XXXVIII
Return to Grace
Hermione felt like she'd been unconscious for days. When she opened her eyes she was greeted with an unfamiliar ceiling, certainly not the canopy of trees that she'd lost consciousness under. Also, there appeared to be daylight casting itself across the ceiling, and it couldn't have been very far past midnight when Malfoy had attacked her with that damned silver blade.
The silver blade.
How was she not dead right now? Malfoy had stabbed her in the chest!
She forced herself to open her eyes wider, trying to lift her head up and choking on a horrible, hacking cough that contained at least a little blood.
Several things happened then. One: she heard and simultaneously felt Remus' presence. "Thank Merlin," he breathed, his voice cracking slightly from disuse (or perhaps overuse). She felt him squeeze her left hand and realized that he'd been clutching it this whole time.
The second thing that happened was the scratching of a chair dragging against the floor as someone stood up. After a second, Hermione saw a tall figure loom over her, his limp black hair covering his face. She made out Professor Snape's eyes as he gazed down at her, examining her condition.
The final thing was a dull, but searing pain that she felt in her chest. It was like a hot ember was being pivoted between her ribs, just where her heart was. With her free hand, she subconsciously reached up to rub her chest. Something bony immediately clamped down on her wrist before she could reach the spot. It was Snape's hand, pulling hers away. "Don't touch it," he ordered.
Hermione let her hand fall limply at her side again. She didn't care about the wound as much as she cared about seeing Remus. With a lot of effort, she turned her head in the other direction to look at him. He was sitting in a chair at her side, smiling at her as if she was the most magnificent thing on this earth. His free hand was now resting at the top of her head, tangled in her curly locks of hair.
"Oh, Hermione, thank goodness you're awake!" Mrs. Weasley's voice was the one that surprised her. She jerked her head to look at the woman standing up from a chair and approaching her side. Mrs. Weasley's hand squeezed Hermione's for a moment before she spoke again. "I'm going to go fetch Harry, Ron, and Ginny," she murmured, "they were asking to wait up for you in here but I made them go to sleep and promised I'd fetch them immediately when you woke." As she spoke, her gaze drifted over to Remus. "This one, on the other hand, wouldn't listen to a word I said. He's been sitting at your side for hours."
Hermione couldn't help but smile dumbly, turning to look at Remus when Mrs. Weasley left the room.
"Drink this," Snape said, placing a small cup of water in Hermione's other hand. She realized that she was absolutely parched, and with some struggle, sat up and brought the glass up to her lips. She drank all the water, and was relieved when the strong taste of blood in her mouth dissipated.
After she finished her water, she was still sitting up, and managed a look down at her torso. There was a large gauze cloth covering nearly half of her chest… and for some reason she was only wearing her bloodstained bra, nothing else.
"I'm not wearing a shirt," Hermione muttered absently, falling back onto the table and giving into the fatigue.
"Oh," Remus muttered, and she felt something fall onto her stomach. She opened her eyes and found her favorite jumper lying there.
"We had to remove it to treat the wound," Snape said, eyes darting around the room with discomfort.
Hermione smiled weakly, too tired to laugh. Remus' cool hand pressed against her back as he helped her sit up and pull the jumper over her head. She proceeded to flop back down on the table just as the doors to the room opened on Harry, Ron, and Ginny.
"Hermione!" Harry called, rushing to her bedside and nearly mauling her with a hug.
"We were so worried," Ginny said, hugging her next before pushing Ron forward. Hermione pulled Ron into a tight hug, pretending not to notice that the tips of his ears were red with embarrassment. She was too happy to see them. Too happy to be alive and with her best friends, all of whom were alive and well. Her hand subconsciously reached out to her side and searched for Remus. A second later she felt his cool hand slide into her grasp.
"Is everyone else okay?" She asked, suddenly realizing that there was a lot she didn't know, "what happened after I lost consciousness?"
"Not much, actually," Harry murmured, "Dumbledore and I…we killed Voldemort."
"You did it," Hermione whispered, her voice faraway as she looked into Harry's brilliant green eyes.
He nodded slowly, and his eyes started to well up with tears at what she could only guess was an onslaught of emotion and relief. Ginny entangled her fingers with his; leaning into his shoulder at the same time Hermione pulled him into another hug. This time Harry pressed his face against Hermione's shoulder, and she could tell he was trying his best not to cry.
