Chapter Five: The Return of Hermione Weasley
"You don't trust me?"
"It's not that, Severus. It just seems so impossible."
"Well, it isn't. Trust me Remus. We have been working on this for five months and we have finally perfected it. Drink it."
Remus Lupin was surrounded in the cool dungeon under the Snape home. Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Taja Waite and Hermione Weasley stood watching him anxiously. He was holding a smoky goblet made, he was told, of moonstone. The potion inside was bubbling and smoking, but the goblet was cool. Remus stared down at it.
Hermione took Remus by his free arm and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. "This is your freedom, Remus. What you have wanted since you were a child. We worked so hard on this, and it will work. I just know it will."
Hermione fell back onto her heels and Remus looked down at her. He didn't move for a moment, then he drained the goblet. Hermione took it from him quickly.
The pain did not bother Remus. Turning into a werewolf had deadened him to all manner of pains. However he did suck in a breath. He fell to his knees and clamped his head. He moaned softly. He felt as if his head were going to explode. For twenty minutes he rocked back and forth against the pain.
Then, suddenly it was gone.
Remus remained on his knees, panting. He slowly became aware. Hermione was kneeling beside him, her had rubbing his back. Severus stood flanked by Taja and Draco, directly in front of him. Their faces were unreadable.
"You didn't mention the pain, Severus." Remus said dryly.
Severus shrugged. "A small side effect." he said, but he seemed to be repressing a grin.
"And how many times can I expect to go through this before the treatments are complete?"
"Once a month for the next six months." Hermione said. "I'll make it up for you at school."
Hermione was going to be the new Potions Master at Hogwarts and Remus would be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts.
"I still don't know about this." Remus said.
"You will stay here tonight and we will see if you transform." Severus said.
"If you do we will just try again," Hermione said, cheerfully.
Draco and Hermione had left hours ago. Severus, Amethyst and Remus were down in one of the dungeons. It was a stone room with no windows and a door of solid silver. Remus was very familar with this room and he loathed it. Since the development of the wolfsbane potion so many years ago, he'd spent his time here, or in a dungeon identical to it at his home in an isolated part of the woods, when he transformed.
Amethyst and Severus watched over him, as they'd done many times in the past. Before Amethyst returned to the country, Severus watched alone. They stood, while Remus sat on the cot. They waited and waited. They could all feel the pull of the moon, although neither Severus or Amethyst were werewolves. They were simply effected by years of magical practice and experience.
Nothing happened.
Amethyst looked at her watch in the light of the single torch. "Two hours." she said.
"Delayed reaction?" Remus said, from his position on the couch.
Severus shook his head. "No."
Amethyst allowed herself half a smile. "Looks like you are on your way to rejoining humanity, Remus."
Remus looked at her as if she has said something insane. Then he rose from his cot and threw his arms around her. He shook Severus' hand and said with a huge smile.
"Looks like it, doesn't it?"
"Hermione, quit worrying. We can handle this." George Weasley said, arranging daggers in their display case.
"They can be quite a handfull." Hermione said, still looking in the corner where her four children were playing. The triplets, Harry, Michael and David were all tickling their baby brother, R.J, who was laughing hysterically.
Fred stepped around the counter. "We can handle it, Hermione. You just go off and enjoy teaching darling students like the ones we used to be."
Hermione laughed. "If they are, I'll be ready to retire in a week."
Fred snorted in mock indignation. He went to the door of Weasley's Priscus Weapons and opened it. "Out with you." he said.
"I haven't come in yet." said the man in the doorway. He had a long wooden box propped on one of his hips.
Fred started. "Well," he said. "I wasn't meaning you. You must be here with our delivery."
"This is it." the man said, and Fred took one end of the box and helped the man move the box to the counter.
Hermione looked on amazed as George opened the case. Two jeweled longswords gleamed like new.
"Those can't be antiques?" Hermione said, doubtfully.
"Well, they are." Fred said, reaching for one of the swords.
The bell above the front door chimed and Fred withdrew his hand from the crate.
"Cheese it!" George said, grinning. "It's the cops."
Lapis Meaker and Christopher Starling walked into the antique weapons store. Behind them came Percy and Bill.
"Never mind the cops, we're being raided by our own brothers." Fred said, beginning to frown.
"I have to go." Hermione said. "Or I'll be late for my first day of class." and she kissed her boys, turned and kissed Bill, Christopher and Percy on the cheek. "So good to see you, have to go, give my love to Neville." and she was gone.
