A/N - Hi everyone! I've been told this chapter is a bit brutal in parts, so just an extra tissue warning for you. Thank you for all the new follows and favorites. I always love to hear what you are thinking about the story! And thank you to MaryRoyale for being my alpha reader and all around cheerleader. :)

Chapter

Grief

3 May 1998

Hermione landed with a soft pop. She looked up at her second home and smiled. The Burrow looked just as it always had and it gave her a bit of comfort. It only took a few more seconds before everyone had arrived and Mrs. Weasley hurried into the house. Mr. Weasley had assured her that the interior was fine, but Hermione was sure she wanted to see for herself.

"Sometimes, I wondered if I would see it again," Ron said quietly, looking up towards the window of his room.

"Me too," Hermione confessed.

"Bill, Charlie, Percy, if you'd help me with the rest of the wards, please," Mr. Weasley said. The three brothers nodded and followed their father. In the end, he hadn't been able to put off his wife on returning home. As soon as he had ascertained that there was no structural damage nor Death Eaters lurking about, they had returned to the Burrow. Mr. Weasley agreed that he and his sons could put up the wards they needed. Mrs. Weasley was eager to get back to her kitchen, although Hermione knew that was a coping mechanism as much as anything.

"We should see if your mum needs help," she said to Ron. He didn't answer, watching George in concern. His older brother had been staring at something near their mother's flower bed since they had arrived.

"George?" Ron said. "You want to go in?" George just shook his head and kept staring. Hermione and Ron walked towards him, followed by Harry and Ginny.

"Mate?" Ron said gently. George bent down and picked up a garden gnome. He stared at it for a few seconds before he swung it above his head and let it go. They all watched as the gnome sailed toward the orchard.

"George?" Ginny said quietly when George didn't say anything. Instead, he bent down and picked up another gnome and flung it harder than the first. And then it was like something snapped inside him. He picked up gnome after gnome, flinging them one after the other in a frenzy. They all stood frozen for a few minutes until George dropped to his knees and began to scrabble through the dirt in search of more gnomes. Ron dropped behind him and grabbed his brother around the waist pinning his arms to his sides.

"Stop!" Ron begged.

"Ger'off!" George struggled in Ron's grip.

"No," Ron said. "Stop, George."

"Leave me alone," George demanded, still struggling. Hermione brought a hand to her mouth and tears sprung to her eyes. Ginny stepped forward.

"Gin, back up," Ron told her, concerned that George would accidentally hit her. He'd already elbowed Ron in the ribs and knocked his head against Ron's lip which was now bleeding. Ginny ignored him and put a hand on George's shoulder.

"George," she said in a whisper. "George, don't." George stilled for a moment and then the fight went out of him. He sagged in Ron's arms and sobs racked his body. Ginny knelt down in front of him and pulled him into her arms, wrapping them around Ron's shoulders as well. They clung to each other as George cried and Harry stepped up next to Hermione.

"Let's go inside," he said and Hermione nodded, wiping the tears from her face as they gave the three siblings their privacy.

They walked into the kitchen and found Mrs. Weasley standing with something in her hand, staring at her clock.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione said tentatively. She glanced at the clock, but all the hands were pointing towards home.

"It fell off," the older witch said and Harry and Hermione glanced at each other.

"What did?" Harry asked. In response, the Weasley matriarch opened her hand and Hermione gasped. Fred's hand from the clock lay on her palm.

"I tried to put it back, but it keeps falling off," she continued. "The spell isn't working."

"Why don't I take that?" Harry said, but Mrs. Weasley snatched her hand back. Harry looked back at Hermione.

"Mrs. Weasley, why don't you sit down and I'll make you some tea," Hermione suggested, even as Harry led her to a chair. When Mrs. Weasley was seated and Hermione had grabbed the kettle, she turned to Harry.

"Get Ginny," she said under her breath. Harry nodded and hurried back outside. Hermione busied herself preparing the tea. She was just carrying the tray to the table when Ginny came in. She looked at Hermione, then at her mother who was once again staring at Fred's hand from the clock.

