Missing Harry at lunch for the fifth day in a row was more than enough to get Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley's attention.
Well, at least Hermione's. Once she'd pointed it out to Ron that it had been, indeed, five whole days since their best friend had enjoyed the midday meal and subsequent break-time with them, he was equally curious as the observant young witch.
"I know where he is." Neville Longbottom called, having overheard Hermione's conversation with Ron from a few seats down. "He's been taking lunch in Lupin's room. There are a few kids who do sometimes. He tells stories about fighting evil, facing magical creatures, how he got some of those scars... Its pretty great."
"How did we not know about that?" Ron ask, offended. He looked to Hermione who shrugged, but continued out of the Great Hall.
The two of them came into the Defense wing of the castle just in time to see the aforementioned Professor smiling and waving off a group of students of various ages and houses, just as Neville had said, who had been in to listen to the Professor during their lunch, with Harry Potter hanging back at his side. Hermione held a hand up, stopping Ron at the end of the hall as she watched Lupin digging into his pocket and pulling out a box to hand to Harry. The two were talking in low tones that didn't carry down the hall, but Harry's face looked something between joyful and heartbroken. This concerned Hermione, and she looked to Ron, who raised an eyebrow but nodded forward and they continued on, just catching the tail-end of whatever they'd been discussing.
"Just- maybe keep that out of your Aunt Petunia's sight, yeah?" He gave Harry a wink as Ron and Hermione finally made it down the hall. He made a friendly greeting toward the other two and disappeared back into his classroom, the door falling shut heavily behind him. Harry snapped the small box in his hand closed, shrugged a shoulder to wipe what looked suspiciously like a watery or teary eye, and shoved the box in his pocket.
"Alright, Harry?" Ron ask, his brow furrowed with confusion and concern for his best friend.
"Fine, yeah." Harry nodded.
"What was that about?" Hermione ask, nodding to the Defense classroom doors.
"Nothing." Harry answered, too quickly, and his cringed at himself. "Its nothing, really. Come on, we have Divination next."
Harry moved past them, and once again Hermione and Ron exchanged a look before following Harry's lead up the steps.
Divination class was uneventful. As was most of the evening, leading up to dinner. Harry was particularly distant throughout the evening, and made to hurry off after only picking at their evening meal. Ron had gotten into some inconsequential argument with Percy and the twins, and was too distracted even when Hermione tried multiple times to get his attention.
'Not even two months into the year...' Hermione said to herself, 'And already we're off to a confusing start again.'
Hermione finally caught up to Harry at the base of the stairs, the first floor flight that never move, she sighed thankfully, where Harry had sat down. The corridor was under lit, but she could tell something was bothering him, and there was something in his hands he was turning over that would occasionally catch the light from the torches on the walls and reflect brightly. Gently, Hermione sat down beside him, and looked over to see his was turning over a very handsome gold watch on a fiery red dragon hide band.
"Hey Harry." Hermione said as softly, nudging her shoulder into Harry's.
"Hey 'Mione." He replied flatly.
"Its a really nice watch." She said, nodding to the time piece Harry kept turning. Hermione could see something engraved on the back, but Harry was moving it too quickly for her to read.
"It was Professor Lupin's." He told her, finally looking over. "My dad gave it to him."
He held the watch out and Hermione carefully took it into her hands, flipping the face over to reveal the inscription.
'RJL
Forever my Brothers
MWPP
-JFP'
"My father had one made for himself and all three of his groomsmen. I'm not sure what the MWPP is, Professor Lupin said it was a bit of an inside joke between them, but he was wearing it on the train; the other letters are the Professor's and my dad's initials. That is my father's handwriting. Said he'd worn it each and every time he needed extra luck, but that he felt like it was something that would be better suited with me." Harry's voice cracked a bit, and he once again shrugged to wipe tears away.
"He was wearing this on the train. I remember seeing the red of the band when he cast the charm to back the dementor off. There is no telling how much four of these would cost." Hermione marveled before handing it back.
"At this point, there is no price for something like this." Harry replied.
"Harry, how long have you known Professor Lupin was this close with your parents?" Hermione ask, fighting her emotional and logical minds against one another. It hurt her, to know that not only was her friend hurting, but he'd felt the need to keep something like this from Ron and herself. She swallowed and nodded along as he spoke.
"There is more than that- but I'm not ready to tell anyone else just yet." Harry mumbled.
"I understand." Hermione nodded.
"No I mean- I need to tell you, I just need this to stay just with you. Not Ron. Not Ginny."
"Of course, Harry." Hermione nodded, tone firm.
"He's my uncle, Hermione. His wife- she's my mother's baby sister."
