Restoration of the Heart

With the unexpected time off, Hermione worked hard on the third room. With Remus’ help, she went through the boxes and found homes for all the items that her aunt had left her. She had a hard time with some of the items and had to take several breaks before she could empty the boxes--too many memories for Hermione to deal with all at once. She finally lost it when she found the old doll she used to sleep with when she would visit. She couldn’t believe her aunt kept it all those years. It was old and tattered but brought back so many happy memories. It took her almost three weeks to completely unpack everything.

Instead of a small study, Hermione turned the third bedroom into a small potions lab. When she was training to become the head Potions Mistress, one of the first potions she was taught was the Wolfsbane Potion. Ever since then, she made the potion for Remus every month. Since the full moon was in a few days, Hermione quickly set up the temporary lab until she could find a more suitable place.

Remus became agitated during the week coming up on the full moon. His demeanour started to change. Hermione was used to this. Most of the time Remus just paced the floor, or he would sit on the porch and nervously tap his foot. When he was at Black Manor, he would lock himself in his room and try to avoid everyone. To Hermione, he almost seemed energized with the full moon approaching, something she had never seen before. He hated this time of the month, or so she thought.

Since the war, Remus’ attitude about the full moon had changed; although, he tried not to let that on to anyone else. During the period when he transformed into Moony, he would temporarily regain his eyesight.

Remus never told anyone this, and he was not sure why--maybe because he always was in a basement or closed room and saw nothing special to warrant a cause to celebrate his brief eyesight. But for the first time since his Hogwarts years, he would be able to roam outside without fear of harming someone or being sighted by the locals, and that made him really anxious, but in a good way. For the first time he would be able to see the cottage that Hermione has so graciously shared with him. He would be able to finally see the woods, the flowerbeds, and possibly Hermione.

**
Hermione finished brewing the complicated potion. The day of the full moon Remus ate three very large meals. Nothing was as frightening as a hungry werewolf. Hermione gave him the potion, and he went outside and waited for the moon to rise. The transformations were still very painful, but to be able to see again, Remus thought it was worth it now.

Hermione sat herself in front of the fireplace, turned on Vivaldi, and settled down with one of her favourite books. She made a mental note to order Braille teaching tools for Remus. She hadn’t told him what she was doing for him. He would probably protest at the idea, but if she had already bought them, then maybe he would be inclined to use them.

Hermione sighed to herself. She was becoming attracted to Remus. It wasn’t something she looked for or wanted; at least, that was what she was told herself. It had been just over a month since they moved in together. When she woke up the morning after her nightmare with him next to her, it had felt so right. She knew she shouldn’t feel that way. He was still in so much pain, and he was still mourning Tonks. She had no right to have feelings for him. Tears came to her eyes as she realized she was falling in love with a man she could never have.

Snuffles jumped into her lap and tried to comfort her.

“How do you always know when I need you?”

“Doggie sixth sense,” he answered.

Hermione snickered. “Didn’t know dogs had a sixth sense.”

“Why don’t you tell him how you feel?” he answered her, completely ignoring her last question.

Hermione gasped, “How did you know?”

“I’ve noticed how you act around him, breathing in his scent after he takes a shower. How you almost moan when he kisses your hand, the way you lean into him when you two are on the swing.”

“You’re right,” she whispered. “I am falling in love with him. What am I going to do? At first I thought it was because he saved me, that whole hero complex.”

“It may have started out that way, but that’s not the case anymore, is it?” he answered her knowingly.

“No, it’s not. Since he moved in with me, I feel something else. Maybe I am just lonely. It has been a while since I have been out on a date.”

“Maybe you should talk to Remus about it?”

“No! Are you kidding me? No, that would be a bad idea,” Hermione exclaimed.

“Why?” Snuffled asked tilting his head upwards to look at her.

“What am I supposed to say? ‘Remus I am glad that you are finally moving out of this depression. By the way, I’m falling in love with you.’ He would probably think I had gone mental.”

Snuffles knew Remus would not do that, but it was not his place to say. They would come together on their own terms. That didn’t mean he couldn’t help them along the way.

“I still think you should talk to him.” He stayed on her lap for a few hours while Hermione attempted to read her book. But her mind was on other things than the words on the pages. Outside she heard Moony’s howl and smiled to herself.

**
For the first time, Remus was able to get a look at the cottage. It was just like he pictured it; stone-built with a chimney and many windows. No wonder Hermione loved this place so much. It looked like something out of a Muggle fairy tale. The porch took up the entire length of the back of the house. The swing was large and looked like it was handmade out of wood. Hermione had added several hanging and potted plants and had started an herb garden. Before he could smell all of the wonderful fragrances, now he was able to see where everything was and what a beautiful job she had done.

She didn’t tell him that the kitchen had a huge window that faced the woods and that there was a large bay window in the dining room area. He walked around the house memorizing everything he saw. The front of the house was set back further in the woods than what he thought. The front porch was just as big as the back, and it had the same type of swing. Hermione hadn’t gotten around to buying plants for the front yard yet. There was one hanging basket. It looked so lonely by itself.

