Story Title: Time, Interrupted
Chapter Title: Misfits
Author: Madm_05
Rating: Strong PG-13/T
Warnings: Gloomy thoughts ahead
Chapter Word Count: 5,554
Date: 29 October 2006
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everyone else from Potterverse belong to JKR.
Chapter Eighteen: Misfits
Remus Lupin sat quietly, pondering the latest turn in his life. New years Eve turned out to be to be a fairly normal night, for his family, at least. Nymphadora Tonks had come to visit with the occupants of number 12 Grimmauld Place, and the makeshift family played games most of the night to bring in the new year, with Harry and Hermione, the King and Queen of Clue respectively, winning each and every round of said game they played. Harmony had fallen asleep early on, with Harry following soon after. Hermione made it to the midnight mark, before she decided to head off to bed to sleep.
Along with Sirius and Tonks, Remus had followed tradition and made a New Years Resolution. Once, his resolution would have been to find a decent paying job, or to find a better way to lock himself up when he transformed so that no one would be in danger. Now he had not only a job, but also a family to care for. His promise to himself was to be a better father figure for the kids, and to be a better person altogether.
New Years day itself was a cold, crisp day. Snow still covered the ground, and cold, harsh winds still whipped the trees to and fro. It didn't seem to bother the only person who seemed to be awake to watch the sun rise, however.
The werewolf sat beside the fireplace, watching the flames dance before his eyes, thinking about how drastically his life had changed, and the cause of those changes. Occasionally he would look up at the painting of his past hanging over the fireplace, or stroke the pendant hanging around his neck. It was strange for him to think that a mere child could have such a profound impact on the course of his life. But then, Hermione Granger, he had long since decided, was not a normal little girl. Perhaps she was as unusual as Harry Potter was.
They work well together, he thought absently as the fire snapped, crackled and popped. Harry and Hermione. Those two will do great things one day, I can feel it. If only I could understand them, so I would be able to help them. Both of them are mysteries. I wonder if I will ever understand them, either of them.
"Sickle for your thoughts?" A voice said from behind him.
Remus turned. "Dora! I didn't think you'd be up this early, not after that little party your favourite cousin threw last night."
Tonks shrugged and sat down across from the werewolf. "It isn't like I drank a bottle of Ogden's, Remus. So, are you going to tell me what you were thinking about?"
The older man sighed. "I was thinking about Harry and Hermione. Again. There's just… I don't know. Something isn't right about Hermione. I've tried not to push it, tried to stop thinking about it, tried to stop understanding her, because I know it won't help. I've tried to rationalize every strange thing I've seen her do, but…" Remus ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I can't."
The metamorphmagus nodded her understanding. "I know what you mean. I may not be her guardian, but I've spent enough time with her to realize that she's not your average little kid." Tonks shifted uneasily. "Truthfully, she kind of scares me. She has this… look that makes me feel all… I don't know."
"Don't know what? Don't know how to sleep, or how to keep your voices down?" Sirius asked, coming into the room, yawning. "Because I hear potions work great for the first one, and whispering usually does the trick for the second."
"We were talking about the kids. Well, we were talking about the kids, but mostly about Hermione. We don't understand her." Tonks said.
Sirius nodded and sat down in front of the fire, completing the triangle. "Hermione Granger, muggleborn extraordinaire, eh? She's an interesting little thing, isn't she? I admit that I don't understand her anymore than you do."
The others hummed their agreement. "It's not that I think she's evil or anything like that," Tonks began. "But she just doesn't act much like a kid. Granted, I haven't spent a whole lot of time with kids- even when the school is open, I spend most of my time in the Day Care with Harmony and Dawn, but-"
"Dawn?" Sirius asked.
Tonks rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dawn Clearwater, Penny Clearwater's younger sister. She's about a year older than Harmony. You're the headmaster, cousin, you should know these things, shouldn't you?"
Sirius smirked and shrugged. "I should, but that doesn't mean I do."
Sighing dramatically, Tonks turned back to staring at the fire. "I guess the long and short of it, is that she doesn't act anything like a kid." She frowned. "I know that you said it was because she was a Seer. The problem I have with that, is that she acts too mature, even if she does see the future. I know that seeing what will happen will make you grow up quick, but even little kids have to have time to develop. It's like she skipped all of that stuff and went straight to being an adult."
