Chapter 13: Memories
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the below characters (Well technically I did create Corvus Black). They all belong to the world of Harry Potter so cleverly created by JK Rowling.
A/N: Ok, I am really sorry. I know that I promised I would have this chapter up Saturday, but what can I say? The holiday's are fast approaching. I spent this weekend with my dad doing last minute shopping for all my nieces and nephews (9 in total) and then of course I had to wrap the gifts. I never truly appreciated all the effort my mom put in to just wrapping my gifts until the honor was passed on to me. I have spent nearly the whole weekend working on it and I'm only just half way done, maybe a little tiny bit more. Anyway, sorry, enough of my rambling, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please, pretty please review. I would really, really like to hit 50 reviews this chapter and I'm only 9 away. Anyway, the first part of this chapter is more or less kind of a filler chapter, however it does serve its purpose. I wanted to give Hermione and Remus some time alone to kind of start to develop their relationship and to give Hermione an adult to confide in. Next chapter will have a bit more action. Anyway, here is chapter 13, please enjoy.
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The next morning, Harry and Hermione were awakened by a loud knocking on Harry's bedroom door. The teenagers' first instinct was to grab their wands, but relaxed when Petunia's
voice sounded through the door.
"Harry, Hermione, there is someone here to see you. Well, they are actually here to see Hermione." Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks with each other. They were both
trying to figure out who Hermione's visitor was and Harry couldn't get past the fact that his aunt was being so nice.
"I'll be down in a minute," Hermione responded. She quickly grabbed some clothes and left the room before Harry could question her. She knew that Harry was confused by aunt, but
she knew that she wasn't the one he needed to ask. In the bathroom, Hermione quickly splashed some water on her face in an attempt to wake herself up. As she stared at her
reflection in the mirror, she frowned. Even though over the years her bushy haired begun to soften into curls, it was still always a bushy mess first thing out of bed. She knew that
fighting with it would be pointless and only make it worse; so she quickly pulled it back into a sloppy bun at the base of her neck. She still wasn't overly thrilled with her appearance, but
she deemed herself presentable. She wasn't the type of girl to spend three hours getting ready and obsessing about how she looked, and she certainly wasn't about to become one of
those girls now.
She returned to Harry's room to find that he had changed as well, and like her, his hair was equally uncooperative. Hermione laughed to herself slightly as she thought it was one more
thing that they had in common. Harry looked at her as she came in the room and started to ask her about his aunt when she quickly interrupted him. "Well I better get downstairs and
see who it is." Hermione said before walking out the door.
"Wait," Harry said. "Not without me." Last nights incident had scared him, and Harry wasn't too anxious to let her out of his sight anytime soon. After Harry had woken up from his
dream and found the room empty, he had panicked. He was afraid that his dream was real and something had happened to Hermione, so when he flung open the door to see her
standing there, there were no words to express the amount of relief that washed over him. Harry was slightly concerned about who would be coming here to see Hermione after all
they had just learned. Especially since the only people that really knew she was at his house were Remus, Tonks, and a few select Order Members that had been on patrol the night
she arrived and with them when they went to her parents house.
As they reached the bottom floor however, Harry relaxed at the familiar sight of Remus. As the two teens came closer however, they noticed that Remus and Petunia seemed to be deep
in conversation. Whatever it was they were talking about though, had Professor Lupin looking both confused and surprised. Instinctively, Harry slowed down trying to get close enough
to hear what they were saying without being noticed. Harry's aunt had been behaving very oddly ever since Hermione had arrived, and Harry wanted to know why. Harry's attempts
were futile though because as soon as the teens entered the room Petunia saw them and stopped talking. Remus turned around and greeted Harry and Hermione with a slightly
nervous smile. Harry was about to ask what was going on, but before he could Hermione spoke.
"Is everything alright professor?" She asked. "Petunia said you wanted to see me." Hermione couldn't quite figure out why he would have specifically asked for her. It wasn't as if Harry
didn't know what was going on. She wasn't sure why Remus would suddenly exclude him now.
"Yes everything is alright." Remus shifted uncomfortably. "Harry, you won't mind if I borrow Miss Granger for a few hours will you?" Remus felt bad for excluding Harry; however he
needed to speak with Hermione privately. It didn't matter that Harry would find out as soon as they got back, Hermione needed to receive this information without anyone else around.
He also wanted a few moments alone with her to see how she was holding up.
To say Harry was confused was an understatement. The very same thoughts that had been running through Hermione's head only moments ago were now running through his. He was
about to open his mouth to protest when he felt pressure in his hand. He looked down to see that Hermione had grabbed his had and was squeezing it as if to stop him. As he looked
at her face, he could quite clearly see by her expression that she did not want him to protest. Harry sighed. "No, that is fine." Harry said in a resigned voice. Then suddenly a thought
came to Harry and he perked up. "Actually, that works out quite well, there is something I need to do myself anyway," he said glancing quickly at his aunt who was staring out the
window.
Hermione smiled gratefully at Harry and gave him a hug before going to stand next to Remus. "So where are we going professor?" She asked curiously.
