Young at Heart

Chapter 4- "You can't have her"

Hermoine awoke in the very early morning, just as the sun was rising through her window. She rolled off her bed, unable to go back to sleep and as she walked towards her shower she couldn't stop thinking about yesterday. She pulled on a jean jumper over her red panties and walked downstairs to make breakfast.

She walked into the kitchen and began to make bacon and eggs in the frying pan. About ten minutes later Sirius walked in and sat at the large wooden table.

"Hey Hermoine, you're up early…" He said, still groggy. He was dressed in flannel pajama pants and no shirt, even in his older age he was still very muscular and handsome.

She glanced at him before turning back to the skillet, which she was using by hand, sans magic. "I couldn't sleep. A lot on my mind." As soon as she said it she regretted it. Sirius being who he was couldn't help but butt into her problems.

"What's wrong." She turned back to him, putting two eggs on his plate along with some bacon before saying, "Nothing it's not a big deal." And sitting next to him to eat her food.

He eyed her, with that look that says something like, "I'm not that thick…" She rolled her eyes and said quickly. "It's just Ron, he's being a prick." Before shoving food in her mouth hoping to delay more questions.

"I thought something was up between you two. What happened?" Sirius asked, looking concerned.

Hermoine sighed and gave him a shortened version of the tale, leaving out Remus and what he was doing to her. Sirius sat thinking for some time after she finished speaking.

"Well Hermoine I don't know what to say. If it were me, I'd dump his arse on the curb. But it's not me and you have a much more level head on your shoulders. But if someone did that to me I wouldn't stand for it. It's a violation of your trust and your personal space." He said, sound very profound, and very unlike himself.

He smiled at her, trying to enforce his speech. She was thinking about what he'd said when Ginny tottered into the room, effectively ending Sirius and Hermoine's conversation.

Hermoine spent the morning avoiding Ron, even though she knew she should be talking to him, or breaking up with him. But she didn't really feel like doing either. So she hid in the back of the library re-reading the books she's pawed over for the past seven years.

She heard a noise out in the hallway and quickly got up to see what it was. She pushed the big sliding door open to the sight of Ron laying on the ground with Remus over him, looking very uncaring. "Sorry Ron, didn't see you." He grunted before looking over to Hermoine. Ron also noticed her at the exact same time and they both began to speak to her.

Remus: "Oh… Hermoine I was wondering…"

Ron: "There you are, Stop avoiding me!"

Hermoine sighed, wishing she were somewhere else and Moved to help Ron up. He hit away her hand and said roughly, "Get off'a me!" Hermoine stood back, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at Ron, for being such a prick.

Ron grabbed her by the arm, jerking her closer to him. "Look Hermoine you need to get over what happened and start acting like my bloody girlfriend again!" He yelled at her.

Before Ron had any idea what happened he was back on the floor again this time with a black eye.

"You shouldn't talk to a woman like that." Remus said. Before taking Hermoine's hand and pulling her into the study, as she starred wide eyed at Ron, who screamed back, "Fine then you Bitch! We're done. You'll be sorry!" Before running off downstairs to have his mum ice his eye.

Hermoine fell into a seat, stunned and with a throbbing arm, not really thinking much. Remus slammed his fist into his hand before grunting and calming himself down. He walked over to Hermoine, "I'm sorry Hermoine, I shouldn't have done that." He glanced away from her eyes, which had focused on him.

"It's ok Remus… It really… felt good to have someone protect me like that…" She trailed off, blushing slightly, remembering the night before when he'd kissed her. "And to be honest," She continued, "I'm glad he broke up with me… it just makes it easier." She sighed and Remus couldn't help but whine inside at how sad she looked.

She leaned her head back, and stared past him and he knew she wasn't really seeing anything.

"Hey 'Moine… Why don't you come swimming with Sirius and I… to get your mind off things?" He asked cautiously. Her eyes came back into focus, and she sighed.

"I really don't feel like it…" She said. What she really wanted to do was run off and cry for a few hours.

Remus tried not to show his hurt on his face. "Please 'Moine… for me?" He gave her a cute puppy dogface, of as cute of one as a thirty nine year old man can manage. Which made Hermoine laugh. So she agreed and in ten minuet's time she was at the pond in her white and green bikini with two forty-year-old men.

Sirius and Remus seemed to revert to their teenage days when they were alone together. They dunked each other and splashed so badly that Hermoine rolled her eyes and began laughing.

"You guys are such kids." She said swimming over to where they were talking. Sirius turned to her and said, "But at least we're better then Ron and his lot." Then he stopped and said, "I'm sorry… I just meant… well your too mature for them. You need someone who you can connect with on a higher level… Like us!" He finished. She rolled her eyes again.

"Well your right about something, they are too immature for me. But in a year it will be better. I'll have a job and all that." She floated on her back and Remus noticed how angelic she looked before shaking himself out of it.

"Yeah it gets a lot easier in a work setting 'Moine. No worries." He smiled at her, but she dived under water to swim back towards the bank.

Remus turned back to Sirius, who was giving him a look. "Mate, you know you can't have her." He said seriously.

Remus acted very surprised, "What are you talking about? She's seventeen! I don't even want her. I was just trying to help her get over Ron." Then he too swam off, leaving Sirius to ponder the look he'd seen Remus give her.

As the sun was setting the three swimmers laid out on the beach, letting the sand and sun combined warm them until they were dry. Hermoine sat up between the two guys, crossing her legs and looking out across the water.

Remus stared at her back, thinking about what Sirius had said. She's just too young; she's not even legal for Pete's sake. Besides she doesn't even like me. I'm just some old teacher to her. He frowned, having made himself very upset.

"I'm going to go back and see about supper." He said getting up and leaving before anyone could respond.

Hermoine watched him go, wondering why he was upset, she turned back and found Sirius watching her.

"What's wrong?" He said, curiously. Hermoine tugged on her hair, trying to decide if spilling her feelings about a guy to his best friend was a good idea. She decided it wasn't.

"Nothing…" She too got up quickly and hurried off after Remus. Sirius just shook his head.

Hermoine found Remus sitting about ten feet from the kitchen door sitting beneath a tree with his head in his hands. Hermoine stopped and began to walk over to him, but he looked up.

"Oh… Hermoine…I was um…" He scuffed his feet, trying to think of something to say. But instead he nodded and walked off into the house. Hermoine didn't understand his weird behavior and sighed before walking into the house herself.