"Hermione Granger, off of work?" He laughed and wrapped his arm around the witch.
They stopped in Diagon Alley for currency exchange, and she couldn't help it- she had to go see George. He was her most prominent advocate when Ron left. "Well, I have my reasons," Hermione sighed and gestured to the marauders wandering the shop.
Their introduction was uncomfortable, but the two previously deceased wizards found other ways to occupy their time. Sirius was sniffing around the different gags and wheezes young children bought as Remus was glancing at the chocolates. They retained a boyish charm both lacked before their deaths. It was a rare occasion to see life's bitterness peeled away to reveal the sliver of mischief they had left. This was night and day.
"They seem to be adjusting well," George mused as he maneuvered around the counter.
Hermione inhaled and shook her head. "They don't remember anything after graduating. It's like their memories were wiped clean before I found them. They didn't even remember Harry was born. I don't know what to expect."
"Are they really them?" George continued.
"As far as tests confirmed, yes."
George pressed his elbows to the counter and twitched his nose. "Well, what are you going to do?"
"Just wing it?" Hermione offered with a wince. "Georgie, I don't know. I tried to ask Harry, but he seemed consumed with the fact they were here. I know that's great, but what now? They don't seem to be affected by this crisis either."
"That's great, now you have a way of checking on Harry without you going," George responded with a nod.
Hermione dropped her gaze and breathed. "I know."
"Hermione, what's wrong? Why aren't you jumping for joy?"
"I don't think I'm ever going to fix this. Don't you miss the family? Isn't that hard for you too?" She questioned.
"I think the real sum of the question your asking is you don't think this will bring Ron home. Hermione, it's over. It's been over. It was over before all of this. You were seeing a counselor before this crisis. Just let it go. He's never going to accept that your love is different than his," George sighed while shaking his head.
Hermione bobbed her head. "Yes, I know."
"You work your arse off, and you waited to have children. He wanted more than that. It isn't a crisis. It's a blessing. Now you can work, figure out your life, and he can go live without guilt. He stood by you, and you compromised your desires too. You didn't travel for the ministry because he couldn't go. You didn't do the harder jobs because he was worried. Life is about compromises, but it didn't work out. Sometimes it does like with Ginny and Harry."
"True," Hermione sighed. "I know that, but what do I have left, George? Solving this crisis, then what? I traveled to different countries in hopes of finding him and tell him I was sorry. I was sorry for not being what he wanted in the end."
George touched her cheek, and she closed her eyes. "You're fine. Life is just what it is. Sifting through madness and laughing at it."
"I still want love. Now I'll never have the chance. I'm going to be the witch who solved the world's largest problem. That's too much for any wizard," Hermione laughed with a grimace.
"You'll be fine, just learn to let it go. You can still be two things. You just need to love someone enough to want to," George voiced with a smile.
Hermione nodded and hummed. "Yes, love, the most misunderstood mental disorder on the planet."
"I did alright with my madness. Angelina still is barmy for me, even when I don't deserve it."
Hermione rocked on her heels. "What now?"
"Well, seems you have two hungry people waiting for you. They are going to help you, and you need to learn to let them. Do what you couldn't with Ron- lean on them. It's not easy for you to admit when you don't have all the answers. Just say it and find a way. They wouldn't have agreed if they couldn't handle it. Even if they aren't the mentors you had before, they're still Sirius and Remus."
"When did you become so smart?" Hermione questioned with a smile.
George waved his hand, gesturing to the shop. "All intelligence comes with madness, Hermione. Mine is just more simple than yours."
"Ah, yes, the madness of never knowing when to stop," Hermione retorted with an eye roll.
"No," George puffed. "The madness of fixing the world. You're bright enough to do it. You need the support. This will be good for you. What is Kingsley always saying?"
Hermione gazed toward the wall where single-use wands were shelved. "If we don't have each other, we are lost to the grey of conflict."
George nodded. "Good, now listen to your boss. He knows you well enough to know those are words you should live by. Besides, his wife will talk about you on her radio show if you don't," he snickered with a wide grin.
"Hey, love, you think we can get going?" Sirius called out while wiggling his fingers at the active miniature monkeys banging on the transparent barrel.
"Yes, Sirius. Thank you for being patient," Hermione sighed.
Remus wandered over and smiled at George. "I enjoy your shop, George."
"I'm glad you do. You and Sirius were inspirations to me and my brother," George announced with a nod.
Hermione was about to speak when she was yanked from her feet. "Enough talk. I'm starving!" Sirius growled and tossed her over his shoulder.
"Put me down, Sirius!" Hermione shouted as he stomped to the door.
When they left with the honking of the horn above the entrance, Remus pursed his lips. "I appreciate what you said to her."
"Of course," George agreed.
"But she isn't wrong. We aren't who you remember we were," Remus said.
"No, you're not," George paused. "You're who she's going to need now. She's more broken than you think. Not because her marriage collapsed, but because she never got over the war. Loss is a deep wound for her. Her parents are gone. She never got to be normal, and she was tortured for being different. Those things aren't easily changed, Remus. That's why Ron left. He couldn't fix her," George finished as he stood up.
Remus scowled and glanced back at the door. He could see Sirius and Hermione bantering with a small smile playing on her lips. Maybe he was right, but it was a heavy burden for all involved.
"Just promise me one thing, Remus," George sighed, bringing back his attention. "Promise me that you will have her start living. She wasn't doing that before. She was surviving. Hermione never stopped trying to survive enough to live."
Remus reached out to the Weasley and bobbed his head. "I promise," he repeated as they shook hands.
"Good. I'm glad you came in today, Moony," George snickered with a wink.
"Me too," Remus said as they parted.
