PART TWO

The Prince Estate

XVII

Only do not forget

"Mum, you don't understand!"

The small, quaint kitchen of Hermione's childhood home was filled with a thick air of tension. Hermione stood in the center of the kitchen, facing off against her mother. "Yes, Hermione," Mrs. Granger spoke crisply, "of course I don't understand. Because there's something you aren't telling me!"

Their voices were certainly carrying through the house. Hermione could imagine Snape, Tonks, and her father sitting in silent discomfort in the other room whilst Hermione and her mother argued loudly.

"Just tell me what it is," Mrs. Granger said with a sudden soft tone. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Hermione's arm. "You can tell me the truth, Hermione. I know things are bad out there, but perhaps we can figure something out. Maybe we can leave, just the three of us, take a trip?"

Hermione stepped away from her mother, taking deep breaths in attempts to stop the tears forming in her eyes. "I can't leave, mum. I told you, I'm not safe here and there are people that need me."

"Why aren't you safe? Why can't you explain it to me?" Her mum's voice was growing angry again. Hermione and her mother shared their famous quick temper. It was something her father often teased them about.

"You just have to trust me," the young witch pleaded, "please, trust that I can't explain it to you, but I'm going to be safer like this."

Suddenly they weren't alone in the kitchen anymore. Hermione heard Professor Snape's footsteps just a moment before he stuck his head in the doorway, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"The wards are finished, Miss Granger. We have to leave now." Snape didn't meet Hermione's eyes as he spoke, and she was sure it was because she was crying and nearly seething with frustration.

"Alright," she replied hoarsely. When Snape stepped out a second later, she turned to her mother. "I'm sorry, mum."

Mrs. Granger shook her head, tears in her eyes as she stepped forward and wrapped her daughter in a hug. "Be safe, love. Take care of Harry and Ron, but don't overwork yourself."

Hermione buried her head in her mother's shoulder. "Okay. I'll try."

The hug lasted for a few seconds longer before Hermione pulled away. Every extra second she spent here with Snape and Tonks was a second more of strain on the wards. They had to go.

She apologized to her mum once more for everything before they proceeded out of the kitchen. In the sitting room Tonks and Hermione's father were chatting while Snape stood stonily nearby. The Potions Master looked odd and out of place in his Hogwarts robes. Tonks at least had the sense to wear Muggle clothes here this afternoon, even if her washed out red jeans and black leather jacket were striking to look at.

"You're leaving?" Mr. Granger asked, standing up from the couch and stepping toward Hermione for a hug.

"Goodbye, dad," Hermione said, nodding and trying hard to resist breaking out into sobs.

"Bye, love. Take care of yourself. Did your mum already tell you that?"

Hermione nodded once more, chuckling despite herself. Her parents always worried about things like that, especially after the fiasco that was her third year. She still remembered coming home at the end of the term and seeing her parent's shocked expressions at how sleep deprived and thin she looked.

It was about two more minutes of goodbyes until Hermione was ready to go. Tonks thanked her mum and dad for their hospitality, Snape nodded curtly at them, and then they were off, stepping out the door of Hermione's childhood home and progressing toward the Apparition point.

Hermione tried not to wonder whether this was the last time she would ever see her parents. She tried not to wonder how long she would be away, or if she would even be alive long enough to return. Instead she squared her shoulders and set off with Snape and Tonks, ready to take whatever came her way until this war was over.

Remus stood beside Sirius in Albus' office, lost deep in his thoughts. It was growing late now. The students had departed with the Express only an hour ago. The castle was barren except for the House Elves and the group currently assembled in Albus' office. Almost everyone was present, with the exception of Hermione, Severus, and Nymphadora. Remus tried to tell himself not to be nervous at the fact that they were taking so long. There was nothing to worry about; it was probably just a minor delay.

A moment later the Floo burned bright green and three figures stumbled in. Well, Hermione and Nymphadora stumbled. Severus stepped through with his normal sturdy poise.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked immediately.

"Fine," Hermione muttered, moving to stand between Harry and Ginny. Her eyes were slightly red-rimmed, and her mouth was set in a firm line. Remus wanted to ask if everything was okay, but he couldn't. He simply watched.

Hermione found her trunk sitting in the corner with Harry, Ron, and Ginny's things. They all shrunk their luggage together, putting the trunks in their pockets while Hermione carried Crookshanks and Harry held onto Hedwig's cage. The ginger ball of fur burrowed its squished face into Hermione's arms with a contented purr.

"The wards will hold," Severus said curtly, referencing the wards around Hermione's parents' home. Remus wasn't sure if the statement was aimed at Albus or the entire room.

