy

Crabbe

Goyle

Those were all of the confirmed Death Eaters in Hogwarts currently. The list made her sick. She had trembled the whole time writing it, but she felt a little relieved after the fact. A concise list of who to be weary of brought her a concerning amount of comfort.

She couldn't show the list to Remus or Lily because of their personal connections to Severus and Peter, so this was purely for her own purposes. She walked around Hogwarts now with her eye on the lookout for any of these faces. She'd told Dumbledore not to do anything about Yaxley, Crabbe, and Nott because she was nervous about the target it might paint on her back. If there was anything she needed to be to the people on that list, it was insignificant.

Hermione had compiled a notebook full of timelines, lists, information, potions, spells, counter-spells, and any other bit of useful knowledge she could imagine. She made two extra duplicates of it in the case that she was compromised.

She shoved the list in her bag with her notebooks and made her way to the Room of Requirement where she was meant to meet Lily and Remus. She'd passed them both a note in class about needing to meet with them this evening for something important.

When she made it to the room Remus and Lily were lingering outside of it with concerned looks on their faces. Hermione quickly thought of a comfortable setting and paced in front of the wall. Once they were inside Lily wasted no time in getting to the point.

"What's this about, Hermione?" Remus and Lily took a seat, but Hermione remained standing.

"I have made two notebooks with everything that I know in regards to the war and killing Voldemort." Remus and Lily flinched as Hermione pulled the books from her bag and held them carefully in her hands. "I have charmed them so that you two are the only ones capable of opening them."

Remus had a feeling he knew the answer, but he still asked, "Why did you do this, Hermione?"

She sighed and her knuckles turned white from how tightly she was holding them.

"My mission is extremely dangerous. If I am compromised in any way, I can't be the only one with this information."

Hermione carefully released her hold and held them out. Lily immediately took it and tried to open it, but the cover didn't budge. Remus watched this and then looked up at Hermione with a furrowed brow.

"What other charms did you put on it?"

Hermione looked down at her feet and pursed her lips. "There's information in there that I am not prepared for you to know. Things that will happen, that you just don't need to be aware of. Things I plan on stopping from happening all together." Remus blanched.

"If you're going to stop them, why can't we know?" Lily asked.

"Because there's a chance that I won't be able to stop them. And if that happens it's better you not know beforehand."

"Well then how will we be able to open it?"

Hermione shook her head and let out a breath that blew one of her curls out of her face. "It's some pretty complex spell work. They will glow and activate the secondary charms if I am compromised."

"Compromised?" Lily whispered.

Hermione looked at her and said resolutely, "Dead or otherwise incapacitated."

Remus shook his head adamantly. "That won't happen."

Hermione looked at him sadly, "You can't know that, Remus."

He adopted an angry expression and clenched his fists around the binding of the notebook, "Don't patronize me, Hermione. It's not going to happen!"

Hermione's lips thinned and she said carefully, "Well even if that were the case, I would rather be safe than sorry."

Lily looked deeply disturbed as she asked, "How can you be so cavalier about your own death? Gryffindor bravery is one thing, but this is new territory for me."

Hermione gave Lily a deadpan look. "You're forgetting where I came from. We were in a war. People died everyday. You weren't safe anywhere. You could be tracked just by muttering Voldemort's name." Lily shivered.

"Then how do you say it so easily?"

"Fear of the name, only increases fear of the thing itself."

"What about the trace?"

"There's a way around that that was adopted by all of the Order members."

After some more convincing Remus and Lily eventually accepted the notebooks, and they left the room to head back to Gryffindor tower. As soon as they had stepped out of the Room of Requirement the tone lightened and they began to laugh. That all came to a stop for Hermione however when Lily asked her what she was planning on wearing to the Halloween dance at the end of the week.

"Halloween dance?" Hermione squeaked.

"Yes! Didn't you hear Dumbledore's announcement this morning?"

Hermione frowned. Of course she hadn't. She'd been too busy scanning all of the House tables for Death Eaters.

