AN: Am I sick? Nope, it's Spring Break and that means you all get some Hermione and Remus in this chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, the general idea or their underwear, though I have tried to purchase some.
Reviews: It's not like I waited around for reviews. Gecko149 (Sorry to inconvenience you with an update. No need to get hostile), Aelimin (Can't let the whole cat out of the bag yet…I need that for later :D)
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Last Chapter: Pity, thought Voldemort, he couldn't have been more loyal. He was one of my favorites.
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The moon pulls on the earth daily. It causes the waters to rise and fall in tides, but that is just the moon's gravity. The moon also changes its face, a new phase for a new night. Phases pull more than gravity, causing more tragic change than the tides. And such a force cannot be reckoned with.
Remus closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. The calendar had been kind to him the past month but he had only been biding his time until this, the time when it came full circle. He had been trying to shut everything out. That task was hard when he could hear her breathing in the next room, sense her sleeping or waking, even smell and know she had come inside. Right now, he paused his thought; she's turning over to sleep on her…right…no left side.
The wolf was a wanting creature and when it came to its full strength, the second of the three days the moon was full, its peak neither waning nor waxing, it nearly pushed Remus over the edge every time. He could feel his nature changing ferociously. The emotions were consuming, overpowering.
Glancing down at his desk's bottom drawer, Remus listened to Hermione sleeping once more before opening it. He took out all three vials and placed them on the desk. He knew which one he needed first. Picking up the black and purple one, he downed a bit and waited.
Immediately, his eyes, nose, and ears began burning in unison. He shook off the effects, wiped his watering eyes, and then sipped a bit from red one. Remus grimaced at the taste, wondering if Snape did it on purpose, but that did not matter as he felt the potion doing its job. Feeling a bit more relaxed, he stared at the only one left, the blue one. He had not taken any in awhile and he knew he needed to, so he took just a tiny amount.
Remus looked out at an apparently complete circle of silver light setting but it was not truly full. Only tonight would it be full enough for him to change, not the full moon before or the full moon after, neither was as whole as the one in between. Its full power would come tonight. He started to slam the desk drawer shut but listened to Hermione's much quieter breathing, closed it slowly, and started his way quietly down the stairs.
Being in December and of course winter, the night lasted longer than in the balmy, summer days, so it was a bit before Remus could see bits of sunrays coming into the kitchen. He was nursing a cup of decaf coffee; he had learned in the past that full moons and caffeine did not mix well.
He figured he should start on actually making breakfast before Hermione came down, seeing how that was about the only meal he could make without setting something on fire. Remus puttered around the kitchen, moving the multitude of crackers aside in the cabinets, looking for some bread to toast. Over the past few weeks, crackers and ginger ale had become Hermione's best friends with her constant morning sickness or as she put it late afternoon sickness.
She had even stolen one of Remus' pillows. He smiled at that. Hermione was not good at stealth and he knew all along that she was in his room, trying ever so quietly to take the pillow that somehow was positioned next to his back. He had never mentioned the missing pillow because he knew she needed it more than he did to get to sleep these days.
Bread popped in the toaster and a few eggs in the skillet, stirring could be heard above and a few minutes later, a robed Hermione appeared from the stairs. Remus did not need to turn around to know she was there. He could sense it, even though it was not as intense as before which he was grateful. The scent of her was like raspberry with a bit of vanilla. Next time he was in the bathroom, maybe he would investigate that further, looking the bottles in there over.
He did not know how he could have looked over them for so long. Hermione had immediately set in on cleaning the house up and started promptly with the bathroom. After she declared she could see herself in it, the room quickly filled with an overflow of feminine products. Remus somehow managed to squeeze in his own meager male needs of a razor, shaving cream, and a few other things.
The rest of the house emerged out from Hermione's watchful eye much less grimy and somewhat lemony scented. He had let her do it, when she was working her face did not look so grave as it did when she was given time to sit and think.
"Good morning," he said over his shoulder, flipping an egg the best he could.
She uttered an unenthusiastic reply, sat down at the table, and asked, "How can you be up at this ungodly hour?"
Remus turned from the skillet. She still looked tired and in fact, her eyes were closed. "Years of practice, not to mention hunger." His eating habits reverted back to his teenage years whenever it was near a full moon. "Do you want something?"
Hermione slowly opened her eyes, feeling slightly nauseated. This time it was not due to any morning sickness. No, she had had the dream again. The one she dreamed the first night at Lupin Lea, the one that would not leave her alone. After a few nights of it, she had learned to keep quiet to not yell out so not disturb Remus and she would sit in her cold sweat for a bit before she was lulled unwillingly back to oblivion.
Breakfast did not smell appealing or at least nothing fried did. She shivered to herself, not due to the wintry air or the frost that crept up the windows. Hermione looked up at Remus, thankful that her dream had yet to come true.
"Do you feel alright? You don't look so well," he said, spatula in hand.
She tried to give him a convincing look. "Yeah, I'm just not very hungry. I never could eat too early in the morning, perhaps a little later I might."
"Okay," Remus said as the toast emerged. "I'll put some in the fridge for you if you feel up to it later. Just make sure you eat something before we go over your lessons. You'll need it. I planned a lesson in Advanced Potions and may Merlin help me."
