She was tired. She hadn't slept all night, too busy tossing and turning as she had contemplated Remus' words.

"You've ruined me, Hermione."

And as she sat there, in the library cradling Teddy in her arms, she felt hot tears pour down her cheeks. They tasted salty on her lips and she realised then, that she had missed crying. Because crying meant that she was still capable of feeling something. Crying meant that she hadn't lost her humanity during the war and through its consequences. Teddy looked up at her, his eyes filled with an understanding only possessed by children. She tried to smile down at him, but once more her eyes filled with tears and she had to look away as not to wet his rosy cheeks. She didn't even know why exactly she was crying. Hormones? Grief? But she was relieved. Relieved to be feeling something she didn't understand, something that she couldn't explain away with reason or logic.

She heard someone enter the room. Remus. She didn't want to see him.

"Hermione," he began, his voice filled with grief.

She shook her head, and quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, unable to look at him. Instead, she gazed down at Teddy and let his small hand curl around her ring finger.

"I'm trying to get him to settle down," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

Remus didn't reply. Instead, he moved towards her.

"Hermione-"

"I really don't want to talk right now, Remus. I don't have anything to say," she snapped, breaking free from her melancholy fog.

She looked at him and saw his slumped shoulders and red eyes. Had he been crying too? She could smell cinnamon on his breath. Firewhisky. He was drunk.

"I want to explain," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"What's there to explain? You made yourself very clear last night."

"I didn't mean- I wasn't thinking straight," he murmured.

She scoffed loudly, anger filling her, constricting her throat. She brushed past him and headed towards Teddy's bedroom. Remus followed her. Teddy snuffled softly in her arms, and she realised that he had fallen asleep. Placing a tender kiss onto his cheek, she tucked him into his crib.

"Please-"

Glaring at Remus, Hermione took hold of his shirt sleeve and pulled the two of them out of the dimly lit bedroom and into the corridor. She gave Teddy one last glance, then closed the door behind them.

"I love you," Remus whispered, leaning in to kiss her.

"You're drunk."

"Yes, maybe a little bit. I have to be drunk to say what I'm going to say next," he explained, tipping slightly to one side.

Hermione instinctively helped him steady himself, worried by the way his eyes couldn't seem to focus.

"Remus, let's not talk about this now."

"No! I have to- to say what I need to say," he exclaimed loudly.

Hermione led the two of them into the kitchen and sat him down in one of the chairs.

"You're not thinking straight-"

"Hermione, I love you. I love you so much it terrifies me," he said, his words slurring slightly, "after the war, when Tonks died I swore never to fall in love again because I knew that I couldn't survive losing someone again. And then I met you and you were so fucking perfect and I couldn't help myself. I fell in love with you over and over again, and now-"

He stopped, his eyes filling with tears and his hands shaking. He looked so helpless that Hermione couldn't help but soften, she stroked away his tears and kissed him softly. The firewhisky burnt her lips but she didn't care. Not at that moment. Remus pulled away.

"I don't know how all this is going to end, but I know that I can't protect you. I need you to promise me that you won't leave me. You can't leave me too. Oh god, Hermione, please don't leave me," he whispered, his voice breaking as he began to cry.

He looked so vulnerable, sitting there his entire frame shaking as he wept.

She looked on stricken, trying in vain to wipe his tears, but they fell quicker then she could catch them.

"Remus, I won't leave you. I won't ever leave you," she whispered over and over again, climbing onto his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her and let his head fall against her shoulder. She felt ridiculous for getting so caught up in his words and not seeing how much he was hurting. How he too had been affected by everything that had happened. How he, too, was only human.

"I love you," she breathed.

"You just got a message from Ginny," Remus exclaimed, his mouth full of toast.

They were sitting in the kitchen, eating amicably.

Her phone had buzzed loudly, but she was trying to teach him at least a few essential muggle skills so she had let him check her inbox. It took five minutes for him to unlock her phone. She looked at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"She couldn't even answer her phone yesterday. You mean to tell me she's suddenly learnt how to text?" Hermione asked, a wide smile splitting her face.

"You're right, Harry just sent you a text. Apparently, they're coming home this evening."

Hermione dropped the peach she had just bitten into, juice dripping down her chin as she stared at him in disbelief.

"What happened? Are they alright?" she asked urgently, wiping her mouth impatiently.

He looked back down at the small display, his eyes scanning the text, then he took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently, his eyes brimming with emotion.

"They got him. They arrested Lucius Malfoy."

She stared at him, unable to move, unable to speak.

"He's being transported to Azkaban as we speak," he continued, a genuine smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "it's over, my love."

"They got him," she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.

Then she stood up from her chair and launched herself into his arms, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck. She closed her eyes and just let herself be held by him. Because in that perfect moment, it really was over. He kissed the top of her head and pulled her even closer to him.

"Now, we can finally start looking forward."

They sat like that for what felt like an eternity until a sad truth began to dawn on her.

"Remus?"

"Hm?"

"If there is anything we should have learnt by now, it's that it will never really be over," she murmured, playing with the silky hair at the nape of his neck.

"Have faith, Love. We must celebrate the small victories," he replied softly.

She nodded reluctantly, keeping her last thought to herself.

The day I celebrate is the day Lucius Malfoy lies six feet under.