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.
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The sky was a blend of denim and orange when they left Vine Grove's Cottage. The hue did little to improve Minerva's complexion after the news concerning Hermione had drained the color from her face. Their brief meeting left one thing clear – Minerva would not allow anyone to touch a hair of her brightest pupil, least of all, in her words, that farcical depiction of a witch.
On that, they fully agreed.
The assigned party was small – Kings, Nymphadora, and himself – and they would leave for Australia almost immediately. They had to apparate someplace first.
"Wotche—" Tonks' greeting got cut short as she toppled over something and landed on the wood floor with a thud. From where Remus stood, at the bottom of the stairs, he couldn't see more than the two pairs of tangled feet. That was one foot too many from the troll-leg umbrella stand she usually knocked down – more human, too. Nymphadora groaned and pushed herself up to her knees, "My bad, Harry."
The words had no sooner left her mouth when the house hound sounded the visitor's alarm, "YOU FILTH, HALF-BREED—"
Remus had his wand at ready. He silenced Mrs. Walburga Black with the speed of someone used to arrive at Grimmauld Place accompanied by the metamorphmagus. Harry propped himself on an elbow and rubbed the back of his head, his glasses precariously balanced on the tip of his nose. Remus had seen that picture several times before, whenever James got knocked to the floor by Lily's UGH!-GO-AWAY-POTTER spells. Although Harry lacked his father's crooked, delusional She's-warming-up-to-me smiles.
Nymphadora was more or less up and stable by the time Remus managed to shake the déjà vu feeling, her hand reached out in an offer to help the black-haired boy up.
"It's fine, Tonks," Harry declined – he was certainly much more sensible than his father had been at this age….or ever.
"Suit yourself…" Nymphadora shrugged then stopped in her tracks, "Merlin's pants!"
The then pink-haired witch gawked at the room, her hair turning neon-bluer by the minute, and ran a finger over the closest shelf, her head cocked to the side as she checked her fingertips, "This place looks almost livable now!"
"We've spent most of the day cleaning it," sang a voice. Luna climbed up the basement stairs, carrying a rusty brass cauldron in her arms, followed closely by Ginny, who balanced a tray with an unsorted assembly of Kreacher's meager utensils and the House of Black's green tea set piled on top of it. Harry got to his feet, grabbed a black garbage bag and held it open for the two girls. Once they disposed of their load, he laid it under Mrs. Black's portrait, who had watched the scene with bulging eyes and had recoiled further into the darkness of her landscape. Luna pushed her hair out of her face, leaving a coppery smear on her forehead, and added, "Most of the furniture seems to have been Nargle-proofed."
"Or Mundungus-proofed, Kreacher must've seen to that," said Harry, "They're Accio-resistant, so we're tossing them the muggle way."
A snort echoed from below, followed by heavy stomps getting louder and louder. The top of a head came into view – brown hair, followed by the features and stature of…Ron?
"Bloody house makes Hogwarts' detentions look like a sodding training," he muttered as he climbed the basement stairs. A coat of dust seemed to have settled on his hair like soot, yet the boy was none the wiser. His eyes glinted once he caught sight of the recently arrived party, "Are you here to help?"
"Yeah, right," Tonks answered with a blatant smirk on her lips, "We're here on Order business."
Ron rolled his eyes, "Figured…"
Meanwhile, Ginny had caught sight of her brother's state and pressed a fist to her mouth, a snigger or two escaping regardless. At her side, Luna was staring at her with unblinking eyes, as if brown-haired Weasley's were a common occurrence. Through fits of muffled laughter, the younger Weasley attempted to cast a "Scourgify", to no avail. Her failed tries kept blowing her brother's hair into his face, which would, in turn, send her back into hysterics. Harry simpered at his now tomato-red girlfriend and whispered the incantation himself.
That comical, sweet scene peeved Remus the most. He had yet to say anything – that purposeless conversation while Hermione needed him had Remus crawling inside his skin. A part of him wanted to admonish them and had them sick with worry and guilt about the friend they were neglecting – his mate. Still, none of the younger Order members had been informed of the situation, or else they wouldn't be babbling nonsense about housework or laughing at infantile stupidities. Their lack of knowledge was perhaps the only cause for Remus' restraint – he too had been unaware of any menace not an hour earlier, and any harsh words crossing his mind should have no other target than himself. His jaw felt sore from his gritted teeth, his arm muscles taut from his ironclad grasp on his wrist.
Harry narrowed his eyes at him – either his silence or his stance betrayed his temper, "What happened?"
Remus let out his breath in an effort to relax his muscles.
