Monday, June 22, 1998

Remus walked out of the bathroom after his shower to find Hermione sitting on the edge of the bed, staring off into space.

He walked over to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder so as to not startle her. She looked up at him, a terrified look on her face.

"Are you ok?"

"As well as can be expected. Do you mind if I take a shower here? I'm just not ready to go out there yet."

"Of course. Do you want me to wait for you?"

She smiled at him, "I would appreciate that."

Remus sat in his armchair and watched as Hermione grabbed her beaded bag before heading to the bathroom.

When the bathroom door closed, Remus let his head fall back against the back of the chair. He had been trying to put a strong front up for Hermione's sake, but in all honesty, he was wrecked with nerves. They were getting their matches today.

They had arrived back at Grimmauld Place at an unreasonable hour that morning and had gone straight up to his room in an attempt to not wake anyone.

Hermione had been quiet pretty much since the other night when she had asked him to have sex with her. She had spent most of the next day with Elizabeth, and later, Anthony had stopped by to pick him up so that he was able to join them for dinner.

The Grangers had been very gracious and made certain he didn't feel left out, not that they needed to. He had been well aware that they would need quality family time, and he had figured he would be spending a lot of time on his own. While he had spent a good amount of time wandering around Sydney by himself, at least once a day, the Grangers had invited him to lunch or dinner. Once, he had stayed for both, going for lunch and staying well past dinner.

Their last night, however, had a strange twist of events Remus had not anticipated. It had been the day after Hermione's proposition, and while he had always sensed or even caught Anthony watching him closely, this night, he had also caught Elizabeth watching him as well. Even Hermione had been watching him more often than normal. While her parents looked as if they were trying to decipher something, Hermione's gaze seemed dazed and distant. In all honesty, he started to feel a bit flustered by it and had to excuse himself after dinner to clear his head.

Remus stood on the Granger's terrace, forearms resting on the railing, looking at the waning moon above, when he heard the door open behind him.

He looked over his shoulder to see Anthony walking towards him. The man only nodded, turning his back to the railing and leaning against it, crossing his ankles and arms.

They sat in silence for several minutes until Anthony broke the silence.

"Hermione told me about the marriage law right before I came to get you. I guess she had told her mom while they were at brunch this morning."

Remus hummed in response.

"How do you feel about it?"

Remus paused before he looked over at Anthony.

"Kingsley showed us the numbers, and while I understand the urgency of the matter, I never pictured myself married."

"Why is that?"

Remus was quiet for a few minutes, thinking over the pros and cons of telling this man the true reason he had never intended to get married. He was fairly sure Hermione had already told them, but he wasn't certain because they treated him no differently.

He respected Anthony enough to believe the man wouldn't immediately kick him out. He took a deep breath. He had never told anyone who didn't already know, and they usually figured it out on their own.

"I'm a werewolf, and there have been several laws and regulations put in place that prevent my kind from doing certain things, such as being married and reproducing."

"So marriage is an entirely new concept for you? You never found a woman that you would have said screw the law and married anyway?" Anthony said, without a hint of disgust or untrust in his voice.

"I never allowed myself to get close to anyone to even think that. Not only was it illegal, but people are very prejudiced of my kind and will shun them. Not only would she be shunned as well, but I'm unable to provide for a family. I am unable to keep a job because of my affliction."

Anthony quietly nodded, his head watching through the glass door. Remus looked over his shoulder to see Hermione helping her mom wash dishes as they spoke and giggled together. Remus looked back at Anthony.

"Take Hermione, for example. She has her entire life out in front of her. She is the brightest witch of her age and a war heroine, the places she could go. She wants to work in the Ministry, and she would take the whole place by storm. She could even be Minister one day if she wanted. If she married someone like me, with my condition, she wouldn't have so many opportunities. She would have to deal with the bigotry and prejudice of being married to a werewolf. Heaven forbid she has a baby with a werewolf that would only intensify things."

