Cherries

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Story: Cherries
Author: bubblybabs
Email: bubbalilly@gmail.com
Betas: Periculum, WesleyY7, Soniab
Total Word Count: 11,768
Chapter 31-2 Original Edit Date: 04/20/2009
Beta edit date: 04/30/2009
Chapter split date: 05/03/2009 (see reason below)
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After a discussion with AFF members Soniab and WesleyY7, I have edited the part where Hermione meets her parents for the first time since her captivity. I agree with Soniab, Hermione would have had difficulty emotionally when she met them, as she will with everyone she knows... Chapter edit done on May 3, 2009...
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With the new edit, the chapter became over 22,000 words, so I split the chapter into two segments for ease of reading - hence the Part I and Part II...
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See? I do listen to your comments! If I think a reviewer makes a valid point, then I have no problem with editing my story and giving credit where credit is due... I really mean it when I say I want both good and bad reviews... I want this to be a good story that people enjoy reading – if that means modifying things a little, then I'm willing...
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FYI, Soniab is now a story consultant (aka Beta) as well! *throwing confetti along with WesleyY7*

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Please be aware of the story dates and times as they are given (usually beneath the asterisks). Obviously, the chapters have been jumping forward in time, sometimes several hours ahead and I wanted to be sure you could 'physically' see the progression of time while reading. Hope that made sense!

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Chapter 31 Part 2 – Weltschmerz

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Story date: May 12, 1996 (10:12am)

“Oh, Adara! Oh, no, no, Remus, no!”

Hermione clutched Adara's body to her as she wailed over her baby's death. In turn, Remus held her close to him, his arms embracing her as he rocked and tried to soothe her.

“I know, baby, I know. She didn't suffer, you know that. At least she didn't suffer.”

“But, why? Why?”

“I don't know, sweetie. Babies die of SIDS all the time, sweetie. It's just something that happens.”

“Mag-magical babies die of it, too? Are you sh-sure?”

“I guess so, hon. We don't know what happens when a baby just dies for no apparent reason, and the name for that is SIDS.”

Severus sat, uncharacteristically shocked, as he listened to them talk. Why was Remus telling her that her baby died of SIDS instead of telling her what really happened? 'I guess to spare her feelings. The girl has been through a great deal, I suppose. He obviously fears she won't be able to handle the truth. I guess it doesn't matter, either way. It won't bring the child back from the dead whether she knows the truth or not.'

“H-how come I [gasp-sigh] didn't wake up whe-when you fuh-fuh-found her? Or when I ca-came here? I don't ruh-re-remember coming here.” She kissed Adara's little nose and forehead. “She's so c-c-cold, Remus!”

“Sweetie, that happens when someone dies. They get cold, I know it's distressing, but you know she doesn't feel it.” Remus wiped away a few of her tears as well as his own. “You had a nightmare and Kreacher brought Severus down disguised as me. He then brought Albus disguised as Sirius. They were able to Imperius Kreacher together. Severus found in one of his texts that it takes two people to do that properly. Once Imperiused, they had Kreacher bring all of you here. That was when they found Adara had died in her sleep.”

Remus turned to glare at Severus, a look of warning on his face. Severus, his face now schooled to look uninterested, merely shrugged and sat back with his arms crossed over his chest. Remus looked at him for a moment longer before turning his attention back to Hermione. He was grateful that Albus had agreed to let him tell her this story, both fearing the truth would be too much for her. The only people who would know the truth were the five of them – Sirius, Severus, Albus, Poppy, and himself.

“You're sh-sure no one h-h-hit her with a bad spu-spell?”

“There wasn't any fighting, I swear. The only spell that was cast was the Imperius.” He pushed her hair away from her face and hugged her, wishing he could take her pain away. 'Gods, she's dealt with so much, and now this, too?'

“But you're shu-sure Pers-Persimmonie is-is-is all right? You-you're telling me the truth a-about h-her?”

“Yes, she's fine. Poppy has her in another room so you wouldn't wake before I got here to talk with you about Adara.”

“I, oh, I, okay, okay, I guess that's good, right?”

“Yes, that's good. Persimmonie is fine.” He found his legs were going to sleep with her weight on them so he opened them, allowing her to slide down between them and readjusted himself in the cot they were on. “I'll have Poppy bring her out when you're done with Adara, okay? Then you'll see for yourself that she's fine.”

“Yes, sir, that wo-would be nice.” She pulled Adara up to her and hugged her tightly, whispering into her ear words Remus was unable to hear.

Severus continued to watch them as they both grieved over the little girl. 'Remus must have been quite attached to the infant if one were to judge by his tears. Interesting. He obviously is in love with the girl, and she seems to return it. Ridiculous to fall in love with a werewolf! Later tonight, he won't be able to comfort her! He'll be a fucking wolf, for Merlin's sake!' Severus shrugged to himself. 'Well, I did need to give him the Wolfsbane I made for him last month, at least this will be more convenient with him here already.'

“Remus? Does Sirius know about Adara yet?”

Remus blanched when she asked about Sirius. “Yes, he does. Remember, I had told you that Albus, uh, Professor Dumbledore, told him early this morning, before you awoke?”

“Oh.” She brushed Adara's hair back. “I never even got to put her in ponytails or hear her call me 'mummy'. I wonder what her voice would have sounded like.” She traced Adara's little mouth with her finger. “Do you remember when you showed me how to give her a back rub? And how she was happily sucking on her fist? Her tiny, little fist? She was so cute when she did that. I can still hear her sucking on them.” Her voice broke and she became silent for a few moments. Slowly, she opened Adara's hand and played with her fingers. “They're so tiny, her hands are.”

“Yes, baby, they are. And yes, I remember that day. That was when we saw all the colors in her eyes.”

“She liked me then, didn't she? I mean, before that, I always felt like she didn't like me. But after that, she seemed to be happy with me.”

“Hon, she just sensed your inner feelings towards Sirius, and your emotional ambiguity. Nothing more.” He pushed Hermione's hair out of her face and traced her jaw with a finger. “It wasn't that she didn't like you, you realize that, don't you?”

“Yes, sir. I mean, I guess so. I mean, babies don't like or dislike at that age, right? They just, like you said, sense things.”

Remus nodded in agreement as he reached down and stroked Adara's hair.

“At the time, I was pretty nervous with her. And afraid when Sirius was around because of how he, well, how he got physical if I didn't cater to her.”

A low “Mmmmm,” was Remus' reply as he remembered the time Sirius grabbed Persimmonie from Hermione's hands and dumped her into the bassinet, seemingly not caring whether he hurt the child or not.

“Is Sirius okay?”

“Um, yes, Albus said he cried over Adara and clung to her, much as you are doing, but that he's okay now. He's dealing with her death.”

