A/N: There be lemons ahead! If that's not your thing—I'd quit this story now. Assume that stuff happens and that there's a conclusive ending.
If that is your thing, I have tried to be as well-behaved as possible. I don't think it's overly explicit, but maybe that's because I read way too much smut. There maybe some slight skipping ahead, time wise so that we can 'get to the good stuff'.
January, 1979
"I'm…I'm what?!" Remus Lupin bellowed in righteous fury. John Lupin frowned at his son.
"You're betrothed," his father said firmly.
"But, how?" Remus demanded in shock. "Surely the girl has to know, that I…that I am what I am? There must be clause in there somewhere about undisclosed conditions."
"Her family knows everything, and they've agreed to the betrothal. All the paperwork has been signed, sealed and approved by the Ministry," John said with a hint of steel in his voice. Remus stood there, his mouth opening and closing for several minutes.
"Father, you can't possibly think that I can do this right now," Remus blustered helplessly. "There's a war on, and you know I've been working very hard for the war effort."
"Oh, that's fine son. The wedding won't be for another fifteen years," Mr. Lupin said mildly. Remus started slightly and then frowned at his father.
"Why fifteen years?" He asked in surprise.
"Because your future wife is only five years old. It gives her time to grow up and you time to get used to the fact that you're getting married whether you like it or not," his father continued on inexorably. Remus' face flushed with fury and he growled at his father.
"She's what? Father, how could you do this?" Remus was screaming now, his frustration, anger and fear pushing him passed his normal behavior.
"I did it because I love you, son, and it seemed the best course of action for you," John Lupin said mildly. Remus' chest was heaving and his eyes were turning amber with the force of his emotions.
"Could you please explain that a little more, father," Remus managed to choke out. He sat down again, in the chair across from his father's desk, so that he could at least maintain the semblance of being a calm, rational wizard.
"You're a good man, Remus, despite your affliction. You're noble and selfless, which I'm rather proud of, but it does provide problems when we look at your future. You would never inflict yourself on any woman. You don't feel that you're good enough, and you blame your…illness. That's not really fair, son. Your mother and I think that any woman would love to have a husband as kind and as caring as you are," John Lupin said firmly. He didn't even mention the increased libido near the full moon because he didn't really think that Remus would appreciate that conversation at all, but that would definitely be a plus for most women as well.
"But, father," Remus said weakly. John shook his head.
"Your mother says there's a new potion that allows you more mental control, it will counteract the years that someone with your condition normally has taken off their life. She's been learning how to brew it herself, and she's got some ready for you, I believe. Our understanding is that it tastes horrific, but it works a treat," John informed his son firmly.
"But…but father," Remus said miserably, his eyes tortured. "What about the children?"
"Merlin's saggy balls, boy! It's like you're bound and determined to not be happy or have any sort of future! The children will be fine. Your mother, and your betrothed's family have spoken to specialists both here and in France, Italy and Germany. All of them assure us that your lycanthropy is not heritable," John snapped in frustration. Remus stared at his father, his mouth open. The Lupins never said the "L" word. Never. It was always 'your condition' or 'his affliction', or even 'you know'.
"It's not?" Remus asked hopefully.
"No, dear, it's not. Now drink your potion like a good boy," Mrs. Lupin said firmly as she pressed a smoking goblet into his hand. He choked down the foul brew and gasped slightly at the taste. His mother patted his head fondly and left his father's study. He turned back to his father and frowned.
"Who am I engaged to, then?" He demanded. Mr. Lupin smiled at his son.
"Miss Nymphadora Tonks," he said proudly. Remus stared at his father.
"Nymphadora Tonks?" Remus said slowly, thinking carefully for a moment. Then his face paled and he stared at his father. "Sirius' five year-old cousin? That's who you've betrothed me to?"
"Yes. Charming little thing. She's going to be quite the handful someday," Mr. Lupin said with a fond smile for his future daughter-in-law.
"I see," Remus said faintly.
"Her mother is so sweet and understanding," Mrs. Lupin offered as she entered her husband's study again and set down a tray with his lunch. "You need to eat something, dear. You'll be up late again tonight, and I want you to have something in your body."
