Cherries

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Story: Cherries
Author: bubblybabs
Email: bubbalilly@gmail.com
Beta: Periculum
Story Consultants: WesleyY7, Sonia
Total Word Count: 17,769
Chapter 35 Edit Date: 07/10/2009
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I just want to give many thanks to both WesleyY7 and Sonia for giving me additional insight into my story by asking me questions and making me rethink a few things over. And, of course, to Periculum who does the same thing as the story's 'final beta'. All three are helping guide me so I cover any loop holes and give me additional food for thought to add to each chapter. Give them all a round of applause!
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A few reviews to reply to! I was wondering what happened that all the reviews (few as they are) seemed to have died away. Did my saving Hermione from that room satisfy everyone and now they have stopped reading? I'm curious about that... I have no way of knowing if the hits are people reading the story all the way through or not... But, whatever, I'll keep on plugging along with this story until it's done... We have a little ways to go until the conclusion...
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JayFortuna – Yes, I wanted to make it clear as to why Hermione was thinking certain ways about her father...
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apkblack – Dumbledore is busy with his damage control, isn't he?
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mrsfloyd – Dumbledore was too confident that Bill could handle Hermione... He is also doing his best to keep the secrets secret, trying to keep the information he has to himself... He did much of that in the books, and sometimes messed things up...
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Kessai – Here's more! Cliffhangers are fun!
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Christina H – Far from done, I'm afraid... I hope to hold everyone's interest until the end... Saucy stuff continues in between drama and information... I'm glad this story helped you understand Sirius a little more... I think he's quite misunderstood. I don't think people really think about the anger he had to have felt over how his life turned out... I'd be angrier than hell, myself, and probably would have acted out more... I think this story is over 300,000 words by now...
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Chapter 35: And Then There Was One

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Story date: May 14, 1996 (continued)

Finally feeling refreshed after his ordeal from the previous night, when he spent his time curled up asleep on a desk in werewolf form, a Disillusioned Remus quietly descended the stairs and carefully entered the Hogwarts hospital wing. He was looking forward to seeing Hermione, anxious to see how she was doing. He decided, after he finished getting showered and dressed, that he would see her first and then have a talk with Albus so he could find out what was going on and what plans, if any, were underway.

Smiling, Remus removed the Disillusionment charm before gently knocking on the door of the hidden room where he knew Hermione was being kept. He wondered if her parents were present or if she was alone with Persimmonie. He hoped he would find her alone since he wanted their reunion to be special. He hated the thought of her finally being freed on the night of a full moon, forcing him to leave her on such an important occasion. 'Just my luck for it to happen like that, now isn't it?'

When there was no answer, he knocked again, rapping a little harder. Frowning, he froze when he thought he heard sounds of distress coming from behind the door. Putting an ear against the heavy wooden door, he listened for a moment before hastily jerking away, a scowl replacing his frown. He snatched the door handle and opened it stealthily, now convinced that the sounds he heard were those of a struggle going on within. Pulling his wand, he inched forward and carefully peered inside the room.

The scene that greeted him shocked him so thoroughly that he dropped his wand and scrabbled to grab at the door jamb in a desperate attempt to keep himself from falling to his knees. Was that? No, it couldn't be. Was that Hermione on her back, naked, on the table? It certainly looked like her. But who was that, between her legs, fucking – FUCKING! - the shit out of her? He's gone one day and she's already after another man? The little slut. Who the fuck was she with, anyway? How dare they! How fucking dare they!

In a rage, Remus stepped into the room and slammed the door shut, not realizing the door caught the end of his wand, sending it spinning and skittering out into the hospital wing as he did so.

“What the hell is going on in here?” he bellowed.

He watched as the girl raised her head, struggling to sit up so she could look over the man's shoulder. Instantly, he saw that it was indeed Hermione, and what was worse, he recognized the glazed look in her eyes as she fought to come out of the orgasmic state he knew she was in. He felt a knot form in his chest when he saw her face light up instantly at the sight of him, then watched as she began to fight the man who remained on top of her. Remus felt his anger with her diminish instantly when he saw how pleased she was to see him and realized she was trying to free herself so she could come to him. It was strangely – though, at the same time, familiarly - primeval, the feelings that came over him as he watched her, his property, being tampered with. 'My property? Where did that thought come from? Who gives a shit? That fucking asshole better let go of her or his bits will be floating in a fucking jar in Snape's office by morning.'

Remus growled as the man continued to bang into Hermione, either completely oblivious as to what her struggles meant or choosing to ignore her pleas for him to leave her be. Hermione was whining for the man to let her go as she pushed against his chest with her hands and vainly attempted to shove him away with her legs. It soon became obvious that the man had a tight hold of her hips and wasn't about to loosen his grip. Remus felt an immense anger rise within him and he swiftly raised his wand arm with the intent of performing maximum bodily injury to the man who was now, as he saw it, forcing himself on his girl. Surprised, he looked at his empty wand hand, then frantically looked down at the floor in an attempt to find his wand. Realizing his wand was nowhere in sight, Remus stepped forward.

“Let go of her, you bastard!”

Grabbing at the man's shoulder, Remus began tugging at him as hard as he could, attempting to pull the man off of Hermione. He grabbed at her arm and tried to slide her out from under the man, but the man held her firmly in place as he continued to relentlessly pound into her. His anger nearly exploded when he noticed Hermione stop fighting and arch her back as another orgasm rocked through her, her moans making him harden and ache to have her for himself.

Remus instantly reeled back in disgust when he recognized the signs of climax coming over the man, a feral growl being emitted by the man as he spurted within her. Seeing red, Remus redoubled his efforts to pull the man off Hermione while also trying to pull her out from under him.

Suddenly becoming conscious of the fact that someone was pulling on his shoulder, the man looked up at Remus, causing Remus to back off briefly in surprise as their eyes met; for a few moments he was completely unable to comprehend the fact that he was face to face with Bill Weasley. Bill Weasley? No! No, it couldn't be! Remus looked again. Holy fuck, it was him!

Tugging even harder, Remus succeeded in getting Bill to let go of and pull out of the girl. His anger with her dissipated immediately when he saw that Hermione was now bawling pathetically, her hands held up in front of her face in fear as she tried to curl herself up protectively. Remus suddenly felt a fierce protectiveness towards her wash over him, so much so his heart literally ached. He snatched her away from Bill, pulling her into his arms and turning his back on the man as he tried to console the frantic girl.

“Hermione, baby, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you! Hermione!”

She continued to cry, her terror of him so complete that he couldn't calm her down – she seemed to become increasingly frantic the more he tried to talk sense into her. Giving up trying to get her to listen to him, he finally hugged her to him tightly, hoping to successfully convey to her wordlessly that he did not intend to harm her. To his dismay, she continued to cry and struggle, frantically trying to escape his grasp.

Hermione still in his arms, Remus looked over his shoulder, catching sight of Bill as he struggled to hastily button his pants. With a growl, Remus pushed Hermione against the wall and turned, then backed up so the hysterical girl was pinned behind him and unable to get away. He had never been as livid with anyone as he was now, not even when he thought he had felt blinding rage with Sirius for hurting Hermione.

“What the hell do you think you're doing, Bill?”

He watched as Bill finished buttoning his pants before clumsily pulling his shirt over his head, tucking it in quickly as he rigidly turned his attention to him. Fists balled up with near-blind rage, Remus literally felt the need to beat the life out of the man who took such blatant advantage of the frantic young girl behind him.

“I said, what the hell do you think you're doing, Bill?” he snarled between clenched teeth.

Alarmed, Bill threw his arms up in front of him, his palms held up as he struggled to think of what to say. “Remus, I swear, it's not what you think.” Bill quickly scanned the room, looking for his dragon-hide boots and anything else that may have been discarded while he was busy with Hermione. Frantic thoughts were flying through his head: 'How could I have done that with Hermione? What the fuck happened? Why didn't I just stun her? How could I have done that to her? Gods, Remus looks like he's going to kill me, and I don't blame him. What will Albus say? They'll never believe me when I say I lost control of myself. What will Fleur say? Merlin, please don't let her find out! Will Hermione be all right? She's frantic right now. How could I have done that to her?'

“Really, Bill? It looked to me like you were forcefully fucking a sixteen-year-old newly freed kidnap victim and student of this school, Bill. Would you mind telling me why you were doing that, Bill?” Remus lowered his chin slightly, the skin around his eyes tightening, giving them a dangerous-looking quality as he glared at the other man through adrenaline-dilated pupils. He finished talking through clenched teeth, enunciating Bills name with contempt. “Huh... Bill?”

Barely conscious of Hermione's continued struggles, Bill's attention was focused upon the man who held her behind him as his body trembled from the prolonged adrenaline rush his body had been enduring, starting when he first realized his body was responding to the girl's attentions and rapidly increasing in intensity now that he faced a very real danger to his physical well-being. “Shit, Remus. Albus asked me here to break any curses that Hermione was inflicted with. I swear, that's the sole reason I came here.” Bill's eyes darted around. Locating his boots, Bill edged towards them slowly.

“Really? So when did fucking a curse victim become a way to free them from said curse?”

Staring at Remus while chewing on the inside of his lip, Bill remained silent, not wanting to mention that there were curses that required just that – a good screw - in order to break the curse. He knew he'd sound like a smart ass if he did, so he kept silent. Instead, while keeping his eyes on Remus, he gingerly pulled his socks and boots on while making sure he had his wand arm free.

“Get the fuck out, Bill. Now.” Remus sounded shaky and tense, his words barely above a whisper.

“Remus, I swear, it's not what you think.” Bill stood up straight, nervously reaching up to tug on his earring with one hand and pulling hair out of his face with the other. “She's cursed with powerful sex curses and I got caught up in one. That's what happened, I swear to you.”

Remus stood still as he eyed Bill warily. “Sex curses? What are you talking about?” He looked back at Hermione before looking up at Bill again. “She's had elfin teaching, as have I.”