Harry looked as if he'd put down a heavy load, but Hermione couldn't help the shock that shown all over her face. Her mouth fell open, eyes gaping at him, head tilted to the left. She opened and closed her mouth a couple times, Harry assumed to try and speak, but she never was quite successful.
"I didn't know-" Hermione finally managed to get out, but Harry cut her off.
"Yeah, me neither. Vernon said she was dead, My Aunt Petunia never talks about her, so I also assumed she was dead. Didn't even know she was a witch." Harry said dryly. "I have this whole other piece of my life now- and I'm really happy. I've seen her twice ever, and I really like hanging out with my uncle Remus. I liked that before I knew. But there is so much more to it, and its really complicated, and I am having a hard time with how to... I dunno... process it? I guess?"
"This is the sort of thing that brings out big emotions, Harry. You don't have to name them all now, and you need to process."
"You sound like Remus." Harry laughed slightly. "My biggest problem, right now, in this moment, is accepting this watch. I don't know if I can make myself keep it."
Hermione blinked back at him, head once again tilted in confusion.
"I'm sorry-"
"Hermione, my parents got married young. Mum was 19, Dad was barely 20. Remus was also 19. He's been wearing this watch for 14 years, and he just... he just gave it to me." Harry's voice once more broke, but rather than give in, he looked up, blinking rapidly to push away more tears.
"I know your Aunt and Uncle that you've been with thus far have done a poor job of showing you, but that's just what you do when you love someone, Harry. I don't know why its taken so long, and it is not my place to ask, but it sounds like now that they're in your life, you're going to have to get used to being loved. I don't mean to discredit the Weasley's, I know they're like family to you. And you know that, your friends I can speak for- we all love you too. But this is different, and its huge. Let them in- keep the watch. I'm sure he'd rather have you with the watch on than have just it anyway."
Harry looked at his friend for a long time, not saying anything. Then he moved and put the watch on his wrist and turned it over for them both to check the time on the face of it.
"I needed that, thanks." Harry sighed, "It looks like everyone will be heading to dorms soon, we should head up."
Harry stood and held out a hand to help his friend up.
"Glad I could help. And also- I'm so sorry for everything you've had to hear everyone saying about your Uncle and Aunt being attractive." Hermione laughed.
"I hadn't even made the connection..." Harry groaned comically his face twisted in an over-exaggerated look of disgust, causing them both to burst into a fit of laughter.
Jasmine hated working late.
She hated working late even more when it was one week to the full moon and Remus was alone, body beginning to be stiff and sore as the moon grew fatter in the sky. It was the time of the month he most allowed her to take care of him. Three days before, three after.
Were she back at Hogwarts with him now, she'd already have ran him a bath, rubbed his muscles down with a healing tonic he particularly favored that smelled of peppermint, and would usually be peppering kisses over his body. Her mind had shifted to this so much, that the movement of her hands were nearly robotic as she was filing away books, another successful youth library card drive in the books- this time, though a week early, it had been in conjuncture with the library's local Halloween event, and the turnout had not disappointed.
Her mind had wondered so far off from cleaning up and toward her plans for distracting Remus that the sound of her name being called from behind her startled her so completely she squeaked and threw the book in her hands which sailed backward over her head and onto the floor with a loud clatter.
"So sorry love, didn't meant to frighten you." Eunice Clark smiled as Jasmine turned to greet her, hand over her heart from her scare.
"Oh, no worries." Jasmine replied with a grin. "Sorry I threw a book at you."
"If that was you throwing a book at me, I may need to get you some lessons in aim and form."
At this, both women laughed for a moment. Eunice stooped to pick up the book, her pinned up white curls moving only slightly in their place as she did, and she handed back to Jasmine, who placed it in the pile on the counter.
"I honestly thought everyone had gone for the evening, Eunice." Jasmine explained.
"You were correct. I had gone, left second, right after Terry. But then, I came back."
Jasmine leaned back onto the counter she'd been working on and eyed the other woman for a moment. She liked Eunice, probably more than most of her coworkers, save Georgia, who Jasmine felt was probably her most favorite muggle friend. She couldn't let her get too close, of course, but she liked them both a great deal. Eunice was something of the library grandmother, and she'd made it a point to take care of all of the younger workers, even the ones, like Jasmine herself, who technically outranked her.
"Forget something? I could help you look?" Jasmine offered.
"Was hoping you and I could chat a moment. I have something for you, and I have thought on this for a great time. I don't know exactly how to approach it, though, I'm afraid, without being an insensitive old woman."
"Go ahead." Jasmine smiled genuinely. "You'll find I'm fairly thick skinned."
