Hermione was stretched out on the floor with several books in front of her and her ankles were connected behind her. She was wearing one of the marauder's shirts they bought and a pair of Sirius's sweats. Her hair was pulled into a wild pony tail and she was focusing on the texts in one of the books.
Remus was sitting at the desk with a couple of books and Sirius was stretched out on the couch. Sirius watched them both, hardly paying attention to the volume in his hand. They had mirrored expressions as they read and he smiled to himself. It was a bit unnerving to see a woman so similar to his best mate, but amusing nonetheless.
It had been three days of doing this daily and Sirius had grown attached to these moments. They had not found anything useful in regards to their situation, but honestly, Sirius couldn't complain. Her company had been pretty amazing and it made for plenty of laughing and joy. He missed James more these days and even Lily's nagging, but Hermione definitely matched that witch's spirit.
Remus moved and glanced toward the door, someone had come through the fireplace in the living room. "Hello?" Ginny's voice came through and Hermione smiled.
"We are in the library, Gin," Hermione called out and the red head soon appeared.
She saw her friend stretched out on the floor and giggled, "did you forget?" She asked and Hermione frowned.
"Forget-" realization hit her and she gasped, "oh, Ginny, I am sorry! I did, that is completely unlike me!"
Hermione blushed deeply and got off the floor. "Don't hurt yourself for it. Just go get dressed and we will go see the baby." Hermione made a face and nodded toward Remus, "Oh Merlin! You didn't tell him..."
Remus glowered and stood up, "what do you mean, Ginevra?" Remus said pointedly, he could smell her guilt.
Ginny nudged Hermione and nodded, "tell him, he at least should know."
Hermione sighed and Remus approached her, "what is it?"
"Remus, I didn't want to hurt your heart," Hermione muttered and Ginny scowled and nodded for her to continue. "You and Nymphadora had a child before the battle. Edward Remus Lupin."
Remus gasped and covered his mouth, he couldn't find words. "My cousin? You had a baby with my cousin?" Sirius declared jumping up with a grin.
Hermione looked as she was about to cry and Ginny hugged her, "oh, don't be such a babbling brook, Mione. He was bound to find out."
Remus reached for her and she turned to him, "I should have told you earlier, I just didn't know how to tell you."
Remus smiled and nodded, "not the easiest thing to tell someone. Could you do me a favor? Tell him I love him?"
Hermione glanced back at Ginny and the red head made a face. "Oh, I know that look. Fine... Remus, Sirius, get dressed. I will send Andromeda an owl and ask her if I can bring some relatives of Teddy's."
Hermione clapped and hugged her, "you are the best, Gin! I am going to get ready. I haven't seen Teddy since Christmas."
Sirius made a face when she left the room, "she is bloody insane. I suppose we are going to go meet your son, Remus."
Remus was rubbing the back of his neck and sighed, "I just went from being a single werewolf to a dad..." He trailed off and Ginny laughed.
"Well, you cannot say you are his dad, but I get it."
Remus scratched his chin and smirked, "Pads, I am a father before you. Pay up."
Sirius glared and shook his head, "this clearly doesn't count."
"We are going to stick with the names Hermione gave you at that party, alright?" Ginny asked and went to go grab a piece of parchment.
"He doesn't have lycanthropy?" Remus asked and Ginny shook her head as she wrote.
"Not one bit that we are aware of. He does have his metamorphmagus traits like his mum." Ginny declared and sighed. "He is a great baby."
Sirius waggled his eyebrows at Remus, "that means you can have wee marauders too, Remus."
"I am sure we will be obliviated before we return to our time, Pads." The werewolf spoke and the room turned somber.
Ginny stopped and watched the marauders stare at each other with sadness. "You really have to go back?" She asked softly and Remus nodded.
"What if it does something horrible to the timeline?" Remus murmured and Sirius frowned.
"What if it doesn't and we are ignorant to the second chance we clearly have? We talked for days about finding a way to go back, but what if we just made ourselves at home here. I miss James and Lily like you do, but from what I drew from Harry, they get murdered in a few short months in our time. I get thrown in Azkaban and you get thrown in an abandoned house to live out your transformations." Sirius declared and Remus glowered.
"Don't you think if I could choose I would choose to stay? I don't want to go back and be alone. I don't want to suffer through years of believing my mates are all gone. If we don't go back, who's to say history won't change? That Harry might die? That Voldemort would return?" Remus hissed and Sirius shoved him lightly.
"It would have already!" The animagus shouted.
Ginny approached the seething marauders and held up her hands. "Fellas, relax. Nothing has changed as of yet. If it bothers you so much we can see if Headmistress McGonagall would let us make a visit to Dumbledore. Ask him and find out if anything would change."
