Hermione had to go through the events that led to the potion. No detail was spared- they had every right to know her largest indiscretion. Hermione Granger may have caused this crisis.
"I knew you, and Malfoy's repour was more consistent than it should be," Harry sighed after Hermione finished.
Ginny ran her fork over her empty plate. "Hermione, I just don't understand why you didn't tell us."
"Because, Gin, if I told you I couldn't have children, it would be this pity party for us. Ron would hate it, and I would have about died. If I could fix it, then he could have had a normal life," Hermione responded with a pout.
"I may not agree with you, but I could relate to that difficulty," Severus grumbled.
"Do you resent me for it?" Hermione asked the Potters.
Harry reached over and took her hand. "Hermione, I couldn't resent you for it even if I wanted. What you did wasn't for yourself as much as it was for Ron. You wouldn't have cared about adopting or taking care of those left from the wreckage of war. Ron, however, might not have been satisfied completely with it and so you acted on impulse for his benefit. We love you."
Hermione squeezed his fingers and nodded. "I love you too. I just wanted our happy ending too."
"So, now that we have a possible lead, we are going to work backward," Remus declared as he rubbed Hermione's shoulder. "It's vital that we know exactly where you started so we can find out what the potion actually did. If it's temporary, or permanent, and if we need to worry about mending a side effect."
"How long did you spend researching before reaching out to Draco Malfoy?" Severus questioned as he shuffled through her notes.
"Four months? I found out I couldn't have children and panicked. That's when the manic drive to find an answer came into play," Hermione sighed.
Sirius leaned back and watched his marauder dote on the witch. The subtleties wouldn't be ignored as the werewolf touched and manipulated her as she clung to the wizard's hand. That only drew the question out farther- was he following his own plan, or was this really how he felt?
"Good, well, how about we all decide to dig through the madness?" Fred questioned.
"No," Severus hummed. "I would like to do so myself first. Alchemy to an untrained eye is a hazard."
"Okay, then what are we doing here?" Fred huffed.
"Precisely," Severus declared. "I'm going to visit Draco Malfoy this afternoon. I have already written to him. I want to talk to him without his concern of judgment."
"That's actually," Sirius paused and exhaled. "Smart."
Harry pulled his hand from Hermione, and his mouth fell open. "Sirius, you actually gave Snape a compliment."
"Would you like me to come?" Hermione asked.
"No," Severus snapped. "I mean," he breathed. "Only due to the fact that I can pry without him feeling vulnerable or resentful. I would like to tend to him in my own way. It might be a bit taxing to have to explain the depths of misunderstanding it would portray as to someone outside of their family."
Hermione leaned over and smiled at Snape with a nod. "I agree with you. He will be excited to see you, Severus. I wouldn't want to dampen that."
"I'm thankful for your understanding," he replied with a nod.
"Okay, then I'm dying to steal Hermione for a few precious moments, fellas," Ginny sighed while standing from the bench. "Witch talk, ya know?"
Hermione raised both her hands and shook her head. "No, Ginny, that's not necessary."
"Ballocks on a stick, Hermione. That's not a request," Ginny snapped as she bustled around the table.
Remus stroked her back before bobbing his head. "You go ahead. We need to talk with Harry anyway."
Hermione pursed her lips but climbed from the seat. "Okay, Gin, but don't make me regret this."
Ginny squealed and yanked the witch out of the dining room with glee. That left the wizards and Harry. Sirius squeezed into Hermione's spot and smirked. "Moony, you're looking remarkably satisfied."
"Sirius, come on now," Harry sighed.
Remus smirked and crossed his arms. "I do, don't I?"
Fred glanced at Sirius and then back at Remus. "Wait, are you playing chicken? Hermione told me about this."
Harry grimaced and glanced at the potion master who was ignoring the whole affair. "Have they been like this since you got here?"
Severus put down the pages enough to review Harry. "From what Hermione spoke of, it was before our arrival."
Sirius huffed and grabbed Remus's face. "Just tell me the truth, please? I'm dying."
"The truth?" Remus feigned ignorance. "You mean about the chocolate?"
"Is she chocolate or imitation, Moony!" Sirius growled.
"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Fred asked.
