Disclaimer: I realize this is practically the same chapter as before. And it is - almost. I've changed the ending, due to complaint *cough Elfin cough* to something I hope is less dramatic, and you Remus fans out there should appreciate more. So either reread the first part, or skip to just below the part where Severus runs. It's your choice. But please read the ending and let me know!

A/N: See above.

Time Is a Pretzel

Chapter Nine:

There Will Be An Answer

"And in my hour of darkness,

She is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom:

'Let it be.'"

Hermione collapsed into the chair by the fire. Four different locking charms on the door, three padlocks, and two chains assured that no one would easily get through.

An owl tapped at her window. Hermione glanced at the street below her apartment, opened the window, and pulled the bird inside. It dropped a letter at her feet then rested in the corner. After a few disarming spells, she ripped it open. It was a letter from Remus.

"Dearest H.G.,

I miss you. I was wondering if you could manage to visit next Wednesday. If you're not too busy at the Ministry, that is. I hear you're quite the successful witch! Congratulations about that plan I heard you came up with. It was quite a success from what I know.

I'm sorry we've lost contact over this past year, but I've been busy searching for a job. Besides, indirect contact isn't very safe anymore. Reply ASAP!

Love,

R.L."

Hermione walked into her study. Sitting at her desk, she scribbled out her letter.

"Dear R.L.,

I miss you too. I'll save the stories for next Wednesday. I'll be able to come at eighteen hundred hours.

Love,

H.G."

Handing it back to the owl, she opened the window to let it return to its master.

Hermione fumbled into her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, not bothering to change into her nightclothes. As soon as her head made contact with the pillow, she fell asleep.

~

"Hermione!" shouted Patty Patil across the lounge.

The witch being addressed turned and narrowly missed splashing her coffee over a cocky young man in a bowler. "Sorry, Cornelius," she mumbled and edged her way through the throng of people with her mug held high in the air.

"What is it, Patty?" she gasped.

"In my office. Not here." Words weren't wasted those days.

The door clicked shut behind them.

"The Ministry's decided to put you on the front lines."

"What?"

"They've decided you'd be a good asset when it came to dueling."

"Well… of course… but I'd rather be here… strategizing…"

"Where it's safe?" interrupted Patty quietly. "Yeah. We all do. But Hermione, this isn't half as important as doing the plan. Think about it! Those people out there now, they're saving lives. And not by coming up with some fancy drawings or planning. They're thinking things up on the spot. That's what you're good at. Better than the rest of us, anyway. So they've decided to put you out there. Take it as a compliment, Hermione. It means that you're more valuable than the rest of us."

"Yeah. Or vice versa."

"Well, the thing I haven't told you is you're not going in as the private, if you'll pardon the analogy. You're going in as a captain."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You're kidding!"

"Now, why would I kid about a thing like that? The Ministry realizes you're a lot better than average, Hermione. It's not hard to miss."

A knock rapped on the door. "I didn't tell you, all right? I just thought I'd be a better friend than some stuffy official."

"And you are!" whispered Hermione and gave Patty a hug before opening the door.

"Miss Granger?" asked the man at the door. Hermione recognized him as the man she had almost spilled her coffee on a few moments earlier.

Cornelius Fudge told her the same things Patty had, but with more formality, more unnecessary explanation, and no space for response. But he had something far more interesting to add.

"Miss Granger, I speak on behalf of the Ministry when I ask you if you would have any friends that might be able to help you?"

Hermione's mind instantly flew to Remus. Had he not mentioned that he was unemployed? What about Sirius? What was he doing? Certainly not looking for a job, but he had been the second-best dueler at Hogwarts (herself the first). She voiced her opinions to the man; he nodded and took down the two names. "Any others?"

Lily and James had not lost contact. They were already preoccupied as Aurors. And then of course, Lily was pregnant. They were most certainly busy.

"No, sir."

"Oh well. We will consider the two you have mentioned."

"Thank you, sir."

"Report to Alastor Moody for further instructions. He clicked his pen and began signing papers. He obviously thought speaking to her was a waste of his time.

"Yes, sir."

She shut the door firmly behind herself, just as grateful as Fudge that she was outside his stuffy and uncomfortable office.

~

A small noise was beginning to get on Lupin's nerves. Lying belly-down on his bed with the Daily Prophet: Classified Ads underneath his nose, he was trying to circle the jobs he could apply. But that infernal tapping sound!

He looked up, and was surprised to see three owls outside his window! There was Faith, his own Tawny owl, and Athena, Hermione's owl (Sirius often complained about how that "blasted owl" seemed to be strategizing of ways to finish him off. Remus had never had problems with it - he let it fly around his small, bare house as it pleased.). And then there was the third owl. It looked common enough, but Remus could tell from the way it was glaring at him it was used to more elaborate homes than his own.