"How about some tea, Mum?" Ginny asked as she sat down and began pouring a cup. Ginny slid the cup in front of her mother and touched her arm. "Mum?" Mrs. Weasley seemed to come back to herself. She glanced up at her daughter, her hand closing around Fred's hand from the clock. She quickly put it in her pocket and accepted the cup of tea.

"Yes, thank you, Ginny, Hermione," she said taking a sip. "It's nice to be drinking tea in my own kitchen again. Your Aunt Muriel's house is lovely, but not very comfortable."

"Are you all right, Mum?" Ginny asked.

"Of course," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Why wouldn't I be?" Ginny glanced at Hermione who shook her head slightly.

"No reason," Ginny said. They watched as Mrs. Weasley finished her tea and then rose from the table.

"I appreciate the tea, but I've got to get to work on dinner now," she said. "Your father and brothers will be hungry when they finish the wards."

"Do you need any help?" Hermione asked, still concerned.

"No, no, I'm fine," the older witch assured them. "You girls go and make sure the boys don't need any help."

"Sure, Mum," Ginny said, glancing at Hermione, likely wondering, as Hermione was, just which boys Mrs. Weasley was talking about and what they might need help with. Ginny and Hermione rose from the table, watching as Mrs. Weasley bustled about the kitchen before they turned to the back door.

"Maybe you should tell your dad," Hermione said when they'd left the house. Ginny nodded.

"I will, once he's finished. I don't want to interrupt their casting." They stood in silence for a few minutes. "I didn't know the hands fell off," Ginny nearly whispered. Hermione moved closer to her and put her arm around the younger girl's shoulders. Ginny sighed and rested her head against Hermione's. Hermione didn't say anything as there really wasn't anything to say.

Remus sat in the rocking chair, watching his son sleep. His hair shifted to black and Remus closed his eyes tightly for a minute. At least Teddy's hair hadn't been shifting to any unusual colors. Remus didn't know how he would react if his son's hair turned the shade of pink his mother had favored.

Andromeda was in the garden again, sitting on the old swing. She vacillated between not wanting to put Teddy down, even when he was napping, to fleeing to the garden as soon as she could. Remus wasn't comfortable with the fact that she was outside the wards around the house and had told her as much. But he couldn't deny her the small bit of comfort she seemed to get from the swing.

Remus stood and put a hand on Teddy's chest for a moment before leaving the room. He walked down the stairs to the kitchen, intending on putting together something for dinner, although neither one of them had eaten much in the last day. Rummaging through the ice box, he turned when he heard Andromeda come into the house.

"You've gotten an owl," she said as she held the envelope out in front of her. Remus' took the letter which was from Hogwarts; he recognized Minerva's handwriting. He read it quickly, it wasn't very long, then folded it back up and returned it to its envelope.

"Everything all right?" Andromeda asked, as she took over the dinner preparations.

"Yes, Minerva is just looking for volunteers to help repair the castle and reset the wards," Remus said. "I'll owl her later and let her know I won't be able to help." Andromeda's brow furrowed.

"You don't wish to help?" she asked.

"No, it's not that I don't want to," he replied. "But you and Teddy need me here." Andromeda stopped what she was doing and turned towards him.

"Remus, I know that I have been," she paused and looked at her hands, then back up at him. "I know I have not seemed myself." Remus opened his mouth to protest, but Andromeda held up a hand. "But I am more than capable of taking care of Teddy if you want to go to Hogwarts."

"Andromeda, you have every reason not to be yourself, as you say, although I don't agree with you," Remus said. "But I should, I should be here."

"And what would you do?" she asked. "Yes, caring for Teddy is important, but he is a newborn. He sleeps more often than not. When we are not tending to him, we are…thinking. And I do not think…I do not think that is good for either of us." Remus couldn't argue with that. He had spent an hour in Teddy's nursery doing just that this afternoon. "Having to care for him myself will keep me busy and rebuilding Hogwarts will keep you the same."