“He's all alone now, isn't he?”

Remus didn't know how to answer her, so he remained silent, fearing what he'd say if he tried to answer her question.

“I mean, well, yes, you know what I mean. Now he has everyone mad at him, doesn't he? And I'm guessing he's not allowed to see me. Isn't that right? He's being kept from me?”

Remus nodded slightly as he looked into her eyes. He chose his words carefully. “While you may not recognize what he did to you as abuse, others do. So, yes, he's being kept from you for now.”

“To protect me?”

“Yes. And to give you time to deal with all that has happened.”

Hermione's eyes slowly traveled around the room as she thought about what Remus was telling her, they rested on Severus briefly before turning back to Remus as she put her head down on his shoulder and whispered, “I'm glad you aren't being kept from me.”

Remus smiled grimly as he remembered the argument he had had with Albus not long before, remembering with a touch of fear that the man had tried to do just that to him – keep him away from her. He briefly felt a surge of anger wash over him, then tamped it down as he reached up to smooth the hair from her face while also hugging her closer to him. It wouldn't do for him to become bitter with anger, not right now, not while she needed him. For the first time, he felt he needed to keep on his toes around Albus, feeling the need to make sure she wasn't taken from him for any reason. Remus sighed, now understanding how Sirius felt while also worrying anew that his feelings for her were implanted by the elf.

Grimacing slightly as he stretched his back a bit, he repositioned himself on the cot he was sitting on in an attempt to make himself more comfortable - he had begun to become aware of a slow ache that had begun to creep into his back as he held it rigid so he could hold her. He looked at Severus a moment.

“Severus? Would you mind transfiguring this cot into a chair for me, please?”

Severus didn't reply, he merely pointed his wand at the cot and within seconds it turned into a recliner. Remus pushed himself back so the legs went up.

“Ah, much better! A Muggle design?”

“It is. My father had one like it. I thought it would be more comfortable for you with her in your lap.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Severus.”

Hermione looked over at Professor Snape, not sure of what to think of him. Thus far, he had been silent while Remus spoke with her as he rigidly sat in a hard backed chair, watching them. She had a feeling he didn't leave because Professor Dumbledore had asked him to keep an eye her, probably to protect her. 'Is he protecting me from Sirius? Are they worried he'll try to take me again? Or Kreacher? What about Kreacher? He'll take me for sure. I'm so afraid of him, I just know he'll take me to Mistress! And then they'll punish me!'

“Remus?”

“What is it?” He heard the alarm in her voice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Severus react as well.

“Where's Kreacher? Where is he? What if he comes back and tries to take me or Persimmonie away? I don't want to go with him!”

“Shhhh, shhhh, Professor Dumbledore put him someplace. I don't know where, but he assures me that the elf won't be able to cause you harm.”

“Are you sure? How can you be sure? You can't be sure! There's no way! I know the Imperius can be fought! Look what happened with the Crouches! Father and son both eventually fought the curse! And Harry can fight it almost instantly! Kreacher will, too! I know it!” Hermione was becoming increasingly hysterical with each new thought she voiced.

“All I know is that Albus has him confined,” Remus replied with a calming voice as he stroked her face and hair.

“Confined? He can get out of places with his magic that wizards can't!”

“Yes, but there are anti-apparition and anti-porting jinxes. And there are spells that can hold a house elf in.”

“What kind of spells? If that were so, why did Dobby keep getting away from the Malfoys?” she asked, starting to hyperventilate, her voice becoming more shrill with each word spoken.

“Enough!”

Both Remus and Hermione looked at Severus and watched as he leaned forward in the chair, his dark eyes intent upon Hermione.

Severus had been watching Hermione's growing panic with irritation. No matter how much Remus tried to comfort the stupid girl, she seemed determined to find ways to circumvent his logic and escalate her panic. His first inclination was to shout at her, telling her to keep quiet and let the adults take care of everything, but he saw a look of warning flash on Remus' face and decided to take a different approach.

Taking in a deep calming breath before speaking with a tone of exaggerated calm, Severus decided to explain things to the girl instead of shouting at her, much as he wanted to. “Miss Granger, there are very old magical spells that the old Pure-blood families, such as the Malfoys you spoke of, used to use to keep wayward elves, such as the one called Dobby, in check. These spells would be used to keep a house elf from running away from their owners when the relationship between wizards and elves first began. They aren't in use much anymore and are mostly forgotten due to the elves need to serve being ingrained for so many generations that it has become second nature to them.” He sat back, his black eyes never leaving Hermione and he was glad to see she seemed mesmerized by his stare. “In other words, the spells were needed less and less over the years due to the elves becoming more inclined to serve and less inclined to leave. Therefore, they have, as I said before, been, for the most part, forgotten. I have reminded the Headmaster of these spells and he is working on obtaining the knowledge needed so he may perform them upon the elf called Kreacher. You will be quite safe from him, I assure you.”

“There, you see? Severus knows what he's talking about. He's the one who found the information needed in order to put Kreacher under the Imperius, and he's the one who thought up using Polyjuice Potion so we could get you out of your prison and set you free.” He held her face in his hand, rubbing her cheek soothingly with his thumb. “Please stop fretting about that, hon. We'll all do our best to keep you safe, okay?”

Hermione's eyes flitted between Remus' as she contemplated his words. She looked at Professor Snape for a moment before turning back to Remus. 'I just have to trust that they will do everything they can to keep Persimmonie and I safe. I'll go crazy with worry if I don't put my trust somewhere. I'm so very tired and I don't want to think or worry anymore. I just don't. Not now. Right now I want to feel safe and protected. Let what they say be true. Please, let that be true.' she thought as she sent a silent prayer to any of the God's that would listen to her.

Hermione closed her eyes and snuggled down against Remus, pulling Adara's body in closer as she did so. Remus brought his arms around both girls and held them tightly as he looked at Severus and mouthed, “thank you,” at him. Severus nodded back in return, his eyes glued to the girl.

“Yes, sir, I know you will. I believe you, really, I do,” Hermione mumbled into Remus' chest.

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Story time: 2:54pm

“Professor Dumbledore, sir!”

“Yes, Hagrid?”

“Miss Hermione's parents are here to see yer, sir!”

“Oh, good, good. Please, send them up, Hagrid.”

“Yessir, Professor Dumbledore, sir.”

Hagrid turned and lumbered down the circular stairs, a few minutes later, Mr. and Mrs. Granger stepped through the doorway. Albus welcomed them as they walked towards his desk, his hand out to shake theirs, a warm smile of genuine appreciation on his face for the fine people he was pleased to meet again.

