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Cherries	By : bubblybabs Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > General Views: 79681 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world created by JK Rowling, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story and never will.

Chapter List
- 40
- 41
- 42
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Story: Cherries

Author: bubblybabs

Email: bubbalilly@gmail.com

Beta: Periculum

Story Consultants: WesleyY7, Sonia

Total Word Count: 19,055

Chapter 39 Edit Date: 07/08/2010

At the time of chapter upload

Hit count: 33,089

Review count: 194 (much appreciated)

Average/total vote: +++++ / 253

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Chapter 39: Cherries Are Poisonous

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Firstly, I know it's been practically forever since I've updated... Much has gone on in my life preventing my work on the story... I'm far from the same person I was when I started writing it... I meant it when I said I would work on the story until it was finished though there may be a few pauses here and there... Also, due to a computer crash (which caused me to have to nearly completely rewrite this and the next chapter, I don't have my little mailing list of people to email about new updates...

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This is being put up before the final beta review – once she sends me back the chapter, I'll upload it though there will only be spelling error repairs and perhaps (probably) a few grammar issues taken care of...

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Oh, and for those of you who know what it is --- Farmville!

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Just an FYI, It's WesleyY7's fault over the gender of the new person in this chapter. She accused me of being sexist so I had to fix that straight away!

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Thanks to Sonia for getting her review in so quickly and helping me fix a few boo-boo's... Beta's rock!

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And, not to be begging but... A few reviews would be appreciated and helpful to the story...

:0)

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Story date: May 19, 1996 5:59am

'I don't know why we have to do this today. We only just buried Adara a few days ago and Hermione hasn't had enough time to really deal with it. I just don't understand, why can't this wait?' Jane Granger sat brooding for several moments before turning to look at her daughter as she reached out, gently placing her hand on Hermione's in a gesture of reassurance.

“Calm down, sweetie, everything will be all right. Remus said there isn't anything to be afraid of.”

Jane slid forward till she sat on the edge of her seat as she watched Remus calmly walk to the door after there was a soft knock on it. She glanced quickly at her daughter, who had been jumpy all morning, before turning her eyes back to Remus. Despite Remus' assurances that there was nothing to worry about, Hermione's actions told her something was very wrong, which only served to increase her worries as the sun slowly began to peak over the horizon. She took in a slow, deep breath, her heart rate increasing markedly as Remus neared the door.

“I know, mum, I know. I just can't help it.” Her hand shaking, Hermione pulled a few strands of hair out of her eyes as she watched Remus open the door.

“This Bill, what did he do to you to cause you to...”

“Mum, honestly, it's nothing.” Exasperated, Hermione huffed loudly as she pressed her trembling fingers against her temples. “He didn't do anything terrible to me, mum! It's not him I'm afraid of, not really. I'm more nervous than afraid, that's all. Please, mum, don't press me. I can't really explain it. I told you that last night.”

Jane's brows furrowed. Her heart ached watching how her daughter was so frightened and vainly trying to hide it from her and her husband. 'She's more than nervous. She's definitely fearful. But of what?' She wished she could make her little girl's fears go away like when she was a child. The creatures in the closet went away when the light was switched on. The monsters under her bed couldn't get to her if her sheets stayed tucked in. The boogeyman was too afraid of daddy to come after her. Such simple solutions for childhood fears.

But, then again, Hermione wasn't a child anymore and these weren't simple fears needing a quick, time-tested solution. What was happening to her daughter was beyond her comprehension, this world she lived in was far more dangerous than her parents could have ever imagined. What her daughter needed was far beyond the reassurances and protection that she or her husband could provide, causing them much anger and dismay. She reached up and tugged on her daughter's hair, pulling a few light brown curls out of her face and tucking it behind her ear, her action rewarding her with a timid smile. She watched as Hermione held Persimmonie even closer, her nose in the child's wispy hair while the baby's bright blue eyes looked about, her fingers tangling in her mum's unruly curls as she pulled them to her mouth and began to noisily suck on her hair-coated fists.

Jane's head came up when she heard talking – she recognized Remus and the Headmaster's voices and took note of an unfamiliar male and female voice. She could tell Remus was tense as he spoke and that heightened her trepidation. The Headmaster, however, didn't sound afraid – of course not, what did he have to fear? - though he did sound grave.

She looked the strangers over critically. The man, whom she assumed was Bill – was this the one her daughter seemed so terribly “nervous” over at the mere thought of his visiting?, she wondered. He had dark red hair tied in a low ponytail, was almost as tall as the Headmaster, and was fairly thin, though not disturbingly so. She was surprised to see him wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt under a dark blue and black plaid shirt that was unbuttoned half-way down, neatly tucked into his pants. For some reason, she expected him to wear some type of robe as the others did, she didn't expect him to look like the type of man most would coin 'a cool dude'. She noted he seemed to be wearing some type of cowboy boot though the leather was deep black and its texture rather coarse, not smooth. When he spoke, he seemed friendly enough, and the Headmaster smiled at him a time or two. Remus did not, though, and that confused her. He stood rigidly with his arms stiff at his sides, his narrowed eyes flitting along the other man's features with an expression that told her Remus was doing his best to look neutral. Remus definitely didn't like this man, and that worried her.

She turned her attention to the woman who came with the red-headed man. She was a few inches shorter than the man and slightly heavy-set, her hair dark brown and curly – the curls loose and falling gently midway down her back. Jane guessed her to be in her early twenty's and thought it was a shame that she had a scar running along her one cheek – the scar wasn't very big, but it was enough to mar her good looks a little. The woman stood back until it was obvious she was being introduced, it was then that she bowed slightly and shook hands with the Headmaster and Remus while cheerfully greeting the men.

She watched the four as they spoke for a few moments more before the strangers followed the wizards she had learned to trust into the room. She sensed Hermione sitting up straighter and hugging Persimmonie tighter as they neared and she turned to glance at her before looking back. It was at that point that she noticed a frown form upon the Headmaster's face and wondered what displeased him. His frown quickly disappeared and was replaced by a welcoming smile as he bowed slightly while greeting them.

'Mr. and Mrs Granger, how do you do?”

Jane glanced at her husband as he replied to the headmaster. “Fine, Professor Dumbledore, we're fine.”

“Forgive me for seeming rude as I ask this question of Remus.” Albus turned to look at Remus, his voice lowering so it was just above a whisper as the younger man neared. “Remus, I thought Persimmonie would be out with Miss Granger's parents while our visitors were busy doing their jobs.”

Hands in his pockets, Remus gave a small cough as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet a few times, his discomfort obvious. “Yes, well, Albus...”

Without warning, Mr. Granger stepped forward, a hand raised towards Bill. “Robert Granger, Hermione's father.”

Bill hesitantly took Robert's hand and shook it as he looked questioningly at Albus and Remus.

“We wanted to stay and support our daughter, Professor Dumbledore.” Jane stood and unconsciously stepped in front of Hermione. “She is afraid and we don't know why. She keeps telling us there's nothing wrong but... Well, I... we... sense something is terribly wrong and... I don't know, we wanted to stay with her. To offer support.”

Albus raised an eyebrow as he watched the Granger's go into 'Parent Protection mode'. 'Of all times for them to suddenly decide it was time to be over-protective parents. Well, I suppose this is a good sign, but I wish they had chosen a more convenient time to support their daughter.'

“Yes, I...,” Remus let out another cough, “I, uh, I promised the Granger's that Hermione would come to no harm, but Hermione has been increasingly anxious over this meeting and it was hard to hide it from both her parents.” He smiled apologetically at Albus as he nodded towards the Granger's. “They both insisted upon staying so they could meet Bill.”

“I see.”

“We also want to know what the exact reason is for this meeting.” Robert squared his shoulders as he turned to look at Albus. “Why couldn't it wait? Hermione's still dealing with the burial of Adara and now she has to deal with this.”

Hermione flinched at the name of her baby. Her mother gave her a hug while whispering words of encouragement as her daughter shuddered at her touch.

Albus pursed his lips, not wanting to get into a heated discussion over Adara's funeral. Her parents were still upset over their daughter's nightmares since the burial. They made it quite clear they felt he was responsible for her distress, not seeming to realize that she was now struggling to deal with her feelings instead of pushing them into her subconscious. He was glad they were normal nightmares, and not the curse-induced ones.

“Mr. Granger, I've explained to you several times that this meeting is quite important.”

“Yes, you have.” Robert stood with his feet apart, his fists at his side. “But you haven't explained to us why it's so bloody important. Not to be rude, but you've done your best to blow smoke up our asses and, quite frankly, I'm tired of it.” He twisted around and pointed at Hermione. “And we don't understand what's so alarming about this meeting that it frightens our daughter so.”

Jane stepped forward quickly while placing a cautioning hand on her husbands shoulder. “Now, dear, let's watch our language.”

Robert looked at his wife and saw the expression on her face. He could almost read her mind through her worried eyes - 'They are wizards, Robert, please be careful. We can't fight them no matter how we feel. He turned to look at Albus, coughed, and murmured something unintelligible under his breath.

“No need for apologies, my dear Mrs. Granger. I understand your frustration. In fact it is I who should apologize. To the both of you as I have been remiss in my duties to you as her parents. I suppose it would be best if you were aware of why we are here. And it is only right since you are her parents.” Albus paused when Robert Granger harrumphed under his breath in spite of the squeezing hand on his shoulder. “Miss Granger has a curse upon her that Bill here,” Albus indicated the red-haired man with a wave of his hand, “and his associate,” Albus motioned towards the woman, “are going to attempt to remove. There is a distinct possibility that this may be dangerous. That is why I feel that you, your wife, and your granddaughter should not be present during the procedure.”

“I see. A curse you say? What kind of curse?” Robert looked at his daughter for a moment before turning back. “I take it this curse is like what we see in the movies? Someone has put a bad spell on her to change her in some way? To harm her?”

“You have the basic concept of what a curse is, Mr. Granger, yes. However, the type of curse we are dealing with is unknown to us at this time. Bill will be attempting to discover the identity of the curse so he may safely remove it.”

“If it's safe to remove, why would it be best if we weren't present?”

Bill piped up as he took a small step forward. “There is the chance that the curse will release some energy that you are unprepared, as Muggles, to protect yourself from.” Bill thought a moment before continuing, “I sincerely hope you understand my use of the word 'Muggle' isn't meant in a derogatory way. Please don't take my use of the word as an insult.”

“None taken, thank you.” Robert considered Bill's words a moment while scratching his chin. “You mention energy being released? You mean like lightning and such?”

Nodding, Bill responded with relief, glad Robert caught on without him having to go into extensive explanations. “Something similar, yes.”

“Oh. Is that why Hermione is so worried over this meeting?”