"Yes, yes," Mr. Lupin said waving a hand at his wife impatiently.
"Just so you know, Remus, your father and I are going to moving soon," Mrs. Lupin continued happily, shoving a sandwich at her son.
"You are?" Remus said in surprise. "Where to?"
"Ottery St. Catchpole," Mrs. Lupin said with a satisfied smile. "Your father's going to work for the Quibbler as their political correspondent. We're going to live in a lovely house owned by the Quibbler so that your father can be closer to the editor and the printing press."
"Really?" Remus said weakly, his mind working furiously. "You have seen the house, right mother?"
"Oh my, yes," Mrs. Lupin said fondly. "It's just lovely. There's plenty of room for you and your friends to visit, as well. Mr. Lovegood worries about our protection because of the political climate, so he's paid to have the house warded as well."
"I see," Remus said carefully, although he was fairly certain that he didn't. He suddenly had a new potion that helped him tremendously, a betrothed, and his parents were taken care of both financially and politically. He frowned slightly. "Mother…you haven't been speaking to Sirius' new wife, have you?"
"Mrs. Black is a charming young woman," his mother informed him coolly. "She has invited me to luncheon and tea several times."
"She has?" Remus asked cautiously, thinking carefully. His mother nodded, a happy smile on her lips.
Remus Lupin was far from stupid. He knew that his little furry problem had caused issues socially for his mother and made it difficult for his father to get and keep a job. They had been tarred with the same brush he had, if only to a lesser extent. The last time his mother had been invited to tea or a luncheon had been over ten years ago. She hadn't this looked this happy for about the same length of time. He was furious at Hermione—oh, he definitely knew who to blame for his new 'betrothed'—but at the same time, he couldn't begrudge his parents their own happiness. They had sacrificed so much for him over the years because they loved him, and they wanted the best for him. They'd emptied the family vaults to try and find a cure for him. His father had taken menial, degrading jobs to continue to search for a cure for their son, for him. So instead of screaming and yelling, he clenched his teeth and congratulated his mother and father warmly. He went with his mother to their new home in Ottery St. Catchpole and oohed and aahed over its many fine appointments. The house actually was very nice; it was airy and bright, and had a nice kitchen garden where his mother could happily spend many hours. She loved the house, and he couldn't blame her—it was leagues away from the house they'd been forced to live in when the money had run out.
"Mother, have you decided what to do with the other place?" Remus asked curiously. His mother pressed her lips together tightly, and anxious worry reflected in her eyes.
"We're going to rent it out, for now," she said softly. "Just in case."
So his mother was worried that this was all a fantasy, that it could disappear at any moment. He frowned slightly. Hermione, if she was behind all of this, wasn't that type of person. She wasn't sadistic or cruel. If she was doing all of this…he paled dramatically. She must have Seen something. His parents dying? Or his father skewered for his political views? Something had pushed his packmate to protect his family. Remus couldn't find it within himself to be angry with Hermione. He knew how protective she could be about her people, and he knew that she considered him one of her people.
"Somehow, mother, I don't think you'll need to worry too much, but the extra income from the rent might help you out a bit," Remus said soothingly, patting his mother on the back. She nodded in agreement.
"I think it might, too," she murmured with a slight smile. "For the first time in years, things are looking up for the Lupin family."
"Hmm," Remus said noncommittally. He still planned on having a very serious chat with a certain young witch.
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HG/HP/HB
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Morning had rapidly become one of Sirius' favorite times of day. He usually woke before Hermione did, and he loved to lay there with her warm, pliant body against his. This morning when he'd woken, she was sprawled across his chest, using him as a pillow. Her wild curls were spread across his shoulder and her thigh was thrown over him as well. He pulled down the sheet so he could admire the curve of his wife's shapely ass. He lazily stroked her soft skin, and luxuriated in their natural bond. Their magic was permanently meshed now, and he could usually tell how she was feeling. Right now, she was asleep so there wasn't a lot of emotion involved, but there was a peacefulness to their bond that made him bone-deep happy. After the upbringing he'd had, Sirius wasn't sure if he was meant to be happy. He'd never really thought that he deserved to have someone that loved him unconditionally, the way Hermione did. Before their bond, he'd known that Hermione loved him, but now he knew just how much she loved him. Even while she was asleep he could feel her love for him flowing through the bond. She stirred in his arms, moving against him, which did delightful things to his body.