Jasmine watched as Eunice moved over to an empty table, then she waved her hand for Jasmine to follow, and she obliged, sitting across from the kind older woman. She reached over and placed a hand on top of Jasmine's.
"Can you listen to a story and promise not to think me a crazy old woman?" Her warm brown eyes gleamed in the florescent lights above them, and Jasmine nodded. "Good. I will start at the beginning, if that is okay. You see- My great grandparents came here from Haiti long ago, when my grandfather was young. But it was said by all that my great grandmother was a witch. She taught my grandfather's sisters some things, and my grandmother, too, when they were married. I have her books, you see, and I believe, some of that gift."
Jasmine sat quietly, listening respectfully. She was no stranger to folk magic from around the world, having studied quite a bit of it herself looking for help with lycanthropic pain, and she knew how it was not respected enough by the ministry to count to them to be included in the magical world which she had been trained in. Jasmine also knew it was very real, and revered it highly.
"Alright." Jasmine nodded, still listening.
"Alright?" Eunice laughed, wrinkling her nose as she did, her eyes twinkling. "Child I just confessed to witchcraft and you're really just going to say 'alright?' to me?" She continued to laugh.
"I've met a witch or two in my day." Jasmine replied with an equally amused smile.
"Glad we got that out of the way, then." Eunice smiled, picking up her purse from where she'd laid it on the floor when she sat. "Because about you, I know two things."
Jasmine stiffened.
"Okay?" She ask, shifting from side to side in her chair.
"I know you've known loss, love. I can feel it on you like I feel this chair beneath me now. Heavy, too heavy for you to still be so kind." Eunice said seriously, her purse in her lap, hand still deep inside.
"You're not wrong there." Jasmine replied simply. She didn't know if she'd meant her parents, her sisters, Harry, or the children she'd only been able to carry for a short time, and never got to hold. She didn't want to get into it more than she had to, either.
"I also know you want a baby more than anything. You and that handsome husband of yours- your children would be unfairly gorgeous." Eunice smiled, even as Jasmine's resolve began to crack slightly.
"Eunice, I-"
"Shh, love. I want to help you. I believe I can. I just- I know how crazy I must sound to you, but I blended this myself." She held out her hand and in it was a small jar of what looked to be loose leaf herbal tea.
"I'm confused." Jasmine admitted. She'd done all sorts of muggle 'folk fixes' for fertility on top of magic ones on the books she had. She didn't recognize some of what was in the jar.
"I have cousins who keep the old ways. Herbs we don't have and can't grow in the cold of the UK. I sent for them for you, months ago. Dried and blessed them myself. Then for a couple weeks they sat on my counter in my kitchen, waiting for me to figure out how I could talk to you. I know this is an overstep, its not appropriate work place conversation, but Jasmine, I want to help you. I want to see some hurt leave that smile."
Jasmine simply stared at her for a long time. It felt like hours, but according to the loud ticking of the clock on the counter, the only noise around, it was mere minutes.
"Okay." Jasmine nodded, her voice cracking slightly. "I've tried everything I can find. It can't hurt to try this too- after all, I can tell a lot of love was put into it."
"That it was, that it was." Eunice agreed. "Just a cup of this every morning following any quality time with your husband, until the jar is gone. If it's no good first jar around, I have the herbs to try again. My cousins I spoke to said sometimes it could take a while, but sooner or later, everyone has a health baby with it."
"I really don't know what to say, Eunice. This is the nicest thing I think anyone has ever done for me like this. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart." Jasmine gushed, blinking away tears.
"Opal." Eunice replied with a warm grin. "My middle name is Opal. If you have you a baby girl, name her Opal for me."
"Opal Lupin is a beautiful name." Jasmine replied, palming the jar. "You have a deal."
Jasmine came to her feet and met Eunice around the table, hugging the older woman tight.
"Go home, love. Never too early to get started." Eunice winked as she pulled away. "I'll finish up here."
"Oh no, I have this." Jasmine promised, gesturing around.
"No, I have this. You have tea, and a husband waiting at home. Go on." Eunice laughed. Jasmine hugged her again.
"Thank you so much." Jasmine said with one last squeeze.
"Of course, love." Eunice replied. "Souls as kind as yours are rare. I wanted to help you and found I had the means, that's all."
Jasmine gave thanks once again as she took her leave out the door, and she held the jar of herbs to her heart.
'Please be my answer' she whispered as she ducked down the alley to disapperate to Hogsmade.
Hope you enjoyed this, its longer than normal and has almost no Remus in it, but I think you'll all like it! Thanks for reading!
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Remember, Halloween is coming up soon (in the course of this story) so stay turned!