Dinner was eventful but for all good reasons. The children had a great time, and soon, Hermione could blend to the background as she intended. It was pleasant to see the changes the entire family went through in the span of a year. After dinner is when things began to grow disfigured again.
Hermione was sitting with Ginny and Angelina as the marauders were standing with Charlie and Arthur. It was a normal conversation. Nothing truly obscure, until Angelina noted Hermione's eyes were wandering toward the marauders.
"So, it's true, right? All of you have some odd coupling?" Angelina asked.
Hermione glanced back at her and frowned. "Well, yes, I have been trying to sort it out."
"How does that even work? I mean, I could understand those two, but Snape too?" Angelina inquired with a pinch to her brow.
"Well, he's a decent balance. The cynic who has the intellect and a conservative honesty. I don't understand why each of them is here, but I've been so very grateful for them."
Ginny cleared her throat as she tapped her chest. "Have you shagged them?" She whispered.
"No," Hermione gasped. "I mean, it's not something I've searched for. They, well, it's difficult to explain."
"Are you scared?" Angelina questioned with a frown.
"No, why would I be?" Hermione's cheeks were tinted with color.
Ginny arched her eyebrow. "Well, it is a large task. Have you sat down with them yet? Talked about how far this goes? It's not that we don't support your decisions; we just want to make sure it's more than this."
Hermione shifted as she scratched her neck. "Well, it's very odd. I had trouble with the concept of just one person to disappoint."
"You didn't let him down," Angelina hissed.
Ron stomped out from the kitchen and yanked Hermione out of her seat. "Outside, now," he ordered.
"Ronald, you don't have any right to touch me!" Hermione snapped as she yanked her arm from him.
"Get outside; we're going to finish this. My older brother won't scold me because you're emotionally inept!" Ron shouted.
"Don't you fucking touch her," Sirius growled as he launched himself over.
Ron snapped his form to the marauder and launched a punch toward him. Another halted his arm— Remus had stepped in now, creating more of a commotion. "Don't you dare, boy. We're protecting her."
"Let go of me," Ron snapped.
Remus released his arm, and the redhead pushed the werewolf. He sneered, revealing a little of his teeth. "Don't fucking touch me," Remus growled.
Hermione gasped and stepped between the heated marauders and Ron. "All of you, it's over, knock it off."
Ron reached for Hermione again only to be flipped to the ground. "They meant what they said, Mr. Weasley," Severus's voice bounced over the room.
Ron scuffled on the rug before righting himself. "Bloody mental, all of you. What are you even thinking?"
"It's none of your business," Hermione declared.
"It is when I know you're lying. You wouldn't agree to this even if a knife was at your throat," Ron retorted with a hot glare.
Hermione winced a moment before recovering her fury. "You have no clue as to what I do for those I love, Ronald. If you did, you'd never say that."
"Oh, so it's love? You had plenty for me, and you still let me crawl in the dark, begging for more. All I wanted was a family and love. You're too bloody cold to give it to one person, let alone more."
"I wanted a family," Hermione murmured.
Ron waved a hand in the air. "Right, because that was so clear when you worked long hours on a fucking werewolf bill!"
Remus's fingers were twitching toward his pocket. Sirius, he was squeezing his knuckles. Severus, well, he was still defensive with his wand ready. Hermione was positive; this was going to turn bloody if she didn't intervene. "You can be angry with me for lost time all you like, but it happened."
Ron gestured his hand close to her face. "I want it back. All the time you took from me," he hissed.
"I'm warning you, back off," Remus rumbled with narrow eyes.
"It doesn't surprise me that you brought back your fixation. You might be able to suffer through caring for his son, but it won't last. Nothing with you is ever permanent. Makes sense why you'd bring Sirius back too. I mean, why not? You get to be removed and still chased after."
A deep, gaping wound that had been bleeding for a long time resurfaced. Hermione felt the wind leave her as she attempted to keep her composure. He had the right verbal knives that stuck deep into her chest. Bleeding out was a kinder death than the one that would consume her. He was right.
Blair was the next person on the scene that wasn't a bystander. She marched up to the Weasley and snagged his ear, yanking him with her toward the door. "I'll be a bloody bog doxie if I let ya keep making a fool of yourself. Ronald, you get outside and cool off," She snarled while opening the door.
"Blair, but," Ron huffed.
"Go walk off your temper, now," she ordered.
Ron bobbed his head and breathed. "I'm sorry."