Bill blushed. “I'm, uh, I'm sure that is part of it.”

“Part of it, eh?” Robert's eyes seemed to be boring into Bill's as he scrutinized the young man, his lids narrowing suspiciously. “What else is wrong? She won't tell us what's wrong.” Robert jerked his thumb towards his daughter in frustration. “She's being mighty quiet about why she's so nervous over meeting you, Bill.”

Silence followed as Bill looked at Albus for help. Sighing quietly, Albus put a hand on Robert's shoulder as he guided the man away from Bill and towards the door so they were out of earshot of the others.

“The situation is rather delicate, Mr. Granger. Please understand that certain things have happened to your daughter that she is not prepared to discuss with you, or with anyone else, at the present time. Some things she may never be able to talk to you about, and that is perfectly normal. She is not shutting you out; she is merely struggling to deal with uncomfortable and confusing situations, just as you are.”

“I understand that, Dumbledore. I just don't like being in the dark about what's going on with my daughter. My under-aged daughter, I might add. It isn't right. Aren't there permission slips or something I'm supposed to be signing? Something to show I give my permission for you to do this voo-doo stuff on her?”

Albus smiled as he nodded. “We need permission slips for certain things, yes. But this is an unusual circumstance, and one that we can't have a 'paper trail' for. You have been made aware of the dangers of others knowing about your daughter's presence. I thought you understood that this is being done in secret for a reason, Mr. Granger.”

Robert took in a deep, cleansing breath then let it out noisily. He was confused and angry and had no way of effectively releasing his pent up feelings. He finally had his daughter back after a year of worrying over her being tormented or even dead, worrying that they would never find her, and now things were being done to her that he couldn't protect her from. Things he couldn't put a halt to. He felt utterly powerless, knowing that he couldn't stop these Wizards no matter how much he wanted to. That they could, theoretically, force both he and his wife into a cage if they wanted to, and continue to do things to his daughter without his knowledge or consent. It was maddening. He suddenly felt terribly unsafe and a sudden irrational (though he had a feeling it really wasn't such an irrational feeling) need to flee Hogwarts grounds with his family began to blossom within him.

“Secret. Yes, yes. All right then, where are we to go while this dirty deed is being done? Where is there a safe place for us to go in this school of yours? I hope you don't mind my voicing my opinion on this, but your school seems to be a terribly dangerous place to attend. Fascinating, to be sure, but dangerous just the same.”

“I understand, Mr. Granger. Truly, I do. I'm sure that, to a non-magical person, Hogwarts does seem terribly dangerous indeed. However, I assure you, Hogwarts is far safer than any of the other wizarding school in our world.” Albus smiled as Robert's eyebrows rose in disbelief. “Back to the matter at hand, if you don't mind, as we have precious little time to successfully 'pull this off', as the Muggle saying goes. I've prepared a secret room that adjoins this one for the three of you. Once this is all done, I had planned to join the rooms so you may have more privacy. In a few days, the plans I have made to hide you will be completed and you will be able to leave. Once it is deemed safe enough, you'll be able to come out of hiding and resume your lives with your dental practice.”

“I see.”

Albus sensed Robert Granger's feelings, knowing the man felt completely powerless, emasculated. 'It must be terribly difficult to be a Muggle amongst Wizards.'

“I apologize to you, Mr. Granger. I know this is most difficult for you. I understand your need to protect your family and I promise you that, at this time, this is my sole obligation. I will do my best to keep harm from coming to all of you.”

Robert's jaw worked as he stared at the door. “I understand, Dumbledore, and I appreciate the fact that you are going out of your way to help us.” He turned to look at his wife who remained standing in front of Hermione, her hands clasped together as she stood watching them converse. “Let's just get this over with so they can leave us be.”

“Of course. If you will, the doorway to the new room is this way. It will be sealed while Bill and his associate are working to remove the curse.” Albus once again began walking towards the far wall to their right, indicating Robert should follow.

“Jane, come along. I'll explain everything in a moment. Bring Persimmonie with you.”

Jane stood a moment, not sure if she wanted to follow her husband or not. “But, Robert. What's going on? I want to know what's going on.”

“Mum, please.” Hermione stood but stayed behind her mother, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just go with dad.”

Turning towards her daughter, Jane reached out and touched Hermione's cheek. “I just want to know what's going on. I don't know what's happening and it frightens me. I want to be here for you, sweetie.”

“I know, mum, I know. But, well, this is something you shouldn't be around. And you have to keep Persimmonie while this is being done. And, well, dad said he'd explain. I guess Professor Dumbledore told him all you need to know.”

“Hermione, why is this all such a secret? We're your parents. We should know what's being done to you.” She put her hands on Hermione's shoulders and frowned when her hands were shrugged off. “I hate that you are so afraid, honey.”

'I wish mum would just go with dad already! I feel dirty enough as it is just thinking about having to meet with Bill and mum wants me to explain why? Okay, Hermione, take a deep breath and think this through. Of course she wants to know what's going on. I would if I were in her place. But I can't tell her. I just can't!'

Hermione took in a shaky breath and let it out before speaking quietly. “I'm not afraid, mum. Not really. It's just that, well, things happened that, uh, that I'm, uh, that I don't want to think about and, well, and I'm just nervous about meeting Bill. That's all it is, mum. I'm nervous, not scared, just nervous. Honest.”

“Jane!”

Jane turned quickly to look at Robert impatiently, holding a hand up. “In a moment, Robert!” She turned to look at Hermione, at first reaching to put her hands on her daughter's shoulders again before hesitantly putting them on her upper arms instead. Hermione's lips thinned but, with effort, knowing how important it was for her mother, she was able to tolerate her touch. “You're telling me the truth? Why would you be nervous about meeting this Bill?”

Hermione blushed as she looked down at her daughter and nuzzled her nose in the child's hair. “I really don't want to talk about it, mum. Really. Please, mum?”

Jane's eyes widened a moment. She dropped her arms and twisted herself around slightly to look at Bill before turning back to look at her daughter, then glanced at Persimmonie. “I think I understand.”

Hermione hadn't noticed her mother checking Bill out and therefore wasn't sure why her mother's voice hardened. “Mum?”

“Nothing, hon. Here, give me my granddaughter so they can get this over with and leave us alone.” She reached down and carefully removed the little bundle from Hermione's arms as they both worked hair free from the babe's tiny fingers. Persimmonie began to grunt, her little fists clenched and her face with a look of beet-red concentration. “It looks as if I'll be changing a nappy soon.”

Hermione smiled as she ran her hands through Persimmonie's unruly hair. “Everything will be all right, mum. Remus will make sure I'm all right.”

“Yes, I do trust Remus though, at times, I'm not so sure about... I mean... Well...” Jane hesitated as she tried to think of how to word her reservations over the relationship between her daughter and the man who turned into a werewolf each month. The much older man. The much older man who was too familiar with her daughter for her own comfort. She understood a relationship had formed between the two of them during her daughter's capture, but it still didn't seem right. Even if he was a charming, loveable man. But now wasn't the time to go into it so, for the moment, she let it drop. “Well, never mind about that for now. Lets just say that I know he'll do his best to keep you safe.” Jane hugged a grunting Persimmonie to her chest as she turned to join her impatient husband. “We'll need to talk about the two of you later, okay, hon? Girl talk.”

Hermione smiled, sensing her mother spoke approvingly of her relationship with Remus though she also sensed some reservation. 'I guess that's normal since I'm so young.'. “Okay, that would be nice.”

Jane walked away, her eyes hard on Bill as she hugged Persimmonie tightly to her chest, suddenly fearful the man would try to take the child from her as his eyes widened with surprise when he saw the babe's hair. She saw his head whip towards Hermione, then towards the Headmaster and suddenly wondered if the man knew he even had a daughter. Hermione never mentioned the name of Persimmonie's father, but now, due to the way Hermione had been acting today, coupled with Bill's response, she was sure her granddaughter belonged to Bill. Her anger with the red-haired man dissolved as pity took its place. 'He looks so surprised, he must not have known.'

Albus saw Bill's eyes widen in surprise, and when the man looked at him accusingly, he could only stare back silently. He had hoped Remus would have the Granger's safely hidden in the adjoining room so this confrontation could wait, but he supposed it was meant to be. He broke eye contact with Bill as Jane walked past and nodded politely to her, his hand coming down upon the middle of her back as he walked with her to the hidden doorway. Tapping on the stone wall, a creaking sounded as an ancient door materialized before them. The Granger's stepped back briefly as the door formed, both still struggling to get used to the magic around them, before they stepped safely into the room. He followed them in and closed the door behind him.

“I trust this will be comfortable for you?”

The Granger's looked around the room. It had stone walls, as did the other room, but it also had two large windows and several enormous paintings upon the wall. One wall held hundreds of books of all colors and sizes. Against the far wall, there was a queen-sized four-poster bed and a door next to it.

“Where does this door go, Headmaster?”

“That is the loo, Mrs. Granger. I had a little more time to make this room so I was able to add a bathroom for you. The making and joining of pipes to the existing Hogwarts plumbing is complex and it took me several days to get it right.” He smiled. “At one point, I had the pipes connected so it was in a giant loop, which just wouldn't do at all.”

Jane covered her mouth as she fought not to giggle. “No, I guess not. But, how wonderful! No more sneaking out and worrying we'll be seen!”

“That was my intention, yes.”

Albus turned as his attention was drawn away from Jane by Robert's question.

“Is this room for us to sleep in, or for Hermione?”

“That will be entirely up to you, Mr. Granger. I rather thought you would prefer to sleep in this bed, but I shall leave that decision up to you. I would make another room, but as I said previously, in a few days you will be elsewhere, so I see no point. Once you leave, these rooms will remain as Madam Pomfrey has been hinting at me for the need of some quarantine rooms as well as rooms to be used for privacy. I believe these will suffice.”

“I do like the windows, they're so nice and big. And the pictures you've added are absolutely amazing.”

Albus watched as Jane stood in front of one of the large portraits that hung on the wall.

“Yes, I've been able to add a charm to the windows so they are not detectable from the outside. And the paintings have been charmed to allow them to change every hour which will, I hope, help entertain you along with these books. I do hope they are to your satisfaction. Many are from my own personal library, as well as Professor Snape's.”

“Are they magical books?” Jane picked up a book and rifled through it's pages before handing it to her husband.

“No, no, they are all Muggle books. Shakespeare, Bronte, Carroll, and many others. Both Severus and I have a great appreciation for Muggle authors.”

“Severus?”

“Forgive me. Severus is the first name of Professor Snape.”

“Oh. He doesn't seem the type to like, how did you put it? Muggle authors.”

