Before the Moon Rises

BEFORE THE MOON RISES

Epilogue

Four years later

It was seven in the morning, and Hermione gripped the edge of the sink in her hands, leaning dangerously close to the mirror. A wave of nausea had caused her to get out of bed, and now she was fighting the urge to lean over the toilet. She turned on the taps and cupped the cold water in her hands, splashing it up onto her face.

"Are you okay?" she heard Remus' sleepy voice call to her from their bedroom.

She swallowed down the rising bile in her throat. "Yes," she called back weakly. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was ashen and pasty. She dried off her face with a nearby towel.

The bathroom door clicked open and Remus peeked his head inside. "You sure? It's early. What are you doing awake?"

"I'm fine Remus...just thinking about the party," she lied.

"The party isn't for hours. You aren't nervous are you? Because everything is going to be great," he said, reaching out and rubbing her back. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," she said, leaning against his shoulder and then pushing away, feeling another wave of nausea roll through her body. "Just a little nauseated. I must have eaten something that didn't sit well with me last night."

"Okay. Call me if you need me," he said, kissing her forehead. He walked back into the bedroom, and Hermione closed the door behind him.

She bent down on her knees and leaned over the toilet; she was sure she was going to vomit, but she didn't. The toilet seat was cold as she leaned her head against it. Then, as if jabbed by something sharp, she sat up quickly and gasped.

Why didn't I think of that before?

Every morning for weeks she had been woken up early, feeling nauseated. The nausea had grown considerably but she hadn't given it much thought...until now. She opened the bathroom door.

"Remus, could you toss me my wand?"

She heard him moving around on the bed. "You okay?"

"Yes. I just want to cast a Healing charm," she lied.

"Sure." She heard him get off the bed and pad over to where she was. "Here," he said, handing the wand down to her. She was still sitting on the floor.

"Thanks," she answered before shutting the door in his face. Remus stood on the other side and frowned but walked away. He knew she wasn't trying to be unkind; she wasn't feeling well, and there was going to be an anniversary party at their house in a few hours.

Hermione held her wand tightly in her hand and cast a charm. Her wand hovered over her body, produced flashes of bright light and then hovered in the air before it began writing in a brilliant shade of blue: Two unborn fetuses, two months in age, male in sex, healthy.

Hermione blinked her eyes and tilted her head to the side, unable to breathe. She snatched her wand from the air and quickly cast the charm again. Her wand hovered once again in the air and began writing, in a brilliant shade of blue: Two unborn fetuses, two months in age, male in sex, healthy.

Her eyes were wide in absolute shock. Not only had she just discovered she was pregnant--she was having twins. She stood up slowly, opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

Remus was sitting, propped up against the headboard, reading a book. He closed the book when he saw her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked in worry. He slid his legs off the bed and placed the book beside him on the bed.

Hermione found her legs unwilling to walk. She stood completely still, staring up at Remus. Then, a slow anxious smile crossed her lips.

"Are you okay?" Remus wondered.

"I--I have something to tell you," she said.

"What is it?" he asked, standing up but she quickly motioned for him to stay where he was.

"You might want to sit back down."

He sat down and the tension on his face increased. "Hermione, what is it?"

"I--I'm...well...I'm pregnant..."

Remus' expression immediately changed. It passed from worry, to confusion, to understanding, to shock. "W-what?"

"We're having twins." And as soon as she'd voiced the words, excitement exploded all around her; her nausea was briefly forgotten. But Remus continued to stare at her in complete shock.

"What?" he asked again.

Hermione then ran over to Remus, jumped in his lap and threw him back on the bed and began placing kisses all over his face. "I'm pregnant you oaf, and we're having twins!" she squealed in excitement.

"Are you serious?" he asked in between their kisses. His heart was swelling rapidly in his chest, and he felt lightheaded.

She pushed herself up on her arms and looked down at him, her hair falling around her face. "Why would I make that up? Aren't you excited?" she asked, frowning at him.