"I know, now, off with ya. You've already made a mess of yourself," Blair said.
The Weasley escaped, and the woman paced back toward Hermione. Ginny stood up with a frown across her face. It was an odd moment, but Hermione waited for her to speak.
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I know that he can be heated like a blasted end skewer. I hope you know I bare no ill will toward ya. What was, was, there's no easy repair for it," Blair declared with a nod.
Hermione knew Blair was making an effort to see if it was of equal measure. "I don't hold blame for his actions. Ron has always been quick to act without thought. I'm glad you're both happy."
Blair rubbed her stomach and breathed. "Life is full of happy accidents, Hermione. Things we don't expect to change our lives end up being the milestones we live by. I don't expect us to be great friends, but I respect you for what you're doing."
Hermione touched her shoulder and nodded. "Things happen for reasons we don't understand."
A hand touched her arm, and Hermione glanced over to see Severus. "I think it might be best to depart soon," he whispered.
"I agree with Snape," Sirius grumbled. "The party is getting stale."
"Alright, let's say our goodbyes and find Teddy."
Blair bobbed her head. "You're welcome up any time, Hermione. I know ya both just need time."
"Thank you," Hermione sighed before departing from them.
The three wizards shared the same pinched expression. It was going to be a difficult night.
"Edward, where is your aunt?" Severus questioned as he flicked his wand.
The kitchen was being scrubbed and tidied while the child sat at the counter with his potion's book. "She went up to read in a bath. She usually does that after Uncle Ron posted her a letter," he remarked while flipping a page.
"Is she always so emotional?" Snape asked.
Teddy glanced over and frowned. "Yes, but my Grandmother likes that. She calls Aunt Hermione, the witty angel."
Snape folded a towel and hummed. "Well, that's a rather illogical pet name."
"I suppose, but she's amazing. Aunt Hermione used to come over after work all the time when I was little. Her and Uncle Harry would skip days so that Grandmother had help."
"Did she now? Well, interesting," Severus mused.
"Mhm, I love her so much. I wish she were my mum sometimes, but Grandmother says I don't need to call her that for her to love me."
Snape leaned over the counter toward the boy. "Do you want your aunt to stay here with your father?"
"Yes," Teddy said with a nod.
"Even as it is?" Severus voiced.
Teddy's hair turned orange as he tilted his head to the side. "Are you asking if you can date Aunt Hermione? Uncle Sirius asked me this morning."
Bloody Black. "Yes," Snape responded.
"Is she going to date my dad too?"
"I suppose if she wants. I'm asking for my own interests, not theirs."
Teddy pursed his lips to one side and crossed his arms. "Then, I can call you Uncle Severus like James and Albus?"
"Yes," Severus conceded.
"How does that work, Uncle Severus?"
Snape scowled at the inquisitive boy. "What?"
"Well," Teddy started. "Uncle Sirius, my dad, and you all want to date my Aunt Hermione. How does that work? Victoire told me that only when a girl likes a boy do they kiss and hold hands. Is that it?"
Well, fuck. The last thing Severus wanted to get into was the mappings of relationships with the Lupin child. "Among other things. Usually, it is a well-crafted set of steps."
"Like a potion," Teddy agreed.
"Yes, like a potion. A potion that doesn't make any sense to anyone. Not even the people involved understand until it's started."
Teddy nodded and rocked in his seat. "How do you know when a girl likes you?"
Severus straightened his form and frowned. He had an inkling where this was leading. "She knows what you enjoy and appreciates that about you."
"Victoire thinks I'm ridiculous for enjoying books. I guess she doesn't like me that much," Teddy sighed.
"Give her a year, Edward. Girls are very moronic at your age," Severus dismissed it with a toss of his hand.
"Can I ask you one more question?"
Snape thinned his lips as he straightened the jars on the counter. "Yes."
"Is my mum going to come home too?"
"No, I'm afraid not," Snape responded.
Teddy exhaled with a bob of his head. "Okay, then. I'm going to find my dad. I think he can help me with my essay on disarming spells."
Severus watched the boy jump off the stool and wander toward the door. "Edward, if you ever need to talk about this. I'll listen. I know they have a hard time understanding what you're going through."
Teddy turned enough to agree. "Thanks, Uncle Severus. I'm sorry about your mum." He left after that.
Hermione was resting at the bottom of the bathtub under the water. It rippled and shimmered above her as she held her breath. When was she going to feel like she could breathe easier? She had been sunken in murky waters for such a vast amount of time. Her chest burned for the release of free breathing. Her life was choking her.