Albus smiled. “There is much to Professor Snape that you do not know. He is an intense man, and extremely intelligent. He reads a great deal, in many languages. He also writes for several publications, though I do not believe you would understand the content since he writes about potions and other magical subjects of interest.”

“A learned man, huh?” Robert had the book in his hand open so Severus' name was clearly visible in his spiky script. “I guess all of the professors here are like him, aren't they?”

“No, no. In many ways, Professor Snape is in a league all by himself. He is, by far, the most intelligent of all the Professors here at Hogwarts, though I believe I shall equate myself with him on that front. His intelligence is both a blessing and a curse, as it is with your daughter.”

“Oh? How so? How does their intelligence make them alike?”

“Your daughter has many friends, but her intelligence drives her to learn more and strive to do more. She is far more advanced, even now, than her school mates. She has precious few people she can talk to and relate to who are her own age.”

“Yes, that's always been true for her.” Jane sat down on a poofy chair that was situated between the windows, putting grunting Persimmonie down in her lap. “When she first started school, she was already reading on a third year level. I remember her coming home from school in tears because she was so frustrated with the 'baby talk' of her fellow classmates.”

Albus nodded. “Yes, Miss Granger is one of the brightest minds we have had here at Hogwarts in nearly a century. I am hopeful that she will be able to continue her schooling as planned. I am confident she will work hard this summer so she may rejoin her classmates next term.”

The Granger's gave each other a meaningful look and Albus felt as if he was missing something important. He looked between them, hoping they would explain what he just missed, but they looked away and remained silent.

“I shall leave you then.” Albus bowed slightly as he stepped towards the door. “Please remain in this room until summoned. I promise,” he spoke quickly as Jane went to interject, “that your daughter will be safe.”

He smiled at them both, then turned to go, his hand outstretched as he reached for the door handle.

“I'll hold you to that, Dumbledore.”

Albus nodded at Robert Granger, acknowledging his comment, then left the room.

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“I need to know what's going on with my Kitten! Why won't they let me see her?”

With the curtains tightly drawn, allowing a few slits of dust-mote-filled light shafts to escape between the material and illuminating the murky books around him, Sirius sat quietly on the library floor with his legs crossed, his arms around his bent knees and his chin on his arms. He turned to look at 'her chair' and pictured her sitting in it reading, remembering how he'd impatiently wait for her to start touching herself. His imagined Hermione looked so damned real to him as she slowly put her book down and turned to look at the door, making sure she wouldn't be disturbed, before lifting up her skirt.

Hurriedly, Sirius unbuttoned his pants and pulled himself out as his breathing quickly became ragged. He could hear her moisture snapping as she feverishly played with herself, her moans intensifying as she cried out his name in desperate pants.

“Oh yeah, baby. Cum for me, baby, cum for me.”

He closed his eyes and listened to her as she came, his essence spurting over his hand in time to her breathy orgasmic cries. She, of course, was far louder in his imagination than she was in real life, but he didn't care. When his real Kitten came back to him, he'd make it so she'd never have to worry about anyone disturbing her in this room again. He wouldn't ever punish her, at least not in this room, and he planned to never use any type of restraint on her while in the library. He knew he had ruined her love of this room by his actions and by 'the rules' he had imposed upon her, and it saddened him greatly.

'Why did I allow Kreacher to make the “no talking” rule for her? And why on earth did I walk her on a leash? A leash for Merlin's sake! At the time, it seemed so damned erotic even though I could feel her emotional distress. I just figured she'd eventually get used to it and then start liking it. The women did in those magazines, so I thought she would as well. I was so sure that, in time, she'd like it. But I'll never do that shit to her again, not if she refuses it. I'll let her do that safe word thing so she isn't afraid of me. And I promise I'll stop when she wants me to. I'll make her glad to be back with me, no matter what.' He mused for several minutes about the things he'd do with her, sure she'd be pleased to be back with him once she saw what he had in store for her. He planned to watch her and pleasure her and make her happy. He'd make sure of that.

He opened his eyes and saw his imaginary Hermione watching him with wide eyes. Before he knew it, he was whispering to the girl, even though, in a dreamy sort of way, he knew she wasn't real.

“Come here, baby. Come take care of me.”

His imaginary Hermione crawled over to him and obediently began cleaning him.

“Do you remember when I opened up those other bedrooms on the fourth floor so everyone could have their own room? Everyone thought I was being oh so generous, didn't they?” He lowered his legs so he could lean forward a little. “I gotta tell you, babe, some of the spells holding those rooms closed were hard to remove, but I was determined. Yup, even good 'ole Snivellus had a room when he deigned to sleep in the same house as us lower life forms. Stinking Death Eater. Of course, I had a reason to open those rooms, now didn't I? They were all so full of praise for me. What they didn't know was that I was just making sure you had a room all to yourself so I could visit you in the middle of the night. So I'd have you all to myself. Well, mostly to myself. Sort of. I mean, I had to share you with Kreacher. But that was unavoidable, baby. Honest, it was.”

His imaginary Hermione looked at him with big, brown sad eyes.

“Come on, baby. You gotta believe me! I needed you so much! You have no idea, Kitten. No idea at all. I did anything I could to be with you! And I, well, yeah, I had to some things I didn't like too much to be with you. But I would have done anything for you, baby. Anything.”

His imaginary Hermione looked down at her hands.

“Oh, Kitten. Come on, sweetie, don't be like that. You know I love you. Right? I know you know. I know it.' Sirius glanced around the room, his eyes barely able to make out the outline of books in the gloom.

“You know I didn't mean to hurt you in here, don't you, Kitten?”

His imaginary Hermione nodded silently.

“Really, I didn't. I let Kreacher get to me, that's all. I won't let that happen again, I promise.”

His imaginary Hermione looked down at her hands again, her fingers twiddling nervously.

“I promise, Kitten. I won't hurt you ever again. I always imagined making wonderful love to you. I never thought about doing that stuff with you until he started talking to me. I swear, baby.”

His imaginary Hermione looked up at him questioningly.

“I know, I know.” He took in a deep breath and forcefully let it out through pursed lips. “I admit I did look at those porn mags. Yes, they were mine. And yes, I did look at them long before I planned to make you mine. And I did imagine you in them. But, I swear, they were for my fantasies away from you. I swear it, I never, ever, ever planned to do those things with you. I swear.”

His imaginary Hermione cocked her head to the side, an eyebrow going up, mocking him.

“Well, okay, I did think about binding your hands up and all. But that's simple bondage, baby! A lot of people do that stuff! I just never meant to go beyond that. Well, not much more. I mean, I planned on doing a few things with you, but you know, just little things. Nothing major. I swear, baby. Honest.”

His imaginary Hermione smiled and put a hand on his thigh. If he thought about it real hard, he could almost feel the warmth of her hand there.

“Please baby, you believe me, don't you? You'll come back to me, won't you?” He felt his heart beating madly in his chest as he watched her lean closer to him. “I'll be good to you, I swear. And no one will ever take you away from me again. Okay, Kitten?”

He closed his eyes as she neared, and he could feel her lips upon his. He kept his eyes closed, fearful that the sensation of her touching him would go away if he opened them.

“Please, baby, take care of me. You know just what to do to make me feel better, don't you?” If he kept his eyes tightly closed and thought about it real hard, he could pretend that his hand was really her lovely, wet and oh-so-warm, eager to please mouth. “Yeah, baby, yeah, use that tongue on me, Kitten. Oh, baby, you're the best. That's it, Kitten. That's it.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Albus, is that Hermione's baby? Whose baby is that?” Bill turned to look at Hermione. “Is that your daughter you were talking about? Persinie? Is she Percy's baby? Is that why you wouldn't tell me who the father was? She's a girl so you gave her a name similar to Percy's?”

Hermione's hands flew to her mouth as she stared wide-eyed at Bill. “No! Oh, no! No, Persimmonie isn't Percy's baby! No!”

Remus stood, his legs apart and fists clenched, between Hermione and Bill. “Bill, don't be ridiculous with your accusations! I told you before, while Albus was talking to Hermione's parents, that your assumptions are all wrong!”

Ignoring Remus, Bill took a step forward. “Persimmonie? That's her name? Who's the father of Persimmonie, then?” Bill made a movement with his arm, indicating his desire for Remus to step aside. “Get the hell out of my way, Remus!”

“Bill, calm down.” Albus quickly stepped between the two men, his hands up, palms facing Bill. “Miss Granger has her reasons for not wishing to discuss the identity of her daughter's father and I feel it would be best if you just waited...”

“Fuck that!” Albus' brows came up at Bill's uncharacteristic use of the word. “Who's the father of her baby? Is that my niece? If she isn't Percy's, then to whom does she belong?” Bill pointed angrily at the door Albus had just come from. “What in Hades is going on, Albus? I'm tired of your secrets! Who is the father of that baby?”

Hermione stood with her fingers over her mouth, tears overflowing as she stood silently, not sure what Professor Dumbledore wanted her to do. She looked past Remus and stared at the Headmaster's back, waiting for him to start talking.

“Bill, please, sit down.” He gestured with his hand for Bill to sit in a chair. “No, I insist, sit.” He turned, his hand gesturing towards the other chairs. “Remus? Miss Granger, Miss Rotidorp, please take a seat.” Albus looked at the tall, curly-haired woman Bill had brought with him and smiled with great effort. “I do apologize, Miss Rotidorp, that you are having to witness all of this. I'm sure it must all be very confusing.”

“Not at all, Professor Dumbledore. Bill told me everything.” She turned to look at Hermione. “Everything.” Turning crimson, Hermione quickly looked down at her hands. “I am quite comfortable with the tension since I expected it.” She looked at the door where Hermione's parents had exited not long ago, then at Bill. “However, this all seems to be like a soap opera, doesn't it? It's so unreal.”

Albus looked amused. “You are familiar with Muggle soap opera's, Miss Rotidorp?”

“Oh, yes. My mother is a Muggle and is glued to the television every weekday for half the day.”

Albus smiled. “I am relieved to hear that this isn't causing you undue stress, Miss Rotidorp.”

“Don't mention it. I'm actually finding this highly entertaining.” She looked at Bill as he stewed, working himself up to near overflowing. “I do believe you were going to tell us the father of this baby?” Miss Rotidorp delicately sat down next to Bill, her eyes on Hermione.

“Yes, I was.” Albus looked at Hermione, then at Bill. He cleared his throat as he glanced at Remus before turning his attention back to Bill. “Bill, I guess there's no sense in stalling any longer. I admit that what I'm about to tell you is rather shocking.”

“And? As if I'm not surprised.” Bill rubbed his temples before sitting back and slamming his hands down onto his thighs. “Get on with it, Albus. Tell me, now.”