"I'm so proud of you, Harry," she murmured, allowing him to pull back from the embrace a moment later and put an arm around Ginny. "What else happened?"
"Most of the Death Eaters Disapparated as soon as they noticed what happened," Ron explained. "Dumbledore said it's going to take a while to find all of them, but they can't do much damage without Voldemort."
"What about everyone else?" she asked again, "are the others okay?"
All in sync, Harry, Ron, and Ginny lowered their eyes to the floor. Remus was the one to speak up and answer her question. "Kingsley died," he said simply, meeting her eyes with grim assurance, "Narcissa nearly died at the hands of Bellatrix, but she's hanging on. There were a lot of other injuries, but none as life-threatening as yours."
Looking into Remus' eyes, Hermione caught a glimpse of how terrified he must have been. He still looked terrified and she wasn't quite sure why.
Everyone fell into a moment of silence for Kingsley. Hermione hadn't ever known the man very well, but she still felt mournful over the death of someone who had fought so hard for the same cause as herself.
"Everyone knows about us," Hermione whispered hoarsely to Remus several moments later.
Remus nodded blankly. Ron and Ginny looked confused, but Harry simply nodded as well, adding, "they don't care, Hermione. Everyone loves you and just wanted you to get better. Plus, it's obvious how much Remus loves you. No one could argue with that."
She allowed herself a small smile, looking over to Remus and seeing an almost carefree smile grace his face as well. She wanted so badly to kiss him right now, but she felt weak and she knew he would be embarrassed in front of the others, especially with Snape lurking in the lab somewhere behind them. Plus, she realized that there was still something off about his smile. He looked preoccupied.
Hermione yawned over-exaggeratedly. "What time is it?"
"Half six in the morning," Harry answered.
"I'm exhausted," she said, looking at the three of them, "and you must be as well."
They all shrugged in unison, but she could see the truth in their eyes. "Go back to sleep," she ordered them, adopting the bossy tone that she'd long ago mastered, "I'll be here when you wake up."
Ginny and Ron nodded in compliance, and she watched their accompanying yawns. Harry looked a tad more reluctant, but she reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly, trying to convey to them that they had so much time now to talk and that she would be fine after getting a few more hours of sleep. It took all of thirty seconds before they left the lab.
Professor Snape obviously understood that Hermione wanted a moment alone with Remus. He stepped out of the room quietly, shutting the door behind him.
"What's wrong?" she asked Remus, turning to him and inspecting him closely.
"I'm fine," he replied, "I'm just so happy you're okay." She could see that his smile was partially faked.
Hermione reached out a hand and smoothed down the crease between his brows. When he actually smiled there was never a crease there. "Tell me. Is it about what happened at the cottage? The wards?"
His smile fell, and she knew she'd hit the nail on the head. She remembered the way he'd spun her around, laughing and kissing her and telling her he loved her. In seconds everything changed as his foot slipped just outside the wards and the Death Eaters descended on them. "But you know that they had already found us," she muttered, "right?"
When he only narrowed his eyes at her she realized that he actually had no idea what had happened at the cottage. "Greyback already knew we were there," she said quickly, sitting up and grasping both of his hands in hers, "it's because he's your Alpha. It's not your fault, Remus, and it's not because you stepped out of the wards."
"Wait," he shook his head, "what do you mean? Him being my Alpha doesn't relate to this."
"Yes it does!" She enthused, "Do you not know about Alphas tracking their pack?" At his befuddled expression she realized that he didn't. She quickly delved into an explanation, "After you told me about Alphas that one day in the shower I started researching them." She noted how Remus winced at the mention of their little fight in the shower so many weeks ago when he'd told her that he was her Alpha. "It turned out that there was a book about it in the library here," She continued, "One of the things it mentioned was that Alpha's can sense the location of their pack on the full moon."
Remus' eyes widened.
Hermione proceeded, lecturing quickly and energetically, "Technically, Greyback is your Alpha, but by extension, he is also mine. He can track me during the full moon just as much as he can track you. He's never been able to find us before because of the Fidelius Charm and the blood wards. They've just been waiting for us to spend a full moon outside of the Estate. He probably remembered where your cottage was from past full moons and knew that we might go there. They were just waiting for us, Remus, and you stepping outside of the wards only confirmed our location to the other Death Eaters. Greyback knew we were there all along!"