"I know," Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. "But then, it's always seemed to me that she was mature, even for being a Seer. It's like every time I turn around, she's doing something else that I can't explain. It's a bit of a stretch for me to believe that she's a Seer who can see into both the past and the future, possesses a ridiculous amount of raw magical power, has the intelligence and maturity of a woman in her twenties, if not her thirties, can read and understand books on Occlumency and Legilimency, and…" he trailed off and looked back at the fire.
"We've had this little chat before," Sirius said with another shrug. "Really, Moony, I think we should just give up. I mean, there are lots of things about her that bother me, like that calculating look in her eyes when she looks at, well, pretty much anyone."
"And the way she knows everyone's habits," Tonks added.
"And the way she knows just how to help Harry, and those other two boys she tends to play with, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom. You know, she is tutoring all three of them, and now they're all three ahead in the class? Not as far as Hermione, of course, but they're all reading bigger words and have even moved on to reading longer sentences than the rest of the kids." Remus pitched in.
Sirius shifted and nodded his agreement. "I have to admit, she is a bit odd-"
"Odd?" Remus looked amazed. "Odd? The girl is like a twenty year old woman trapped in the body of a seven year old! For Merlin's sake, Padfoot, have you paid any attention to the things she does? Consider how she organized her books. First she split them up, muggle and wizarding, then she split them up by subject, then she put them in alphabetical order by the author's last name! What seven year old girl does that?"
Sirius sighed. "I'm not saying that there isn't something weird about her, Moony, because there is. I just don't know what it is, and I don't think it would be a good idea to push the subject with her. You kept secrets once upon a time, Remus. She'll tell us when she's ready. "
Tonks nodded. "I agree. She doesn't seem harmful, quite the opposite, in fact. She may have rotten luck, what with her parents dying, then the Malfoy situation and her being poisoned and all of that, not to mention those idiots at the Ministry sending her back to Malfoy manor so soon after her being tortured."
Remus drew back and winced, visibly hurt by her words. "Please don't remind me. Hermione is my daughter in all but blood. Honestly, if you imagine me having a daughter, don't you automatically picture a little girl like Hermione? Somewhat bookish but fiercely loyal to her friends? But just because I love that little girl as if she were my own, doesn't mean that I don't know that there is something very strange about her. What do you think, Padfoot?"
Sirius leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands. "I honestly don't know anymore, Moony. If you ask me, there is something strange about both of our kids. I mean, Harry and Hermione… I've never met anyone like them before. Of course, part of that could be because they're Bonded, but-"
"Bonded? No way! They couldn't possibly be Bonded unless they were married," Tonks argued.
Remus sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Dora, we never told you. You know that we made a betrothal arrangement between them, right? Well, we had Harry give Hermione the betrothal ring for Christmas. We must have been feeling sentimental," he cracked a small smile. "But when he put it on her… there was this glow." He shifted slightly. "Typically, when a woman receives the betrothal ring, she is surrounded by a silver glow. Well, when Hermione received her ring, both Hermione and Harry were surrounded by a golden glow- the same glow that surrounds a Bonded couple that is renewing their vows."
Tonks' jaw dropped. "The best we can figure," Sirius continued. "Is that their magic is so powerful that, even though they are so young and it was only pretend, that little wedding they had the night of the ceremony the Ministry threw for us, somehow Bonded them. But of course, that's just a guess."
The former auror shifted uncomfortably. "So, what? Does that mean that they are, you know, already in love?"
"Merlin's beard, no! They're much too young for that, they're only children. We, ah, we don't really know what it means," Remus answered, a little sadly. "We- Padfoot and I- have never seen or heard of anything like this before. We were going to talk to Professor Dumbledore about it, but I'm sure we've bothered him enough as it is. During our spare time we've been doing research. I have all of the books on Bonding in the Black family library in my office right now, in fact."
Tonks frowned. "So what does it mean? Don't you have any idea? Any at all?"
Sirius hesitated. "Well, the only other thing it could be involves Dark magic, and I can't see a Dark wizard Bonding Harry to a muggleborn."
"So our choices are the Dark Arts or little kids binding their souls to each other in a fake wedding, and showing no sign of their Bonding until Christmas?" Tonks snorted. "I don't buy it. There's got to be another reason."
Sirius threw his hands up. "And what would that be? We certainly can't think of anything."
"She's right, Padfoot," Remus said softly as he gazed pensively into the flames. "Neither one of them showed signs of being Bonded before Christmas. There was always a deep friendship between them, but nothing that clearly said they were Bonded. There's got to be something else, something that we're missing."
