Disclaimer: I own nothing that has anything to do with Harry Potter. All that stuff belongs to JK Rowling. I just wanted to play in her world a bit to make mine seem more fun.
Chapter 5
"Mum?" Harry called. "Hermione?"
He didn't hear an answer and decided to just look around the house; they had to be here somewhere. As he walked toward the hallway, voices caught his attention and he followed them to the study, where Lily and Hermione were absorbed in a discussion.
"I don't know what is wrong with him!" Hermione exclaimed. "Talking about not getting into something and to call him when I'm ready to be a *real* girlfriend. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hermione was near tears. "And it seems lately that the only time he comes over is to cancel on me; like he did last night."
"Well, since you said you hadn't slept with him, I'm going to take a gander and say that's what he was referring to," Lily said quietly.
Hermione sighed. "I know. I guess I was just deluding myself, thinking he actually meant it when he said it didn't bother him and he'd wait."
"Unfortunately, sometimes guys are thinking with the wrong appendage when it comes to girls," Lily said wryly. "But they aren't all like that. What does your heart say?"
"That he's a complete wanker and would probably bail as soon as he was satisfied," Hermione declared, angrily wiping a tear from her cheek.
"I'm going to tell you what I told Harry," Lily began, putting an arm around Hermione's bare shoulder. "Follow your heart and you'll never go wrong."
"Harry," Hermione scoffed. "The best part was that this happened in front of Harry. Stupid prat didn't even care that there was someone in my office."
Lily tried to mask her surprise. "Harry was there?" she asked, trying to sound casual. "What were you two doing?"
"Harry was picking up the extra ticket I have for the match tomorrow…" Hermione slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead, wincing on contact. "Shit. Josh is going to have a field day with this. He suggested I get Carissa to go with me."
Harry made a face. He felt guilty about eavesdropping and after hearing that, he felt even worse. It was probably his fault Josh got all bent out of shape and now Hermione was giving him the ticket instead of this Carissa person. He was about to go in and refuse the ticket when Hermione's voice stopped him.
"Fuck him," she stated determinedly. "Sorry," she mumbled at Lily's grimace. "If he's going to be a jealous prick, that's his prerogative. He'll just have to deal with it or walk away; it's his choice."
Lily smiled at her friend. She was proud of Hermione's attitude. Many young women Hermione's age would be bending over backwards, using any means necessary, to keep their boyfriend happy, even sacrificing their own happiness for his. Hermione definitely had a strong head on her shoulders. James and Sirius didn't need to worry about or try to protect her; she was able to manage quite well, although she did appreciate their concern, it showed they cared.
Lily was brought out of her thoughts when she realized Harry had entered the study. "Hi, Honey," she said giving him a hug. She was pleasantly surprised when Harry dropped a quick kiss on Hermione's cheek and suppressed a grin when they both turned red.
"Are you ok?" Harry asked softly, his eyes full of worry.
"Yeah," Hermione replied slowly, giving him a weak smile. "Although what will happen remains to be seen."
"Well, whatever happens, you won't be alone," Harry responded, sending her an encouraging grin.
"Thanks," Hermione answered. 'Why can't Josh be like Harry?' she thought, sighing. 'Did I just think that?!' she added, panicking. 'Ok, Hermione, relax. It didn't mean anything.'
Hermione was oblivious to the faces she was making while she argued with herself and to the looks Harry and Lily were exchanging.
"Um, Hermione, are you sure you're ok?" Lily asked, squeezing her shoulder a bit.
The gentle pressure pulled Hermione out of her internal battle. "Sorry. Just thinking," she answered vaguely.
Harry seemed to buy it, but Lily was unconvinced. Hermione never 'just thought' about anything; there was always something deeper. Lily made a mental note to talk to Hermione later and Hermione decided she wanted to change the subject.
"So…did you and Ludo have a nice chat?" Hermione asked slyly while Lily swallowed a snicker.
Harry waggled his finger at her. "You knew he was going to come around to get you to do something before you left," he teased.
"I might've had an inkling he was going to stop by when he read the memo," Hermione answered, a glint in her eye.
"You set me up!" Harry growled playfully.
"Nah, you just weren't fast enough," Hermione shot back. "I warned you."
"Well, now you're going to have to deal with me on Monday too, because that's when I told Bagman I'd be back," Harry retorted, a mischievous smirk on his face.