"Buy your bloody chocolates, ya wanker!" Sirius called as the door honked.
Remus moved to leave, but George rushed around and handed him a bag. "This one's on me. Make sure she has a few, too," He told the werewolf.
"Alright," Remus chuckled and paced toward the door.
Now what? Her voice repeated in his mind. Well, for starters, they had a job to do, and it was nothing like the crisis at hand. They had to bring this witch back to the land of the living. Sirius was going to bloody love it.
True to the assumption, Sirius was over the moon about the plan. Hermione had gone up to nap after their breakfast, leaving the marauders to plot. They had been going at it for about an hour when it all cusped.
Sirius was biting at the bit and rubbing his hands together like a cartoon villain with a smirk. "What do you think, Moony?"
Remus scratched his chin with a scowl. "Let's not go too overboard, Padfoot. We still need her to like us," he finished with a chuckle.
"It would be easier with Prongs and Wormtail," Sirius huffed.
"Yes, but that's not the case," Remus said as his shoulders sunk. "What could we have done differently? How did he fall so hard?"
Sirius pressed his chin to his hands as his elbows rested on the table. "I don't know, Moony. I didn't think we singled him out much. He was one of us. We each had a role to play in school."
Remus rubbed his face and groaned. "I guess I could have been more supportive when he was interested in Amelia. I could have helped him write that note."
"I could have been less brash," Sirius mumbled. "But he was Wormtail. He was our loyal companion and friend. Ballocks, the bloke, even risked his life for us. Why would he have turned so sour?"
"I could tell you that it wasn't anything you did, but Peter's incapabilities of staying loyal had to do with his nature. He was weak, and with that, he fell for the flawed thought what he saw as a sure victory," Hermione's voice entered the conversation.
Sirius twitched his lips as the witch entered the room. "He was our friend."
"I know," Hermione sighed.
"I don't understand. Hermione, he had no reason to turn on us," Remus said.
Hermione situated her jumper as she sat down between them in the sitting room. "Peter Pettigrew wasn't the strongest of character. He followed rather than led, and he knew he wasn't anything special. With that, insecurity comes the need for less risk. You both would have given your life for each other and what was right. At the time, Peter seemed like the safest bet for Sirius to trust as the Secret Keeper. He had no way of knowing that Peter had already been a Death Eater for some time."
"Why not Remus?" Sirius asked.
Hermione tucked her face around her hair. "Sirius, you thought he was the spy."
"Me? A spy? Why?" Remus huffed.
Sirius arched an eyebrow and maneuvered to view the witch's face. "Because werewolves were siding with Voldemort?"
"Yes, and you were scared for Harry's life."
"Well, I'm glad that's not the truth," Sirius mused. "Moony, you'd make a shit Death Eater."
Remus smirked and reached over to shove Sirius. "You're an arsehole."
Sirius crawled to the floor to meet Hermione's gaze. "I don't know what to say to you other than I'm sorry. I'm sorry your childhood was stolen from you to fight a war you didn't need to fight."
She pulled up her sleeve, and the silvery letters were notable in the light. "I had to, Sirius. For people like me."
Remus ran his fingers along the lettering and sneered. "Who did this to you?"
"Bellatrix. We were captured, and I refused to give up Harry. I had disguised him with a curse," Hermione murmured.
"She, Merlin, Hermione," Sirius huffed as he touched her hand.
Hermione rolled her neck and brushed back her curls. "It made me stronger. That's why I've worked so hard. This war taught me that I had to save those I love from the darkness of hate."
"It shouldn't have had to," Remus sighed. "You're a good witch. Likely the brightest witch I've ever known."
Hermione smiled at him and straightened her posture. "You told me that. You always praised my intellect. It was something I prized most about you, Remus. Your compassion and intelligence make you different from what you see your condition to hinder."
"And I'm the loveable dog," Sirius snorted with a toothy smile.
"Your love for Harry was insurmountable, Sirius. You risked everything for him, including a dementor's kiss. No one loves quite like you," Hermione said before shifting with an arched eyebrow. "Sometimes, a bit too risky at times."
"What's life without a little risk?" Sirius asked through his grin.
Hermione groaned and patted his hand. "Oh, Sirius, you are and always will be you."
"Can I ask you a potentially invasive question?" Remus asked.
Hermione turned to the werewolf with a nod. "Of course."
"How do you know so much about us, Hermione? There's this natural tint to your words that I know I've heard before," Remus declared with a frown.
"I had help. Harry's way of coping after the war was telling us about you both. We would huddle in the Burrow's sitting room until the wee hours of the morning and talk," Hermione declared as she sat back against the sofa.
Sirius crawled up to his seat once again and nodded. "He reminds me so much of his father. His mother too."
"Can I be honest with you both?" Hermione questioned.
They motioned agreement.
"I don't know what's going to happen. I don't understand how you both are here, without your memories. However, I'm so relieved. After Hogwarts, all I could do was think of what we lost and why. It drove me to a spin of determination. Ron attempted to follow my pace, but he couldn't handle it after so long. Harry understood that. He knew I couldn't stop until it was safe."
"You are safe, Hermione," Remus reminded her.
Sirius touched her shoulder. "And we gotcha, love. Don't you ever think we aren't with you on this. We'll get it all back to good," he affirmed.
Hermione leaned into Sirius, and he encircled her with his arm.
"We gotcha," Sirius repeated.
Remus reached over and took her hand. "We'll figure this out- together. Trust us to know what we can handle."
Hermione squeezed his hand. "I missed you, both of you."
Their heart to heart was interrupted with a crackle and crash. Hermione jerked from the marauders and stood up in time to see someone no one was expecting...