Lily ignored her obvious distress and continued on, "Well I am excited. You don't have to wear dress robes, but I think every girl is planning on it. I got asked earlier to be Wilfred Clearwater's date…"

Hermione laughed out loud, "Wilfred Clearwater? Oh, Lil! He's positively dreadful!"

Lily gave her a scolding look and said, "He's not dreadful… he's just slightly undignified." Under her breath she muttered, "Plus, I am really terrible at saying no."

"Unless it's to James," Hermione smirked.

Lily scoffed, "Well, of course I am capable of turning down that toerag!"

"He's really not that bad, Lils," said Remus in between laughs from next to her. Lily looked between Remus and Hermione and smiled.

"So who are you planning on asking, Remus?"

Hermione paid diligent attention to her steps on the stone floor in front of her. She had no idea what she wanted to happen. For a brief moment she imagined Remus asking her to go with him. It would be fun. He'd be a bumbling mess the whole night, but she actually found she didn't mind his nervousness. She was smiling at the image of a blushing Remus asking her to dance when Sirius's charming smile popped into her mind unwarranted. She frowned.

"Oh, um…" Remus turned into a tomato and his eyes darted over to Hermione quickly before turning back to the corridor in front of them. He cleared his throat and quietly said, "I hadn't really thought about it."

Remus internally groaned at the obvious lie. The truth was he had thought about it a concerning amount today. He wanted to ask Hermione so bad he thought he might actually collapse in self-inflicted misery.

Lily gave him a pointed look and said, "Well, whoever you ask you better do it quick. I bet other people have their eyes on her also."

Remus gave her a panicked look and tried very hard not to look at Hermione again. He failed. Lily gave him a meaningful expression and nodded to emphasize her point.

Shit.

"Anyway, I am thinking of wearing this nice, pale blue dress my mum sent me. It's a good mix of casual and dress."

Hermione groaned, "I don't think I even have any dresses."

Remus laughed and said, "I know for a fact that Mrs. Potter bought you at least thirty dresses over the summer."

Hermione reached behind Lily to smack Remus's arm. "Shut it, Remus!" Remus fell dramatically to the side and rubbed his bicep.

"Oi! I really shouldn't be surprised about how violent you are anymore, but you still manage to catch me off guard."

"I am not violent."

"You certainly are."

Lily quietly said the password to the portrait hole, and stepped through with a sigh. She froze at the sight in front of her. On the most visible couch from the entrance was Sirius and Marlene in a tangle of limbs. Hermione and Remus were still arguing when they walked in, so they failed to notice Lily pause and ended up colliding and collapsing on the floor. Remus was on top of Hermione. Lily was the first to scramble up, and that's when Hermione noticed what had caused Lily to freeze.

She squeaked which caused Sirius to pull away from snogging Marlene to look at them. Remus was still sprawled on the ground on top of Hermione, and lily was pointing an accusatory finger at Sirius.

"I thought I told you last night to keep it decent!"

Sirius frowned at her. "We are decent, Evans!"

Lily gestured in between Marlene and Sirius with wild hands and said with a flaming face. "That was not decent."

"Last night?" Hermione asked quietly.

Remus finally started to get up and once he had brushed himself off he leaned over and pulled Hermione up as well.

"Yeah they've been dating for a whole week now."

"Dating… A week?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

That's when Sirius seemed to notice Remus and Hermione were there as well. He actually managed to look ashamed when he saw Hermione's surprised expression.

"Hey, kitten. Remus."

"Kitten?" Marlene asked. "Do I get a cute nickname, Sirius?"

Sirius smirked down at her and said, "Would you like one?"

Marlene was still partially in his lap and Hermione was going into shock. She really shouldn't be surprised, but everyone else seemed to know exactly what was going on besides her.

She watched as Marlene whispered something in Sirius's ear before standing up and grabbing her bag.

"Well I've got some studying to do," Marlene said to everyone. She grabbed Sirius's chin and kissed him on the lips right there in front of all of them. Sirius responded by slapping her arse. Hermione gawked. "I'll be seeing you later tonight."