Anthony still stood there quietly nodding his head, while watching either his wife or his daughter, Remus wasn't sure which. Remus remained silent, worrying he may have overstepped by bringing Hermione into the conversation. He had only meant it as an example because no father would want his daughter to marry a werewolf. He was just about to tell him as such when Anthony started talking.

"Hermione has unfortunately dealt with those things her whole life. When she was in primary school, the other children teased her because she was different. When Professor McGonagall came and she had received her letter, we were ecstatic. We believed she would be among people who were like her, where she would fit in. The first two months had been rough. She wrote home frequently, telling us how the kids still teased her.

"Then, she became friends with Harry and Ron, and the entire game changed. She started to realize she didn't care what other people thought of her. Then, second year, I learned a new word. Mudblood. I thought she would go back to the days when she cried constantly, but she didn't. Harry and Ron stood by her side and reminded her of who she was and how much she meant to them. So it's not just 'you're kind,' as you so eloquently put it."

Remus stared at him for a second, a look of stunned confusion on his face.

"How have you provided for yourself over the years?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said you were unable to provide for a family, yet you have had to provide for yourself over the years. How old are you, anyway? If you don't mind me asking."

"Thirty-eight. I currently live with Sirius, and he's provided nearly everything for the members of the Order during the war." Remus said sheepishly.

"And when he was in prison? What did you do then?"

"My parents left their cottage to me. It is fairly self-sufficient, I've kept up with the garden, and I still bring the harvest to Sirius'. If I needed anything else, I worked for the muggles around the area. Worked for a cow farmer rather frequently. He paid me with beef. Among others."

There was another long pause as Anthony seemed to think over what Remus said.

"What about Hermione?"

"I was just using her as an example, fathers generally don't want their daughters to marry werewolves. I didn't mean anything by it." Remus rushed.

"I believe she would make a good wife. I know she's independent, and she will need someone who will not hold her back or try to tame her into being a housewife. But she would be a good wife, no?"

"Without a doubt. She-"

"And you need someone who isn't afraid of your condition, correct?"

Remus froze, staring at the man next to him. What was this man insinuating? Certainly not what Remus was thinking.

"I'm afraid I'm not following." He said slowly.

"You wouldn't hold Hermione back, and she would accept you for who you were." His voice was steady and didn't hold any hint of amusement.

"You can't be serious?" Remus whispered disbelievingly.

Anthony continued as if Remus had said nothing.

"You both care for one another."

"I couldn't marry Hermione," Remus exclaimed.

"And why not, Remus?"

Remus stood up straight, facing the man, giving him a look of utter disbelief. Remus could not believe the words coming from this man's mouth.

"I'm far too old for her. I can't provide for her. Her name would be tarnished because of me. She- She deserves so much more than I have to offer." He admitted the last part with defeat.

"And that is exactly why I believe you would be the perfect man for her."

"You can't be serious," Remus repeated.

"And why not? You both care for each other. That much is obvious to a blind man. She feels safe with you, and you don't take advantage of that trust. While you feel you can't provide- which from what you have told me, I don't believe- I think you will fill the parts in the relationship Hermione is bound to lack. You are intellectual enough to keep up with her, and she admires you for that intelligence. You care enough about her to give her what she deserves in any way you are able to. I just want you to know that if you change your mind when you get your results, you have my permission."

"Remus?"

Remus opened his eyes to see Hermione leaning over him.

"Sorry, I thought you had fallen asleep."

"No. I was just thinking ab- I was just thinking. Are you ready to go downstairs?"

"I guess."

He followed her out of the room and down the stairs in the direction of the regular morning noise.

As they drew nearer, he was able to make out what was being said more clearly.

"Do you know when Hermione and Remus will be back, Kings?" A voice asked. Ginny, he believed.

"According to the travels department, they should already be here. They got there around two in the morning." Kingsley's voice was obvious.

"Someone go wake them up. I want to get this show on the road." Tonks laughed.

"Remus always wakes well on his own terms, but heaven forbid you ever had to wake him up." This voice was extremely familiar, yet a voice he hadn't heard outside of his head for years.