Remus snarled and pulled away from both of them. "I doubt it would do us any good. I am going to go get ready to see my son." The werewolf spat and stomped up the stairs.
Sirius sighed and shook his head, "he is starting to get grumpy."
Ginny patted Sirius's arm, "he will come around, Sirius. If you are solid on staying we will make sure you can without consequences."
"You are only saying that so I will give your best mate a rebound shag." He teased and Ginny rolled her eyes.
"I am saying that because Hermione has actually been, well, Hermione. She was nothing like she used to be during this last school year. Actually, I think you have made an improvement on her humor, she used to take things so seriously and now she is laughing again." Ginny admitted and the animagus rubbed the back of his neck.
"She is a bit different than we are used to." He admitted and tried very hard not to lose his masked smile.
"She has that habit," Ginny said and went to go finish the letter.
Sirius turned to her and frowned, "Ginny, what if she won't want us to stay?" Ginny could see the hint of vulnerability and inwardly was in awe at how close they have become to Hermione.
"I am going to give you some sound advice about Hermione Granger. If you plan on sticking around for her, don't you dare ever make her feel like it was just that. That is the minute she will want nothing to do with it. Her biggest worry is a savior complex like Harry thought he might have. Don't give her one." Ginny paused and pointed at the werewolf poking his face in. "and you, stop trying to be so serious."
"Well, actually I am," Sirius retorted and the marauders laughed.
"Sirius! Hurry up now! We don't want to keep Teddy waiting." Hermione snapped with a smile as she entered the library.
"Merlin's beard, witch. I am moving." The animagus grumbled and left to go get ready.
Remus watched his friend get excited over seeing his son and he felt the unusual tug of possessiveness. Her face lit up at the aspect of seeing his offspring and made him tingle. This would either be a very good day, or a nightmare waiting to happen.
0o0o
The room was a bit frosty from Andromeda noting the two strangers. She watched them as the afternoon progressed and the two young witches played on the floor with her grandson. Hermione and Ginny did not make efforts to introduce the boy to the Marauders yet as they seemed overwhelmed. Ginny gave Hermione some space to play with the boy and sat down in a seat next to the older witch.
Hermione was on the floor with the boy and playing with his toys with him. His hair was flickering from his usual aqua to pink as she murmured to him. Ginny was sipping some tea and chatting about recent events with the witch and the Marauders were on the opposite end of the room, watching the witch on the floor.
"Teddy, can you say Mione?" She asked the boy.
"Minnie," he told her and hugged the witch around her neck.
She giggled and shook her head, "why do you have to be so cute? I could gobble you up!" She cooed at the child and gave him raspberries.
"Mione, why don't you introduce Teddy to Romulus and Argos?" Ginny insisted finally as she noted the anxiety they wore plainly on their faces.
Andromeda watched the two young wizards with suspicion and cleared her throat. "Ginevra, why don't we go refresh the tea?" She asked and Ginny paled.
"Alright," Ginny declared and helped the woman with the tray.
They wandered out of the room, tea tray in hand and Hermione frowned before getting up off the floor. "Teddy, do you want to meet my very special friends?" Hermione asked the boy who frowned.
He raised his hands for her to pick him up and the marauders stood. Remus was about to say hello but paled. "That woman is far too sharp!" He gasped and ran a hand through his hair.
"What is it?" Sirius asked and Remus heaved.
"She is giving Ginny a tongue lashing for lying to her about us. She knows, Pads, and she is furious."
Hermione waved him off and nodded at the unsure boy. "Teddy, can you say hello?" Hermione asked him and he grinned over at her.
"Hello!" Teddy exclaimed and waved at Remus.
The werewolf approached and he smiled brightly, "Hello, Teddy. You are exactly how I thought you would be."
There was an awkward moment that the two of them stood there with the boy and made it feel more intimate than she had intended. She stared up at him and his eyes were glinting and then with a sudden clarity he glanced at his son.
"Woof! Doggie!" Teddy exclaimed and pointed to Sirius.
They glared at him and he shrugged, "I don't even know."
Then Hermione saw it and giggled, "the dog on your shirt, Sirius."
"Minnie, I love you," he murmured to her cheek bashfully as the animagus approached.
"I love you too, Teddy," she told the child and kissed his cheek.
"Moony, you have a son..." Sirius breathed and was now captivated by the smiling child.
Remus held up a hand and the boy grasped it, making the werewolf gasp. "You are amazing, Teddy." He whispered and Hermione smiled.
Hermione whispered into Teddy's ear, "these are the most important people in your life, Teddy Bear."
The boy giggled and held a moment longer onto Remus's hand before letting go. Remus felt completely baffled that there he was almost two decades later and staring at his very own son. Never mind anything else, that was his boy.
