Scattered

Even at Christmas, there wasn't a speck of snow on the ground. Hermione found she missed it, though she also loved being able to take long walks in the evening, bundled up, to be sure, with the smell of the sea air fresh on the wind... and Ron walking beside her, his arm wrapped around her and holding her close. But it was a different world altogether from her parents' house, or from Hogwarts in wintertime.

She missed the school. She'd loved every day she'd ever spent there with a fierce devotion. This year should have been her last at Hogwarts. She'd have been a Seventh Year, finally. She remembered, as a First Year, looking up to those eldest students with a certain amount of awe, and she'd thought often of reaching that status herself one day. She'd imagined that the last few months of that last year would have been a whirlwind of activity, each day racing towards the next, a mixture of excitement and bittersweet sadness over leaving. Then just last year she'd started exploring the possibility of making Hogwarts a part of her future, as a teacher, as well as a part of her past. She'd loved the idea, but instead, she now had to endure the thought of the place she'd loved being inhabited by the evilest wizards and witches alive. Hogwarts, for all intents and purposes, was lost to her forever.

Hermione sighed and shook her head, trying to dispel those melancholy thoughts. The holidays were no time to be depressed, especially not this year. They'd gone through a lot, and lost a lot, it was true. But there were good things to celebrate, as well.

Tomorrow, on Christmas Day, there would be a feast in the Main Hall, with all of the residents of the castle and all of the people living on Liath Cuan, the McFustys and their families, in attendance. It was going to be a large, festive affair; Molly had been planning for weeks, with help from Claire, Hamish's wife.

Tonight, though, on Christmas Eve, they were having a smaller family gathering in the common room in the castle, with just Hermione, Remus and Tonks invited as well. Hermione, Tonks and Ginny had spent most of the afternoon decorating and Hermione had just nipped back to her rooms to change into jeans and a lightweight red sweater. All the fireplaces in the common room were lit and crackling merrily away, and the room had been quite warm. Tonks, in fact, had joked that she might just attend in a bathing suit; Ginny had smirked and said that she'd doubted Remus would object much to that plan.

Hermione smiled, thinking of Remus and Tonks and remembering the night Remus had finally arrived at Liath Cuan, just a week ago. Everyone at the castle was thrilled with any new arrival, of course, as it meant that more friends were safe and home. Ron had been, she knew, more glad to see Seamus than he'd imagined he would be. He'd never been all that close to his former roommate, but having Seamus around, she knew, made Ron feel a little more normal -- even though it made him miss Harry, and Neville, a little bit more at the same time.

Remus Lupin's arrival had meant a great deal more to Tonks, Hermione knew. No matter what else was going on in the world, what other chaos there was, being with the person you loved best was all that mattered. Hermione understood: Ron made her feel that way, and Tonks had been holding herself together without the man she loved for far too long already.

Tonks had been a jangled mess of nerves the day of Remus's scheduled arrival, and unfortunately his group had been running late. It hadn't helped at all that they'd been in constant contact, and that everyone knew they were still safely on their way. Tonks had grown more and more agitated and insisted, finally, on joining Percy down in the lower room where Amos Diggory would be brought in, with the new arrivals in tow.

Percy said that Tonks had stood behind him, silent, barely moving as the Arcesso spell completed. Amos had led the new arrivals to the door and they'd confirmed that all had gone well with the transfer. He'd opened the gate and first Hannah Abbott had come through, followed by Seamus. Then Remus had appeared in the doorway, and Tonks had suddenly become a blur, lunging herself at him. Percy and Amos had stepped aside for a moment to give the couple privacy, but it hadn't been necessary. Tonks was so overjoyed and relieved she had wanted to hug and greet everyone, her happiness bubbling over as she led Remus by the hand to the common room above. Hermione remembered the look on the young Auror's face as she'd led the others in; she'd never looked so happy, and her hair had been the most vibrant shade of shocking pink that Hermione had ever seen.

The next morning, Bill had come down to breakfast with a surprise. "So, you'll never guess what I was doing at midnight last night," he'd said.

Charlie had snickered. "I bet it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as what I was doing."