He opened his own owl's reply first. It was from Hermione telling him that she would be able to meet him. Then he read Hermione's second letter. It was an explanation of something Lupin didn't dare believe: She had found him a possible job! He could work on the battlefields against Voldemort, possibly take down some Death Eaters under her command. Eager to hear the formal version, he opened the letter he knew was from the Ministry of Magic.

"Dear R. Lupin:

You have been suggested for a job at the Ministry of Magic by H. Granger as a private in the war. If you could come to an interview at seventeen hundred hours, we will see you there. We have several questions for you, and would like to test your skills.

Yours sincerely,

Barty Crouch

Ministry of Magic."

He folded up the letter and marched down his very small hallway to his room. Throwing open the closet, he selected his very best set of robes. Amber in color with deep brown trim, there was only a tiny rip at the hem, where it had been caught on the door. Lily had done him a favor and cast several protection charms to save them from a certain wolf each month. They would do.

~

Sirius flipped through the books, checking the math again. What else was there to do at England's Gringotts? And the equations were never wrong - never. That's what the problem was. There was no thrill in this job.

With that thought, a letter was dropped onto the ledger in front of him. He tore into it, eager for news of any kind.

"Dear S. Black,

You have been suggested for a job at the Ministry of Magic by H. Granger as a private in the war. If you could come to an interview at eighteen hundred hours, we will see you there. We have several questions for you, and would like to test your skills.

Yours sincerely,

Barty Crouch

Ministry of Magic."

He happily folded the letter and placed it in his pocket. 'Anything to get out of this hell-hole!' he thought eagerly. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire.

~

"Ah, Mister Lupin. Yes. I see you are currently unemployed?"

"I've been trying to find a job, ma'am."

"I take it is because of your lycanthopry." More of a statement than a question.

"Most likely, ma'am."

"Please do not waste our time with formalities, Mr. Lupin. I imagine we would both like to see you start work as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now, you would require three days off per full moon?"

"I could handle two."

"Nonsense. We don't need another body without a grave. You will have three at minimum with only one weekend break per month." He nodded before she continued. "I think, therefore, with your salary, and your… medical condition, you should be paid four Galleons and nine Sickles per month. If You-Know-Who is defeated, I can not guarantee you will have a position here."

"I understand."

"Good. I noticed on your record that you were particularly skilled in your Defense Against the Dark Arts class. It seems you worked especially well with creatures, which makes sense. However, do you think you were any good at curses?"

"Slightly. I wasn't as talented as some, but I did have a knack for summoning a Patronus. I might be of some help there." She nodded and marked something on a form. "I also practiced body-binds of all sorts, including the Stunning Spell. Expelliarmus always came naturally." Her pen made a few scratches, and she looked up. "Thank you, Mr. Lupin. If you'll follow me to the testing room…" She opened the door narrowly avoided having her face pounded on. Remus grinned at the scarlet blush on Sirius's face.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and the woman swished past him with her nose in the air.

"You think they'll build a skyscraper off that thing?" Remus whispered as he passed Sirius. He managed a weak laugh, and Remus clapped him on the back. "Good luck, Padfoot. They're like wolves in there." This time, it was an honest laugh.

"Mr. Lupin!" she screeched.

"Coming, Mother," Remus replied under his breath, but loud enough for Sirius to hear him.

"Go on, Moony. Before she has to rap your hands with a ruler."

"See you later!"

~

Remus was accepted, and so was Sirius. Hermione was delighted when she heard and insisted on treating them to dinner at her favorite restaurant, a place called "The Village Café." She ordered for them, and they talked amiably of their Hogwarts days and how much they missed seeing each other. Not once was Voldemort mentioned.

Dinner came, and as they sat sipping their wine, the check came. Hermione frowned but pulled out a leather book, and after some scribbling, placed another piece of paper on top of the receipt.

Hermione led them out of the lobby and into an alley to Apparate to her apartment building. She led them upstairs to her apartment on the third floor, where she cast a bubble around herself while she said many passwords, cast many unlocking charms, and pulled out many keys. Sirius doubted Mad-Eye Moody himself could have opened the door in time to stop someone from leaving.

"Welcome to my humble abode," she said with a smile when the door swung open, and she had separated the barrier between them. "Please keep your hands and arms inside the windows at all times. Smoking is not permitted. Thank you."

"No problem," muttered Sirius as he claimed the crimson chair by the window. Remus fell onto the couch, and Hermione sank into the purple beanbag in the corner.

"Now all we need is James and Lily," sighed Hermione.

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing them soon enough. I got an invitation just before we left concerning a baby shower."

"God help us."

"My thoughts exactly."

They laughed. "And I was thinking," Sirius continued, "that with it born, they're going to be really busy. So what if we gave them a long vacation, a week or something, to Paris? You know, after he or she is born. It'd be a good break."