Ginny and Andromeda came into the room and Teddy jutted in Hermione's arms. "Gran!" Teddy shouted and Hermione put him down.
He walked over to her and she smiled as she sat down. "How about Aunt Ginevra takes you to change you, lovey?" She asked the boy and Ginny took his hand.
"Come on, Teddy. You don't want to be in here for this." Ginny mumbled and they left the room.
Andromeda tapped her nails on the chair and Hermione blushed. "I-"
"Don't you start with me, girl. I know who this is. I recognize the boy I grew up with, down to the smirk he is making now; he is Sirius Black to the glint in his eyes. What don't I understand is that if Remus wanted to meet his son, why didn't you just tell me the situation? I, for one, may not understand how he's here, but Teddy is his son."
Hermione nodded and gulped, "I am sorry, Andromeda. We told him just this morning that he had a son. They somehow made it here from 1981, long before Remus would even think of dreaming of children."
The older witch nodded with a smile and beckoned the marauders to come closer. "Come let me have a look at you both." She stood up and greeted Sirius with a hug.
"I am so glad to see you. I mourned you at length." She told him and he held her tightly.
When they released she turned to Remus and straightened his clothes. "If you are going to be here from now on, you cannot have your son back fully, yet. Your youth can make raising a child alone a hard task, indeed." She declared and the werewolf blushed and nodded. "But you can come by and see him whenever you like, Remus."
"Thank you, Andromeda." He murmured and fought back the emotions he was battling.
"You, girl, come hither." The woman said sharply and nodded. "I know you love my grandson and made efforts to protect him. You are a smart witch, Hermione." The older witch spoke and hugged her.
"Minnie! Look, flower!" Teddy said gleefully as he ran into the room with a rose.
She bent down and gazed at the flower, "oh, so beautiful! Bea-u-tee-full! She said and he grinned and his hair flickered pink.
"Be-u-full!" Teddy attempted to repeat and Sirius nudged Remus lightly.
They watched the young woman with the boy and together had mirrored the same expression; longing. Sirius did not want to admit that this witch was tugging his heart strings in ways he hasn't ever felt before. Remus could smell the difference in her scent around the boy and it was intoxicating, it was maternal. Andromeda noted the young wizard's faces and raised an eyebrow; an unusual predicament.
"I am unfortunately under a time constraint today and must prepare for a dinner party soon, but I would like to see everyone in a couple of days." Andromeda declared and Ginny reappeared in the room.
"That sounds wonderful, cousin." Sirius declared and she smiled.
"I agree, I love to come see Teddy," Ginny murmured and bent down next to Hermione. "We already know you would come see him every day if you could." The red head muttered and hugged Hermione.
"He is so special, who wouldn't." Hermione murmured and kissed the boy's forehead.
"I can't agree more. Andromeda, if you need anything just let me know." Remus declared and Sirius glared over at him.
Andromeda nodded and smiled, "of course, Remus. I would like to see you here more if you plan on being here awhile."
Hermione swayed in her friend's arms and Hermione stared over at Ginny. They held a silent conversation and Ginny just smiled at the end and patted Hermione's back before standing. "Well, come on marauders plus the brightest witch of her age. We are going to meet Harry at the Leaky Cauldron. He said around five."
0o0o
Harry was already seated and tapping the table top. He had ordered the butterbeer and was frowning at the wall. He was not a huge supporter of bringing the Marauders to see his godson and even less of them going without him. Harry loved Remus and Sirius very much and enjoyed their company, even more so at their younger age, but he was worried. There was concern about time, about history, and about quite possibly his best friend.
Hermione Granger was quite the puzzle to him and even as they helped each other heal, she always had to be more supportive than him to her. Now she had taken up this task to returning the young marauders to their own time and he could tell she was smitten with one of them. Which, he wasn't sure, but definitely one of them.
Ginny walked in and Harry watched as the Marauders were hovering around Hermione just outside. He couldn't see her expression, but the wizards were facing the window. Whatever she was saying, they were smiling and nodding at her. Ginny was going to speak and then see turned her gaze to where his view was and smirked.
Hermione held her arms open and hugged Sirius, kissing his cheek. When she parted from him, Sirius took his cigarette back to his mouth and the witch shook her head at him. She then turned to Remus and gave him the same hug and kiss, but he returned the kiss on her cheek and his eyes closed.
"This won't bode well, Gin," Harry grumbled and shook his head.
The red head sat down and shrugged at him, "who are we to say if it will or won't."
Harry waved a finger at her and she smiled innocently, "Whatever magics you are trying to work on Hermione, you need to stop. Someone is going to end up broken hearted and the likelihood of it being her is very high."