Bill relaxed slightly when Remus began talking with him instead of threatening him, though he was ready to pull his wand if the need arose. He was surprised Remus hadn't pulled his own wand on him and was impressed with the man's self-restraint. “What do you mean, elfin teaching?”

Sighing tiredly, Remus struggled to make himself relax. “It's complicated, Bill, and I don't have time to go into it.” Remus knew he needed to calm himself so he could deal with this situation effectively, but he found the effort taxing. “Just explain to me what you mean when you say 'she's cursed with powerful sex curses'.”

Remus sensed Hermione was finally calming down as the men became more civil with each other. He was sure the ebbing away of his tenseness helped as well so he redoubled his efforts of releasing his tension. Sniffling, Hermione now had her arms under his jacket, her cold and trembling fingers clinging to the back of his shirt. He brought his right hand back and laid it on her hip, his thumb going in small soothing circles. He was relieved, as well as pleased, that she didn't flinch away from his touch. A smile touched his lips when she rubbed her cheek against him and relaxed even more, molding her body to his with a shaky sigh.

Irritation grew within him when Remus glanced up and saw Bill's eyes had followed his hand, intently watching him stroke her naked hip as if mesmerized. Snarling a warning at his rival, Remus pushed Hermione further behind him. “If you want to continue breathing, Bill, you'll take your eyes off of her.”

Bill's eyes snapped up to Remus' face. “I, uh, I wasn't, I wasn't looking at her.”

“Sure you weren't.” Shrugging out of his jacket, Remus turned. He had to grab hold of Hermione's arm so she wouldn't turn with him, practically having to rip her hands from the back of his shirt so he could keep her in front of him and out of Bill's line of sight. Quickly draping his jacket over her shoulders, he watched as she gratefully slid her arms into the sleeves and hugged herself. Remus hooked his fingers under her chin and pulled her face up, wanting her to look at him, but she stubbornly kept her eyes half-lidded so he couldn't see them.

“Hermione, look at me, hon.”

Her response was a whimper, her lower lip trembling as she tried to pull her chin out of his hand. Remus took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he wiped her tears from her face. “Stop crying, hon. It's okay.”

Hermione chanced a glance at him, then lifted her hands and pushed his away from her face as more tears fell. “Remus, I...” She couldn't finish. There was so much she wanted to say, but fear and shame stopped her. How do you apologize to your lover when he'd just caught you with another man? She was disgusted with herself, and angry. She shamelessly propositioned Bill Weasley like a common whore! Ron's brother! Remus' friend! And now their friendship was ruined and Remus' trust in her shattered. How could Remus possibly be so kind to her after what he just walked in on?

Hermione now also feared Remus touching her tears. Bill's reaction indicated she was a danger to others if they touched them and she didn't want to hurt Remus. 'Oh! He's touched my tears so many times! How badly has he been affected? Please say he'll be all right! Oh no! Sirius has touched my tears, too! Will he be okay? Poor Sirius! Please say he'll be okay!'

Remus hugged her to him, wanting her to know he wasn't going to abandon her, that he wasn't going to hurt her. “It's okay, Hermione.”

Unable to reply least she start sobbing again, Hermione nodded her head into his chest as she clutched his arms. Her throat was tight and she was sure anything she wanted to say to him would get stuck in the lump she felt forming there. The most she could get out was a little squeak.

Remus held her close for a few moments before remembering Bill. Glowering, he turned to face the man, keeping himself between Bill and Hermione as he backed up and pushed her against the wall again.

Watching the interaction between Remus and Hermione, Bill was now positive they were lovers. His mind was reeling with all the new information he now had to try and sift through as he tried to make sense of it all. He was still working on figuring out how they could have become lovers if Sirius was the one who kidnapped her. Fully aware of the rift that had formed between Remus and Tonks, he now wondered if it was due to Remus' relationship with Hermione. But how could a relationship between them start if she had been kidnapped by Sirius?

In an unconscious attempt to ready himself in case Remus attacked, Bill stiffened and his attention came to front and center when Remus suddenly turned towards him.

Remus now looked hard at Bill, his mouth a grim line. “I'll ask one more time for you to tell me about the curses you mentioned, Bill.”

Eyes flicking between the two of them as Remus tried to hide her behind him, Bill stammered out his reply. “I, uh, actually, um, like I said before, it was Albus who originally asked me to come in and examine Hermione for any curses. He, uh, he suspected she had become victim to a curse due to who held her captive.” Bill looked down at his hands, wishing he could stop them from shaking. “I found one on her that causes the victim to react violently to nightmares. The Amnoctis Formidonis.”

Remus nodded curtly, vaguely remembering the name of the hex while also thinking that he should have realized she was afflicted with it. 'Damn it all to hell! I never thought about her having any spells on her other than what that damned elf did to her. Merlin, did that elf do any teaching to keep me from thinking about that?'. He waited for Bill to continue, but the man stood silently, his eyes obviously seeking for traces of Hermione as she hid behind him. “What did I tell you, Bill? I don't think you need to see any more of her than you already have.”

“I, uh...” Bill paused as he struggled to figure out this new mystery before him. “Remus, I don't understand. Hermione indicated she had been kidnapped by Sirius. Did you help him? I just can't believe you'd help him kidnap her. But, if you didn't, then I don't understand where you came into the picture.”

“I really don't think you need to know about all that, Bill.” Remus' voice was clipped as he stood tall and crossed his arms, looking more forbidding than before. “Going back to the subject of the curses, was the Amnoctis Formidonis the only spell you found on her? I'll assume it wasn't, since I know it's not a sex curse. So, please, continue telling me about these curses you mentioned.”

Bill licked his lips nervously. He didn't like the tone Remus was using with him, and his body language was becoming increasingly aggressive. “I was able to remove that particular curse with ease. Hermione won't suffer from those nightmares anymore, or hurt herself in an attempt to protect herself during one.”

“Good. Now, about the sex curses?”

Bill stepped back while throwing his arms up in frustration. “Hell, Remus, you know what I mean when I say she has sex curses on her!”

Stone-faced, Remus ground out his reply through clenched teeth. “I am perfectly aware of what you mean, Bill. However, I didn't feel them before, so how do I know you didn't plant them on her yourself after you came to see her? That would be a fine excuse for a quick fuck, now wouldn't it?”

Bill paled considerably, his body tensing visibly as he shook a fist at Remus. “How dare you imply that I would do such at thing!”

Hermione squeezed her hands around Remus' waist and he uncrossed his arms so he could put his hands on hers. She was still cold, but she wasn't trembling like she had been. Her small gesture seemed to ground him and help him calm down, help him think a little clearer. Looking intently at Bill, he struggled to reason with himself. He knew that last comment of his had been a low blow, and he also knew Bill wouldn't do something so underhanded. Guilt, shame, and anger warred within him. Closing his eyes and taking in a few deep breaths, he allowed his anger with Bill to flow out of him.

“I'm sorry, Bill. I know you'd never do something like that.” Remus took in another deep breath as he tried to think, his eyes now trained on the other man. “I just don't remember feeling any type of curse on her.”

Bill raked his hand through his hair, wishing he could tie it into the queue he usually kept it in. His hair-tie was gone, lost during the interlude with Hermione. He remembered the girl deliciously entwining her fingers in his hair as she pulled his face from breast to breast, and he figured it must have come out at that time. Bill closed his eyes for a moment as he remembered the feel of her furled, deep pink nipple on his tongue while he tasted her, her warm milk jetting into his mouth as he drank like a man dying of thirst. He opened his eyes to find Remus glaring at him, almost as if he knew what Bill was thinking. “You, uh, you aren't trained to diagnose them, Remus. I would have been surprised if you did.”

“I'm trained in Defense of the Dark Arts. At the very least, I should have sensed them.”

“Apparently, you didn't.” Bill's speech was stilted, it was obvious Remus' accusation still stung. “She has at least three of them on her.”

“Three? At least? There could be more?” Remus was incensed at the thought so many would be placed upon her.

“It's possible.”

“Why? For Gods sakes, why?” Remus brought a hand up in front of him, palm up, and unthinkingly shook it while demanding an answer from Bill, acting as if the younger man had the answers. “She was completely cowed, she did what they demanded of her, they had complete control of her. Why do that to her?”

Shaking his head sadly, Bill felt sudden pity for Remus as he watched the man struggle to keep tears at bay. His careful reply was gently spoken. “Remus, think about who she was with.”

Remus stood silently for a long time, his anger with Sirius flaring again as he thought, for the millionth time, about how the man's lust for Hermione had ruined her life. Not only did she have to deal with the emotional baggage of being kidnapped and tortured, watching others be tormented, and having twins and losing one, she now had the added burden of sex curses? And, on top of all that, she was going to need to be deprogrammed from the damned elfin teaching she received. If that was even possible. Sirius may or may not have been the one to cast the curses upon her, but Remus felt he was at fault for her plight since he was the one to take her against her will in the first place.

Remus glared at Bill and felt his fury with Sirius shift to the young man. “So, you're telling me that one of these curses caused you, an experienced and licensed Curse-breaker, to fuck Hermione senseless.” Remus felt Hermione cringe as she gave out a whimper. He patted her hand gently, wanting her to know he wasn't angry with her. “Is that what you're saying, Bill?”

Bill shook his head slightly. “I, uh... I'm not sure.”

Remus raised his eyebrows.

Defensively raising his hands, Bill's words quickly spilled out of him. “I swear, Remus, I'm not sure.” His brows furrowed together as he tried to remember exactly what happened. “A strange feeling came over me after touching her tears, and then I felt compelled to keep on wiping them away each time she cried.”

Remus watched Bill take in a deep breath and let it out forcefully through pursed lips. Slowly shaking his head back and forth, Bill's eyes took on a far away look as the memories flowed. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. “Then, Gods, then when I tasted her breast m...” Remus emitted a low growl, causing Bill to stop what he was saying and pause a moment before continuing. “Uh, well, she's got either a curse or a potion working on her, or a combination of both, that causes people to have, uh,” he took in another deep breath, trying to think of a way to describe the feelings that had flooded over and through him when he first realized he was being unnaturally affected, “I don't know, warm feelings for her. Protective feelings. These feelings seem to be triggered when touching or ingesting some of her body fluids.”