“Mr. and Mrs. Granger! How lovely to see you again!” He reached out and shook Mr. Granger's hand, then kissed the hand of Mrs. Granger.

“Professor, it's a pleasure, as always.” Normally, Mr. Granger would look around the room eagerly, always fascinated with the castle and, most especially, Albus' office due to the gadgets and magnificent paintings of all the Headmasters and Headmistresses of times past. Today, however, he was tense, full of worry, sure the Headmaster had terrible news to tell them after their little girl had been gone for so long.

“Yes, likewise.” Mrs. Granger usually enjoyed her visits to the castle as well, though she wasn't nearly as fascinated as her husband. She was also as tense and fearful as her husband, her eyes darting about nervously and her stilted demeanor giving away her emotional state.

“I am sure you are wondering why I sent for you.” Albus asked them politely as they all sat themselves down.

“Well, yes, we were wondering. You have news of our Hermione, don't you?”

Both of the Grangers looked hopeful, yet it was obvious they were also struggling to brace themselves for bad news, and Albus was grateful he had the news they so desperately wanted to hear.

“Yes, I do have news of your daughter, Hermione.” He smiled encouragingly. “We have found her,” he had to speak over their exclamations, “and she has been safely rescued from the place she was held captive.”

The Granger's hugged each other as they thanked everything under the sun for the safe return of their daughter.

“Where is she? When can we see her? Is she all right? Where was she? Who was she with? What has been done to her?” Mrs. Granger clutched her husband's hand as she rapidly asked the questions.

Albus' smile faded. “Your daughter has been through a great deal, I'm afraid.”

“Oh no, what has happened to my baby? Where is she?” Mrs. Granger stood, looking around as if she might find her daughter hiding behind a tapestry.

Albus raised his hand and made a lowering motion, Mrs. Granger sat reluctantly, a look of fear flitting across her face.

“Miss Granger, your daughter, was kidnapped, as we feared, but not by those we were so worried about. I apologize, but at this point in time, I am unable to reveal to you who took her, and I would ask that you refrain from asking her to reveal the persons in question.” He nodded to their inquiries. “Yes, there was more than one person. She was kidnapped under the misguided belief that she would fall in love with one of those who took her.”

“How many people are we talking about, Dumbledore?” Mr. Granger sat forward, his voice tinged with anger.

“There were at least two though it appears there were more people involved.” Albus skirted over the numbers delicately, not wanting to alarm them by stating 'several dozen or more'.

“Why are we sitting here talking? Take us to our daughter. Please!” Mrs. Granger's voice broke as she pleaded to see her daughter.

“I'm afraid that there are a few things I must discuss with you before you see her.”

“What? What else do we need to know?”

“Due to this misguided love towards your daughter...”

“Oh no, she's been raped, hasn't she? Hasn't she?” Mrs. Granger's voice sounded small and she looked as if she would faint if she heard the word, “Yes,” spoken.

Albus nodded slowly. “I wish I were not the one to inform you of this but, yes, I'm afraid she was. Again, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that that is true, but we all knew it was a possibility. Miss Granger has been subjected to rape, amongst other forms of...” Albus hesitated a moment. “I'm sorry, there is no way to put it gently, but she has been subjected to torture...”

“Torture!” Mrs. Granger's shriek was ear-splitting. “No! No! Please say it's not so!”

“Mrs. Granger, these are dangerous times in the wizarding world, I know it sounds terrible for me to say, but rape is not the worst that could have happened to your daughter.” He looked at the distraught couple before him, knowing that rape was a terrible thing for a person, man or woman, to deal with – and almost feeling that by saying rape wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to her that he was, in effect, negating the powerful trauma of the act itself. “She has been forced to deal with a great many atrocities since her kidnapping.” Albus stared at his hands as he spoke. “The people she was with caused her a great deal of harm when...”

“Harm? How else has she been harmed?” Mr. Granger nearly shouted in his fear and frustration.

Albus hesitated a moment, gathering his thoughts before speaking. “She has been forced into some heinous situations that we will not speak of at this moment. When she is ready to share them with us, she will.” He held up a hand to ward off Mr. Granger's indignant tirade. “I know, as parents you wish to hear all that has happened to your daughter, but she needs time to deal with some issues before others know the full details of her plight. You will understand shortly, I am sure.”

“She's been beaten? Starved? Give us some idea of what you are alluding to, Dumbledore! We need to know!” Mr. Granger pointed between him and his wife. “We're her parents, we deserve to know!” Mrs. Granger nodded her head, her eyes wide as she clung to her husbands arm while he spoke.

“I shall give you generalities without going into detail. Yes, she has been beaten as well as whipped, but she has not been disfigured. She has not been starved. As I already mentioned, she has been raped.” Albus looked Mr. Granger in the eye. “Thoroughly.” He looked back down to his hands. “She has been isolated and she has been restrained. There is more, but that is enough for now.”

“Those are generalities? My god, Dumbledore! She's been bloody well tortured!”

“In a manner of speaking, as I said before, she has.” Albus spoke patiently. He knew the Grangers were dealing with a highly emotional and stressful situation at the moment and not everything was going to sink in the first time they heard it. In fact, he expected he would need to repeat himself several more times before the day was through.

“Oh, my poor baby, my poor little girl!” Mrs. Granger held her face in her hands as she began to sob.

Albus cleared his throat. “Miss Granger has also become the mother of twins.”

“Twins! Not only has she been raped, she conceived as well? Oh, dear lord! Our baby has suffered so much! What else? What else has she been subjected to?” Mrs. Granger wailed pitifully and Mr. Granger paled considerably.

“Mrs. Granger, please, you must get yourself under control. I realize this is hard for you to hear, but you must be appraised of this information and get yourself under control before I can allow you to see your daughter.”

“Allow? Allow us? How dare you!” Mr. Granger thumped his fist on Albus' desk.

“I say this only because I wish to spare Miss Granger the anguish of your outbursts ahead of time. She is fragile right now, and I fear that an outburst, such as what just occurred, would be injurious to your daughter.”

The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about what all had been said thus far.

“You, you say she is the mother of twins? We've become grandparents? I'm a grandmother now?”

“She is. Or rather, I should state, was, the mother of twins.”

“What do you mean? What's happened?”

“Miss Granger had two daughters – one she named Persimmonie, the other named Adara. Adara died early this morning, possibly from a condition known as SIDS - this was discovered after Miss Granger and her daughters were rescued.” Albus was glad Remus had thought the idea of SIDS up, not wanting to have to explain to a distraught young lady or her parents that she had accidentally killed her daughter during a nightmare. He hated having to outright lie, something exceedingly rare for him, a man adept with giving half-truths, but he felt there would be no harm in doing so to spare a young lady who had suffered so much already. He also felt the advantages outweighed the risks in this instance.

