Transcription
The Debt of Timeby Shaya Lonnie2
To my husband, Matt, my own personal Sirius Black.And to my readers . . .Your tears keep my Horcruxes so very shiny!3
AcknowledgementsThe most enormous thanks to my original beta, Fluffpanda, who was not only my second pair ofeyes during the initial writing of this story, but helped when I got hit with writer's block.Huge thanks to my friends who commiserated with me over the time spent pouring my soul intoa story. Many of you took time out of your own writing to give this a read, and for that, I am grateful.Thank you to the amazing Freya Ishtar who created the beautiful cover for me (and helped teachme how to format this PDF), and to all of the wonderful artists out there who continue to send me fanart.I'm blown away by your talent.The two years following The Debt of Time's original posting was spent working with over onehundred betas who wanted to both improve their own editing skills and help me make this story the bestversion of itself. Some helped with one chapter, and others edited all one hundred and fifty-four, sometimestwice:Adequategatsbys, ahummingbird, Aimee, AkaShika0306, Alexa, Alexandra, Amanda, Amber,AnonymouseKitten, AquiViva, arizonadaydreamer, AshesOfLauren, AstraRegnat, Avia, bartinigirl03,Beaniebaby0112, Beth, Beth6220, bethanxo, BethieBee, BirdieMing, BlackChaos85, Catie, Chiseplushie,Corvusdraconis, CuriousElfQueen, dandralcoleman, Danielap, Dawna-Beth, Delancey654,DesideratumRennervate, DramionesLady, drarryfanatic47, DreamingofStars85, ellsworth-longfellow,Erenee459, ErisAceso, esotericcure, estrellaastra, fabricofbooks, Fallyn, FeistyKitten2001, Gidgit2u,glitterally, Hatinanne, haydensister, HeatherQuynn, ianmrtnz, iheartpadfoot1981, IrishIris, Jackiejones,Jhuffy, justcourbeau, Justjessie24601, Justlei, Kabg01, kaida171, KaleidoscopeMind, Kaleigh, Kelly,Kenzie, Kerry, khaleesicait, kicialala, Kristine, LadyParongsny, la-matrona, Lauren, LB, Liz, LJ Summers,lotusgranger, LuceFray27, Lucy, LumosUnicorn31, LunaFaylinn, MadamKitten, Magali,MammaWeasley27, Marcia, Mari, michsisk, mlg6504, muddier waters, MyBear, notanerdpls, Nykizta,Oblivionbaby, Ohsnapsitsjanet, Ptl4ever419, purplestar412, RavenclawMidwife, riddikulus-ravenclaw,RoverMaelstrom, Shaiyann, shannonnichole9, shippersville, silverlovedragoness, smartywitchMione,SnapeLover2005, StoriesWhispered, Sweetslytherin16, TequilaMockingbirdWrites, The-writer1988, Tory,Under, Vasweetpea, wordsmithchar, Worthfull1, Xbusylittlebeex, yespadfoot, and Zancz.I know there are likely still errors hidden inside, but nothing in this world is perfect. Consider anymistake within just one of the many scars of this story."Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls;the most massive characters are seared with scars."— Khalil Gibran4
BOOK ONEThe Life Debt5
Chapter OneThe Life Debt RitualTears stream down your faceWhen you lose something you cannot replaceTears stream down your faceI promise you I will learn from my mistakes(Fix You - Coldplay)July 2nd, 1997"Harry, his funeral is today," Hermione tried to reason with her best friend onceagain. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but we need to focus on the future and destroyingVoldemort. That's what's important." Her tears had been threatening to spill over for sometime now. The look on Harry's face kept her in perpetual grief; more so on his behalf thanher own. "It's what Dumbledore would have wanted."Their headmaster, the greatest wizard who ever existed, was dead. Though the restof the world seemed all too ready to embrace grief and move forward, Harry Potter wasdetermined to find a way around it. Hermione knew he blamed himself for Dumbledore'sdeath, regardless of how often she and Ron insisted otherwise. The fault rested in the handsof the Death Eaters who had broken into the school, Draco Malfoy for letting them breachthe protective wards of Hogwarts, and the murderer himself: Severus Snape.It almost felt obscene to be at school after everything that had happened, but shortlyafter the funeral, they would be getting back on the Hogwarts Express and heading hometo an uncertain future. While the professors and house-elves prepared for the funeral, mostof the students were happy to be outdoors now that the weather was decent enough. Asgloomy as the castle felt without Dumbledore at the helm, the majority of students couldnot stop themselves from embracing the typical excitement that came from preparing togo home for the summer. Either that or they were nosy and wanted to watch as funeralguests arrived.Gryffindor Tower was empty save for Harry and Hermione. However warm it wasoutside, the common room felt cold even as embers continued to dance in the fireplace.Ginny, holding her head high after her breakup with Harry, had abandoned last minute6