Lily listened to their banter, a smile playing at her ruby lips. They'd only formally met last night, yet the way they joked and interacted made it seem as if they'd known each other for years, especially the care Harry had shown Hermione when he walked into their exchange. This only enhanced Lily's belief that the hardest part was the initial introduction; everything else would just fall into place. She'd known, as had James, that they only needed to get Harry and Hermione into the same room and their personalities would instantly draw them together. However, Lily also recognized, though James failed to acknowledge, if either felt they were being pushed into a romantic relationship they would both react negatively. This is where the promise Lily had extracted from James and Sirius would come into play. And, not for the first time, Lily was grateful Remus was around to help keep them in check. The boys would have plenty of time for 'I told you so's" later.
"Ok, Hermione, you've got me here. What are we going to do?" Harry questioned.
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. What do you want to do today, Lily?"
Something about the subtle way Hermione stressed 'today' caught Harry's attention. "Today? What do you mean by 'today'?" he asked suspiciously. Catching the guilty looks Hermione and Lily swapped, he pressed on. "Is there more to this skiving off than you're telling me?" he added, amusement evident in his voice.
"Well, er, basically, I, er, try to take a half-day once every couple weeks, or I'll take a full-day once a month," Hermione explained nervously.
Harry shook his head, mocking her. "Tsk, tsk, tsk."
"It's the only way I stay sane!" Hermione defended herself. "I more than make up for it with all the extra work and overtime I put in. He owes me that at least!
"Perfect example," Hermione continued, "I had the day off yesterday, but I ended up doing more work than Ludo does in a week!"
Harry whirled on Lily. "And you, Mum, supporting her!"
"Bugger, yeah!" Lily stated firmly, ignoring Harry's shocked expression. "I'd do it myself, if I had to put up with that…that…that! And aren't you ditching work as well, young man?" she added, smirking.
Harry was spared having to answer when a gong sounded, followed by a dog bark. "In the study, Dad, Sirius!" he shouted.
James and Sirius entered the room, each carrying a very large sandwich. James made a beeline for Lily kissed her soundly before attacking his snack.
"Is everyone ditching today?" Sirius asked through a mouthful of food.
"Something like that," Harry muttered. "Although, I would like to state, for the record, that Hermione made me!"
"Junior, please!" Hermione sneered. "You act like I had to twist your arm to get you here. And if you're so against it, you could always go back. I'm sure Ludo would love to talk at you for a while," she added slyly.
"Point taken," Harry answered quickly. "So what are we doing?"
"Well, whatever we're doing, I have to go home to let Desse out for a little while," Hermione put in. "I already have to pick up after you guys; I don't need to pick up after her, too."
"You are just so funny," Sirius said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I try," Hermione retorted dryly. "I really need to let her out though. Just meet me in my flat. Harry, you'll have to come with me, since you don't have 'permission' to Apparate in and I don't think your mum would like you in pieces."
"Ok. Whenever you're ready," Harry said.
"We'll meet you there in twenty minutes. Is that enough time?" Lily inquired. She rounded on Sirius. "Do not open your mouth if you want to keep 'Little Sirius'," she growled.
"Um, twenty minutes is good. See you then." Hermione turned to Harry and took his roughened hands in her small ones. She forced herself to push away the butterflies that decided to make an appearance in her stomach. "Make sure you don't let go."
"I won't," Harry replied, his green eyes twinkling merrily.
Hermione smiled weakly. "Ok. Here we go."
Next thing Harry saw was a little Crup that couldn't be more than six weeks old, though her tail had already been removed. Hermione bent down and picked her up. "Desse, this is Harry; Harry this is my 'roommate', Desse." She held Desse up so Harry and the animal were eye-to-eye. Both were surprised when the Crup barked and licked Harry's nose.
"She's never taken to a guy that quickly before," Hermione said, a touch of astonishment in her voice. "Not even Sirius in his animagus form."
"Women are just drawn to me," Harry replied pompously. "It's something I happen to be blessed with."
'Isn't that the truth,' Hermione thought to herself. "Aren't we full of ourselves, Junior?" she said aloud.
"That's the third time you've called me Junior," Harry announced. "What gives?"
"I can't bloody well call you 'Potter'; that's reserved for your dad. So you get Junior by default," Hermione explained logically.
"So this is your place?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"Yep," Hermione replied, setting Desse down. "Now you know why I don't have a flat mate; what you see is what you get."
