Hello my dears!
Right, so this writing hiatus isn't going as planned. I suppose it's cause the workload at school is still pretty light for now. The muse is stressed out and she needs to do something before she goes insane. I can't promise that I'll update again soon, I have no idea when I'm going to be updating from here on out. Mainly because of the writing hiatus, but I will try to update when I can though. I promise.
I am totally over the Moon because I posted a new chapter of TTPoC (Time Travel? Piece of Cake) yesterday and the Sirimione smut went down pretty well, so thank goodness. Still not confident about writing in that area. Either way, I'm just so happy.
Thank you for all of your lovely, lovely reviews. Just thank you. You all mean so much to me. So much.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)
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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.
As always, for Sable and Lais xxx and this chapter is for Henny, Calebski and Em, you darling darlings you. I love you all.
"That the last one?" Ron asks wearily, currently lying on the ground, spread out like a starfish.
"Thank Godric," Harry sighs, sitting in one of the armchairs on the left side of the room. Pulling memories all day is magically exhausting, and their original assessments prove to be accurate-it did take all day. They hadn't stopped to eat, rest or drink; too caught up in their work.
The trio had moved like a well oiled machine, all of the gears interlocking and running at an incredible speed.
Hermione makes a noise to let the boys know that she heard them, but she's too busy-intently focusing on ensuring that the vials are lined up in order, organising them by date.
The door creaks open behind her, but she assumes everything is fine since neither of her boys made any noises in alarm.
Then she freezes, because it's his voice that reaches her ears from the door. "Hey, um, Mum and Mipsy have requested that you guys come eat dinner with the rest of us." Hermione snorts softly, that doesn't sound like a request at all.
Hermione makes a humming noise, and then says, "okay, we're almost done." She doesn't want to look back at him, because she has a strange feeling that she will lose her concentration, and she's almost done. Three more vials in fact.
"Mione, we're going to go ahead, is that okay?"
"Mhmmm, I know you're both hungry, I'll be there in a second," Hermione says noncommittally. She hears the footsteps and the door close, and she's left alone.
She quickly places the other vials down, and then she straightens up, sighing as she looks down at their handiwork. I am starving, but I want nothing more than to go and sleep, Hermione thinks. She licks her lips as she turns around-brushing her wild curls back from her face, and then she halts abruptly, all of her oxygen is stolen away from her when she notices that she's not alone.
"I thought you left with the boys," Hermione manages to get out, her throat clamping down and her lungs reluctant to release any more oxygen than what had already been stolen.
"Thought I'd stay and walk with you," Remus says lightly pushing off of the wall that he had been leaning against.
At least he's got a ruddy shirt on this time, Hermione thinks.
"Why?" Hermione asks suspiciously, eyes narrowing; she does however find herself walking towards him.
They meet in the middle of the room, bodies inches apart, his body heat and hers blending together and she can feel his warmth permeating through her, getting under her skin and shooting into her bloodstream.
"Not sure. Just a friendly gesture I guess," Remus shrugs cavalierly.
"If you say so Remus John Lupin," Hermione laughs softly, and he looks slightly surprised by the delightful noise that escaped her lips.
"How do you know my middle-" Remus starts but cuts himself off before he finishes his question, understanding flooding his features. "That's right, you guys are from the future...you must know a lot about me."
"I know a lot about my dimension's Remus," Hermione corrects gently, "I know practically nothing about you...Remus and Sirius didn't really talk about when they were younger very often. Not often at least."
Hermione is made very aware of the fact that she hasn't showered yet for the day when she looks up at Remus and their eyes meet properly. It's intense and hot and between her legs is definitely a little damp now.
"They'll wonder where we are, we should get going," Remus says softly, and Hermione reaches up to grasp her neck-immediately regretting it when he catches sight of the ugly slur carved into her left forearm. Shit, Hermione thinks as he takes a step closer, hand hovering over her arm, gaze potent and raw and frustratedly unreadable. She nods sharply, and he's touching her. Not a brush, or a shared glance. Skin on skin, and it scares her just how good it feels.
His hands are careful, cautious even as he holds her forearm, eyes now angry and she would hate to be on the wrong end of him. She sucks in a small gasp when she sees that his eyes are fully amber now, a dusting of gold across his irises.