There were no sounds as she stared up at the lights dancing on the surface. Just her own heartbeat. It was that place between the highs of love and the lows of damnation. She knew when she walked out of this room. She would have to make a decision. It all seemed so out of the realm of normal.
A hand submerged into the water and gripped her arm. The shock of the intrusion caused her to flail and burst to the surface, wretched air whistling into her lungs. "Merlin, Hermione, are you alright?" Remus gasped.
Hermione wiped her face and glared up at the worried werewolf. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"
Remus sunk near the tub, so he was at her eye-level. "I knocked, but you weren't answering. I grew worried. It's not like you to be on Sirius's floor."
"I was fine," Hermione huffed. "I just needed some time with my thoughts."
He reached out and touched her face. "I'm sorry. I saw your legs hanging from the tub and thought the worst."
"You thought I bumped my head?" She teased while leaning on the wall of the tub toward him.
"Well, yes," Remus grumbled. "You had a rough day."
"My savior," she snickered.
Remus swallowed and pulled his hand from her face. "I'll let you finish."
"Why do we do this so much?"
The question halted his retreat. "Do what?"
"This catch and release. I've been trying to figure out how this is all going to work. If I want it to, or if it's because of a potion. We get close enough to touch and feel each other, but then we run. We both do," Hermione declared as she rested her chin on her arm over the rim of the tub. "I can't figure this out without you telling me what to do."
"Do you want this to work?"
"I want to feel again. Seeing Ron made me realize how much I avoid it. I retreat from feeling more than needed, so I don't ruin someone else's life."
Remus exhaled and pulled himself closer to the tub. "You didn't ruin his life. He ended up where he was supposed to be."
"Then where does that leave me?"
"Where do you want it to?" He whispered.
Hermione moved in the bathtub, creating the sounds of splashing that intruded on their quiet conversation. "I don't know," she said while bending closer to him.
Remus backed away toward the wall. Her delicious fragrance surrounded him, and his trust in his resolve was low. Hermione scowled and straightened her form, causing the werewolf to glance away from her. She shuffled for her towel and wrapped herself.
The witch maneuvered from the barrier and crawled over his lap before speaking. "Will you stop running from me if I ask for more?"
Remus swallowed before meeting her gaze. "More?"
"I need you to tell me you want me, Remus. Not just admire me from afar with small moments of clarity in between."
"But I have!" He hissed.
"Then show me, because I can't lead this time. I need someone strong enough to show me the way out of this forest. I don't see the results and need help."
Remus groaned and cupped her face before kissing her. It was fucking madness that she asked of. He had been dreading the call for leadership longer than he realized. Remus knew she needed to hear it. To know that someone else would draw a line in the sand. He, however, was not the right person for that. He wanted it all and, with consent, would be happy to oblige.
The zipper sounded, and her hand touched him. Her whimpers were lustful as he felt the vibration through his mouth. This was sincerely how it was going to happen? A quick coupling on the bathroom floor?
"Dad? Uncle Sirius said you were in the bathroom. I can't find my Defense Against the Dark Arts book."
Remus groaned as he pressed his forehead to her chest. "I'll be out in a moment to help you find it."
"Okay, but Aunt Hermione usually knows where they are, but she's not answering. I knocked on her door when she wasn't in her bathroom."
"She might be napping," Remus grunted.
"I'll check the drawing-room."
"That's my boy. I'll be out in a moment," Remus voiced.
She raised his face from her chest and nosed his cheek. "We'll continue this later," she whispered.
"Why are you up here now that I think of it?" Remus asked as she nibbled on his neck.
Hermione sighed against his skin. "I was avoiding your son."
Remus chuckled with a nod. "I can see that," He moaned as she kissed his jawline.
"I'll see you in the drawing-room," Hermione replied after climbing from his form.
Remus nodded against the wall and watched the witch get dressed. "Just give me a moment, and I'll leave the bathroom.
Hermione smirked as she reached for her bra. "Take your time. I'm going to sneak out before he comes back," She said while turning to slide on her leggings.
The werewolf watched her throw on one of his ratty sweaters and leave. Merlin. Dumbledore. Someone. Remus silently pleaded for more resolve as he sat on the floor, disheveled and hungry for more.
Author Notes: So much resistance... Aren't you curious why? I have a secret and can't wait to tell you!