Tonks came to stand beside Sirius. Remus noted that her hair was a deep blue color, unlike the usual bubblegum pink. "Are we ready to go?" she inquired, looking around the room, honing in on Albus.

The Headmaster nodded once, retrieving an old pewter vase from his desk "This is the Portkey," he informed them. "It will take you just within the outer wards of the Estate. Upon arrival, you will make haste toward the house, go inside, and remain there until I arrive tonight." Dumbledore's words were brisk and stony. Remus could tell the man wanted to make it clear that his orders were to be obeyed without even a sliver of disobedience.

It was good, in the end, that all of these precautions were being taken. The Death Eaters were more adamant than ever in their desire to reach Harry and his friends. With people like Fred, George, and Sirius, who all had a propensity for disobeying orders, it was good that Albus was making himself clear.

"And the Malfoys?"

Harry's voice rang loudly through the room. Remus watched Hermione give her friend a small smile for his consideration.

"Draco and Narcissa have been informed of the arrangements, and agreed to accompany everyone to the Estate and to cooperate once they have arrived. Severus will be retrieving them later this afternoon, once he ensures that everyone here is settled in at our safe house." Albus betrayed none of his own emotions or feelings toward this matter as he spoke. He simply looked passive, and Remus wondered if the man actually trusted Draco and Narcissa. To be honest, Remus even wondered if he himself trusted them. The Malfoys had never been a family sympathetic to their cause, but judging by Draco's behavior lately, along with his reaction to seeing the results of his father's brutality toward Ginny, he was changing.

It was Arthur Weasley who spoke "And how have we ensured that they can be trusted?"

"I spiked their tea with Veritaserum," Severus muttered coolly, staring straight ahead with an irritated glint in his eye, "and I'll remind everyone here that I am, in fact, an accomplished Legilimens."

Sirius scoffed, "and how are we to trust you?" His expression was hateful.

"Padfoot," Remus whispered warningly to the man at his side. He hadn't spoken to his Sirius much today, but he knew for certain that his friend was decidedly unhappy to be moving into Severus' house.

Severus was glaring daggers at Sirius. "Maybe you shouldn't trust me, mutt."

Sirius growled lowly, which only prompted a self-satisfied grin to slink across Severus' face. Remus grabbed Sirius' wand arm tightly, willing his friend not to resort to violence. Sometimes Sirius could be awfully immature and hotheaded. Remus knew it was the result of his ever-repressed life.

"Enough, gentlemen," Albus ordered. His voice was light, but his expression was one that demanded obedience. With simultaneous icy glares at each other, Severus and Sirius returned their gaze to the headmaster.

"The Portkey will depart in about fifty seconds," Albus announced, "I expect my earlier directions to be followed, along with adherence to any rules Severus sets this afternoon." With one last pointed look at Sirius, the older man set the Portkey on the ground in the center of his office and stepped back.

Everyone crowded closer, placing a hand on the pewter vase and waiting. Remus caught Hermione's eye, directly across from him, squished between Ginny and Ron. He could still see that her eyes were just a little bloodshot. He decided then and there that he was going to speak to her later, to ask about her parents if nothing else.

With a pull at his navel, Remus felt the Portkey take off. After a long, sickening tug, the scene around them started to change. Remus barely managed to catch his footing in the new environment as he was hurled toward the ground. He remained upright in the end, though the same couldn't be said for many of the others.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Fred, George, and Tonks had all landed in a heap on the grass. Ginny and Tonks giggled while Ron groaned in pain, having ended up on the bottom of something Muggles would refer to as a dog pile.

Remus' attention was only drawn away from the heap of bodies by Molly's gasp behind him. He turned, following her gaze and freezing at the sight before him.

When Albus called it an Estate he hadn't been kidding. The structure before them was colossal.

It was a two story rectangular shaped building made of old, washed out bricks. Ivy climbed up the sides in patches and thick clumps. I had a beautiful sort of overgrown feeling to it. The bricks were yellowing and the tiled roof faded where the rain had fallen over the years. Just facing the front of the building, Remus could count at least twelve windows; all leading to what he presumed were several separated rooms of the building.

There was a long strip of grass and a gravel pathway leading up to the front of the Estate. If the state of the house itself wasn't evidence enough of its extended vacancy, the overgrown lawn proved it.

A billowing form interrupted Remus' admiration of the house. Severus strode forward with an impatient briskness, brandishing his wand in front of him, causing a rippling in the transparent inner wards of the property. As Remus passed through the wards he felt the unusually strong twinge of magic. These were well-made wards. He'd always known Severus was quite adept at them, but it seemed to be truer than he'd ever expected.