He could no longer process what was being said because he felt as if the floor had just disappeared out from under him. That wasn't possible.

If he wasn't the gentleman he was, he would have pushed Hermione out of the way and made a run for the kitchen. Instead, he patiently waited as she slowly (in his frantic opinion) made her way to the kitchen. They finally made it, and he quickly scanned the faces, his eyes immediately falling on the person the voice had belonged to. His mother was just a few years older than he was.

But she died shortly after he had graduated. His father sat next to her. He had died when Remus was in his mid-twenties.

He scanned the area once again, his eyes landing on Mr. and Mrs. Potter, who had also died shortly after graduation.

Harry stood up, and Hermione ran to him, throwing her arms around him. Ginny smiled up at them, but Remus had just seen the two of them- his attention turned back to the identical black-haired boy and redheaded girl. There sat the four young faces of Lily, James, Sirius, and himself.

"Come sit down. You look like you're about to pass out. I'll explain everything in a bit." Sirius- the older one- came up beside him and led him to a seat across from Hermione, next to where Sirius had previously been sitting across from Harry.

Hermione stood behind the chair that was between Harry and Ginny, looking just as confused as he felt as she also took in the new additions.

"Could we possibly have an explanation before we get our results? There are too many questions I have." Hermione said in a tone that usually no one questioned.

"Well, there's a shock," Ron mumbled.

Hermione glared at him. "Don't start, Ronald. I've only been here two minutes, and I believe, given the situation, a few questions are fair."

"Someone please fill her in before she explodes," Severus said snidely from his corner of the room. She shot him a scathing look.

"It appears, somehow, Peeves managed to get his little ghostly hands on a time relic and sent the lot of them here. The Department of Time is still getting back on their feet, but as soon as they are able, they will try to find a solution to send them back, obliviated, of course. Obviously, being here at Grimmauld, they already know too much." Kingsley paused before turning his attention back onto Hermione. "Yes, Hermione?"

She scrunched her face, "I didn't say anything."

"I know, I was just preparing." The table broke into laughter, except for Hermione, who just rolled her eyes, and the time travelers, who didn't know Hermione or what the actual joke was. Hermione stuck her tongue out at Kingsley and gently smacked Harry and Ron on the back of the head for laughing before sitting down.

"I have more pressing concerns than a bit of time travel," Hermione said.

"A bit of time travel?" The younger Sirius asked incredulously.

"You're talking to the Mistress of Time. Hermione is well adept with time travel." The older Sirius proclaimed.

"Yeah because only an absolute psycho would use a time turner to take more classes." Ron narked.

Hermione rolled her eyes again and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Kingsley, I don't mean to be rude, but do you have our results? I may be sick if I have to wait any longer. I may be sick when I get them, but whatever." She said the last part offhandedly.

"Remus?" Kingsley looked at him expectantly.

"Let's get this over with."

Kingsley pulled two identical scrolls of parchment from his robes, handing one each to Remus and Hermione.

Remus J. Lupin

Remus stared at his name for a second before turning it over, examining the Ministry seal and breaking it, unrolling the scroll.

He didn't pause to read the entire letter. He wanted to know the name of the poor woman he would be forced to marry. He unrolled the scroll completely, and his heart stuttered to a stop.

We are pleased to announce that we have matched you with:

Hermione J. Granger

His eyes snapped to Hermione, who had carefully only unwrapped a portion of hers in a clear attempt to read the whole letter and not skip to the end as he had. Then his eyes darted to Kingsley, who met his eye with a straight face, and he narrowed his eyes at the Minister. He turned to Sirius, who had been looking over his shoulder to see the results, and now had a smirk on his face before looking back at Hermione. She was much lower on her paper but seemed to have come to a stop, her eyes no longer skimming the page, and her hands shook subtly.

"Hermione?" Harry nudged her.

"Go on, I want to see who it is," Ginny said, who had been looking over her shoulder the whole time. Remus' heart pounded in his chest so violently it felt as if it were about to explode.

