Restoration of the Heart

A/N: Written for the first Remus/Hermione exchange for atratuslupin. Just an FYI there are five chapters to this story and they are already written out.


The Final Battle was over for almost three years now. Voldemort was defeated, and the Wizarding World was finally healing from the destruction he had left behind. Everyone was gradually rebuilding their lives, slowly putting the pieces back together, all but one person, Remus J. Lupin.

The wizard in question was hit with an unknown curse, cast by Antonin Dolohov. He was aiming for one Hermione Granger, but Remus pushed her to the ground, and he took half of the curse in the eyes, not being quick enough to evade the curse fully, causing him permanent blindness.

When he awoke in St. Mungo's, Hermione Granger was there holding his hand. She refused to leave his side until he woke up. She was the one who explained to him what happened and that there was no cure for his blindness. She also had to tell him that Tonks, his wife, had not survived the war. To say that he was devastated was an understatement.

**
Hermione and Harry were sitting around the dining room table at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, eating lunch and discussing Harry’s upcoming wedding on the eighth of September.

“I still can’t believe that you and Luna are getting married. I always thought it would be Ginny.” Hermione stated for the hundredth time.

Harry rolled his eyes as he answered her. “I thought that too, but after the war, we just started to drift apart. To be honest, I always felt something for Luna. I’m just glad that I finally realized it.”

Hermione chuckled at her best friend. “Me too. If I had to listen to you telling me ‘I really should ask her out’ one more time, I was going to ask her out myself.”

“Really, Hermione, I didn’t know you swung that way. Maybe that is why you broke up with Ron.” Harry snickered lightly.

“First of all, you really can’t break up with someone if you never went out with him. One kiss does not qualify as a date. And secondly Luna is cute. I might have swung that way for her.” Hermione smirked.

Harry shook his head at the witch and smiled. “She wants you, and so do I, to be the Maid of Honour.”

Hermione eyes widened at Harry. “Really? Oh, Harry, I would love too! Wait, she didn’t pick out hideous green taffeta dresses, did she?”

Harry laughed out loud at the look of horror on her face. “Not that I know of.”

Hermione got up and hugged her best friend. “I would love to Harry! No matter what she has me wear,” she joked.

The two friends sat together enjoying their lunch and discussed wedding details. Just before they finished. Harry brought up a sensitive subject. “Hermione I need to talk to you about something serious.”

Hermione raised her eyebrows at the wizard. “Okay.”

“We need to talk about Remus.”

Hermione stiffened at the sound of their ex-professor’s name. “What about him?”

“Have you noticed that he barely leaves his room anymore?”

“Yes, I’ve noticed,” Hermione whispered weakly.

“Don’t you think we should do something about it? It is not healthy for him to be confined to this house. He doesn’t go outside anymore, not even during the full moon.”
Hermione looked towards the door. “Careful, he might hear your. And he never went out during the full moon. He was always afraid he would hurt someone.”

“But then why doesn’t he go out when it is not the full moon?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Harry. Maybe because he lost his friends, his wife and his eyesight?”

“That is not an excuse anymore,” Harry replied impatiently.

Hermione let out a gasp at her best friend. “Harry…”

He interrupted her. “Hermione, I love Remus. I do, but he is killing himself by not leaving this house. He is using what happened as an excuse to disappear from the world. A year ago, I accepted it, but now I can’t. He is never going to move on if he keeps locking himself away from the world.”

Hermione sighed; she knew Harry was right. “I know. Let me see if I can talk to him. He some what listens to me.”

Hermione got up to leave to find Remus but turned back to Harry first. “Do you want Remus living here after you and Luna get married?”

Harry opened his mouth to answer her but stopped short. He didn’t know what to say. He loved Remus, but could he handle a depressed werewolf and being a newly married man at the same time? “I…I don’t know,” he replied hanging his head in guilt.

“Okay.” Hermione sighed, turned and went to find Remus. She didn’t blame Harry for wanting to start out married life without having a live-in roommate. She knew that he also wanted to renovate the Manor before Luna moved in. So far, they hadn’t touched Sirius’ room, but Hermione knew that Harry had to clean it up and start going through his belongs, but he was afraid of what Remus might do.

Hermione made her way up the stairs towards Remus’ room. She found him in the doorway of Sirius’ old room with a look of longing on his damaged face.

“I can still smell them. Even after all this time I can still pick up on their scents,” Remus said to the witch standing beside him.

Hermione closed her eyes and took his hand. “Remus, I need to talk to you.”

“I know. I over heard you and Harry talking.”

“Of course you did,” Hermione whispered.

“I just don’t think I am ready to move out. I know this house. I don’t think I could get around that easily somewhere else. But if Harry wants to me move out I will.” Remus mumbled, his voice sounding broken to Hermione’s ear.

“It’s not that. He is getting married…”

“And he doesn’t want an old, broken down werewolf hanging around.”

“You’re not old.”

