Hermione was dancing around the Burrow with Teddy in her arms and the boy was giggling. She was singing Christmas carols and he was clapping along with her. Her marauders had not surfaced from their boy's night yet and she was enjoying the time spent with the small child.
"I love you," she said in a sing-song voice with a smile and he nodded.
"I love you!" He exclaimed and she laughed and rubbed her nose against his.
"Want me to take him for you while you get a drink?" Ron offered and Hermione glared over at the man sitting on the couch.
"No, thank you, I have him." She said possessively and Teddy nodded.
"No, Uncle Ron, no," Teddy repeated and Hermione smiled and twirled her and the boy.
"You know you aren't his mother, right, Mione?" He asked and she glared over at him.
Her lips were pursed and her eyes flickered, "I am more of a mother to him than he has, Ronald."
"Hermione, you aren't even old enough to be his mother. You are like the baby sitter who obsessed." Ron said with venom and Hermione glared.
"I would watch your tongue, Ronald Weasley. He is my mate's son. I will take care of him as if he were my own. That is what it means to be in a pack." Her voice was thick with a warning and the redhead shook his head.
"Bloody mental," he spat and she rolled her eyes.
The witch walked away with the boy sitting on her waist and went into the kitchen. "Little love, did you want some juice?" She asked the child who nodded.
"Over there, dear. I had his cup already sitting out." Molly told her as she was sitting at the table with her tea.
Hermione went to retrieve said cup and poured him some pumpkin juice. Handing it to the boy, she turned to Molly who was admiring her. "You do have a natural touch with him, Hermione. It is very beautiful." The matriarch remarked and Hermione sighed.
"It is the least I could do," Hermione said simply and placed Teddy in his chair at the table.
"It is a lovely thing. That boy knows you love him so dearly." Molly murmured and took Teddy's hand.
"Gran, Kis-miss and bells!" he shouted and Hermione smiled.
"That's right, my Teddy. Christmas and jingle bells," Hermione kissed the boy's teal hair.
She felt the sudden overwhelm feeling of jubilation and turned to see her marauders bee-lining toward her. Hermione had barely time to open her arms before they embraced her and smashed her with kisses and nuzzles. "We missed you," Remus grumbled and ran a hand through her hair.
"Too much," Sirius agreed and his hand ran down her back.
The witch was giggling and kissing back, "it was hardly a night, my marauders." She told them and they both groaned at the same time.
"Never again, Trills," Sirius growled and Hermione laughed and shook her head.
"Daddy!" Teddy declared and Remus snatched him from his chair.
"My Teddy! I missed you too!" The werewolf rubbed his nose to the boy's, who giggled.
"I love you," Teddy said with a sing-song tone and Remus chuckled.
"I love you, too," he told his son and the child reached for the animagus.
"Uncle Sirius, woof!" He announced and Sirius laughed and took the boy.
"How is our Teddy today?" He asked the child who stared at him with delight.
"Uncle Puppy?" The boy asked and Sirius nodded.
"Alright, but only if Gran says it's alright. She got put out last time."
Molly glared and waved a finger at him, "do not pretend to eat my slippers and I will not yell at you, Sirius."
Sirius nodded, "fair enough," he placed the boy down and turned into a dog.
Sirius barked and Teddy clapped, "I love Uncle Puppy," he followed the large dog from the room and Hermione smiled.
"He will want for almost nothing," Hermione sighed and Remus took her hand.
"You have made sure of that, thank you," he said tenderly and she leaned over and kissed him gently.
Molly stood up and rubbed Remus's shoulder, "did you need a drink or maybe some lunch? I know the full moon is approaching and I want you to eat." She told him and he smiled at her.
It dawned on Hermione just then how much he might have had little chance to experience this great amount of acceptance. She knew little of his family, less of his life outside of school. The man in front of her, twenty-one and bright from the love and affection for her family... it made her cry.
Hermione covered her face and tears streamed, "Love, no. That is absolutely a beautiful feeling, you are going to make me..." Remus trailed off and hugged her tightly, burying his face in her neck.
"I can't help it. It gives me so much joy to see you so happy with my family!" Hermione gasped and Remus rubbed her back.
"This is how it should be, always. You enhance our lives to the fullest, Hermione." Remus murmured and she ran fingers through his hair.
Molly had crept away from the doting couple and into the other room to give them privacy but neither noticed. Hermione just held onto her wonderful werewolf and he nuzzled on her and pulled her closer to him. "I love you, Remus. You made my life so much better by being in it like this. Just as you are." She whispered and he chuckled against her neck.
"I will always love you, Hermione," he told her and pulled away, wiping her tears. "You have to know that. Sirius and I really truly love you. Everything we have experienced in life up to now has been muted compared to this feeling right here." he told her and pressed his hand to her chest.
The potency of tenderness and love started to wane a bit and they laughed and she fixed his shirt. "It just caught me in a moment, I suppose," she muttered and he sighed with a smile.
He brushed a few strands of hair from her face and ran a thumb on her cheek, "That is fine by me."
They sighed together and she kissed him sweetly, "you always taste so good," she breathed and he chuckled.
"So do you, love," his reply was soft and his face shown real affection.
There was a tickle at first. Hermione tilted her head and it grew like a balloon in her chest. Alarm. Alarm! "Where is Sirius!" Hermione gasped and they ran into the living room.
The door was swung wide open and no one was inside. The storm outside was starting to brew and they rushed to the door. "Hermione! I cannot find the boys!" Molly screamed at her as she glanced around. "Sirius! Ron!" Molly called out from outside the door.
"What happened?" Remus inquired and raced outside to her.
"The door was swung open when I got back from grabbing my book. Teddy was playing with blocks and Sirius ran up to go to the loo. Ron said he had to get firewood... where is the baby!" Molly was devastated and Remus started to run around the house.
Hermione did not waste another second she took off. She was her canine self and tried to sniff the air for traces. In the distance was what looked like a big black dog and Ron. Hermione ran as fast as her legs would let her in the snow to see the scene before her.
She melted back to herself. "Where is my Teddy!" She screamed and Ron pointed to the large pond...
"He wasn't supposed to follow me!" Ron shouted and Hermione gasped as the large dog howled in agony.
The small boy was crying on the lake and Hermione went to walk out there but it cracked under her feet. "It is too thin. I went out to get the wood and didn't shut the door properly. Sirius had to run up and go to the bathroom and Mum went to grab a book, so I thought he was fine. He followed me out, it was dumb luck. The wind is too high to try magic." She knew he wasn't lying but she was angry.
Taking a chance, she turned into her canine self and whistled at the boy as she walked carefully out there. Teddy was so scared so she clucked at him as she walked. He had a scrap on his face from falling. Hermione was almost to the boy when she heard cracking.
Racing as fast as her legs would carry her she skid on the ice and turned back to herself, sweeping the boy in her arms. He clung to her and sobbed but she had no time to comfort him. She maneuvered swiftly and pushed the boy to the other end of the ice before she fell through it.
Freezing cold. Her limbs were shocked with the biting of the water and she clawed at anything she could to breach the surface. Gasping for air when she felt the cold wind and she screamed as her arms reached for the ice in front of her. Her fingers barely able to grab the ledge, Hermione tried to pull herself on top of it. She saw her marauders prowling around to the edge of the pond.
Hermione had almost pulled the top of her torso from the water and onto the ice. Sirius was yanking at his hair and pulling out his wand, but Remus, poor Remus was screaming fright in his mind. She tried to squeeze herself from the water and grunted, but she was slipping.
"Trills!" Remus cried and the ice broke in front of her and smashed her in the face... making her fall into darkness.