Fred and George looked outraged. "How do you rate a kiss and we don't?" Fred ranted.
"We are definitely cuter than any of you guys." George added.
"She's living with you guys, for one." Bill laughed.
"And, knowing Hermione," Percy theorized, "She's more comfortable kissing us because we're not likely to come on to her."
George's jaw dropped. "We have never!"
Bill held up his hand. "The first Christmas Hermione and Ron were married you came on to her." he said.
"We were drunk." Fred said. "And we sure sobered up when Ron decked us, didn't we?"
There was nervous laughter all around. Ron hadn't been dead a year yet and talking about him was still difficult for the older brothers he'd left behind.
Lapis cleared his throat. "On to business, boys." he said. "We're looking for some cursed swords."
Frad and George exchanged looks. "No idea what your talking about."
Christopher snorted. "Yea, right." he said.
Bill was pulling out his wand. "Where are they?" he said looking at his twin brothers.
Fred sighed. He waved his arm at the large grate on the counter.
George was looking around. "Where'd that bloke go to, Fred?" he asked.
Fred, too was looking around. "He was just here."
"Must've gone out the back." George said. "I know I wanted to."
Bill was raising his wand. Christopher said. "One minute, Bill." he said and he pulled out his wand and waved it at the corner where the four children were playing. "Tutis." he said.
The kids were surrounded by a shimmering light.
Bill raised his eyebrows, "I don't believe I forgot about them." he said.
"You've been worried about this." Lapis said. "They're protected now, go ahead."
Bill raised his wand again and pointed it at the crate. "Pateo maledicto."
Two different shadows rose from the box. The first looked like a man enraged. He held a shadow sword and was swinging it for all he was worth. Fred backed away. The second shadow man simply stood, blinking stupidly, as if awaiting instructions.
"Bingo." Bill whispered.
"But there are only two. Where are the other two?" Lapis said as Bill approached the shadows. The enraged shadow swung at him, but the blade just went through Bill's neck. He didn't even seem to notice.
Bill peered into the case. "The only ones in here are the Sword of Bacchatus and the Sword of Servitus. No other swords and no daggers."
Lapis swore. "Shit. Well, we have these anyway. Fix em up all pretty so we can get em back to London."
The twins let out identical cries of protest as Bill pointed his wand at each sword in turn and said, "Infectum reddere."
"You can't take this stuff back to London." George protested, as Percy replaced the lid and he and Christopher started leaving with it.
"I can do 'bout anything I want to." Lapis said. He lifted the protective bubble from the children and followed Percy and Christopher.
Bill grinned. "You can register your complaints with the man who will be holding the swords until we have collected them all."
Fred did not like the like on his older brother's face. "And who might that be?"
"Severus Snape." Bill said, and left Weasley's Priscus Weapons laughing.
"Are you sure they will be safe here?"
"You are questioning my security measures, Meaker?"
Lapis ran his fingers over his short hair. "Yup." he said, chuckling. "I guess you got you a point there, don't you?"
Amethyst grinned and left the room. They were in a storeroom below 1013, the restaurant Neville and Amethyst had begun. Today was opening day and Lapis found himself in the middle of a maelstrom. But it was quiet down in the basement.
"These will be perfectly safe here." Severus said, as they left the room where the swords were going to be stored. There was no sign of Amethyst. Severus pulled out his wand, pointed it at the door and muttered, "Securus."
"Are you as good at security as your wife?" Lapis asked and immediately regretted the question when Severus looked at him.
"At least." Severus replied and Lapis was suddenly very cold.
They went up a flight of wooden stairs to the restaurant's main floor. The place was jammed. Not a single free seat in the place. The stairs they emerged from were in the exact center of the place and they were in a narrow hallway. At the end of this hallway, they had the choice of going right into the Muggle area, or going left into the wizarding section. They went left, slipping behind a large tapestry.
They entered the wizarding kitchen, which was a bustle of activity. Lapis was surprised to see Neville standing off to one side, calmly watching the chaos, occasionally shouting out an order to one of the helpers.
Severus saw Lapis' expression. "Amethyst has made a potion for him. He hasn't quite learned to calm his own nerves." he said with half a grin.
They walked out of the kitchen and through the crowded restaurant. They entered Diagon Alley and walked through it's streets.
"There will be a meeting tonight regarding the remaining weapons." Lapis said, as they approached the Ministry of Magic main building.
"I will be there." Severus said. And he disappeared before Lapis began climbing the stairs.
