Dizzy In The Heat | By : DivineAngel Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Remus/Hermione Views: 16130 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
Chapter
5: Sweetest Perfection
She took a deep breath
and wiped the drying tears from her face, blowing air out through her
puffy lips. She felt hollow, shaken and relieved all at once. She
could at least relax now that things had come to a head with Ron, no
more waiting to see how she would end things. Yet she felt deeply
saddened that it had ended so dramatically, she had hoped to let him
down gently and attempt to scrape some sort of friendship out of it.
Silent tears began to fall again and she flopped down onto the bed,
hoping it would swallow her whole. How would she face anyone who had
heard their fight?
Hermione wiped her eyes
groggily, unsure of how much time had passed as her vision cleared to
see morning sunlight bathing the floor next to her bed. She became
aware of what had woken her as the rapping at the door permeated her
sleepy haze.
'Hermione?' Harry's
muffled voice sounded concerned. Hermione felt for her wand, finding
it beside her on the bed, she must have fallen asleep holding it.
With a swish her bedroom door swung open, leaving Harry's knuckles
hanging in mid air and he stumbled forward a little, a sheepish grin
spreading over his face as he regained his balance. 'You alright?' He
asked, stepping into the room.
'I guess. What time is
it?' She asked, straightening her clothes and patting her fluffed up
hair. Harry smiled and sat down on the end of the bed.
'Early, just gone seven.
I have to go out for the day. Stuff to do.' Hermione frowned and was
about to ask what he was up to, but Harry raised a hand to stop her.
'I'm not going to tell you. It doesn't matter what you say. I just
wanted to see if you were alright. I was a bit worried after Ron
stormed out last night and you never came back down.'
'We had a fight.'
'I know.' Hermione
dropped her eyes, she knew people had heard, she hated having her
personal business on show and felt deeply embarrassed.
'Great. How many people
heard?'
'It wasn't that bad. I
was seeing Tonks out. She was the only person who heard anything, we
just heard Ron shouting and she left looking a bit embarrassed. I
went back to the kitchen and heard the front door slam a minute
later.' Hermione shook her head, Tonks hearing wasn't so bad, at
least the Weasley's hadn't. 'So. How did you leave it?' He asked,
resting his hand on her knee.
'Up in the air. But I
honestly think it's all over now.' Her lip trembled and Hermione
sniffed back tears that threatened to fall afresh. Harry squeezed her
knee in an attempt to comfort her, he obviously felt awkward though
and Hermione shrugged and forced her emotions into check for his
benefit. 'I'm fine, Harry. Or I will be anyway.' She smiled as warmly
as she could manage, patting his hand and shifting on the bed to
change the vibe between them. He looked reluctant to accept her false
smile, but to her relief he gave a small smile and stood to leave.
'OK. Well, I'll either be
back late tonight or early tomorrow, I'm not sure. You'll be alright
on your own?' She nodded and fought the desire to know where he was
going or what he was up to as he left the room, closing the door with
another careful smile.
Hermione lay back down
and ran through the events of the previous evening in her mind,
images and words swirled through her head, making her feel dizzy and
she passed into an uneasy sleep.
Some hours later she woke
slowly, her face ached from withheld tears and her skin was clammy
from the scorcher of a morning she had woken up to. She felt stiff
from sleeping so long and in tight jeans from the day before, it was
rare indeed that she fell asleep in her clothes, but gradually she
began to feel more human as she showered and dressed herself in
cut-off denim shorts and a loose, mauve tee-shirt tied in a knot
under her chest, the only clothes she felt appropriate for the heat.
12 Grimmauld Place was a cool house, a curse in the winter, but a
blessing this long, hot summer. It was almost twelve when Hermione
made her way to the kitchen, barefoot and tying her hair in a loose
knot as she descended the carpet-less stairs with heavy steps.
As she approached the
kitchen door a sharp rap at the front door stopped her in her tracks.
A deep frown furrowed her brow as she paused, wondering who would be
calling by unexpectedly. Cautiously, she went to the door and cast a
one-way transparency spell on it to see who was on the other side,
with a sigh of relief at the sight of Professor McGonagall and Remus,
Hermione swung open the door and greeted them, ushering them into the
narrow hall.
'Hermione. Hello again.'
'Hello, Professor.
Harry's not here, he went away this morning.' Hermione spoke softly
as the formidable headmistress bustled past her for the kitchen,
carrying several bags of what appeared to be grocery shopping.
Hermione felt suddenly embarrassed at being caught in an outfit she
wouldn't dare allow anyone to see her in ordinarily. She looked at
Remus carefully, taking in his pained expression and forcing the
flash of superficiality aside. He looked torn between joy at seeing
her and sorrow at seeing her so tired and obviously tearful. He
reached out a hand and squeezed her shoulder, snatching it back as
McGonagall returned abruptly from the kitchen.
'I know, we saw him in
Diagon Alley earlier. He asked me to drop of a few bits and pieces.'
She nodded her head in the direction she had come from, no longer
burdened with the bags she had entered with. Hermione's frown
deepened. Harry didn't need to send shopping back with anyone, he was
perfectly capable of sending it all back here magically himself.