“Persimmonie's father is...” Albus' eyes slid towards Hermione for a split second before turning back to Bill. “The child belongs to your younger brother, Ron.”

Bill sat still a moment, his mouth silently mouthing 'Ron' a few times before he shot up out of his chair, knocking it over with enough force that it clattered and slid along the floor a few feet behind him. “Ron! How could it be Ron? He's only, he's, Circe, he's barely even sixteen! He'd only a kid! He's, he's, he's...”

Hermione shrank away from Bill as he turned on her, his finger jabbing at her harshly. “You threw yourself at him like a little tart, didn't you? You did to him what you did to me. Isn't that right? And you got pregnant with his baby? Will I find out in a few months time that I've impregnated you as well? Are you some type of Succubus? Is that what you are?”

Growling, Remus shot up out of his chair but Albus pulled his wand, using it to magically yank him back down as he himself stood quickly and rounded the table, stopping when he had himself positioned between Bill and Hermione. “I'll not have you talk to Miss Granger with such disrespect, Bill. Do you not recall what I told you about the father of her child?”

Bill stood back and thought for a few frantic moments. His eyes suddenly widened as the color drained from his face. “She was, uh, she was restrained and he, uh, he was forced to, he was, I mean, holy shit, Albus! Ron? My little brother, Ron?”

“Mr. Weasley no longer remembers the encounter, Bill. He is free from that dreadful memory.”

The color drained from Bill's face and his voice was barely above a whisper when he was finally able to speak. “You modified his memory?”

Albus shook his head sharply. “No, it was not I who did that. The person who forced the joining of Miss Granger and your brother was the one who performed the memory modification.”

“He didn't modify Hermione's memory?”

“No.”

His face reflecting the rage welling up within him, Bill turned his back on them and walked over to the window. He leaned against the sill and looked outside, a scowl upon him. Grabbing the windowsill with his hands, he leaned forward as he thought, his head pressed against an arm. Hermione peeked around the Headmaster to watch the distressed young man as he stood like this for many minutes. She sniffled and hiccoughed several times, trembling slightly. Bill had shaken her quite badly and she feared what he must think of her. Albus reached around behind himself, never taking his eyes off Bill, as he handed her a handkerchief, which she gratefully accepted.

'Is Bill going to be disgusted with me now? Or angry? I don't want him angry with me! It wasn't my fault!' Hermione closed her eyes, remembering Ron's eyes as he fought the Imperius. Her head hung when she remembered how she acted, how Ron pleaded with her to stop begging him to hurry. She looked up when she felt a hand grab her own. Remus brought her hand to his mouth and gave it a kiss before bringing his other hand up to push a few unruly curls back, away from her face. She smiled at him timidly, her lower lip trembling as new tears formed and threatened to spill over.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Bill slowly stood up straight and turned to look at Albus, his arms crossed. “Why didn't you tell me about this, Albus? You've had plenty of opportunities.”

“How was I to do that, Bill? As it is, I'm struggling to figure out a way to tell young Mr. Weasley he has a daughter and your parents they have a granddaughter.”

“Why would it be a struggle, Albus? Just tell them what you told me.” Looking defeated, Bill sat down in his chair again, his arms remaining crossed over his chest as he leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling.

“And you think they'll accept the information without wanting to know more? Without wanting to know what I cannot tell them?”

Bill brought his head up and he sat forward in his chair, his fists coming to rest on the table, his brows knitted together in anger. “Of course, we must keep our secrets, mustn't we, Albus? But this is my family we're talking about.” Bill jabbed his chest with his thumb. “My family has been messed with, Albus. And now there's a baby none of us knew about.”

“Many families have been 'messed' with, Bill. It is war, after all. Many families will be ruined before the war is over.”

“That's right, Albus,” Bill hissed. “But I expected shit to happen with my family due to their being Order members. I expected someone to be beaten badly, murdered, shit like that. Not having them forced to rape others!”

“Rape has occurred. You forget your sister.”

Bill closed his eyes tightly and counted to ten so he wouldn't vault over the table and grab Albus by the throat. “Ginny? Yes, that's right. But was it a Death Eater that did that to her? Now I'm not so sure. And I doubt very much, Albus, that a Death Eater would have had to have been forced into raping her. Unlike my brother with Hermione.”

“Regardless of who raped your sister or the manner in which it was done, is that the type of treatment you expected to happen to your family, Bill?”

Putting his head back, Bill put his hands over his face and rubbed hard. “Much as I hate to admit it, Albus, but yes, that's exactly what I expected. What I still fear will happen.”

Silence settled around them, pressing down on them all as each contemplated what had been said.

“You have no other questions?”

“No. No, I have no further questions for you, Albus. You are, of course, correct in that, I'm sure, my parents would have some additional questions.” Bill gave Albus an icy glare. “Wouldn't they, Albus? Because I don't think my parents are aware that Sirius kidnapped Hermione and forced their youngest son to rape her, now are they, Albus?”

Albus gave him a hard stare, his lips pressed together in a thin line that eerily reminded Bill of Minerva McGonagall.

“I knew it!” Bill slammed both fists down on the table as he shot out of his chair, causing all to jump slightly. “That fucking bastard! Sirius did that to Hermione and my brother? And where is he now? He's where my mum is, isn't he? My family goes into his lair every day, Albus, and you say nothing about it. Nothing to warn us that we may need to protect ourselves from one of our own.”

Feeling the rare sensation of not knowing what to say, Albus remained quiet. 'How do I tell him that the secrets I keep are for the greater good? That Sirius is needed and must be protected? How do I tell him Kreacher is involved? Even I don't know the full story and I've had access to nearly all parties involved. How do I share this information without revealing dark secrets that are best left alone?'

“What else has he done to my family, Albus? Please tell me he's not the one who raped Ginny. I won't be able to keep from killing him, Albus, if that's the case.” Bill glared at Albus with hard eyes. “As a matter of fact, I don't want to know. I can't know, or I'll wind up in Azkaban. Gods, the suspicion alone is hard to bear.” Shaking with anger, he flopped himself down into his chair, throwing an arm over his eyes while slamming his fist on the table, causing Hermione to jump and give out a tiny gasp.

At the sound of her gasp, Bill lowered his arm and turned, looking at Hermione with stoney eyes for a second before his features softened. Opening his hands and sitting back in the chair, he forced himself to calm down enough to speak civil to her.

“Listen Hermione, I'm sorry I called you a tart. Or implied anything. Or, well... Look, I know you aren't like that and I realize it was the curse, and possibly other things, like those teachings you received, that caused you to act that way towards me. I was just angry and the words flew out of my mouth without thinking.” He passed a shaky hand over his eyes as he breathed out a sigh. “Please accept my apologies.”

Greatly relieved he wasn't disgusted or angry with her, Hermione nodded enthusiastically. “I understand, Bill. Honest, I do.”

Relieved, though saddened by her needy acceptance of his apology, Bill smiled at her before turning to glare at Remus, jabbing a finger towards him as he spoke. “And you, I'm surprised that Albus allows you to be with her since you helped that sadistic mad-man, Remus.” His voice was venomous, his eyes following Remus' face as the ragged man slowly stood. “You certainly had me fooled, making me think you were the protector when you were one of the abductors!”

Face screwed up in anger, Remus shot out of his chair and went to take a step forward, his fists balled up beside him. Hermione stood quickly and grabbed one of his arms, pulling him so he turned slightly while throwing her arms around his waist and slamming her head into his chest.

“Please, Remus, no!”

Breathing hard, Remus stopped advancing and slowly brought his arms around her, his head lowering until his chin was nestled in her hair, his eyes remaining on Bill.

“You don't know what you're talking about, Bill. I didn't kidnap her.”

“I'm to believe tha...”

“Remus is telling the truth, Bill.” Albus stepped forward, so he was once again between the two men. “Remus had no part in Miss Granger's abduction.”

“So, Sirius took her, and then invited Remus to join in on the fun, is that it? Is that what you want me to believe?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. When Remus refused, Sirius forced him to go.”

“What? Forced him to go?” Bill waved an arm in Remus' direction, then turned both palms up and raised his arms, shaking his hands at Albus. “How the fuck did he force Remus to go? Tell me that, huh?” With that, he flung his arms up in disgust before turning his back on them while running his hand through his hair.

“Bill, it's complicated, and we truly don't have time to discuss this. You somehow forget that magic is involved, and people can be forced to do things against their will.” Bill's eyes widened briefly as he turned to look at Hermione, then narrowed when he glanced at Remus. “For the moment, let it suffice that Remus IS Miss Granger's protector now.”

Remus and Bill stared at each other, waging a silent war. Hermione squeezed her arms tighter around Remus' waist and Miss Rotidorp reached out, gently touching Bill on the shoulder. The actions of the females caused the men to back off from one another, both dropping their eyes and relaxing slightly. Watching this, Albus let out the breath he had been holding without realizing it, his heart pounding and his limbs tingling slightly as the adrenaline coursed through him.

“Are we in control now, gentlemen?” He waited until both men nodded reluctantly. “Good. Bill, once this has all been explained to you, in the near future, you will understand Remus' role in Miss Granger's rescue and my difficulty in reporting the actions of Sirius. Until then, please do not say anything to anyone else about this situation. Most of all, do not confront Sirius. The situation with him is, to say the least, very delicate.”

Albus felt an enormous pressure in his chest press down upon him before it ebbed away, his anxiety increasing now that he had yet another worry to consider – how would Bill act around Sirius now that he was privy to what happened to Miss Granger? He was fairly sure Bill wouldn't tell his parents all he knew – at least, not now – but he feared Bill would confront Sirius at some point in time. Let it not be a crucial moment, ruining a chance I may have had to solve this monumental puzzle with Tom, Bella, Kreacher, Sirius, and Miss Granger.

Thinking back on the day when he brought Bill down to the basement, he wondered if he should have somehow hidden the fact that they were in Grimmauld Place – perhaps using a Portkey to bring Bill down to that basement room so he would not recognize where he was. Albus remembered the mounting anger Bill struggled to repress as he worked to open the hidden door – a door that took Albus nearly a quarter-of-an-hour to locate due to its cloaking charms. Bill, himself unable to see the door due to the Fidelius charm, was eventually successful in opening the unseen door solely due to his impressive skill as a curse-breaker. Once open, Albus had to lead Bill into the room - the man unable to tell he was being led through a door, finally being forced to close his eyes so he could overcome the visual sensation of walking through a wall.

In retrospect, Albus was glad Bill couldn't see the sex devices Sirius had so carefully stored on the wall or the handcuffs on the bed where Albus was sure young Mr. Weasley was forced to copulate with Miss Granger, accidentally impregnating her nearly a year before. Anger nearly overwhelmed him yet again as he pictured all this in his mind. 'I must remember that Sirius is a victim, too. A willing one, but a victim, none-the-less.' He was suddenly jerked to the present by an angry voice, forcing him to shelve his anger for inspection on another day.

