A/N: Right then, here's chapter 5 with the ship revealed…although the shipping as such, isn't underway, if that makes any sense…*ahem*
Congratulations to Tennant Stuart who gave me quite a pleasant surprise by hitting the nail on the head about this ship. Also, a big thank you to all those who emailed me about Tonks/Charlie…I need to dash over and read those stories…haha
I am working on a one-shot set way ahead in the future, and hopefully chapter 6 will be out in a few days…thank you very much for reviewing, it's truly motivating!
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Hermione laughed as she turned towards the fireplace and flew into her mother's arms.
'Oh, it's so good to see you!'
Jane Granger pulled back from the warm embrace and kissed her daughter's cheeks tenderly, smoothing a hand over the bushy locks that had not changed a whit since she had brought their owner into the world nearly twenty years ago. She caught sight of a grinning Harry over Hermione's shoulder and rolled her eyes, playfully swatting at her daughter, 'No wonder you look happy today, he's finally come back.' Then extending an arm out to Harry, 'I know that you won't let go of Remus for a while, so how about giving me my hug first?'
Harry's heart leaped into his throat as he wrapped his arms tightly around Mrs Granger. For all that Mrs Weasley had been like a surrogate mother, in a way he was closer to Jane Granger than any other maternal figure. A large part of it stemmed from the fact that she was the first concrete example of good natured muggle acceptance of magic. While he had always spent his summers at the Burrow or from fifth year onwards in some secret location with Ron and Hermione, his summer before the seventh had included a brief week long sojourn with the Grangers. There, he had come to understand and accept that the Dursleys were the exception rather than the rule and seen first hand the support that Hermione had been given when the tide of her life had changed when an owl had swooped into her life with a memorable letter for the very first time.
Or at least, how her mother had always supported her…
Harry had never been close to Hermione's parents - at least not long enough for him to arrive at any sort of conclusive judgement about them. But he had been distinctly aware of a thin veil of frostiness from Mr Granger that seemed to meander its way through the very minute of cracks in their home. At first, he had simply attributed it to the fact that he, a sixteen and now nearly seventeen year old boy had come to actually share living quarters with a female best friend who clearly was still her father's little girl.
He found out in the most terrible of ways that he couldn't possibly have been further from the truth.
In all their years of friendship, Hermione had never given off the impression that her familial environment was anything other than stable. The regularity with which she visited home, corresponded with her parents and kept them up to date frankly of increasingly dangerous events in the wizarding world, had always made Harry more than a little envious of their strong bond as well as the luxury of being able to openly discuss all things magical at home; thus he had been as surprised as Hermione to see an extremely agitated Minerva McGonagall bear down on them during a routine breakfast.
Even more unexpected was her brusque command for Harry and Ron to follow, even though the message was a direct communication from Dumbledore to Hermione, who had instantly gone pale and ghostly white. Harry and Ron had kept a firm hold of her and literally half pulled, half dragged their best friend who was now on the verge of a minor hysterical outburst, given that their Head of House had adamantly refused to answer her pointed requests for information.
Dumbledore's office was not a place that Harry had ever wished to be in more than necessary, especially after what he regarded as the Headmaster's unforgivable duplicity towards himself, but now he looked on, as did Ron, in a mixture of worry and fascination as the old wizard slowly kneeled down by the armchair that Hermione had been deposited in, and proceeded to gently explain the contents of the letter in depth, all the while clasping her limp hand in a gesture of reassurance.
Harry and Ron had not even been aware initially of what had transpired in that conversation but one look at Hermione's face, which wore such a terrible expression of despair, hopelessness and fear was enough to galvanise them into pulling her into a tight embrace between their persons. She was trembling violently, her lips quivering, and they noticed with consternation that her fingers were turning blue. Dumbledore had promptly dispatched them to Madame Pomfrey and her hospital wing for an instant dose of calming draught and as they both sat beside their best friend, each holding her hand, he had unfolded the web of events that had brought Hermione to this state.
There was one thing Harry Potter had thought he would never ever in all his entirety of existence, on the planet, want. As he listened in growing horror, it was the first time that he was sincerely grateful for the fact that at the very least, his parents had loved each other until their final breath - enough to unthinkingly give their lives up for each other and the child conceived of that fierce love - and had prevailed upon being united in death as well.
Was it really possible that a man would do such a thing? Thoughtlessly wreck his marriage of nearly eighteen years? Destroy his family so heedlessly?