packing in favour of one final pass around the Quidditch pitch. Ron had been all too eagerto accompany her, leaving Hermione to "fix" the angry and desperate look in Harry's eyeson her own."You can't know what he would have wanted, Hermione," Harry stubbornlycontended. "Can't you just . . . ? There must be something in the library; the RestrictedSection, maybe. You could use my cloak to go. No one has to know about it. Can youlook? For me?""Harry, you can't bring back the dead," she said, hoping to put an end to theoutlandish idea. "Snape used the Killing Curse. No one survives that!" The immediateexpression on Harry's face made her regret her choice of words."I did!"She recoiled at his volume but still placed a gentle hand on his arm. "You are notto blame. Just because you survived the Killing Curse does not mean anyone who is killedis more deserving of being spared from it than you." She lowered her tone to somethingsofter as she saw his eyes begin to glaze with tears. "Besides, you didn't die and come back,Harry. You repelled it. There's a difference."She hoped he would finally allow himself to grieve and move on. Dumbledore wasdead, and there was no bringing anyone back from the dead. They had been taught thatlesson entirely too well over the past few years.July 9th, 1997One week later, Hermione sat in Ron's bedroom at the Burrow, a book onHorcruxes open in her lap. It was one of the tomes that she had summoned fromDumbledore's office prior to leaving Hogwarts, and while there were things in the textsthat she would have rather never read, she had other chapters saved with severalbookmarks for later perusing. The subject of death had become something of an obsessionfor her. There was definitely no coming back from the dead. However, in-depth research7
of Horcruxes had shown her the concept's grey areas; a far cry from the black and whitedemarcations that Hermione had previously believed about life and death.One thing was certain: there was no possible way to bring back Albus Dumbledore.Nevertheless, something in the book called out to her.After skimming a few paragraphs, Hermione perused the rest of the volume withgreat interest. If they were going to hunt and destroy the things keeping Voldemortconnected to this world, she wanted to know as much about life and death as possible, soas to take down the Dark Lord without losing anyone else in the process.There was an informative chapter on the Killing Curse that went into detail on howto use it and its physical effects before and after death. While there was no mention ofsurvival, there was a small, handwritten note at the bottom of one page. In the script shehad come to recognise as the hand of her former headmaster, read: Sacrificial Love: LilyPotter, 1981.Eager to avoid the reminder of how and why they had ended up in this situation,Hermione snapped the book shut. Chores needed to be tended to. While she had been ableto avoid most of the Weasleys thus far—especially since they were walking on eggshellsaround her after discovering that she had Obliviated her parents—it was time to face therest of the world.Hermione stood, adding the volume to a stack that continued to grow in the cornerof Ron's bedroom. All the books she had brought from her home and Hogwarts wereheaped on top of one another in organised piles, waiting to be either set aside or packedfor the Horcrux hunt. When she made to leave the room, the books tumbled onto the floorbehind her. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she turned to clean the mess, noticing as shedid that the volume she was just reading had fallen open. The chapter title on display caughther attention, and she narrowed her eyes:Life DebtsPulling the text back into her arms, she scanned the words carefully.A magical bond formed between a wizard or witch and the personwhose life he or she saved. The one who owes the debt to the saviour is oneday obliged to repay the deed by performing something beneficial to or forsaid saviour. Such a bond can be formed between even the worst of enemies,8
regardless of whether either of the involved parties desire it. As this bond ismagically binding, the indebted could commit the act of repayment withoutacknowledging it or even against his or her will.Because the magical binding of a life debt is so resolute andimpossible to resist when called upon, most witches and wizards in such adebt offer to repay it immediately and without hesitation.The life debt ritual itself is a spell that calls the debtor to settletheir account by use of Blood Magic and sacrifice. This powerful magicflows through the pair so strongly that, once enacted, the debtor is bound tothe saviour. Life debts were often abused in times of war, when a Darkwizard would purposely endanger the life of a witch in order to save her andindebt her to him. He would then use the life debt ritual to bind the witchto him against her will, most especially if a proposal of marriage hadalready been refused by the witch and her House.The ritual itself was banned—though never specificallyoutlawed—in 1242 after the wizard Cadmus Peverell was thought to haveendangered and subsequently saved the lives of six daughters of a rivalHouse with the intent to use the life debt ritual to bind them all to him.Peverell used