"I don't know the status of all the Death Eaters," he said. "I wouldn't want to leave you unprotected."

"The wards are still in place and we spent the majority of the war here with more Death Eaters running around than are likely free now. Nothing happened then, I doubt anything will happen now. Besides, the Floo is functional again, I can get Teddy to safety if I need to." Remus pursed his lips. He didn't like it, especially since he had yet to find out what had happened to Greyback. He could owl Kingsley and ask, although he was quite sure the Minister had his hands more than full.

"Let me ask Minerva if we can connect our Floo to her office at Hogwarts," Remus finally said. "Then if anything happens, you can come straight to me."

"If that will make you feel better," Andromeda agreed with a small smile.

"It will," Remus said. She turned back to the dinner and Remus sat down to write a reply to Minerva.

Hermione sat down tiredly on the camp bed in Ginny's room. With everyone home, even Percy, the Burrow was full to bursting. George had moved into Percy's room with him and no one had even thought about sleeping in the twins' old room. Charlie was bunking in the living room so Bill and Fleur could have his and Bill's room. The married couple had suggested they return to Shell Cottage and take Charlie with them, but Mrs. Weasley wouldn't hear of it. Hermione knew that the woman would want all her children under her roof for the foreseeable future.

"I'm knackered," Ginny said as she flopped down on her bed.

"Me too," Hermione said around a large yawn she tried unsuccessfully to cover with her hand. Ginny snickered.

"I can see that." Hermione huffed at her friend as Ginny put out the lights and they settled down to sleep.

"Gin?" Hermione asked a few moments later.

"Yeah?" Ginny replied sleepily.

"Do you think David and Annie are all right?" Hermione heard Ginny sigh sadly.

"I think it's going to be a long time before they're all right," she said. "But you said Claire's mum seemed like a good person. She'll help them. And Annie has her sister, right?"

"Yes, but I got the impression Annie's sister wasn't quite sure what to make of her after she found out she was a witch," Hermione explained. "Annie made it seem like her sister got married just to get out of the house and away from Annie." Ginny was silent and for a moment, Hermione thought she had fallen asleep.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Hermione, but I don't get Muggles," Ginny said. "I mean, I know that they don't really understand magic and everything, but Annie is her sister." Hermione sighed.

"Some people are frightened of things they don't understand," she said. Hermione knew she was a bit of an exception to the rule. Most of the Muggle-borns she knew said the same thing. Their parents were wary, unsure of just what their children were capable of and the confusing world that they now belonged to. It wasn't that they were like the Dursleys, but they weren't completely accepting either. Hermione's parents had always been excited and interested in what she was doing at Hogwarts and they found Diagon Alley fascinating. Dean was the only other person Hermione knew whose mother seemed comfortable with his status as a wizard and Dean suspected it was because his father had been a wizard too, even though his mother hadn't known it at the time.

"I suppose," Ginny said. "But I still think it's rubbish." Hermione smiled in the darkness. She could always count on Ginny to speak her mind.

"Good night, Gin," Hermione said.

"Night, Hermione."

Hermione screamed. She tried not to, but it just hurt too much. Her skin felt like it was on fire.

"Please," she begged again, crying now. She heard the cackling laughter in her ear and screamed louder.

"Hermione," a voice said. It sounded very far away and Hermione turned her head to try to see who was speaking.

"Hermione," the voice became more insistent and she felt someone shaking her shoulder. "Wake up." Hermione's eyes snapped open.

"Thank, Merlin," Ginny said.

"Ginny?" Hermione questioned. She was confused.

"You were having a nightmare," Ginny explained. Hermione sat up in her bed, but before she could say anything, the door flew open. Charlie stood in the doorway, wand drawn and was joined quickly by Percy.

"What's wrong?" Charlie demanded.

"Hermione had a nightmare," Ginny said as Hermione's face colored.

"What's going on?" Bill's voice said from the corridor.

"Ees everyone all right?" Fleur added. Hermione put her face in her hands. Had she woken the entire household?