"Nah, this place seems to be the same size as the flat I share with Ron, my best mate," Harry answered, glancing around.
"Perhaps, but he mostly has it to himself, yes?" Hermione questioned. "So you aren't technically sharing. You're just paying for him to have his own place."
"Actually, I originally purchased it when I started Auror training," Harry explained. "I was always away, for assignments and such, but I wanted to keep a place near my mum and dad. So I asked Ron if he wanted to move in; sort of housesit."
"So you stay there when you're in town?" Hermione asked.
"That's the plan. It just doesn't always work out that way," Harry admitted. "Scratch that. It never works that way."
Hermione smiled. "So what are you doing to do now that you're back permanently?"
"Aren't you the inquisitive one?" Harry teased.
Hermione blushed. "Sorry. I was just curious. You don't have to answer. I only meant to see if I could help you."
Harry smiled at her discomfort. "Well then, let's take this lovely lady out for a walk and we can chat some more."
Desse was jumping around their legs, excited at being able to go outside. Hermione clipped a leash onto her collar and they took off. Or rather, Desse took off and Hermione tried to keep up. Harry chuckled at the sight before him and broke into a jog to catch up.
They were both quiet for a few minutes, watching Desse go from tree to tree, trying to chase a stray cat and squirrel, enjoying the warmth from the sun; it toasted their arms and Hermione's bare shoulders. She closed her eyes and lifted her chin to the sky, basking in the heat. Harry just stared at her, mesmerized how this simple action was having such an effect on him. She seemed so carefree and innocent; like a small child.
Hermione opened her eyes and grinned at Harry, who returned the smile.
"Ok, you asked about my plans," Harry brought up.
"Uh huh. But you don't have to talk about it," Hermione rushed to add.
"It's fine," Harry dismissed it. "I don't want to kick Ron out, so that pretty much means I'm finding a new place. Maybe you could help me."
"I'll help you this way: don't tell your dad or Sirius you're looking for a new flat," Hermione warned. "Next thing you know, we'll be flat mates."
"That's not a bad idea," Harry said thoughtfully. "Maybe not live together, but in the same building. Do you know of any openings?"
"Not off the top of my head, but I can talk with Mr. Moore tomorrow afternoon," Hermione suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll come with you," Harry added. "Then my dad won't flounder around, trying to find a way to keep me away from the house until 6:30."
"Ok," Hermione said happily. "And it looks like we're back at the apartment building."
They went back into Hermione's flat, Desse considerably more sluggish than she was at the start of her adventure, to find Hedwig waiting on the kitchen table.
Harry removed the letter while Hermione searched for some treats to give the owl. He scanned the note and smiled.
"What does it say?" Hermione asked, feeding Hedwig a piece of bread.
"They want us to meet them at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade," Harry answered. "Apparently, Remus stopped by on his way out there and Dad and Sirius talked Mum into going as well."
"Hogsmeade? I don't think I've been there," Hermione said, puzzled.
"Well then, I will have to show you around after lunch," Harry declared. "You're also going to have to Apparate with me, since you don't know where you're going."
The thought of Apparating with Harry again sent Hermione's stomach in convulsions and she willed herself to calm down. Then Harry had to go and put his arms around her. He felt her tense and back away a bit and he grinned in response. "Relax. It's easier to do it this way. I don't want anything to happen to you."
He pulled her a bit closer, briefly marveling at how small her body was in comparison to his; she buried her head into his chest and he knew she could feel the sudden increase in his heartbeat.
"Ready?" He felt her nod in reply and tighten her grip around his middle. He chuckled. "I'm sure you don't like traveling this way, but you're going to have to loosen your hold a bit if you don't want me to pass out," he joked, trying to keep it light.
"Sorry," Hermione said softly.
"That's ok," Harry whispered into her ear. "I didn't really mind."
Quick as a wink, they were gone, reappearing in Hogsmeade, near the Three Broomsticks. Harry removed his arms and for a second or two, Hermione missed the feel of them around her.
Then she got her first glimpse of the village and all other thought left her for the moment. There was a joke shop, robe store, bookstore, candy shop and the pub. She felt like she did at age eleven, when she'd initially been introduced to the Wizarding World.
Harry noticed her wide-eyed stare and once again was struck by her innocence. He chuckled as he remembered looking the same way when he'd come to Hogsmeade for the first time.
He glanced around and didn't see anyone waiting for them outside. "Hermione," he called softly, snapping her out of her trance. "I think they may still be inside. Let's go check."