the leverage over the rival House patriarch in order to gain themarriage of one daughter willingly as opposed to six by force.When his betrothed perished before their wedding, it is rumouredthat Cadmus intended to use the life debt ritual to call her from the gravebut was unsuccessful. When performed correctly, the life debt ritual, asdetailed below, can extend through time and space. Though it is powerfulenough to pass beyond the veil, death by Killing Curse is the one exceptionto this ritual."Exactly what I told him. No one comes back from the Killing Curse." Hermioneshook her head in mild frustration as she recalled her argument with Harry beforeDumbledore's funeral.With a deep sigh, she closed the book again and reorganised her stacked archive,but not before placing a red ribbon between the pages. Though unrelated to the Horcruxsearch, life debts had always been something of interest to her, and it would not hurt tokeep the page marked for light reading later on.She had already known a bit about life debts from casual reading, though nothingabout a ritual had been mentioned to her before. She could only imagine the lengths thatgreedy wizards would go to in order to hold power over others. Hermione was confidentthat she owed a life debt or two to plenty of people. Harry for certain, though he owed herjust as many himself, if not more. She smiled, thinking how grateful she was that this ritualwas, for the most part, unknown. Hermione knew that Severus Snape had owed Harry'sfather, James Potter, a life debt for saving him from a werewolf attack during a full moon.9
The thought of Harry's father purposely binding Professor Snape to himself in order to callin a life debt was almost laughable. From what she had heard about James Potter, he wasnot one to be that cruel. Sirius Black on the other hand . . .Hermione stopped in her tracks as the colour drained from her face. She dartedback to the stack of books, almost tripping in her haste over a Quaffle at the foot of Ron'sbed. Flipping open to her bookmark, she re-read the passage.When performed correctly, the life debt ritual, as detailed below,can extend through time and space. Though it is powerful enough to passbeyond the veil, death by Killing Curse is the one exception to this ritual."Powerful enough to pass beyond the veil." She stared, eyes wide at the words, herhands shaking. "Oh my God."July 21st, 1997After almost two weeks of intense research that involved two trips to the Hogwartslibrary, courtesy of the Floo Network in Professor McGonagall's office, Hermione had aplan in motion. Unfortunately, she was not the only one:Mrs Weasley had a demanding plan regarding a rather large wedding for Bill andFleur. The Order had an intricate plan relating to the removal of Harry from Privet Drive.Ron had a lazy plan on how to tell his parents that instead of returning to Hogwarts fortheir seventh and final year, he, Harry, and Hermione were going to traipse around GreatBritain in the hopes of discovering severed bits of Voldemort's soul wrapped in shinypackages like rings and lockets.Everyone had a plan.Hermione's plan, however, required immediate action before the ability to enact itbecame limited by the Ministry, the Order, and the Weasleys. It did not help that she feltshe had to keep both Ron and Harry in the dark. However, she needed to tell someone.While Mrs Weasley was outside tending to the garden and Ron was upstairs sleepingin late, Hermione threw Floo powder into the fireplace under the guise of heading out for10
a last minute trip to Diagon Alley for school supplies. She waited for the green flames toerupt before shouting, "The Den!"On the other end of the Floo, Hermione stepped out of a shallow fireplace and intoRemus and Tonks's cottage, also known as "The Den." Coughing, she dusted the soot offher robes before clearing her throat and calling out, "Remus? Tonks?"The couple had only been married for a few weeks, so Hermione stayed put,unwilling to creep about their home and accidentally walk in on the newlyweds in a privatemoment. She smiled, gazing around the comfortable drawing room. It looked lived in andwarm, like the Burrow, but not nearly as cluttered. It felt quiet and peaceful, like Remus—subdued in nature, if a room could be such a thing. However, the bright splashes of colourhere and there—in addition to the Auror robes that were flung over the back of a chair—made it very clear that Tonks lived here."Wotcher, 'Mione!" Tonks said as she entered the room from the small, adjoinedkitchen.Hermione winced at the nickname that Ron had given her. She detested nicknamesand had been vocal about it from the beginning. The only person allowed any deviationsfrom her full given name was Grawp, because how exactly does one argue with a giant?Correcting anyone who called her anything other than her name became a futile mission,and she had given up when it became apparent that her friends were either ignorant of herwishes or too lazy to say more than three syllables.Tonks's bright, bubble-gum-pink hair