Chapter seven: Hogsmeade

June 6 1994
Tonight was quite possibly the worst night of my life to date. I knew the wolf was helping Black. He and the mongrel were under the Whomping Willow with Potter, Weasley, and my girl. I had everything under control. Kept him talking and focused on me instead of her. No doubt he'd have recognized her. She looks more and more like Ariel every year. But then they disarmed me, perhaps a bit overenthusiastically. I'd yelled at her when she tried to get me to listen to their absurd story. She didn't understand, but I hate that I yelled at her. When I came to it was my worst nightmare. Well, before my Hermione. I was once again faced with Lupin's alter ego, stalking toward my daughter and her friends. With Ariel's words echoing in my ears, I lept in front of them. In front of her.
Now, Sirius Black is escaped. I don't know how, but there is no doubt in my mind as to who. But how? Lupin almost hurt my daughter. That can not, WILL not, happen again.

Hermione was in the library, studying with Severus. Ironically they were studying antivenins known and theorizing how they could make new ones that haven't been. It was a project from Slughorn and she was more than happy to do it. She and Severus poured over the copy of Venoms and the Creation of Antidotes. He had wanted to research the acromantula's venom, but she had insisted on snakes. Rare snakes. Severus originally went to argue, but Remus helped her out.

"Snakes?" He asked her with a laugh. "Acromantulas are much better. What can snakes do other than slithering and sneaking about and biting people."

Severus sneered at him, unwittingly acting as expected. "They don't need to do anything else. You can train snakes, all an acromantula does is spin webs and eat people. You can do the overgrown spider, we'll work on our snakes. See which one is superior."

Remus winked at her when Severus turned away. She was now drilling him on information.

"See here, it says we would need the venom to create an antivenin to it. Like a disease! And Muggle antidotes."

"Yes, I read that. Why are you so obsessed with this?"

"I'm not obsessed. However, I think if you or I were to find a rare snake, or a snake that is the only of its kind, we should take a sample and make one just for future reference. You never know when you might need something like that. Think of a reticulated python." Then she shoved a picture at him of a closeness to Nagini. Remus sat down beside her.

"Hey you," he said with a kiss to her cheek. Severus grimaced. "Are the two of you really still going on with snakes? It isn't too late to change topics, you know."

Severus scowled. "They're a lot more fascinating than your spider."

"If you say so," Remus replied as the Slytherin began to put his books away. Then after he was gone. "You know Hogsmeade is coming this weekend?"

Hermione smiled. "You've only mentioned it half a million times, I'm not sure. Care to tell me again."

He groaned. "Honestly, it's like you don't listen. Guess what?"

"What?"

"It's the first Hogsmeade trip this weekend."

Hermione gasped in faux shock. "What? No! Why is this the first I'm hearing of it?"

Remus smiled at her. "I was thinking maybe you and could I go to the Hog's Head. It isn't usually as crowded as the Three Broomsticks. And the food's better."

"That sounds wonderful. And then to Honeyduke's. It's already near the end of October, you must be in a chocolate crisis by now."

"Why does everyone always assume I have some sort of obsession with chocolate?"

"Because you have some sort of obsession with chocolate? The first time I met you, you were handing me a chunk of it."

"Oh. Well then I suppose you have a point." Then, "Tell me more about how we met."

Sometimes he would hit a subject that she refused to talk about, not being able to change anything. Sometimes she would get a sad look when she saw Sirius make a joke. Or James and Lily pretend not to be looking at each other. She would not tell him what happened to Peter. Or James and Lily. She wouldn't tell him how she met Sirius other than it was her third year.

"I told you, we were on the train."

"And I randomly gave you chocolate?"

"No. You drove away a Dementor who was on the train looking for an escaped prisoner. You cast your patronus and then gave us all chocolate, which you kept handy in your pocket I might add."

Remus looked away. "I can't cast a patronus."

"What? Of course you can, you teach Harry- who in turn teaches us."

"Dark creatures are unable to, so I never tried."

She kissed him. "I'll teach you."

*
Hermione waited in the shadow of the castle. She'd spent the last three months waiting for this. Sirius had promised to teach them, but was unable to. She backed up when she saw the first two figures heading down the hill. The Whomping Willow froze its branches and one went down the tunnel while the other went back to her post. She gathered the others would probably come later so she went ahead and followed. He was looking out the window with an anxious look.