“SIDS? Magical babies die of SIDS?”

“It would appear so.”

“Our Hermione, she's okay? I mean, she's suffered so much... She's not... I mean to say... She'll be able to talk with us and all? She's not sitting by herself staring at nothing, is she?”

“No, no, my dear Mrs. Granger. While the ordeal your daughter has gone through was terrible, there are others who have suffered through far worse than she, and they did not become catatonic or lose their minds. They may have had difficulty dealing with what happened to them, but they were sane when finally freed.” Albus gave them an encouraging smile. “Your daughter was tortured, but she was also 'loved', in a twisted and bizarre way, and taken care of while held captive. Her captor was confused and gave her confusing signals in regards to how he felt for her. She is handling the situation, with the exception of disabling nightmares, as well as anyone could under the circumstances.”

“Loved? Disabling nightmares?”

“As I told you earlier, she was taken by someone who loved her, though not in the most healthy way. Due to her traumas, she has been having nightmares, or possibly a type of night terror. There is also the possibility these nightmares are magically induced via Dark Magic and I have someone who will work with Miss Granger to try and discover, then break the spell.” Albus looked at Mrs. Granger. “Thankfully, your daughter does not recall these nightmares the next day. During these nightmare episodes, she tends to struggle violently with anyone who comes near her. Thus far, from what I understand, she quickly calms down for only one person, a man she trusts implicitly.”

“And who might that be?”

Albus debated upon naming Remus to the Granger's, but decided they would find out sooner or later, and that it would be better if they heard it from him first.

“The gentleman's name is Remus Lupin.”

“Remus Lupin? That name sounds familiar.” Mr. Granger thought a moment while giving his wife a troubled glance.

Mrs. Granger spoke softly. “He was a Professor here, wasn't he? I remember Hermione speaking very highly of him.”

“Yes, Remus is a very good man. It was partly due to him that we were able to rescue your daughter.”

“How was he involved? Didn't he have to leave the school in disgrace for some reason?” Mr. Granger sat back indignantly, thinking the worst of Remus.

“Professor Lupin left the school because the Board of Directors decided that having a werewolf as a teacher was too dangerous. Remus is safe as long as he takes a special potion that can only be brewed by a Potions Master, and we are lucky to have one here at the school. However, Remus forgot to take the potion one night during the year and he was caught by the full moon by surprise.”

“And this man has been near our daughter?”

“I assure you, Remus Lupin is a good man and was instrumental in getting your daughter rescued. Without him, I am sure she would still be a captive.”

“How did he come to find out where she was,” Mr. Granger jabbed a finger at Albus, “if you couldn't?”

“You need to be aware that this was a magical kidnapping.” Albus took in a deep breath. “By that, I mean your daughter was kidnapped by someone who is magically powerful, though unbalanced. He was successful at hiding all traces of her whereabouts. His downfall was sharing information with Remus for reasons not wholly disclosed at this time. This person eventually forced Remus down to visit your daughter who then began to protect her as much as he could and attempted to help her.”

“He was forced to visit Hermione? Visit, huh? That sounds strange, to force someone to visit someone else. Why wasn't he kidnapped like she was instead of visiting her from time to time?”

“The situation is complicated. The person who was holding your daughter captive did not want to risk kidnapping another person. So, Remus was, in effect, kidnapped for periods of time to be with Miss Granger – and the two of them developed a relationship.”

“Developed a relationship, you say? Did he also rape my daughter?” Mr. Granger spoke tersely, his anger palpable.

“No, he did not rape your daughter. But, due to the circumstances, their friendship is no longer platonic.”

Neither one of the Grangers said anything, but Mr. Granger released a low growl.

“I have not spoken of this to your daughter yet, but Remus wishes to continue their relationship once she recovers from her ordeal.”

“Does he now? Well, we'll see. I'd have to meet him first, to make sure he's the type of man I'd want around my daughter.”

Albus nodded. “Of course, I understand your concerns perfectly.”

“I can tell you now, though, a werewolf isn't high on my list of prospective son-in-laws.”

Albus gave a wan smile and a nod of understanding.

Mrs. Granger held a hand up in front of her, almost as if she were asking permission to speak. “Is he, Mr. Lupin, the father of the twins?”

“An astute question, Mrs. Granger. No, he is not the father of your granddaughters.”

“The father is the nutcase who kidnapped her?” Mr. Granger snarled quietly.

“He fathered one of the infants, yes.”

Stunned silence hung in the air.

Mr. Granger scooted forward in his chair in frustration. “You said she had twins, Dumbledore, yet you say the nutcase fathered only one of the twins?”

“As I said before, the situation is complicated. Miss Granger was basically raped by more than one man. She became the mother of twins by two different men.”

“I've never heard of such a thing! How do you know the babies weren't fathered by the same man?”

Albus looked at Mrs. Granger kindly. “We have spells allowing us to detect such things inutero, things such as the sex of the child, and the father as well. You use ultrasound and blood tests, very ingenious methods, I must say. We use magic.”

“But, a woman carrying twins fathered by two different men? I never thought that, I didn't know, I...”

“Indeed, it is an occurrence once thought to be quite unusual though the validity in that assumption stems from societies strange refusal to acknowledge that women can, and do, sleep with more than one man. Especially married women.” Albus sat back. “I've done much reading on the subject since I found out Miss Granger's status as the mother of twin's from two different men. Infidelity, rape, and prostitution are all reasons for a woman to give birth to fraternal twins not of the same father. The phenomenon isn't as unusual as it was once thought, but it is still not the norm.”

The Grangers stared at each other, their faces slack with shock as they tried to take in Albus' words and make sense out of them.

“We want to see Hermione.” Mr. Granger barely choked out the words.

“In due time, I promise you.” Albus turned his eyes towards Hermione's mother. “Mrs. Granger, are you all right now?”

“Yes, yes, I am.” She was now clinging to her husband, who had his arms around her protectively.

“I fear that we will have to keep Miss Granger hidden for a while. This means that she will not be able to go to your home and must stay where I can keep a watchful eye on her as she recovers.”

“What?” Harry would have thought that Mr. Granger's bellow was impressively similar to Vernon Dursley's. “I'll take my daughter home from this hideous world of yours and never bring her back!” He now stood, his face crimson, a murderous look on his face.

“Please, please! We just want to see our daughter for now! Please!” Mrs. Granger had begun to cry and was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief she had pulled from her rather delicate-looking pale blue purse.

Albus nodded. “I will bring you to her shortly. You must understand that your daughter is in grave danger now that she is free. She will be removed from your home within a few days, at most, if you were to take her back with you. As it is, I'm not sure how safe the two of you are at this point. We will need to discuss protection for you as well.”