"All of you, get back to bed." Hermione groaned. She'd even woken Mrs. Weasley. Charlie glanced at Hermione once more before he obeyed his mother and left the doorway. Bill and Fleur must have already gone back to their room because only Percy remained as his mother walked into Ginny's bedroom.

"Percy, you too," she said. "Make sure George is still sleeping. I slipped a bit of Dreamless Sleep in his tea, but I don't know how much of it he drank." Percy finally nodded and left. Mrs. Weasley turned to Hermione. "Now dear, are you all right?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione whispered, completely mortified.

"Nonsense," the older witch said as she directed Ginny back to her bed. Mrs. Weasley sat down on the edge of Hermione's cot. "Would you like to tell me about it?"

"N-no," Hermione said quietly. Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed as she studied Hermione.

"Something about the war, I wager."

"Yes." Hermione's voice was very small. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, glad that she was wearing a long-sleeve pajama top. Mrs. Weasley put her hand on Hermione's back.

"Sometimes it helps to talk about it," she coaxed gently. Hermione just shook her head. "All right, well, if you ever change your mind, I will gladly listen."

"Thank you," Hermione said quietly.

"I have more Dreamless Sleep, if you'd like." Hermione thought about it for a moment. It would be nice to sleep more than a few hours at a time, but she also knew that she couldn't take it forever. Still, if she could at least sleep tonight, she might feel better tomorrow and then maybe she wouldn't dream again.

"All right," she agreed. Mrs. Weasley pulled the vial out of the pocket of her dressing gown and gave it to Hermione. Hermione drank it down and gave the vial back to the older witch, smiling gratefully.

"Into bed with you, then." Hermione allowed the woman to tuck her in, relishing it a bit. Mrs. Weasley brushed the hair from Hermione's face. "Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione closed her eyes and fell asleep to the feel of Mrs. Weasley carding her fingers through Hermione's hair.

Remus came awake with a shout. He'd dreamed about Dora's death again. Sighing heavily, he scrubbed his hands down his face. There was a quiet knock on his door.

"Damn," he swore. He'd woken Andromeda again. Remus swung his legs out of bed and stood, pulling on a t-shirt as he crossed the room.

"Andromeda, I'm sorry," he said when he opened the door.

"It's all right," she assured him. "I have something for you." She pulled a vial from the pocket of her dressing gown and Remus recognized it as Dreamless Sleep. He stared at it for a moment, then looked back at his mother-in-law.

"No, I, it's fine," he said, shaking his head. Andromeda sighed in exasperation.

"It is not fine, Remus and you need your sleep," Andromeda said. She held the vial out towards him.

"But Teddy," Remus protested.

"I will take care of Teddy tonight," Andromeda assured him. "Sleep." Remus took the vial. He stared at it again. It would be nice to sleep, at least for one night.

"Thank you," he said and she patted his arm before she turned back towards her own room. After he closed his door, Remus drank down the contents of the vial and fell into his bed, barely managing to pull the blankets over himself before he was asleep.

4 May 1998

Hermione blinked at the sun streaming in through the partially opened curtains. She yawned and stretched before turning to her back and staring up at the ceiling. A glance at Ginny's bed revealed the younger girl was already up and Hermione wondered what time it was. She could smell breakfast cooking and her stomach growled loudly. Laughing a bit, Hermione rose from the camp bed just as there was a light knock on the door.

"Come in," she called and Ron stepped through.

"Hey," he said.

"Morning," Hermione replied with a smile. Ron fidgeted a bit and her brow furrowed. "Something wrong?"

"Percy told me you had a nightmare last night," he finally said.

"Oh," Hermione said quietly. "Well, I'm glad I didn't wake you and Harry, at least. Seems like the rest of the house wasn't so lucky." She tried to smile, but it slid quickly from her face at his look.

"Was it about…her?" he asked. "And, you know." He gestured towards her arm. Hermione instantly covered her sleeve with her hand.

