This chapter is dedicated to all of my friends who are in C Lunch, while Hayden and I got moved to B Lunch. It's so lonely being a freshman there. Well, Scotty's the nicest non-freshman I know, and that's with him making sexist jokes and trying to make me snort Pepsi out my nose. Anyway!
Disclaimer: I own only the plot and Remus's second birthday in this story. (Pfft, didn't he just have one?)
James grinned as he looked upon the scene. Books were threatening to slip from the shelves and topple onto the floor, papers scattered on tables and quills lying about, some broken and some only recently used. A few were tucked away in Hermione's hair as she curled against a purple wingback chair with orange polka-dots, her knees tucked against her chest. Remus was using a table as something to lie on while he snoozed, his hands dangling on the other side.
He calmly walked in the room and grabbed a kitchen timer, giving it a little twist and then setting it next to Remus' head. He then walked back and leaned against the doorway, waiting a few more seconds for it to proclaim "DING!" in his friend's ear, watching him pop up with a yelp as Hermione jumped to her feet, wand out and scanning the room.
Her brown eyes landed on him and she frowned, lowering her arm, "James."
"Morning," he grinned as Remus glared at him, "And how are you two?"
"Tired," they said together.
He chuckled, "Well, too bad. Its Moony's birthday and we've got to celebrate it. By the by – Lily's got a surprise for you lot."
"It's my birthday?" Remus asked before checking his watch. James arched an eyebrow at him as he blinked and lowered his wrist, "Watches don't tell the date, do they?"
"Not that I know of," James grinned as Hermione began to de-feather herself, laying them on the table next to a cauldron. With a gasp, she launched herself at it, picking it up and showing that there was no longer a bottom, the edges eaten away.
"No longer than twenty-four hours," she said, glancing at Remus, "Remember that."
"Got it," he nodded as James reached forward and took the last quill out of her hair with a grin.
Hermione laughed as Sirius swung her around the large park, having him bellow out some song lyrics as Lily laughed and recorded it with a Muggle recorder. Marlene was in a tree and aiming apples at Frank, who was warding them off with a broom. Alice was yelling at Marlene to "hit 'im in the head!" The sun was peeking out just beyond the hill, and Remus was standing there with his back on his friends, watching it go down. He turned and saw that James was instead looking at the stars, looking thoughtful as he did so.
"You know," James began, "We haven't told anybody else yet. We will when we go inside. But Lily's going to have a baby."
Remus brightened, grinning and patting his friend on the shoulder, "That's brilliant, James! How far?"
"Three months," his lip twitched before it fell back, making him look worried as he looked back at the stars, "I'm scared for them, Moony."
"Aren't we all?" Remus asked, "We're scared for everybody here, Prongs. Frank nearly had a heart attack when Alice went out with Marlene and Hermione to do something for the Order. Marlene practically freaked when I had a cut on my face. That's just what's going to happen now, James. You can't try hiding Lily either, and I know you know it. We're just going to have to work harder at staying safe."
James was silent for a few moments before turning to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You are going to be Uncle Moony."
Remus laughed and shrugged him off, the two turning to find that Sirius was still dancing with Hermione, the two singing together now.
"It's nine in the afternoon! Your eyes are the size of the moon!" the laughed before he twirled her around, having her laugh harder with him. They stopped when a little redheaded boy dashed across the lawn, two older boys after him.
"Percy!" one yelled, "Get back here!"
"No!" the little boy yelled back, "You insulted Reginald!"
"How can I insult him if he isn't real?"
"See? You did it again!" he dove behind Hermione's leg, glaring out at his brothers as he hid.
The other boy sighed, "Charlie, just let it go." He got closer and looked sheepishly at Hermione, "Err – hi. I'm Bill and this is Charlie and – and the two year old hiding behind your leg is our little brother Percy. Can we have him back?"
"I don't wanna go back with choo," Percy puffed out his cheeks and glared at him, looking pleadingly at Hermione, "I don't hafta go back, do I?"
Hermione kneeled down to him, "I'm afraid so, Sweetie. But what had you all riled up?"
"They kept saying Reginald isn't real," he huffed.
"He isn – oof!" Charlie clutched at his stomach where Bill had elbowed him.
"Well, Percy, you just have to ignore your brothers," Hermione murmured to him, "You just have to be who you want to be."
"So I can be the next Minister for Magic?" he whispered, his eyes huge.
"If that's who you want to be," she shrugged, "Now go on back to your brothers."
"Mmkay!" he said brightly.
"Hey," Lily interrupted, "You two look about Hogwarts age. Why aren't you in school?"
"Oh," Bill said dully, "We had a long-lost relative die. We're out for the funeral."
"I'm so sorry," Lily winced.
