Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter", etc, etc, etc. It all belongs to
J.K Rowling, except for stuff you don't recognize.
Summary: Some wounds may never heal . . .
**
*
~ Miles To Go Before I Sleep
- Chapter One: The Letter
*
**
// Dear Harry (Ron, Sirius and Remus if you guys are reading this too),
I hope you're safe and that you got to Sirius and Remus' house (thank God Sirius moved out of Grimmauld Place; it was downright depressing) all right. I know Voldemort's gone, the battle's over, etc, but I still worry about you, all right? How are the others? I know it's been only two weeks since school closed for the summer holidays, but has Ron's broken arm healed properly?
Anyway, since Hedwig turned up so unexpectedly, I thought I'd write to tell you that Mum and Dad have agreed about my holiday plans and I should be arriving at the house on Friday evening, by half past eight or so if that's okay. Mum's dropping me off at the nearest Underground station and I'll be walking from there, so I'll be deeply grateful, Harry, if neither you nor Sirius send red sparks up into the air if I'm a couple of minutes late. All right, I'll see you guys then!
Love from, Hermione
P.S - Sirius, Crookshanks says hi and sends a purr. //
Harry folded up the letter and grinned around at the seventeen-year-old redhead peering over his shoulder and the two handsome men in their early thirties practically falling over the couch in an effort to read Hermione's neat handwriting.
"She'll finally be here!" he enthused, sinking back into the couch, exhausted after a day of flying in the tree-secluded backyard of the country house Sirius and Remus had gotten. "It's about time; Ron and I must have been here for a week at least!"
"Two days, Harry," Remus Lupin said dryly, chuckling. "A mere two days."
Ron bounded onto the couch next to Harry so that the green-eyed boy nearly flew off. "Well, she'll be happy to know my arm's just perfect again!"
"I noticed." Harry grumbled, as Sirius plucked the letter out of his hands.
"Incredible, I'd say," declared Ron, directing this to Harry and Remus, who was sitting in the armchair across the coffee table. "Seeing as that git Crabbe sent BOTH Bludgers after me, and Madam Pomfrey wasn't even around that week to heal it."
Sirius, glancing through Hermione's letter, had a new point to make. "The nearest Underground station is six miles away." He said sharply. "What does she think she's doing - walking here six miles on a Friday night?"
"That would be tomorrow night," Remus pointed out, glancing up at the highly unusual clock he had on his wall. He frowned thoughtfully. "I must admit, Padfoot, that does seem rather unwise - "
"Oh it's Hermione," Ron blew this off in his typically lighthearted manner. "She loves walking; a fanatic about it, and any bloke who tries to get some of her will find himself in a pool of deep dung, I'll tell you that."
Harry began to laugh at Ron's description, but Sirius, who was sitting on the windowsill in a typically anarchic manner, his fingers raking, seemingly frustrated, through his short dark hair, scowled.
"Any bloke tries to 'get some of her'?" he demanded. "Are we supposed to let that happen? 'Cuz I'm not saying it won't; that girl's become something else over the past couple of years."
"Oh lighten up, Sirius," Ron grinned. "She'll be fine."
"So," Harry grinned at Remus and then looked at Sirius. "What do we do tonight - our last night as an all-men household for this summer?"
Sirius shook his head, smiling, and of course, it was Ron who came up with the suggestion:
"Let's call in one of those Muggle 'strippers' - is that the word, Harry? - and have a bachelor party!"
"Wizards have bachelor parties, do they?" Harry demanded.
"What's a stripper?" Remus was very interested to know. "If it's related to what the verb means, then I'm afraid, Ron - " he looked amused, nonetheless.
Sirius leaped off the windowsill. "You know, maybe this bachelor party of Ron's isn't a bad idea!" he shrugged, grinning. "We could all use some testosterone in our blood for a change, seeing as neither Tonks - " he glanced mischievously at Remus, who flushed, " - nor a certain Ms Delacour - " Ron grinned, flaming red, " - will be visiting for a while. And Harry, and I, I fear, are doomed to remain celibate."