He was silent for a few moments, before letting out a soft chuckle under his breath. "You're brilliant, Hermione," he murmured, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against hers. "When did you figure that out?"
"When we were waiting for Harry and Snape to arrive," she explained. "I knew that they wouldn't have been able to find us so quickly after you put your foot outside of the wards. They had to have been waiting there."
He let out a breath, the puff of air brushing across Hermione's face. She tilted her head just slightly so that their lips met.
It felt so enormously wonderful to kiss Remus. She was so happy and relieved. Despite the dull pain in her chest and the tiredness of her joints, she felt so alive right now.
Remus placed a hand on the side of her face, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw as his fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck. She pressed her hands against his chest and shoulders, faintly feeling his beating heart through his shirt. It was divine. She didn't think she could have been happier.
When Hermione's hands started to unconsciously slide under his shirt, wanting to feel his skin against hers, he pulled back from the kiss. "You really do need to rest," he murmured, eyes darting between her lips and her eyes regretfully.
Hermione sighed, feeling the exhaustion weigh down on her body, "I suppose you're right. Can we go to your room? This table is not very comfortable."
He let out a soft chuckle and nodded after a moment. "You're not supposed to be exerting yourself yet, so I'll have to carry you."
She arched a brow at him. "I think I'm perfectly capable of walking downstairs to your bedroom without over-exerting myself."
He shook his head. "Absolutely not. I'm not allowing you to get any more injured because of your pride."
She rolled her eyes, but allowed him to pick her up bridal-style. She was relieved to see that the hallway outside the potions lab was empty, and so was the staircase and entry hall. Hermione leaned her head against Remus' chest, inhaling his scent and feeling the exhaustion threatening to take her right there.
When they got to his room he kicked the door open and closed with his foot, placing her on the bed and watching as she immediately pulled the blankets around herself to get comfortable. He climbed in a moment later, wrapping his arms around her tightly. They could rest easily knowing that all was well.
Hermione awoke again several hours later. She felt warm and comfortable. When she opened her eyes she was met with Remus' sleeping face, just a few inches from hers. His arms were loosely wrapped around her waist and their legs were tangled together beneath the sheets. She inspected his face, pleased to see that the tired lines around his eyes and on his forehead had dissipated in sleep. He'd looked so exhausted and frightened when she first woke up in Snape's lab. She felt a stab of pain at the thought that he'd certainly blamed himself for everything.
Remus' eyes slowly opened and he smiled groggily at her. "Morning," he muttered, voice hoarse.
"Hardly," she breathed, scooting closer to his body, "we fell asleep in the morning. It must be far into the afternoon now."
He chuckled, smiling at her.
Hermione couldn't help but smile back, "I love you." She said the words bluntly and without thinking. It was immensely liberating to be able to say that him like this, whenever she pleased.
His eyes opened a little bit wider and his smile broadened just a bit. "And I love you."
She leaned in and kissed him. It was a slow, lazy kiss. She only pulled back when she remembered that she hadn't brushed her teeth or bathed in a long time. "I need to take a shower," she muttered regretfully.
He chuckled, "Me too. But Severus said that you shouldn't be up and walking around for more than a few seconds at a time." As he said this, his hand lifted to finger the exposed edge of the bandage under Hermione's shirt. She still hadn't considered the wound much. It hurt a lot when she tried to move it, and she knew that someone had given her pain potions back in the lab because of the fogginess in her mind. Judging by how much more that ache in her chest had grown, the pain potion had worn off while they slept.
"What did Snape do to me?" she asked.
Remus sighed, shifting his jaw, "I think that's a question for you to ask him. He wouldn't tell me much about it, but I know he used some sort of dark spell to keep the silver from stopping your heart."
Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. She nodded and promised herself that she would have a conversation with Snape, not only to ask him what had happened, but also to thank him.
"I still need to bathe," she said after a moment of silence.
Remus chuckled, "I'm sure it would be fine if you took a bath. As long as the bandage doesn't get ruined."
"Join me?" Hermione asked, a smile curling at her lips.