"Sirius?" Hermione murmured in a sleep-slurred voice. He grinned and kissed the top of her head.
"Yes, Mrs. Black?" He asked cheerfully. There was an indelicate snort and then one hazel eye snapped open to look at him.
"Do you have to do that every morning?" She asked plaintively. He hauled her up and kissed her nose.
"Yes," he said simply. She wrapped her arms around him and flicked her hand. Suddenly his mouth felt minty-fresh and her lips were on his. He held her tightly against him and returned the kiss.
With a practiced air, Sirius rolled them over so that Hermione was underneath him and he began to place feather-light kisses down the column of her throat. She squirmed underneath him, gasping and making breathy moans that drove him half mad. Nothing turned him on more, or got him rock hard in a matter of seconds like the sounds Hermione made when he was touching her. He licked and nibbled his way down to the most beautiful breasts in the world. He gave each perfect globe a lingering kiss that included a few nips and licks that made Hermione thread her fingers in his hair and moan low in her throat. He smirked against the curve of her waist and continued his way down to his most favorite spot in the world. She squeaked as he unceremoniously parted her thighs and then gasped in pleasure as he nipped her inner thigh. He settled in because he planned on staying awhile. One of the major perks of being married was that he had every right to do what he was doing right now. As he nibbled and licked and sucked his way around his most favorite spot in the world, his beautiful wife mewed, panted, gasped and when he hit just the right spot…purred.
"No going back to sleep, love, we're just getting started," Sirius growled in her ear. She blinked lazily at him and smiled.
"We are?" She asked curiously, and then gasped in surprise as he slid inside her. "Ooh!"
"We are," he said firmly. She wrapped her legs around his waist and grinned at him.
"If you say so, love," she panted as he stroked inside her.
Sirius ignored her teasing and concentrated on making his wife scream his name. Preferably more than once. His thrusts were deep and hard, guaranteed to take the little minx's breath away and leave her panting and gasping. He knelt between her legs and put her ankles behind his head, allowing him to stroke even deeper.
"Oh, Sirius," she gasped, her hazel eyes wide in surprise. He grinned at her and stroked her with his thumb, and she shuddered around him her cries like music to his ears. "Oh, not fair!"
"Don't worry, love. Still not done yet," he panted in her ear. She looked really surprised this time and frowned at him.
"You didn't swallow a lust potion, did you?" she asked worriedly. He rolled his eyes.
"No, kitten, I didn't. Now be a good girl and get on your knees," he said, helping her turn over. She giggled.
"I don't think anyone's ever said that before," she said over her shoulder, a saucy smile on her lips. He grinned at her.
"Probably not," he agreed as he slid inside her again, making her squeak and then moan loudly. Her moans and squeals, his ragged breathing and the sound of their flesh striking together were the only sounds in their bedroom for some time. He was close now, he could feel his body tighten when Hermione looked over her shoulder at him again, her gaze a mix of love and lust. Their bond was wide open and he could feel everything. They were together in the bond and that look sent him over the edge. He grasped her hips tightly and bellowed his pleasure to the world, she followed, his name on her lips.
After a thorough wash up, which may or may not have involved taking Hermione against the shower door, he was dressed and bouncing down the grand staircase. At the bottom of his stairs was a particularly pained-looking Remus.
"Is that a normal occurrence every morning, or did you know I was here?" His friend asked irritably. Sirius blinked in surprise.
"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked in confusion. Remus sighed and rubbed his temples.
"You left standing orders with your house elves to let me in, no matter the time of day or night in case I needed somewhere safe to be. I came in late last night and crashed in the room you have set aside for me. I woke up much, much earlier than I had planned to hear the woman I think of as a sister scream your name on and off for about two or three hours. I was ready to knock myself out when she finally stopped," Remus explained with a look of discomfort on his face. Sirius grinned unrepentantly.