"Meh," Charlie shrugged, "No biggie. We didn't really know 'im."
"Take care then," Sirius said as they walked away, scolding Percy for running away.
"Hey, how about we go to the Order for cake?" James asked as he and Remus walked up to them, tugging an arm around Lily, "Lily and I have some news to share with you there."
Sirius grinned as he flopped down on the couch next to Remus, watching as Hermione, Marlene and Alice trapped Lily in a group hug, refusing to let her move at all. Alice was talking to her tummy and making her frown, and Marlene and Hermione were humming lullabies.
"So, do you like your present?" Sirius asked, turning to his friend.
Remus snorted and rolled his eyes, "You haven't given it to me yet, Padfoot."
"Aha! That's where you're wrong," Sirius grinned before holding up a glass vial on a chain, "Happy Birthday."
Remus' eyes widened and he glanced back at his butterbeer before turning to Sirius completely and hissing "What did you spike my drink with?"
"Felix Felicis," he answered, swinging the chain around on his finger. He glanced back at his confused expression and grinned, "You don't know what for, do you?"
"Hardly," he wrinkled his nose at him in annoyance. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason," Sirius shrugged, "Just the fact that I'm going to kill you if you don't take Hermione home."
"Padfoot," Remus narrowed his eyes at him, "Is this what I think it is?"
"A clever ploy to set you up with the girl you fancy? Why, yes, yes it is," he grinned before yelling, "Oy, Granger! You going home? Remus will take you!"
"I know how to get home through the Floo, Sirius," Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Too bad – I don't trust him with chocolate cake anymore," he practically picked his friend up and shoved him towards her, "Now go and make sure she is safe!"
"Anything to get away from you," Remus muttered before turning to Hermione and smiling, "How about we walk?"
"Alright," she nodded before waving to everybody, "Bye!"
"Bye!" they echoed as the two walked out of the door together.
"Merlin, I'm a genius," Sirius sighed, settling down into the couch cushions.
Hermione laughed with Remus as they stepped into her apartment, having her throw the keys into the bowl next to the door.
"You guys are ridiculous," she chuckled and shook her head.
"You love us anyway," Remus grinned back.
She rolled her eyes and leaned down behind the couch, pulling out a box and offering it to him.
"Hermione, I don't want anything," he insisted.
"You liar," she beamed, "Open it? Please? Or I'll sell it. And I spent so much time on it. Well, Frank and I did."
He arched an eyebrow at her and pulled out what looked like a clasp. He frowned and she stepped closer to him, taking his wrist and attached it to his watch. She pressed it lightly, watching it change from silver to green.
"Ask it where I am," she informed him.
"Err," he frowned down at the watch, "Where is Hermione Granger?"
A purple arrow popped out of the clasp, pointing at Hermione before it shifted to form the word 'SAFE.' He gave a laugh and looked up to see that she was grinning at him.
"You can do the same for others. Green means it's ready to listen, purple is the arrow, and then if they're not safe it turns red. Do you like it?"
"Love it," he smiled.
She smiled back, reaching up to kiss him on the nose, but he moved a few inches and their lips met. They froze, their eyes wide before he warily began to kiss her, closing his eyes as Hermione soon did the same. He slowly slid his hand out to the small of her back, tugging her closer to him and bringing up his other hand to tangle itself in her hair. She made a noise of approval and slipped a hand up to clutch his shirt. He began to unbutton the lower buttons of her purple blouse, slipping a hand to trace designs in the bare skin of her back as he deepened the kiss.
The kiss slowed as Remus thought. He'd taken a potion so he could have her, basically, so she wasn't in control. She didn't do this on her own. A bloody potion….
He pulled back slowly, looking down and finding bewilderment and a glint of hurt in her eyes. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair, "S-sorry. Too much butterbeer tonight, I guess."
"What?" she blinked at him.
"Err – I should get home," he said, stepping back from her, "Take a hangover potion. G'night."
She stared at him as he apparated away. She slowly lowered herself to the couch, bringing her knees up and resting her chin there, staring into the fire as a few bitter tears spilled through. Noel jumped up and looked at her questioningly, making her reach over and sigh, "He doesn't love me, Noel. I don't know what to do."
Noel meowed a protest, but Hermione didn't listen, and continued to cry.
Remus groaned to his empty apartment, clutching at his hair and dropping down on his sofa and huffing down at his feet. Stupid bloody manners. What good were they for? They stopped him from getting the girl too many times to count. He froze and then groaned again when he noticed a few of the buttons on his white shirt were undone. He buried his face in the pillow, glaring at the fabric as he wondered what the hell he had been thinking.
I wanted to have another fluffy scene. It was a fail. But it'll be important in a while. I'm pretty sure. I dunno. Merlin, I'm tired. UUUUGGGGHHHH.