THE VEIL

Chapter 16

2nd June 1981 – An Animagus, A Werewolf and A Fairy Walk Into A Bar

Sirius slid a fifty pound note across the bar for the barman to leave the bottle of tequila. The barman had known their faces, for the past two years they were frequent faces, and were some of the best tippers. The barman nodded and moved down the other end of the bar as it was clear to him that the two were intending to drown their sorrows. Sirius topped up his and Remus's glasses and clinked it in a silent salute. Remus looked an absolute mess. There was a Daily Prophet clipping of a witch with blonde hair and a mischievous grin standing with her family. The headline on the clipping: PUREBLOOD FAMILY MCKINNON'S MURDERED. It was dated two days before. Yet as Remus had been on a mission that kept him away from the news; tonight was the first he had found out about it. Sirius grabbed him and took him straight to the bar.

They couldn't go see the Potter's as they had been placed into hiding at Albus Dumbledore's urgent bidding. Peter was also on a mission with the Order, also uncontactable. Remus raised his glass and knocked it back slamming the glass on the bar. Most of the patrons that came to the bar that night left the two alone; those that tried to say something to them were warned off by the barman. The night was late and the bottle was half gone when a girl with brown curly hair walked in. She stopped and scanned the room, her eyes resting on the pair at the bar.

Hermione stood in the doorway, unsure whether to approach. She could tell from the slump of their shoulders that something terrible had happened in the time she had been in the veil. She was also afraid of what it could be. She had come out in the alley beside the bar, scaring a stray cat. She knew that they were in a less savoury part of muggle London, she had walked around looking at the shop fronts and then saw the bar. Her mind went back to when she was at Headquarters reading in the library, Remus and Sirius were in there drinking and reminiscing, about the muggle bar they would go to. All three had escaped the kitchen as the Weasley's were sometimes just that little bit too loud. She had started reading the latest defence against the dark arts text book with growing disdain. If the textbook was anything to go by they weren't likely going to have a good teacher. She was half listening to her old professor muse about the amount of liquor they had consumed in their youth and Hermione could not quite grasp the womanizing flirt that Sirius was describing of Remus that it drew her from her book.

She now looked upon the two at the bar and realised that this was the night that Remus had said that he decided to change his ways. She noticed a duke box by along the wall and fished in her pocket. She tried her best to carry some muggle money and wizard money as she flitted back in and out of time, yet it wasn't always possible. She noticed that Sirius always seemed to have what she left behind, something she was grateful always for.

Remus saw movement from the corner of his eyes and saw a curly brown haired girl browsing at the music by the duke box, nudged an equally drunk Sirius who glanced over and back to Remus.
"Moony, you know trying to bed a girl s' not going to change things." Sirius slurred slightly. Remus huffed and downed his drink, standing up.
"Don't care." He said grabbing the clipping and pocketing it as he staggered over towards the girl at the duke box. Hermione picked a song and began putting money into the slot to select it. A hand came down covering the coin slot. Remus stood there, smiling drunkenly at her, his eyes slightly unfocused. She realised that he didn't seem to recognise her.
"What's a pretty lass doing in a bar like this?" He articulated every word with precision of someone very drunk. Hermione raised an eyebrow, stepping back slightly, his breath was strong with the smell of alcohol.
"Clearly not expecting a bad pick up line from a friend." She answered.

Remus squinted and focused on her. His eyes widened in recognition.
"Of course! It had to be you to show up didn't it!" Remus's voice went gruff and he waved his hand at her.
"Always showing up and running off!" His voice grew louder. Sirius turned to see what the issue was with Remus, he looked past his friend and saw the face of the girl he had gone to flirt with, falling off his chair when he realised who it was. Sirius scrambled to get up, in his drunken state it took a couple of tries, Remus was now yelling at Hermione, about being her fault for Sirius being messed up, her fault for everything. He waved the clipping towards her.

"You could have stopped this!" he yelled. Hermione grabbed the clipping. Her hand flew to her mouth reading the article. Tears formed in her eyes.
"Oh Remus! I'm-" She tried to comfort him.
"Don't Oh Remus Me!" He lurched forwards, his anger growing. Hermione tears in her eyes looked at him.
"No I suppose not! You just want to sulk in your misery!" She lashed back at him, verbal words stinging like a slap. Sirius had made it over and stood between two of the people he loved.
"Remus, you shouldn't speak like that to a lady."