Remus sneered and shrugged. "She's chocolate."
"She's bloody chocolate!" Sirius shouted and jumped from his seat. "Merlin, she's fucking chocolate!"
Harry twitched his nose before removing his glasses to clean them on his shirt. "I'm not sure any of us are following."
"He's referring to Lupin's craving, Mr. Potter," Severus announced.
Fred moved closer to Harry on the bench. "Harry, I don't remember them being this hard to understand," he whispered.
"Me either, Fred," Harry grumbled.
Sirius waved and breathed as he sat down again. "It's alright. It just means I was right. It's not often that I prove Remus wrong."
"Astounding," Severus mumbled.
"Okay, let's get back on topic. I'm not sure I need to know this much," Harry voiced as he placed his glasses back on his face. "Tell me, why did you want Ginny and I here?"
"We have a plan," Sirius said with a nod.
"A decent plan," Remus added.
Harry waved his hand. "Okay, I'm listening."
Hermione was organizing the pages on her desk as Ginny tidied up the wardrobe. They hadn't spoken about why the redhead stole Hermione away yet, but she knew it was coming. It was the first time in a year either had spent time alone.
"Where are the children?"
"At mums," Ginny sighed. "Did you really sleep with Remus?" Bingo. That's what Hermione was waiting for.
"I slept next to him," Hermione offered.
"No shagging of any sort?" Ginny asked.
Hermione scrunched her nose and breathed. "Not exactly."
Ginny pivoted with a glare. "What does that mean?"
Hermione set down the pages and leaned on the desk. "Well, we did many things, but completing the deed wasn't one of them."
"Still evasive as usual," Ginny groaned. "What did you do?"
"Well, we snogged like teenagers over a copy of Pride and Prejudice," Hermione mumbled as her cheeks darkened.
"And?"
Hermione moaned and tossed her hands in the air. "He decided he wanted more than chocolate."
"Wait, you mean to eat?" The redhead pursued as she walked up to Hermione.
"Yes," Hermione huffed.
"And did you reciprocate?"
"He wouldn't let me," Hermione voiced. "Not that I didn't try."
"Why?" Ginny questioned while scowling.
Hermione fiddled with her fingers a moment before shrugging. "He said he didn't want to get carried away."
"Fancy that, Remus actually is compatible with you. However, he must be barmy to tell you no," Ginny giggled. "What did you end up doing?"
"Falling asleep to him reading. His voice is terribly soothing," Hermione laughed while rubbing her face. "What am I doing? He was married, happily married."
Ginny skipped back to the wardrobe and grimaced at the dress suits. "We all loved Tonks, but Hermione, she's dead. He doesn't remember her. It only makes sense."
"And there's Sirius. He isn't going to leave this be. Merlin, he drives me insane. Believe it or not, Severus seems to be the only sane one out of the bunch," Hermione voiced.
Ginny pulled out a few t-shirts from the drawer before speaking. "Well, I suppose you need to go with it. You did accidentally bring the whole lot back."
Hermione bit her lips together and huffed. "What now? I've tried very hard to keep things at a distance so I can work on it."
"So you attempted to do the usual Hermione thing and push people away so you can handle it? Do you see what I'm hinting at?" Ginny questioned with a narrowed gaze back at her.
"I'm not doing that," Hermione said with little fight.
Ginny arched her eyebrow. "Really, because it sounds to me that you're doing it."
The curly-haired witch groaned in a full measure before scrubbing her face. "Maybe a little."
"I think you need to evaluate how you want this all to happen, Hermione. Teddy is going to be here Sunday."
Hermione pressed the heel of her hands in her eyes. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."
"Yeah, fuck is right," Ginny grumbled as she moved to the mattress.
Hermione met her, and they both collapsed, resting their backs against the pristine blanket. "He's going to ignore me now. That's what he did with Tonks," Hermione whispered.
"No, he won't," Ginny replied.
"What if I can't fix this, and you won't be here when I need to talk about this?" Hermione questioned.
Ginny turned and smiled at her. "How about this? If you end up drunkenly shagging Sirius Black, you come over, and we'll race off to the garden and scream hysterically," she teased.
"Don't you dare wish that on me," Hermione snorted. "I'd never hear the end of that."