"Okay, since we're playing detective, we might as well do this properly," Sirius said, shifting a little so that he was more comfortable. "Do we have a time frame that we can work from?"
"Well," Tonks began thoughtfully. "I seem to recall that they did act differently after their little pretend wedding. They didn't act like they were really married or anything like that, but they were, I don't know, closer?"
Sirius nodded. "I can accept that. I noticed it too. They could do that thing Lily and James used to do after they had been dating for almost a year, the one where they could talk with each other by looking at each other."
Remus smiled. "They had entire conversations and never said a word." He nodded. "Yes, Harry and Hermione do that. But Lily and James did it too, before they were married."
"But James had already been planning to propose," Sirius added.
"Okay, so we know that Harry and Hermione were doing things that a mature couple are able to do," Tonks frowned. "But they're platonic, aren't they?"
"Platonic love rarely remains so, in my opinion. Frank and Alice Longbottom started out as friends and they fell in love. Ted and Andy were friends at first, too. The Lovegoods started out as friends as well, and now you'd be hard pressed to find a couple more in love than they are," Remus said softly. "Give them time."
Tonks winced. "Now I'm even more confused. You make it sound like a pair of kids were ready to get married."
"Hardly," Sirius said blandly. "There's no romance between them. The very idea is preposterous- they're kids. What I think we're saying, and not very well, mind you, is that is that Harry and Hermione somehow had a bond- not a marriage Bond- that is reminiscent of the bond a mature couple has when they're engaged."
The young woman was quiet for a moment. "That still sounds wrong."
"Yes," Remus admitted. "But it's the only explanation we have at the moment. So far we've come to the conclusion that, somehow, that little wedding they had at the Ministry created a bond of some sort. They weren't Bonded to each other, but a bond was created."
"Strengthened," Sirius said thoughtfully. "The bond was always there between those two. That pretend wedding of theirs strengthened it, I think. The question is why did it strengthen their bond."
Tonks hesitated then offered her idea. "Do you think it was because they were pretty much promising to stay with each other? I mean, Harry had been living with his aunt and uncle, if you can call them that, and Hermione had just lost her parents…" She trailed off. "I imagine they'd be lonely, both of them."
Sirius looked thoughtful. "And in a wedding, a very permanent thing here in the wizarding world…"
"…You are essentially promising to never leave your partner," Remus added.
"And promises hold a lot of weight in the wizarding world," Tonks finished with a nod.
"So they started out as little kids- I won't say normal," the werewolf said wryly. "But with a very strong friendship. Then they had a play wedding where they pretty much promised to stay with each other forever…"
"And they essentially became spiritually engaged," Sirius said. "That explains a lot of things, but it doesn't explain the golden glow."
Remus sighed in exasperation. "I can't explain that one. I do know that the bond they have, whether it really is a marriage bond or something else, is much stronger than it was. Now they seem to anticipate what the other wants. The day before yester day, Hermione made Harry toast, and Harry made Hermione a cup of tea. Neither asked the other for anything, they just did it. It's a bit creepy to see kids doing that sort of thing."
"So they're kind of married but they're kind of not?" Tonks shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense."
"Nothing about those two makes sense," Sirius said offhandedly.
"Still, I wish they would be able to fall in love on their own," Remus murmured. "If they really are Bonded, they'll never have that chance."
Sirius snorted. "I don't think that matters Moony. Sure, Hermione will never fall in love with, say, Neville Longbottom, but then, he never had a chance, did he? I've seen the way she acts around the other kids, and she always puts Harry first- she always has, even before their little wedding.. I don't think it ever crossed her mind that someone could possibly be more important to her than Harry. It's like she thinks her only purpose in life is to help him.
"And as for Harry, he worships the ground she walks on in his own way. I think he cares more for her than he does for the rest of us combined, and I can't blame him, not really. In his eyes, she's the one that saved him." Sirius looked pensively into the flickering flames, much as Remus had not long before. "I think, even if it is only in the back of his mind, that he feels we abandoned him to the Dursleys.
"But Hermione," Sirius looked up. "I think he feels that Hermione was the one to rescue him, and out of everyone he has met, she has been his one constant, even when the Malfoys had her. You know as well as I do, even if he won't admit it, that the entire time Hermione was gone he was teaching himself to use magic so that he could go save her."