The Grangers settled back into their chairs, cautiously listening to Albus as fear prickled through their bodies.

“We're in danger?”

“I'm afraid so. If the people I am worried about go to your home looking for Miss Granger, they may take you as incentive to turn her over.” He looked at them over his half-moon glasses. “That would be impossible to do. The two of you would be considered lost causes if taken as hostage. I cannot allow Miss Granger back into the hands of these people.”

“Are they, these people, are they like the mafia?”

“The mafia.” Albus pursed his lips as he sifted his mind for the meaning of the word. “Yes, yes, I guess you could equate them with the mafia, of sorts. A 'magical mafia', if you will.”

The Grangers looked at each other.

“Will we be able to stay with Hermione? If you hide us all?”

“Of course. I would want that. And, I know your daughter would need you near.”

“What about our practice? We're both dentists in a busy practice. We can't just abandon it, it's our livelihood.”

“I understand. Perhaps you could take an emergency leave of some sort?”

“Yes, yes, I suppose we could. We'd need to go back home to do that, and pack some necessities.”

“That can be arranged. I'll have some Order members accompany you to your home.”

“Order members?”

“A secret society within our culture. They will protect you and your daughter during this time.”

“Please, just let us see her!”

“I need to make sure you understand that you are not to ask Miss Granger the identity of the people who took her, or of who she may be in danger of. It would also help if she isn't asked to relive what has happened to her. She will talk when she is ready.”

“Of course, yes, we understand, don't we, Jane?”

“Yes, yes, of course, of course.”

Albus stood up, the Grangers standing a split second after he did. “Fine then, please follow me.”

Albus walked to the door and escorted the Granger's through the empty halls of Hogwarts - empty due to a conveniently timed student body meeting in the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall - finally entering the hospital wing. After carefully ensuring no one saw them enter, he ushered them past neatly lined cots and through a well hidden door near back of the room.

“Hermione!”

Hermione turned her head towards the familiar voice of her mother and quickly stood from the cot she was lying on, a momentary look of surprised joy spreading over her face, only to be quickly replaced by a look of sullen trepidation. She suddenly crossed her arms over her chest, put her head down, and slowly backed up until she was hiding behind Remus. Remus watched her with concern; her parents, confusion; Albus, a heavy heart; Severus, disgust, his eyes rolling.

“Hermione? It's mum, hon.” Mrs. Granger reached out tentatively as she took a small step forward.

Remus felt Hermione grab at the back of his jacket, her hands shaking, her forehead butting hard between his shoulder blades. He turned his head, twisting slightly to look at her before turning to look back at her parents, then to Albus. He put his right hand behind him so he could lay it on her and she moved slightly to her right, allowing his contact.

Albus cleared his throat.

“Perhaps I should have allowed Miss Granger time to get used to the idea of the two of you being here.” Albus was apologetic as he watched Hermione's unexpected reaction to her parents entrance. He was expecting her to be happy to see them at long last, but now realized she was probably horrified and fearful of what her parents thought of her. He sighed, realizing she would probably fear this with everyone she met – just as Remus had said she would. He looked at Remus and nodded slightly.

“What do you mean by that? Allow her to get used to the idea of our being here? We're her parents!” Mr. Granger kept his eye on his daughter's feet, the only part of her he could see as she stood behind 'that man', as he jealously and angrily thought of Remus. “Hermione! It's your mother and father, you know who we are! Why are you hiding from us?”

Albus laid a gentle, though firm, hand on Mr. Granger's shoulder.

“Mr. and Mrs. Granger, please, would you step out so I may speak with your daughter?” He opened the door and gestured for them to leave. “Only for a moment, I assure you,” he said when they showed signs of refusal.

Slowly, the Granger's walked out of the room, Severus following silently to guard them.

Once the three were alone, Albus thoughtfully walked to the chair that Severus had just vacated and sat wearily.

“I must apologize to you, Miss Granger. I did not think of the ramifications when I brought your parents in unannounced.”

Silence greeted him. The two men looked at each other.

Remus turned, having to grab Hermione's nightgown to keep her from turning with him as she attempted to continue hiding behind him. He held her shoulders so she stayed in place in front of him.

“Hermione?” Remus bent down so he was face level with her. “Sweetie? What's wrong?”

Hermione wiped her eyes with trembling fingers, keeping her arms across her chest.

“What must they think of me? I'm not their little girl anymore, am I?” She wiped more tears from her cheeks. “What do they know?” She looked at Albus through her hair, her head staying down, hiding her face.

Albus nodded knowingly, now realizing his initial worries over her reaction to her parents' arrival were indeed due to her feelings of humiliation and fear of rejection.

“They have been told of your kidnapping, that you were raped, and you are the mother of twins. They are aware of some of the torment you went through, but know nothing of the elves or of what you were forced to do. They have been given generalizations only, no specifics.”

“Who knows all that other stuff?” Hermione's voice was shrill. “My parents will find out and hate me when they do! They'll think I'm repulsive!” Hermione put her hands up to her mouth as her eyes glazed over as she whispered as though to herself. “And, perhaps I am.”

“No! No, Hermione, you are not repulsive! And your parents' won't think of you like that either! They'll be just as we are! They'll be angry with Sirius and the others who forced themselves upon you and forced you to do things! No one will hate you or be disgusted with you! No one!” Remus squeezed Hermione's shoulders as he tried to get her to look up at him, desperately wanting her to believe him.

“They'll find out! They'll find out and get one look at the, at, at...” She sobbed into her hands. “Oh! They'll see an el-el-elf and they'll be disgusted! They'll find out that I, that, that, that... I wasn't always raped, Remus! In the beginning I was, but then things changed! Look what happened with you! They'll think I'm revolting and wicked!”

Remus pulled her up to him and hugged her hard as he looked over at Albus while Hermione sobbed, her hands clutching his shirt.

“Perhaps, Miss Granger, it would be best for me to discuss these feelings of yours with your parents so they understand why you are so reluctant to see them.” Albus stood. “While I am doing so, Remus will remain, allowing the two of you time to talk these feelings over and help you get yourself under control.”

Albus walked to the door and hesitated as he put his hand on the handle, finally turning to look at Hermione. “Miss Granger, your parents have been very worried about you and are eager to see you. They love you and fear for your safety, even now. Truly, they will not hate you or feel disgust towards you.” He looked at Remus. “We will wait out here until you indicate she is ready for us to reenter.”

Remus nodded silently as he continued to hug Hermione tightly. He watched Albus leave the room, the voices of her parents barraging the older wizard with questions heard before the door clicked shut. Remus put a hand up to Hermione's head and petted her as his other hand rubbed her back while she continued to sob into his chest, his shirt now wet with her tears.