“All right, that's an interesting excuse. So how does wanting to protect her get you to the stage of fucking her?” Remus felt Hermione startle slightly when he said this, then move further behind him.

“She, uh, the curses, they have specific requirements. As do all sex curses. I know you know that, Remus. She, uh, she began to exhibit the need to have the requirements met. I guess I miscalculated, I was sure it would take a few more days before the symptoms would start. I was caught by surprise.”

“And?” Remus twisted around slightly so he could look at Hermione when he heard her yawing, then felt her snuggling against him.

“I tried to get away, but... I don't know, I should have stunned her and then removed the curses, but for some reason, I couldn't. That was my plan when I realized she was showing signs of being turned on.” Bill looked away as he thought about how powerless he had felt, his voice taking on a far away quality. “It was strange, it was like my body wouldn't do what my mind was telling it to do.”

Sudden comprehension dawned on Remus. “As if you were fighting an Imperius?”

Remus glanced back at Hermione, feeling her beginning to sag down and realized with mild surprise that she was falling asleep. He smiled tiredly, remembering how she always fell into a heavy sleep after intercourse. He turned an angry eye towards Bill, knowing he was the reason for her need to sleep at this time.

“Similar, in a way, yeah. I guess.” Bill scratched his forehead, shaking his head slowly and shrugging. “I don't know, Remus, I need time to analyze what happened here.”

“Well, you can go analyze somewhere else.” Remus nodded towards the door. “Go.”

“Remus, she needs the curses removed from her.”

“Really?” Remus shook his head. “I don't think so. Not by you.”

“Remus, I can remove them with you here. I swear, that's all I want to do. I won't touch her otherwise. And when I leave here, I promise I'll never see her again.” Bill paused a moment, letting Remus take in what he had said. “Okay, Remus? She'll be a walking time bomb if I don't remove them and she won't be safe with any male in the school.”

“Someone else can come remove the curses.” Remus pointed at Bill. “You just need to leave.” He swung his arm towards the door, his finger pointing at it. “Now.”

“Listen to reason, Remus. Just let me get on with my job so she doesn't suffer from the curses anymore. There's no reason to make her live with these curses for another day.” Bill was determined to get through to Remus, to make him understand the seriousness of the situation. “The longer she goes with the curses upon her, the more unstable they will become. The more unstable the curses become, Remus, increases the chance of what happened to me happening to someone else.” He paused, then reworded his last statement, trying to get his meaning across clearly. “Each time she goes without having the curse requirements met will cause her to seek out others. You know yourself that you can't be there for her all the time due to your, uh, being a werewolf.” Remus scowled. “Come on, Remus, you know how this type of curse works. She'll become an unwilling sex kitten for others just to keep the symptoms at bay. Then she'll have to deal with the emotional issues afterwords.” Bill looked Remus in the eye. “You'll be present, Remus, and you'll see I mean her no harm. I swear to it.”

Struggling to make a decision, Remus glared at Bill for a long time. Finally nodding curtly at the man, he turned and picked Hermione up as she started to slump to the floor.

“I trust you can do this while she is asleep?” With Hermione in his arms, he turned and walked over to the cot, laying her down and quickly covering her with a blanket.

Bill stared at Hermione, surprised by her falling into such a deep sleep while standing and while the men conversed with each other. “Uh, yeah, Remus. Of course, I can.”
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Story time: 3:16pm

“Albus.”

Albus looked up from his desk, his senses telling him something had gone terribly wrong. He stood up and shook Bill's hand before they both sat down.

“Is Miss Granger all right? Did removing any of the curses cause her harm?”

Bill sat quietly for a long time, he began talking several times before stopping abruptly each time, looking frustrated as he obviously tried to gather his thoughts together. He finally looked at Albus, actually chewing the inside of his bottom lip before speaking.

“Hermione is fine, for the most part. It took a few hours, but I've been able to safely remove all but one curse. The one I was unsure of is still upon her.”

Nodding, Albus' eyes didn't waver from the young man in front of him.

“I'm, uh, I'm not sure about this last curse, Albus. I may need to bring someone else in to help me diagnose it. The signature upon the curse seems somewhat familiar, but I can't place it right now.”

“All right.” Albus continued to watch Bill, taking note of how uncomfortable and nervous he seemed. It was obvious to Albus that the young man was under great duress. “Bill, something went wrong, didn't it? You stated that Miss Granger is 'fine, for the most part'. Please explain.”

Staring at his hands for a long time, Bill finally replied hesitantly. “Albus, I've discovered that her tears and, uh, breast milk cause an odd reaction to those who touch them.”

Albus' eyebrows shot up. “Oh?” 'Her breast milk? How would he know that? Not unless he... No, surely not.'

Bill cleared his throat. “Hermione and I, we wound up...” Bill leaned forward in his chair and fidgeted. “You see, we wound up, we...”

“Bill, I take it you are about to tell me something that I will disapprove of. Am I correct?”

Bill hesitated before nodding his head and replying quietly. “Yes.”

Albus nodded, his lips pursed. “Go on.”

“Hermione and I, we wound up,” more throat clearing, “having intercourse. And, uh, Remus caught us... uh, in the act.”

A momentary pause before a curt reply. “I see.”

Silence hung between them for many minutes, increasing the tension. Bill chanced looking up and seeing the many portraits of former Headmasters pointing at him and whispering behind their hands before they all quickly resumed pretending to be asleep again.

“Bill, please tell me how that could have occurred. I am very well aware of the fact that you did not enter the room with the intent to engage in sexual relations with the young lady.”

Bill looked away, staring at the flames in the fireplace, his hand coming up and worrying his lower lip. “When I touched her tears, I recall feeling a slight tingling in my fingers. Not enough to really be bothersome or even worrisome. I thought it was just the feeling of their drying at first. But then, after the initial contact, I found myself constantly reaching over to wipe them off, almost like a compulsion. Then, uh, well, she started coming on to me. She became a true temptress, kind of like what you read about in books. And, I couldn't resist her.” Bill looked at Albus, his expression both sad and haunted. “I've always been able to refuse a woman before, Albus. Always. Yet I couldn't with Hermione.”

Albus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I see.”

“Gods, you'd never believe she was sixteen from the way she acted and uh, how well she...” Bill closed his eyes and shook his head sharply. “No, never mind, you don't need to know that. Sorry, I, uh, I didn't realize, I mean...”

“Bill, calm down. I understand and don't hold you accountable.”

“It's just that, Gods, how do I explain it? It's just that my mind was telling my body to do stuff – grab my wand, stun her, turn and leave, back off, let go of her – but yet, I couldn't stop myself.” He let out a shaky breath as he closed his eyes, his head leaning back against the chair. “It was disturbing, to say the least.”

“Yes, I would imagine so.”

“I am truly sorry, Albus. I'll never make it up to you. Or to Hermione. What she must think of me.”

“I am sure that she will understand once this has all been explained to her. Miss Granger is very intelligent and will undoubtedly understand the significance of how the curses affected the both of you during the incident.”

“Gods, I hope so.” Bill put his face in his hands and tilted his head back, rubbing his face hard before lowering his arms. “I really, really hope so.”

“Let me make certain that I understand what you've said thus far, Bill. Am I correct that you feel you were influenced by the touch of her tears?”

Bill's eyes shot open and he picked his head up so he could glare at Albus. “I'm not trying to make excuses, Albus. I still can't believe what happened between us. I never dreamed I'd, I mean, I never thought about... not with Hermione. She was a friend, nothing more. But now...”

“Bill.” Albus spoke gently as he raised a hand up slightly and shook it back and forth from the wrist. “I know you did not plan this. You do not need to defend yourself with me. If I thought you a less than honorable man, I never would have allowed you to go near the girl.”

Bill stared at Albus blankly for a moment, then blinked a few times as his face screwed up, almost as if he were experiencing physical pain. He pulled himself up from his slouched position in the chair and looked down at his hands, fighting to gain control of himself. “Thank you, Albus. That means a lot coming from you.” Bill's tone lowered slightly, giving indication just how distressed he was over the incident. “However, my girlfriend, Fleur, she'll be devastated if she finds out about this.” Agony was written all over his face as he turned away and quickly brought a hand up to cover his face. Albus was alarmed; he was fairly sure he caught sight of a tear starting to fall before Bill could hide his face. “And, my family... they'll...” his whispered voice broke off shakily.

“I understand your concerns, Bill.” Albus nodded thoughtfully. He knew Bill was going to need time to deal with this incident. Not just over the unwanted sexual contact with a friend, but also the loss of control. Albus knew Bill feared being killed by a curse someday, but he was sure the man had never dreamed of being overcome by a sex curse such as he experienced today. Albus needed more information, however, before he could let Bill go to lick his wounds and recover. “Bill, I was under the impression that it would be several days before we needed to worry about this.”

Glad for the diversionary topic, Bill pulled himself together and thought a moment before replying. “As did I. I either miscalculated, or the curses were inflicted upon her very poorly, making them extremely unstable.”

“I doubt very much that you miscalculated.”

“I know I didn't. I just can't believe a Death Eater would do such a poor job at casting a curse.”

“I doubt they have need to cast these curses very often, Bill. Especially when an Imperius will do the job nicely.” Albus took in a deep breath. “Perhaps they were hurriedly cast at the last minute, or by someone who wasn't supposed to be near her, causing their attention to waver. There are a million different possibilities for the poor casting of the curses, and we'll probably never know the true reason.”

“Yes, I guess you're right.”

“During my studies about these types of curses, Bill, I recall reading that some curses can be made to cycle so their requirements must be met on a type of schedule – every couple of days, for example.”

“Yes, it's possible one or all of the curses were set to a schedule, but those are quite rare and extremely difficult to set up. The person must be skilled and it requires great concentration.”