"That's pretty much normal every morning," he said with smug satisfaction. "And every afternoon and evening unless she's got something scheduled, which she almost always does. If I don't stake a claim in the morning, I'm usually out of luck."
"For two hours, Padfoot?" Remus demanded. Sirius shrugged.
"I don't know what to tell you, Remus," Sirius said with a grin. "Wait until you're married, then you can tell me what is and isn't acceptable."
"Actually, that's exactly why I'm here," Remus said darkly.
"Remus!" Hermione called from the stairs, a smile lighting up her face.
Marriage had agreed with Hermione. She looked healthy and happy, her skin was radiant and her eyes shone with love and affection. She hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek. He hugged her back stiffly and released her quickly to step back. Forever burned into his eardrums were her screams of pleasure, and he couldn't quite look her in the eye at the moment.
"Look, Hermione," he growled at her shoes. "What exactly are you up to?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean, Remus. Why don't we go into the dining room and have some breakfast? Sirius, I don't care what Moody said, I expect you to eat something before you leave this house," Hermione snapped at her husband when he attempted to sneak towards the front door. He sighed and headed to the dining room instead. "I don't know what that man is thinking, driving all of you the way he is, no stopping for breaks. I swear James has lost a stone since starting in the Auror department. I'm going to have to speak to that man if this continues."
"Who, James?" Remus and Sirius both asked as they tried to follow Hermione's rant.
"No, Auror Moody," Hermione said calmly as she sat down in the chair that Sirius had pulled out for her. Both men started slightly at that and then hid small smiles. Sirius would dearly love to see his tiny kitten tear into Moody.
"Now, Remus, what were you going on about before?" Sirius asked his friend. Remus turned and glared at Hermione.
"What the bloody hell, Hermione?" Remus demanded. "You've gotten me betrothed to a five year-old?"
"What?!" Sirius burst out before he started laughing. "Oh, kitten, that's...that's…what were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that if I didn't force his hand, Remus would most likely ignore the poor thing and reject his mate. He's just noble and self-sacrificing enough to do it, the bloody git," Hermione said tartly. Remus growled at her and she shook her finger at him. "Don't you growl at me, Remus Lupin! You and I both know that that girl is your mate. Even her mother recognized the truth and she fully supported the betrothal."
"What about you?" Remus demanded bitterly, turning to his friend. "Do you support this as well?"
"Is this girl really your mate?" Sirius asked him bluntly. Remus sighed and closed his eyes.
"Yes, damn it, she is, but Padfoot she's five!" Remus countered. Hermione sighed heavily.
"No one is asking you to marry the child tomorrow. You'll be married in fifteen years or so. When she's twenty," Hermione pointed out dryly. Remus snorted in derision.
"Right. Splendid," he muttered. He glared at Sirius. "How can you be so calm about this?"
"What key element am I missing?" Sirius asked Hermione. She smiled at him and sent him a wave of affection.
"Remus has been officially betrothed to Nymphadora Tonks, Andromeda's child," Hermione said sweetly.
"He what?!" Sirius asked in shocked surprise. He turned to Remus and saw his friend's face fall slightly, hurt flashing in his eyes. "No, wait, Remus, I'm not upset that it's you, I'm just surprised. How did you arrange a betrothal, Hermione?"
"I did nothing. Meda approached Alphard and he did it all," Hermione said smugly.
"So that means that we'll be related," Sirius said with a happy grin. Remus blinked at him.
"You're really okay with this?" Remus asked him cautiously.
"Well, if she's your mate Remus you really don't have a choice," Sirius pointed out to his friend.
"Well, no," Remus admitted. Hermione frowned slightly.
"Remus, is the main problem that you thought Sirius would be upset with you, would reject you as his friend?" Hermione asked in an odd voice. Sirius glanced at her and then turned to Remus.