“Come on, hon.” He pointed his wand at the recliner Severus had conjured for him hours ago, turning it into a double-wide settee that would allow the two of them to sit next to each other comfortably before guiding her to sit beside him, his arms still around her. Once seated, she turned so her legs were over his and twisted her body so she could put her arms tightly around his neck. Remus sat back, one arm around her back, the other over her legs and pulling her closer to him.

“Hermione, talk to me.”

He could feel Hermione attempt to speak several times, her lips moving silently against his neck. He wiggled his arm against her a few times before kissing the top of her head. He waited silently for her to start talking, then sighed when she remained quiet.

“Hermione, your parents won't be disgusted with you, sweetie. They're adults, they'll realize you had no choice but to adapt yourself to survive. There was also magic involved, hon. Powerful magical spells were used upon you and you couldn't help yourself, even your sexual responses with me were magically induced.” Remus felt a pang of sadness hit him in the chest as he said this, knowing it to be true. “Your body responded when your mind didn't want to. I know that, we all know that, your parents will realize that. Please, baby, don't be embarrassed by what happened to you. You couldn't help it.”

Hermione's arms tightened painfully around his neck. “They'll think I was a dirty slut. Or a whore. I don't want my mum and dad to think that way of me!”

“Hermione, think about it. Your parents are intelligent, educated people. They're adults and know that sometimes horrific things happen in the world. They know these things happen to young girls such as yourself! Please sweetie, give your parents credit. They'll understand, baby, if they love you, they'll understand.” He nuzzled his nose in her hair as he kissed her. “I know you're mortified by everything that happened to you, and I promise you we'll limit the number of people who know the whole truth. No one needs to know what really happened to you, sweetie. Not all of it, just generalities, and no more.”

“I don't... I, but, there's...” Hermione was having difficulty voicing her thoughts as they raced through her mind.

“I want you to take a few slow breaths and calm down. You're starting to hyperventilate again. Here, put your nightie over your nose, come on, sit back so I can pull your nightgown up.”

Hermione loosened her grip from Remus' neck and sat back a little, still slumping against him while allowed him to pull the neck of her nightgown over her nose. Slowly, her breathing calmed down to slow and even breaths as she regained control of herself. She closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of him taking care of her, pleased that a man who was so kind and gentle was willing to baby and protect her. She knew that, less than a year ago, she never would have allowed all of this to transpire, she would have been so full of self-confidence that she wouldn't have allowed it. Wouldn't have needed it. 'Oh, how things change.'

“Remus?”

“Mmmm?”

“I'm scared.”

“I know you are, baby. Now that you're free, we'll have to work on your going back to being the spunky girl you once were, ready and able to defend yourself and annoyingly full of self-confidence.” He reached up and swiped his finger on the tip of her nightie-covered nose.

Hermione said nothing as she pulled her nightgown from her face and took in a deep cleansing breath. 'Was I so stupid to think I could defend myself? I'm so young and inexperienced, how could I have thought that way? And now, not only do I have myself to defend, but I have Persimmonie to protect. Oh, how will I ever do that?'

“Hermione?”

“Yes, sir?”

Remus smiled wearily, not sure why she kept calling him 'sir'. “Do you think you can deal with your parents now? They very much wish to see you, they've been so worried about you.” He kissed her forehead. “They love you very much and only want to take care of their little girl.”

“I'm not little anymore.”

Remus chuckled. “Hon, you are when you think of how old we all are in comparison to you. You do realize I'm at least twenty years older than you, don't you?”

Hermione nuzzled into him. “I don't care how old you are, I really don't.”

They sat in silence for a while, each taking comfort from the other.

“Remus?”

“Yes?”

“Don't let them take you away from me. Please?”

He looked down at her, realizing yet another fear she had now that she was free.

“I won't, sweetie, I'll stay by your side as long as you need me.”

“Promise?”

Another quiet chuckle escaped him. “I promise.” He adjusted himself for better comfort before giving her shoulders a squeeze. “Now, how about we let your parents in so they can fuss over you and feel like they're being parents? It's important for them at this time, sweetie. They've felt powerless for so long, they need to feel they are actively helping you. Do you understand?”

She was silent for a moment, thinking. “Kind of like when I was hugging Adara, even though she was... d-dead?”

Remus nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “Mmmm, yes, I guess you could equate it to that, in a way.”

“I don't want them touching me and stuff.”

“Hermione, you know they're going to want to hug you. That's only natural.”

“I don't want them touching me. No hands.” She shook her head emphatically, her hair tickling Remus' nose as she did so. “No. Especially my father. No.”

Remus watched as she put her arms around herself and shivered.

“Hon, they won't be touching you in that way.” 'Ooooo boy, how do we get over this hurdle? Why would she not want them to touch her, but yet she allows me? What's the difference? How do I go about understanding what she is going through, what her thought processes are?'

“I know, I just, it's just...” Hermione squirmed a bit. “The thought of it, it just feels dirty.”

Remus sighed, not sure what to say.

“Please, don't be angry with me.”

He heard the tremble in her voice and hugged her tightly.

“I'm far from angry with you. I don't ever want you to worry about voicing your true thoughts, okay? Not to me. Don't worry about making me angry or hurting my feelings or anything. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

“Hermione, I want you to work through this, to deal with it and move on with your life. The only way you'll be able to do that is to accept the help of your friends. Okay, babe?”

“I, um, I don't want Harry and Ron to know what all happened to me. Or Ginny, or anyone else.”

“They don't need to know all that. But, at the same time, they'll want to help you, help you become whole again. Do you understand? They can help you without knowing the whole truth, trust me on that.”

Hermione nodded as she relaxed against him.

“Good, hon. That's the first step, letting your family and friends help you help yourself. You've got a long road ahead of you, but you're strong and you can do it. I know you can.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Remus' arms wrapped around Hermione securely.

“Shall we let your parents in now? Let them fuss over you, okay? They'll be practice for you for when Molly finally sees you – you know how much she likes to hover, now don't you?” Remus hugged her again.

Hermione giggled as she played with a button on his shirt.

“Now, I want you to think about how it feels for me to be touching you. It doesn't feel dirty when I touch you, does it?”

“No, sir. No, it's nice when you hold me.”

“You know your father means you no harm, and you know he loves you. Right?”

Hesitantly, she nodded.

“He won't harm you, and he won't touch you inappropriately. I won't allow it, Severus won't allow it, Albus won't allow it, and I doubt very much that your mum would allow it. Am I right?”

She nodded again.

“He's never touched you in that way before, has he?”

Hermione shook her head sharply, her brow furrowed.

