Chapter 44 – Both - The End of the Holidays

Friday 1st January - Half Moon

Remus

A growl of hunger eventually forced him out of bed and to the kitchen where he began preparing breakfast for them both. Just then an owl arrived with some post. There were some letters for Hermione and one for him, stamped with the fancy Hogwarts seal. He frowned at it, unsure what it could be, and took a mouthful of eggy toast. He ran his finger along the seal and opened the letter. The words made his stomach lurch.

Dear Remus Lupin,

We have received your letter of resignation. However as stated in the terms of your contract a 3 month notice period is required and as such your resignation request has been denied.

We look forward to you returning to your post for the start of the next semester.

Happy New Year!

Hogwarts Board of Governors

He groaned and held his head in his hands. Fuck.

'What's wrong?' Hermione enquired with concern, having just entered the room in her pyjamas.

He didn't know what to say, and so she walked over and read the open letter with a frown.

'Oh,' she said softly.

He sighed, 'This is very bad. Very bad indeed.'

She bit her lip, unsure. 'What do we do?'

'Well there's not much we can do…' he said, looking up at her.

Slowly, sounding defeated, she said 'So we should… you know… stop this. Go back to how things were before…'

He shook his head and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. 'No. I like things just how they are.'

'But-'

He interrupted her doubts with a kiss, and she relaxed against his lips.

'We'll figure it out,' he said with more confidence than he felt. He was dreading going back to school.

Monday 4th January - Waning Crescent

Hermione

Hermione went home for a week before returning to Hogwarts. It was nice to see her parents but she couldn't stop thinking about Remus. So this is what the thrill of new love felt like. It was even more distracting than her crush had been, but better in every way. She felt giddy, she felt butterflies, she didn't have an appetite and she awaited any letter from him like a starved animal. They wrote to each other every day, and somehow still had enough things to talk about.

On her third evening at home her mother came into her room to bid her goodnight as she was penning a reply and she hid it like a naughty child, immediately realising how guilty that made her look. Her mother raised an eyebrow and she knew that she was busted.

'Everything alright, Hermione?'

She nodded.

'Now I don't wish to pry, and I respect your privacy, but I hope you know you can tell me anything darling.'

'I know.'

Her mother regarded her for a long moment before a knowing smile danced on her lips.

'Alright then. Don't stay up too late writing love letters. He'll still be there in the morning.'

Hermione felt herself flush and her mother turned and left the room.

Her father, it seemed, was not so subtle.

'So who is it then, love? A classmate of yours?' he said the next morning, sipping his coffee and not looking up from his book.

'Michael!' her mother smacked him lightly on the arm with her fork.

'What? I'm just making conversation.'

'I told you not to say anything,' she hissed in what Hermione could only assumed was supposed to be a hushed voice. She smiled down at her cereal.

'Sorry, love.' Her mother continued. 'We're just excited for you, that's all. But, like I said, you're old enough to make your own choices and are entitled to your own privacy and we respect that, don't we Michael.'

'Yeah, but can we at least know his name…'

'Michael!'

'What? I feel as though I deserve to know the name of the boy-'

'Or girl,' chimed in her mother.

'Or…. Yes… person or object of affection who has captured every ounce of my daughter's attention for the last week, and filled my house with owl feathers,' he said with mock indignation. Her mother opened her mouth to say more but Hermione cut her off.

'It's alright, I don't mind,' she shot her mother a reassuring look and couldn't help but smile at her parents' politeness. 'It's clear I haven't been very subtle.'

'About as subtle as a root canal,' snorted her father.

She loved the way that they always tried to support her as best they could, and she was constantly amazed at how well they managed to stay open minded about the magical world even if they didn't understand it. A trait, it seemed, they also shared when it came to the topic of romance. She had never really had a proper conversation with either of them about relationships as she had never been in one before, but it wasn't as though she felt the topic was somehow off-limits. In fact she felt as though she could tell them almost anything and they would try their best to understand and be supportive. Although dating her teacher who was twice her age might be a bridge too far even for her mother, she mused.

'Yes… he is a… boy…?' she cringed at the word. 'But it's nothing serious… we just talk a lot… well, write now it seems…'

'A friend from school is he?' 'What's his name?'

'Uhh… his name is…' she glanced at the copy of Look Homeward, Angel in her father's hand.

'Thomas.'

She had to stifle the urge to add Wolfe, and the resulting giggle that the irony generated. Remus would enjoy the joke when she told him later on too.

'You know, for all the wonders of your magic world, I must say a telephone would be much easier than using all these poor owls,' said her father, shaking his head in exasperation.