"I was thinking we could go for a walk," he replied vaguely as he held open the door for her. Hermione simply nodded before walking through the door. "We'll be back in a bit," Remus
said to Harry. He nodded politely to Petunia before following Hermione out the door and shutting it behind him.
Harry sighed. He knew that Hermione was safe with Remus and that he would do anything to protect her, but Harry just didn't like not having her in his sight. He knew it was silly, but
his dreams were becoming more frequent, at least when she wasn't right next to him.
Hermione and Remus walked several minutes in silence before either of them spoke. "How are you doing?" Remus finally asked as they passed by a group of children playing with a
puppy.
"Alright I suppose." Hermione answered truthfully. She hadn't really had any meltdowns since that first night. "I think that I am still processing it all you know. Almost everything I have
known is different now. I guess I'm not quite sure what to think. At first I was really mad at everyone that knew and didn't tell me. I couldn't understand why you and Sirius would have
kept this from me." Remus flinched slightly, but he allowed her to continue. "But then I began thinking that it must have been because of my mother. I figured she must have been the
reason neither of you told me, so then I was mad at her and my dad. I was mostly furious because I felt like they had betrayed my trust. Charles had pretended to be my dad for all
those years and she let him. They didn't make any attempt to let me know that my real father had died when I was just a baby. Then of course, there is the whole issue of finding out I
am a Black. I spent nearly all my time at school trying to be better than everyone to make up for the fact that I was muggleborn only to find out that I have the blood of one of the
oldest wizarding families running through my veins. It is all just a bit surreal." Hermione paused for a minute, trying to figure out how to put into her words the other thoughts that had
been running through her head.
"I guess the thing that I keep thinking about the most though, is the fact that I had a father that I never had the chance to know. I can't even count the number of times that I have
wondered what it was like for Harry. I have often thought to myself 'I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have parents that were as wonderful and loving as Lily and James were
and not know them.' I guess now I know. I had always accepted that Charles was my father, and I had no reason to think otherwise. Now that I know this, there is a part of me that
feels like I betrayed my real father for forgetting him." As Hermione said that last sentence, a tear rolled down her cheek.
Remus stopped walking and turned directly in front of Hermione so that he was facing her. "You did not betray him Hermione. You were so young when he left and even then he wasn't
around as much as he wanted to be when you were a baby. He tried to be there every minute that he could, but he was often called out on missions for the Order. Had the Order
known about you, they wouldn't have sent him as often as they did, but it was because he was trying so hard to keep you safe that they didn't. It isn't your fault that you don't
remember him."
"But I do," Hermione replied, her tear filled eyes looking directly at Remus. "After I read the letter I had a very clear flash of him holding me and I am pretty sure it was the night he left.
And since then, I have been remembering other things too. None of the memories are very clear, they are more like flashes of things here and there. I haven't told Harry yet, but I have
a very vague image of James and Lily as well and I know that it isn't just from the pictures of them I have seen. Like I said, they are just flashes, but I have a flash of James, Corvus,
and Sirius throwing things at each other and my mother and Lily laughing. I have another image of Lily holding me and playing with me. I have another image of James holding me up
over a crib so I can see Harry. I have multiple images of my parents holding me and tucking me in to bed. I have multiple images of Sirius doing magic to make me laugh. I even have a
very brief flash of you and my dad in my room. I don't understand why I never remembered this before."
Remus was shocked. He had never heard of a child so young remembering anything, let alone so much. He stood looking at Hermione not able to give her an answer.
"I mean, I have always had a better than average memory, but still, this doesn't make sense to me. I have never known anyone who could remember things from that far back. I mean I
have heard of someone occasionally remembering something really traumatic from that young of an age, but none of my memories are really traumatic. I mean, even Harry didn't
remember anything until the dementors. I mean the fact alone that I can remember these things already baffles me, but I don't understand why I am only now suddenly remembering
them." Hermione looked at Remus expectantly hoping he would have an answer even though deep down she knew he was just as baffled as she was.
Remus sighed. "I wish that I had an answer for you, I really do. I have no idea why you can remember those things. I think it is truly remarkable. I don't understand why the memories
were blocked until now either. All I can say Hermione, is to enjoy them and treasure them. You also might want to share some of those memories with Harry. I know that you are still
taking all of this in, but Harry's parents and your parents were a lot closer than I think you realize." Remus smiled sadly. "If things had turned out differently Hermione, it would have
been like having two mothers and four fathers for you and Harry. James and Lily used to dote on you as much as Abby and Corvus used to dote on Harry. You see, Corvus and James
started out as friends because of Sirius, but as the years past, your father and Harry's father formed a pretty strong friendship of their own. Lily and Corvus had become friends in his
first year at school, even though at the time she knew him as David. Lily used to help Corvus with the only subject he ever struggled with; transfiguration. Then of course, your mother
already told you how close she and Lily were. Then you would have also had Sirius and me around just about every day as well." Remus looked distant for a moment before adding,
"Corvus would have probably replaced Pettigrew as the fourth marauder."