Remus considered the question for a moment before nodding.
A few moments later, they were exiting Remus' bedroom, making their way towards the bathroom at the end of the hall. Hermione walked slowly, not allowing Remus to carry her this time. Her body felt immensely tired, but she made it down the hall.
Sirius and Tonks' bedrooms were empty, and it didn't seem that anyone else was around to see them. After they slipped inside the bathroom, Remus immediately went to draw a bath. The bathtub was one of those ancient, extravagant tubs. He had to turn on several different taps to get it working.
While Remus drew the bath, Hermione turned to face the mirror. She nearly gasped at her reflection. The first and most noticeable aspect of her appearance was the horrendous state of her hair. It was a wild, bushy mass that framed her head, matted with dirt and horribly untamed. Aside from the hair, she generally looked sickly and tired. Her complexion was pale, which could probably be accounted to the blood loss.
Her gaze caught on the right side of her face, where a shallow cut was carved into her cheek. It was a fine cut- thin, yet red and angry, causing the skin around it to appear enflamed. It was a result of the silver blade. Hermione lifted her hand and traced her finger across the cut. It stung to the touch and she immediately recoiled her hand.
"Does it hurt?" Remus asked. He stood behind her, and seeing his reflection in the mirror was a little consoling. He looked just as exhausted as she did, despite the fact that he'd slept for what felt like several hours. She wondered how long he had sat by her side in the potions lab, waiting for her to awaken.
"Not badly," she sighed, "I look like a mess, though."
He shook his head. "You look lovely, especially after everything that's happened in the past twenty-four hours."
She sighed, leaning her shoulders back into Remus' frame. "You must have been scared," she mumbled.
He let out a huff of laughter and puffed his chest out. "Me? Never. I'm a Gryffindor."
She shifted in place so that she was facing him, still leaning into his frame. It was easy to see through the front he put up, and she was about to tell him as much, but he interrupted her.
"Bath's ready."
Before she could get a word in, he was pulling his shirt over his head and then taking off his socks and undoing his belt. Hermione followed suit, gingerly removing the shirt she wore, careful not to upset the gauzy bandage that covered the upper-left side of her chest. Remus was already immersing himself in the hot water, sighing in pleasure.
"I have to say," he murmured, "it's heavenly not having the soreness or aching joints. I still can't believe that I went through a full moon and didn't transform."
There was something highly emotional in the glint in his eyes. Hermione climbed into the water, sighing at its stinging warmth and slipping down so that the water level was just above her breasts, but just below the bandage that covered her wound. She sat on the opposite side of the tub, facing him.
"I'm glad," she replied simply.
He tipped his head back, a quaint, peaceful smile on his face as he stared up at the ceiling. Hermione thought about the transformations. Neither of them would ever have to experience that pain again. She'd only experienced about six months of transformations, but Remus had somewhere around thirty years worth. She couldn't imagine the change that this meant for his life.
"I was scared."
His voice was so quiet that she hardly even heard it. He still stared up at the ceiling, but his smile had fallen away. It took Hermione a long moment to realize that he was responding to what she'd said minutes before.
"I was terrified," he continued, "and I wished with all my heart that I could have taken your place."
Hermione felt her chest grow tight with emotion. She slowly moved forward in the hot bathwater. "Oh Remus," she whispered, clamoring into his lap and stirring the water around them. She placed her hands on his shoulders, "it's okay now. I'm perfectly fine."
One of his hands came up to press against her spine, tracing up and down. His eyes floated down from the ceiling, looking at her. "I know," he whispered, "and I'm so happy that you're okay."
She felt like she was going to cry. The look in his eyes was wholly overwhelming. Hermione shifted closer to him, dipping her head so that her forehead nestled into the crook of his neck.
"I killed Lucius Malfoy."
Hermione removed her head from his shoulder, looking him in the eyes, certain that she looked just as shocked as she felt.
"Just a second too late," Remus continued, staring at the far wall, not daring to look at Hermione, "I cast the killing curse."
She took a couple breaths, trying to read his closed-off expression, wishing that he would tell her more. When he didn't say anything else, she decided to press a little. "Do you feel different?"
He shook his head, "oddly enough, no. Should I feel different? Should I feel like some sort of murderer?"