"It, it doesn't matter," she muttered.

"It does, Hermione," Ron insisted, rather loudly. She glanced up at him and was surprised by the look of anger on his face.

"Ron, I," but he shook his head interrupting her.

"It does," he said again. She saw his hands clench into fists and she bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure if he was angry at her or Bellatrix.

"Ron, I'm sorry, I," she trailed off, biting her lip again.

"Why are you sorry?" he demanded. She stared at him helplessly until she saw his expression change. His shoulders slumped and he dragged a hand through his hair.

"No, Hermione, no," he said, his tone much gentler. "I'm the one that should be sorry."

"For what?" she asked.

"Because I couldn't protect you," he mumbled. "I couldn't keep her from doing, doing that."

"It's not your fault, Ron," Hermione said, not missing the fact that Ron couldn't seem to actually talk about the word carved into her arm, only vaguely refer to it.

"And it's not your job to protect me." He looked up at her sharply and Hermione could tell that he wanted to argue. She continued before he could. "I'm sorry I woke everyone last night." Ron muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'except me.' Before she could ask him to repeat himself, he stepped further into the room.

Hermione watched as he took a breath. She could see him visibly try to calm himself. When he had, he looked up at her again.

"You didn't answer my question," he said.

"What question?"

"Were your dreaming about that night at, at Malfoy Manor?"

"Yes," Hermione said in a small voice. Ron blew out a breath and nodded.

"I know," he cleared his throat, "I know you had a few dreams at Bill and Fleur's, right after." He paused and looked at her. "Does it, does it happen often?"

"No, not really," she said, wondering why she was lying about it, but feeling like she should.

"Good, that's good," he said. She looked at him in confusion. "I just mean, I wouldn't want you to have to go through that all the time." Hermione just nodded, not knowing what else to say. He smiled.

"Breakfast is ready, if you're hungry."

"I am, actually." She smiled back tentatively. Hermione still wasn't sure just what exactly had happened and who Ron was angry with, but she let him take her hand and lead her from the bedroom toward the kitchen.

Remus woke slowly to sounds of someone moving about and talking quietly. After listening for a few seconds, he determined it was Andromeda talking to Teddy. Remus smiled before sitting up and looking around his bedroom. Reminders of Dora were everywhere and he squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds before forcing them open again. He picked up the photograph on his bedside table, one Andromeda had taken just after Teddy was born. Dora was holding Teddy and Remus was looking down at him adoringly. Neither of them even glanced up at the camera, as enamored as they were with their son. The only movement in the picture was when Remus leaned forward and kissed the top of Dora's head and she leaned into him for a moment.

He sighed and set the photograph down. Remus rose from the bed and crossed the room to the wardrobe. Pulling out clothes for the day, he pointedly ignored his wife's side of the wardrobe. His arm brushed against a set of her robes and a waft of her scent escaped even as he closed the door. Knowing it was a bad idea but unable to help himself, Remus rested his forehead against the wardrobe and breathed in deeply.

It hurt. It hurt knowing that she was gone. It hurt knowing that Teddy would never know that unique scent that was his mother. And it hurt knowing that one day, sooner than Remus would like or be ready for, her scent would fade from her things, their room, this house, and not even his enhanced sense of smell would be able to detect it.

"Stupid," he admonished himself for giving in to the temptation. But he knew that if he opened the wardrobe again, he would bury his face in her robes and stay there. Instead, Remus moved purposefully away and into the loo to shower and dress.

Remus lowered his wand after the ward was finally in place. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and nodded gratefully to the House Elf that handed him a glass of water. While Minerva and Kingsley had reset the Anti-Apparition ward over the school directly after the Battle, the rest had yet to be replaced. When Remus had arrived at the school that morning, he had instantly been enlisted to help with the wards.

"I thought the wards at the Burrow were difficult," Bill said, conjuring a cloth to wipe the sweat from his face.

"Hogwarts is a bit larger than the Burrow," Remus replied with amusement.