The others began to laugh. They believed Sirius could remain celibate for even the next week about as much as they believed Draco Malfoy was in love with Hermione.
"You know, Sirius, someone is going to have to curb your playboy ways one day." Remus told him, shaking his head.
Sirius grinned. "Come now, Moony, it's all part of the charm. Besides, there's been no one worth throwing the playboy life along yet, and at thirty-three, I doubt anyone's going to Apparate into the room and change my life."
"I'll say one thing," Harry commented, eyeing his godfather shrewdly. "The girl - woman - who changes Sirius and wins his heart will be a rare, special one. If you come across her, Snuffles, hold on to her tight."
"I wonder," the werewolf in the room idly flicked his wand around his fingers, glancing at Sirius from under heavily lidded eyes - a very unnerving and penetrating stare. "If Sirius hasn't already come across her."
"Right," Sirius clapped his hands instantly, turning to Ron almost desperately. "Where do we call these strippers?"
Harry raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ron.
HAD Sirius met someone? He wondered, grinning. That would be one incredible thing to watch; Sirius falling in love. Harry didn't doubt it was possible, but from all he knew about his godfather, he didn't think it likely.
He half-listened as Sirius and Ron discussed with obvious eagerness their plans for the night, while Remus tried half-heartedly to discourage them with all kinds of moral restrictions and complaints along the lines of 'demeaning the poor young women' and Merlin knew what else. Instead, Harry looked forward to Hermione's arrival the following evening, and hoped she wouldn't keep them all in eager suspense by showing up late.
At least, he thought with a grin, Hermione was a lot happier now (her breakup with Viktor Krum had been painful and hard) and she was sure to be a hell of a lot happier once she arrived there.
Little did he - or any of them, eagerly waiting the last member of their pack's arrival - know how wrong they were.
** TBC.
**
A/N: Wow. Right, I really have to apologize for getting the readers' hopes up and then scrapping 'Destiny's Daughter', but it really wasn't working for me. I'm hoping that this one does, however, and I hope you guys will forgive me and review, letting me know if you like it. Enjoy!
Summary: Some wounds may never heal . . .
**
*
~ Miles To Go Before I Sleep
- Chapter One: The Letter
*
**
// Dear Harry (Ron, Sirius and Remus if you guys are reading this too),
I hope you're safe and that you got to Sirius and Remus' house (thank God Sirius moved out of Grimmauld Place; it was downright depressing) all right. I know Voldemort's gone, the battle's over, etc, but I still worry about you, all right? How are the others? I know it's been only two weeks since school closed for the summer holidays, but has Ron's broken arm healed properly?
Anyway, since Hedwig turned up so unexpectedly, I thought I'd write to tell you that Mum and Dad have agreed about my holiday plans and I should be arriving at the house on Friday evening, by half past eight or so if that's okay. Mum's dropping me off at the nearest Underground station and I'll be walking from there, so I'll be deeply grateful, Harry, if neither you nor Sirius send red sparks up into the air if I'm a couple of minutes late. All right, I'll see you guys then!
Love from, Hermione
P.S - Sirius, Crookshanks says hi and sends a purr. //
Harry folded up the letter and grinned around at the seventeen-year-old redhead peering over his shoulder and the two handsome men in their early thirties practically falling over the couch in an effort to read Hermione's neat handwriting.
"She'll finally be here!" he enthused, sinking back into the couch, exhausted after a day of flying in the tree-secluded backyard of the country house Sirius and Remus had gotten. "It's about time; Ron and I must have been here for a week at least!"
"Two days, Harry," Remus Lupin said dryly, chuckling. "A mere two days."
Ron bounded onto the couch next to Harry so that the green-eyed boy nearly flew off. "Well, she'll be happy to know my arm's just perfect again!"
"I noticed." Harry grumbled, as Sirius plucked the letter out of his hands.
"Incredible, I'd say," declared Ron, directing this to Harry and Remus, who was sitting in the armchair across the coffee table. "Seeing as that git Crabbe sent BOTH Bludgers after me, and Madam Pomfrey wasn't even around that week to heal it."
