Tie your Heart at Night to Mine, Love
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
It was on the afternoon of the fourth day that the answer clicked inside Hermione's mind.
"That's it!" Hermione snapped the book closed and reached for the quill and parchment lying on the nightstand. She jotted furiously on the few unused corners, dragging arrows around the written text and scratching the unanswered question marks that had plagued so. Drawing the quill away from the paper, Hermione scanned her finished notes, unconcerned by the two drops of black ink that landed on her thigh. A huff of breath escaped her lips – the half-diagram, half-essay made sense now. "How could I be so stupid?"
"Hermione?" the sound of Harry's voice surprised her, even though he had been sitting at the end of her bed for hours now, his legs crossed and a thick book resting on top of them. Unlike her, however, he was still going through the same book as the day before, when he had volunteered to help.
"Borrowed magic! Bond magic!" she beamed, and held out the parchment before him as if her thought patterns and conclusions were obvious. Her racing heart told her to get up and run or lean forward and hug Harry…who Hermione now noticed was staring at her with an amused smile. She lowered the paper and cleared her throat. "Sorry. Borrowing someone's magic is extremely rare and almost unheard of. It requires a strong link between the two people and physical contact. That's why I was able to conjure Professor Lupin's patronus – we share a bond."
Harry nodded. "And you were holding his hand. But how?"
"He sacrificed himself for me. I owe him a life debt."
Harry rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "Life debts aren't that uncommon, Hermione. Is that really what the book says?"
"Well, no, not exactly. There are a few mentions to family ties and soul mates, but that's preposterous. Besides, being so rare there's a chance this is the very first case of borrowed magic over a life bond! And if I can borrow his magic, maybe—maybe he can too." Hermione bit her lip and climbed out of her bed, walking barefoot to the professor's bedside. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, the book and her notes clasped against her chest, and turned to Harry. "Will you stay? I-I think I need to touch Professor Lupin."
"God, Hermione!" Harry pinched his eyebrows together, his eyes squinted. "The poor man's asleep."
Hermione felt the heat surging into her face, her breath frozen inside her lungs. But Harry couldn't hold the expression for long, and his lips curled into a snicker. She exhaled, but her face remained hot. "Shut up, Harry."
"You've touched him lots of times, don't be so nervous."
"It's different. It's not taking his temperature or helping him swallow a potion. It feels more personal."
"If it helps save his life, I'm quite sure he won't mind, Hermione."
"Right." She stared at the professor's open hand for a moment. Taking deliberate and controlled breaths, she placed her hand in his and disciplined her mind not to think how calloused and strong it was – a command that remained unheeded.
Whatever little information Hermione had gathered about borrowed magic, the how to lend it wasn't amongst it. She focused on their joined hands for a full minute, trying to somehow make it so that her magic coursed through it. When she glanced up at him, nothing seemed to have changed.
By early evening, holding his hand had become quite natural for Hermione. If Madam Pomfrey had noticed the now closer cots and Hermione's hand in Professor Lupin's, she did so without commenting. She did, however, throw Harry out of the Infirmary for the night. He gave Hermione a tight smile and left.
The lingering occupants of the Great Hall were in bad shape and mostly in pain, and Hermione grew bored as they drifted into potion-induced slumber. Not that her own sleep was nightmare-free, but after her torture at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange Hermione had become accustomed to very few hours of rest, something she took as a consequence of war. Either her organism would recover by itself, or she would have to live with it forever – no amount of drugs, magical or otherwise, could change that.
At first, she had read through her notes again, but since information was scarce she finished it quite quickly. Then she had grabbed one of the books and leafed through it. An hour later, maybe more, she put it aside and lay down on the bed. She was about to roll to the side and swap the hand that was touching Professor Lupin when he moved.
Her whole body stilled and she waited.
His hand twitched against hers and Hermione shot up from her bed. She tightened her hold on his hand, ignoring the prickling feeling that shot through her numb arm.
"Hermione." It was no more than a whisper, a hoarse murmur in the dead, cold silence of the Hall.
The jolt Hermione felt wasn't just from surprise, but she did not dwell on the foreign sensation. She muttered comforting words while searching for his green eyes.
He was dreaming.
A/N: And here's your weekly Remione fix! I know it's not nearly enough, so if you'd like some Remione fic recs (or want to recommend me some, because, hey, I'm a fan too), let me know through my tumblr (blondhandsomestranger).
Remus is so close of waking up! As always, I wanna know what you think, so please review!
A special thanks to morganna12, pianomouse and Ally for reviewing, to dani asmar potter, Pirates16103, frances2, christinemess, MoonySense and Martionmanswife for adding the story to their favorite list, and to Trodd, quattrecskids, DiasterousAngel, morganna12, biologygirl217, , Pirates16103, frances2, Danielle7789, SiSSIRi, MoonySense, NutsaboutHarrypotter, GeminiLove, AurorQueen, Allonsywithme, emmi75, ShaKira138503, Tarnya, Jesseknocks, Rose Jean Everdeen, Martionmanswife.
Wow, this list is getting bigger! Lots of amazing readers out there ;)