"Lead the way," Hermione shot back.
They entered the pub and went straight to the bar. Hermione followed closely, not wanting to lose Harry in the crowd. It was times like this when she wished she were taller; the only thing she could see was a wall of people surrounding her on all sides.
"Hey Rosmerta!" Harry called lightly, to the woman behind the bar.
"Harry!" she replied. "Be with you in a minute."
Harry turned to Hermione. "What would you like to drink?"
"A Butterbeer would be fantastic," she answered, opening her bag to take out some money.
Harry's hand on hers stopped the movement. "Don't," he said with a smile. "Let me get this one. You can get the next if you'd like."
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione replied with a smile.
"Well, hello, Harry Potter. I haven't seen you around here in a while," Rosmerta said cheerily, breaking into their conversation. "What'll you have?"
"A Butterbeer and a Firewhiskey, please," Harry answered.
"Be right back," Rosmerta replied, before moving away. She returned swiftly, handing them their drinks.
"Thanks, Rosie," Harry declared, handing her a galleon. "Have you seen my dad or Sirius?"
"Yes, they're at their regular table," she answered over the din of the crowd.
"Thanks again, Rosie," Harry repeated, winking at her.
He turned to go, absentmindedly reaching for Hermione's hand as they made their way to the back of the room.
"Hey Remus, Sirius," Harry called when they reached the table. "Where are my parents?"
"Probably looking for you outside," Sirius shouted, taking a long drink of his Firewhiskey. He noticed their clasped hands and nudged Remus. "Why don't you go get them; Moony and I can keep Hermione company. Of course that means you'll have to let go of her hand," he added, grinning mischievously.
Harry and Hermione turned identical shades of red. Harry dropped her hand like it had burned him and took off for the front door.
Sirius patted the seat next to him. "You can sit here."
"No thanks," Hermione retorted. "I'd rather sit next to Remus," she added, sliding down the bench. "Hey Remus. How're you doing?" she asked with concern. "We missed you at dinner last night."
"I feel alright," Remus answered, after kissing Hermione's cheek. "Well, alright considering, I suppose."
Hermione gave him a small smile. "Understandable."
"I'm just upset I won't be there for Harry's birthday," he continued.
"I'm pretty sure Harry will forgive you," Hermione said kindly. "Maybe you can be there; you've been taking Wolfsbane, so you won't pose a threat. Maybe in the cellar or something."
"Or something," Remus echoed.
During this exchange, Sirius was having a hard time sitting still; he kept shifting his position every few seconds.
"Sirius," Remus finally said. "I thought we've discussed this; when you feel that tingle, it's time to find the loo…or a tree."
Sirius threw Remus a dirty look and resumed his movements.
"Have you broken up with him yet?" Sirius blurted out, just as Lily and James arrived with Harry.
"Sirius!" Lily admonished, sliding into the seat next to him. "Stop harassing them."
Mindful of what occurred with the hand holding, Harry made a move to sit beside Lily. Instead, he almost ended up in James' lap, who glared pointedly at the empty spot on the other side of Hermione.
He sat down and moved as far away from her as he dared, without making it seem like he was trying to avoid her. Unfortunately, he was half off the bench and wasn't fooling anyone.
James leaned over the table. "Why don't you want to sit near Hermione?"
"I am sitting next to her," Harry insisted.
"You can practically fit another person between you two," James shot back quietly.
"Yeah," Sirius chimed in loudly. "Hermione won't bite…unless you're into that kind of thing."
For his remark, Sirius earned two -very hard- smacks, courtesy of Lily and Hermione, and glares from all of them.
"Ow!" Sirius howled, rubbing his arms. "That hurt!"
"Good!" Hermione spat. "Keep your comments to yourself! And Remus, I'm sorry for reaching over you."
"Think nothing of it," he answered. "It was for a good cause."
Harry made a quick mental note not to get on Hermione's bad side and scooted closer to her, still careful not to make unnecessary contact.
Madam Rosmerta chose that moment to appear at their table with another round of drinks. "What did you do now, Black?" she asked, a slight twinkle in her eye, as she set the drinks on the table.
"Why do you assume I did anything?" Sirius pouted. "Maybe they're beating me up for no reason."
Rosmerta laughed out loud. "Who are you trying to fool? Do you even know how long you've been coming here?"