“Delicate, my ass.” Bill pointed at Hermione. “You told me she was tortured, didn't you? That she's suffered a great deal?” He shook a fist at Albus. “Look at what he's done to members of my family! I'm sure I don't know the full extent of how Sirius fucked with my family, now do I? And Sirius is still in that house, isn't he?” Bill's fist opened and he jabbed a finger towards the window as he spoke. “He's free instead of in Azkaban where he belongs!”

Hermione twisted around and took a step towards Bill, only Remus' hands on her shoulders stopping her from charging towards him. “No, Bill, no! Sirius didn't mean to hurt me!”

Sighing, Remus pulled her back against him, his arms coming around her to hold her in place.

“Really! He never meant to hurt me. You need to understand that, Bill!” She strained against Remus' arms in her attempt to go to Bill, to plead her case on Sirius' behalf, “It was the others who hurt me. Sirius loves me and he's all alone now! Don't do anything to him, don't get him sent back to that prison! He'll die there this time, I know it!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“So, you see, Kitten, I had planned to kidnap you until you were old enough to legally marry me. Once we were married, they wouldn't be able to take you away from me.”

Sirius looked at his imaginary Hermione, waiting for her to respond. His shoulders drooped slightly as he reached out to touch her, his hand going through her neck.

“What I would give to taste you again. To give you another love bite. To hug you and make things right.” His lips trembled as he tried to smile, a tear coursing down his cheek. “If only you were my real Hermione. I know she'd understand once I told her everything. Just like you understand. You do understand, don't you?”

His imaginary Hermione cautiously nodded her head a few times.

“I'm so glad someone understands.” Sirius put his head back against the wall and took in a deep, shaky breath. “I've just got to see you again, Kitten. I feel like I'm going crazy. I have to figure out a way to go to you.” He turned his head to look at his imaginary Hermione. “I know you'll come with me once you see me, Kitten, I just know it.”

His imaginary Hermione smiled and nodded again, her hand slipping on top of his. Again, if he thought about it real hard, he could almost feel her warmth seeping into him.

“All I have to do is figure out how to get to you.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bill stepped back, looking at Hermione as if he hadn't heard her right.

“What do you mean 'he didn't mean to hurt' you?” Bill looked up at Albus, his confusion evident on his face as he pointed at Hermione. “Albus, what...?”

“We will discuss this later, Bill.” Albus gave Bill a meaningful look, then glanced over at Remus. “The three of us will discuss this together. For now, we must discuss what happened between the two of you,” Albus waved his hand between Bill and Hermione, “a few days ago. We must get everything in the open so we may proceed.”

Blushing, Hermione turned so she faced Remus, hiding her face with her hands. Bill cleared his throat as he backed away slightly, his eyes darting from Hermione to Remus to Albus and back to Hermione again.

“Yes, I guess you're right, Albus.” Bill's voice was shaky and weak. He felt tired, too tired to deal with this now. Mentally exhausted. “We need to discuss it and then move on.”

Albus, his head bowed and eyes closed, nodded solemnly before taking in a deep breath and holding it for a moment. Slowly releasing his breath, he stood tall and looked around the room, holding each persons gaze for a few seconds before moving on to the next person. His eyes finally fell upon Hermione and he scrutinized her for nearly a full minute, the girl squirming uncomfortably as she tried to hold his gaze. Finally, he smiled and seemed to relax as he brought a hand up, laying it on the top left side of her head before sliding it down to her shoulder.

“Thank you, Bill. Now we may proceed. First, however, I think it would be prudent for me to give you your wand at this time, Miss Granger.”

Hermione gasped as she spun around, her eyes locked on the wand in Albus' hand. “My wand?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “You have my wand? How? When?” Gingerly, she reached out for it.

Relieved to see her wand, Remus smiled broadly. He knew Albus was using her wand as a way to ease the pair into more comfortable territory, to help Hermione see Bill as the savior of her wand instead of the man she wantonly threw herself upon. His smile faltered when he thought about the psychological manipulation Albus was using and he wondered how often he himself had been manipulated in the same way. How much they had all been strategically maneuvered exactly like this, and how much longer it would continue 'for the greater good'.

Hermione reverently removed the wand from Albus' outstretched hand as he spoke, her eyes closing as she stroked it while hugging it to her. The wand seemed to hum to her, almost as if it was glad to finally be back with its owner.

“I was, most unfortunately, unable to secure the wand for you, Miss Granger, as I was unable to break into the room where you were held captive. Bill was able to break the magical spells that held the door closed to the room you were held captive in for so long and was also able to undo the spell that locked your wand in the cabinet.”

“Oh. Oh, I guess I should thank you, Bill. I so appreciate your getting my wand back for me.” Hermione had backed up against Remus while hugging her wand and she looked up at him as he brought his arms around her once again. She turned to look at Bill who nodded and smiled back at her hesitantly.

“It was my pleasure, Hermione.”

Remus looked up at Bill, forcing himself not to glare at the man. “Was it difficult to remove? The spell, I mean. I only tried the once, but I didn't even make a dent in the spell that held the cabinet closed.” Remus' face darkened for a moment as he thought back to the day he attempted to remove her wand from it's prison. “Of course, I didn't have much time to dwell on the situation as there were more pressing matters at hand to attend to.”

Bill nodded thoughtfully while wondering what was so important at the time, but decided to not ask. He glanced down at Hermione as she clung to her wand before tearing his eyes away, raising them to look at Remus. “First off, since I couldn't see the room or the cabinet, and had to rely on Albus guiding me physically, I'd say that this was the most difficult curse-breaking job I've ever done.”

“Albus had to guide you? I don't understand.”

“Recall that the room was under the Fidelius charm, Remus.” Albus spoke quietly as he calmly watched Hermione hugging her wand while being hugged by Remus. His eyes followed Remus' arms, coming to rest on the face of the young man with the premature graying hair, taking note how the lines on his face seemed to smooth out as he held the girl in his arms, making his untimely aged look seem to almost disappear. 'Hmmm... He does seem very comfortable in his role as protector, though I never thought him a man who wanted someone he had to take care of versus someone who is self-reliant.' He looked down at Hermione again. 'Of course, Miss Granger was quite different a year ago, when Remus first began to notice her. But, then again, their shared trauma has changed them both, forcing each to rely upon one another as they struggle to deal with all they have gone through.' “Bill had quite a challenge ahead of him when he took this task on.”

Nodding, Remus let out a low whistle as he thought about the implications of the task Bill had been asked to do.

“Yes, due to the Fidelius, I was unable to see the room. I couldn't even view the door that led to the room.”

“How did you break the spells if you were unable to see the doorway? I don't understand.”

“I would have to say that Bill is one of the best curse-breakers I have ever had the privilege knowing, Remus. I had to guide him, using my own abilities to sense the hidden magic, in order for him to figure out the combination of counter-spells needed to open the door. Based solely on my descriptions of the effects of the magic he used upon the door, he was able to modify his spell-work until he was able to force the door open.” Albus nodded towards Bill. “I must say, I was truly impressed with his work.”

An embarrassed smile on his face, Bill nodded back at the older wizard. “That means a great deal coming from you, Albus.” Bill addressed Remus. “The spell upon the door to the room was much more difficult to break, I'm guessing due to the combined wizard and elfin magic used upon it.” He nodded thoughtfully. “I now recognize the elfin spell signature used upon the door as spells I sensed used on some of the members of my family. I also recognize another signature used in several nasty murders years ago, though I don't know who that signature belonged to.” Bill nodded towards Hermione, his eyes remaining on Remus as he spoke. “I had to break through several spells, and curses, in order to get the door to show itself, then a few more to get it to open.”

“Yes, we were both thrown back and shocked more than once, I'm afraid.” Albus rubbed his behind as he spoke, a pained smile adorning his lips. “For the most part, we both came out of the whole ordeal unscathed.”

“Thankfully, the spell on the cabinet was a little easier to break than the door. Apparently you tried to use a forceful spell, attempting to break the cabinet – am I right?” Bill watched as Remus nodded. “I tried that as well, it seems forcing the cabinet to open was not the answer. I used a fair number of spells on it until I found the right combination and was relieved when Albus told me the cabinet door popped open wide. It was worrisome when it initially opened because it let out an ungodly shriek and the house shook like there was an earthquake – that was the only sign I had that I was successful since I was unable to even see the cabinet. I can only assume the curse I broke knew a stranger was forcing it to open and not the owner, and that was the reason for the shriek and tremor. I've never encountered a spell such as the one used upon the cabinet that held her wand.”

“I'm glad you were able to get it for me.” Hermione looked at her wand and flicked it, giggling as a few sparkling butterflies fluttered around her. “I finally have my wand back,” she whispered wistfully. 'Maybe I'll be able to protect Persimmonie now. I'm not as defenseless as I was though I know I still have so much to learn.'

“Let me make sure I understand what you are saying. You had to do all this without being able to see what you were breaking into?” Remus was awe-struck.

“Yes, I did. I had to rely on Albus' description of how the doors were reacting to my magic, allowing me to modify my spell-work until we were finally successful.”

“And you did this without being able to see what you were casting your magic upon?”

“I did it with my eyes closed, Remus.” Bill stood straight. “As I said, this was the most difficult job I've ever done. I've had to use my curse-breaking skills in the dark before, but I could at least see the flashes of light as I worked. For this job, every time I opened my eyes, all I saw was dirt and stone and I'd feel like I was smothering.” He gave a slight smile. “I had to keep my eyes closed so I didn't panic – the smothering feeling I had every time I opened my eyes was, quite literally, overwhelming.”

“I'm very impressed, Bill. I would have loved to have been there, just to watch you, to be able to see you break those spells with your eyes closed. Very impressive indeed.”

Bill gave a slight nod. The tension in the room had dissolved completely. Albus smiled, glad things were now going smoothly.

“Shall we all sit down again?” He gestured towards the table and everyone took a seat.

Hermione continued to hold her wand to her chest with both hands, not wanting to put it away just yet. She looked at Remus and moved her chair a little closer to him so she could lean up against him. She smiled when he put his arm around her waist and possessively pulled her into his chair, his legs veeing around her so he could pull her against his chest. She didn't notice the momentary looks of disapproval given their way.

“We are all aware of the curses that were upon you, Miss Granger. They may have been timed in some way to cause you to look for sexual gratification if forced to go celibate for a set number of days. Unfortunately, we did not realize the exact nature of the curses inflicted upon you - though we suspected - and Bill was unprepared to deal with your unexpected advances. We thought we had more time before you would exhibit those symptoms.”