"But look how sweet they are," Ginny baited and watched the trio again.
The witch was fixing Remus's jacket and must have said something sharp because Sirius rolled his eyes and bent down to her eye level. He spoke of something with a grin and she pushed him away and Remus beamed. The animagus blew another puff of smoke and she leaned on him, her head against his chest and she was shaking it against him.
"It's not like we can go, 'sounds great if you all stayed. By the way which of you is going to date her?' Don't be silly, Ginny. If we run a risk of this changing time at all, we could be asking for a different world, a darker one."
"She fusses over Remus, doesn't she? Dotes on him?" Ginny ignored Harry on purpose and watched them finish up outside. "Although I have a feeling she is sweet on Sirius. Secretly so, like a crush, no one speaks about but everyone knows."
"Why do I even bother, you aren't even listening," Harry grumbled and Ginny smiled over at him.
She spoke simply, "I was listening to every word, Harry. I just chose not to answer. We don't have to fix this, they will."
The Marauders followed Hermione in and were laughing about something, "that is the last time I ever let you trick me into something so silly." Hermione snickered and the wizards were stifling chuckles.
"Hello, Godson! I finally got to meet yours today," Sirius declared and sat down across from Harry.
"So I heard," Harry declared and sipped his butterbeer.
Hermione moved to let Remus sit in the middle but he slid aside and let her climb between. She smiled and him and gave his shoulder a nudge before turning to the conversation. "Teddy was so good today, Harry." Hermione voiced and Remus ran his fingers over her hand before reaching for his butterbeer.
Ginny noted how affectionate the werewolf was being. "I think Remus had a great time," the redhead engaged the oblivious werewolf and Sirius glared over at him.
"What are you doing over there, mate? Wanking under the table?" Sirius taunted and Remus cleared his throat.
"Just being quizzical. Unlike you, Sirius, I did not need to blurt everything that runs in my mind out." Remus snapped himself out of it and straightened his posture, "I am still baffled that I actually have fathered a son."
"I am glad you got to meet him. It might quite a long time once you get back, but you do get the chance to be with him." Harry murmured and Sirius sighed.
"That took a heavy turn," the animagus spat and swigged his butterbeer.
They ordered some dinner and Remus had inwardly started to isolate. It wasn't quite what he had in mind to hear. He was so thrilled to meet his own flesh and blood that he pushed the idea of not seeing him again out of the way. That was the way it had to be, but was that fair? Was it fair to the little boy, who grabbed his hand and he felt the warmness at his core of belonging, had to grow up without him? Fair that he would die before seeing him off to Hogwarts or even teach him his first book?
Hermione saw the young werewolf struggling and gripped his hand, "we can talk about this all later," she whispered into his ear and he nodded.
Sirius watched the exchange and grew envious of how soft she was with his mate. She was tender, compassionate and even a bit doting. He knew he shouldn't mind, she was too smart for him after all, but he did; he minded a lot.
"What do you think? Are you lot going to find the magic that caused you to be shot forward?" Harry asked and Hermione groaned.
"It has been so agitating. We have been digging through books upon books an at most there are theories. Theories mean nothing if you cannot pin a source." Hermione sighed and Sirius nodded.
"Not entirely true." Remus murmured and turned to her. "You can work off of theory if the fundamentals of the spell or enchantment have a quality that was replicated or enhanced in another object."
Hermione snorted and waved that off, "no one can say they have successfully recreated a spell that they did not know the source and action of."
Ginny giggled and nudged Harry, "didn't I say they were similar?"
Sirius shook his head and rolled his eyes, "this argument lasted two hours yesterday. Two hours of my life I will not get back thanks to them."
Harry chuckled and shook his head, "clearly Hermione has met her match in wit."
Hermione poked Sirius' arm and glared at him, "you didn't help things by agreeing with one of us only to turn it around and agree with the other. You stirred that cauldron, Sirius Black."
Sirius gave her an impish grin and nodded, "only a little, but that was because you both were going to tear your hair out in a stalemate."
"Stalemate or not, mate, you know I am truly correct." Remus baited and Hermione narrowed her eyes at the werewolf.
"Completely true, Remus." Sirius replied and leaned toward the witch, "don't listen to him, he is daff." The animagus declared and Hermione turned to him.
She shook her head, "you are utterly insane, Sirius," Hermione mumbled and Sirius nodded.
"Absolutely insane." The animagus leaned to her ear, "I might need you to show me the error of my ways," somehow his voice was seductive and potent, causing the young witch to blush.
Harry glanced over at Ginny who was grinning and moved to speak, but dinner was served. Harry and Ginny silently agreed to not talk about the marauders nor their fascination with a certain witch for the rest of the evening.