"God not again!" Cried Lily.

"Don't worry, Lils! We'll be quiet this time." At this Marlene winked before waving to Hermione and Remus and heading up the stairs to her dorm. Hermione avoided everyone's eyes and pointed towards her own dorm.

"Well… I'm just going to… um… right."

She practically ran to her dorm and shut the door firmly behind her. Lily narrowed her eyes at Hermione's door. This was not good.

Remus was looking at Sirius with a furrowed brow.

"How did Hermione not know about Marlene? You've been bragging about it to anyone with two ears!"

Sirius looked extremely suspicious when he said, "How should I know?"

Remus narrowed his eyes. "Why have you been hiding her?"

Sirius looked distinctly uncomfortable which really only happened when he was doing something he absolutely knew was a terrible idea.

"I didn't want to tell her," Sirius whispered so quietly that Lily couldn't hear him, but Remus sure did.

Remus closed his eyes. He wasn't an idiot. He might usually be a little slow on the uptake when it came to relationships and anything to do with girls in general, but Sirius he understood. Remus opened his eyes and they were the shade of amber that only happened when he was losing control. Sirius's eyes widened.

"You like her," Remus growled.

Sirius scoffed and said, "Well, of course I like her, Remus! Everyone likes Hermione. That's one of her many talents!."

Remus was getting angry, and he couldn't really figure out why. "That's not what I meant, Pads, and you know it."

His voice was dangerously low. Lily was positively riveted. Whatever was going on here was loads better than her secret stash of self-indulgent muggle romance novels under her bed.

Sirius stood and walked up to Remus. They were toe to toe. Remus may be a few inches taller than Sirius, but Sirius was built. Lily couldn't look away.

"Enlighten me, Moony." Sirius was wearing his muggle clothes. Dark jeans, motorcycle boots, muggle rockband shirt, and customary amount of jewelry. Lily realized then that everytime she read a novel with the terrible bad boy character she pictured exactly what she was seeing now. An angry, threatening Sirius Black. Lily covered her pink cheaks and stared on with wide eyes.

"You like Hermione as more than a friend." Sirius narrowed his eyes and Remus continued, "and you're dating Marlene McKinnon. And hiding it from, Hermione." Remus looked down his nose at Sirius and said with more venom than Lily had ever heard from him, "What's your plan here, Sirius? Shag and dump Marlene without telling Hermione? Then once that's through you'll do the same to her?"

Sirius grabbed the front of Remus's tan jumper and said, "If you say one more word, I'll kill you, Remus."

"Maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps you want your little kitten on the side? Your dirty little secret?" Remus knew as soon as the words left his mouth that they were way too far. Before he could take them back pain exploded across Remus's nose, and he was hitting the ground.

The portrait hole swung open and Lily had never been as thankful as she was at that moment to see James Potter.

Before James could do anything though, Remus was diving for Sirius's knees and they were both on the ground.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Remus was pummeling Sirius. Lily assumed it was the werewolf strength and all that rot. She didn't know whose side she was on. On one hand, Remus had gone too far in the awful things he'd said, but on the other, Sirius had been hiding Marlene from Hermione which was wholly suspicious if you take into account just who Sirius was. Then Lily realized that she was being a moron. She wasn't on either of their sides. She was on Hermione and Marlene's side.

While Lily was having this internal battle James was working to pull an enraged Remus off of Sirius. They were still spewing insults and trying to kill the other when Lily came back to her senses and pointed her wand at Remus.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Remus froze with one fist in the air. Sirius crawled out from under him with a clearly broken nose, blackened eye, and a bruising jaw.

James yanked him up, and Sirius turned his head to the side to spit. Lily grimaced when the spit was just blood.

"What the fuck are you two doing!"

James's glasses were crooked and his entire face was red in anger. Sirius glared over at James and hissed, "Ask, Moony!"

Then he swerved and stormed up to his dorm. Lily flinched when the door slammed shut after him. Every other Gryffindor in the room was whispering to themselves and staring with nervous eyes at Remus's frozen form.