“Difficult due to?” Albus left the question open, wishing for Bill to furnish the reasoning behind his statement.

“The curse has to be timed to the victim's biorhythm. Muggles have the basic concept of biorhythms, but have them calculated all wrong using colorful wavy lines with specific intervals for different birth dates. It's not that simple. Even those skilled in Arithmancy have difficulty pinpointing a person's exact life rhythm. There are many things that can alter the flow of the rhythm – illness, injury, the interactions of other spells, the waxing and waning of a person's magic as they age. Puberty. Pregnancy. Even the full moon infinitesimally shifts a person's biorhythm each month. Therefore, that type of curse is exquisitely difficult to set up correctly.”

“If done incorrectly, the curse will become unstable?”

Letting out a deep breath, Bill's reply was soft. “Yes, yes, it would. If the curse worked at all, that is.”

“You state, however, that you were able to remove the curses?”

Bill nodded. “All but the one.”

“Were you able to tell if the curses were interacting with each other in some way?”

“They were, but minimally.”

“But only one curse remains?” He waited for Bill to nod. “Good. That's better than not removing any of them.” Albus looked at Bill keenly. “I know you do not wish to go into detail about what happened with Miss Granger, so I will refrain from inquiring about it. It is enough for me to know why you feel you lost control. However, I must ask, how did you manage to keep Remus from killing you?”

Bill looked thoughtful. “The man has amazing self control. We had words, to be sure, but he remained civilized.”

“Yes, Remus does seem to have a good head on his shoulders, as the Muggles would say.” Albus stroked his beard as he contemplated his next question. “He allowed you to remain so you could remove the curses?”

“He did, though I had to persuade him.” Bill crossed his leg, ankle on knee, and absently traced the design on his dragon-hide boots with a finger. “They are lovers?” Bill asked, raising his head to look at the headmaster.

Inclining his head slightly, Albus quietly confirmed Bill's suspicions. “They have become lovers, yes.”

“But, I thought he and Tonks... I mean, well, Tonks seemed perfect for him, and they seemed to enjoy...” Bill cursed himself as he struggled to verbalize his thoughts. “And Hermione said, I mean, she mentioned Sirius took her, but yet she's obviously become attached to, or rather... She's hasn't fixated, has she?” Bill thought a moment, then shook his head slowly. “No, she can't have, not permanently, not if...”

Albus' smile was small as he cut into Bill's rambling. “It's complicated, Bill.”

“So Remus said.” Bill looked sad. “Speaking of Remus, I'm sure he will be here to speak with you shortly about the incident.”

“All right, thank you for the warning, Bill.”

“Albus, I swear, I never meant to touch her, not in that way.”

Albus sighed deeply, his head inclining slightly as he brought his hands up and rubbed his temples. “I know, Bill. I know.”

A long moment of tense silence stretched on between them before Bill finally spoke.

“Uh, Hermione mentioned she's had a child?”

“Yes, she did.”

“She said she had Sirius' child, but that Sirius didn't father the baby Poppy is babysitting. I don't understand.”

Albus glanced down at his fingers before answering. “Miss Granger became the mother of twins.” He paused when Bill murmured in surprise. “However, one of her daughters died. She birthed twins conceived by two different men.”

“What?” Bill sat forward in his seat in surprise. “How could that... I've never heard of... I mean, that's not possible, is it?”

“It is. It's a relatively rare phenomenon, or thought to be, but it has been scientifically proven to occur by the Muggle medical community.”

“But, that means, she'd have had to...” Bill let his voice trail off as he thought of the possibilities of the phenomenon.

“Miss Granger was forced into sexual relations with more than one man, Bill. That is how it occurred.”

“She was gang raped?”

“When she conceived?” Albus shook his head sadly. “No, but, from what I understand, the man who fathered the one twin was forced to perform sex acts upon Miss Granger while she was physically restrained.” Abruptly, Albus sat up straight. “Bill, I apologize for seeming to be rude, but this is a subject I would rather not discuss, and I am sure Miss Granger would prefer I not do so as well.”

“Oh. Yes, yes of course. I understand.” Bill looked and felt decidedly relieved, somehow glad she had to be forced into a situation that caused her to conceive twins fathered by two men. Then he felt anger rise up within him to think that was done to her. He was then overcome with great sorrow as he thought about what Hermione had gone through these many months. Raising his hands, he interlaced his fingers, using his thumbs to pinch, then rub, the bridge of his nose near his inner canthi. “You said the one twin died. Will you tell me what happened to it? And, I take it the other twin is all right?”

“For now, Miss Granger and her parents believe the child died of SIDS. The other child is perfectly healthy.”

“SIDS?” Bill scratched his chin as he wracked his brain in an attempt to find a memory associated with the word. “What's that?”

“A Muggle affliction. SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.”

Brows furrowed, Bill gave his head a brief shake back and forth. “I've never heard of it.”

“As I said, it is a Muggle affliction. For now, it is easier if Miss Granger believes her child died from that.”

“For now? Was the child murdered by her captives?”

“Not murdered, no.”

Bill's jaw clenched and unclenched as he mulled over what Albus was, and was not, saying. “Hermione is handling the death of her child okay?”

“As well as could be expected. Miss Granger has a great deal on her plate and I believe she may have some difficulty grieving effectively for her daughter.”

Bill nodded his understanding as he huffed. “She has a lot on her plate – that's putting it mildly.”

“Indeed.”

Silence ensued for a few minutes, each man's thoughts circling around Hermione, though for different reasons and with different objectives. Hesitantly, Bill broke the silence as he expressed his desire to continue helping the girl.

“Albus, I will have to come back. I don't want to, but I need to. Problem is, I promised Remus I wouldn't see Hermione again. However, due to the complexity of the last curse, I will need to come back so I can continue working to remove it. Try to figure it out. I'll make sure I'm escorted and chaperoned before I enter the room with her.”

“That's fine, Bill. I understand.” Albus looked down at his hands. “I'll ask again, just to make sure I understand you correctly. Do you believe your reaction to Miss Granger was solely due to your touching her tears? You've already stated you believe the tears caused you to weaken in some way, but do you think your continuing to respond to her advances was due to the tears?”

“I don't know, I really don't. The curse upon her could have swayed me. But, a potion would change her chemical makeup enough to affect others. And, if it was a potion combined with a curse...” Bill shook his head sadly. “Let's just say that Severus needs to analyze her breast milk and tears. I didn't feel anything when she, uh, I felt nothing from contact with her saliva.” Bill blushed as he continued. “I was a little too far gone to tell if contact with her vaginal secretions caused any untoward effects.”

Albus shifted in his seat as he nodded. “All right, I'll inform Severus immediately.”

“With your permission, I'll bring an associate with me who has more experience with these types of curses. Between the two of us, we may be able figure it out and break it.”

“Of course, do what you deem best, just ensure that this person knows to be discreet. If your associate is a man, please make sure that neither one of you are ever left alone with Miss Granger.” Albus paused a moment, thinking. “Will it be all right for Remus to remain while you attempt to remove the curse? I fear it will now be difficult to remove him from her presence.” 'This has complicated matters immeasurably, possibly irreparably. Damn! Bill is right, I should have had him escorted so he wasn't alone with her, even if it was I who accompanied him. Now Remus will be nearly as possessive of her as Sirius is. How do I handle this new situation to my advantage?'

“Yes, yes, absolutely. Actually, at this time, I think it would be better if he were present, uh, after what happened today.”

“Yes...” Albus nodded tiredly. “Yes...”

“Albus, I don't want to try and place blame or anything, but I really should have had someone else with me when I went in to talk with her. I allowed my over-confidence, thinking I could handle the situation alone, to cloud my judgment. And, I allowed you to talk me out of having an escort. Until we know exactly what this last curse is, and find out if she has been doused with a potion, she needs to be chaperoned at all times. I have no idea how her body fluids will affect women, but with a man, uh...”

“Yes, I understand. I'll make sure Miss Granger is properly chaperoned.”

“Good, and thank you for taking my warning seriously.”

“I value your opinion, Bill. It would be unconscionable of me to ignore your warning. Especially after what happened between the two of you today.” Albus inhaled deeply through his nose. “I must apologize to you, Bill, for putting you in a position that could result in...”

Bill spoke quickly, blanching at the implication of Albus' words. “Just heed my warning, Albus, so no one else has to deal with the aftermath of the potion, if that's what it was.” Bill pulled on his lower lip a few times before dropping his hand down. “Hermione dropped off to sleep, like she was drugged, after we... finished. Remus states this is normal for her.”

“Yes, I understand she falls into a deep sleep after sexual relations. Similar to when she had the nightmares.”

Thoughtfully, Bill nodded slowly. “Remus mentioned elven teaching? And you had asked me about elfin magic. Are these related?”

Albus nodded. “They are.”

“Remus implied Hermione always falls asleep after intercourse due to this teaching?”

“I don't know if that is the reason or not. Remus may be stating this due to some clues he has been able to put together. He was the one who discovered there was be some type of elven magic being used on the girl, which I have been able to verify is true. Remus is quite astute at putting together unusual clues.”

“Is there any chance this curse I'm unfamiliar with was inflicted by an elf? I don't recall knowingly dealing with elven curses, but as I said, the signature seems familiar.”

“I'll be honest when I state I don't know. Miss Granger has been in the company of several house elves owned by Death Eaters. It is possible, that is all I can say.”

Bill frowned as he contemplated the possibilities of this new information. “Albus, if that's the case, we may not discover what this curse is, or exactly what it's requirements are. For all we know, she has to be in the company of a Death Eater at specific intervals to keep the symptoms at bay.” Bill's face screwed up in disgust. “Or be with an elf.”

Albus frowned as he thought over Bill's words. “Surely Miss Granger will exhibit signs as to what her needs would be, would she not?”

“Maybe. It'll be a compulsion. Problem will be, for whom or what. We have no idea of which curse caused, uh, what happened between the two of us today. It could have been one of the curses I removed, or the one she is still afflicted with. For all we know, the curse she has now will exhibit new symptoms tonight, tomorrow, next week. Only time will tell.”