Hermione shook her head in response, "he's done so many horrible things, Remus. Someone was bound to kill him eventually. I have a feeling Snape would've if you hadn't." She remembered the methodical and emotionless way that Snape had cast the killing curse on Greyback.
He finally shifted his gaze to meet her eyes. He watched her with so many conflicting emotions. "I'm glad I got to do it," he admitted.
She reached up a hand and ran it through the hair on the side of his head. "I'm glad you did it too," she whispered, as if the admission was too foul to say any louder. She had hated Lucius Malfoy more than nearly anyone in the entire world. He had caused her and her friends so much pain and suffering in the past several months. If he had lived, perhaps his life in Azkaban would have forced that same pain and suffering onto him, but Hermione didn't think she could bear the idea of knowing that Lucius Malfoy still lived on the same planet as her, even if he was rotting in Azkaban.
"Does Draco know?" Hermione asked, suddenly remembering that there were tons of other people in this house that had to deal with the battle and the losses of their own.
Remus nodded, "I haven't spoken to him or Narcissa, but I'm certain. Albus held a bit of a meeting last night after we found out you were stable. He briefed everyone on what had happened. He also informed us that we need to stay here for a few more days, until things calm down in the outside world."
"Why?" As much as Hermione had grown to like the Prince Estate, she wanted to go back to her life and she wanted to be out of this awful confinement.
"There are still many Death Eaters on the loose," he explained, "They're sort of wreaking havoc. Without Voldemort they don't really know what to do so they settle on just attacking everything and everyone. The Aurors are working on it. Albus still doesn't want us leaving until the situation is under control."
Hermione frowned. Were they killing people? Were they targeting Muggleborns or blood traitors? She hoped that nothing disastrous came from the unorganized Death Eater attacks.
Remus had tipped his head back against the edge of the tub. One of his hands rested on her waist while the other was gently holding her hand, fingers brushing over her knuckles. Hermione shifted closer to him, aware that they were in a rather compromising position, and pressed her lips softly against his neck.
He lifted his head up to look at her. He looked at her with such fondness that it made her movements falter for a second. When she did pause, he leaned forward and kissed her lips. His hand on her waist pulled her even closer, until they were intimately pressed together.
He continued to kiss her, slowly and lazily. Hermione kissed back with intensity and desire. She wanted him badly right now. When she shifted her hips ever so slightly and brushed against his growing hardness Remus pulled back.
"Hermione," he rasped, his forehead still pressed against hers, "you really should rest. I don't want you to overexert yourself." His eyes flickered down to the bandage over her chest.
Hermione scoffed, "I'm not that fragile, Remus." She tilted her head to kiss him again, parting her lips and sweeping her tongue across his lower lip in a way that she knew drove him crazy. "I want you," she whispered, "it feels like its been forever."
He groaned, but pulled his lips away from hers again. He appeared to contemplate it for a long moment before he broke down and kissed her heatedly. "Contraceptive spell," he mumbled against her lips, one of his hands flicking out of the water and reaching for his pile of clothes next to the tub. Hermione kissed his neck and jaw while he shifted his clothes around in search of his wand. She rocked her hips back and forth, eliciting a groan from Remus and causing the bathwater to sweep back and forth.
He finally retrieved his wand and handed it to her. Hermione quickly cast the spell and tossed it aside, ignoring the funny prickling feeling that it always left in the lower part of her stomach.
She resumed kissing him. Remus clutched at her hips with both hands in an effort to pull her closer. Hermione placed her hands on his shoulders and did the same. She was certain that she was grinding herself against him quite wantonly, but didn't have the energy to care. All her energy was focused solely on Remus and how badly she wanted him.
At last, Hermione couldn't take it any more. She lifted her hips so that she was positioned on top of him and slowly sank down onto his erection. Both sighed in bliss at the contact, tipping their heads back in the same manner. Once he was fully inside of her, Hermione paused, relishing in the feeling and getting accustomed to the angle. They'd never done this in the bath before, and it was quite different that her being on top of him in bed. Her legs were a little cramped in the sides of the tub and Remus was sitting nearly upright against the back of it, but it still provided for a truly blissful feeling when he was inside of her.