shone even in the shadows of the dimly litroom that was kept dark by the curtains closed against the rising sun in the distance."Sorry. Full moon was last night," Tonks mumbled with a tender smile beforeopening the drapes. "He gets headaches sometimes the morning after."Hermione waved off Tonks's apology and returned the smile. "It's good to see he'sbeing well cared for."Despite the momentary lack of faith she once had in regards to her former professoryears ago in the Shrieking Shack, Hermione had always felt a strong sense of concern whenit came to his well-being. She chalked it up to her empathetic nature when it came to allbeings despised by the pureblood supremacists in the Wizarding world. Muggle-borns,werewolves, elves, goblins, giants, and centaurs: all unworthy of magic. Though she, as a11
witch, would be given far more opportunities than the others, the unfairness of it made herwant to strive for their freedoms all the more."I would have come to help if you needed it.""It's not a problem," Tonks said. "Got to learn how to deal with him on my own.""Is he well?" Hermione quietly asked."Much better, thanks to a fully stocked potion cabinet." Tonks's smile took a slightmischievous turn as she added, "Plus, I slipped him a Sleeping Draught yesterday atbreakfast and forced him to rest up.""Are you sure you were a Hufflepuff? That sounds terribly Slytherin of you,"Hermione teased. "You're a good wife, Tonks. I'm glad he has you."Hands on her hips, Tonks blew a strand of hair out of her face, feigningexasperation. "Well, I'm kinda stuck with the big beast now, aren't I?"A dishevelled Remus Lupin yawned as he entered the room, a warm-hearted lookdirected at his wife. As he kissed her cheek, he asked, "Weren't those your wedding vows?"Hermione's smile brightened. "Good morning, Remus!"Her voice drew Remus's attention, and his face briefly lit up. He inhaled, squeezingTonks lightly around her shoulders before offering a calm smile in greeting. "Hermione,you're looking well."Hermione watched the subtle way that Tonks leant into Remus's touch, the sighttugging a bit at her heartstrings. "And you. Marriage looks like it agrees with you, Remus."When he inclined his head in agreement, she could see a faint blush creep up hischeekbones. It was a delightful sight compared to the sickly pale he developed during theweek of the full moon."It's 'cause he's got such a fit, young wife," Tonks boasted, teasing her husband.Remus barely flinched at the mention of their age difference, a startling contrast tohis behaviour only a month or so prior.Hermione smiled thoughtfully. "'Youth is wasted on the young.'""Oscar Wilde," Remus said with a knowing grin."Muggle."He chuckled, gently correcting her, "Wizard."Eyes wide at the revelation, Hermione asked, "Really?"12
"Who?" Tonks raised a brow in confusion at Hermione's excitement. "I swear Inever know what you two chatter on about. Might as well be speaking Mermish for all thegood I get out of your conversations." She laughed, throwing herself down in a large, fluffyarmchair. "So what brings you by, 'Mione?"Hermione's smile faded, and she began wringing her hands together. "Actually, Ineed your help with something of serious importance," she said, choosing her words andthe emphasis of those words deliberately.While Tonks's expression implied that she was oblivious to Hermione's tone,Remus's jaw twitched slightly, and his brows raised a fraction of an inch."Is it about Harry?" Tonks asked."In a way, yes, but not directly," Hermione tried to explain. "I need, first, for youto trust me. And then I need your assistance in something dangerous and . . . possiblyillegal." She spoke the words softly, waiting for either of them to shove her back into theFloo. When neither Tonks nor Remus made a move, she continued, "I need to get into theMinistry of Magic."Remus's mouth pinched in trepidation, a concerned expression growing on his face."Again?""Don't frown; you'll get wrinkles," Hermione chided him automatically withoutthinking, something that only made his frown deepen. "No, not like last time. Security isdifferent, which is why I need an Auror." She cocked her head at Tonks. "I'm aware thatMinister Scrimgeour is making a grand declaration tomorrow morning.""Yeah," Tonks confirmed. "Some big press conference to remind the world thatthe Ministry knows what they're doing." Her eyes rolled, changing in the process from adeep brown to a bright blue. "So you want to go to the press conference?""No." Hermione shook her head, taking a deep breath to steel her nerves. "I wantyou to get me in the door, and then," she said, turning to Remus, "I want you to come withme to the Department of Mysteries."Remus's brows retreated to his hairline. "Are you serious?""Interesting choice of words," Hermione said carefully. "And yes, I genuinely wantto go back there. It's important. I've made a discovery, and I need to test it out. I don'tknow when else I'll have the chance to. I know the Order believes that the Ministry willsoon be infiltrated if it hasn't been already. Currently, there's enough confusion that I can13