"I'm aware," Bill said drily. Remus smiled as Minerva came around the corner. Remus wondered just how much sleep she had gotten in the last two days.

"Lunch is being served, if you would like to eat," she announced to the two men.

"Is there more to finish here?" Bill asked. "I'd rather get it done now, than come back later."

"Actually, no," she said. "Filius and Septima have just finished the last of the basic wards. The only thing to do is key the wards to the new Headmaster or Headmistress and as you know the Board will need to meet first."

"Are you doubting that they will choose you?" Remus asked, a bit surprised she would think she wouldn't be chosen.

"One never knows, Remus," she said with an eye roll. "One never knows." Remus chuckled a bit. The Board of Governors had surely made a few ridiculous decisions in the past, although he was quite certain not naming Minerva as Headmistress would not be one of them.

"If I am appointed, there will likely be more fine-tuning to do, but for now, Hogwarts is safe enough." Both men nodded.

Remus followed Bill into the Great Hall which was already filling up with students and adults that had volunteered to help with the repairs on the castle. Some of the Muggle-borns that had been released from Azkaban were still in the castle as well. Filius had told Remus that it was taking a bit of time to find relatives for everyone.

Bill walked toward the Gryffindor table where his wife sat with most of the Weasleys and Harry and Hermione. Molly and George were absent, as was Ginny. And Arthur and Percy were at the Ministry aiding Kingsley in determining who had been working with Voldemort openly and who had been Imperiused.

"Hey, Remus," Harry said as the man sat down next to him. He was greeted by the rest of the group as he pulled a platter of food towards him.

"Where's your sister?" he asked Ron, surprised that the youngest Weasley was not present.

"Mum wanted her to stay home," Ron said around a mouthful of food. Remus noticed Hermione avert her eyes from the sight as Ron swallowed quickly. "Said she needed some help around the house, but I think she wanted someone there to keep an eye on, on George." Everyone got quiet.

"How is he doing?" Remus asked, glancing at Bill on his other side.

"The funeral is tomorrow afternoon," Bill said. "It's been…rough." Remus nodded, all too aware of what Bill was talking about.

They were relatively quiet after that, discussing the repairs some of the others had done while Remus had been helping with the wards. Everyone, save Charlie, who was helping Hagrid in the forest and on the grounds, had finished their respective tasks before lunch and were waiting for Minerva to direct them to the next. Remus saw her moving amongst the tables as pudding was served and wondered if she had even sat down to eat.

"Miss Granger," Minerva said as she reached them. "I wonder if you would work in the library after lunch."

"Of course," Hermione responded.

"Big surprise," Ron muttered, but there was a smile on his face. Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned wider and took hold of her hand. Minerva ignored their display and turned to Remus.

"Perhaps you would help Miss Granger, Remus." Remus looked at her in surprise. He had no problems working in the library or with Hermione, but he thought that the adults would have been given more difficult tasks.

"I find that it is best to perform a less taxing assignment after spending the entire morning on a difficult one," Minerva said seeming to read his mind.

"All right," Remus agreed, agreeing with Minerva's assessment. He was rather tired and wouldn't want to make a mistake repairing the bones of the castle.

"Excellent," she said turning to the rest of the group to give them their instructions.

"Are you ready, Hermione?" he asked once Minerva had left.

"Yes," Hermione said rising from the bench.

"Wait," Ron said, grabbing her hand. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her, rather longer than Hermione would have preferred if her bright red face was anything to go by.

"I'll see you later," she mumbled as she hurried away from the table. She passed Remus and moved quickly toward the door. He followed, glancing back once at Ron who had a rather smug look on his face.

"Hermione," Remus called once he reached the corridor. She was already half-way up the main staircase. She slowed and Remus swiftly caught up to her. Her face was still red and she looked angry.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes," she said shortly. Remus said nothing as they walked toward the library, Hermione's arms crossed tightly over her chest. When they reached the library, Remus stopped and put a hand on Hermione's arm.

"Are you sure?" he asked. She stared at him for a moment before Hermione sighed.