Hermione had a feeling that he was saying that more to himself than he was to her. Still she was slightly surprised, she had never really heard him mention the Marauders since Sirius
had died. Remus and Hermione began to once again walk in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Hermione couldn't help but try to imagine what her life would have been like if
things had gone differently, if her father had lived and his mission had succeeded. She could almost see it. Her and Harry would have still be best friends, James and Lily would have
been like the aunt and uncle she had never had. Even Sirius and Remus would have been like two uncles she had never had. Her mother and Charles were both only children, so she
had never known what it was like to have an extended family. Then Hermione began to wonder how different her life would have been even just if Pettigrew hadn't betrayed Lily and
James. Not only would Harry still have had his parents, but her mum would have probably never gone to Ireland. She though of what Remus had told her, about how he and James and
Sirius would have been like having three extra fathers and how Lily would have been having like an extra mum. Even if her real father hadn't survived his mission, she was sure the
others would have kept him alive in her memory and wouldn't have allowed her mother to let him die. The warm, fuzzy feeling that had briefly come over Hermione as she thought about
what Remus had told her quickly died and was replaced with a gaping hole. Suddenly Hermione felt like she wanted to breakdown and cry all over again, but she didn't. Instead she
took a deep breath and tried to push that empty feeling aside.
"Professor?" Hermione asked.
"Remus," he corrected. "I haven't been your professor for almost four years now."
"Old habits die hard," she said with a smile. "What is it specifically that you wanted to talk to me about?"
"I have something to give to you." He said. "But we need to go back to my place before I can do that." He offered his arm to Hermione, and before she had completely processed what
was happened he apparated them both to his home.
Hermione was so caught off guard by his sudden action that she nearly fell when they arrived. "Sorry about that," Remus said as he reached out to steady her. "I thought I heard
someone coming around the corner and I wanted to get us out of there before they saw us." Hermione simply nodded as she took in her surroundings. Remus indicated for her to sit
down as he disappeared into another room. When he came back, he was holding something, but she couldn't quite tell what it was. Remus sat down across from Hermione and took a
deep breath.
"Before I can give you this, I need to explain a few things to you. Sirius left this to be given to you after you discovered the truth. He didn't leave it to you because he knew he was
going to die, he left it to you because times were getting dangerous and he wanted to make sure without a doubt that you received his part of the prophecy." Hermione's eyes widened
as Remus said this, however she did not interrupt him. "He had actually had this made for after Corvus died. After he was framed though, it scared him how close he came to not being
able to deliver to you his part of the prophecy. What I told you about not being able to unlock everything was not entirely true. Even with the silencing charm, I did not want to reveal
anything to you unless I was completely sure that it was safe to do so. I spent the majority of last night securing this room with every possible spell and charm I could think of. Sirius
managed to unlock his part of the prophecy for you, and he managed to transfer it to this gift for you. He had hoped to be able to deliver it to you in person, but he didn't want to risk
messing up again." As Remus finished his sentence, he handed Hermione a small black box. Hermione took the box and carefully opened. As she revealed its contents she gasped.
Inside was a stunning heart-shaped gold locket. With shaking hands, she lifted the locket out of the box to look more closely at the engraving on the front. It was with a large dog
looking at a raven as it flew overhead. The engravings were embellished with bronze and on the top the right lobe of the heart were two gemstones. One was a dark red ruby, and the
other was a sapphire. Hermione turned the locket over to discover another engraving on the back. It read:
To Always Remember Those Who
Love You And Watch Over You
Hermione stared at it a moment as fresh tears came to her eyes. Just as she was about to open it however, Remus stopped her.
"Wait Hermione," he said. "Before you open that, I need to explain a couple more things to you. When you open it, you will receive the message that Sirius has left for you. Once you
receive that message, it will be destroyed and you will not be able to retrieve it. I have to leave the room because the only way that it will work is if you are alone. I know that you are
an exceptionally brilliant witch and I don't need to remind you of this but I'm going to anyway. I know that it is going to be extremely difficult for you to receive this message and you are
going to be distracted in light of everything you have just learned, however it is crucial that you pay utmost attention. I am sorry Hermione, I wish I could have waited to give this to
you until you had more time to process this, but I couldn't. Good luck." And with that he walked out the door and shut it behind him. He knew that Hermione was about to find out why
he was concerned about her being distracted and he wished that he could be there to help her, but Sirius had made it that way.
Remus remembered how long it had taken Sirius to come up with this idea. He had toiled away for months trying to think of a way that he could pass the message to Hermione in case
something happened to him. Because of the lengths Corvus had gone to protect Hermione, it was much more than simply passing on his portion to Remus. Sirius's piece was the key to
unlocking all the other pieces, so Corvus had taken considerably greater steps to protect that piece. He remembered how excited Sirius had been when he finally came up with that
idea. Sirius had done it for much the same reason Corvus had written Hermione the letter. Sirius knew with each passing day, his chances of surviving this war were growing slimmer.
He hated the idea that he might be another person to leave Hermione with a puzzle to figure out on her own, but the idea of leaving Hermione without that puzzle worried him even
more.
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A/N: Hey there me again just asking you to please take a couple of minutes and let me know what you think. Also, on a side note, I posted a new one-shot called "The Last One Left." If you have a chance please check that one out and let me know what you think. Thanks!!