As he made his way back around to the woods he saw Hermione in the kitchen window. She was dressed for bed already in a simple white tank top and red boy shorts. “Is that what she wears to bed?” he thought. She looked miserable, he realized. Gods, he wished he could go in there and comfort her, be with her. Waking up the other day with her in the same bed made him realize how much his feelings for her had grown. He might have saved her life during the war, but she saved him from himself. If it hadn’t been for her patience, understanding and comfort he would not be himself now.

Hermione turned off the kitchen light and a moment later, her bedroom light came on. He was tempted to peek in but didn’t want to intrude on a private moment. He turned from the cottage and leapt into the woods howling.

**
A few weeks later, Hermione ordered the Braille teaching items for Remus over the internet. When they were delivered to the cottage a few days later, Remus didn’t want anything to do with them. But with some convincing from both Hermione and Harry, Remus reluctantly agreed to try them out.

It wasn’t that Remus didn’t want to read again. It was more that he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to learn how to read in Braille. He didn’t want to be disappointed at his failure.

At first, Remus had difficulties. He got frustrated often, which was very unusual, and he almost gave up completely. He refused help from Hermione. If he was going to learn, he was determined to do it on his own. Hermione saw no logic in this. He needed someone to help teach him. Finally, after getting irritated and throwing the teaching tools across the room, he surrendered and asked for help from Hermione.

It took more than a month before he mastered the skill. After he learned how to read the alphabet, the rest of it became easy. Hermione was surprised by how quickly he learned, but he was very determined to accomplish his goal. Hermione ordered him some non-fiction books. She was stunned to find out that he loved Muggle suspense/crime novels. One would have thought with all the violence that happened in his life he would tend to like more classic novels.

When Remus started to read again Hermione noticed a dramatic change in him. He no longer moped around the cottage. He still didn’t want to leave the house, but his new favourite place to read was the on the swing on the back porch. Remus, Hermione and Snuffles started to take walks in the woods together in the early afternoons. Hermione would describe all that she saw. Remus would listen to her talk, and Snuffles would chase after the wildlife. They always walked hand in hand, and not just to make sure that Remus didn’t run into anything. It was on one of these walks that Remus finally told Hermione about his regained eyesight during the full moon.

Hermione was puzzled at this new information. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I saw no reason until I came here. I was locked in the basement. There was not much to look at.”

“We could have done something… put some art on the wall or…”

He cut her off. “It wouldn’t have mattered. I would have been too depressed to even notice.”

“Are you still depressed?” Hermione asked boldly.

Remus didn’t even have to think. “Not so much anymore. I still have bad days, as you are well aware, but I think I am starting to move on. You helped me with that.”

“I did? How?” Hermione asked mystified.

“By being you.” Remus stopped walking and took both of her hands in his. “Hermione, you have been my angel through these past three years.”

“I did nothing special.”

“If you believe that then, you are not the brightest witch of your age.”

Hermione bristled at that comment. “You didn’t make it easy for anyone to get through to you. I never thought you would agree to move in with me.”

“I almost didn’t, but I had to think of Harry and Luna. They wouldn’t want me around after the wedding.”

“That’s not true, and you know it!”

“Maybe I didn’t want to be around a newly married couple. You took me in when you didn’t have to, and for that I am eternally grateful.”

Hermione started to cry. “I didn’t like seeing you that way. It was as if you died that night, too, and I couldn’t stand it. If it wasn’t for me you, would still have your sight.”

Remus framed her head with his hands. “Shh, don’t cry. You could not have stopped what happened. All we can do is move on. Is that why you still have nightmares?”

“In my nightmares you die, and there is nothing I can do. I just watch you die. I’m not sure what I would do if you were not around!”

“I’m not going anywhere. You are stuck with me.”

Hermione laughed. “When did we go from me helping you to you helping me?”

Remus wiped away her tears with his thumb, and then dragged it across her lips. Hermione shivered at the gesture. He closed the gap between them and gently kissed her soft lips. It was short but left Hermione tingling down to her toes. “Did that help?” he asked.

She couldn’t answer--she was so shocked that he kissed her.

“I guess I haven’t lost my touch. I rendered the talkative Hermione Granger, speechless.”

Hermione floated back to earth. “Why did you do that?” There was no anger or regret in her voice, just confusion.

“Because I wanted to and because you needed it.”

“I did. Thank you.” Hermione smiled.

“And let’s hope it doesn’t take you another two months to do it again,” Snuffles said. He was listening and watching them very closely and was relieved that they finally acted on their desires.

“No, Snuffles, I don’t think it will. Let us head back,” Remus said as he took Hermione’s hand again. This time he held on to it just a bit tighter than normal.

**
Harry came by a few days later and noticed the change immediately. He was watching them prepare lunch together. Each would anticipate what the other needed. He noticed how Remus would graze Hermione’s hand whenever he got the chance and the way Hermione would smile every time he was close to her. “Are you two involved?” he asked daringly.

Hermione looked across the table at her best friend. “How would you feel about it if we were?”

“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly. “As long as you are happy, then I am ok with it.”

Remus smiled. “We are happy, but we are taking it slow. This is new for both of us. I don’t want to lose a friendship that I cherish.”

Hermione suppressed the tears that were threatening to spill over. “Neither do I.”

A/N: This story is dedicated to my Aunt Laura who died while writing this story.