"Ron doesn't think sometimes," she said. Remus looked at her quizzically. She huffed out a breath. "We didn't need to make a scene." Remus bit back a smile.

"It wasn't as bad as you're likely thinking it was," he said. She looked up at him skeptically. "After you've been friends with Sirius Black, a bit of kissing in the Great Hall doesn't bother you, trust me." Hermione smiled.

"No, I suppose not," she said. Remus gestured for her to proceed him into the library. As they walked in, Remus looked around. All things considered, the library was in relatively good shape. The fight hadn't extended much above this floor and even here, it hadn't been the heavy fighting of the ground and first floors. There was a hole in one wall that was probably made by one of the giants. Someone had erected some type of shield charm over it, likely to protect the books that had been strewn about when their shelves had been knocked over. Remus wondered why the hole hadn't just been repaired. Some scorch marks on the floor proved that there had been at least one duel here and it looked as if something had burrowed through a few of the lower shelves in one section. Remus wasn't sure just what, but with everything that had fled the forest during the Battle, it didn't surprise him.

"Where should we start?" Hermione asked. Remus thought that might be a question better asked to Madame Pince, but the librarian didn't seem to be anywhere about. Remus didn't remember seeing her in the Great Hall for lunch either.

"I'm wondering why that hole hasn't been repaired," he said. Hermione's brow furrowed as she looked at it.

"Something to do with the wards maybe?" Hermione questioned. Remus pursed his lips in thought.

"It's possible, although the Entrance Hall was completely repaired before the wards were recast."

"Maybe we should just start with the books and ask Madame Pince when she gets here," Hermione suggested.

"All right," Remus agreed.

They began to sift through the books on the ground, making two separate piles of those that needed to be repaired and those that were still intact. Most of the books that had fallen away from the shelves seemed relatively unscathed. It wasn't until Remus levitated one of the fallen bookshelves away that they saw more damage. There were many that were missing covers or had torn pages. Hermione looked solemn as she stacked another book on the repair pile. Remus couldn't blame her. Some of the books were very old and likely to be extremely difficult to replace.

"How is Teddy?" Hermione asked as she picked up a book on Nifflers.

"He's doing well," Remus replied, setting the book about the care of unicorns on the repair stack. "For the most part." Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"He senses something is wrong," Remus said with a sigh. "He's been fussier of late and been having some issues taking a bottle."

"I'm sorry, Remus," Hermione said putting a hand on his shoulder. Remus gave her a sad smile.

"He'll be fine, in time." Hermione just nodded and looked back down at the books.

"Mrs. Weasley said the, the funeral is Wednesday," Hermione said quietly. Remus nodded stiffly.

"We'll be there," she said. "Harry and I and the Weasleys."

"Thank you, Hermione," Remus managed. After a few moments, Hermione squeezed his shoulder and went back to sorting books. Remus followed suit and they worked in silence for a time. They had made their way through nearly all the fallen books and Remus raised his wand to levitate the third of the bookshelves when there was a shriek from behind him.

"What are you doing?" Hermione was so startled, she dropped the small stack of books she had in her hands, drawing her wand as she did so. The shelf wobbled precariously in the air and Remus forced his concentration back to it before he did more damage.

"Put that down, this instant!" Madame Pince demanded and Remus let the bookshelf settle into a cleared spot on the floor. He and Hermione turned to face the irate librarian.

"Explain yourselves," she said angrily. Hermione glanced at Remus, her eyes wide.

"I am sorry, Irma, but Minerva asked us to help with the repairs in the library," he began.

"And you thought you could just cast any kind of magic you wished?"

"I, well," Remus trailed off, at a loss for words and unsure why she was so upset.

"Please tell me you have not attempted to repair any of the books," she said, her mouth pinched.

"N-no," Hermione nearly whispered. "We've simply been sorting them into piles of what needs to be mended and what doesn't."

"Thank Merlin for small favors. Did either of you wonder why the hole in the wall had not been repaired?" the librarian demanded.