"War," Hermione says curtly, shrugging jerkily.
"It's a nasty, foul word and it does not mean that you are lesser or inferior. From what I've seen you're one of the most brilliant people I've probably ever come across-"
Hermione puts her other hand on top of his and then squeezes, effectively cutting him off because now he's focusing on their entangled hands.
"I don't...it's okay Remus. Really," Hermione insists, but it sounds like a terrible lie ringing in her ears, and Remus's face is impartial, his gaze unwavering. She's not sure if he believes her, and then a shiver dances along her spine as she notices his eyes are still amber and gold.
"I don't know how you got it...and I'm guessing I'll find out soon in those memories...but I want to make this clear-" Remus's eyes flick to her arm for a split second before he continues, "-it is not okay."
He doesn't know. He wasn't there, a voice hisses, needling her. Then she takes a deep breath and smiles shakily. Somehow hearing Remus saying that and staring at her-solely focusing on her and her alone-makes her heart skip a beat.
"I did put that memory in there. Some of the memories are definitely unpleasant, they aren't going to be easy to watch," Hermione whispers.
"Nothing is ever easy is it?" Remus asks, even though it sounds more like a statement than anything, like he understands all too well.
There's a comfortable silence that settles over them, and Hermione notices that they are both incredibly close. Frighteningly close.
"We should...we should go and eat with everyone else," Hermione murmurs after taking a quick breath.
"Yea, c'mon," Remus smiles and he catches his lip ring with his top teeth. Beat, beat, beat, her heart pounds. Fucking hell.
Hermione gently takes her hands away from his, and then they're walking side by side, and she can practically feel his body heat and the back of their hands were almost brushing as they strode down the hallway.
She catches him looking at her out of the corner of his eye and it fills her with a feeling she can't quite place.
She however fails to see the look that Sirius gives them as they enter the room. Harry and Ron have left a space for her at the head of the table and she smiles wryly when she notices that Remus is directly across from him.
Dinner is civil and there's a pleasant bit of small talk that passes between everyone.
When everyone's done eating and all the dishes have been cleared away, Hermione raises an eyebrow as she sees Lily and James. James is walking in front of Lily, and her hands are gripping his sides-moments earlier however, she had leaned forward and lightly bit his shoulder. James turns back to look at Lily and smiles softly.
Hermione looks to her left and she finds him, and he's already looking at her, she mouths 'goodnight' with a small smile.
She feels his eyes on her as she leaves and she can't help but feel a bit happy about it.
"When you call my name it's like a little prayer," Hermione sings softly, the hot water from the shower head pouring over her. She hisses as it hits her full on and she can see her skin pinking.
"I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there," Hermione continues, closing her eyes and ducking under the water fully, turning around so that it's hitting the back of her.
Hermione has no idea what to expect from everyone tomorrow. How they'll react, what they'll say. How they'll treat them afterwards.
"In the midnight hour I can feel your power. Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there."
She picks up the bar of soap and begins to scrub furiously at her skin. Thankfully she'd used freshening charms throughout the day, otherwise the golden trio would've smelled quite ripe for the entire day.
Hermione scrubs away grime and sweat and it occurs to her then that she's removing the last remnants of her last life. Every soapy sud, the layer of skin she's scrubbing away, the water washing it all down the drain.
"I hear your voice, it's like an angel sighing. I have no choice, I hear your voice. Feels like flying. I close my eyes, Oh God I think I'm falling, out of the sky, I close my eyes. Heaven help me," Hermione sings, her voice breaking and then she falls to her knees, body wracking with sobs. Everyone's gone. Ginny. The twins. Everyone. Molly, Arthur. Faces are flashing behind her eyelids. Sirius falling through the veil, Tonks throwing herself in front of Remus and him crying over her broken body. Remus not being the same after that, even with Teddy. Never being able to find her parents and figure out how to return their memories.
No...not gone, just different. It's different, and I can change things. I can fix them, Hermione tells herself through her pained sobs. I can save them.
Part of her worries that Remus's mate will still be Tonks in this dimension, and she has no idea why it burrows a hole in her chest and makes her feel so twisted inside, like broken glass is jostling around in her stomach, cutting everything to shreds. Godric I hope not.