"You don't trust me?"
"It's not that, Severus. It just seems so impossible."
"Well, it isn't. Trust me Remus. We have been working on this for five months and we have finally perfected it. Drink it."
Remus Lupin was surrounded in the cool dungeon under the Snape home. Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Taja Waite and Hermione Weasley stood watching him anxiously. He was holding a smoky goblet made, he was told, of moonstone. The potion inside was bubbling and smoking, but the goblet was cool. Remus stared down at it.
Hermione took Remus by his free arm and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. "This is your freedom, Remus. What you have wanted since you were a child. We worked so hard on this, and it will work. I just know it will."
Hermione fell back onto her heels and Remus looked down at her. He didn't move for a moment, then he drained the goblet. Hermione took it from him quickly.
The pain did not bother Remus. Turning into a werewolf had deadened him to all manner of pains. However he did suck in a breath. He fell to his knees and clamped his head. He moaned softly. He felt as if his head were going to explode. For twenty minutes he rocked back and forth against the pain.
Then, suddenly it was gone.
Remus remained on his knees, panting. He slowly became aware. Hermione was kneeling beside him, her had rubbing his back. Severus stood flanked by Taja and Draco, directly in front of him. Their faces were unreadable.
"You didn't mention the pain, Severus." Remus said dryly.
Severus shrugged. "A small side effect." he said, but he seemed to be repressing a grin.
"And how many times can I expect to go through this before the treatments are complete?"
"Once a month for the next six months." Hermione said. "I'll make it up for you at school."
Hermione was going to be the new Potions Master at Hogwarts and Remus would be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts.
"I still don't know about this." Remus said.
"You will stay here tonight and we will see if you transform." Severus said.
"If you do we will just try again," Hermione said, cheerfully.
Draco and Hermione had left hours ago. Severus, Amethyst and Remus were down in one of the dungeons. It was a stone room with no windows and a door of solid silver. Remus was very familar with this room and he loathed it. Since the development of the wolfsbane potion so many years ago, he'd spent his time here, or in a dungeon identical to it at his home in an isolated part of the woods, when he transformed.
Amethyst and Severus watched over him, as they'd done many times in the past. Before Amethyst returned to the country, Severus watched alone. They stood, while Remus sat on the cot. They waited and waited. They could all feel the pull of the moon, although neither Severus or Amethyst were werewolves. They were simply effected by years of magical practice and experience.
Nothing happened.
Amethyst looked at her watch in the light of the single torch. "Two hours." she said.
"Delayed reaction?" Remus said, from his position on the couch.
Severus shook his head. "No."
Amethyst allowed herself half a smile. "Looks like you are on your way to rejoining humanity, Remus."
Remus looked at her as if she has said something insane. Then he rose from his cot and threw his arms around her. He shook Severus' hand and said with a huge smile.
"Looks like it, doesn't it?"
"Hermione, quit worrying. We can handle this." George Weasley said, arranging daggers in their display case.
"They can be quite a handfull." Hermione said, still looking in the corner where her four children were playing. The triplets, Harry, Michael and David were all tickling their baby brother, R.J, who was laughing hysterically.
Fred stepped around the counter. "We can handle it, Hermione. You just go off and enjoy teaching darling students like the ones we used to be."
Hermione laughed. "If they are, I'll be ready to retire in a week."
Fred snorted in mock indignation. He went to the door of Weasley's Priscus Weapons and opened it. "Out with you." he said.
"I haven't come in yet." said the man in the doorway. He had a long wooden box propped on one of his hips.
Fred started. "Well," he said. "I wasn't meaning you. You must be here with our delivery."
"This is it." the man said, and Fred took one end of the box and helped the man move the box to the counter.
Hermione looked on amazed as George opened the case. Two jeweled longswords gleamed like new.
"Those can't be antiques?" Hermione said, doubtfully.
"Well, they are." Fred said, reaching for one of the swords.
The bell above the front door chimed and Fred withdrew his hand from the crate.
"Cheese it!" George said, grinning. "It's the cops."
Lapis Meaker and Christopher Starling walked into the antique weapons store. Behind them came Percy and Bill.
"Never mind the cops, we're being raided by our own brothers." Fred said, beginning to frown.
"I have to go." Hermione said. "Or I'll be late for my first day of class." and she kissed her boys, turned and kissed Bill, Christopher and Percy on the cheek. "So good to see you, have to go, give my love to Neville." and she was gone.