Sirius, glancing through Hermione's letter, had a new point to make. "The nearest Underground station is six miles away." He said sharply. "What does she think she's doing - walking here six miles on a Friday night?"
"That would be tomorrow night," Remus pointed out, glancing up at the highly unusual clock he had on his wall. He frowned thoughtfully. "I must admit, Padfoot, that does seem rather unwise - "
"Oh it's Hermione," Ron blew this off in his typically lighthearted manner. "She loves walking; a fanatic about it, and any bloke who tries to get some of her will find himself in a pool of deep dung, I'll tell you that."
Harry began to laugh at Ron's description, but Sirius, who was sitting on the windowsill in a typically anarchic manner, his fingers raking, seemingly frustrated, through his short dark hair, scowled.
"Any bloke tries to 'get some of her'?" he demanded. "Are we supposed to let that happen? 'Cuz I'm not saying it won't; that girl's become something else over the past couple of years."
"Oh lighten up, Sirius," Ron grinned. "She'll be fine."
"So," Harry grinned at Remus and then looked at Sirius. "What do we do tonight - our last night as an all-men household for this summer?"
Sirius shook his head, smiling, and of course, it was Ron who came up with the suggestion:
"Let's call in one of those Muggle 'strippers' - is that the word, Harry? - and have a bachelor party!"
"Wizards have bachelor parties, do they?" Harry demanded.
"What's a stripper?" Remus was very interested to know. "If it's related to what the verb means, then I'm afraid, Ron - " he looked amused, nonetheless.
Sirius leaped off the windowsill. "You know, maybe this bachelor party of Ron's isn't a bad idea!" he shrugged, grinning. "We could all use some testosterone in our blood for a change, seeing as neither Tonks - " he glanced mischievously at Remus, who flushed, " - nor a certain Ms Delacour - " Ron grinned, flaming red, " - will be visiting for a while. And Harry, and I, I fear, are doomed to remain celibate."
The others began to laugh. They believed Sirius could remain celibate for even the next week about as much as they believed Draco Malfoy was in love with Hermione.
"You know, Sirius, someone is going to have to curb your playboy ways one day." Remus told him, shaking his head.
Sirius grinned. "Come now, Moony, it's all part of the charm. Besides, there's been no one worth throwing the playboy life along yet, and at thirty-three, I doubt anyone's going to Apparate into the room and change my life."
"I'll say one thing," Harry commented, eyeing his godfather shrewdly. "The girl - woman - who changes Sirius and wins his heart will be a rare, special one. If you come across her, Snuffles, hold on to her tight."
"I wonder," the werewolf in the room idly flicked his wand around his fingers, glancing at Sirius from under heavily lidded eyes - a very unnerving and penetrating stare. "If Sirius hasn't already come across her."
"Right," Sirius clapped his hands instantly, turning to Ron almost desperately. "Where do we call these strippers?"
Harry raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ron.
HAD Sirius met someone? He wondered, grinning. That would be one incredible thing to watch; Sirius falling in love. Harry didn't doubt it was possible, but from all he knew about his godfather, he didn't think it likely.
He half-listened as Sirius and Ron discussed with obvious eagerness their plans for the night, while Remus tried half-heartedly to discourage them with all kinds of moral restrictions and complaints along the lines of 'demeaning the poor young women' and Merlin knew what else. Instead, Harry looked forward to Hermione's arrival the following evening, and hoped she wouldn't keep them all in eager suspense by showing up late.
At least, he thought with a grin, Hermione was a lot happier now (her breakup with Viktor Krum had been painful and hard) and she was sure to be a hell of a lot happier once she arrived there.
Little did he - or any of them, eagerly waiting the last member of their pack's arrival - know how wrong they were.
** TBC.
**
A/N: Wow. Right, I really have to apologize for getting the readers' hopes up and then scrapping 'Destiny's Daughter', but it really wasn't working for me. I'm hoping that this one does, however, and I hope you guys will forgive me and review, letting me know if you like it. Enjoy!