"It's still a few minutes off."

"Hermione? What are you doing here? You have to go!" He looked terrified. Didn't she know what he could do to her? The girl he quickly falling in love with.

"It's okay," she said with a small smile. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"Please!" He begged. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." She changed, shrinking smaller and smaller to a red fox. The fox yipped at him playfully before she nosed his leg.

"You-you did this? For me?" She nodded.

And he seized, feeling his bones crack and pop, his skin stretch thin and he screamed in incredible pain. Hermione whined and licked him soothingly. Moony howled long and whimpered. Then he sniffed. There was a stranger, an intruder. He growled low, stalking toward the small animal. Hermione was still as he nudged her with his nose, smelling her aggressively. Mate.

Moony bit her ear gently, nuzzling her neck. When the smells of his pack arrived, he stepped in front of her possessively. She was his. Padfoot smelled around her and barked happily before nipping her leg for her to chase him. Moony ran after them, snapping at Padfoot when he got her a little too hard. She joined the run, through the Forbidden Forest and back before falling asleep on the floor in the Shrieking Shack, cuddled into Moony's side with Padfoot beside her and Prongs and Wormtail on the other side of Moony.

*

Remus opened his eyes to the sun shining through the dusty window and a mountain of brown curls in his face. She smelled like apples and honey. He smiled, closing his eyes again and inhaling deeply, trying to imprint her scent to memory. He'd never felt so rested after a full moon. Yes, he was still dreadfully tired, sore, and was sure he'd broken another rib and added a few more marks on his skin and friends. But he had never felt so content. This was the third time they'd fallen asleep together and there was a natural intimacy to it. She groaned in her sleep and turned her head, making him smile even more, and looked up at him.

"Morning," she said with a groggy smile.

"Good morning." Sirius yawned big and grinned at the two of them. "So. You're an Animagus?"

"Obviously," James said. "Difference is Ariel here is an upstanding citizen, so she must be registered. It wouldn't be right if she weren't!"

Hermione blushed. "I'm not that upstanding."

"Oh please," Sirius said. "You're such a princess."

"Careful, Padfoot. She might set your robes on fire like she did her Potions professor in her first year." She slapped his arm slightly and he smiled at her adoringly. "Did you really do that for me?"

"Minerva agreed to teach me. Is that okay?"

He kissed her hard. "It's amazing."

"No one wants to wake up to the two of you snogging," Peter grumbled, only eliciting more laughter.

"You know what this means?" Sirius asked excitedly. At the blank looks he got in return he rolled his eyes. "She needs a Marauder name! How about Foxy?" There was a collection of groans.

"Get the rope," James said. "I'll string him up myself."

"It's almost time for Madame Pomfrey to come get me." Remus reminded them. "You should go back up to the castle."

Hermione nodded and with another lingering kiss she followed the others to Gryffindor Tower.

*

"Ariel, stop! I'm not telling her! And I'm not telling Dumbledore either, so don't try that either."

"But- "

"NO!" He yelled, his face red and his height towering over hers. He relaxed his shoulders. "I said no. Please stop trying to make me. I like being friends, but I won't if you don't stop pressuring me."

"You're right." She said finally, quiet after his outburst. "I'm sorry. I just see you going through the pain of the Mark and having to sneak out to meetings. I worry about you."

"I know, and you don't know how great it feels to have someone worry about me. But just be here after I come back. That's all I need." She nodded. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"No, you're right. I shouldn't be making you do something you don't want to."

"Back to our Potions homework?"

"Actually, I want us to brew you some potions. You can carry them everywhere and use them if ever you need. After a meeting or in the future. You never know."

Severus nodded. "Okay. That's a good compromise I suppose. What potions are you thinking?"

"Blood Replenishers, Dittany, Antidote to Veritaserum, Anti-Paralysis, Wiggenweld Potion, a few antivenins, maybe Confusing Concoction, Skele-Gro, Sleeping Draught, Veritaserum, Wound-Cleaning potion, Awakening Potion and Wit-Sharpening potion." He stared at her unblinking. "And maybe you should think about carrying around a bezoar."

"What is it you think I'll be doing, Ariel?" He asked.

"Well. You never know, do you? You should always be prepared or haven't you heard there's a war coming?"