"Joanna is, what, Hamish's niece?" Ron had asked blandly.

"What of it?"

"He's just a big fellow, Hamish is, that's all," Ron had cautioned. "So don't let him catch you sneaking out of his niece's window at dawn."

Charlie had blushed and Percy had rolled his eyes. "So, what were you doing, Bill, or don't we want to know?" he'd asked.

"Witnessing a wedding. By the way, don't go looking for Lupin or Dora today. You know how newlyweds are."

It seemed that Tonks and Remus hadn't wanted to waste any more time. Tonks had spoken to Hestia Jones earlier and she'd agreed to officiate; she'd worked in the Office of Civil Affairs at the Ministry. At midnight, they exchanged vows, with Bill, Arthur and Molly as witnesses.

Hermione remembered that while everyone had been happy at Bill's news, they'd scratched their heads a bit at the haste. It was a piece of paper, Charlie'd said, just some vows and a ceremony; just a formality, in the long run, really. And if you're going to do it at all, Seamus had piped up, why not take the time to plan a really terrific party? But Hermione knew it meant more than that to Tonks, and to Remus, and that Molly and Arthur had understood, having gone through it themselves. There had been a hastily arranged but perfectly lovely party in their honor that evening, and no one who saw them together could doubt their sudden but wonderful decision.

The common room was much more crowded when she returned. Percy and Penny were sitting side by side on the sofa, with Charlie leaning over a nearby chair and telling a story that apparently had his brother in stitches and Penny rolling her eyes. Ginny was standing next to Charlie and smiling. Molly was hovering over the buffet table and Tonks was trying, Hermione saw, to help... Molly kept nudging her away, though, obviously not wanting to risk the food to Tonks's legendary clumsiness. Instead, Winky was there at Molly's elbow, ready to fix anything with a snap of her fingers. Bill and Arthur were standing over by the fireplace, deep in discussion as they so often were.

Hermione frowned; she didn't see Ron anywhere. She did, however, see Remus sitting over by the window on one of the other sofas. He saw her and smiled, waving her over.

"Hello, Remus," she said, only hesitating slightly over his name. He'd insisted she call him by his first name only now, to the extent that he'd vowed not to respond to anything else.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione," he said, gesturing for her to sit down. She curled into the opposite corner of the sofa. "I was just surveying the room from here. You and Dora and Ginny did a wonderful job with the decorating."

She smiled. "Oh, Ginny did most of it. I'm not much for that kind of thing, and Tonks..." She trailed off, not wanting to offend.

"Is often so clumsy she's more harm than help? I know," Remus said, chuckling. "But she does love to pitch in."

"Are you settled into your room?" Hermione asked, tucking her feet up onto the sofa.

Remus took a sip of butterbeer and nodded. "Yes. I think I rather like living up in a tower. The view is wonderful. And it's completely private; Hestia and Rolanda are over in the other tower across the way, and everyone else is tucked in their own quarters throughout the castle, but otherwise it's like being in your own flat."

"I know what you mean. Our room feels the same," Hermione agreed, but then caught her slip of the tongue. "Our rooms, I mean. Mine, and Ron's, separately..." Remus shook his head at her skeptically. "Oh, it's really useless, isn't it?" she said finally, embarrassed.

"To try to convince me you're not living with Ron? Yes, it's useless," he agreed, laughing kindly. "And unnecessary. I'm not your father, Hermione, I'm your friend. And as a friend, I was happy to hear about you and Ron, and happier still to see you doing so well together. That's all."

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you. We just don't want to upset Ron's parents."

"I can understand that." Remus grinned. "You're absolutely right, though, to return to the point. The rooms are very nice. I wonder if we'll ever reach the end of all we have to be grateful to Albus Dumbledore for... I wonder, but I doubt it."

Hermione agreed. "I know what you mean. He was always the greatest wizard in the world, and he did so much for us, and for Harry, and for the Order. But now, when I look around the castle, and the island, I think, that was only the very beginning of all he'd done. He didn't just help us, he gave us a home. The whole island, and the castle... this place... it's amazing."

"The library is really quite amazing," Remus said.