"You didn't really believe that I would reject you, would you?" Sirius asked in surprise. "You do remember who I am, right? I've seen more betrothals straight from the cradle than you can shake your wand at, and a lot of them were with older wizards or even witches."
"Yeah, but," Remus tried to explain and Hermione cut him off with a sharp look.
"I'm quite sure that your lycanthropy was never a consideration. Sirius has invested heavily in the company that's patented the new Wolfsbane potion, and he's planning on making a killing when we convince the Ministry to subsidize it," Hermione said firmly. Sirius grinned at his friend.
"It was going to be a birthday surprise, but you've gone and spoiled that part," Sirius said cheerfully.
"My birthday?" Remus repeated blankly. Sirius nodded earnestly.
"Yeah, it's in two months, you know… your birthday?" Sirius looked at him with concerned eyes.
"We're having a party for you here, of course," Hermione added. "Your future-in-laws and your betrothed will come for a small luncheon with your parents, Sirius and I and James and Lily. Oh, and my parents and Sirius' Uncle Alphard. Just family, really. We'll have your other party later that night."
Those words made Sirius' heart swell in his chest. His experiences with family had been unpleasant for the most part. He had always been held to exacting standards to which he had never, no matter how hard he tried, seemed to measure up. Now he was surrounded by people who were family and loved him no matter what. He could tell by the look on Remus' face that he felt the same way. Well, the Lupins had always loved their son unconditionally, but Remus had always felt like he'd failed them somehow because he was a werewolf. They'd never felt like that, and would have been horrified to hear it suggested, but Remus did. Hermione cleared her throat delicately.
"Sirius? You don't want to be late," she chided him gently. He nodded and finished his eggs, kippers and toast, washing it all down with tea. A quick kiss on the lips and he was out the door.
"You Saw something, didn't you," Remus asked her quietly. Hermione grew absolutely still and fixed him with a cold glare. He shifted awkwardly in his seat.
"I Saw you reject that poor woman because of your fears and insecurities. I saw her pine for you, Remus John Lupin. I didn't think such a thing was really possible, but she was truly pining away for you. You were being such a selfish prig, I wanted to smack you," Hermione snapped in irritation. Remus started slightly. She never been anything but unfailingly kind and gentle with him in the entire time they had known one another.
"So this was your solution?" He asked dryly. She glared at him.
"You will be kind to the child, and when she is a woman you will reap the benefits," Hermione told him flatly. He nodded.
"Yes, ma'am," he murmured faintly. She smiled sweetly at him and sipped her tea.
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HG/HP/HB
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Lucius was pacing again. Regulus rubbed his brow in irritation and tried to tune out his fellow knight. He was hunched over a letter from Hermione that was creased from folding and unfolding and refolding. She had asked some very difficult questions about his parents and he was afraid that whatever it was she suspected might actually be going on. He loved his mother almost as much as he hated her, and he was so conflicted about what he should do with her that he couldn't sleep some nights. He watched his father like a hawk whenever his mother left them alone, which was almost never he had realized with a sinking sensation in his gut. He watched his mother carefully as well, and he grew ever more disturbed. Something wasn't quite right, Hermione was right about that.
"Where is she?" Lucius snapped impatiently, pacing back and forth again.
"I have no idea," Severus snapped back. "I'm not her social secretary."
"I'm right here," Hermione said coolly, one brow raised at all of them. "What on earth has all of you wound so tightly?"
"We found out how he's doing it," Lucius said flatly, his silver eyes veiled. Hermione's eyes widened and she gave a short nod.
"Very well, how is he doing it?" Hermione asked.
"You said he'd gone to Hogwarts to request a job, correct?" Lucius checked with Hermione. She nodded.
"Yes, that's how Rowena's diadem got into the room of requirement," she agreed. It was the one horcrux they actually had, and they kept it hidden in a carefully warded room of the French dower house.
"That's not the only thing he did while he was there," Lucius said with an expression of distaste. "He cast a copying spell on the book. It has all sorts of tamper-proof charms and wards, but a copying spell is considered perfectly innocuous. The headmaster or the deputy headmaster do one every year so that they have a list of the current incoming students to distribute to all the teachers to give them an idea of the class sizes, et cetera. It never occurred to anyone that somebody might do something like what he's done. It just…it never occurred to them."