Hermione lowered her head and blushed. 'Must I keep blushing? I feel like a school girl, for heaven's sake!' She could feel Bill's eyes boring into her and she squirmed uncomfortably. She looked up at him through her lashes and the fringe of her hair and saw that he was, indeed, intently watching her. She wasn't so sure his look was all that innocent, causing her blush to intensify as he continued to gaze at her.

“So, technically, Bill was caught unawares by the curse and, due to having already touched your tears and absorbing them into his skin, was unable to refuse your advances.”

“My tears?” She turned to look at Remus. “So my tears are poison, aren't they?”

“They aren't poison, Miss Granger. At least, not in the sense you mean. While captive, you were given a potion that would cause those who touch your body fluids to become less likely to harm you and more likely to respond to you, thereby making them want to protect you. Technically, you were not poisoned. Therefore, your tears are not harmful to others. Believe it or not, the potion was actually designed as a way to protect you from harm.”

“Oh. That's good then. Though, well, I don't know. It affects others, but not me?” She looked at Remus hopefully. 'I guess, since my tears don't cause harm to others, that they aren't poisonous. They still affect others, but they don't harm them. That's definitely good. But is it good that the others are affected so they treat me differently? I'm not sure.'

“It makes it so others feel less inclined to hurt you. I told you, hon, not to worry about my having touched your tears.” Remus smiled at her as he reached up and brushed his finger down her nose.

“But, Bill and the others...”

“Professor Snape is working on an antidote, Miss Granger.”

“Oh, good. That's good. You've found out what it was I was given?”

“It seems that Kreacher made sure you were given a potion to help protect you from the Death Eaters, Miss Granger.”

Hermione's paled, her hands went cold, and a shiver ran through her at the sound of the elf's name. “Kreacher?”

Albus nodded curtly. “Yes, Kreacher.” He looked around the table, pausing to look at each person for a second before moving on to the next as he spoke. His eyes finally rested upon Hermione. “It seems there is something special about you, Miss Granger, that caused him to want to protect you. I must admit, I don't fully understand it, but I am glad he felt the need to guard you from harm. I shudder to think what would have happened had he not felt that need.”

“He, Kreacher, he protected me?” Hermione thought of some of the things the elf had made her do, the things he had talked Sirius into doing. She shivered when she remembered his glee when he took her to see Mistress Bella after her babies were born, when she gave Draco his first lessons in torture and love-making. “I don't believe it. No, he hates me. I'm a Muggle, he always said I deserved punishment. He...”

“Never-the-less, Kreacher gave you a potion to prevent others from wanting to cause you permanent harm. There is something about the way you smell, oddly enough, that has created this infatuation he has with you. His description of the first time he 'smelled' you was quite disturbing. Fascinating, but disturbing just the same.”

“He, he smelled me?” Wide-eyed, she turned to look at Remus, who sat behind her, his legs once again veeing around her.

“Yes. He states that he followed your scent, and was instantly enamored with you.”

“That's odd, Albus, I've never heard of that.” Remus put a hand on the side of her head and slid it down until he cupped her chin, pulling her head back slightly as he leaned down and gave her a peck on her forehead. “Well, no, I should clarify that comment.” He gave a tired smile as he put his chin down until it rested on Hermione's frizzy curls. “I can smell the differences between people due to my Lycanthropy. However, I didn't know elves had that ability as well.”

“It appears they can, Remus. And, for some reason, you,” Albus nodded towards Hermione, “have an odor that drew Kreacher to you.” Albus sat back, his fingers twisting the edge of his beard. “Come to think of it, interestingly, Sirius made a similar comment.”

Remus' jaw dropped as he sat up straight, his arms coming around Hermione protectively.

“Remus, is there a particular odor about Miss Granger that you find intoxicating? Something that makes you feel like you'll lose control when around her?”

Shaking his head, Remus' reply was slow and thoughtful. “No, not at all. I mean, she has a different odor about her, as do all people, but nothing highly unusual. She's just... different.”

“I see.” Albus took in a deep breath. “I, also, am unable to detect anything intoxicating about her odor. Yet, for some reason, there was something about her that attracted both Sirius and his house elf.”

Remus nodded thoughtfully.

“At any rate, the potion in question was apparently more than twenty years old, which gives us another set of worries. Severus is working to find out if the long shelf life of the potion altered any of its properties.”

“He, um, Professor Snape knows what I was given?”

Albus smiled. “Yes, we've finally discovered what it was. An exceedingly rare potion called the Serferamor. It took Severus, Professor Snape, days of searching to find the name of the potion.”

“Serferamor, Albus? I've never heard of it.”

“I wouldn't be surprised, Remus. The potion, from what I understand, is even more difficult to brew than the Wolfsbane. It must simmer for exactly five moons before it is mature enough to add the last ingredient. Apparently the potion must then age for an additional moon before it is considered ready to be ingested. At least, that is what Severus explained to me.”

Bill whistled. “Six moons? Not just six months, but the instructions specifically state six moons? That delicate a potion, is it?”

“Yes. Severus stated that the moon plays a part in the maturation of the potion.”

“What difference would six months or six moons make? I don't understand.”

Albus looked at Miss Rotidorp, eyebrows raised. “Please remember that the moon circles the earth every twenty-eight days whereas a calendar month is usually longer than that by a few days – with one exception, of course, every four years.”

“Oh, yes, I see. Thank you.” Miss Rotidorp blushed as she nodded, suddenly feeling stupid for asking the question.

“No problem, Miss Rotidorp. Potion making is a very exact science, and there are many nuances to potion instructions that only a Master, such as Severus, would recognize. Of course, this was not one of the harder ones to figure out, but not everyone, as you proved, will immediately understand the difference between the moon cycle and the calendar month.”

“How, may I ask, did you find out what the potion was, Albus?”

“Good question, Bill. I spoke with Kreacher, who very reluctantly told me about it. I had to use Legilimency in order to find out its physical properties so I could describe them to Severus. I must say, rummaging around in the memories of that elf was most disturbing indeed.”

“I don't think I'd want to do that myself. Thank you for going out of your way to find the identity of the potion.” Albus nodded slightly at Remus' words. “Is there a known cure for it?”

Sadly shaking his head, Albus sighed. “There was no mention of a cure. Severus is looking for one. He states he may have to literally brew this potion before he can attempt to make an antidote. He...”

“He may have to brew it himself? So, we'd have to wait six months before we'll be cured of this potion?” Paling considerably, Bill put his head into his hands.

“Moons, Bill, you may have to wait six moons just for the potion to mature.” Albus' eyes flicked towards Miss Rotidorp as he spoke. “Then would come the wait as Severus attempts to find an antidote.”

“Shit.”

“Bill, I know this is most distressing for you, but I must caution you that it is very possible an antidote to this potion will never be found. We must prepare ourselves for this possibility. Or, perhaps, Severus will find an ancient tome with the antidote spelled out for him to follow. We can only hope for that stroke of luck.”

Silence ensued, seeming to throb louder within each person as the moments ticked by.

“Sir? Um, you said something about the potion sitting for a long time?” Remus' hand now on her thigh, Hermione began to nervously play with his fingers.

“I did indeed, Miss Granger. It is well known that some potions, such as love potions, become stronger as they continue to sit – allowing the maturation process to continue. The potion basically becomes more concentrated. And, sometimes, as we are all aware, a potion will become rancid or change it's properties over a set time period. Severus, uh, Professor Snape, is worried that this potion, since it has properties similar to a love potion, may have strengthened over time.”

“And that would just make it so less of the potion was needed to create the desired effects, right?”

“Yes, that is correct, Remus. However, Miss Granger was given a potion that was maturing for over twenty years. The dose that was correct twenty years ago may have become a hundred doses by the time you were given it.”

“So, Professor Dumbledore,” Miss Rotidorp spoke up, “if a teaspoon was a single dose twenty years ago, you are saying that a teaspoon today would be a hundred doses?”

Hermione swallowed as everyone turned to look at her. “I, uh, I didn't know. I...”

“Of course, you are not to blame, Miss Granger. How could you be? Please don't think we are trying to place blame upon you.” Albus smiled wearily as he nodded in her direction. He then glanced at Remus, the look in his eye giving Remus an idea as to the seriousness of what he was about to say. “It is very possible that the potion properties were strengthened, and also possible that the potion changed slightly – essentially causing it to have more effects than was originally intended.”

“Kind of like how expired medications can become poisonous?”

“Expired medications, Miss Granger?”

“Oh, um, I remember my mum telling me about how she made sure to clean out the medication cabinet at work at least twice a year to make sure they didn't keep any old bottles of pills because she said some medications will become toxic once beyond its expiration date.”

“Ah, I see, these are Muggle medications? Not potions, but little pills they store in bottles?” Hermione nodded. “I see. Yes, I would say that, in a way, your analogy is correct. Some potions will become a poison, others merely get stronger, and others slowly evolve and become something else as they continue to mature.”

“What does this mean for us, Albus?”

“Well, Remus, we're not sure. I have noticed a change in your interactions with Miss Granger, Remus, that are similar to what Sirius is exhibiting. I have no idea if these changes are purely due to the potion, due to the teaching you had, due to this unknown curse, or a combination of the three. I believe,” Albus flicked his eyes at Bill, “that Bill will be our test subject since, as far as I know, he has not had any elfin teaching.”

“Test subject?” Bill bristled at being called that. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“We have a highly unusual situation where several people who inhabited Grimmauld Place were subjected to ancient teaching methods by Kreacher. I'll not go into detail,” Albus held up a hand as Bill went to ask a question, “but let us say that this teaching was quite effective. On top of this teaching, we have Miss Granger with several curses upon her and this potion affecting her chemistry.” Albus sat forward in his chair, bringing his arms up onto the table. “Remus and Sirius were both subjected to this teaching. Apparently, Sirius was very easy to teach whereas Remus was more difficult for Kreacher so they each took on the, uh, curriculum with varying levels of success.” Albus looked at Bill. “You, however, have not had any of this teaching by Kreacher due to the fact that you have not slept at Grimmauld Place. Therefore, your interactions with Miss Granger will only be due to the effects of the potion. If you can remove the curse, that, in turn, will remove one of the factors in this puzzle.”

“I see.” Bill played with his lip as he looked at Hermione. “Who in my family, since almost all of them were living at Grimmauld Place, was subjected to this teaching, Albus?”

“Only the children, Bill. Your mother and father were not affected. Your father being spared due to his 'not being wanted' at that particular time.”

“Not being wanted? What's that supposed to mean?”

“I can't go into detail, Bill. I'm sorry. Your mother was unaffected due to her age. A woman can not be taught with this elfin magic once she matures.”