“I see. Yet, we still don't know for sure if it's a sex curse or not.”

“Correct.”

“And we are not sure if it was cast by a human or house elf.”

Bill sighed. “I'm fairly sure it's a human curse, but I could be wrong.”

“I see. This last curse incalculably complicates things. So much so that I am having great difficulty in determining what must be done.” He took in a long suffering sigh and let it out slowly. “I will have to gather more information before I decide a plan of action. Meanwhile, if we are lucky, you will break the curse and the decision on what to do in regards to Miss Granger will become more clear-cut.”

“I'll go home tonight and discuss this with my friend. I'm confident that, between the two of us, we can at least diagnose the curse.”

“That's good to hear. Let us hope for the best then.”

Albus looked at the flames as they danced merrily in the hearth. He wished he felt as merry as they looked. Now he not only had Sirius, Remus, and Severus to worry about due to their sexual contact with Miss Granger – he also had Bill to worry about. All important pieces of the puzzle, in their own way, in the fight against Voldemort. Was this a sex curse? Or one to make her murder someone? Or one to cause her to do any number of things just as damaging? She was best friends with Harry, after all. So a curse to make her murder Harry was not inconceivable. If this was indeed an elfin curse, he was confident he knew who the owner was and he thought he just might pay that particular elf a visit later on in the day. Albus looked away from the flames when Bill spoke again, turning to look at the worried young man.

“I, uh, Albus, I'm not going to tell Fleur, or anyone else for that matter, about what occurred between Hermione and I.”

“Yes, I think that wise.”

“I really don't want to see her again. I feel... dirty, sort of like a lecherous old man who preys upon little girls. I, I just, I mean...”

“Bill, it wasn't your fault. You were unprepared for...”

“It doesn't matter if it was my fault or not, Albus. I violated her. If you had seen her afterwords, when Remus pulled me... “ Bill shuddered. “I mean, the girl, she was devastated, and I... I feel like I just joined a long list of men who abused her.” Bill's hand came up to wipe impatiently at a tear as he let out a shaky breath, his expression troubled.

“Tomorrow, I shall escort you to see Miss Granger, and we will discuss what occurred between you today.” Albus' tone was soft, patient. He held up a hand to stop Bill's protesting. “We will make sure she knows it will be all right to continue trusting you. And help her understand that she is not at fault as well. I am sure,” Albus looked over his half-moon spectacles at the distraught young man before him, “that she will need reassurances as well. I doubt she fully understands all that is working upon her and making her do things she normally would not.”

“All right, Albus. If you think we should do that, then we'll do it. I'd rather not, but it would probably be best since I'll have to be around her to assist with the curse removal. Merlin, I wish I could have removed all of the curses, then I wouldn't have to see her again.”

Albus gave Bill a level gaze. “Bill, running away from the situation won't help. Seeing her will help the both of you heal so you can deal with the situation and put it behind you.”

“I know, Albus, I know.” Bill sighed as he gave a wry smile. “Knowing that doesn't stop me from wanting to run away and hide like a child who's had his hand caught in the cookie jar.”

“No, I suppose it doesn't. But, you're a grown man, Bill. If Miss Granger sees you trying to overcome what happened, it will help her immeasurably.”

“You think so?”

Albus nodded, his reply firm. “I do.”

“All right, Albus. All right, you've convinced me. I'll talk with her tomorrow.” Bill sat forward and pointed his finger at Albus. “But, you're coming with me.” Bill sat back slowly, clearing his throat and blushing as he said, with obvious discomfort, “Another thing, Albus. I'd, uh, I'd really appreciate it if you made sure Poppy gave Hermione some contraceptive potion today.”

Albus nodded, the silence hanging heavily between them.

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

Severus knocked on the door where Miss Granger was hidden and scowled when Remus answered the door.

“Lupin.”

“What do you want, Severus?”

“I am in need of a few more samples from Miss Granger. The headmaster has come to the conclusion that I have not taken enough.”

“Samples? Samples of what?”

“Might I come in so we are not discussing this in such a public place?”

Remus looked behind Severus and caught a glance of Poppy talking to a student through the folds of the partition that had been erected just outside of the door. He backed up hastily, allowing Severus entrance.

Severus looked around the room, expecting to see Hermione sitting in a chair and was surprised to find her sound asleep on a cot. He raised a brow and turned to look at Remus.

“She was tired,” Remus' explanation was curt.

Severus raised a brow as he fixed his gaze upon the infant in Remus' arms. “Indeed.”

Remus glared back as he sat down in a rocker and finished bottle feeding Persimmonie. Hermione had gone into such a deep sleep that he was unable to rouse her to feed her baby. Remus had attempted to hold the babe against her sleeping mother's breast, but he couldn't seem to get the child angled correctly so she could latch on effectively, making her cry until he finally retrieved a bottle of formula from Poppy. He could feel Severus' eyes on him as he patiently burped the infant while rocking gently, then deftly changed her nappy. Finally sated and comfortably dry, Persimmonie fell asleep as he continued to rub her back while holding her against his chest, her cheek on his shoulder. Unperturbed by Severus' impatient glare, he lowered her into the bassinet and stared down at her for a few moments before turning his attention back to the dark wizard.

“What is it that you want, Severus?”

Severus pulled out a few vials and a beaker, then handed them to Remus. “I need a sample of Miss Granger's tears and of her breast milk. I also wish for another sample of her vaginal secretions.”

“What?” Remus stepped away from the bassinet and walked towards Severus, a look of frowning skepticism adorning his face.

Severus looked bored, though his tone was testy. “I am testing her for the presence of a potion. Thus far, I have found none. The headmaster called me to his office not long ago and requested I be sure to check these body fluids in particular. I am here to collect them.”

“Breast milk? You've got to be kidding.”

“Lupin, when have you ever known me to 'kid'?”

Remus looked somberly at Severus. “Maybe that's your problem, Severus. You're too serious.”

“Nevertheless, I need those samples. I believe it would be prudent if you collected them for me.”

Remus looked at the vials in his hand, turned to look at Hermione, then glanced back at Severus. “Yes, I think you're right. I'll bring the samples to you later.”

“I wish for them now.”

“Hermione is sleeping. I'm not waking her to get you the bloody samples.”

“Then I shall be forced to retrieve them myself.” Severus made to grab the glass containers from Remus' hand and stepped forward. Remus snatched his hand away and stepped in front of Severus, his hand on the other man's chest.

“Not on your life, Snape.” Remus snarled as he pushed Severus back.

Severus smirked as he gestured towards the cot where Hermione lay. “Then, by all means, get me my samples.”

Glaring, Remus' tone reflected his irritation. “I fail to see why you need these now. Why can't it wait?”

“My time is limited, Lupin. Unlike you, I am a busy man with many responsibilities.” Severus glared back at Remus. “I will have the time to test these samples within the next few hours and I wish to take advantage of it.”

“Fine. I'll get the bloody samples for you.”

Severus smiled. “Good. The beaker is for the breast milk. Be sure to fill it up completely. The blue topped vial is for her tears – they must be tears of sadness which will be chemically different from the natural lubricating fluids of her eyes or even from tears of happiness. The...”

“How the hell am I supposed to get samples of her tears? I'm not making her cry just for you.”

“I really don't care how you obtain them. Spank her for all I care. Just get them.” Taking in an irritated breath, Severus released it slowly. “The red topped tube is for a sample of her vaginal secretions. I require fluid from deep within her vaginal canal, not the discharge found at the entrance. If possible, the sample should be collected when she is... sexually stimulated... as those secretions are chemically different from when she is in her neutral state.” Severus paused to smirk. “Her secretions should be pure. By that, I mean no sperm. I need to test her, and not another person's, body fluids.” He raised an eyebrow as he drawled, “If you don't mind.”

Shooting Severus a dark look, Remus sighed. “Leave the room. I'll bring you the samples when I'm done.”

Severus turned for the door, then shot over his shoulder as he walked out, “Enjoy yourself. I'll be waiting in my office.”

Remus growled, “Bastard,” and was annoyed when Severus chuckled darkly as he closed the door.

Slowly, Remus turned to look at Hermione before advancing on her. He put the vials and beaker down on the floor next to the cot and sat down with a sigh as he reached out to shake her shoulder.

“Hermione?”

Hermione mumbled under her breath then went to turn onto her side.

“Sweetie, you need to wake up, hon.” Remus shook her shoulder harder.

Hermione woke and looked at him groggily. “Mmmmmm? Remus?”

Remus nodded as he gave her a tired smile. “Sweetie, Professor Snape was here, he told me he needed some more samples from you.”

Her hair a tangled mess around her face, Hermione attempted to sit up. Remus pushed her back down, then ran his hand down along her body, finally resting it on her thigh. “Sweetie, I'll get the samples from you, okay? You don't need to get up right now.” He looked at her breasts, then his eyes slid down to the junction between her legs. Those would be the easier samples to obtain, but how would he get a sample of her tears?

Pulling the blanket up, Remus began to reach under it. “Hon, I'm going to need for you to open your legs so I can get some of your vaginal secretions. I'm afraid I'll need to... we'll need to... I mean, you'll need to be a little, uh, excited when I collect the sample.”

“Um, I don't want to, not right now. I haven't showered.” Hermione clamped her legs together and pulled the covers closer to her as she blushed. “Please, Remus.”

Remus sat up straight, frowning. He thought for a few moments, then stood up, pulling her with him. “Then we'll shower. Come along. I need to Disillusion you so we can get to the shower without being seen.”

Hermione covered her mouth as she yawned mightily, then nodded her head. “Yes, sir.”

A moment later she felt him tap her hard on the top of her head, then the sensation of something cold dripping down her body ensued. She shivered as the sensation moved down her body. Hermione turned to look at Remus and saw him disappearing under the same charm.

“Remus?” Hermione stifled another yawn. “Is Persimmonie still with Madam Pomfrey?”