"We're looking for Hermione," he informed the boy, somewhat managing to keep his professorial tone, "Did she tell you where in Australia she was going? Think carefully, Harry, it's important."
"No," Harry replied, "As a matter of fact she didn't. All she said was that she was meeting her parents there. Why?"
Ginny, whose fit of stifled laughter had died with the change of mood, kept flitting her gaze towards her brother. She moved to stand beside him, and laid her hand on his arm, "Ron, did she say anything to you?"
"She barely spoke a word to me since…" his face flushed and he seemed to rethink his train of thought, "No. Is she in danger?"
"Knowing that pink bullfrog, probably." Tonks thought aloud, then quickly added, "But the official answer is 'only over our dead avada-kedavrad bodies'. Or something like that."
"Umbridge?" more than one of them asked, followed by another question not a second later, "She threatened her?"
"Not with so many words… She inquired about her family." Remus said.
Ginny's expression hardened, her eyes bleak as she inferred his meaning, "That woman's questions are never innocent."
The weight of her words was absorbed in silence. The girl tried to catch Harry's gaze, but his eyes were fixated on the floor.
"I was there," Harry stated, his eyebrows drawn together. He lifted his gaze and stared straight into Remus' eyes, "I didn't—I didn't think—"
"You were grieving, Harry. It's not your fault." It's mine.
"I'm going with you."
"No," echoed Kingsley's deep voice, deprived of his usual charm, "We must keep a low profile, the less attention we draw the easier it'll be to get them back safely. You're too popular."
"I'll go," offered Luna, who Remus wasn't entirely sure had been keeping up with the conversation. "I'm fairly unknown, and I can convince some Kairas to help. I can talk to them, they're great trackers."
"I'm coming, too," Ron said, and added before Kingsley could rule him out, "There're plenty of Weasley's in Australia, I won't stand out."
Remus exchanged a glance with Kingsley then nodded. "We're leaving immediately. Harry, if Hermione contacts you, tell her to come back and let us know."
Harry pulled Ginny against his shoulder and assented.
Their portkey had been a fake pearl necklace arranged by Minerva, made with round plastic beans whose painting had already peeled off in several places. They held it together and, despite the distance, the journey took no more than a second. Ron and Tonks had a bit of a rough landing.
The change of setting couldn't be more drastic. Burwood, Sydney, was a suburb comprised of houses with gable roofs, verandas, and terracotta tiles contrasting with the white fretwork patterns and windows. The streets were still deserted and the morning chill pierced through their light, summer robes. Remus could feel the cold in every bone and joint, broken and strained remnants of his transformations. His scars bit under the wintry breeze – a singular ache, almost as a reminder of where the foreign tissue lay. As if the mirror would allow him to forget.
Furthermore, the bare trees of early winter were in accord with his disposition – the lack of snow and of any vestiges of flame-colored leaves painted a somber, deaden picture. He cast a Hot-air charm over himself and the other and pulled his robes tighter around his shoulder. "Let's get going."
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It was late afternoon when they arrived at Engadine. They had searched for almost a day, scouring every suburban area and business districts in Sydney when a bright, deer-shaped mist bolted from the outskirts of the Royal National Park woods. They cast muggle-repelling charms around it as it crossed the rails and Princes Highway to meet them.
"Hermione sent me a letter," said Harry's voice as his Patronus approached them, "She said she arrived well but not much more than that. There's no return address, she must've sent it yesterday."
The animal dissolved into the air, making it lighter somehow. After hours without any news, Remus' lungs welcomed the crisp air like one would a fresh start. They could continue their search now with invigorated hope.
Fate, however, would have none of it.
"Remus," Kingsley called, his tone commanding, "You need to leave."
"No! This news changes nothing, Kings, Umbridge might still be after her. We can't—"
"We won't give up on the search, you will," the Auror interrupted, "It's the full moon today."
Remus looked up. The sun had yet to set, but the moon's silhouette had started to show.
"I'll transform here. I can go deep into the Park and—"
"You need to leave Australia. Werewolves are banned from the territory, and barbaric as it is, the hunt is legal."
Remus had never seen himself in Sirius' shoes before then. On a rational level, he understood the need to leave – the danger to anyone involved would be too great. Still, his every fiber protested against the decision. Siriusesque machinations manifested in his mind like the flip of a switch – he could try to disillusion himself before he underwent the transformation, or find a hole to hide until he turned human again. Alternatively, he could go to New Zealand or to some Australian island, Tasmania even, where the chances of coming across people, magical or otherwise, while in werewolf form would be slimmer. And then, the Sirius-inspired pinnacle occurred to him, "I'll go back and wait for the night to be over and return immediately."
"And not turn?" Tonks asked, "You can't trick the wolf with different time zones. It can get ugly."
