A Cursed Wound

Two full moons had passed along with two transformations and two weeks of marathon sex with Tonks. Mooney had always held more sway over him the week before a full moon. So between the week it took to recoup from a transformation and the week he used shagging Tonks senseless, that left two weeks to woo the mother of his child.

She had convinced herself that his declaration had only been inspired by the “heat of the moment” and George and Fred’s bloody love potion, making his task a daunting one. He’d never dated before Tonks had come into his life. He had sent her flowers every day until she told him to stop. So he had started to send her chocolates, which had really turned out worse due to her morning sickness.

Remus had asked her out for dinner so many times that he had lost count of the rejections. Moody and Kingsley were on her shit list, so they couldn’t help him out. Harry was still recovering from an accidental overdose of Veritaserum; the blasted dolt had taken an entire bottle in front of Ginny to convince her how he had felt.

Impressed with the results, Remus had contemplated doing the same. But Tonks had caught a glimpse of the sparkle in his eye and told him that it “wouldn’t work with me, so don’t bloody well try it.”

If Remus wasn’t scheming about how to get Tonks to marry him, he was discussing the matter with Moony, who was becoming even more difficult to control as Tonks’ pregnancy progressed. She was three months along now. She wasn’t exactly glowing for she had spent most of the time vomiting in the loo.

He and Moony appreciated the subtle changes of her body, in particular, her breasts. Her areolas were a darker rose and they were a tad bit larger. Just the thought of her nursing his child made him hard – hard enough for him to think about going down to the Ministry and pulling his nymph into the nearest room and shagging her into submission.

Sighing, Remus tried to focus on what he was reading. Collecting research information on the Verus Amor potion had proven more difficult than he had thought. Dumbledore had been correct. It was highly illegal. If taken by “predestined partners,” they would be drawn to one another inexorably and bound to one another for the rest of their lives.

He felt as though he was back at Hogwarts, scribbling notes and preparing an essay. Always a sensible wizard, Remus had deduced that a logical course of action was the best. Once he had all the information on the Verus Amor potion, he would present Tonks with the facts and try to convince her of his true feelings for her.

The only problem was the lack of information on the Verus Amor potion. How in the bloody hell had George and Fred gotten a hold of the ingredient list for this potion? Their blasted “research” had been destroyed.

Remus sighed in frustration. There was only one person who could help him with the research – Severus Snape. He set the book down, walked over to the fireplace, and grimaced. “Might as well get this over with.”

Grabbing a handful of Floo powder, Remus knelt in front of the fireplace and placed his call.

Peering around his former classmate’s sitting room, he was pleased to see a shapely pair of legs dangling over the edge of an armchair. He cleared his throat. “Hermione?”

There was a startled squeak. The legs disappeared only to be replaced with Hermione’s head. Her expression was curious and surprised.

“Oh, hello, Remus,” she greeted him with a bright smile. “I didn’t realize Severus had his fireplace connected to the Floo network.”

Remus was puzzled. “Why is that?”

“Well, um…” Hermione’s cheeks were flushed with embarrassment.

“Say no more,” Remus chuckled.

“So, what can I do for you?” she asked.

“Actually it’s more what Severus can do for me,” he replied, shifting uncomfortably on his hands and knees. Fire Talking really wasn’t very conducive to long conversations. “Would you mind terribly if I stepped through?”

“No, no. Not at all. Please do,” replied Hermione graciously as she stood to receive her visitor.

Remus crawled the rest of the way into the fireplace and tried to relax as the Floo network carried him to his destination. He stepped into Snape’s sitting room and brushed the soot from his robes.

“Severus is in class right now.” Hermione smiled and motioned for him to sit down. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I was looking for information on the Verus Amor potion,” Remus said.

“Why?”

He realize he’d started to pace so he stopped. “Tonks thinks we’re only together because of that bloody potion. I botched things up. I was going to propose. I –”

Hermione held up her hand. “Have a seat and start from the beginning.”

Following her instructions, Remus sat on the edge of the sofa and bowed his head.

“Take your time,” Hermione stated softly.

“I’ve tried everything I could think of,” he blurted. “I’ve sent her flowers, chocolates. She won’t go out on a date with me. I thought that I might present her with the research…you know…the facts… to try to convince her that we belong together.

“The Verus Amor potion is destiny in a bottle. It took me long enough to realize… Then we…well, you know. And then I mucked things up by casting a Fidelius Charm so that she couldn’t find me. I kept thinking she would be better off without me.”

“How could you think that?” Hermione chided. “Tonks loves you. She always has.”

“She may have loved me,” Remus retorted. “But I did a bloody fine job messing that up. Do you know what we are now? Do you know what we’ve become?”

Hermione looked like she was afraid to answer him.

“Fuck buddies!” Remus growled. “The week before the full moon is the worst and the best time. She comes over and we fuck. The pull of the moon is so strong then. I just can’t help myself. I’m still so afraid that I’ll hurt her and the baby. Even if it weren’t for the potion, she and I are mated. I’d go insane if I couldn’t have her. I don’t know –”

“Have you told her that you love her?” asked Hermione.

“Well, yes.” Remus could feel a blush creep up his neck. He wasn’t comfortable discussing his feelings. “Right before I was going to propose. That’s when she started talking about the effects of the potion and how I didn’t love her.”

Hermione chewed her lips thoughtfully. “Have you told her you love her since? Do you tell her every day?”

Remus frowned. “What does that have to do with anything? I told her how I felt. She rejected me and –”

The young witch sitting across from him waved her hands in the air. “You—you are almost as bad as Severus! What is it with wizards in love?”