"Snape owns this place?" Ginny whispered in awe.

"Bloody hell," Ron mumbled.

"Stop gawking and come on," Hermione ordered, "Dumbledore said we have to get into the house quickly."

Remus heard the rustling of footsteps while everyone fell into stride behind Severus. Sirius wore a sour expression as he glared at Severus' back, following the man reluctantly. Remus wanted to tell Sirius to stop acting so childish, but it really was no use at this point. The two of them would be enemies forever.

"Wotcher, Remus," Tonks said, falling into stride on Remus' left. "This place is mad, right?"

Remus nodded. "From the way it was when we were in school I never thought his family had this kind of money…" They were drawing nearer to the house now, Snape several meters ahead.

"It's only his mother's side of the family," Arthur informed them. He stood behind with Molly at his side. "From what I understand, Severus inherited the Estate when his mother died. He didn't even know it existed until that point."

Sirius looked bored. Remus was intrigued. Something had always been interesting about the family Severus came from.

As the large group drew even closer to the front of the house, Remus was able to see the faint outline of the wards around the property. They were wide, stretching far away from just the building, encasing the whole property.

Upon entering the house, Remus was assaulted by a smell of dust and decay that reminded him sharply of Grimmauld Place. He caught Molly squaring her shoulders and crossing her arms out of the corner of his eye. It didn't take much to infer that she was already forming plans for an expansive cleaning routine. Somewhere behind him one of the twins coughed at the heavy dust in the air. He could almost feel Severus' irritated eye roll.

All the others filed inside. Once Hermione had entered, her familiar jumped out of her arms, bolting out of sight and up a staircase with a dash of orange fur. "Crookshanks!" she hissed.

Just then, Severus turned around, flicking his wand and shutting the door behind the last of the stragglers. He set his jaw tightly, as if immensely uncomfortable with the idea of so many people he disliked in his house. "There are thirteen rooms that can function as bedrooms. Some of the rooms will require a great deal of cleaning, but they all contain furniture. There is a kitchen, dining room, library, and drawing room. The attic is off-limits, as well as the master bedroom. The House Elves that previously to resided here are long gone, so all of you will have to do the cleaning and cooking for yourselves."

Just like that, he was finished; he turned and strode further into the house, up a large main staircase and out of view. Remus took a moment to accustom himself to the interior of the house. The entry room was large and showed signs of once being very beautiful. In the center was the wide, dusty staircase that Snape had just ascended. To either side of the staircase were two hallways.

Once Severus' footsteps faded, Arthur and Molly stepped forward, murmuring each other in some sort of consultation. "Alright then," Molly spoke up, facing the group, "Arthur and I think it's best if the kids share the east wing upstairs," she pointed to her left as she spoke, "Remus, Sirius, and Tonks can distribute the east wing on this floor amongst themselves," she looked to Arthur, who nodded in agreement, "and Arthur and I will take one of the bedrooms on the west wing. Everyone else can figure their own sleeping arrangements as we go."

She looked to Arthur, silently asking if he had anything to add. He looked at the twins pointedly, "no pranks, jokes, or general mischief."

Fred and George simultaneously saluted their father. "Aye aye, sir," they chorused. Arthur shook his head and began to follow Molly on their exploration of the west wing.

"I can't believe we have to be on the same floor as Snape," Ron muttered distastefully, standing between Ginny and Harry and eyeing the staircase.

"And most likely the Malfoys when arrive," Ginny added.

"Lucky us," Fred grumbled.

"Don't complain so much," Hermione chided them, "it was very kind of Professor Snape to open his home to us." Remus allowed himself a wry smile of amusement. Hermione must have realized that this was in no way done on Severus' own volition. It was obvious from the conversation this morning that Albus had manipulated and coerced Severus into agreement.

"Barely a 'home' if you ask me," Ron quipped, looking around the dilapidated interior.

"Enough, Ronald," Hermione said shortly, "let's go figure out our rooms."

Soon only Remus, Sirius, and Tonks were left in the entryway of the grand house. "Come on, then," Sirius mumbled, making his way towards the hallway to the right of the staircase. There were three bedrooms and one bathroom at the end of the hall. Off to the left through one of the doorways Remus could see stacks of bookshelves within what looked like a library. He was quite pleased with how expansive the Prince book collection was, spanning several shelves from floor to ceiling. Most of the books were outdated and worn down, but still readable.

Tonks claimed the first room to the right. Remus and Sirius took two rooms side-by-side on the left. Upon entering his room, Remus was assaulted by a stronger scent of dust. He sneezed loudly when he pulled aside the white sheet covering the bed. Eventually, he had enough and decided to use an air-purifying spell.