"Tonks is right," Kings said with that infuriatingly impassive tone, "The full moon will show in England in fourteen hours, make sure you're there."
Remus straightened his back. He could feel his own tension from his glaring eyes to his corded neck and square shoulders as he took a step towards the wizard.
"I wouldn't worry," interfered Luna, but it wasn't until she continued her sentence that he paid her any heed, "She's smart, she'll find her back to you."
His eyes darted to the blonde witch to find her staring at him. Not at Ron, as he would expect. His posture slumped a notch, and he opened his mouth with no reply in mind, which didn't prove to be necessary as the Head Auror took advantage of his distraction and shoved something into his hand. Remus blinked at the sight of the fake pearl necklace, and it was all he had time to do before he was hooked and drawn into the object.
A millisecond later he was in London.
He cursed. He cursed like he hadn't in a long while. He cursed like he hadn't since Sirius' supposed betrayal. He needed a Portkey… he needed Minerva.
"Absolutely not, Mr. Lupin," said the witch as she tied the knot of her robes tighter, her gray hair braided over her shoulder as she fumbled around in her office. She had clearly been sleeping.
He drew a slow, steady breath, "Kingsley had no right! I need to get back there."
"Kingsley acted on my orders. I am protecting your ungrateful, reckless arse, which I suggest you get out of my school now." He wanted to throttle her. And he so wanted to take Snape's sneering portrait off the wall and smash it against the table – the thought was certainly pleasurable. But then, Minerva added, "That girl stood by your hospital bed days on end, Remus. Don't make it so that I'll have to tell her you threw your life away because of one day. One day. And if we still haven't found her by then, I'll not only provide you with a Portkey, but I'll join the search myself."
He scowled at Snape, gave Minerva a sharp nod and left. He couldn't take it out on the castle's walls, not with the effort being employed to restore Hogwarts' structure. He wished he could transform then – the wolf would certainly run his anger out. As it was, though, Remus apparated to a muggle neighborhood and took it out on… groceries.
He grabbed and stuffed the things he would need for the aftermath of the transformation with such strength that the bread was permanently shaped with the indentions of his fingers. The cashier refrained from offering him a loyalty card, his hands trembling as he passed Remus another plastic bag after the first got torn due to Remus' rough handling of it.
He looked around once he left the store. He had picked that neighborhood to torture himself. It was early morning, the street had but a few pedestrians, and he was standing not a couple of blocks from Hermione's house. She wouldn't be there, but he needed something – a faint smell would do to both calm and torment himself.
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Hermione sat on a park bench with her bag at her side and a book in her hands. She had chosen that particular bench because it sat under a light post, a necessity when one wished to read in a park in the middle of the night. Not that she read, really - she had it opened on where the frontispiece met the title page and there it remained for the entirety of the night. Once morning came, or rather when she noticed morning had come, she closed the volume and thrust it back inside her purse.
She was being silly, really. Of course she could do it, she had done harder things. Impossible things, even.
Getting inside her own house should be child's play.
She got to her feet and strode towards her house. Her house. Her empty house.
She faltered. Perhaps she didn't need to get inside this time – perhaps she could do with just looking at it. Baby steps… to the most pushy witch alive.
She did look up only to find Remus John Lupin in front of her. He couldn't see her, but something about his flaring nostrils…
He could smell her. He could smell her just as Greyback had back in the forest. "Hermione?"
She panicked for a second or two before she reached for her wand and allowed him into her protective spell.
"Um, hi. What are you doing here?"
Remus was torn between hugging and shaking her. It was never a fair fight, however, and soon he had his arms around her, and might've even placed a kiss on top of her head as he breathed out, "Thanks to Merlin."
"Remus, hold on!" Hermione gently pushed him away so she could see his face, "What happened?"
"You went to Australia. Umbridge could have…"
"I used an Untraceable Portkey," her eyebrows were drawn together, and she gave him a tight-lipped smile, "They're not exactly legal, but… Suffice it to say I was never in any danger."
"I need to notify the Order" He dropped the groceries bag and reached for his wand.
"The Order?! I—"
"I need to know where your parents are, they can bring them here."
"Remus—"
"They were at Engadine when I left, we assumed Sydney… Expecto Patronum."
"—I'm an orphan."
The mist disappeared from the tip of his wand. He didn't seem to be breathing, and once he finally spoke his voice was hoarse, "Your parents...?"
"Oh, no, they weren't killed, they just... I obliviated them," Hermione drew a breath and trapped it in, trying to keep the sobs from coming. Her eyes misted, but she held back the tears, "I erased… well, me."
"Harry, Ron?"