"She is no lady!" Remus he shouted at his friend. He didn't see it coming. Sirius punched him in the jaw and Remus staggered back. Remus looked at his friend who was now angry as him, and willing to fight him. Remus launched forwards clocking his friend hard in the nose. Then it was on all for nothing both hitting and punching each other until the barman threw a bucket of iced water over them.
"OUT! YOU BOTH SHOULD KNOW BETTER! OUT" The barman yelled. Hermione pulled up Sirius and pushed him out the door. She tried to do the same with Remus but he shook her off. Hermione looked down at the clipping again. Marlene was dead. She followed the two outside, tears streaming down her face. Too many people died, were dying were going to die. She couldn't do anything. She walked away from them. She couldn't bear their looks, their pity, their anger, their drunkenness.

Sirius was torn. He wanted to be there for Remus and he wanted to comfort Hermione. He rounded on Remus.
"It's not her fucking fault you ass. She loved Marly as well!" He pointed at Hermione's retreating form. Remus turned his head to her. He knew he was in the wrong. He felt worse. Marly would never have blamed Hermione. The two followed her. She was at the main road trying to hail a cab.

"Princess, wait." Sirius stumbled forwards. Hermione looked at them stepping away, shook her head.
"Hermione," Remus voice cracked, "I-" whatever he was going to say was interrupted as he suddenly turned and began vomiting into a trashcan. When Remus finished a taxi was pulling over, she opened the back door for them. Sirius helped his friend in and climbed in himself, she slammed the door and climbed into the front. The driver tried to tell her she shouldn't sit in the front. She glared at him. Sirius gave the address and they drove in silence. Hermione was weeping silently in the front the men sat in the back, Remus fell into a doze. Sirius paid the driver and pulled Remus out of the car. When they got into his apartment, Hermione had to help both of them make it up the stairs to Remus's room. Sirius looked at her before he passed out, anguished brown eyes.

Remus and Sirius both awoke to breakfast being cooked, loudly. Hermione was not trying to be quiet. They flinched as a saucepan was slammed against something equally loud. Reluctantly they made their way downstairs as the smell of food was too enticing. They took their seats quietly when they saw Hermione's glare at them, knew it would be best to accept their fate for a massive hangover. Hermione flew two steaming mugs of coffee over to them, as well as two glasses of water and what seemed to be muggle aspirin. They flinched again as she slammed two plates in front of them, she flicked her wand and breakfast of Bacon, eggs, chipolatas, mushrooms, tomatoes and beans on toast flew onto their plates. Her look at them was almost challenging them to make sure they ate it all, before stalking out of the kitchen, eating none of it herself. They looked down at the breakfast. She cared enough to help them with their hangover, but clearly was still not happy with them for their behaviour the night before.

When they finished they found Hermione curled up in the armchair reading the Shakespeare book, she refused to look up. Sirius looked at Remus, "I'll take first shower," He said quietly, leaving the werewolf alone to apologise to her without an audience. Remus sat on the couch running his hands through his hair. He looked over to Hermione. She was watching him, hurt and sadness in her eyes.
"I am an ass." He said quietly.
"Blaming you. Blaming myself. It is not what she would have wanted." Remus stared straight ahead, "I can't believe she is gone."

Hermione watched him. She was hurting, but she also knew that Remus and Marly were almost inseparable for much of their time from Hogwarts. She shut the book, moving and sat next to Remus, leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Remus, you were an ass last night. But I do forgive you" She handed him the clipping, sitting quietly together remembering the beautiful and bubbly witch.
"You know the events of this time, don't you?" Remus asked quietly after a while. Hermione didn't say anything, reluctantly nodded. She felt Remus tense up.
"You knew she would die?" Hermione nodded again, tears leaking from her eyes. Remus looked at her.
"You knew, and didn't do anything to change it?" Hermione pulled away, the complete despair and sadness in her eye's stopped him from getting angry.

"I-I can't. I am not supposed to be here. Right now my other self, my present self of this time is learning to walk, talk and read. I cannot do anything to change the outcome of the past, my past. It would detrimentally change the future. Events must play out, in the right order Remus. I cannot play god, not for anyone." Hermione pulled her knees up and withdrew into herself. She felt as Sirius sat next to her. He pulled her into his lap.
"Blaming her won't change things. She has no control where or when she ends up." Sirius explained to Remus quietly. Remus looked again at the witch with brown curly hair. She was caught in something, and no control. They were caught in the middle of the war with no control.

This world was fucked up, he thought. Then Remus felt it. A breeze across his cheek whispered across him, past him. Hermione pulled her head up as it touched her, fear in her eyes; she looked into Sirius's eyes. He kissed her as the whispering breeze pulled her away, grey veils fluttered and wrapping themselves around her. Her emotions raw on her face as she faded away. Remus let out a breath he didn't' realise that he was holding. Sirius looked at his friend utter desolation in his eyes, reflected how he felt. The world was fucked up.