Remus glanced at the bassinet where Persimmonie was now sleeping, and figured the baby would be all right if left alone for a while since he had just finished taking care of her needs. She normally slept for nearly two hours at a time now, and he very much doubted that they would be gone that long.

“No, hon, I just finished feeding her and she's asleep in her bassinet. She'll be fine while we're away.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.”

“Come along.” She felt him grab her arm, then slide his hand down until he had hers firmly within his. He opened the door quietly, looked out carefully, then pulled her out into the hospital wing. They walked along the edge of the large room, Hermione plastered up against Remus, until they came to the door of the lone shower. They entered wordlessly, Remus closing the door before casting locking and silencing charms on it. Remus hesitated for a moment before walking to the shower and turning the water on. He stood, watching the area where he knew she was standing as he unbuckled and unbuttoned his pants.

“Sir? I mean, Remus?”

Remus smiled, though he knew she couldn't see it, as he continued to remove his clothes. He knew she wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, though he was fairly confident she suspected. He looked around the room and frowned with disapproval – the room was far too impersonal and... clinical. Silently, he raised his wand, and instantly a hundred tiny candles were floating about the room, the torches on the walls extinguishing at the same time. He smiled when she gave out a tiny gasp of wonder.

“Yes?” The word was drawn out, his tone one of mystery.

Hermione could see him moving as the space he occupied undulated strangely, as if a sheer cloth were moving in front of the shower curtain. It sounded to her as if he was removing his clothes, but she wasn't sure. Didn't he expect her to shower herself clean from Bill's leavings so he could obtain these samples he mentioned? Surely he was disgusted and angry with her after what he walked in on, wasn't he? If he was though, why was he removing his clothes? She didn't dare hope, but she had a feeling he planned to take a shower with her. Her heart leaped at the thought; ever since that day they showered together after the babies were born, she had been aching to do so with him again.

She looked around the room in awe. Why the sudden appearance of the candles? The room sparkled now, with tiny pin-points of light reflecting off the metal and tile surfaces of the room as the candles lazily floated about, each one moving with the air currents, but none of them hitting each other or anything else within the room. When two candles came close together, they seemed to repel each other, much like magnets of the same polarity would. It was such a romantic gesture that it brought tears to her eyes.

“Um, aren't you going to remove this charm?” She could barely whisper the words out, fearing she would break the mood.

Remus chuckled deeply as he grabbed her arms so he could pull her up to him; reaching down, he swiftly pulled her nightgown up over her head. Reaching up, he carelessly tossed it behind him. Hermione watched as the floating candles moved out of the way of the falling article of clothing before moving back into place. “No, sweetie. I thought we'd have fun playing around a bit in the candlelight while we're Disillusioned. It's something I've always wanted to do, but never had the chance.” His hands roamed over her body, making her twitch in anticipation. “I would imagine the sensation is quite different when you are being touched by someone who is invisible.” He found a nipple and gave it a little tweak. “Don't you think, my dear?”

Startled and impassioned at the same time, Hermione drew in a sharp intake of air when he plucked at her breast again. She looked down, finding it strange, as well as monumentally exhilarating, to feel him touching her, but unable to see his hand on her. She giggled as she reached up and covered his hand with her own, feeling him as he continued to deliciously twist and tug on her. “Yes, sir. I think it'll feel splendid.” She looked up and whispered, “It already does.”

He gave a low growl as he brought his head down, seeking her mouth with his. They kissed deeply, their hands exploring each other with increasing intensity. Remus broke the kiss, pulling her up so he could nibble on her ear and neck, going for the places that he knew would drive her wild, before lowering her down as she struggled to catch her breath. Her squeals made Remus glad he had placed the silencing charms when they first entered the room.

Enjoying his attention, Hermione still had the nagging feeling that he should be, at the very least, angry with her for what happened that morning. She had been absolutely terrified when he pulled her out from under Bill, the look on his face was one of pure rage – rage she feared was directed at her. She didn't understand why he was being so good to her, not after what had happened. Frowning, she looked up, her eyes seeking for where she thought his face was. “Remus?” Her voice was small. “You aren't mad at me? For, um, you know, um...”

She felt him stiffen for a split second and fearfully shrank back, sure she had ruined everything with her stupid question. Remus took in a deep breath and relaxed as he pulled her up to him, his arms coming around her in a bear hug.

“No, baby, I'm not angry with you. I do realize you couldn't help it. And...” It took all of his will to grind out, “I know Bill couldn't help it, either.” Remus took in another deep, cleansing breath before exhaling slowly as he remembered watching, with an undulating mixture of great anger and sadness, Bill lifting the curses from her sleeping form. He lowered his chin so it rested on the top of her head. “Sweetie, I'll never forget the look of joy you had on your face when you first saw me. That told me a great deal. More than words could ever say.”

Hermione nodded. “I was sooooo happy to see you, Remus. I couldn't believe it when I first heard your voice, it was so wonderful to hear.”

Remus closed his eyes, glad deep within himself to hear what she just said. Knowing she had fought out of a mental fog (he didn't want to think about what the fog was) when she heard his voice meant a great deal to him. Somehow, he knew that it was his voice alone that would have affected her in such a way, and he felt a surge of emotion flood over him.

“Sweetie, I'll be sure not to let you go so that you're forced to find someone else to take care of my business. And, it is my business, I consider you as my responsibility. I just didn't realize what would happen if you were forced to be... celibate... for a few days. Now that I know, I won't let it happen again.”

“Oh. Um, that sounds nice.” Hermione nuzzled his chest. “That sounds very nice.” Hermione felt a sudden sadness come over her for she knew that there was a time when her feathers would have been ruffled at the thought of a man saying she was his responsibility. Now, she felt relieved at his words and wondered if she'd ever go back to being the girl she once was.

Remus huffed, his features hardening. “Now, if I could only get Bill's ass out of my mind, I might recover from the shock of this morning.”

Hermione stood on tip-toe, wanting very much to look into his eyes. She brought her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I am sorry, Remus. Really, I am.” She pulled back, looking up in a vain attempt to see his facial expression.

She felt him pet the top of her head, his hand sliding down as he sought for her chin. Remus' thumb brushed over her lips, his voice becoming very soft. “Let's not talk about it anymore, okay?”

Nodding slightly, Hermione sucked in his thumb and pulled back slowly, wetly releasing him as she whispered, “Um, okay.”

It was Remus' turn to take in a sharp breath as his thumb popped out of her mouth. He stood still, breathing deeply, as her tongue flicked along his trembling palm and fingers before his cock twitched impatiently, enabling him to move again. He suddenly took a step back from her, smiling when she gave a mewl of protest and reached up to pull him back.

“I believe we have a few samples to get for Severus. But first, I think you need a good scrub down.” Remus groped for and grabbed her hand before turning and stepping into the shower, pulling her in with him. “After we're done in here, we'll get those samples for him. However, I take it you won't mind if I test a few samples before we start the collection process? Just to, uh, make sure everything is fresh and unspoiled?”

Hermione smiled as she pushed herself up against him, her fingers fumbling as she tried to find his face. “No, I don't mind at all. Not at all.” She giggled as she slowly lowered herself down to her knees, her fingertips and tongue tracing his unseen anatomy. “I think this is going to be fun, Remus.” Her voice dropped an octave. “Sooooo much fun.”

Remus sighed and closed his eyes as he enjoyed Hermione blindly seeking to pleasure him. He'd scrub her down later. Right now, he didn't want to stop her enthusiastic explorations. Smiling, he leaned against the wall as he unknowingly received the same treatment Bill did just hours before.

It was indeed fortunate he had applied the silencing charms when they first entered the room.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
(A few hours later)

“Here's two of your samples.” Remus laid the glassware on the desk in front of Severus as he sat marking papers with red ink. “I couldn't bring myself to obtain the tears. I'm afraid you'll have to get them yourself.”

Severus glanced at the samples before looking up at Remus. “Really?” he drawled. “It will be my pleasure.” Leaning back in his chair, Severus stretched his long legs out in front of him as he lazily interlaced his fingers on his abdomen before cocking an eyebrow at Remus. “Did I not state that I wanted the samples right away?”

“As if you were going to get them 'right away' when one of the samples had to be obtained when she was 'sexually stimulated'. Were those not your explicit instructions?”

Smirking, Severus sat up and leaned forward so he could scrutinize the samples before him, first taking note of the opalescent yellow-white coloring of the breast milk before turning his attention to the vial. “I do hope these samples are... freshly obtained and weren't sitting for a long period of time while the two of you... finished up.” He picked up the vial that contained her vaginal secretions and inspected it, then raised his eyes to look at Remus before sighing as he stood.

“I believe I told you that I wanted a pure sample of her vaginal secretions. This one seems to be... contaminated.”

“I am fully aware, Severus, that all you need to do is add a few drops of the Sperudis solution to her secretions which will effectively clump the contaminates together for easy removal via pipette.”

“Perhaps. But what if my testing requires a sample that has not been manipulated?”

Remus slammed his fist on the desk. “Oh, come off it, Severus! Knock off the stupid shit and get on with your fucking testing!”

With that, Remus turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Severus watched him leave, completely unperturbed by the man's outburst. He lifted the vial and looked at its contents before glaring darkly at the door again, scowling. Putting the vial down, his eyes turned to the beaker. He stared at it for a long time, his trembling hand coming up to gently stroke the sides of the warm glass with the tips of his fingers.

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

“Albus.”

“Remus, I was expecting you.” Albus stood, his hand coming out to shake hands with Remus. Formalities done, both men sat down in their respective seats.

“You were expecting me?” Remus sat back in the chair while frowning. “I take it you have spoken with Bill.”

“I have.”

“And?” Remus' tone was brusque.

Albus sat back in his chair, his elbows on the arm rests as he steepled his fingertips before him. The tone Remus was using spoke volumes – it was obvious the man was still angered by what he walked in on, and, by extension, angry with Bill. “Remus, you are aware of the curses Miss Granger had upon herself, are you not?”