"Of course it didn't," Hermione soothed, one hand on Lucius' arm. "You all have to remember that we aren't him. We have to work to think the way he does because no sane, rational witch or wizard would ever think that way. Sometimes we'll make mistakes, or miscalculate because we didn't expect something. I can't think of that as a failure on your part because it means you aren't as depraved as he is."
"People are dying," Lucius said in a pained voice. His face tightened slightly. "Children are dying."
The very last thing that a wizard like Lucius Malfoy would ever do would be to sit around and talk about his feelings, but Narcissa's miscarriage and resulting depression had hit him just as hard as it had her. He had realized with that miscarriage that he really did love his wife. As a pureblood who was currently suffering the repercussions of inbreeding, children were incredibly precious. He would move heaven and earth if it meant he could put a baby in Narcissa's arms. When Hermione had pulled her little stunt in the bookstore, he'd gone to her immediately and given her a firm set down for getting Narcissa's hopes up, and revealing her Seer abilities. Hermione had laughed in his face and explained that among women it was common to offer platitudes and encourage the woman involved that there would be another baby. Hermione strongly doubted that Narcissa would attribute Seer abilities to her speech because they were so rare. He was uncertain if Narcissa believed that, but so far he was certain she hadn't told anyone. He had been conflicted at first because he still cared very deeply for Hermione, but he realized that both women had shifted in importance within his heart. He would most likely always care for Hermione: she was his first love and the woman who had shown him that he didn't have to be a Death Eater. For all of that and more, she would always be special to him, but they had both made promises and oaths that they were honor bound to uphold. That and he truly loved Narcissa, and Hermione was very much in love with Sirius. All of that was shoved ruthlessly to the back of his mind under the revulsion he felt about the Death Eaters that were murdering children.
"That's true," Hermione agreed sadly. "Children are dying. We need to stop it as soon as possible. Regulus, you still have access to the castle; do you feel this is something that you can take care of by yourself?"
"I did the detection charms that revealed his spells," Regulus said firmly. "I was extremely careful with that because I didn't want to do anything strong enough to leave a magical signature. I don't think it can be any of your milites, domina."
"Would you be willing to sneak me in the castle?" Hermione asked Regulus. He swallowed and looked at his sister-in-law. If anything happened to her, Sirius would kill him. Then Lucius and Severus would take turns pounding his remains into red dust. Unless James Potter managed to beat them to it. She raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed.
"Yes, domina," Regulus finally said with obvious reluctance. Hermione tossed her wild curls over her shoulder.
"It will be fine, Regulus. A bit of complex magic, and you may or may be expelled if we're caught, but I think we'll be able to manage it," Hermione said soothingly.
"Domina, that is not quite as comforting as you perceive it to be," Severus observed dryly.
"What do you suppose he will do when his spell stops working?" Lucius asked coolly, already running scenarios through his head. Hermione smiled slightly.
"He will want to check, of course, but that's where he'll run into problems. He won't have ready access to Hogwarts. Dumbledore won't allow him here again. I believe the headmaster understands now who exactly Tom Riddle is, and he won't risk having him anywhere near Hogwarts. He may attempt to send someone in to check. It may or may not be one of you or the others. If it is, feel free to show him my magical signature. No one will recognize it. I kept a very low profile in school, and the sort of people who are trained to recognize the differences in magical signatures don't know me," Hermione said firmly. The milites nodded reluctantly. They hated plans that put her at risk because they perceived her Seer ability as their secret weapon.
"This summer we will acquire the ring, and the other Horcruxes and I will approach Dumbledore," Lucius reminded her. She nodded.
"Remember, Lucius. You must give him the diary. No other Horcrux can be allowed in his hands. If he questions you, you may give him your very best snooty Malfoy face and inform him that we don't trust him around some of them considering his past behavior," Hermione told Lucius, again.