While Sirius contemplated his response, Rosmerta took the opportunity to take their food orders. She promised they'd be up shortly and five minutes later she returned with six plates balanced on her arms.
"Thanks Rosie!" James, Harry and Remus called out.
"Merci, mon petit chou!" Sirius shouted.
Hermione started laughing hysterically and began coughing so hard she had to drink some water.
"What's so funny?" James asked, stealing some chips off Lily's plate.
"What he said!" Hermione choked out. "How do you know French, Sirius?"
"Well, duh! The Black Family Crest reads 'Toujours Pur'; French is in my blood," he bragged.
"What did he say?" Harry asked Hermione quietly. She whispered the reply, breaking into a fresh case of the giggles, as Harry joined in. "Are you for real?" he asked, shaking his head.
"Oh yes, I am," Hermione answered, trying to control herself.
"What?" James whined. "No secrets! Tell me!"
"I would like to know, as well," Rosmerta added, throwing Sirius a glare that rivaled Lily's at that moment.
"He said…," Hermione trailed off, laughing. "He said…he…I'm sorry!" Hermione couldn't stop laughing and was leaning into Harry for support.
"I said, 'Thank you, my little cabbage'," Sirius deadpanned. "That's the literal translation, but it's a term of endearment," he added defensively.
There was a moment of stunned silence before uproarious laughter broke out, causing nearby patrons to look over and see what was the source of the ruckus. Once they saw who was involved, they would shrug and turn back to their business.
"You're such a softie, Sirius," James gasped, holding a stitch in his side from laughing so hard. "I love you, my little cabbage!" he squeaked out. "Maybe you should've been a nice fluffy bunny to go with your cabbage!"
"Now, Prongs, be nice," Remus reasoned.
"Thank you, Moony! I always knew I liked you best," Sirius said, shooting a glare at James.
"Of course you do," Remus replied loftily. "Just remember to eat all your carrots, Bugs. They're good for you," he added, stuffing a carrot into Sirius' open mouth.
James, Lily, Hermione and Harry howled with laughter while Sirius scowled menacingly at Remus, who ate as though nothing out of the ordinary was occurring.
"You know, I never liked you," Sirius grumbled.
"I know," Remus retorted good-naturedly.
Rosmerta, whom they forgot was there, just smiled to herself, winked at Remus and moved through the crowd, presumably back to the bar. The rest of lunch was relatively quiet since Sirius was still pouting.
A little while later, the bill appeared on the table and Sirius paid it wordlessly. Remus and James exchanged worried glances; it wasn't so much that Sirius didn't speak through the meal -they were used to him stuffing his face and being unable to speak- but he'd never just paid like that. Normally the three would argue over who's turn it was to pay; James always insisted it was his turn and Sirius always wanted to pay. To settle, they'd each pay; it was their thing.
Once the group was outside, James pounced. "Padfoot, are you still mad about that bunny comment? Why didn't you talk?" he demanded.
"That?" Sirius asked surprised. "Nah, I just didn't feel like it." He grinned mischievously. "By the way, I've got one up on you. Last one to Zonko's is Snape's blow-up doll!" He took off running and James just smiled knowingly.
Remus shook his head, although he was smiling too. "Nothing ever gets that guy down. I'd be willing to bet he would even find a way out of Azkaban, if he ever wound up there."
"There's no way I'd take that bed, Moony," James countered. "Because Lily would kill him if he ever did anything bad enough to go to Azkaban."
"Then Hermione would find a way to bring him back to life so she could kill him," Remus added slyly. He yawned loudly and suddenly looked older than his friend. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to take my leave. You-know-what is tomorrow night and even though I feel more-or-less ok, I should get some rest."
"Ok, it was good seeing you, mate," James said, embracing his friend.
"You, too. I'll try to stop by soon. I miss Lily's cooking," Remus replied.
"Did I hear my name?" Lily asked, coming over.
"Sure did. I was saying how much I miss your cooking," Remus repeated. "I'm going to head home to get some rest." He gave Lily an affectionate hug and kiss. "Bye, Lils," he added with a smile.
"Bye Remus," Lily replied, kissing his cheek.
"Where's my hug?" Hermione called out, fake pouting.
Remus grinned and swept her up in a hug, planting a large kiss on her cheek, a bit reminiscent of Sirius. "I'll see if I can make it to lunch sometime this week," he promised.