Fred and George looked outraged. "How do you rate a kiss and we don't?" Fred ranted.
"We are definitely cuter than any of you guys." George added.
"She's living with you guys, for one." Bill laughed.
"And, knowing Hermione," Percy theorized, "She's more comfortable kissing us because we're not likely to come on to her."
George's jaw dropped. "We have never!"
Bill held up his hand. "The first Christmas Hermione and Ron were married you came on to her." he said.
"We were drunk." Fred said. "And we sure sobered up when Ron decked us, didn't we?"
There was nervous laughter all around. Ron hadn't been dead a year yet and talking about him was still difficult for the older brothers he'd left behind.
Lapis cleared his throat. "On to business, boys." he said. "We're looking for some cursed swords."
Frad and George exchanged looks. "No idea what your talking about."
Christopher snorted. "Yea, right." he said.
Bill was pulling out his wand. "Where are they?" he said looking at his twin brothers.
Fred sighed. He waved his arm at the large grate on the counter.
George was looking around. "Where'd that bloke go to, Fred?" he asked.
Fred, too was looking around. "He was just here."
"Must've gone out the back." George said. "I know I wanted to."
Bill was raising his wand. Christopher said. "One minute, Bill." he said and he pulled out his wand and waved it at the corner where the four children were playing. "Tutis." he said.
The kids were surrounded by a shimmering light.
Bill raised his eyebrows, "I don't believe I forgot about them." he said.
"You've been worried about this." Lapis said. "They're protected now, go ahead."
Bill raised his wand again and pointed it at the crate. "Pateo maledicto."
Two different shadows rose from the box. The first looked like a man enraged. He held a shadow sword and was swinging it for all he was worth. Fred backed away. The second shadow man simply stood, blinking stupidly, as if awaiting instructions.
"Bingo." Bill whispered.
"But there are only two. Where are the other two?" Lapis said as Bill approached the shadows. The enraged shadow swung at him, but the blade just went through Bill's neck. He didn't even seem to notice.
Bill peered into the case. "The only ones in here are the Sword of Bacchatus and the Sword of Servitus. No other swords and no daggers."
Lapis swore. "Shit. Well, we have these anyway. Fix em up all pretty so we can get em back to London."
The twins let out identical cries of protest as Bill pointed his wand at each sword in turn and said, "Infectum reddere."
"You can't take this stuff back to London." George protested, as Percy replaced the lid and he and Christopher started leaving with it.
"I can do 'bout anything I want to." Lapis said. He lifted the protective bubble from the children and followed Percy and Christopher.
Bill grinned. "You can register your complaints with the man who will be holding the swords until we have collected them all."
Fred did not like the like on his older brother's face. "And who might that be?"
"Severus Snape." Bill said, and left Weasley's Priscus Weapons laughing.
"Are you sure they will be safe here?"
"You are questioning my security measures, Meaker?"
Lapis ran his fingers over his short hair. "Yup." he said, chuckling. "I guess you got you a point there, don't you?"
Amethyst grinned and left the room. They were in a storeroom below 1013, the restaurant Neville and Amethyst had begun. Today was opening day and Lapis found himself in the middle of a maelstrom. But it was quiet down in the basement.
"These will be perfectly safe here." Severus said, as they left the room where the swords were going to be stored. There was no sign of Amethyst. Severus pulled out his wand, pointed it at the door and muttered, "Securus."
"Are you as good at security as your wife?" Lapis asked and immediately regretted the question when Severus looked at him.
"At least." Severus replied and Lapis was suddenly very cold.
They went up a flight of wooden stairs to the restaurant's main floor. The place was jammed. Not a single free seat in the place. The stairs they emerged from were in the exact center of the place and they were in a narrow hallway. At the end of this hallway, they had the choice of going right into the Muggle area, or going left into the wizarding section. They went left, slipping behind a large tapestry.
They entered the wizarding kitchen, which was a bustle of activity. Lapis was surprised to see Neville standing off to one side, calmly watching the chaos, occasionally shouting out an order to one of the helpers.
Severus saw Lapis' expression. "Amethyst has made a potion for him. He hasn't quite learned to calm his own nerves." he said with half a grin.
They walked out of the kitchen and through the crowded restaurant. They entered Diagon Alley and walked through it's streets.
"There will be a meeting tonight regarding the remaining weapons." Lapis said, as they approached the Ministry of Magic main building.
"I will be there." Severus said. And he disappeared before Lapis began climbing the stairs.