“But I am depressed.”

Hermione didn’t say anything to that comment. “Harry also wants to renovate the manor before the wedding.”

“What does he want to do?” he asked, as he turned his head slowly to face Hermione.

Hermione bit her lip as she chose her words carefully. “He wants to start going room by room cleaning up, discard anything that he doesn’t need or want anymore, repaint, and make repairs before Luna moves in.”

“When does he want to start this?”

“Next weekend, and he wants to start with this room.”

“Why?”

“Because, it’s going to be the hardest,” Hermione murmured.

Remus may not have wanted change, but he knew that Harry needed to make this a home for his new bride, not a memorial for departed loved ones. “I understand. This isn’t my house. It’s Harry’s and he can do what he wants, but I don’t think I want to be around when he starts.”

Hermione knew that if Remus moved out on his own he would cut off all contact with anyone who truly cared for him. He tried it before, and that was why he moved in with Harry. Everyone thought that if he was alone he would try to end his life.

The last thing Hermione and Harry wanted to do was put Remus back into that dark place after they fought so hard to keep him out of it. Remus started to walk back to his room, but Hermione stopped him. “Do you want to come to my house next weekend?”

“Is it all finished?” Remus asked. Hermione had temporarily moved in with Harry and Remus while her house was being refurbished.

“The repairs are finally done, and I am moving in the furniture tomorrow. I’m packing up the rest of my things and will be moving in next week. You could come with me.”

Hermione’s great aunt Laura left her a cottage in Rothbury after she died at the ripe old age of a hundred and two. The cottage was nestled in the woods and sat on thirty acres. When Hermione first saw the house many years ago, it reminded her of something out of a fairy tale that her mother used to read to her. It was her favourite place to visit when she was a child.

“I don’t know. Wouldn’t you rather be alone?”

“Not really. I haven’t been alone in a while. Someone is always with me, my parents, Harry, Ron, or you.” Hermione never told anyone that she still had nightmares about the Final Battle. Some nights just knowing that her friends were in the same house was the only way Hermione could sleep.

“I’ll think about it.” He turned and slowly made his way back to his room.

Hermione let out a small sigh. It was more than she expected him to say. A flat out no was what she had anticipated. Hopefully, she could convince him to stay with her.

**
It took a little more convincing before Remus reluctantly agreed to temporarily move in with Hermione. He was going to look for another place to live while he was staying with her. He didn’t want to be a burden to the young witch. He knew that it was time to move on. He couldn’t keep living in the shadows, even though he wished he could.
All of the furniture was moved in and in place before they arrived. There were still boxes of things to go through. Hermione had used the third bedroom as a storage room for the boxes. Eventually, the third room would become a small library.

They Apparated in the wood on the back of the property out of sight of the locals; although, it was unlikely that anyone would have seen them. The nearest neighbour was a mile away.

“There are thirty acres of woods that are protected by a magical invisible fence. During the full moon, you can roam the land, and you won’t be able to leave the property. Nobody will be able to enter either or see a werewolf on the property,” Hermione explained to Remus as she guided him towards the back door.

“It is so quiet here. I can actually hear the animals,” Remus mused.

“Yes, it is,” Hermione smiled. “There is a large swing on the back and front porches. Aunt Laura would sit out here for hours just listening and watching nature; she loved this cottage.”

Remus put a comforting arm around the witch. “You must miss her greatly.”

“I do miss her stories and her advice,” she whispered. Continuing with the tour,
Hermione opened the back door. “This leads right into the kitchen. I updated it with all modern equipment. I do so love to cook.”

“It will take a little while to get used to a new kitchen. I have been so used to Kreacher bringing my food; although, I will not miss the attitude I always got from him.” Remus said irritably.

“Yes, he is a… umm character. We can do the cooking together, it will be easier.” Hermione said quickly changing the subject.

“Afraid I might burn the house down?” he said seriously.

Hermione’s eyes widened, “N... n... no I would never…”

A small smile played at Remus’ lips. “Hermione, I was just joking with you. It will take some getting used to, but I will adapt.”

Hermione smiled. That was the first joke that she had heard Remus tell in over three years. Maybe forcing Remus out of the manor had already started his healing process.

“Off of the kitchen used to be a separate dining room, but during the renovations I took down the walls and opened up the space. Now the kitchen leads into a huge living area. Off in this corner is where I put the dining table and the china cabinet. The table seats six. It kind of sticks out a little so be careful.”

As she said it, Remus ran straight into one of the chairs. “Ouch, that hurt. This part of the room might be a little hazardous to me.”

“Sorry. Maybe I can shrink down the table so it only seats the two of us. If we have company I can always enlarge it.”

“That might be a good idea, but don’t worry about it right now. Please continue with the tour.”

Hermione took his hand has she continued with the tour. “The living room is a little unique. There is a rather large fireplace, which has already been connected to the Floo Network. There is a small step the leads down to the fireplace.”