Hermione began to shift her hips slowly. Remus brought his hands to her hips and assisted in guiding the movements. Together they sighed as she floated up and sank down again. Remus leaned forward and kissed and licked at her neck, then her breasts, moving around the bandage still covering the upper left part of her chest. Hermione gripped his shoulder in one hand and tangled her fingers in his hair with the other. She moaned when he nipped lightly at her nipple. Remus grinned mischievously and did it over and over again.
She decided to retaliate by moving her hips in a slow circle. Remus shuddered with the sudden change, though by the way he closed his eyes and tipped his head back, she could tell he enjoyed it.
"I love you," he whispered, opening his eyes and gazing up at her.
She smiled, leaning in to kiss him for a long moment. "I love you," she whispered, pulling back and feeling a renewed urgency in their movements.
The coupling was slow and tender, but both Remus and Hermione still moved with harried, unsteady motions. Instead of only allowing Hermione to lift her hips up and down, Remus started to meet her movements with gentle thrusts. Hermione gasped every time he did this, and that seemed to invigorate him even more.
After a few moments, they came apart together. Remus whispered her name over and over again as he came. Hermione was too immersed in the blinding pleasure to say a thing. After a few more harried thrusts, Hermione was left breathing shallowly and leaning up against Remus' chest as he leaned against the back of the tub.
They must have stayed like that for at least ten minutes, catching their breaths and relishing in the feeling of being so intimately connected. Remus hand a hand tangled in her curls. He ran his fingers through them slowly. Hermione simply rested her head in the place between his chest and his neck and listened to his heartbeat.
There was a lot to think about in the future, and their lives would no doubt change dramatically now that Voldemort was dead and they would soon be free to live their lives. Hermione was not worried or frightened. She knew that she had Remus; he was as constant and as steady as the beating heart that she could feel beneath his chest.
After Hermione's time spent with Remus, they realized that they had to face the others within the household. They couldn't hole up together forever. Thus, after their bath, Remus fetched some clothes for Hermione to change into and then walked her downstairs to the kitchen. She only realized that she was ravenously hungry when she entered the kitchen and met the smell of stew and freshly baked bread.
Molly Weasley was standing at the stove, and turned around when the door closed behind Hermione and Remus. "Oh, Hermione!" she gushed, running over to the pair and embracing Hermione tightly, albeit gently, "how are you feeling?"
"I'm alright," she replied, though she knew that she was breathing heavily and looked a bit pale from all the walking she'd just done to get to the kitchen.
"You look pale," Mrs. Weasley quipped, cupping the sides of Hermione's face and inspecting her closely, "why did you get out of bed? I could have sent someone up with your dinner, you know. Severus said that bedrest, while not necessary, would be advisable."
Hermione shrugged, "I needed to get out of bed. Besides, I'm alright, just a little winded."
Mrs. Weasley shot Hermione a wary look, but her eyes shifted to Remus a moment later, who still had his arm around Hermione's back in support. "And you!" she nearly shouted. For a moment, Hermione was terrified that Mrs. Weasley was going to attack Remus about their relationship. She readied herself for a full-blown argument, but then Mrs. Weasley spoke again. "Have you even slept a wink or eaten anything in the past twenty-four hours? I'll not have it, Remus Lupin, you're not sick or injured in any way so you had better start taking care of yourself!"
Remus blanched and nodded meekly at the woman before him. Something told Hermione that he had been expecting the same thing as she had.
"Go sit down in the dining room with the others," the redhead ordered, pointing a stern finger at Remus, "I'll have the food there in a moment and I'm going to make sure you eat something."
"Okay," Remus croaked, looking at Hermione as he began to sidestep towards the dining room.
"Go along," Mrs. Weasley shooed him, "I'm going to have a few words with Hermione."
Remus quickly fled, sending Hermione a reassuring smile before he slipped away. Hermione was left alone with Mrs. Weasley.
"How are you really feeling?" the woman asked, looking Hermione over closely, "you don't have to spare me the worry like I'm sure you've done for Remus."
Hermione took a moment to assess how she felt. "Um- I'm alright, I suppose. I feel like my whole body is fatigued and that this exhaustion will never pass, but I'm also restless and I don't want to just sit around in bed."