"I know!" Hermione enthused. "It was such a relief to know we'd still have access to magical texts. I was so worried, when I know there's so much to do..."

"Speaking of, Hermione," Remus said, "I wanted to talk to you about doing some research together."

She couldn't help it; she felt her pulse race a little and if she'd been a terrier, she knew, her ears would have perked up at attention. "Research?" she asked eagerly. "What are we researching? I've been reading through all the texts I haven't seen before, and I'm almost through; a lot of them I'd already taken out of the Hogwarts library but there were rather a good few I hadn't. In any case, I'm fairly familiar with the collection now, and I'd love a new project."

Remus gave her a fond look. "Hermione, you do know that you were one my best students, don't you? Mind you, I didn't get to be a teacher for very long, so that's faint praise, I suppose. But true."

"Thank you," she replied, a little embarrassed. "Though to be fair, we both know Harry's the best Defense student to ever attend Hogwarts."

He laughed. "You are always fair, Hermione, that's one of the nice things about you. Thank you, as well. Yes, there is a project I'd like your help with, something in particular to help Harry. To help all of us, really, when the time comes to battle Voldemort himself."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, of course. What is it? Is it a spell, or a shield?"

"That's the problem, my dear. I don't know. I don't know what we can do, yet, if anything. All I know is that Harry is out there right now, hunting down those horcruxes, in danger every step of the way." He paused, and Hermione could tell, as his eyes became unfocused and his gaze seemed to rest on something far away, or far gone, that he was thinking of Harry's parents, James and Lily, and of Sirius, and of all the people he'd lost to that kind of danger. "I can't do anything to help him now," he said finally, "but I want to be ready to help him when he needs me."

Hermione reached out and touched her old professor and friend sympathetically on the arm. "Of course. You know I'll do anything to help."

"I do know that," Remus replied, and he gave her a grateful smile.

"When do you want to get started?" Hermione asked briskly. "We could pop over to the library for just a few minutes now. There are some promising texts out of Romania--"

Remus laughed. "No, tonight it's Christmas," he told her, "and tomorrow, too. It's important to make time for living," he added seriously. "Never forget that."

She nodded. "I won't, I promise."

"The day after. We'll get together and brainstorm, as they say," Remus suggested. "Just see what we can come up with together."

"That sounds great," Hermione said.

"Sorry I'm late," Ron said as he approached them. She greeted him with a smile and he bent and kissed her hair, then settled on the arm of the sofa behind her. "I was helping Jamie fix his broom, it gave him a devil of a time when we were playing Quidditch the other day. What sounds great?"

"Remus was just asking me to help him with some preliminary research. To help Harry," she told him.

"Well, you couldn't find anyone better," Ron said to Remus, proudly. Hermione flushed.

"No, I couldn't have," Remus agreed.

"I was never much of a scholar, as you know," Ron said with a grin, "but I'll do anything I can to help as well. Even if it's just to remind you two to eat every now and then, once you get going."

Remus laughed. "Dora will join you in that endeavor, I'm sure," he said. "Thank you, Ron."

Tonks came over to join them soon after that. Hermione leaned back, her head against Ron's knee while his fingers played with errant strands of her hair. She looked around the room and felt a great, warm bubble of safety, and of security, and of relief and love. She felt so glad to be here, surrounded by these people. She felt so lucky.

"Everyone? May I interrupt for a moment?"

Across the room, Arthur stood and looked around for their attention. Everyone stooped talking at once, and every face turned in his direction. He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not about to make an official speech or anything."

They all laughed. "That'll be a pleasant change," Charlie said, winking. Ron snickered.

"Boys!" their mother chastised, but she, too, had a smile playing on her lips.

"No, really," Arthur protested, laughing along. He turned a bit more serious, though, and continued, "I just wanted to say -- to say Merry Christmas, really, to my family, and to Hermione, and Remus, and Dora, who are part of our family now. I know there are a few faces that should be here and aren't. But your mother and I... Molly and I... feel so grateful for the ones that are."

Bill reached over and gave his father a warm hug. Molly wiped at her eyes and took Penny's outstretched hand, gripping it tightly.