“Huh?” Remus was dumbfounded.

“I had to poison Severus with Veritaserum to get him to finally admit how he feels about me.” She chuckled.

“You what?”

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, the Potions master’s wife leaned forward as if she were going to confide a dark secret. “I took a page out of Harry’s guide to courtship and love and spiked Severus’ wine at dinner.”

She scoffed. “He actually ran away from me and tried to hide in his office. Actually, he barricaded himself in his office. He forgot to disconnect the Floo connection so I Flooed right in and got the answers I needed to hear.”

Suddenly his problems didn’t seem so dire as Hermione’s tale of stalking the dreaded Potions master came to pass. Remus threw his head back and laughed harder than he thought possible. He could just imagine Gryffindor’s Golden Trio member cornering Snape in his office.

“I can’t… believe…you…did that,” Remus gasped between the fits of laughter.

“And just what do you two Gryffindors find so amusing?” Snape’s sarcastic drawl sounded from the doorway.

Hermione sobered, but Remus couldn’t wipe the smile from his face as he watched the younger Gryffindor’s eyes darken with desire. The young witch stood, walked over to the dour wizard, and embraced him.

Severus’ arms encircled Hermione’s waist, and he placed a kiss upon her forehead. Remus felt like an interloper for he could smell their reaction to one another. “Um, perhaps I should get going?”

Pulling out of her husband’s arms, Hermione looped her hand through one of them. “No, no,” she insisted. “Please stay.”

Remus cast a questioning look at Severus who was looking at him like he would like to hurl a hex at him.

“You’ve already ruined the mood, Lupin,” snapped Snape as he led Hermione to the sofa. “Get on with it.”

“Be nice.” Hermione pulled on her husband’s arm and coaxed him to sit next to her. “Remus needed some information on the Verus Amor potion.”

Conjuring a set of cups, Severus handed one to his wife. “What kind of information?” he asked with another flick of his wrist.

Remus could smell the tea as he watched the steam rise from their cups.

With an exaggerated huff, Hermione pulled her wand out and conjured a cup of tea for him.

“Thank you, Hermione,” said Remus, picking his cup up.

“Shall we dispense with the pleasantries, then?” Severus asked with a sneer. “I do have classes to teach.”

Refusing to rise to the bait, Remus smiled and took a sip of his tea. “I needed the ingredient list. I was trying to break the potion down to its basic properties.”

Snorting, Snape set his cup down and put his arm around Hermione’s shoulders. “It’s basically a mix of standard love potions, mixed with divination ingredients – Camphor oil, orange oil, and clove and carrier oil. Once those ingredients have settled over night, one would add a drop of Seer’s blood and administer the potion as quickly as possible.

“I shudder to think how the Weasley twins obtained Sybill’s blood,” the Potions master mumbled.

“Molly and Arthur!” Hermione jumped up excitedly. Both men started, Severus recovering first as though he was used to such emotional outbursts from his Gryffindor bride.

“George and Fred used their mum and dad as control subjects.” Hermione paced back and forth between the two wizards, then straddled Severus’ lap, reaching over him.

Remus could hear his old nemesis’ sharp intake of breath and smiled. At least he wasn’t the only wizard suffering.

Batting her husband’s hands away, Hermione crawled off his lap, holding a book. She flipped it open and started skimming the pages. “Here it is,” she said, tapping her fingers in the book. “The Verus Amor potion was instrumental during the reign of Henry VIII. The king, desperate to have a male heir, engaged the services of Headmaster Erwin Waverly. Look, it’s right here in Hogwarts, A History.” She pointed at the passage with excitement.

“Henry VIII used the potion as a means of furthering his petitions for divorce. Of his six wives, Jane Seymour was found to be Henry’s true love. He married her a short time after Anne Boleyn’s execution. Jane gave birth to Edward and died two weeks later. She was the only one of his six wives to be buried with him. Elizabeth I –”

“That’s a fine history lesson, Hermione.” Remus rubbed his temples, feeling the start of a headache. “But how is that going to help me with Tonks?”

“What my overly sentimental wife is trying to tell you –” Severus drawled.

“You should use the history of the potion,” Hermione blurted. “And the present.”

Remus was puzzled.

“Arthur and Molly were in love before the potion,” Hermione stated slowly as if explaining her theory to a child. “Harry and Ginny were in love well before they consumed the potion. Ron and Luna. Myself and Severus.”

Which truly does defy logic. Remus smiled. “I see your point.”

“Now that you see my wife’s point, would it be possible for you to leave?” Snape asked snidely.

“Severus.” Hermione frowned reprovingly.

Remus stood and gave a slight bow to his hostess. “Thank you for your help, Hermione,” he said, ignoring Severus. “You’ve given me a new insight and a new strategy.”

--

First, Remus was going to tell Tonks that he loved her. And he wasn’t going to stop doing that until she capitulated. He would give her the history lesson Hermione had provided for him, perhaps while he was buried deep inside her and she was mindless with abandon.

He stepped out of the fireplace and jumped back in surprise to find Kingsley Shacklebolt pacing the length of Grimmauld’s sitting room.

“Remus!” Kingsley heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank Merlin!”

His ruminations were quickly forgotten as Kingsley walked up to him. Remus could smell the fear and worry.

“There was a raid,” the black Auror stammered. “Tonks was stunned. She fell and…”

As Kingsley’s words trailed off, the sinking feeling in the pit of Remus’ stomach solidified. “Where is she?” His voice was the barest of whispers as he backed into the mantle and reached blindly for the Floo powder.

“St. Mungo’s.”

*****

A/N – Thanks to all who reviewed and to Kathy Rose for beta reading.