“I am. Bill explained them to me as he removed them.”

“You are then aware of the fact that Bill got caught up in something he was not properly equipped to handle. Neither one of us realized this until it was too late.”

Remus took in a deep breath as he struggled with his inner demons. He wanted to kill Bill for fucking Hermione, he wanted to kill Albus for allowing Bill to be with Hermione alone, he wanted to kill Severus just because Severus was, well Severus. He refused to think of Sirius or Kreacher, his mind going into overload when he thought about them.

Yet, he had to force himself to rationalize the situation. Bill was a victim of circumstance. He knew Bill was honorable and never would have touched Hermione if he hadn't been affected by one of the curses Remus had watched him lift from her. He knew Albus had already gone above and beyond when it came to helping free Hermione since she wasn't as important in the fight for Voldemort as Harry was. Severus was just being his snarky self, but it still galled him that the man had been able to engage in intercourse with her when she unknowingly thought she was having sexual relations with himself. He knew Sirius was also a victim, but he still had difficulty keeping thoughts of beating the shit out of him out of his mind. Kreacher, well, he wouldn't contemplate that blasted elf at all.

“I realize that, Albus. But it still doesn't help with the fact that Bill had his way with her.” He wasn't going to say that Bill fucked her, it hurt too much to put it into words.

“Bill is distraught over the incident, and understandably so. Not only does he have your anger to deal with, but he fears his family finding out about what occurred. He has much to lose over this, Remus.”

Remus turned to look at the fireplace, the mesmerizing movement of the flames helping soothe him. “I know, Albus, I know. I'm just so caught up with her plight that I seem to have lost my good judgment.”

“I believe you showed remarkably good judgment when you spoke with Bill after you entered the room, gathering the information you needed to...”

“I don't mean to burst your bubble, as they say, Albus. But Bill is lucky I dropped my wand when I first entered the room because otherwise he would be talking soprano right now. I was so incensed by what I saw that I literally could have killed him.”

Albus stared at Remus quietly as he thought over the man's words and the implications over what could have happened in that room hours before. “I see.”

Remus growled out an, “Umph,” as he turned to look at the flames again.

“You were not angry with Miss Granger? After all, at the time, you were unaware of her being a curse victim.”

“I was angry with her. But I wouldn't have hurt her like I wanted to hurt Bill. I don't know, I probably would have yelled at her, maybe even pushed her around to get my point across.”

“Yet you did not.”

“No. I saw how my rage terrified her and my anger with her dissipated completely. When she was crying, all I could think of doing was calming her down, to soothe away her fears.”

“You are aware that that is not a normal reaction, are you not? Most men would have remained angry with her for cheating on them.”

“I knew Hermione didn't mean it, Albus.”

Albus nodded thoughtfully, his lips pursed slightly. “You have touched her tears before?”

“Her tears?” Remus looked confused. “Yes, I have. I've wiped them away a time or two.”

“Forgive my prying questioning, Remus. But, have you, per chance, partaken of her breast milk?”

Hesitating, Remus replied with a questioning glance at Albus before looking down at his hands. “I have. Why do you ask?”

Albus nodded slowly. “Do you feel any compulsion to, perhaps, drink from her?”

“A compulsion? No, not that I'm aware of. I see it as part of foreplay.” Remus sat up in the chair. “Now that you've got insight into my sex life, Albus, would you mind telling me why you're asking these intrusive questions?”

“Bill reported that he felt a tingling when he touched Miss Granger's tears, after which he felt an unusual compulsion to keep wiping them away from her face. He states the compulsion to touch her was even stronger when he tasted her milk.”

“I don't fucking want to hear what he did with Hermione. I saw enough.” Remus' jaw was so tight he worried it would shatter. He thrust his fist at Albus. “Got it, Albus?”

“I apologize for appearing indelicate with my questioning, Remus, but there is information I must gather in order to make the right decisions on what to do. Please be patient with my questioning.”

“I don't think you're going to be making any decisions about Hermione.”

“Pardon?”

“I'll be making the decisions about her. She's mine.”

Albus closed his eyes briefly before opening them and looking seriously at the young man before him. “Remus, Miss Granger still has an unknown curse upon her. Bill suspects she has also been given an unknown potion to cause those who touch or ingest certain body fluids to change the way they treat her or act around her. You have been greatly affected by all of this.” Albus sat back in his chair and looked over his glasses at Remus before stating an observation he had just noticed. “Remus, you are starting to act like Sirius.”

Remus started at Albus' last words. “I'm starting to act like Sirius? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I haven't lifted a finger to hurt her, and I'm certainly not going to let others take advantage of her!”

“You are becoming possessive of her, and becoming possessed by her. Do you recall what Sirius says about Miss Granger?”

Remus scowled as he thought. “That she belongs to him.”

“And, what did you tell me a moment ago?”

Sounding defeated, Remus sank back in his chair. “That she's mine.”

The two men stared at each other. Remus hated to acknowledge that Albus was right, but he was. How was he going to keep himself in check, keep his judgment clear? 'My feelings are genuine for her. They are, damn it! They aren't all fucking elf made feelings!'

“Kreacher mentioned she was a Succubus. While I know...”

“Kreacher? What about that blasted elf? Don't you dare believe what he tells you!”

Albus stared at Remus until he was sure the man would stay quiet and listen. “As I was saying. While I know Miss Granger is not a Succubus, she seems to be – inadvertently - causing the men about her to be preoccupied with her sexually. I now have to ensure that no one touches her tears, and I must find out about what other body fluids affect others. If it is only her tears and breast milk, then I will be comfortable allowing her to be around the other students at the school as long as she does not allow others to be in contact with those fluids. I trust that she will not be flaunting her breasts and asking others to drink from her, so I am confident she will be able to attend school again.”

His features relaxing slightly, Remus nodded with relief.

“I must also find out if these fluids affect only men, or if both sexes are affected. I do not anticipate Miss Granger going after other women sexually since she is inherently heterosexual, but she has experienced lesbian encounters so the idea is not foreign to her.”

Remus' face darkened considerably.

“From what I am able to ascertain, the teaching done by Kreacher will ensure she is unable to resist the sexual advances of other people. I must therefore make sure she is safeguarded against others who may take advantage of that situation, should it become common knowledge.”

Troubled, Remus squirmed in his seat as he thought about the implications of this problem. He suddenly envisioned scores of Slytherins grabbing at her and started in alarm. “How will you accomplish that? She can't possibly be guarded twenty-four hours a day by another student.”

“I am working on it, Remus. Please place your trust in me that I will do what I can to protect her from other students who are less than honorable.”

Remus sat back as he nodded, still greatly troubled.

“This curse that Bill is having difficulty diagnosing and removing is a problem. Will it cause her to go after other men – or women – sexually? Will...”

“I'm going to take care of her so she doesn't have the compulsion come on her, Albus.” Remus' voice was acid. “I don't think you'll need to worry about that.”

“While I appreciate your willingness to ensure the needs of the compulsion are met, Remus, I must state we have a few problems in that regard. Firstly, it will be difficult for me to have you at the school. As it is, your presence is worrisome, but I am allowing it for now since I know you will be cautious. My hands are tied in reference to allowing you near the school, let alone in it. If Dolores Umbridge caught wind of you being anywhere near Hogwarts, I would have a new mess to deal with. I'm already struggling to deal with her treatment of Harry and the Ministry's attempts to take over the school. Secondly, we don't know exactly what this curse is. It may not even be a sex curse. For all we know, it's one that will trigger her to try and kill Harry. I must therefore be very cautious with her until I know for sure what this curse is.”

“I was under the impression that this unknown curse is a sex curse.”

“We don't know for sure what it is. Therefore, there may not be a compulsion for you to rid her of. She may then live at the school as she has done since she was eleven years old – as a student, like any other. What I'm saying, Remus, is that she may not need you to keep any compulsions at bay.”

“But she's definitely still inflicted with a curse, right?”

“She has a curse upon her, yes. But we don't know what type of curse. She also probably has the effects of some sort of potion upon her. Not to mention the elfin teaching done by Kreacher.”

“That fucking elf, I'll kill him when I get the chance.”

“I would appreciate it if you would not make me worry about Kreacher's well-being, Remus. He holds many secrets that I am carefully attempting to coax out of him. I need this information, Remus, so please refrain from causing him harm if you ever see him.”

“Fine, fine, I understand the importance the blasted elf has for you, but that doesn't change my wishing him dead.”

“Join the line, Remus. There are quite a few people ahead of you in regards to those wishes.”

Huffing with impatience, Remus scratched the tip of his nose while thinking. “Albus, I'm just wondering, but have you been able to get Hermione's wand?”

Albus sat back a moment. “No, I have not. I am still working on reversing the magic Kreacher put on the entrance to the room she was being kept in.” He took in a deep, sighing breath. “I may need to have Bill take a look at it.”

Nodding, Remus frowned as he thought about the room, hoping to never see it again. He frowned as another thought came to mind. “Have you spoken with Sirius? How is he taking her absence?”

“Not well at all. At first I thought he had been cursed in some way, but now I believe the combination of Kreacher's teaching, the touch and ingestion of her tears and body fluids, and his own feelings for her are working against him. Basically, he's falling apart.”

Remus nodded sadly. Anger still bubbled within him when he thought of the times that Sirius had hurt her, but he was now able to appreciate Sirius' plight when it came to why he acted the way he did when around the girl. He thought back on the day they spoke outside of Hogwarts, recalling Sirius' confusion – wanting to do that right thing but yet his thinking was so twisted he had difficulty deciphering what was right and what was inherently wrong. Then, a few hours later, when they were talking with Albus in the library, how he had broken down into tears, his unwillingness to give her up even though he really did want her freed from her torment. 'Poor Sirius. The man never had a chance once Kreacher got hold of him.'

“Do you think he was the one to give her the potion that made her tears and milk change how people feel about her?”

Albus pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows while thoughtfully tipping his head back and forth. “I don't know, but it is likely. Perhaps he saw it as a way to protect her from Bella and the Death Eaters? If so, he has fallen prey to his own potion.”