The milites hated this part with a passion. Whenever they had meetings, Hermione usually went over future projects and made sure that they had all the information they needed to continue the mission without her. Regulus had to physically and mentally restrain himself when he would rather jump up and scream at her. She wasn't going to die on them because they wouldn't let her. They sat through it and nodded at all the appropriate places. Severus tuned her out for the most part. Regulus hadn't gotten close enough to the older man that he could tell when Sev was no longer listening. Unfortunately for Severus, so could his blood-sister. She smacked him on the arm.
"Look, Sev, I'm not planning on dying, and I don't See it either, but remember I See probabilities. There's always random chance. Let us just say that I know exactly what can happen if a key player dies without passing along key information. That's not going to happen with us. All three of you know our major plans and how we plan to implement them. If anything happens to any of the four of us, we'll need to consider expanding the ring of information out. I want each of you to consider someone to replace you. We'll need to make sure that of your choices although all of them have received my mark," Hermione was muttering to herself when she got to the last bit, thinking about possible double crosses.
"Do you ever stop planning and thinking?" Severus teased her lightly. Hermione blinked at him in surprise, as though he had asked her if she ever stopped breathing. Regulus snickered.
"You would have been such a good Slytherin. I think you would have ruled our House with an iron glove. We would have won the House Cup every year, and most likely every Quidditch match," he teased his sister-in-law. She smirked at him.
"You would have, if you'd had me," she agreed. She looked around at them. "Are we done? Right, Regulus, I'll meet you in three nights near the Whomping Willow."
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HG/HP/HB
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"Do you feel that your destruction of the copying charms will stop the attacks?" Griselda Marchbanks demanded. Hermione shook her head.
"Not really, we're dealing with a perverted excuse for a human being that thrives on pain and death. I imagine he'll alter his attacks because he won't have access to the muggleborns anymore. He was already attacking the purebloods who were defying him. I imagine that that will continue," Hermione said flatly. Griselda nodded.
"I agree," she said in her gravelly voice. She turned to the rest of the women present at this meeting and looked at them. "Does anyone disagree?"
All those present shook their head mutely. They had seen with their own eyes the things that these so-called Death Eaters were capable of, and they didn't put anything passed their leader.
"What's next on the agenda," Griselda asked, looking down the table at Hyacinth Fenwick. Mrs. Fenwick grabbed her notes and flipped through them carefully.
"The magical orphans from the attacks," she replied, glancing up from her papers.
"Ah, yes," Mrs. Bones said firmly. "Our committee has determined that there are twenty magical orphans from bungled, or failed attacks on families. These children are all listed as muggleborn. In two instances, we discovered that there was a squib grandmother or grandfather in the line and approached the child's wizarding relations. In both cases, the wizarding family had had difficulty continuing their line and they were thrilled to take the children and formally adopt them."
"The other eighteen may very well have squibs further back in the line," pointed out Augusta Longbottom.
"The problem is that some of them might come from families that have completely died out," observed Mrs. McKinnon dryly. The other women nodded. "We'll need to formalize what we already have in place."
"I think if we formed a board, and each of our families contributed a modest amount, we could purchase a house and hire staff to help us run it," Mrs. Bones said thoughtfully. The other women agreed readily to this.
"We might bond some house elves to the orphanage to help the staff," Hermione said mildly. The other women looked at her in surprise. She shrugged. "House elves love children, and taking care of a whole house full of them would be considered right up there with being bonded to Hogwarts."
"Very good, see to it," Griselda informed the women present who nodded. "I'll contact Gringott's and have them open an account for the orphanage. The Marchbanks family will make the first donation. When you contact Gringott's, just tell them it's for the…er…what should we call it?"
"Well, the Ladies' Aide Society Home for Familially-Challenged Children seems to be a bit of a mouthful," Hermione drawled, earning her rolled eyes and wry smiles.
"These children have seen so much," Mrs. Bones said sadly, wringing her hands. "We've had to move them from safe house to safe house. What if we called it: Forever Home?"
"I love it," Mrs. Fenwick said encouragingly. "It reinforces the idea that they have come home, that they have a place of their own."