get away with what I want to attempt. If Voldemort takes over the government, there maynot ever be another chance. What I need right now could be destroyed at any point in thefuture, and I'm not willing to let that happen before I can test my theory."Tonks looked more than pleased to help, which was surprising, considering the factthat she had absolutely no idea what exactly Hermione was planning.Remus, brilliant wizard that he was, seemed to be in tune with Hermione's thoughtssomehow, or perhaps it was something more primal than that. His intense gaze made herfeel like he was looking for a quality in her that she did not possess; as though the way shebreathed around words and held her posture when speaking was missing something crucial.To be found lacking made her want to look away in shame."All right," Remus agreed after a long moment of contemplation. "I trust you.""Thank you." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders losing a bit of thetension she had been carrying. "I have everything I need ready to go. Shall we meet heretomorrow morning, say six?""That will work," Remus said."Are you sure? Do you need more time to recover?" Hermione inquired, a worriedlook in her eyes.He smiled kindly at her. "I'll be fine, Hermione, thank you. Six is good.""Sounds good enough to me," Tonks echoed. "Big speech is set for seven sinceScrimgeour is an early bird pain in the arse. That'll give us enough time to get ready to SideAlong to the Ministry. I can get you through during the commotion. Security's only goingto be tight in the main Atrium where the Minister will be. I can take you in through theAuror entrance in the back; we've got a private lift. How long do you think you need to dowhatever it is you're gonna do?""I'm not sure." Hermione winced, the tension in her shoulders returning as shethought back over the details of her plan. "Do you know if the Department of Mysteriesis active right now?""It might be. They put a lot of effort into repairing the damage you lot caused lastsummer." Tonks's words were tinted with mirth and admiration as though she wereapplauding the destruction that had been caused during the battle against the Death Eaters."'Course, I threw a few good hexes myself," she said smugly, settling back in the chair asthough it were a throne. She doubtlessly did not want anyone to overlook her part in the14
fight, especially considering she had ended up unconscious by the end of it. Battle scarswere like badges of honour to Aurors who had been trained by Alastor Moody."Will they be there tomorrow?" Hermione asked. "The Unspeakables, I mean."Tonks snorted, shaking her head as she answered, "Unlikely. Whole bloody buildingwill be set up for the Minister's big speech. Scrimgeour's just trying to make the Ministrylook like they're all one big team on this. Bloody nonsense.""I agree." Hermione reached into her pocket and removed a small Galleon, handingit over to Tonks. "Here."Tonks grinned, rolling the coin back and forth between her fingers. "Late weddinggift?""Communication," Hermione explained, bouncing on her heels. "I created them afew years back when Umbridge took over Hogwarts. The defence group Harry createdneeded a way to communicate so we would know when and where to meet. I put a ProteanCharm on these Galleons. When I charm mine to send a message, yours will grow hot, andthen you can read it. I used to charm the numbers to change to a specific date and time,but I've been trying to adjust them to send short phrases. When Remus and I are done withmy mission, I'll send you a message so you know we're ready to leave, and we can exit.""Wicked!" Tonks exclaimed as Remus snatched the Galleon out of her fingers."You said you created this a few years ago?" Remus asked, examining the coin witha familiar curiosity as though he had seen one like it before."Yes. I got the idea from Death Eaters, actually," Hermione said with a nervouslaugh. "The Dark Mark, I mean. It's not Dark Magic, but I figured I could use a ProteanCharm to mimic the type of spell I think is used."Remus nodded in understanding, quickly burying his previous expression to insteadsmile at her. "It's extraordinary, Hermione.""Right," Tonks said, "so you'll heat up the coin, and I'll come and fetch you out. Ifyou're done in time, we could probably slip out with the rest of the media. I couldtransfigure your features, make you less noticeable.""No," Hermione objected right away but then reconsidered after a moment. "Well,maybe transfigure me a bit, just in case. If I'm successful, we'll need to leave back throughthe private entrance and Disapparate as fast as possible. Here, preferably, if you don'tmind," she said, gesturing to their home. "I would suggest Grimmauld Place but―"15