“And allowed me to as well.”

Albus looked at Remus for a moment before commenting, “As well as Severus. And now Bill.”

Frowning, Remus looked down at his hands. He had forgotten about Severus being affected as well. “But, you weren't, right? You and she never...”

“No. No, I did not have any type of sexual relations with Miss Granger.” He paused before continuing. “I will need to discuss this with Sirius to find out for sure if he was the one to give her this potion. I hope he will tell me the name of it so she can be given an antidote.”

“The potion must be quite rare if Severus is having difficulty identifying it.”

“It would seem so, yes.” Albus looked at Remus keenly. “Remus, in regards to Bill.”

The aggression in his voice was unmistakable. “What about him?”

“He will be coming back tomorrow w...”

Remus sat up in the chair and leaned forward as he jabbed a finger at Albus. “No. He's not going to see Hermione.”

“Remus,” Albus felt so tired, and his tone reflected it, “he needs to try and remove that last...”

“No.” Brows furrowed and teeth bared, Remus spat his objection vehemently. “He's not seeing Hermione.”

“Remus, do you recall what I said about your behaving like Sirius?” Albus paused a moment, waiting for Remus to nod reluctantly, before continuing. “Miss Granger needs to have that last curse removed from her, and Bill is the key to helping remove it. He will be bringing an associate with him tomorrow who has more experience with curses that have been inflicted upon people. There will be no discussion on this, Bill will come to see Miss Granger tomorrow.”

“Fine then, but I'm not leaving him alone with her.”

Albus nodded, relieved that Remus would not stop Bill from attempting to cure the girl. “That will be acceptable, Bill has agreed to allow you to remain.” Albus tilted his head forward while looking over his glasses. “Remus, please don't be so jealous of Bill. He has no designs on her, has no plans to try and take her away from you. She needed a man at that moment, and he happened to be in the same room with her, alone and unable to refuse her advances, probably due to the effects of an unknown potion on her body fluids. Body fluids, I might add, that none of us, including you, knew would be a threat to others.” Albus gazed at Remus piercingly. “Think about what would have happened if she had been alone with her father when the compulsion hit. Things could be far worse, Remus, please remember that.”

Remus sat in shock, thinking about all that Albus just told him. It was true, she needed a man, any man, at that point. And poor Bill got sucked into it. She sought him out due to the curse's needs, he responded to her due to touching her tears and (Remus cringed) her breast milk. She may have a potion working on her, changing her body chemistry in a way that would make others treat her differently. The curse may have also caused Bill to respond to her advances, no matter how reluctant he was to do so. On top of all that, she had her body responding to the man's touch as it had been 'taught' to do by Kreacher. With that combination, neither one of them had a chance. He could only imagine the emotional damage that the two of them were dealing with now. Remus frowned, remembering Hermione's fearful questions while they were in the bathroom. Gods, he didn't want to imagine her emotional state if she had come on to her father.

“So, are you trying to tell me she doesn't need me anymore?”

“Yes, Remus, in a way I am. She may no longer need you to deal with the compulsions of the curses, though I have no doubt she is dependent upon you emotionally. Miss Granger has been through a great deal, Remus, we both know that. However, she needs to be able to stand on her own two feet and not have someone to use as a crutch for everyday life. Do you understand what I am saying?”

Frowning and greatly unsettled, Remus turned moodily to look at the flames again, nodding his head solemnly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Story time: 5:50pm

“Albus! Have you spoken with Hermione? How is she? Is she okay?” Sirius stood on tiptoe as he tried to look over Albus' shoulder in the hopes of seeing Hermione following behind the older wizard. “Why isn't she with you? When...”

Albus held up his hands and pumped them back and forth, silently telling Sirius to be quiet. Crestfallen, Sirius' face fell and shoulders slumped as he backed away from Albus. “You didn't bring her, did you?”

“No, Sirius, I did not. We've had a slight... setback with Miss Granger, and I am here to ask you a few questions.”

“A setback? What do you mean? Is she okay? She's not hurt, is she?” Sirius backed up, a look of horror on his face as he brought his hand up to his chest. “Bella didn't get her hands on her, did she?”

“No, no, Miss Granger is quite safe at Hogwarts.” Albus brushed past Sirius, heading for the kitchen. Sirius hesitated briefly, staring at the back of the old man with a mixture of resentment and bewilderment, before following.

Stepping over the threshold of the kitchen, Sirius asked quietly, “I don't understand then, what's the set back?”

“Please, sit so we may discuss this.”

“Okay. Yeah, sure.” Sirius grabbed the back of a chair, pulled it out, and sat in one swift motion, his eyes glued upon Albus.

“Sirius, it seems that Miss Granger has ingested a potion of some sort that Severus is having difficulty identifying.”

“A potion? What kind of potion?” Sirius leaned forward, his elbows on the table as he continued to look intently at Albus.

Albus scrutinized Sirius' actions for a moment before answering. “If someone touches her tears or breast milk, they become...” Albus took in a deep breath and exhaled. “...shall we say, less hostile towards her. Protective. Unable to resist her.”

Sirius slammed his hands down on the table and perked up irritably. “Touch her breast milk? Who the fuck is doing that?”

“Sirius, what else did you hear me say?”

“That they, uh, can't resist her.”

“Your hearing has become quite selective, I see.” Albus gave Sirius a heady look as he continued. “Anyone, any male, it appears, seems to become less hostile towards her. They become protective of her as well as unable to resist her. We don't know if the unable to resist part is due to a curse or due to the potion in question, however.”

“Curse?”

“Several sex curses have been removed from Miss Granger.”

“They have?” Sirius sat up straight as he picked up a fist and slammed it onto the table, making a teacup and saucer upon it vibrate and clang noisily. “Sex curses? Fucking sex curses?” Her started to stand, but sat back down when Albus waved him down. “Someone's put sex curses on my Kitten?”

Albus cleared his throat. Well, that answers one question, at any rate.' “Yes, Miss Granger had several curses upon her, which Bill Weasley was able to safely remove from her. However, one unidentified curse remains.”

“Unidentified? She's still got a sex curse on her?”

“A curse of some sort, we are not sure of what its purpose is as of yet.”

Sirius closed his eyes, raised his hands, and began rubbing his temples. “I see.” He opened his eyes, worry in his eyes as he looked at Albus, “She's all right though?”

“Yes, as I said, she is safe.”

Slamming his fists down on the table in frustration, Sirius leaned in towards Albus as he snarled, “Being safe isn't the same as being all right, Albus.” He sat back as he regained some of his composure. “I'll ask again, is she all right?”

Sighing, Albus nodded as he replied. “Yes, Sirius, she's 'all right'. A little unnerved, as are we all, but she is handling everything fine thus far.” Albus stared at Sirius a moment before continuing. “Sirius, I'll be direct with you. Did you give Miss Granger a potion of any sort? One to change the chemistry of her tears and other body fluids?”

“Me?” Sirius jerked his thumb at his chest while shaking his head back and forth slowly, a furrow in his brow. “No. No, I didn't.”

“Sirius...”

“The only potions I gave her were healing potions, Albus. I swear.”

“You are positive?”

“Yeah, Albus. Healing potions, that's all. I had to heal her a few times when I got a bit, uh... too rough with her, and sometimes after she was with Bella.”

“I see.”

Both men sat in silence as they listened to the sounds from the street outside filtering through the open window. A truck trundled by heavily, blaring its horn at an unseen obstacle. Birds chirped and a bee buzzed by lazily. The wind could be heard rustling through the trees and bushes in the yard as a storm slowly approached, the smell of rain heady in the air as it became heavier with precipitation.

Albus contemplated what he should do next. His mind seemed to go in slow motion for a few moments as the plan he had decided to follow fell apart. He had been sure Sirius would own up to giving Hermione this mystery potion, positive he would be presenting the needed information to Severus within a few hours time so an antidote could be brewed. Now, he could think of only two sources of said potion. But why would either of them give it to her? Why would they give it to her if they disliked her so much? He was positive he could discount Bella, but what of the other possible source of the potion? So far, the elf had been full of contradictory emotional outbursts as well as information, so it was possible. Unlikely, but possible.

Sirius fidgeted in his chair, his only thoughts were of seeing his Kitten, wanting to hold and hug her and show her how good life could be with him. He had spent hours ruminating over the time he had spent with her and now saw how Kreacher had affected him, how cruel he had truly been to her. He had spent much time sitting in the library, remembering fondly his stolen moments watching her as she touched herself, then scowling and becoming angry with himself as he remembered how brutal he had been with her in that very room. How could he have gotten so carried away? So damned viscous and cruel with her? What the hell came over him? Sirius desperately wanted to atone for his evils, very much wanted to make it up to his Kitten for his past cruelties, show her how nice being with him would be.

“Albus, when can I see her again? Can't you bring her back to see me tonight?”

Albus sighed heavily. “We'll see, Sirius, we'll see.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
(Later that evening)

Kreacher scowled when he looked up and saw the 'Headmaster of the Brats' standing still before him, patiently waiting for him to notice his presence.

“Good evening, Kreacher. I'm afraid I have a few more questions to ask of you.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Author's notes, you may freely skip:

Interesting sperm facts:
http://www2.oakland.edu/biology/lindemann/spermfacts.htm
*
Sperma Rudis literally means 'sperm clump' in Latin. The Sperudis potion is therefore a combination of those two Latin words.
*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biorhythm
http://www.drurywriting.com/david/05-LifeRhythmTheory.htm
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canthus_(anatomy)
http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/eyes1.jpg
http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Medial_canthus
*
Just some stuff I came across while researching:
https://secure.hosting.vt.edu/www.vcom.vt.edu/pathology/EVVCOM/DYSLIPIDEMIA/PAGE1-17.htm
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/craniofacial/Physician/GrowthChartsFaceMeasure.cfm
http://www.eyerepairs.com/cosmetic.html
http://anatomyatlases.org/firstaid/Eye.shtml

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