"We did, yes," Remus said, feeling more and more like a chastised child.

"Many of the books in this library have their own inherent magic," Madame Pince continued. "Doing magic of any kind without first knowing how it will affect the books could be catastrophic." Remus glanced at Hermione who was looking at her shoes. He thought Irma was being a bit melodramatic. The books they had been sorting through were all about magical creatures and their care. Remus highly doubted there was any sort of inherent magic in any of them.

"Irma," he began, but when the librarian turned her full glare on him, he fell silent. The whole situation was eerily reminiscent of the time that James and Sirius had almost gotten him banned from the library in third year after a prank of theirs had gone wrong.

"I'm sorry, Madame Pince, we didn't know," Hermione said. Madame Pince sniffed.

"Yes, well, you should have waited for me to give you instructions." They both nodded. She looked them over for a few more moments. "At least I know that the two of you have some respect for books, unlike many of your friends." The librarian glared at them as if daring them to contradict her. She looked over what they had done so far.

"Since you've moved all the books away from the wall, I suppose the hole can be repaired now," she said.

"I'd be happy to do that," Remus said and Irma gave him a sharp nod. She looked at the stacks of books they had made.

"These are the ones that need to be fixed," Hermione offered, pointing to the larger group of books.

"Very well," Irma said. "Bring them to my desk. Once I have looked through them, I will determine if there are any that the two of you can mend and then replace. Understood?" Remus nodded.

"Yes, Madame Pince," Hermione said dutifully. The librarian turned on her heel and walked briskly to her desk. Hermione gathered up a stack of books and followed her and Remus turned his attention to the hole in the wall.

He had just begun to repair it when he heard Hermione return. He looked back at her and saw her clamping her lips together. If he wasn't mistaken, she was trying not to laugh. Remus turned away, biting his cheek to hold in his own laughter as he turned his attention back to the hole. The bricks flew up from the floor and reassembled themselves into the wall. Remus heard Hermione return from transporting another stack of books as the last brick fitted itself back into the wall.

When he turned around, Hermione was watching him. He could see the amusement in her eyes and he looked away quickly so as not to succumb to laughter when Irma could still hear them. Hermione picked up another pile and Remus began to sort through the few remaining books on the floor so he could move the bookshelves back into place.

When Hermione returned from carrying the last of the books needing repair to the librarian's desk, Irma was with her.

"I need to fetch something from my quarters," she said to the two of them. "I will return shortly. In the meantime, the two of you can begin to reshelve the undamaged books. Do not do anything else."

"Of course," Remus said. He and Hermione stood motionless until they heard the door to the library close. Hermione glanced at him and that was all it took. The two of them burst into laughter.

"Honestly," Hermione said, shaking her head when she had finally recovered enough to speak. Remus laughed again, even though his sides ached.

"I was having flashbacks to my time as a student," he said, shaking his head.

"The look on your face," Hermione said, still laughing. "I don't know if I've ever seen you look so shocked. It was everything I could do not to completely lose it."

"You looked somewhat chastened at first," he said with another chuckle.

"Oh, I had to keep looking at my feet," Hermione said, wiping tears of mirth from her cheeks. "Otherwise I would have laughed right in her face." That set the two of them off again and it was another few minutes before they composed themselves.

"That felt good," Hermione said with a smile. "I haven't laughed like that in ages."

"Nor I," Remus agreed. The smile slowly slid from Remus' face. Hermione gave him a quizzical look, but he turned away. They stood in silence for a few moments.

"We should get started shelving these before she comes back," Hermione finally said. Remus nodded absently, but his thoughts were no longer on the library or their task. His thoughts had turned to the fact that he had just laughed harder than he had in months, years maybe, when his wife had only been dead for two days.

"Remus, are you all right?" Hermione asked in concern.

"I'm fine," he said gruffly. Hermione moved closer and reached out a hand to him, but he pulled away abruptly. "I just, I need some air." He turned and hurried out of the library, leaving a stunned Hermione behind him.