Comprehension dawned on seeing McGonagall's expectant eyes, Harry had
wanted to send someone to check on her. She suppressed a giggle,
covering her lips with her hand.
'I see.' She said
quietly, looking away from her old Headmistress and back up into
Remus's eyes, which twinkled with shared understanding and amusement.
'Well. I see you're
alright, dear.' McGonagall said curtly. 'Remus, I know you were
reluctant to come along with me, but you seem happy enough now. I'll
be off and I'll see you tomorrow.' She gave him a knowing look that
puzzled Hermione as she watched the old professor leave. Hermione
cocked an eyebrow and waited a moment before breaking the
surprisingly easy silence.
'Reluctant to come
along?' She teased.
'Well.' Remus looked down
at his shoes as he thought how to explain himself. 'I didn't think
you would want company and I certainly didn't think you would welcome
such obvious “checking up”.' He shrugged and smiled.
Hermione once again found his smile infectious and returned it. She
sucked on her lower lip and set off for the kitchen, aware of him
following and of his eyes on her as she walked. The kitchen was clear
and tidy, Hermione noticed, figuring that McGonagall had left the
shopping to put itself away. With an impressed smile Hermione went
about fetching cold drinks. She remembered days spent at the Burrow,
drinking lemonade with Remus, Ron outside, their conversations about
muggles and her travel plans. It all seemed so long ago now, so much
had changed it seemed and at that thought she felt tears well up yet
again. Her cheeks still tired and ineffectual, the tears spilled and
she put down the glass she was holding, grasping the kitchen counter
for support as her shoulders shook and she tried to silence herself.
Her eyes closed tight as
she tried to stop the flow, Hermione felt Remus move close beside
her, his hands grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him, he
drew her into a tight embrace and she allowed herself to sob openly,
shaking against his strong chest and arms.
'Ron and I had an awful
fight.' She stammered, unsure if he was aware of this or not. 'It's
over, I know it.'
'Shh. It's alright.' He
softly stroked her hair and tucked her head under his stubbled chin.
Her tears subsided and she took a deep breath, inhaling his musky
scent. She tilted her head up, her nose brushing over his neck and
she wrapped her own arms around him, clasping his back. Her stomach
flopped over, excitement at being held by him flooded through her and
stoppered her tear ducts, leaving only thoughts of him in her
previously-busy mind.
'It's what I wanted. I
know that.' She whispered, feeling him swallow at the feel of her
breath on his neck. He dropped his chin, his nose brushing down along
her own and her eyes fixed on his lips as his tongue darted out to
wet them.
'Then why are you
crying?' His voice was husky, strained and Hermione's heart skipped a
beat.
'Because I haven't quite
got everything I want, yet.' Her own voice was odd, she noticed,
acutely aware of their breath catching between their lips, which were
only an inch apart. His eyes were closed, his hands planted firmly on
her back, one on the bare skin between her shirt and shorts and it
felt electric to have him touching her this way. Carefully, she
closed that one inch gap and gently pressed her lips to his, her eyes
flickering closed as he gently parted his own lips and kissed her
back. With a sigh, Hermione clung to Remus, deepening the kiss and
firmly probing her tongue into his mouth. He massaged it with his own
and moved one hand to her hair, grasping the back of her head and
kissing her with intense passion that she had never experienced in
her life.
He turned her and pressed
her against the kitchen worktop and she moaned into his hot mouth,
longing for more contact, more skin. She ran her fingers through his
greying hair and felt his firm body press up against hers as the kiss
grew more frenzied. Their lips parted intermittently as they each
drew breath, crashing together again as hands roamed over one
another's bodies; his on her back and shoulders, in her hair and
grasping her face; hers on his arms, chest, back and waist.
Remus took a firm hold of
her, encasing her arms tightly between their bodies, he soothed her
hair and softened his kisses to light touches of the lips, Hermione's
breath began to slow, her heart pounding so hard she swore Remus
could hear it. She began to laugh, breaking the straggling kisses
off.
'Not good.' Remus said,
breathlessly. 'Never good when a woman laughs following a kiss.' He
grinned at her, still holding her too tight to move. She drew in her
lower lip, soothing it from the assault of his passionate kiss, and
smiled back at him.
'That was quite some
kiss.'
'Hmm.' He pressed her
cheek to his chest and held her head gently. She could hear his heart
beating almost as hard as her own and she pressed herself even
tighter against his lean body. He smelled so good and it felt amazing
to be in his arms, like she had found where she belonged. 'Hermione?'
He asked softly, still stroking her hair.
'Yes?'
'I should probably go.'
There was reluctance in his voice, Hermione pulled out of his grip
and looked up at him, giving him a reassuring smile.
'You don't have to go,
Remus. I'd like you to stay.'
'Ah, yes.' Something
flickered across his face that she couldn't read. 'But I think
there's a conversation or two necessary before this goes any
further.' He looked a little distant, and she knew he was right. She
had to clarify the situation with Ron and she had no interest in
telling anyone about what had occurred between them, she wanted to
keep this to herself for a while to enjoy whatever was happening
without interference.