"But we don't know if Severus alerted the Death Eaters to its existence," Remusfinished her thought with an understanding nod. "Good thinking.""Thank you. So, we'll meet back here tomorrow at six and go over everything againbefore leaving?""Sounds like a plan to me." Tonks stood up quickly and embraced Hermione. "Can'twait. I love surprises," she said with delight. "You will eventually tell us what you'replanning, yeah?"Hermione smiled nervously. "If it works, I won't have to.""Go on then." Remus gestured to the fireplace. "I can't imagine you've told anyoneelse about this plan of yours, which means you've lied to Molly about your currentwhereabouts." His eyes flashed with mischief for a moment, and both Tonks andHermione grinned a little, though the latter flushed with embarrassment. "Better get backbefore she catches on. Tonks will owl later to ask for your help with something tomorrowmorning. Something for Bill and Fleur's wedding, perhaps. I imagine that'll put Molly atease with letting you out the door."Hermione chuckled. "Might be the only thing that would do it. If I were one of herchildren, she wouldn't let me set foot on the front porch unless I was there to sweep it."She hugged Tonks once more and then moved to embrace Remus, who looked hesitant toreturn the affection at first. As he gave in to her hug, it felt as though he were holding hisbreath. "Thank you both so much.""All right, safe trip back, Hermione," Tonks said as she moved toward the kitchen,stopping to turn and level a teasing glare at her husband. "Remus, get in here and eat somebloody breakfast! You're still much too skinny for your own good. I like a wolf with somemeat on his bones." She winked at him before leaving the room.Hermione smiled as Remus turned—an embarrassed blush on his cheeks—to offerher a look of apology on behalf of his irrepressible wife before retreating after her.Stepping toward the fireplace, Hermione reached for the Floo powder when herbeaded handbag fell from a pocket in her robes. She cringed on instinct, wondering ifRemus and Tonks would have heard the sounds of shifting objects as the illegally-charmedbag tumbled over itself on the ground. The Undetectable Extension Charm had beenessential considering all the necessities packed inside of it for the Horcrux hunting trip. She16
made a mental note to put a Sticking Charm on the bag as well so she would not be indanger of losing all of their supplies.As she leant down to retrieve the bag, she overheard Remus and Tonks in thekitchen. Though she was not one to normally eavesdrop—especially on her friends—shecould not help but be a little curious when she heard her name spoken. Desperate to knowwhether or not they were genuine about wanting to help her, Hermione listened."I'm sorry about that," Remus muttered. "Sometimes Hermione can just―""No need for that," Tonks insisted in a loving tone. "We've been through this for ayear. Ever since you told me the truth. It's nothing to be ashamed about. It's definitelynothing I need to worry about."Hermione could hear the smile in Tonks's voice. For some reason, it filled her withease despite not knowing the specifics of the conversation.Remus's tone, however, was tense and worrisome as he asked, "You're certain?""As certain as I am that I'm your mate," Tonks said firmly. "You think she's goingthere to get the—?"Remus sighed. "It's possible. Though I doubt her reasons are the same as mine.""But you're sure that it's close?""Close." Remus sounded uneasy. "If we survive this war, then maybe. Only timewill tell, I suppose.""You worry too much.""You know I love you, right?" Remus asked with quiet fervour."I know," Tonks replied. "It's okay, love. There are some things you can't help, andthis is absolutely one of them. You didn't plan how all of this turned out. We can't helphow we feel.""But you know I love you, right?" he asked again.Tonks laughed. "Yes, Remus, you love me, you'll never leave me, I'm your mate; Iget it."Hermione could tell that the conversation was something that had occurred morethan once. At the sudden silence coming from the kitchen, she blushed as she realised thatshe was intruding on a very private moment between the couple. Stepping into thefireplace, Hermione tossed the Floo powder and whispered, "The Burrow," beforedisappearing.17
"She was still here," Remus informed Tonks the exact moment he knew thatHermione had vanished from the cottage. "Probably heard every word we said."Tonks flicked one of his ears teasingly. "You and that lupine hearing."She left his side, opening up the cooling cabinet and staring at it with an intenseglare as though she could intimidate it into making breakfast for them. When nothinghappened, she shrugged and grabbed a plate of leftover roast that Molly had sent over atsome point. She set the food down in front of Remus—still cold because she had yet toeven manage Warming Charms when it came to cooking without burning the food—andsmiled sweetly
(Fix You - Coldplay) July 2nd, 1997 "Harry, his funeral is today," Hermione tried to reason with her best friend once again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but we need to focus on the future and destroying Voldemort. That's what's important." Her tears had been threatening to spill over for some time now.