“Then there's no reason to worry that he'll start doing so now. He's your father, and he wishes to protect you. A perfectly normal response for a man when he finds out his daughter has been hurt.”

“He does love me, they both do. I know they do. And, they're proud of me, too. They've told me many times.”

“Good, I'm glad you're putting things in perspective. It's going to be hard, we know that, and you're going to struggle. But, we'll all work through it together.”

Hermione nodded as she continued to absently play with his shirt buttons.

“So, shall we let them in?”

“Yes, sir, I guess so,” Hermione responded in a weary voice.

“You can do it, hon. I know you can.”

“Okay.” She took in a shaky breath. “They're just practice for Mrs. Weasley.”

Remus chuckled. “If you must think of it like that, then fine. Anything to get you through this. As time goes on, it'll get easier. You know that, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“Well, believe me when I say it's true. You just need to practice being around people again, and relearn normal interactions.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You make me feel old when you call me 'sir'.”

“I, I can't help it. It just, it automatically comes out that way.”

“That's fine, hon. Just feels funny to have my girlfriend calling me 'sir'.”

“Do you really think of me as your girlfriend?”

“Yes.”

Hermione snuggled against him. “Good.”

Remus suddenly wondered if he should have told her that, fearing he had just done what he accused Sirius of doing – swaying her decision by deception. 'Merlin, I hope it doesn't look that way! Please, Gods, understand, I'm just trying to help her.'

After a few minutes of cuddling, Remus decided they could delay no longer. He stood, pulling her up with him.

“It's time, Hermione. You can do it, you need to be strong. That's the only thing that will get you through all of this, is to be strong. I know you can do it. I'll be right here in the room with you, sweetie. I won't leave you alone with them until you're ready, okay?”

“Yes, sir. Um, Remus. I'll try, really, I will.”

“Okay, now, let's put this bathrobe on and I'll let your parents in.”

Remus grabbed the brown, Hogwarts hospital bathrobe from a peg on the wall and helped Hermione get into it, then waited for her to tie the belt before opening the door and peeking out.

“We're ready.”

Slowly, Mr. and Mrs. Granger entered the room, Mrs. Granger's hands wringing together painfully, a strained beseeching look on her face. Mr. Granger's hands were shoved in his pants pockets as he looked down at his feet.

Hermione peeked up at her parents from the fringe of hair that fell before her face as she held her head down, her arms crossed over her chest once again. She felt an irresistible urge to run for cover behind Remus and struggled to fight and overcome it.

'Remus said I have to be strong. He said I have to get through this. I have to do this. I have to, I have to, I have to. They're just practice for Mrs. Weasley, they're just practice, just practice, just practice. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.' Hermione wiped a tear from her eyes as she took in a shaky breath. 'I have to do this for Persimmonie. She needs a mum who isn't a basket-case, I have to be strong, I have to, I have to, I have to. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.'

“Mum? I, I'm, um, I missed you.”

Mrs. Granger took a few measured steps forward as Mr. Granger stayed by the door, unsure of how to act.

“We missed you, baby. We've been so worried about you.”

“I'm sorry, I know you have. I'm sorry, mum! I never meant to cause you so much worry!” Unconsciously, Hermione began to wring her hands like her mother had been doing.

“Sweetie, it's not your fault!” Mrs. Granger had been walking slowly towards Hermione as they conversed and was finally close enough to put her hand on her daughter's head, hesitating briefly when Hermione initially flinched away, her hand sliding down the side of her head, along her jawline, and finally resting under her chin so she could pull it up a little and look into her daughter's face. “We've missed you and have been so worried about you. We love you, Hermione. No matter what, we'll always love you.”

“Oh, mum.” Hermione voice trembled and tears fell freely as she hesitantly stepped up to her mother, finally allowing herself to be hugged as both women began to cry.

Remus watched from his place near the door, satisfied things would go well now that the first step in recovery with her parents had begun. He turned to look at Mr. Granger who stood dejectedly a few feet away, not sure what to do.

“Mr. Granger.” Remus held a hand out. “My name is Remus Lupin.”

Glad for something to do, Mr. Granger shook Remus' hand. “How do you do? Robert Granger.”

They stood silently and watched mother and daughter get reacquainted.

“Mr. Granger, I know her behavior is confusing and frightening, but Hermione will warm up to you again. Just give her time. It's going to take her awhile to regain her sense of trust with people, especially with men. She's been through a great deal.”

Mr. Granger gave out a sound that sounded suspiciously similar to a low growl. Remus turned to look at him sympathetically.

“Just be patient and all will be fine. She just needs time.”

Mr. Granger looked at Remus with undisguised contempt. “She's ruined. My little girl is ruined. You do know that, don't you?”

Remus' eyes darted towards Hermione, glad she didn't hear her father's remarks.

“What do you mean by that?”

“She won't let others touch her, she's a nervous wreck, she's skittish. She's not the Hermione I remember.”

Remus let out the breath he had been holding. He had feared the man was going to comment upon Hermione no longer being a virgin, angrily recalling that some people considered a girl who had been raped as 'ruined'.

“She just needs time to deal with things. She's not ruined, she's just different, and no less worthy of our love. She's a strong girl, she'll do fine as long as she has the support of her family and friends.” Remus kept his voice a low whisper, not wanting Hermione to hear their conversation.

“You think so, huh?” Mr. Granger's tone of voice had also dropped to a hoarse whisper, his eyes on his daughter.

Remus nodded. “I do. I honestly do.”

“Dumbledore says you're my little girl's lover. Is that true?” Mr. Granger continued to watch Hermione as he spoke.

Remus' mouth went dry and he stood silently, not sure how to answer; he was incredulous that Albus would tell Hermione's father such a thing without warning him first.

“I asked, is that true?”

“Uh, yes. Yes, it's true.”

“You never raped her?”

“No, no, I'd never do that, not to any woman.”

Mr. Granger turned and studied Remus carefully, taking in his frayed clothing and tired face, his prematurely graying hair. He had been watching Remus closely, though covertly, formulating his opinion of the man Dumbledore claimed was his daughter's, his baby's, lover. He had noticed Remus' facial expressions changing as Hermione responded to her mother and liked how the man spoke. So far, from what he could see, Remus seemed a good man. 'We'll see, I'll keep a close eye on him for a while. Dumbledore gave the impression the man will be good for Hermione. We'll see about that.'

Suddenly, Mr. Granger took a small, unconscious step back as he remembered something Albus had told them, sudden intrigue hitting him, making him blurt out his next comment without intention.

“You don't look like a werewolf.”

Remus stepped back in surprise, then chuckled self-consciously when he realized Albus must have mentioned him to her parents. “I assure you, when the full moon hits, you'll recant that statement.”