"We feel grateful too, Dad," Ron said, and Hermione nodded, squeezing his hand. She caught Penny's eyes then, and the other girl grinned in understanding.

"Ron, stay here with Remus and Tonks for a second," she whispered. He gave her a quizzical look but didn't argue.

Hermione slipped out of the common room and into the hallway. She took her wand out of her pocket and, with a brief moment of concentration, murmured, "Pronuntio."

When she went back into the room, she gave Ron a quick smile but crossed over swiftly to Penny's side. Penny leaned over to explain something to Percy, who smiled and nodded, helping his wife to stand.

Hermione cleared her throat lightly, but everyone in the room was already watching the two of them, wondering what all of the whispering and smiles were about. "Penny and I have something we want to tell you about," she said.

"Really, it's a gift," Penny added. "In some ways, it's for everyone."

"I have a feeling, though, that two people in particular are going to enjoy it most," Hermione said. She took a step towards the far side of the room, Penny following close behind. All eyes followed them. "Remus? Tonks?"

"Yes, Hermione, what is it?" Remus replied quietly, looking startled.

Hermione shook her head and handed Penny the small, brightly wrapped box in her hands. She'd done everything she could to help, but in truth, this was Penny's success more than anyone else's. "You do the honors, Pen."

Penny handed the box to Remus, who took it carefully. He untied the ribbon slowly and then lifted the lid, Tonks peering over his shoulder. The box contained a small slip of parchment, onto which was written a single sentence. Remus and Tonks read it together in silence.

For a moment, neither of them responded. Then, Tonks took a sharp breath and Remus lifted his eyes to meet theirs, hopefully. "You're sure?"

Hermione nodded. "We're very sure. We did it, Remus. Or, Penny did, mostly. We can successfully brew Wolfsbane for you now, on demand. You never have to worry about not having it, or having to ask anyone to leave the island to seek it out again."

Remus turned to look at his wife and she embraced him, her smile wide. He stood, hugging first Hermione and then Penny in turn. "I can't ever express to you how much this means to me," he said quietly, his face full of emotion and his eyes bright. "To all of us, for safety, and to me, for taking this burden off my shoulders, this terrible knowledge that I was endangering someone else every time I needed the potion. It means everything."

"Thank you," Tonks said simply, hugging them each in turn, tightly, in her own rough way.

Arthur and Molly came over and congratulated both of the girls on their accomplishment, causing Remus to go on for some time about how proud he was, as their former teacher, of their achievement. Everyone was laughing and talking all at once, and Hermione saw Bill clap Charlie on the back, a look of profound relief on his face. Bill caught her watching and met her gaze steadily, nodding his thanks.

"You're wonderful, you know," Ron said in her ear, his arms snaking around her waist from behind. She smiled. "I always knew you and Penny would figure it out."

"It really was mostly Penny," Hermione demurred again. "I'm not being modest. She's amazing with potions. I just helped."

"Your help is a lot more than most people's, though," he insisted. "Thank you, love," he said in a low voice, his lips grazing her ear.

She leaned back into him, knowing what he meant. The Weasleys were only just managing to hold themselves together, with Fred and George still out there, and George missing. Every time Charlie had to leave the castle to do something for the Order it was dangerous, but the most dangerous of all was when he'd had to obtain Wolfsbane for Remus. Sooner or later, the Death Eaters and Malfoy's henchmen were bound to start watching the suppliers, and it had been only a matter of time until Charlie was arrested, or worse, on his mission. Now, though, one more Weasley was truly safe.

Turning, she kissed him lightly on the lips. "No thanks are necessary. It's just as Charlie said, after all, he's family."

Ron smiled a little and then searched her eyes intensely, as if hoping to find some answer there. "Why are you with me?" he said finally. "I just don't get it. I'm mad about you, you know that, and I know you love me. I just don't know why."

Hermione ran her fingers through his short, spiky-soft hair and then cupped his face in her hand. "It's not very complicated," she said. "I love you because you know everything about me, and you love me. And because I know everything about you, and there's nothing I see that I don't love, even the parts that are infuriating. That's all there is to it."

He kissed her then, pulling her close. "Merry Christmas, love."

"Merry Christmas."