Severus' face reddened. "And how exactly do you expect us to get these potions? Might I add that some of them are dangerous and very difficult to make with rather expensive ingredients? Do you have them in that blasted bag of yours?"

"Don't worry about the ingredients," she said. "I'll get those. You look for the how."

*

There was one apothecary in Hogsmeade. He didn't see a lot of customers, mostly just enough to barely keep shop open, but that was fine with him. He didn't need much. The first Hogwarts weekend, Mortimer Heron opened his shop like any other day. There was always a student or two who needed a new cauldron or set of scales. Sometimes he'd see Slughorn in for some ingredients he forgot to order. He didn't expect a young girl to stride in with a long list of ingredients to buy and her lovesick beaux trailing after her. She smiled at him when she came in and said a "Good morning" to which he returned with a smile of his own. Mortimer watched her walk through his shop with a soft cotton bag, testing everything expertly to get the best. He knew he didn't always have much, but he was proud of the quality that he offered. After an hour of low talking between the two students she came to the counter.

"What can I help you with?"

"Well," she said, and he got the impression she was very organized because she had that tone of being in her element. "You didn't have some things I was looking for and I wondered if you would be getting them soon or not."

He looked at the endless list of random ingredients, he could only assume this meant various potions, and blinked in surprise. She marked a great deal of them off as she found them, but a lot of them were things notoriously expensive and rare- or volatile. Mortimer looked at the list, then back at the girl several times before answering.

"I believe I have some of these in the back, but I don't carry Blind-worm's sting, Spleenwart, or Scarab Beetle. And- do you realize how explosive Ptolemy can be? Or Nux Mysteria?"

She gave him an indulging smile. "Yes, sir, I do. Do you think you have any of the others though?"

He looked at her closely. "Yes, I do. Give me just a moment."

Hermione turned to Remus with a heavy breath. "I think Minerva has a catalogue for an apothecary in Diagon Alley I was just hoping I wouldn't need it."

"You do realize bitterroot costs a few galleons by itself? More now because it's off season here. And fairy wings are always spendy."

"I have it covered."

"Don't they have banks? I mean, Gringott's has to still be around right?"

"Oh, they're around," she said with a humorless laugh. "But I am banned for life. Even says so on a delightful plaque at the front door."

Sometimes she said things like that that just made him stare at her like she'd lost her mind. Like now. "How do you get banned from a bank?"

"I kind of stole their dragon," she said with a deep blush. Then the store owner was back and he was left wondering. Gringott's has a dragon?

"You be careful with these items, miss." Mortimer told her very seriously.

"I always am." She replied with a smile.

"That will be seventy-eight galleons and seventeen sickles." She didn't bet an eye as she reached into her purse and pulled out a smaller bag to hand him seventy-nine galleons, telling him to keep the change.

"Your shop is wonderful," she told him. Mortimer gaped openly at her as she and her equally surprised fellow left.

"You stole a dragon?"

"They were abusing the poor thing, you should have seen him."

"So you stole it? Did you just walk it through the front door?"

Hermione sighed. "No, we crashed through the ceiling."

*

"Are you sure you have enough chocolates?" She teased as he hauled an armful of the stuff to the front of the store. "I mean, you might make it to Christmas with this load."

"Very funny." He said.

"Jeez, Moony. Not even going to give up the chocolate for the girl?" Sirius joked from behind them.

"But, Padfoot, how can he be forced to choose between the two great loves of his life?" James laughed.

"Oh, leave them be," Lily protested from James' side. He looked down at her and then shut his mouth, making Sirius laugh even more.

"Isn't that Snape?" Peter said. Out the window they could see Severus follow a man into the Three Broomsticks. With white blonde hair she'd know anywhere.

*

August 22 1994
The Dark Mark has been getting darker and stronger all summer and I feel the Dark Lord's presence through it more with each passing day. Albus and I have discussed at great lengths of his rapidly approaching return. Now, at five after three in the morning, Albus tells me about the attack at the World Cup. I was unaware of it, which means I will have to make more of an effort to befriend the others again. Namely Lucius. If I can get back with him then I am back for everyone. I know Lucius will be dreading this one. I sensed it towards the end of the last war, his realization of his mistake.
Albus assures me my Hermione is safe, if a little shaken. I hope she and Potter are ready, because here comes the second war; ready or not.