The woman nodded. "That'll be the remains of the silver poisoning, I'd guess. What about the wound, how does it feel?" As she said those last words she looked pointedly at Hermione's chest, where the bandage was completely covered by the jumper she wore.
"It stings to the touch," she answered, "but it's not terribly bothersome."
"Sounds about right," she nodded, turning back to the stove and stirring what appeared to be beef stew, "we'll have to change the dressing sometime tonight. The most important thing for that wound to heal is that you keep it clean and covered."
Hermione nodded. They both fell into silence while Mrs. Weasley shuffled about, adding things to the stew and continuing to stir it. "Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked after a moment.
"Yes, dear?" she looked over her shoulder.
Hermione fidgeted in place, wringing her hands out and chewing her lower lip. "You- uh- you know about… about Remus and me, don't you?"
Mrs. Weasley chuckled, turning around and placing her hands on her hips, "Of course I do. I'd guess that the whole house does after the show he put on. Wouldn't leave your side. Sirius had to drag him out of the lab so that Severus could heal you properly."
"Oh," Hermione breathed, surprised by the woman's lighthearted tone. "So you don't- there isn't-"
"Of course I don't object to the two of you," Mrs. Weasley cut her off, "you're an adult, Hermione. Although I am a little suspicious about the start of this relationship and your being at Hogwarts, I can tell that you both love each other. Remus is a smart, responsible man, and you are a brilliant, enormously responsible young woman."
Hermione couldn't help the smile that broke across her face and the relieved breath that left her lungs. She didn't know why she'd been so worried about this conversation.
Mrs. Weasley sensed her tremendous relief and clicked her tongue, coming closer and enveloping Hermione in another hug. "I don't object to it, but others might. You need to remember that in the future."
"Of course," Hermione nodded vigorously, her head still pressed against the older woman's chest in the tight embrace.
Mrs. Weasley pulled back, clapping Hermione affectionately on the cheek. "You can always come to me if you have questions or problems, Hermione. I have six boys, I know how they work."
Hermione smiled, letting out a small laugh. "I will. Thank you."
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Now go inside there and sit down. You're looking more and more pale every moment you remain standing upright."
Hermione nodded once more and made her way through the doors of the kitchen, into the dining room. She was surprised by how many people were inside, and how many of them jumped up or called out her name when she entered. Her eyes first fell on Harry, Ron, and Ginny, who all beamed up at her from their seats. Across the table were Sirius and Remus, an open seat between Remus and Neville. Hermione took the seat, smiling at Remus and interlacing her fingers with his.
Everyone almost collectively asked Hermione how she was feeling. She told them that she was almost perfectly fine, despite a little fatigue. She caught up with what had been going on lately, learning that in the hours that she had been unconscious, many things had changed.
The Evening Prophet arrived halfway through dinner and Hermione took a moment to read it. The reporters were surprisingly accurate in their description of the fall of Voldemort. It spanned the top of the front page, in big letters:
VOLDEMORT DESTROYED FOREVER
Apparently Dumbledore had written a letter to the Prophet just that morning and given them a detailed (but not fully detailed) description of what had happened in the woods. He told them of Harry and himself delivering the final blows to Voldemort, he told them of Kingsley Shacklebolt's valiant death, and he told them of the fall of Lucius Malfoy and Fenrir Greyback, two of the worst Death Eater tormenters.
Hermione was relieved that the Prophet knew nothing of her Lycanthropy or her altered Wolfsbane potion. She didn't plan on keeping that information a secret forever, but she wanted it to come out on her own terms, once she was ready to start distributing the new potion.
When dinner was served Hermione dug in, happy to have another meal around her friends like this. For a moment, everyone stopped talking about the war and the death and fighting. Instead, George and Fred described some of the new products they wanted to make for the joke shop, Luna started talking emphatically about Nargles, and Neville and Hermione got into a deep discussion about the finishing touches they could place on the potion for effectiveness.
It felt normal. Blissfully, wonderfully normal.
Author's Note: The reason this chapter took a long time was because it was originally very long (over 10k words) and then I thought about it a lot and decided that I'd rather just split it and have two chapters, and then an epilogue. With that said, this story will now end up with a nice, even 40 chapters. Also, I don't plan on withholding chapter 39 for long- it's finished and I have no reason to procrastinate.
With all that said, what did you all think of this chapter?