"They're a pair, aren't they?" Tonks asked softly. "It seems like nothing goes right for those two. I've never seen kids with luck worse than what those two have, but they stick it out." She paused. "Together," she added quietly.
The two men nodded. "Yeah, they're a pair, alright. And I'm glad, now that I think on it. Can you imagine what life would be like for either of them if they didn't have each other?" Remus asked.
"I don't know, but I bet they'd be three kinds of miserable." Sirius said.
Tonks raised a slender brow. "Three kinds of miserable?"
Sirius nodded sagely. "Terribly miserable, awfully miserable, and just plain miserable." He looked up. "Honestly? I'm glad they have a bond, no matter what kind it is. At least now I know that neither of them will ever be alone."
Remus and Tonks nodded. "May your words ring true, forever and always, Padfoot. I've become attached to those two, and I don't think I'd like to imagine a world where one of them died in some pointless war. Those are two powerful kids. I don't want to live in a world where one of them went mad from grief over the loss of the other. It would be a dark world, indeed."
Sirius frowned. "Why such grim thoughts, Moony? Is there something you want to tell us about?"
"No, nothing of interest," Remus said with a small smile. "There's a full moon coming up in a few days. I always seem to have dark thoughts around that time. I can't seem to help it." He sighed. "But I do worry about them, both of them." He began to pick absently at his nails.
"I know what you mean, Moony, but I'd give up trying to understand them, if I were you. It will save you the trouble of having to find a headache potion if you just quit trying to explain everything that happens around them." Sirius leaned back and stretched.
"I can't help it," Remus said miserably. "I can't help but think that those two are involved in something big, and that there's nothing I can do about it. Merlin's beard, Sirius, I don't know what I'd do if I lost Harry, Hermione or Harmony. And I'll always have a soft spot for Harry-he's Lily and James' son- but Hermione… she's my Owlet. I never knew someone could like books as much as I do," he snorted. "We're so much alike," he said, more to himself than the others. "And I can't help but worry that something will happen to her." He began to rub his shoulder absently, his callused fingers touching the scars he still bore from when Fenrir Greyback bit him as a child.
Sirius drew in a deep breath. "I had a lot of time to think while I was in Azkaban, Moony. A lot of time. Most of it I spent thinking about how I'd failed James and Lily and Harry. While I sitting in there rotting," he said, a touch bitter, "I realized something. I've tried to deny it, but in light of this conversation and considering everything that had passed, I have to admit it.
"James told me once that there was a prophecy about Harry. He never really said what the prophecy was about, just that it involved Harry and Voldemort." He paused and looked at his cousin and his brother in all but blood. "It's always going to be Harry," he said softly, the barest trace of bitterness in his voice. "It's going to be Harry who has to stand up and protect everyone. It's always going to be Harry who has to save the day." Sirius gave Remus a grim look. "And now we know, or rather, we think we know, that Harry and Hermione are Bonded. Now we know it's always going to be Harry, and Hermione is always going to be at his side." He swallowed thickly. "Now we know it's always going to be them."
"At least they'll have each other," Tonks said, drawing her knees to her chest. "That's more than a lot of people have," she said, trying to offer what comfort she could.
Remus sighed for what he thought may very well have been the thousandth time that night and considered what his friend had told him. "I don't want it to be them," he said softly. "They're just kids. I want them to be normal kids."
"They're not normal kids Remus," Tonks said with an unladylike snort. "Nothing about anyone here is normal. You're a werewolf, Sirius is an innocent ex - convict, Harry is the Boy Who Lived, and Hermione is the Wandless Witch! And who knows what Harmony will be like when she's older, though if I had to guess, I'd day she may very well become the world's greatest prankster. Even your family dog is unusual, or are there a lot of canines running around with an Order of Merlin on their collars?
"Whether you like it or not Remus, everyone here is an oddball. I'm just the cousin who won't go away, and even I'm odd- how many metamorphmagus' do you know?" She shook her head. "We're a regular band of misfits, we are."
The werewolf chuckled mirthlessly. "And I always thought that I was the rational one. I guess the full moon does that to me. I know no one here will ever be normal, Dora, but that doesn't mean I can't hope for it."
"It's a nice dream," Sirius nodded. "But it won't happen. Maybe it will do the kids good to grow up in a house full of misfits."