But apparently he could and in Mr Granger's case, rather spectacularly as well. Without a need to delve into the sordid details, Harry and Ron had gathered enough to know that trouble had been brewing over the last three years, approximately around the time of their fifth year's commencement. Mr Granger had suddenly been inexplicably seized with a desire for professional ambition prompting a proposal to move the family to the United States. While the boys were at once appalled at the abhorrent notion that Hermione may never even have returned for the fifth year, they were extremely thankful that she herself had never come to know of this - Jane Granger had flatly opposed the move and hadn't breathed a word of it to her daughter. Hermione's stability was to be their number one priority, she had argued, and she wasn't about to see her moved, especially when the highly insecure and subsequently ridiculed and antisocial child had grown into a happy and confident teenager at Hogwarts, with the added and much needed blessing of two best friends that she had implicitly grown to trust and care for.
That hadn't been enough for Mr Granger, however, and the barrage of thoughts had continued to viciously poison his mind until he began to question the very feasibility of Hermione even continuing on as a witch.
Up until here, his desire for professional advancement although at debilitating odds with his family's happiness, could have still been somehow excusable. His challenging of Hermione's status as a witch could have somehow been attributed to the insecurities of a parent worried of losing a child to an altogether more exciting world.
But his treatment of Mrs Granger could never be forgiven.
Even a few years on, Harry knew that the scars would never completely fade away. How could you forget that a person to whom you entrusted your soul would turn so viciously back on you and threaten your very existence? That the man you had promised yourself to, heart and soul, till death do you part, would lower himself to the level of incessantly seeking extra-marital companionship while ignoring any and all attempts from his wife to engage in a meaningful conversation that may yet have saved their marriage…
As Harry stood now with his arms around Mrs Granger's smaller form, he yet again felt anew the admiration for her sheer strength, willpower and love for her daughter that had enabled her to endure three years of her husband's open infidelity. To compound the situation, Hermione's magical orientation was revealed in a fit of revenge by her father to all members of their family, effectively distancing Hermione and anyone who supported her to a somewhat arm's length and acquaintance level interaction. Within the blink of an eye, Jane Granger found herself inextricably ostracised and subsequently she and 'her witch daughter' had become like strangers to their own relatives. Hermione had never particularly discussed her extended family in any way but to be so openly reviled was something she had never foreseen either.
The crux of the letter centred on the fact that Jane Granger had been whisked to a muggle hospital for treatment of extreme shock. Marital unfaithfulness in itself was a horrendous blow to her sanity but to wake up one morning to a husband who had flown the coop abandoning his family and leaving them penniless was utterly incomprehensible, especially given that there was a twenty five year old friendship of which eighteen were spent in marriage, between them.
Harry could only be grateful that the shock hadn't completely killed her. It had certainly achieved that with near perfect success as far as Hermione was concerned. Both he and Ron had decided to accompany her to visit her mother and Hermione's grief at the time had been absolutely devastating to live through. Yet, she was a rock for her mother and both boys had never been more proud of their best friend than during those few months. Her own anguish at her father's doings was forcibly locked away in the deepest recesses of her mind as she battled to save her mother and then struggled to set them both to start anew and get a semblance of life back on track.
It also became a passport for Jane Granger's honorary induction of sorts into the magical world. She wasn't remotely magical although she had always unconditionally believed in her daughter's abilities. With her husband having abandoned her, and their extended family wanting nothing more to do with a witch and her mother, it was her daughter's world that became her salvation. While she could pay out of her own finances for Hermione's education, the very logistics of the entire situation would have been rendered absolutely unbearable had it not been for the constant stream of goodwill from the Weasleys, Harry, and the Hogwarts faculty.
Seventh year was famed enough for the NEWTS but Harry doubted if Hermione had even vaguely registered their impending exams with all that had been going on. Seeing that his friend was running herself into an early grave between her somewhat comatose mother, and trying to cope with the ramifications of events on both a pragmatic and an emotional level, Harry had suggested to Dumbledore that Mrs Granger be moved to Grimmauld Place. There was nothing more the hospital could do, what was required now was a healthy dose of care, compassion and support and at the aforesaid venue, she would never be alone and someone could be stationed to stay with her. Most importantly, Hermione could also floo to see her mother at least two or three times a week, which would greatly aid in the latter's recovery.
Yet, the question remained: who was to be a conduit between Hermione and her mother? Mrs Weasley was one of the first choices, but was soon dismissed as the lady had rather a large family of her own to cater to. Besides, she wasn't particularly skilled at any sort of defence against dark magic, and by moving Hermione's mother to Grimmauld Place, an open flaunting of the divide between muggle and magical would further exacerbate the threat that Harry knew Hermione and Mrs Granger were already under, given the restlessness and unrest about Voldemort nearly having reached a crescendo at the time.