"I told them I was going to Australia to track down my parents. I didn't— I couldn't—"
"Tell them the spell was irreversible?" Remus finished her sentence.
Her chin quivered. "It was not for their sake, not because I believed my friends had already been through enough and I thought 'I'll spare them and deal with this on my own'. It was not because I'm strong, it was because—"
"You're weak." There wasn't a hint of cruelty in his tone, but she stiffened regardless, "Words are a powerful thing, Hermione. The ones we say and the ones we don't have such hold over us. You haven't told them not because you're weak, but rather because saying the words would make it real."
"And it is real! It's all real now!" The first tear came, followed by many others. And then she was once again in his arms.
Hermione barely felt the soft pulling sensation as he Side-long apparated her. If hugs possessed any uncanny ability it was that of being both destructive and comforting – his tore through her last wall and wrenched the hurt out of its cracks, making her cry harder than ever before. She counted in tears the minutes past until her sobs quieted enough for her to hear the steady, soothing sound of Remus' heart. Her face was pressed against his chest, over the wet blotch of her own tears, and still she could feel his warmth radiating through his shirt.
He had her sit on a comfy sofa, and she blinked, "Where are we?"
"I hope you don't mind… I, ah, I brought you home with me."
Hermione ran a hand over her tear-stricken face, "Thank you."
Remus gave her a half-smile, "I'll make you some tea."
She toed off her shoes hoping Remus wouldn't mind and hug her knees against her chest. His house wasn't big, but something about the rustic furniture disposition and the way the sun rays infiltrated through the windows made it infinitely cozy. She just stared at it, her mind blank, until the kettle whistled and Remus returned with their tea.
She reached for the closest mug, but he pulled it away.
"No, here," he extended her the other mug, "It's Valerian root tea… it's supposed to be calming."
Hermione took it and thanked him. The tea smell along with heat from the ceramic mug providing her with much needed comfort. Remus sat at her side and they drank in silence.
"Crookshanks was there," Hermione finally said, "I had left him at the Burrow, I don't know how he managed to go to Australia but he did. He protected them."
"He's the clever pet of a clever witch, he'd find a way," Remus took a sip of his tea, he didn't seem to care very much for it, whatever it was, "Did you bring him back?"
"No. He chose to stay with them. I guess at some point I'll have to get another pet. Ron hated him, even after his rat turned out to be Pettigrew. He keeps telling me how useful an owl is."
"You don't have to get another pet unless you want to, Hermione."
"I know," she said somewhat drowsy, the price of spending the night awake in the park finally weighing on her. She leaned her head on Remus' shoulder, her empty mug still in her hands. He tensed before he pulled her into his chest and reclined on the sofa's arm. She felt as he cast a spell and whispered a few words, but her mind didn't quite process them.
Her breathing evened out and the moment came when she couldn't tell apart reality from dream. Whichever it was, though, Remus was there with her.
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A/N: So sorry about the delay! But, hey, 3.400 words! That's the longest chapter yet :P
I'm still not sure about my writing on this one, I tweaked it so much I had to stop reading the first half or I'd never finish the second. So please let me know if you think it's too raw, or choppy, or anything like that.
A few notes:
1. I've never been to Australia (or England, for that matter), so bear in mind that any locations/descriptions here were fully based on Google Maps, Wikipedia and my own imagination. I did my best not to make any crass mistakes, I apologize if I inadvertently did (and feel free to correct me!).
2. There was some head-hopping in this chapter. I've been keeping Remus and Hermione's POV separate by scenes until now, but I'll need to hop a bit as their romance buds. I hope you guys don't mind it too much.
3. I'll be using manual dividers from now on. Apparently the website ones aren't showing for everyone, and even though bars and hyphens seem old-fashioned they tend not to fail :)
And now for the thanks:
Caramel cobwebs to…
My reviewers: nostalgiakills, rosesnblueberries, moreremusplease, Helfinna, SereniteRose, Siriusly Orion Wicked, CassieRenee333, Buffalochip, Crossy70, and Argella Storm.
To queen of terror, military brat 13666, Macadamia26, NaomiMiller, TimeLadyHope, takoda40, AnnaDaisy11, faerieflightz, , danniellefuller2010, rouge et noir, and Crossy70 for adding the story to their favorites.
And to justsummer, lamechloe, SALIGIA-the seven deadly sins, military brat 13666, Macadamia26, MackyMole, SamSalvatoreWinchester, pmulbry, NaomiMiller, , TimeLadyHope, Legolas's Fried Potato, littlebo, malfoysmirks, AnnaDaisy11, , legilimens03, Wolness, Crossy70, and OliveJoyOrsi for following the story.
Thank you all! Please review :)