There was a desk and a wardrobe aside from the bed. Overall, Remus was quite pleased- mostly because there was a comfortable queen-sized bed. He was extremely tired. Today had been a long day, and he finally had a bed in front of him again. It would be nice to take a bit of a nap before dinnertime.

"We'll have a lot of cleaning to do, ladies," Mrs. Weasley, mumbled, looking over the dining room with all its dust and grime.

"Can't we use a spell?" Ginny asked, leaning so that she could peek through the doorway that connected the kitchen and dining room. Hermione stood behind her, cracking open the ancient oven and checking the pork roast.

"Spells are alright for temporary cleaning," Mrs. Weasley explained, "but non-magical cleaning is much better, especially for surfaces that we eat on, Ginevra."

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione called out, looking to the older woman, "I think it's done cooking."

"Wonderful, Hermione. Take it out, will you? Ginny, call everyone to dinner."

Ginny nodded, striding from the room and leaving only Hermione and Mrs. Weasley. Hermione took the roast out, setting it on the freshly cleaned counter and allowing it to cool down. Mrs. Weasley bustled over, giving Hermione occasional directions as the prepared the rest of dinner and fetched silverware and china.

"How are you, Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley's question sounded innocent and meaningless, but Hermione knew there was a lot veiled beneath it.

"I'm well," she replied, searching through the kitchen cabinets for a serving tray. "It's nice not having to worry about N.E.W.T.s anymore." She could feel the eyes on her back, and was suddenly very self-conscious.

"And how is Remus?"

Hermione shifted with discomfort. "He's well, I think." She finally found a serving tray, pulling it down from the cabinet and reaching for a rag to wash it off.

"He seems to care about you quite a bit." Mrs. Weasley's tone had shifted into something that made Hermione desperate to flee the room.

"Oh," she mumbled, searching for something to say.

Luckily, at that moment Ginny entered the kitchen once more. "They're coming. Snape just came back with the Malfoys, too. They're out front."

Hermione perked up. She could already hear voices out in the main entryway. Setting down what she was doing, she left the kitchen.

Everyone in the house was passing through on their way to dinner, and stopped when they saw the Malfoys. Harry, Ron, and the twins stood just in front of Sirius and Remus. Across from them was Snape, followed by Draco and his mother.

Narcissa Malfoy held herself like her husband and her son. It was almost as if her nose was permanently stuck up in the air. She stood with her shoulders pushed back and her long blonde hair falling over them. While the way she held herself resembled a Malfoy, her appearance was that of a Black. Her face looked eerily like Bellatrix Lestrange, but some of her features also reminded Hermione of Sirius.

Snape, wearing a weary glare, turned towards Draco and Mrs. Malfoy. "I'd suggest claiming a room away from… them. The west wing is mostly empty at this point."

Mrs. Malfoy nodded, a hint of a polite smile on her lips. "Thank you, Severus. Come along, Draco." With that, she started past Professor Snape, a skittish Draco in tow. Just as she was approaching the group of Gryffindors that had accumulated, she stopped.

It took Hermione a second to realize that she'd stopped because of Sirius. Her eyes were locked on the man standing between Remus and Harry. "Hello, Sirius," she muttered, her tone unreadable. Was she surprised that Sirius was here? Did neither she nor Draco know of Sirius' involvement in the Order? They were cousins.

Sirius was obviously uncomfortable. "Hello, Narcissa."

For a moment Mrs. Malfoy looked like she was going to say something else, but then she started walking again, leading a silent Draco along.

"Dinner is ready," Hermione spoke up, stepping forward and watching as Mrs. Malfoy and Draco turned to her, "when you're done getting settled you're welcome to join us."

"Thank you," Mrs. Malfoy replied benignly, turning away a second later.

Soon everyone was seated around the old table in the dining room. Mrs. Weasley had wiped it down several times before allowing Hermione, Ginny, Harry, and Ron to set the table with silverware and plates. Just as they were ready to eat, Draco and Narcissa entered, taking seats beside each other with just a hint of discomfort.

"Is Severus coming down?" Mr. Weasley asked, eyeing the empty seat beside Draco.

Mrs. Malfoy shook her head, muttering a quiet "no." Frankly, Hermione wasn't surprised. Why would Professor Snape want to sit around and eat dinner with them? Even if Draco and Mrs. Malfoy were here, he hated nearly all the others at the table.

Dinner was an interesting affair in the end. Hermione kept to her friends, speaking with Harry, Ron, Ginny, and occasionally the twins. Halfway through dinner, Draco seemed to pluck up the courage to ask if there was a House Elf here. Apparently Severus hadn't broken the news to them yet.