Ergo, a minder was needed who was skilled at defense. However, he or she had to be someone that both Hermione and her mother could trust implicitly. The Hogwarts faculty were out of the running, as they had significant responsibilities at the school and Order members who were registered Aurors such as Kingsley Shacklebolt or Tonks would have been hard pressed to justify why they were guarding a lone muggle woman in a magical house when their services were increasingly called upon every second to aid in the assistance of wizarding communities, decimated under a dark forces assault.
It had been at Hermione's own suggestion, that Remus John Lupin be appointed for this task.
No one had been more surprised than Remus himself at Hermione's suggestion. Looking back now, Harry did not know how he and Ron had valiantly restrained themselves from sniggering wildly at the rainbow of expressions that had whizzed dizzily across his new godfather's face in a span of seconds. Remus had gone from amazement to disbelief to incredulity as he vehemently protested each and every bit of Hermione's arguments for his recruitment as her mother's guard.
Few people who had witnessed it would ever forget that occasion. Hermione and Remus both characterised by holding logic and stability as their guiding lights, had been perfectly matched as each came up with various protests and counter protests to defend their position. Upon Remus's objections that her mother might not be comfortable given recent events, seeing as he was a man and a werewolf to top it all, Hermione had given the man a near heart attack by calmly mentioning that her mother was already aware of the latter.
Over the years, her parents had come to meet various Hogwarts faculty members and after third year, Hermione had spoken so consistently in praise of Lupin that the first meeting between him and her parents had been spent with him in extreme discomfiture. It was a sad occasion given that it was a reading of Sirius's will, with his funeral carried out just minutes before in an attempt to give the deceased a respectable and heartfelt departure from the worldly, but Harry and Ron overhearing the conversation were truly amused at the sheer capacity that Remus Lupin displayed for succumbing to the brightest of blushes, all throughout his conversation with her parents, with Hermione eagerly extolling his academic virtues at every opportunity.
Hermione and Remus had argued long and hard but she had finally caught him when she pleaded tearfully, 'I trust you the most of all, Professor. My mother knows you and besides, we both don't mind that you are a werewolf. Dumbledore has given me, Harry and Ron permission to stay at Grimmauld during your transformations or perhaps someone else will replace you just for that period or so. But please, don't say no, Professor, you can't turn me away like this.'
Remus was wavering between agony at wanting to acquiesce to his student's wishes and anguish at the insecurity about his own animalistic persona when Hermione had driven her point home, 'I trusted you during third year as well, Professor Lupin, and you didn't fail me then. I already knew you were a werewolf, but that didn't make any difference to me…wont you please help me now, when I need you the most?'
And Harry knew that Remus wouldn't, indeed couldn't, possibly have said no to such an impassioned plea, coming as it did from a student whom the last remaining Marauder had an extremely soft spot for, first brought about by her silent and unconditional acceptance of his dual persona, all those months ago.
And thus, it was decided. Remus would stand guard at Grimmauld while Hermione's mother recovered. His innate sensitivity to hurt and his gentle but firm sense of compassion and empathy were of great assistance to both the mother and the daughter as they struggled to put their life back together in the long months that followed.
Now, after all this time, Hermione's mother had set up her own dental practice yet again, but moved it to Central London so that she could be in proximity to the Leaky Cauldron and the magical world while being comfortable with the muggle environment around herself. Hermione visited her mother often, as did both Harry and Ron who had also found to their great delight that having a friend who lived in London's West End was no small source of convenience when it came to exploring the delights of the city.
Remus and her mother had developed a steady friendship that was predicated upon mutual respect and gratitude. She was grateful for his assistance to herself and her daughter and he had, in the first time for many years since Lily Potter, come across a woman who had looked beyond the beast and ventured to connect with the man within. The fact they were also similarly matched in age and intellect was a further advantage, and Hermione was glad that her mother had made a firm friend in the wizarding world.
However now, as she saw her mother releasing Harry with a loving kiss on the cheek, and turning to relinquish him to Remus, Hermione could not help noticing the subtle exchange of the tiniest of glances that passed between them.
While it did not make her entirely upset, she was more than a trifle uneasy.
Was it -? Could it be possible - ? But no, there had been nothing to even remotely suggest that anything was developing and even if there were, how was she to feel about it? How was she to - ?
'Hermione! We've been calling you for minutes now, where were you?'
She met the concerned gazes of Harry, Remus and her mother and forced herself to smile brightly. Remus and Harry were simply gazing, nothing covert underlying their expressions but she flinched slightly as she met her mother's eyes, they held a sliver of knowledge that she wasn't quite sure she wanted revealed as of yet.