He shook his head at the thought before platting his food. Hermione wondered why he had planned something so ambitious for this day. She had rather thought he might be under too much strain to go through with it. He seemed well enough, slightly more drawn than usual, but that was to be expected.
"Are you sure you want to go over potions today?" she asked.
Remus paused in eating; all the food was nearly gone. "Well, sure. I can't keep running away from the subject; have to tackle it eventually. I have a feeling today I'll be the student and you the teacher."
"I just thought," Hermione fumbled her words, "seeing what today is…you might like to take it easy. I mean I would completely understand if you wanted –"
"Oh," he said simply. "I'm perfectly fine today." Yeah, right. "Tomorrow, I'm afraid lessons will be canceled in order for me to recuperate but that would be it."
He was silently thanking whoever had invented the potions he took earlier as Hermione patted his hand. She said, "If there is anything I can do for you, Remus, I will."
"Thank you, Hermione, but you needn't worry much about me. It's become a routine by now and I won't burden you with it." She removed her hand, picked up his plate, and then sat it in the sink.
"I'm the burden here," she muttered to the sink, her back turned from Remus.
Remus downed the rest of his coffee. "The only burden here is Advanced Potions, which we must be getting to. Ever made a Infinitive serum?"
Hermione shook her head 'no'.
"Well, we need to get cracking then. It takes a few hours just to get the ingredients in, relatively a lot of pauses for simmering, and then it has to brew for several more. Too bad Severus isn't here to see me try this. He'd have a field day. You can go get dressed while I bring the cauldron down, and we'll see if we can avoid blowing something up."
She voiced her agreement and left, saying she would not be long. Remus put his cup in the sink to wash later and leaned forward a bit. Faintly, under the smell of half burnt toast and eggs, a fruity tone hung in the air. He stood up, walked toward the stairs, and seriously considered drinking a few vials of potion. He chided himself for such thoughts. Got to make them last, he thought, until Snape brings more. These idiotic full moons come every month, and you, my boy, are going to need every last drop.
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After a few mishaps involving some black poppy seeds and wraith's blood, which Remus soon found out should never be mixed, the potion sat bubbling contently on the kitchen stove. He hoped the bits of eyebrow he lost would grow back. Hermione even had told him not to do it, just as if he was Neville Longbottom, not like Remus was listening.
"They'll grow back," said Hermione, rubbing some salve on the pinkish parts of Remus' face.
"I hope so. I look completely ridiculous," he said.
She gave him a stern look. "Well, I told you not to add the seeds until the wraith's blood was thoroughly mixed in, but then you dumped them right in anyway. I must admit; it was the best potion explosion I've seen in awhile."
"Ten galleons says Neville Longbottom tops me."
"Of course, he mixed dragon scales with both essence of an arrow toad and willow sap. Nearly blew the dungeons sky high. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey was able to put him back together," she smiled, "along with Professor Snape, too."
Remus inwardly smiled at the thought of Severus in the hospital ward since he could not move his face much to express that. Although, he was beginning to be able to feel his nose again and the sting had started to dissipate. Hermione closed up the jar, announced she was finished, and washed her hands. "Is it starting to look any better?"
She turned to look. "You're still pink here and here," indicating his nose and forehead. "Other than that I think you'll pull through."
Looking outside, Remus noticed it had started to grow darker. Stiffly he worked his jaw around and headed for the refrigerator. Hermione stood over the potion, poking at it. Opening the door, he reached in for an all to familiar green bottle, uncorked it and as quick as he could drank half of the vial. He shuddered involuntarily. Too bad sugar makes it useless.
"What's the matter?" asked Hermione, seeing his body shiver.
"Potion," he said. "It tastes horrid."
Hermione glanced outside and then to the glowing green of the vial. "Oh," she said.
He pinched his nose this time and swiftly took the rest. Snape probably just tells me the no-sugar nonsense to torture me. His stomach churning, Remus could feel a much stronger sensation over come him. He shut the refrigerator door. He needed to get to his room.
"Hermione, this is my time to exit. If you would please follow me upstairs, I will quickly explain to you the procedure and after that you will have the rest of the night to yourself."
"All right, but…" she said and hurried after him up the stairs.
Outside his room, Remus stopped. "I've taken the Wolfsbane but I will be barricading my door from the inside and you need to do the same from the outside, just to be safe."
She opened her mouth to interrupt, but Remus held up a hand. "I'm running short on time and all I ask is that you do these things for me. Also, don't be alarmed if you don't hear any noise; I'll be putting up a soundproofing spell, so not to wake you. Do not unlock your side until the sun has started to rise and do not enter for your safety's sake. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes, I can," Hermione said and in a rush finished, "and I'm not scared."
Remus looked out from his almost shut door, only half of his now pale and drawn face showing. "You should be." He glanced behind him at his window. "Good night, Hermione." With that the door closed, clicks were heard from the other side then silence. A quick wave of her wand sent up a shield against his door.
Hermione put her hand against the door before going into her room and sitting on her bed. A sliver of silver light shown through the crack in the curtains. It fell directly on her bedside table. She stared down at the bottom drawer, the enchanted, locked one, for a moment. Disgusted with her thoughts, she went down stairs to check on the potion. No sound came from Remus' room the entire night.