Once he'd released Hermione, Remus turned to Harry. "Happy early birthday, kid. I'm sorry I won't be there to celebrate with you. Bloody full moon," he added under his breath.
"It's ok, you can come over for dinner Sunday night," Harry answered, shaking Remus' hand, pulling him in for a one-armed hug.
"Good-bye, everyone," Remus grinned lightly, then Disapparted.
Lily sighed. "That man does not deserve to go through what he does."
"No, he definitely doesn't," James agreed. "Coming Lil? Sirius has had more than enough of a head start and I don't really fancy being Snape's doll."
"Sorry, James, but I need to do some shopping," Lily answered. "Why don't you take the kids?"
"Can't. I promised Hermione I'd show her around Hogsmeade," Harry piped in, grateful for this excuse.
"Oh, fine," James sulked. "Maybe I can catch up." Without another word, he Apparated to Zonko's.
"Will you two be ok?" Lily asked, giving each a hug.
Harry rolled his emerald eyes. "Mum, we're both twenty-three; tomorrow I'll be twenty-four. I think we'll manage."
"Cheeky bugger," Lily retorted, winking at Hermione, who stifled a giggle at Harry's expression. She Apparated, leaving the two alone.
"Where to first?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Hermione replied, looking around the village. "What do you think?"
"I think we should stay as far away from Zonko's as we can for the time-being," Harry warned. "So Honeydukes, it is."
Twenty minutes later, they exited the candy shoppe, each carrying two bags of sweets
"That store is my favorite!" Hermione declared. "I wish I had gone to Hogwarts so I could have come here ten years ago!"
"I'm glad you liked it," Harry laughed. "But we've still got a lot of ground to cover, so don't make up your mind just yet."
Harry and Hermione went into every shop Hogsmeade offered. Harry even showed Hermione the outside of the Shrieking Shack, where Remus had gone to transform while he was attending Hogwarts. Each time they came out of a store, Hermione proclaimed it to be her favorite. She had purchased a least a little something from every vendor and Harry was helping carry her bags.
"Shall we go into Gladrags?" Harry asked, hoping she would decline.
"No, it's not necessary," Hermione shot back lightly. "I'm ready to go back."
"Thank Merlin," Harry said under his breath. It wasn't that he didn't like spending time with Hermione, getting to know her more, but what was it with girls and shopping?!
"Thanks for showing me around," Hermione began shyly.
"Don't thank me yet, I still have to get you home safely," Harry cut her off.
"You don't have to do that. I'll be fine," Hermione claimed.
"Ok, then I won't be fine," Harry declared. "My mother will kill me where I stand if I can't honestly tell her I made sure you got home ok."
"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Hermione teased. "Not the day before your birthday. Maybe after, but definitely not before."
"Harry!" a shrill voice shouted, cutting off Harry's response. "Harry Potter!"
"Shit!" Harry cursed, cringing while Hermione looked on curiously. "I don't want to deal with this right now. Quick. Apparate. Too late," he said, sounding defeated.
"Harry!" the girl squealed, launching herself at him. "I've missed you so much!" She clung to him, once he'd shrugged his way out of her grip. "Who's your little friend?" she asked, her voice considerably colder.
Harry sighed. 'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!' he thought. "This is Hermione. She met my parents, Sirius and I for lunch. It's her first time to Hogsmeade so I volunteered to show her around." 'Well, that's mostly the truth,' he reasoned with himself.
"How nice," the girl replied, sounding bored. She grabbed his arm hard enough to make him visibly flinch. Hermione was almost certain he had no feeling in that arm below the bicep. "Now introduce me."
Harry grit his teeth and Hermione was fighting to control her growing anger. 'Who does this girl think she is?!' she thought nastily. 'I wonder if there's anything real on her,' she mused.
"Hermione," Harry began, his voice wavering with fury barely in check. "This is Victoria."
A/N: whew! There's ickle Vickikins. I'm sorry this took so long to get out. I was trying to get Remus' character down and it just wasn't coming together; I still don't think it came together…oh, and before anyone accuses me of using the cop-out of a full moon to avoid having Remus around, I checked the lunar charts and the full moon is on July 31st, 2004, the day of Harry's 24th birthday…which is also a Saturday…I did my extra special research! OK. Now that's typed, I am going to BED! It's after 3 AM and I am SLEEPY! Let me know how you dis/liked this chapter. I know what I'm not crazy about, but I love to get y'alls opinions, especially on how to improve. Thanks for reading! J