Giving herself a shake, she walked over and gave Remus a quick hug, leading the way out of her office and towards the kitchens where they would still be able to get a bite. While not as huge as the Hogwarts kitchens, some traditions were simply too heartfelt to let go off and so Hermione had made sure that the entry to this kitchen too was through the tickling of a pear who was perched precariously in then hand of a small girl, rather than in a limp bowl of fruit. There were house elves here as well and all were new but two who had left Hogwarts and transferred to the Marauders upon hearing that it was henceforth to be Harry Potter's new domain. Hermione shook her head in exasperation as Dobby and Winky insisted on laying out a veritable feast, when all they wanted was a light snack.
'So Harry,' Mrs Granger was saying, as she speared a bit of mashed potato on her fork and liberally soaked it into the gravy that was on her plate with relish, 'How does it feel to be back?'
Harry grinned, 'Its been fantastic so far and I can't wait for tomorrow - Hermione is going to give me the grand tour…although what little I have seen looks fabulous, I'm sure there are some more secrets up her sleeve that she hasn't revealed to me as yet.' He gave her a friendly poke in the ribs, knowing that she was ticklish.
Hermione squealed as she jumped and dropped her spoon, 'Harry! Stop doing that, it tickles.' Then she bit her lip and smiled nervously, 'I…I hope you aren't angry, tomorrow. I mean, there have been some changes, but I only brought them after a lot of deliberation and after consulting everyone else, and…'
'And very good changes, they were too,' interrupted Remus, smoothly, contriving to polish off his plate in record time as well. Apparently Harry's abrupt arrival had stressed them all out so much, that their appetites were beginning to catch up only now.
Harry registered a twinge of mingled guilt and thankfulness for the presence of people in his life who cared deeply about him, but also knew that there was no way he could not have left. The parties and other occasions all in the name of the great Boy Who Lived who had now gone on to become The Boy Who Saved The Wizarding World, was reaching atrocious levels of pompousness and Harry had snapped when he had come across a store in Diagon Alley glorifying his life as akin to that of some masked avenger for a child's bedtime story. No, he had to go away to regain his sanity and gain a fresh sense of perspective, and it was a relief to come back to a quieter setting, no parties, no balls, no proposals, no propositions, no-
'-And Harry, there is a party this Friday at Hogwarts, given by the Ministry, so please do come in good time.'
WHAT?
Harry turned terrified eyes on Remus, gaping at him in horror, hadn't he gone away to avoid all this nonsense in the first place?
Remus shrugged and returned to chasing the grape from his fruit salad, which was stubbornly refusing to climb onto his spoon, 'Don't look at me like that, Harry. I had absolutely nothing to do with it. In fact, I was told of it by Mineva only seconds before haring over here. She's warned you to show up, or else.'
And on this ominous note, unseen by Harry who was still trying to close his mouth, he turned and exchanged sly winks with Hermione. She leaned over and sympathetically squeezed his arm. He turned eyes luminous with despair on her and half growled, half pleaded, 'I'm not going! Oh no, I'm not going at all! This is ridiculous - and hold on, how in the world did the Ministry know I've come back anyway?'
Hermione rolled her eyes, 'It's the wizarding world, Harry. News travels as the owl flies,' her eyes were twinkling merrily although she desperately contrived to maintain a suitably injured face for the sake of her best friend who was looking for all the world, like a petulant boy, with his brow furrowed, arms crossed across his chest, shoulders hunched and a pout making his lower lip jut out in the most adorable manner ever.
However she restrained herself from leaping on him, even as her mother reached over and teasingly pinched his cheek, 'oh come on, the wizarding world wants to welcome its hero back. You have to admit the whole setting has a rather sexy appeal to it.'
Remus snorted, Hermione broke out in laughter and Harry glared affronted, 'Excuse me?'
Mrs Granger got up to deposit her plate in the sink only to be intercepted by an appalled house elf and good naturedly winked, 'Look at it from the perspective of my gender. Here you are, the strong hero, withdrawn from the world, when suddenly you return and looking none the worse for wear, if I do say so myself.'
Harry felt himself blushing and smiled in spite of himself, 'I cannot believe I am hearing this…'
'Look, just come for at least an hour or so, alright Harry?' requested Remus. 'I'm sure a lot of your friends will be there who'll want to see you as well…come to the party, for them at least.'
'He's right, Harry. Other than us, the rest of the DA don't know you are back. They'll be thrilled. Just ignore the ministry and spend time with them and it'll be like a reunion; you'll definitely enjoy it' affirmed Hermione.
Harry sighed and nodded, 'Fine, alright. Friday, you say? I'll be there.' He brightened up considerably as a thought came to mind, 'It's going to be in Hogwarts? It'll be good to go back and see the school too.'
They laughed, happy to see that his mood had lifted and as they trooped off back to Hermione's quarters, from where Jane Granger would go back to the Leaky Cauldron and Remus to Hogwarts, the latter pulled Harry aside, 'Do you think we can talk for a few minutes, Harry? Alone?'