"Finite Incantatum."

Remus fell to the ground, but caught himself with his fists on the ground. He was breathing heavily and he had a couple bruises forming on his own face. James did what he had done for Sirius and yanked him to his feet.

"Now will you tell me what happened?"

Remus's lips thinned and he shook his head. He left James and Peter sputtering and started towards the dorms as well. At the bottom he stopped with his back to them. They could see his back moving up and down with his labored breaths. A few seconds later he pulled his wand out, muttered something under his breath, and walked right into Hermione's room.

Lily's hands were back to her cheeks.

Her eyes widened with the last two Marauders in the room stepped in front of her with probing expressions.

"Well?" Prompted James.

Lily, without thinking, squealed, "I think they both might fancy Hermione!"

Hermione had been sitting on the window seat in her room staring into space. She'd changed into a tank and plaid pajama pants as soon as she'd come up, with every intention of locking her door and turning in early. When her door had flown open then promptly been shut again she'd let out an exasperated sigh.

She turned around slowly and jumped up in shock when a bleeding Remus walked silently to her bed and sat down on the edge facing her. He sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Remus?" She whispered.

His shoulders started shaking, and he refused to look up at her. His knuckles were covered in blood and trembling.

Remus stared down at the floor and when he saw her purple toes step up to him he started crying. Then he felt her tiny hands on top of his large ones and he started crying harder.

"Remus? Tell me," she prompted.

"I lost control. I'm a monster." Punching someone was one thing. Punching a friend was completely different.

Hermione pulled his hands away from his face and gently held his hands in between hers, ignoring the blood.

"You are not a monster."

When her fingers reached up to wipe away some of his tears one of his followed to hold her hand to his cheek. He spread his legs out and pulled her so that she was standing between his knees. They were at about eye level.

She wiped at the top of his cheekbone with the pad of her thumb.

"You don't even know what happened, Hermione."

"I don't have to to know that you aren't a monster, Remus Lupin."

He looked up at her and she was relieved to see his green eyes rather than the amber. They weren't quite as deep as Harry's had been. They were brighter. More like spring than emerald.

"You and I were friends, you know?" He gave her a curious look. "In the future. Me and you were friends, and we had a very similar conversation to this once."

Remus pictured himself twenty years in the future. He would be thirty-five and her sixteen. He shuddered.

"I trusted you with my life. I trust you with my life."

He was shocked. Just a week ago she was telling him she needed him and now here she was telling him she trusted him with her life.

"You were the one who taught me how to cast a Patronus. And you always bought me the best books for Christmas. And you always made me hot chocolate when I had nightmares." Hermione smiled at him and gave his cheek another swipe with her thumb. "I always just took a couple sips and then gave you the rest because then you'd give me a genuine smile. I treasured those moments. You rarely smiled." He smiled at her then and she threw her arms around his neck. "That's the one," she whispered. His arms automatically went around her waist and she was pulled even closer to him.

He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. That was new.

She blushed when she realized he could probably hear how fast her heart was beating in her chest.

She pulled away and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. He smiled at the light blush covering her freckled nose and cheeks.

"Can I heal you now?"

He nodded, and she stepped out of his arms to go grab her bag. Over the summer she'd brewed as many healing potions and ointments that she could think of and placed them in a small bag that she'd magically expanded just in case.

Remus was busy mourning the loss of her warmth when she came back and stood in the exact spot she'd been before. She set the bag on his thigh like it was a table and summoned a jar of bruising paste.

"You're lucky nothing is broken, Remus," she said disapprovingly.

She cleaned his hands and face of blood and then handed him the jar to hold open for her. She dipped one of her fingers in the paste and started to gently spread it on the nastiest bruise on his cheek.

Remus couldn't look away from her. She had one hand resting on his shoulder for balance and was leaning forward on her toes. She was nibbling on her bottom lip in concentration.

Remus tentatively reached up and rested his unoccupied hand on the small of her waist.