Remus nodded. "Maybe it will teach them to be more accepting of other's differences, and teach them not to judge others. I know that it's hard to be different, and maybe, just maybe, those two will break the mould and make things better for everyone."
"I feel bad for them," Tonks said, absently cracking her knuckles. "Can you imagine what the world will be like for them? Not only are they already famous and likely to have their every move reported by gossip hungry journalists, but they've already been judged by everyone. They've already been put into nice, neat little boxes by everyone who had met them or read about them, and there isn't really a way for the kids to change the way people look at them, at least not yet."
Remus grumbled. "It's like there's no hope for them, like they'll never be free from themselves. Those two shouldn't have to train to use their magic every Sunday while they're classmates are off spending time with their families and playing games. Hermione shouldn't have to worry about making the windows shatter every time she's scared, and Harry shouldn't have to worry about setting people on fire or something like that!" He drew in a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry, I just-"
"It's okay, Moony, we understand," Sirius said calmly. "I know you're not used to having a lot of people around you who care about you, let alone people that you care about." Tonks gave him an odd look and Sirius went on. "For a long time now, our favourite werewolf felt that because he was a werewolf that he was dangerous. He felt that anyone who got close to him was at risk. He's gone out of his way to keep people from getting close to him, but every once in a while, someone will strong - arm their way into that fuzzy heart of his."
He gave Remus an intense look. "But since Lily and James died and Harry was taken away, since I was framed, and Wormtail went into hiding, he's been all alone. That is, he was alone until a certain bushy - haired, bucktoothed bookworm entered our world with a bang.
"Hermione wormed her way into his heart, no matter how hard he tried to keep her out, and that's why he's all riled up. As he said earlier, he loves her like she were his real daughter. It's killing him that there are things she will have to face that he can't save her from, especially since he knows first hand how cruel the world can be."
Remus looked away, his face flushed slightly at having his feelings revealed. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Remus. Merlin knows Harmony has me wrapped around her cute little fingers and I'm not related to her in any way, shape or form."
"And all Harry has to do is say my name and I'm at his beckon call. I owe him that much," Sirius admitted then scoffed. "Listen to us, rambling on like we are. Maybe we should start seeing Madame Alfreda."
The others chuckled. "That reminds me, Sirius, we need to start being more firm with the kids. I guess Madame Alfreda finally had a small breakthrough with the impenetrable wall that is Hermione Granger's mind. It turns out that the kids are teasing her more than she's been telling us. I think she doesn't want the other kids to think of her as a tattle - tail, so she's keeping quiet. We're going to have to catch them in the act."
Sirius nodded and grinned. "Feeling a bit protective of your little bookworm, are you Moony?"
"Oh, leave him alone Sirius, I think it's sweet," Tonks said. Remus flushed a little.
"Do you hear that, Moony? She thinks you're sweet!" Sirius grinned as Remus' face turned red. "So, do you feel better now Moony?"
The werewolf sighed an shrugged a little. "I guess. There are still things that bother me though, things that I want to know."
"Oh, believe me, there are things I want to know too," Sirius said in a dark tone. "For instance, I'd like to know why I have to send my godson back to the people who locked him in a cupboard, I'd like to know why they thought it was a good idea to lock him in a cupboard… there are all sorts of things I'd like to know. That doesn't mean I will. Madame Alfreda isn't permitted to talk about sensitive issue like that, only small things. There are a lot of things I'm not going to know unless Harry tells me, and I don' think he will."
The trio was silent until they heard a loud growling sound. "Sorry," Tonks muttered, her face red. "Guess I'm kind of hungry."
Remus and Sirius laughed softly before Remus stood and offered his hand. "Well, I guess it's about time for us to get breakfast started. Do you think we'll be able to manage without burning anything today?"
Sirius snorted. "Not with our track record. It's pretty bad that our kids can cook better than we can."
"Maybe they'll give us lessons," Tonks said with a shrug. The two men gave her a strange look. "What? It was just a suggestion."
The werewolf shook his head. "Hey, I hadn't thought of that." Sirius gave him a strange look. "Not that, Padfoot. I was thinking about Hermione's lessons. I don't think they're very stimulating for her."
"What makes you think that?" Tonks asked. "She loves learning. I thought she'd love her classes."