"We're going to need a big house," Mrs. McKinnon pointed out sadly. "By the time we're done, we'll probably have more orphans."
"Unfortunately, you are most likely right," Griselda Marchbanks agreed.
The rest of the meeting continued swiftly with plans in place to protect and secure targeted pureblood and halfblood families. Every single member of the Ladies' Aide Society had already warded their homes as securely as they dared without drawing unwanted attention. They even had a Wards Committee that sporadically checked all the houses under the protection of the Ladies' Aide Society to determine if any of them had been breached or damaged. They were still ostensibly working to help St. Mungo's Hospital, and the hospital had been appreciative of everything that they had done. Their work had been directly responsible for funding several long needed improvements. The healers and mediwitches all approved of the Ladies' Aide Society, and praised their efforts loudly. Hermione listened with half an ear. Everything seemed to be proceeding well, just as she had hoped. If anything were to happen to her, she had every confidence that both of her groups would be able to carry on the work they had chosen.
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HG/HP/HB
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"Hermione?" Sirius called as he entered the house, pulling off his Auror robes. He bounded up the stairs to their bedroom, his robes over his arm. "Kitten?"
"In here, Sirius," he heard her voice faintly, and automatically turned in the direction of her voice.
Hermione was in their bedroom, standing in her closet frowning. Her wild curls tumbled down her back, stopping in the middle of her back. Silk stocking covered her legs, her black garter belt holding them in place. Her feet were encased in black sling back heels that made him think naughty things. It didn't help at all that that was all his kitten was wearing. He moved forward and slid his arms around her waist, his lips automatically going to the juncture of her neck and shoulder.
"What are you doing, kitten?" He asked between kisses. She leaned back against his chest and sighed.
"Family dinner tonight," she reminded him gently and turned in his arms to kiss him back. The feel of her tongue dancing with his made his body tighten in pleasant ways. Her small hands unbuttoning his shirt, and her fingers sliding over his skin, made him shiver in anticipation. Hermione was watching him with those eyes of hers and he felt himself get so hard he ached. He pulled her against him and kissed her deeply, pressing himself against her. His naughty kitten rubbed herself against him and moaned in need.
"How much time?" He asked as she unbuckled his pants.
"Enough," she panted at him.
He divested himself of his clothes and Hermione flew at him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He stumbled slightly, until he braced them against the back wall of her closet. Hermione's legs tightened around him as he slid slowly inside of her.
"Merlin, kitten," he panted. "So tight, every time."
"Nnngh!" Was the only response that Hermione was capable of making at the time.
It was fast and dirty, shagging Hermione against the wall of her closet with her silk-clad legs wrapped around him. He pounded into her and she filled his ears with a never ending litany of moans, gasps, and mewls of encouragement. He was rather proud of the fact that she seemed incapable of human speech at the moment. Her nails raked down his back and she bit his shoulder, which he took to mean that he needed to stroke deeper and faster within her. She was so tight, so wet, so warm that it was incredibly hard for him to concentrate. He wanted nothing more than to lose control inside her. She was clutching him and babbling in his ear in a language he'd never heard before and doubted existed. She stiffened around him and then began to come apart, her eyes unfocused and her lips open in a soundless 'o' of pleasure. He kissed her swiftly and let go of everything else. The two of them slid down the wall of her closet in a haze of ecstasy and he cuddled her against his chest on the floor.
"Are we late?" He asked after several minutes. She looked up at him, her lips swollen and bruised and smirked.
"A bit," she said dryly.
"Your father's going to glare at me again isn't he?" Sirius asked with a long-suffering sigh.
"It is entirely possible that Daddy will spend most of dinner imagining horrible accidents happening to the lower half of your body," Hermione agreed.
"Fine, let's go take a shower," Sirius suggested. Hermione frowned.
"Separate showers or we'll never get there and James will help Daddy," Hermione said firmly. Sirius reluctantly agreed. Personally, he felt that shared showers were one of the rights and privileges of marriage, but he knew she was right.
"Let's go, then," he muttered with a slight pout.
"You're insatiable," Hermione laughed and headed toward one of the other bathrooms.