“And you're saying that Hermione was taught by this elf?”

“Yes.”

“Tonks?”

“No. She had reached maturity and therefore could no longer be taught via these ancient methods.”

“Ginny?”

Albus hesitated before cautiously answering. “Yes.”

“And you won't tell me about this teaching that went on even though most of my family was involved in some way?”

“Not at this time, Bill, no. I'm sorry, but not now.”

Bill leaned forward, his eyes hard upon Albus as he spoke harshly. “Are my parents aware of all this?”

Albus shook his head sadly. “No.”

Bill forcefully pushed himself back in his chair as he struggled to deal with the new information he now had. He brought his hand up and began to pull on his lower lip for a few moments before heaving a sigh and rubbing his face with his hands. He dropped his arms into his lap and silently stared at Albus for a full minute before speaking.

“Do you plan to tell my parents?”

“I have no plans to discuss this with them, no.”

“Because?”

“It will cause unnecessary stress on them. They are blissfully unaware of all that has occurred to their two youngest children and I see no reason to distress them any more than they are now.”

“I see. And, that's the only reason?”

Albus nodded.

“So, since I have not been subjected to this mysterious teaching of Kreacher's, but have been exposed to the potion through Hermione, I will be watched. Am I correct?”

“Yes.”

“Watched for what, exactly?”

Albus sighed. “Your interactions with Miss Granger.”

“For what, exactly, Albus?”

Albus shifted slightly before speaking. “The fact that you were unable to deny Miss Granger her advances is quite telling. You, yourself, stated you've always been able to refuse a woman, but that you could not refuse Miss Granger. Was that only due to her body fluids? The curses caused her to flirt with and engage others in sexual behavior with her. There is the possibility the remaining curse has some type of effect upon others, though this is unlikely.” He nodded towards Hermione. “Thankfully, you were able to remove the known sex curses from her and we will therefore not have to worry about her making periodic sexual advances towards others. We hope, at any rate, since we don't know what this last curse is.” Albus gave a nod in Hermione's direction. “What we need to know is if this potion causes you to want her as well as cause you to not want to harm her. It kept you from refusing her advances, but it seems that you also felt a want for her that you didn't have before. The original potion's intent was to merely cause a person who touched the potion victim's body fluids to keep from harming the victim. It should not cause a person to be unable to turn the person away, to deny them. Again, Bill, you stated that you found yourself completely unable to fend her off when you should have been able to turn your back on her and walk out of the room.”

“How do you know she wasn't given another potion to cause that?”

“Severus tested several of Miss Granger's body fluids and, once he knew what to look for, he was able to identify this potion. So far, it's the only potion she has come up positive for – other than healing potions.”

“But, you state that Severus was only able to identify this potion 'once he knew what to look for'. Therefore, there may be other potions within her and he isn't identifying them because he doesn't know what to look for.”

“True, true. However, Severus assures me there are precious few potions that have obscure residual reactions. Therefore, we are going on the assumption that it is this potion causing the symptoms.”

Bill sat forward, his arms on the table, his fingers steepled together as he stared at them while chewing the inside of his lower lip, deep in thought.

“Professor Dumbledore? Bill did try to fight my, uh, my, um, my advances.” Her cheeks flushed furiously as she forced the last word out.

“Yes, Miss Granger, I am aware of that. But it was too late, by the time he realized what was going on, to fight the combination of the potion's effects upon himself and your curse-induced advances effectively.”

“Oh.”

“I know the memory of what occurred will always be with you, but I want you both to try and put it behind you and not dwell on it.”

“I, uh, yes, okay.” Hermione coughed nervously. “I can do that, Sir. Sort of. I'll try.”

Bill nodded grimly. 'Yeah, easy for you to say, Albus. You don't have the remains of that potion flowing through your veins making you want her whenever you see her. God damned potion. Fucking curse. Shit, shit, shit.'

“Neither of you should feel shame for what happened. And we won't need to speak of it again, unless we must, will we?”

Both Bill and Hermione nodded. Hermione thought a moment, then shook her head, paused, then nodded again. Remus smirked realizing how she was putting too much into Albus' words, making her unsure of how to respond though they all knew she agreed with what he was saying.

“We are adults and we know why the incident occurred. Once the interaction began, there was no stopping it. It is behind us, in the past, and not to be brought up again.”

Hermione could barely get her voice above a whisper. “Yes, Sir.”

Bill nodded as he breathed in another sigh. “I understand, Albus.”

Albus turned slightly as he spoke to the middle-aged man before him. “Is this understood, Remus?”

“Of course, Albus. I've been telling Hermione all this for days now.”

Albus smiled. “Good. Now we can move on and see about having that curse removed from you, Miss Granger, so we may consider you completely cured. All right, my dear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Maybe I could sneak into Hogwarts. I've done that before. Albus had no idea I was there. Of course, at the time I was looking for that stinking rat, Pettigrew, and I kind of slashed up a few things and scared the hell out of that shit-head, Ron.”

Sirius snorted, then laughed, as he remembered Ron's squeal when he caught sight of a filthy Sirius hovering over him with a dagger.

“I should have slit the fuckers throat, then my Kitten wouldn't have had his brat. Maybe my Adara would still be alive.” He took in a deep breath. “There's so fucking much I'd change if I could go back in time. If I could get my hands on a time-turner, I'd kill Voldemort while he was still a little brat and then speed forward in time and take my Kitten for myself. Just think of how wonderful my life could be if I had a fucking time-turner.”

Sirius turned to look at his imaginary Hermione as she sat smiling at him.

“I wish you'd talk to me.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hermione lay on the cot while both Bill and Miss Rotidorp chanted, each hovering on either side of her. She could feel cold wind blowing over her alternating with warmth. Sometimes the cold and heat became uncomfortable before waning. Sometimes she felt tingling along her body, and once it felt as if the tingling was inside of her, tickling her veins and nerve endings. Her fear began to take control of her and she turned to look at Remus, desperately wanting to get up and go to him but she felt so physically weak that lifting a limb was a monumental task, leaving her gasping for breath.

Remus watched anxiously as sparks flew over his girl and, at times, seemed to sink into her while a dense fog slowly seeped out of her body and swirled about her in thick bands. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and rocked slightly as he struggled to stay sitting and not get up, wanting to snatch her off the cot and take her away. He knew she was frightened and worried if she was feeling any pain. When she turned to look at him and attempted to raise her arm, the dense fog seeming to thicken and hold her down, and when he saw the fear in her eyes intensify, he began to get up, but was pulled back by Albus. Angered, he turned to glare at Albus threateningly while attempting to get up again.

“No, Remus. Do not force me to remove you from this room.”

Remus turned to look at his girl, then back at Albus before sitting down stiffly and listening to the droning chant of the two curse-breakers as they worked to free her of the unknown curse.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“You know, Harry really is a nice boy. I guess, technically, he's actually considered a young man. I really do think he'll be happy with Ginny once he gets over this Cho girl. Ginny's a feisty little thing and she'll keep him on his toes.” Sirius took in a deep breath, then let it out with a whistling sigh. “I gotta say, she really knows how to please a man. Of course, I taught her quite a bit, didn't I? She'll keep him busy on those cold winter nights.” He smiled while tugging on his belt. “I wonder if I could get me another elf and have him sneak her out every once in a while without anyone knowing it. I bet I could.” He closed his eyes. “No, no, I can't do that. Not to Harry's girl. What if he found out about it? He'd never speak to me again.”

His imaginary Hermione glared at him, disapproval pursing her lips.

“Yeah, I know, you're jealous, aren't you? I don't really want her, not really, not like I do you. It's just fun being so sneaky and being a bad boy.” He snorted. “Speaking of bad boys, I sure wish I could have watched you and Severus together. Not that I didn't like watching you and Remus, but Severus... That would have been something.” He closed his eyes and let his fantasy run through his mind a few times, his hand coming down to stroke himself. “Gods, baby, the bad boy Death Eater and the young, frightened Muggleborn. Damn, that's so fucking hot.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hermione felt as if shards of glass were being driven through her. She gasped with the pain and cried out as she attempted to curl in on herself. She saw nothing but a deep, fiery orange-red and heard a roaring that thrummed from deep within. She thought she heard distant yelling but she wasn't sure as she felt herself floating away, the brightness of the orange fading to black.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“What was I talking about, baby?” Sirius swept his wand over himself, muttering a cleansing charm as he turned to look at his Hermione.

“Oh, yeah. It's hard to believe she was pregnant with my baby.” Sirius frowned. “And she got rid of my baby, too. Not like you though, you had my baby.”

He looked at his imaginary Hermione. “I guess you would have gotten rid of Adara if you could have. Because of how I treated you. You would have, wouldn't you?”

His imaginary Hermione looked down demurely while shrugging her shoulders.

“I wouldn't blame you, though. Not now, anyway. I mean, at the time I was having fun, but you weren't. Why did I think that was okay? I've never been excited by the pain of someone else before. Never. It was like I was turning into my father. Now that's a scary thought, isn't it?”

His imaginary Hermione nodded slowly.

“Come to think of it, my father would have loved to have watched a Death Eater raping a Muggleborn. Maybe I am turning into my father. Surely not! No, no, it's just a fantasy of mine, that's all. I didn't want Severus to hurt you, much unlike my father who would have expected you to be injured. It's just that, I don't know, Kitten, I just thought it would be neat to watch him forcing himself on you as you fought back. I didn't want him to hurt you, just a little strong-arming would do. I don't know why though. But, as I said, it's just a fantasy of mine. Liked I've told you before, I don't dissect what I want, I just know I want it and go for it.”

His imaginary Hermione looked at him with sad eyes.

“Come on, Kitten! I'd never let him hurt you real bad, you know that! He'd fuck you, I'd join in, and we'd have a fantastic fuck-fest! You know you'd enjoy it after things got going good. Remember how you resisted doing Remus? And then you orgasmed all over the place while fucking us. I'm telling you that you'd like fucking Severus, I know you would.”

His imaginary Hermione hesitantly shook her head.

“I know you would. Like I said, I'd never let him hurt you, not for real. Not beyond what I could heal. Not like my father. He'd enjoy you being battered, I can guarantee you that.”

He put his head back, not looking at his imaginary Hermione, not wanting to see her sad eyes.

“My parents never would have accepted you,” he sighed quietly. “They would have done everything in their power to make me get rid of you. Maybe, Gods, what a scary thought, but they might have taken you down to the slave room and used you like... like they did those other girls. I couldn't stand the thought of them doing that stuff to you, Kitten. It would have driven me insane.”

His imaginary Hermione stroked his arm while frowning. Sirius could feel the hair on his arms prickling where her fingers touched his arm.