Remus sighed again and began searching for something to snack on when Woddles appeared. "Something light, please," he asked then turned back to his friends. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that she spent the last week of class staring at the wood grain on her desk and still answered all of my questions correctly. Or maybe it's the fact that she checks half of the kids' papers - though she usually spends more time checking over Harry's than anyone else's- after she finishes hers which, by the way, she usually completes in about three minutes, sometimes four if it's a lengthy assignment."
Sirius gave his friend a wry grin. "I'm guessing that she's a smart kid, Moony." He took on a mock - thoughtful look. "My, she's like a Mini - Moony!" He grinned at his friend. "I think I'll call her that, from now on."
Remus scowled, though his heart wasn't in it and his eyes were sparkling with amusement. "Oh, don't go picking on my Owlet now!"
Tonks laughed and grew serious again. "Have you considered giving her more advanced lessons? Maybe harder arithmetic problems, and having her read more complicated books than the beginning level books you've got the others reading? It's not really fair to her, if she isn't getting the stimulation she needs. You know it's bad when she goes and looks at everyone else's papers, trying to keep herself busy."
"That's an idea," Remus said, scratching his chin. He turned to Woddles, who was carrying over a tray of breakfast foods. "Thank you," he said kindly. The elf smiled bashfully in return and vanished.
Sirius grabbed a piece of toast and set to work putting marmalade on it. "So, the lessons? I think it would work. The question is, what sort of work will we have her doing, and when? While I don't doubt that she would be able to work well by herself, it wouldn't really be fair to her if we ignored her and made her do the work on her own while we helped the others."
"Yeah, and it's not like she can do calculus or anything like that. I mean, she's smart, but she's seven, she can't be that smart." Tonks added.
Remus shrugged and took a drink of tea. "I don't really know. We got her some fairly advanced books for Christmas, and she didn't have any problems with them. I have noticed that she prefers factual books to fiction, though she doesn't seem to mind those books by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. I usually see her reading something educational. Lately she's taken to reading about some of the various mind magics. For some reason, she's really interested in books about magical links between two people in particular."
Tonks took a noisy bite out of her toast. "You don' fink she thaw the go, d'ya?"
"Dora, I know you're mother knows the proper etiquette for women in our world- surely she taught you some table manners," Sirius chided.
The young woman smiled and wiped a few crumbs away from her mouth. "That she did, but it was so traumatizing when I was younger, that I blocked them out of my mind. Now, as I was saying, you don't think she saw the glow, do you? When Harry put the betrothal ring on her finger, I mean."
"Who knows?" Remus shrugged. "She might have, and that might be why she's so interested in links, but she's looking up everything to do with links. She's trying to figure out ways they're forged, the side - effects, different types of links, even ways to destroy them, and has been for some time now. I can't think why she's so interested in them."
"The only thing we can do, Moony, is just sit tight for now. I understand what you're saying about everything, from how different Harry and Hermione are to how academically driven Hermione is. There's nothing we can do, not until those kids decide to fill us in on their secrets, or until they slip up and tell us something- it's almost impossible to get either of them to tell something they don't already want to tell you.. I've tried to get Harry to open up, and the only thing I did was make him pull away." He gave a helpless sort of gesture. "Our hands are tied, and there's nothing we can do."
Remus nodded sadly and took a drink of his tea. The three sat in comfortable silence, eating their breakfast and waiting for Harry and Hermione to wake up and join them, and for Harmony to cry and let them know she too was awake.
It wasn't long before Hermione walked into the kitchen. As usual, she was fully dressed and her hair was already combed. She looked like she had been up for some time.
"Morning, Hermione," Sirius smiled from his seat. "Did you sleep well?"
Hermione gave him a small smile as she took her seat at the table. "Wonderfully," she said in the soft but firm voice he had come to associate with her.
Remus smiled at her briefly before turning back to his own breakfast. He couldn't help but think she was lying.
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A/N: I'm so sorry it took so long to update, but my account on FF.Net was messed up, and I didn't want to update here without being able to update there. There are still a few things wrong on FF.Net, but I thought it would be rather rude to keep you waiting. Hopefully everything will be fixed soon.
Before I head off, I want to say that there is nothing "Going On" between Harry and Hermione at this point. I tried to emphasize that there is no romance, that there is only friendship between them at this point. There really is a good reason why their souls are Bonded, and I even hinted at it in the last chapter, but I can't tell you because that would ruin something that will happen in the second part of the trilogy.
Well, thank you to everyone who read, and special thanks to everyone who reviewed. If you have any suggestions or comments, please review.
Cheers,
Madm_05