She unrolled the last bit, her eyes widened a fraction, and her mouth popped open in clear surprise as she slowly looked up at him, tears in her eyes. When the first one fell, he rounded on Kingsley, standing and pointing an accusing finger at him.

"You approved this?"

"I did." He stood firm, his voice even. "The experts said the two of you had the highest compatibility rating they had seen thus far."

Remus looked around the room. He had expected more of an uproar from everyone in the room, but surprisingly, no one said a word. Probably not having put two and two together or too baffled that Kingsley would allow this to happen.

"How could you subject her to a life with me? Her of all people! She has done nothing to deserve that kind of life." Remus roared. Sirius stood beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, to calm him down. The new moon hadn't even cycled yet, so Moony had very little to do with his temper right now, and it was something both Remus and Sirius were unfamiliar with.

Remus jerked his shoulder from Sirius' hand and turned on his heel, storming towards the door. He had to get out of there, he couldn't breathe.

Just as he made it to the door, a chair screeched across the floor, and soft footsteps rushed up behind him before a small hand grabbed him by the wrist, stopping him in his tracks. He turned, first looking at the small hand wrapped around his wrist and following the arm up until he was looking Hermione in the face. She looked dejected, and while she wasn't balling her eyes out, the tears still fell slowly down her face. She knew what marrying him would do to her, the repercussions that would follow.

"Is being a werewolf's wife so much worse than being branded a mudblood?" She asked definitely, her voice strong despite the tears that glistened on her cheeks.

"Hermione, you're crying for Merlin's sake." He said incensed.

"Because I am relieved, Remus. I'm relieved it's you, you stubborn man." She exclaimed as she put both of her small hands on his chest and as she tried to shove him out of her way before she stormed down the hall.

He turned around to face the others in the room, slowly scanning their faces. Roaming over the faces of his dead parents and his best friends as well as his younger self, before skimming over their friends, and finally making eye contact with his last living best friend.

They all looked at him with a mixture of expectancy and cheekiness, his younger self looked torn and confused.

Sirius, however, looked furious.

"Go. Fix it. Now." He seethed through his clenched teeth, pointing in the direction Hermione had taken off in.

Remus sighed heavily, put his hands in his pockets, and turned around, following the sounds of the light footsteps running up the stairs.

He found her standing outside of the room she shared with Ginny, looking at the room perplexed.

"Hermione?" He asked quietly as he walked up beside her.

She didn't look his way but instead continued to stare into the room.

"It makes sense. I just didn't fully think it through, I suppose." She said so quietly he wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or herself, but he was there, so he decided to assume it was meant for him.

"I understand, Hermione. We can speak to Kingsley and maybe sort someth-"

"Either your parents or Harry's grandparents are sleeping in my bed. I was hoping to come here to be alone. I can't exactly kick you out of your own room, Can I?" She finally turned to him, narrowing her eyes at him.

He looked into the room to see her bed had been pushed against Ginny's bed and transfigured into a double.

"I have no intention of speaking to Kingsley unless you completely refuse to make me your wife." She said in that defiant tone of hers.

He studied her. Her tears were gone, but the remnants were still obvious. She looked like Athena, ready to wage war, her head held high with determination.

"You can go to my room. I will let you be if you need the space."

Hermione considered him for a long second, her demeanor slowly changing as she did.

"Are you going to refuse me?" Her voice was small, like that of a lost child. Suddenly, the memory of her sneaking into his room after her nightmares terrorized her awake floated to the forefront of his mind, and Anthony's voice rang in his ear. You have my permission.

His chest was tight, and he struggled to let go of the breath he realized he was holding. When the air broke loose in a heavy sigh, he turned to face her.

"I have a very hard time refusing you anything, Hermione."

I am so terribly sorry, I'm late!! I had a migraine yesterday and couldn't stand to look at a screen.

Anyway, the results are in and Anthony gave Remus his permission and didn't even know the results! Poor Remus probably feels like everyone is ganging up on him.

As always, I greatly appreciate everyone's comments, kudo, and subscription. Thank you all so much!

-Jade