Hermione led Remus down the step. “It’s not a big step, it won’t take me long to remember where it is in the room. Is there any furniture in here?”

“In this part of the room, there is a couch in front of the fireplace. There is also an arm chair, and on either side of the fireplace are two bookshelves.”

There was a look of longing on Remus’ face. As far as Hermione knew the magical world did not have any special books for the blind, and she had not seen Remus read since he went blind. She thought she might have to place some special orders with a Muggle bookstore to stock some books that were Braille. Remus was a quick study. It probably wouldn’t take him that long to learn how to read in Braille.

“There is a little bit more furniture back up the step, not a lot; a loveseat; a coffee table; and two end tables with lamps on them. They are against this wall. Next to the table is the front door. Outside are a wraparound porch and the other swing.”

Remus felt his way around the room, trying to memorize the layout.

“Towards the back of the living room are the three bedrooms and the bathroom.” Hermione lead Remus to the first door. “I am going to turn this room into a study. It is the smallest of the three bedrooms, but there is still a lot of space. Right now, though, it is filled with boxes. The second room next to this one is my bedroom.” She let him feel his way down the wall to get acquainted with the location of the doors.

“The next room is the full bathroom. It has a separate tub and shower. Laura loved to take baths, but some days she had a hard time getting in and out of the tub so she had a walk-in shower stall put in. The tub is also a water jet tub. I haven’t tried it out yet, but I am looking forward it.”

Hermione continued to lead Remus around the house explaining as she went. “There are three doors in this room. One leads to the hallway, obviously, and the other two connect to the bedrooms.”

“Show me where I will be sleeping.”

Hermione lead Remus to the last door. The room only had a bed and a dresser. The few boxes that Remus brought with him were at the foot of the bed waiting to be unpacked.

“Let me know what you still want. I didn’t know what furniture you might need. There is only a bed and a dresser.”

“This will be fine. I’m a simple man. I don’t need much.”

“Well, this concludes the tour. It is not a big house. I am sure that you will become accustomed to it.”

“Thank you for allowing me to stay here, until I find a new place to live.”

Hermione raised her eyebrows. Allowing him to stay here? “Remus, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like.”

Remus took her hand and pressed his soft lips to her knuckles. “Thank you again.”

Hermione felt a little twinge in her belly at the intimate gesture. Where did that come from? It flustered her a little. “Did you want to unpack right now, or do you want something to eat?”

Remus might have been blind, but he sensed the change in demeanour when he casually kissed her hand. He didn’t even know why he did it. It was instinct--a way for him to show he was grateful for all she is doing for him. “I’m a bit tired. I think I will take a nap before dinner.”

“Okay, I am going to unpack some more boxes before I start cooking.”

“What are you making? Maybe I can help? I don’t want you waiting on me hand and foot.”

“I am keeping it simple tonight. I am making baked chicken with rice and peas.”

“It sounds delicious. I want to help you make it. Wake me when you are going to start.”

“Okay, have a good nap, Remus,” she said quietly as he shut the door.

Hermione started to unpack some of the boxes but gave up only after an hour. She opened a box that was filled with items that Laura had left her. She wasn’t ready to go through that box right now. It was still too early to start dinner, so instead she grabbed a book and headed to the front porch swing.

She wasn’t really reading; she was more lost in thought about that twinge she felt when Remus kissed her hand. She knew it wasn’t meant to be anything more than a thank you. But why did she feel that twinge? Hermione dismissed it. It was probably just a natural reaction. It had been a while since any man had showed her that kind of affection.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t hear Remus call her name.

Remus gave up trying to take a nap. All he did was toss and turn, thinking about how everything was changing around him. Leaving Black Manor was a large step for him, but one that he was not ready to take. If it wasn’t for Hermione giving him a place to stay, he wouldn’t have known what to do. He knew Harry wasn’t kicking him out of the manor, at least not intentionally, but he was about to be married and he wanted to make a home for his new bride. It was time Remus moved out, but without a job and his blindness and werewolf status working against him, he was having a hard time securing employment.

Remus called out Hermione’s name, but she didn’t respond. He could smell her scent; she always smelled of orchids and raspberries. He followed it to the front door. He was grateful for his werewolf instincts. They helped him adjust faster to his new surroundings. Blindness was unheard of in the Wizarding World. There was no assistance for Remus.

“Hermione, are you out here?”

Startled out of her musings at Remus’ voice Hermione almost fell off the porch swing. “Oh, you startled me. I thought you were napping.”

“I tried, but gave up.” He carefully sat down on the swing. “It’s so peaceful here.”

“Yes, it is. Are you getting hungry?”

“I am a bit hungry. Maybe now would be a good time for an in-depth tour of the kitchen.”

A/N: Thank you to my two lovely betas Bookofsecrets and Valady for looking this over and finding all my mistakes. I need to thank Sbrande for helping me refine this story and to not4you for helping me come up with a title.