Remus slowly extracted
himself from her embrace, held her hands for a long moment and smiled
into her eyes before lifting one hand to his lips and softly kissing
the back of it.
'Come back tonight? I
have a few things to do this afternoon. But I'd really like it if you
would spend the evening.' She swayed from side to side and smiled
coyly. 'I'll cook.' He grinned back at her.
'Alright.' He leaned
forward and laid a light kiss on her cheek, Hermione's stomach
fluttered in response.
'Seven thirty.' She
commanded and Remus nodded. She showed him to the door and waved him
off, watching him stride to the corner where he would surely
disapparate, away from muggle eyes. The protections similar to those
over Hogwarts remained on 12 Grimmauld Place; those preventing
apparation along with it being unplottable and hidden with the
Fidelius charm, which remained in place with Dumbledore's death and
the location could no longer be revealed to anyone who did not
already know where it was before the old Headmaster's death over a
year ago.
Hermione ran up to her
room and got changed into clothes more fitting for going out in
public, a knee length denim skirt and white vest top, with light
mules on her feet. She had to speak with Ron, the thought of which
ought to have had more of an effect on her than it did. She kept
Remus in her mind and focussed on doing this for him, which seemed to
do the trick of keeping her from going into a panic over the task.
She retied her hair, it having come loose in the kitchen, and tucked
her wand into the waistband of her skirt, then set off for the
Burrow, it being the most obvious place to find Ron.
She locked up the door
with the usual magical charms and jogged to the alley a short
distance from the house that had become the typical spot for arrivals
and departures for the Order. With a careful look around for
onlookers and finding none, Hermione turned quickly on the spot and
disapparated from Grimmauld Place. Her feet hit the ground outside
the Burrow a moment later, steady as a rock now after a considerable
amount of experience. With a deep breath, Hermione stepped up to the
back door and raised her hand to knock on it, pausing with sudden
trepidation.
She took a deep breath,
knowing what must be done and with resolve moved her hand forward to
rap her knuckles against the sturdy wooden door. But she didn't get
the chance as it swung open suddenly before her, Molly cried out in
surprise and clutched her chest.
'Hermione? My goodness,
you caught me by surprise there.'
'I'm sorry. Is Ron here?'
She asked carefully, giving Molly as close to a smile as she could
muster. Molly looked hesitant, Hermione suspected that she knew about
the argument and was unsure of Hermione's intentions. 'I just need to
talk to him. It's really important.' Hermione worried her lower lip
and cast her eyes down.
'Yes, he's here. Well,
there's music coming from his room. Go on up, Hermione.' She stepped
aside to let Hermione in, a strange look of mixed concern and
frustration. 'I was just going out to check on the gnome situation.'
She bustled with half a smile and left Hermione to herself in the
kitchen, closing the back door behind her as she left. Hermione took
a steadying breath and set off for the winding stairs that would take
her up through the many floors of the little house that seemed to be
held up by magic, to the very top where Ron's room was.
As she approached,
Hermione heard the familiar wailing of the Toxic Talons, Ron's
favourite band, whose lead singer was rumoured to be a vampire. They
were a little heavy for her taste and he had quickly learned not to
listen to them when she was around after they started going out. With
a large gulp Hermione knocked hard on his bedroom door.
'Ron?' She called loudly,
hoping to cut through the loud music without having to shout. The
volume plummeted away to almost nothing and she heard shuffling
noises before the door creaked open a crack. Ron looked her up and
down with a firm scowl.
'What do you want?' He
snapped. Hermione tilted her head to one side and stared him down for
a long moment. Eventually he opened the door and stood aside to let
her in, one hand on the door, the other deeply buried in his pocket.
Hermione walked past him, fighting the lump that was rising in her
throat. 'You look nice.' He said, softly.
'Thank you.' She turned
to face him as he closed the door slowly.
'Sorry. For, you know,
snapping. And for last night too.' He said, staring at the floor.
Hermione nodded, holding tightly to her resolve.
'OK. That's alright. I'm
sorry for, well, letting it get to a point where you would want to
lash out.' He looked up at her, a puzzled expression on his face.
'What do you mean?'
'Oh Ron, I'm sorry. But
things haven't been right for a long time. I didn't know how to talk
to you about it. So I didn't and that's why it got so tense and
horrible and why we ended up fighting.'
'But we can work things
out now.' He said, hopefully. Hermione shook her head slowly, seeing
in his eyes that he didn't really believe it.
'I don't think so. I
think it's over.' It was his turn to nod and Hermione felt relief
wash over her that he wasn't fighting her on this.
'Right. I suppose so.' He
said calmly, his shoulders seemed to relax and she realised that he
had been feeling the same.
'I'll see you soon.' She
offered, not sure if it was true or not. He seemed to understand as
he gave her a knowing nod.
'Yeah.' She drew her wand
and gave him a parting smile before disapparating with a loud pop.
AU: Next chapter fast
on this one's heels. Please review, I like reviews :-)
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