Hermione grinned, and Remus nodded.

Their conversation continued for a few hours, and before Hermione knew it, Remus was standing up.

"Well, I better get going. Don't want to be late for my first day."

Sirius stood up as well. "Me too." Hermione saw them to the door, where she pulled out various keys and began undoing the locks. Remus swept through and began walking down the stairs. Sirius, however, hesitated and planted a quick kiss on Hermione's cheek before he joined him. "Lily mentioned something about you being Godmother," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione stared after them. "Be careful," she whispered before going back inside.

~

A red light began flashing all around the Department of Defense. "Everybody prepare!" shouted Hermione. She'd been there a week, and already everyone knew not to question her.

Remus and Sirius dropped their mugs of tea, grabbed their wands, and threw on their uniform robes. Hermione burst in the door. "Are you two ready yet? This is an emergency!" Much to their disappointment, Hermione hadn't favored them at all. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. They didn't expect anything else.

Everyone grabbed a broom and flew to the extents of the Ministry grounds. Landing, they all Apparated to the designated point: Liverpool.

~

Hermione was still on her broom, zooming around and firing curses. Although the Unforgivable Curses were authorized by Barty Crouch, Hermione made a vow never to use them. So instead she used body-binds and other hexes. Sirius was in the front, conjuring a giant shield to block the people from the less potent curses. A sweeping cold rushed the field. "Remus!" she shouted over her shoulder. He nodded and summoned his Patronus. A large blast of silver smoke and as Remus backed away, it took the form of a giant wolf with legs tall as humans. It howled, then charged the Dementors. They scattered. Hermione summoned hers as well, a peregrine falcon. With a piercing shriek, it took to the sky and swooped down next to the wolf. Hermione took the time to smile at her Patronus, then began firing curses.

Lucius Malfoy looked up through his mask. He could just make someone out, slightly taller than the rest. She summoned a Patronus, then fired a Stunning Charm at Nott, who was standing beside him.

"Mellous Putrefy!" he shouted. The witch gave a cry, then fell off her broom. He smirked, not realizing that behind him, Severus Snape watched in horror.

Severus turned and fled. He had heard the words Lucius spoke. There was no way to counter it. And it was very painful, if what he had read and seen were reliable sources. As he fled deeper into the forest, he threw off his Death Eater mask and robes. 'What am I doing?' he pondered. 'I have to see Dumbledore…' And with that, Apparated to Hogsmeade.

~

Something black and horrible hit Hermione in the left shoulder. She screamed in agony, and fell off her broom. Remus heard her and ran to her. In the front, Sirius was watching the Patronuses do their work. Suddenly the falcon flickered. It started to fade and fell to the ground with a painful screech. The wolf howled in sadness. Only a Patronus whose conjurer had been hurt reacted like that… He dropped the charm and fled.

He let his heart guide him, finally willing to admit that he loved her more than anything else.

Her skin was slowly shrinking, her face becoming pale and eyes sunken. Her resigned look made him shiver. Hermione never gave up, but here she was not fighting.

"Hermione! What happened?"

"Someone hit me with an Aging Curse. See how my hands are seizing up with Rheumatism and my knees are stiffening?"

Remus desperately seized a hand and cast a spell. Her knuckles relaxed for an instant, then seized up worse than before.

She cringed but weakly smiled, revealing her once dazzling teeth were now rotting in her very mouth. "It doesn't help, Remus."

"I know," he whispered.

Sirius fell to his knees beside her. His mind seemed to be on auto-pilot, because he wasn't really intending to say the words that came out of his mouth:

"'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.'"

He paused, and his eyes, which had been staring at the bright blue sky, returned to Hermione's face. Crow's feet were deepening around her eyes and her cheeks were hollowing out as if a pottery artist were scooping out her skin like clay. "Continue," she croaked. Remus squeezed her knobby hand harder and covered his eyes with the other shaking one. Sirius grasped her free hand, and she leaned back against the ground, thin snow-white hair bubbling around her.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to remember her as the young woman he'd seen no less than an hour ago.

"'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.'"

He took another deep breath but did not open his eyes for fear of what he would see.

"'Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.'"

He breathed again and felt warmth and blissful satisfactions surround him. He released his fear to the comfort around him and had courage within him again.

He looked down. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were smiling, but her breath was gone from her body.

"You didn't hear her last words," whispered Remus beside him. It didn't matter that small explosions and screams filled the air - they were clinging to each other's voices for comfort and weren't about to miss a word.

"What were they?"

He paused, then said, "'Name him Harry.'"

The silence that hung among the sounds was filled with fear, and both men realized her last words would change the world, though none knew how drastically.

A/N: That was Psalm 23.

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