"No," Hermione answered his question from across the table, watching him closely, "there aren't any House Elves." She was just waiting for him to say something out of line, and from the way Harry and Ron had grown deathly silent, they knew what she was doing.

Draco watched her in silent contemplation, and Hermione could feel his mother's curious gaze on her as well. Finally, Draco nodded, returning to his meal in silence.

Hermione could hear Ron and Harry let out simultaneous breaths of relief. She rolled her eyes. It was a known fact that Hermione had been very temperamental lately, but Harry and Ron didn't have to be so dramatic about it. Her eyes fell on Remus when she realized that he was looking at her.

She wanted to speak with him. This morning after the meeting with the Order she'd spent a solid hour thinking about Remus. There had been a fanciful idea in her mind of how things were going to change now that she wasn't his student any more. The idea was only strengthened when she learned that they were going to be living together here at the Estate.

Now, as Hermione watched him laughing at Tonks' joke alongside Sirius and the twins, she wondered if he wanted her at all. What did she even have to offer him? She knew she wasn't very pretty. She'd never been a pretty girl and she'd accepted the fact years ago. She was young, too. She was young and naïve compared to experienced women like– well… like Tonks. Hermione watched the her; Tonks who grinned at Remus with a smile that lit up her face, Tonks with her bubblegum pink hair, Tonks who could be whomever she wanted to be with the will of her magic, Tonks who was older and more experienced, Tonks who knew what she was doing in the world of men.

By the end of dinner Hermione was ready to leave and retreat to her shared room with Ginny for the night. She didn't want to be around people. She didn't want to watch Tonks flirt with Remus, even if he did respond with hints of discomfort and fake smiles.

Ginny suggested at the end of dinner that they go check out the drawing room. Harry and Ron were eager to agree, as were the twins, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks. Hermione was tired, and she hung back as they began to leave the dining room.

To her surprise, just as she was about to exit the room she heard Mrs. Malfoy speak up. "Molly?" the woman said, "would you like some help with the dishes? I figure that since there are no house elves..." Frankly, Hermione was shocked to hear this. Narcissa Malfoy offering to wash dishes in the place of a house elf?

Mrs. Weasley smiled kindly, "I'd love some help, Narcissa." They both said each other's first name with a measure of unfamiliarity and ill fitting, but it was better than if they'd called each other by their surname.

Hermione was just about to leave the room completely when Draco caught up to her. "Granger?" he murmured.

She turned around to look at him, noting that he showed his discomfort in the same way as his mother: his eyes darted around the room every few seconds. "Yes?" Hermione said, watching him curiously. Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Malfoy were now in the kitchen, leaving Draco and Hermione alone at the threshold of the dining room.

"Uh- I- I wanted to thank you," Draco sputtered, "my mother wanted me to thank you, on behalf of her and myself." It looked almost physically painful for him to be doing this, and Hermione knew that if she put this memory in a Pensieve and showed it to Harry and Ron they'd be laughing like madmen. "So… thank you," Draco continued, "for suggesting that my mother and I be brought here. Severus told us you suggested it."

Hermione smiled at Draco, thinking somewhere in the back of her mind that before a few months ago she'd never in a million years expect something like this to happen between them. "You're welcome," she murmured.

Draco nodded once before proceeding past her and out of sight. Hermione walked into the hallway away from the dining room. She passed the drawing room, stopping in the doorway and seeing that everyone was settled inside.

Harry and Ron had already found a Wizard's Chess set and were well into a game. Ginny and the twins were playing a game of Exploding Snap a few feet away. Sirius and Remus were telling some sort of story about when they'd all gotten a month's detention in their fifth year for charming the doors of the Great Hall stuck closed so no one could go to their classes after breakfast. Everyone – especially Harry – was listening to the story. Hermione caught Remus' eye as she stood in the doorway. She held his gaze for a moment, and he tilted his head to invite her into the room. She shook her head in response and moved away from the doorway, heading towards the grand staircase and up to her bedroom on the second floor.

Crookshanks had finished exploring the grand house and found his way to Hermione's room. She fell into bed beside her half-Kneazle, feeling her exhaustion sink in and her eyelids droop. She was tired now. There would be time to deal with Remus, the Malfoys, and an appraisal of the Estate tomorrow.

Author's Note: Wow. You guys are amazing! We've had a ton of new readers in the past week. Welcome, everyone! I'm very glad you're here.

In other news… I'm sorry I'm making you guys wait so long for the Remus/Hermione action. We're getting there, slowly but surely. If it's any consolation, chapter 18 is probably my favorite piece I've written for any story ever. I pull out all the stops in the next one.