Mr. Granger's face split into a grin. “You've got a sense of humor. That's good.”

Remus smiled. “Sometimes, that's all I have.”

Mr. Granger looked at Hermione. “No, not anymore.” He sounded sad, his face reflecting his tone.

Remus' gaze followed Mr. Granger's. He saw both women were now looking at them, both with red-rimmed eyes, Mrs. Granger's arm protectively around Hermione's shoulder.

“Shall we go greet your daughter?”

“I...” Mr. Granger squared his shoulders, his jaw set. “Yes, I guess so.”

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

Remus stepped out of the room, giving one last look at the three people sitting at the table talking. Hermione had continued to slowly warm up to her mother, but was still having difficulty with her father which obviously distressed the man. Luckily, her father was being sensible and not pushing the issue. He turned to find Albus and Severus, both standing a few feet from the door, patiently waiting for him.

“I think they'll be okay. It's going to take some time, but I really think things will work out, given time.”

Albus looked at the door. “Good, good. It was important for her to accept them back into her life. You did a fine job, Remus.”

“Albus, what did you tell them?”

“They've been told what has happened to her in general terms. No names were mentioned save yours, and only to state that the two of you have developed a relationship and that you were instrumental to her rescue.”

Remus relaxed somewhat, glad that his worrying over Albus going into great detail about what had happened to Hermione while captive was all for naught.

“They were told of Adara, and given the story you had thought to tell Miss Granger, about the child dying of SIDS. No one needs to know what truly happened.” Albus sighed. “They are aware of the danger Miss Granger is in, and are willing to be hidden with her. I think it would be a good idea to have you act as their protector, Remus. You are familiar with Miss Granger's nightmares, which her parent's are aware of, but do not understand the severity of, and you will be able to gain the trust of Mr. and Mrs. Granger as time goes on.”

“But, tonight is the full moon, Albus. I'll have to take the Wolfsbane Potion and go into hiding soon.”

“I am aware of that. I plan to have them stay here for a few days. Tomorrow, the Granger's will be escorted to their home by Alaster so they may make Muggle arrangements for a lengthy emergency leave, then will be brought back here. I think we can secretly accommodate them for awhile, before they are moved elsewhere. By then, the full moon will be finished for the month and you will be recuperating.”

Remus relaxed noticeably as relief flooded over him – it looked as if Albus had no plans to try and remove Hermione from him, quite the opposite,it seemed. “Thank you, Albus, I appreciate that.”

Albus cleared his throat. “The Granger's are also aware of your being a werewolf.”

“Yes, Mr. Granger made a point to comment about that.”

Albus opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Severus.

“Headmaster.”

“Yes, Severus?”

“I appreciate your efforts as matchmaker, however, do you think it wise?”

“Severus, we've alread...”

Albus held up a hand, silencing Remus. “No, Remus, Severus should be allowed to voice his reservations.”

Severus gave a slight nod towards Albus, then fixed his dark eyes upon Remus. “Both Lupin and Granger have been through an ordeal that has, I am sure, left deep psychological scars – Granger's being the most obvious. However, is it wise to push them together? They would not have become involved with each other before this all transpired, so why endeavor for a relationship between them now?”

“Remus?”

“Because, Severus, I've fallen in love with her and want to be with her. Just as I told you earlier. As Albus stated, I am familiar with her nightmares, and I'm willing to help her through her trauma.”

“But, who will help you through your trauma? And, if you are allowed to be with her, then why not Black?”

Remus stepped back. “Merlin, Severus! After what he did to her?”

“I must state, for the record, Remus,” Albus bowed his head slightly towards Remus, “that I did promise, and you are aware of this, that I did promise Miss Granger could go with Sirius, if she so desired.”

“She's not a prize to give away, Albus! And you know she won't go back to him! She can't!”

“I am giving her time to deal with the situation. But, you also mentioned a specific Muggle syndrome she was exhibiting. We must prepare ourselves for the possibility that she will go with him.”

“I won't allow it, Albus. I won't.” Uneasily, Remus remembered Hermione commenting sadly that Sirius was now all alone as she cried over her daughter.

“Remus...”

“No! I won't allow it, and that's all there is to it!”

“We must think of the impact that denying her Sirius would have upon her.”

“We must think of the impact of allowing her to go back with him would cause her! He fucking raped her, Albus! And allowed others to rape her! And forced... forced her to... forced her into so many horrible situations that I fear she'll commit suicide once everything comes crashing down upon her. She'll need a strong network of people around her to help her deal with this. But not Sirius, whose own sanity is in question! He won't be able to help her.” Remus backed away from Albus as he pointed at him. “I'm all for helping Sirius deal with this, especially since it wasn't all his fault, but she'll not go back with him. Not while I'm alive. Do you understand, Albus?”

Albus stood still, a grieved look upon his face as he sighed tiredly. “Yes, Remus, I do understand. We'll see what happens is all I can say. We'll see.”

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Author's notes, you may freely skip:

I want to mention that I hope no-one will be insulted that I decided to use SIDS as an excuse for Adara's death... I needed a way to soften the blow for Hermione and that was the first thing that popped into my mind... I also am not sure about the statistics when it comes to the things they state to do to decrease the risk of SIDS – for example, I tried to lay my first daughter on her back, but the first time she vomited and choked on it I turned her onto her stomach and never had her on her back again... My four living children always slept on their tummies... I don't know, maybe I was lucky... However, I'm glad I never had to deal with that situation... I have a friend who had a child die from SIDS – when she had her second child, she was terrified to go check in on her baby after he slept too long and she'd have to have a neighbor look in on the child for her... I can't imagine the fear she went through...
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I also wanted to comment that I lost a child when I had reached five months gestation (he strangled on his umbilical cord, but they also found he had cancer when they did the autopsy) – I used many of my own thoughts in this chapter when it comes to Hermione and Sirius' grief over their baby's death... Somehow, getting those private thoughts out publicly made me feel better, though I'm not sure why... I'll bet many of you can relate to this chapter...
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The part where Hermione is remembering Adara sucking on her fist should be credited to WesleyY7 – she was quite upset with me over chapter 30 and had commented about how sad she was over Adara's death and that all she could do was remember Adara sucking on her fist as Hermione gave her a back rub... I thought that quite an emotional outburst so I added it into the chapter...
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I hope this edit was agreeable to you as well as emotional and I hope I hit the nail on the head...
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Hermione's parents seem to be nameless. I can't find a source of their names on the internet so I made up her father's name as Robert. Jane, for some reason, keeps coming back to me, I figure I must have read it somewhere (probably another fanfic) – so, for this story, her mother's name is Jane.

http://www.hp-lexicon.org/wizards/granger.html

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