She continued working like nothing was happening, but internally she was panicking. She couldn't help her pause when she felt his thumb start to smoothe small patterns on her back.

"Remus?" Her voice was shaking,

He was looking at her with an undeniable amount of affection in his gaze.

"No one has ever looked at me like that before."

You said that out loud, Mione.

Hermione's entire face turned red, but Remus just smiled softly at her and said, "How am I looking at you, Hermione?"

He was looking at her like she was beautiful. Her grip on his shoulder tightened and she teared up.

"How am I looking at you?" He whispered.

She opened her mouth and said so quietly he almost didn't catch it, "Like I'm pretty."

She cringed at how much she sounded like an insecure little girl. Remus frowned and he pulled her closer with the hand that was on her back. He set the paste down on the bed beside him.

"You don't think you're pretty?" Remus asked in disbelief.

She avoided his eyes by turning her head so that she was facing the wall. They were so close, she could feel his breath on her cheek.

"I know I'm not." He sucked in a breath, but she kept on, "Ron always told me he forgot I was a girl. I don't wear make-up or do my hair like other witches. I got called plain a lot, and I never let it bother me because I had more important things to worry about than whether or not anyone thought I was beautiful. But a girl doesn't forget, you know?"

She took a deep breath then with as much courage as she could muster she turned back to Remus. He was frowning up at her.

"Hermione…" he trailed off.

Remus honestly and truly didn't know what to say to her. She was perfect. Big curly hair and all. She definitely wasn't the wizarding world's standard of beauty, but she was Remus's standard. And on top of that he really couldn't understand how anyone would forget Hermione Granger was a girl.

He didn't know if he was physically capable of saying any of this so instead he leaned forward and kissed her.

It was short and chaste, but it was a dream.

Remus could've died right there.

When he pulled away, Hermione had her eyes closed. He leaned his forehead against hers and said quietly, "I think you might be the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

When she opened her eyes she smiled at him and said, "You've just stolen my first kiss, Remus Lupin."

He grinned at that and cheekily and said, "Best if I go ahead and steal the second as well then."

He closed the couple inches of distance between them and one of his hands tangled itself in her hair at the back of her head.

When he pulled away he kissed the corner of her mouth then her cheeks and nose, and finally ended on her forehead.

She basically attacked him with a hug and before he knew it, he was on his back on the bed and she was on top of him.

She was giving him a mischievous look and her hair was like curtains on the sides of their faces.

"You know, I was quite famous for my bone-crushing hugs."

Then she followed through with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her nose buried at the side of his neck.

He couldn't wipe the smile off his face if he tried.

"What!" James screamed.

Remus and Sirius. Hermione. Remus and Sirius fancying Hermione. Padfoot and Moony. Fighting. Over Hermione.

"James?"

Lily waved a hand in front of his face.

"I think he's shut down his brain function," said Peter with his head cocked to the side.

Sirius and Hermione. Remus and Hermione. Remus and Sirius and Hermione.

James was pretty sure he was having a stroke.

"He's catatonic," said Lily. "James this is a good thing! Two boys fighting over Hermione! I think it's great!" That got him. He unfroze and reeled back like she had slapped him.

"Are you mad! This is terrible!"

Lily smirked. She didn't understand the relationship between James and Hermione, but she knew that if there was one thing that would pull him out of this it was the mention of guys taking interest in her. He was fiercely protective.

"Lily-flower you're beautiful, but that was the dumbest thing you've ever said."

Lily's smirk dropped. She hit him with a pretty intense stinging hex and laughed when he yelped.

"I'd get out of here quick if I were you, Prongs!" Peter yelled over his shoulder as he ran for their dorm. James sprinted after him. James smiled when he could heard Lily's threats follow him all the way up the stairs.

When they got up to the dorm Sirius was laying back in his bed tossing a small ball up in the air and catching it. James's anger from before resurfaced.

James went up to him and snatched the ball from the air.

"Hey!"

"What gives, Pads?"

Sirius sighed and sat up. "Moony has officially lost it. Off the deep end. Completely mad that one."

James rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "What happened?"

Sirius growled and said sarcastically, "Oh nothing! He just accused me of fancying Hermione and wanting her to be my bit on the side!"

"He did what!" James was beyond furious before he paused and thought about it for a moment. Sirius was a drama queen in every sense. "Are you sure that's what happened?"

Sirius narrowed his eyes, "You don't believe me?"

James scratched the back of his head. "Well… Remus isn't one to act like that unprovoked. I feel like something must've happened."

Sirius fell backwards on the bed and threw his arm over his face. His words were a bit muffled. "I may or may not have been hiding the fact that I am seeing Marlene from Hermione."

Now James was just confused. "Why would that prompt Remus to say that?" Then he thought about what Lily said and pointed an accusing finger at him. "Oh Merlin! Lily was right! You do fancy her!"

"I do not!"

"Do to!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Peter blushed and whispered, "I don't think it's ridiculous to like Hermione."

James's accusing glare turned on him. "No! Absolutely not! Not all three of you!"

Peter threw his hands up and said carefully said, "I don't fancy her. You know I like Mary. I am just saying it's understandable that someone would like her."

Sirius groaned.

James couldn't take it anymore and threw himself on the bed. After a couple seconds of silence he dropped all anger and said very seriously, "Hermione isn't just one of your girls, Padfoot." He sat up and looked Sirius directly in the eye. "I won't let you hurt her like you've hurt the other ones."

Sirius had no intentions of starting a relationship with Hermione at the moment. She was forever and he wasn't ready for forever. He was 'dating' Marlene as a distraction. Just a bit of fun really. He absolutely couldn't tell that to James though. Sirius gave up any denial.

"If something does happen, I won't break her heart, James."

James studied him for a minute before nodding.

What had Sirius gotten himself into.

After that night no one spoke about what happened.

It was a silent rule among the five of them, that whatever it was that Remus and Sirius had argued about, wasn't a topic to be broached.

Remus and Hermione had taken to holding hands under the table and sneaking glances at each other. If there was a rare moment where they were completely alone Remus would take the opportunity to snog her senseless. They both liked their lives removed from public scrutiny for different reasons, so they hadnt even needed to talk about whether they wanted to tell people. It wasn't until Remus asked her to the dance that they realized everyone would know what was happening.

The night before Halloween Hermione was in the Room of Requirement with Pandora yet again when Pandora smiled at her knowingly and said, "You and Remus Lupin are a good match."

Hermione had looked up at her startled.

"He's not the perfect match, but he is nearly there."

Hermione's eyes widened and she fell off the pile of junk she'd been balancing on. She landed on the ground with a dull thunk and a groan.

"What do you mean, Pandora?" She asked from the ground.

"The rest you'll figure out eventually. Wouldn't want to mess with the natural course of things." Then she'd let out one of her tinkling laughs and made her way across the room to the pile she'd previously been working on.

Hermione had been grumbling and mumbling to herself under her breath when she pulled herself up and her eye caught on something.

Once she'd noticed it, she couldn't believe she'd ever missed it before.

There was an undeniable pull of dark magic and it sparkled brightly.

Hermione pulled a box from her bag, that she'd spent some time charming with Dumbledore and carefully approached Ravenclaw's artifact.

"Pandora! I found it!"

She used her wand to levitate the diadem carefully into the box before snapping it shut with a hiss. She shoved it far down in her bag and when Pandora showed up Hermione grinned at her.

"So what now, Hermione Granger?"

"Now we have five more."

Hermione laughed when Pandora threw her head back and groaned.

BREAK

AN: Well tbh… I had planned on a lot more happening in that chapter, but then that end had felt too natural so I will leave it at that. Plus, this is the longest chapter I have written so far! I can't believe I am already over 50,000 words and I have barely scratched the surface of the story. I hope you guys are in it for the long haul. I expect it will take me until the end of summer to finish.

So now for more important things...

Team Sirius or Team Remus?

That is the question. I (clearly) have always been a bit of both.