"I wish that on you. I wish that on you because you'd stop running!" Ginny snapped as she shook Hermione with her hand.
"I'm not."
"Bullshit, Granger," Ginny snapped with a smile. "Just do me a favor? Live your life without trying to perfect it. Sometimes life is messy and difficult. Just let it be."
Hermione scooped up the witch and breathed as they pressed their foreheads together. "I'm going to fix this, okay?"
"Okay, I believe in you. Always, Hermione."
There was a knock at the door. "Ginny, your brother, wants to talk about the family," Remus said through the barrier.
Hermione's eyes grew as Ginny grinned at her. "I think he wants to talk to you," Ginny whispered.
"Don't leave me, Gin," Hermione murmured. Ginny pulled from Hermione, and the curly-haired witch snagged her arm. "Seriously, don't," Hermione hissed.
Ginny yanked herself away and skipped to the door. When she opened it, Remus was standing there with his hand on the back of his neck. The redhead beamed at him and pointed back at Hermione. "I'll see you both down stairs."
When Ginny disappeared from view, Remus breathed and walked into the room. "She sounds determined," he mused while shutting the door.
"She is," Hermione mumbled as she sat up.
Remus turned and twitched his nose. They were silent while looking at each other, but neither met the other's gaze. It was this odd and awkward state that they didn't approach, but it sped toward them nonetheless. Remus took two steps toward her and inhaled.
"Did you-"
"Can we-"
They spoke at the same time and laughed with tones of breathless discomfort.
"You go ahead," Remus mumbled.
"Did you want to talk about last night?" Hermione inquired with a giant pout dripping from her expression.
Remus swallowed and exhaled with a curl to his lips. The vision before Hermione was of a man who was boyishly charming and awkward still. He wore his youth in his eyes, which gleamed of summer days still ahead. The green of new hope. It only inflamed her cheeks more when they met her vision.
"I didn't make you uncomfortable, did I?" He asked.
Hermione patted the bed and tossed her hair from her shoulders. "No, you didn't. I made myself uncomfortable, Remus. I didn't know what to expect, so I disappeared to the bathroom before you got up."
Remus shifted to the mattress and bounced his head. "Yes, I can understand that. I'm truly apologetic that Sirius is such a pain at times. He does have a knack for nosing in my personal life."
"I don't mind that, even if it's intrusive," Hermione laughed. "I think we need to talk about what happened. Is this going to be a rarity? Intimacy isn't usually your forte."
"Nor yours, I fear," Remus voiced.
Hermione bit her lip before turning to him. "Remus, why didn't we take it further? I have to know. Is it because I'm not more than average looking?"
Remus belted out laughter and patted her thigh. "Merlin, no. You're absolutely, heartbreakingly gorgeous. No, that was truly me, Hermione. I, well, it's," he paused and cleared his throat. "I don't complete the task because I'm too fearful of hurting my partner. My condition is built off of extremes, and I don't want to do something unsound."
Hermione ran her tongue tip against her lower lip before biting it at the side. "Then what was that?"
"Quite the question," he grumbled before running his hand over his facial hair. "You don't realize just how completely I'm at your feet. How every man you have ever met likely has felt that desire to kneel and pledge fealty for you. I'm in awe of you, and I'm not alone in that."
The confession was so unheard of, so shocking, that Hermione's jaw had fallen open. Remus smiled and touched her cheek. "Don't look so shocked. You're quite the witch," he chuckled.
"I'm baffled," she admitted while curling her shoulders. "Remus, I don't understand. I'm just me."
He leaned to her and touched her lips with his own. "You will," he whispered before pulling away.
Hermione shot up like someone sent electricity through her spine. "I need to go. Teddy will be here this weekend, and we have to prepare for the full moon," she huffed.
The werewolf's eyebrows contorted together in a mess. "Wait, we haven't finished," he insisted.
Hermione kept her back to him as she reached for a few notes off her desk. "We have work to do. I'll see you down in the sitting room."
Just like that, she dashed off, leaving Remus with far more lingering questions than answers. What happened?
Author Notes: Don't be too angry with her. I have a feeling she's playing a bit of catch up too. ;)