“Gods, I've got to get to you somehow. Why won't Albus bring you by, just for a little visit? I won't hurt you. Surely he knows I won't hurt you.” Sirius sat up and looked at his imaginary Hermione. “You know I won't hurt you, right? I mean, really, you know I won't. Don't you?”

His imaginary Hermione shrugged her shoulders while her fingers played with strands of her hair.

“Kitten, come on, hon. I promise, I won't hurt you. We'll start all over again, without Kreacher. If you want Remus to join in, I'll let him. But only if that'll make you feel better. I'd rather have you all to myself, but I'll understand if you want him to come along. Okay, Kitten? I mean it, I really do.”

His imaginary Hermione nodded her head, a smile adorning her face.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Albus, I don't know what to say. We tried, you know we tried, but this curse is tougher than expected.”

“I know, Bill, I know. The both of you did your best. We'll just have to wait and see what this curse is, I guess.”

“I'm sorry, I really am.”

“Is there no one else you can bring in to remove it from her?” Remus stood with his arms around a hiccoughing Hermione who had finally calmed down after being told they could not remove the curse from her.

“No. There are only a handful of curse-breakers in the world, Remus, and most are not trustworthy. Many are of questionable character just due to the things they see and the people they have to deal with. Believe me when I say I can get low down and dirty if the situation warrants, Remus. I wouldn't want Hermione exposed to some of those characters. And some I wouldn't trust with the secret – they'd sell it to anyone they could, just to make a knut.”

“Miss Rotidorp is female, don't you worry about her being with these 'characters'?”

“Grace is quite worldly, Remus, and can handle the ruffians. She's surprised me a time or two with how well she handled some of our seedier clientele.”

“Grace?”

“Oh, I'm sorry, Remus. Grace is her first name. Grace Rotidorp.”

“And she is the only fellow curse-breaker you trusted enough to bring today?”

Bill nodded. “She's been my apprentice for years now, almost ready to go out on her own. I'd trust her with my life – which I have had to do a few times.”

Bill smiled at his apprentice who smiled back slyly. Remus' eyes narrowed, suddenly sensing something more to this relationship than Master and apprentice. He went to say something, then decided he didn't want to know and really didn't care. His mouth closed and he remained silent.

“I've spent many hours going over my old texts as well as contacting fellow curse-breakers with the curses signature and the vibes I get when trying to test it. We've come to the conclusion that this is some type of sex curse, and not one where you'd have to worry she'll harm another, Albus. However, there's no knowing what the triggering event will be. It could be a situation, a spoken word, seeing a particular person, a set amount of time passing.” Bill crossed his arms as he looked at Hermione. “Whoever placed this curse upon you was very skilled at what they were doing, Hermione. It's both difficult to detect, difficult to diagnose, and very difficult to break.”

“What do we do now, then?”

“We'll just have to wait and see, I guess, Remus. And watch. We'll keep an eye on Miss Granger and if she starts showing any unusual signs, we'll isolate her.”

Hermione twisted her head to look at the Headmaster with red-rimmed eyes. “How, [hic] how will you isolate me?” She hiccoughed; the fear in her voice unmistakable.

“Please, Miss Granger, you won't be harmed and I promise you, you won't be put in a prison alone. There are many Order members you could go with until we are sure you are safe again. We'll work with what we find once we figure out what the needs of the curse are. Please don't worry that you'll come to harm at our hands.”

“I, [hic] I feel like a time-bomb.” She sobbed, reaching up and putting her arms around Remus' neck. “I'm scared. How do I stop myself from letting this curse take me over?”

“You can't, Hermione. Just like I couldn't stop myself from responding to you.” Bill noted how Remus' arms tightened around her. “We'll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Albus watched as Hermione hugged Remus even tighter and he hugged her back. The disappointment in the air was tangible. He, himself, couldn't believe that the curse was still upon her. He had been sure, after watching what Bill had done in the hidden basement room at Grimmauld Place, that the man would be able to identify and remove the curse. His own disappointment was minimal, he was sure, compared to what the girl was feeling.

“I guess we should allow your parents out of the room, Miss Granger. They've been shut in there for many hours and I'm sure the suspense must be killing them – to coin a Muggle phrase.”

“Oh, yes sir. Yes, I'd like to see my mum.”

Bill cleared his throat. “May I see my niece?”

Hermione shot a look at Albus. “Oh, um, yes, yes, that would be nice. Is it okay, Professor?” Hermione looked towards the Headmaster, her eyes red-rimmed and she swiped at them with her sleeve.

“Of course, Miss Granger, of course.” Albus looked at Bill. “We will discuss everything when we go to my office so you understand all that is going on. All right, Bill?”

“Yes, that would be good.”

“Remus, I would like for you to join in on the conversation, if you don't mind.”

“Of course, Albus.”

“Um, could Bill escort me home first? If you don't mind? I doubt you want me to know all the details and I'm not sure I want to know.” Miss Rotidorp held up a hand as if she were a student in class.

“Of course, Miss Rotidorp, I believe that that would be wise. I'll leave you to visit with your niece, Bill. Please come up to my office after you have returned from taking Miss Rotidorp home.” Albus turned to the young curse-breaker, gently grabbing her hand and bringing it to his lips, giving it a chaste kiss. “It was wonderful to meet you, my dear. I hope we see each other in the future.”

“Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I'm confident we'll meet again. Hopefully under much happier circumstances.”

Albus' eyes twinkled as he nodded and bowed slightly. “I'll be off then. Please, take your time with your niece, Bill.” He turned to look at Remus and Hermione. “Please don't fret my dear. We'll just take one day at a time and deal with things as they come up.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you.”

“Allow me to discuss with your parents what has happened. I'll be but a moment.”

Albus turned and walked over to the door where Hermione's parents were being kept, he tapped on the door and it glowed a pale blue for barely a heartbeat. Reaching down, he turned the handle and opened the door. He paused a moment before stepping inside, closing the door behind him with a click.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“I could also send a message to Harry. I mean, he is at Hogwarts, right where you are, and he's got that map of his. Not to mention James' cloak. He could sneak around and look for you, Kitten. He's tenacious when it comes to solving mysteries, so I know he'd be able to find you for me. He could tell me where you're at and then I could go get you. I could sneak you out of Hogwarts and then disappear somewhere. I don't have to stay here, I could go anywhere. I know how to hide where no one can find me. And you'll be safe with me. What do you think about that idea, Kitten?”

His imaginary Hermione shrugged her shoulders and frowned while shaking her head slowly.

“I know. I know, you don't want me to put Harry in danger. But really, what danger could there be if all he's doing is looking for you? I promise, that's all he'll be doing. I'd only tell him to look for you and not do anything else. Okay, Kitten? I'd tell him to tell me where you are. Then I could come and get you. I'd have to be very careful though. You're probably being protected by Albus, Severus, and Remus. The three of them together are definitely something to worry about.”

His imaginary Hermione continued to frown.

“Okay, okay. I'll work on thinking of some other solutions. I promise, asking Harry to look for you will be my last resort. Okay, Kitten?”

He smiled and relaxed when she nodded.

“If I close my eyes, would you kiss me again? Like you did before?”

His imaginary Hermione smile broadened as she leaned in towards him. Sirius quickly closed his eyes, allowing his lips to part slightly when he felt her warm breath on his cheek.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The door opened a short time later. Remus watched as Jane and Robert came out, both walking straight for Hermione, concern written all over their faces. Jane grabbed her daughter and pulled her out of Remus' arms so she could give her a hug while Robert put his hand on her upper back and began rubbing it as Hermione's tears began to flow again. Remus guessed Persimmonie must be asleep since neither Granger had her in their arms, and wondered if there was a cradle in the other room.

He watched as Albus came out of the room a few moments later, the serious expression on his face causing him worry. Albus scanned the room before leaving without a word, the door snapping shut behind him. Remus looked at Bill and saw something in his expression that caused anger to well up within him. Was that lust he saw on Bill's face? It had better not be. His girl was crying inconsolably and the man was looking at her like that?

Suddenly, Bill looked up at him and Remus saw the pain in his eyes, a sudden feeling of guilt washing over him as he realized he had read the man's expression wrong. 'At least, I think I read it wrong. God's, I'm so fucking confused.'

“Hermione, hon, everything will be all right, sweetie.” Jane's voice trembled as she stroked her daughter's hair, a tear sliding down her cheek as she repeatedly tried to wipe the tears off her daughter's face – Hermione kept batting at her mother's hand and desperately twisting and craning her neck, turning her face away. Alarmed, Bill watched as Mr. Granger suddenly reached up and clamped his hands around her face, holding her head still, his fingers on her wet cheeks, his mouth opening as he went to speak to his daughter.

Bill stepped forward with alarm, grabbing at Robert's hands.

“Mr. Granger...”

Robert glared at Bill. “This is my daughter and I'll not have you interfering any more than you have already.”

“But, Mr. Granger...”

“Daddy! Let go!” Hermione's squeal, high-pitched and panicked, caused her father to jump in alarm and loosen his grip, allowing her to jerk her face out of his hands.

“Oh, no! Oh, no! No, no, no! Daddy, what did you do that for?!” Hermione shrieked before turning and running out of the room while crying frantically, Remus running after her as she shot out of the infirmary and into the halls of Hogwarts.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Author's notes for this section of the chapter:

Cherry pits really are poisonous (I didn't know that. I've been eating poison all these years!):

http://chemistry.about.com/b/2007/09/12/yes-apple-seeds-and-cherry-pits-are-poisonous.htm

http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/yates/MG7.4.01.htm

*

'Ferus servo anamor' means 'fierce protect affection' in Latin – combined it became the Serferamor potion... I hate naming potions since I suck at it so bad...

*

Werewolf:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf

http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/l/lycanthropy.htm

http://www.nascr.net/~jcburd/cofc_lycanthrope.htm

*

Sex information for those who are more innocent than the rest of us:

http://www.scarleteen.com/

http://www.positive.org/

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/teen-talk/

*

Expired medications. I had Hermione mention that medications become a poison after their expiration date. I always thought that once a medication was beyond its expiration date that it was no longer anyh good. Apparently that isn't the case except for a few exceptions. I found reading about tetracycline, which is the exception to the rule, very interesting. So, never, ever, ever use old tetracycline if you like how well your kidneys are working. Most drugs, however, seem to be fine after their expiration date. After reading about this stuff, it seems that all that old tylenol I tossed out was still good:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3447200567.html

http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=mc_fivethingsmedcabinet&Prev=Y

http://www.imminst.org/forum/index.php?s=&act=ST&f=169&t=10753&view=pid&pid=111719

http://www.helium.com/items/826987-the-dangers-of-expired-drugs

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