He put his arms around her and pulled her body down to his, hugging her tightly. "Oh, Hermione, I never," his voice cracked slightly, "...I never dreamed I would be able to be a father...I thought fatherhood had surely passed me by..." He held her tighter, feeling tears threatening to appear.

"Well, evidently fate is making up for lost time because we're having two at once," she said, kissing him sweetly.

"I can't believe it," he said, rolling them over and leaning over her as she giggled. "Having you for the rest of my life would have been enough, but this," he said, feeling overly-emotional, "is so much more than I have ever deserved."

"Oh, Remus," she said, touching his cheek, "you deserve everything the world has to offer...everything."

He leaned down and kissed her. "And I have it...right here," he said, kissing her again.

* * * *

Hermione wiped her hands on a towel as she surveyed the kitchen, biting her bottom lip. Remus walked in and leaned against the doorframe, grinning over at her.

"It looks great," he said, smiling and still thinking about what he had learned earlier. He could still hardly believe that he was going to be a father.

"Did you get all the tables set up in the back?" she asked him, ignoring his grinning face.

He walked over to her, stood behind her and slipped his hands around her waist as he pulled her body to his. He kissed her neck.

"Remus," she protested, "I've got things to do. Everyone will be here in less than an hour."

"Hermione," he said, and she didn't mistake the authoritative tone in his voice.

"Yes?" she asked quietly, closing her eyes and leaning her head against his chest.

"This is a party...for you--"

"For us," she corrected.

"Exactly. Which is even more of a reason for you to take a deep breath, and enjoy this day. Our friends are coming over to celebrate our four long years of marriage," he said, kissing her neck again. He felt her relax even more into him. "Everything is going to be great. You've done a wonderful job with the food, and I've got the back garden set up. They come over here every Friday afternoon; pretend this is no different."

"But I know it's different," she said, interlocking her fingers with his across her stomach.

"It's not really. We'll have a great time like we always do. The only difference will be they'll tease us relentlessly about being an old married couple."

"I don't mind being old and married to you," she said as she leaned her head back and kissed his lips.

Someone knocked at the door before Remus could reply. He let go of Hermione as she walked out of the kitchen toward the front door. She smiled broadly as she opened the door. Harry and his fiancé Ana were standing on her front porch.

"You're early!" Hermione said, reaching out for Harry and pulling him into a warm embrace.

"Yeah," he said, looking over at Ana, "she kept insisting we had to get here early so she could help you set up."

"That's so sweet of you," Hermione said, hugging Ana. "Remus and I have everything together. We could use some extra hands taking it all outside though," she said, opening the door wider so Harry and Ana could walk inside.

Remus greeted Harry with a handshake. "Why don't you levitate it outside?" Harry asked, smiling at Remus.

"Oh, no," Hermione said, shaking her head, "you remember what happened last time when you and Ron decided to levitate all of the food outside. Half of it ended up on the floor in my bedroom. No thank you. Ana and I can do it the Muggle way."

Remus and Harry stood in the living room catching up on the latest wizard news and Quidditch scores while Hermione and Ana walked into the kitchen.

"Wow. Look at all of this! You've outdone yourself, Hermione. Oh, I almost forgot," she said, waving her hand in the air as a box wrapped in silver paper appeared in her arms. "Your anniversary present." Ana held it out to her.

"Oh, Ana," she said, taking the box in her hands, "you didn't have to get us anything. It's enough just to have you and Harry spend time with us."

"Nonsense. You've been so good to us," she said shrugging and blushing slightly, "it's the least we can do."

Hermione smiled at Ana. She had always wondered what kind of girl Harry would fall in love with. He'd spent most of his adolescence with her and Ron, having only minor crushes on girls, who Hermione always knew to be totally wrong for him. She had been hesitant about meeting Ana at first. Ron had talked her up so much that Hermione was almost afraid she was too good to be true.

As soon as she'd met Ana, she'd been sorry she'd ever doubted Harry's choice in women. Ana was everything Ron had said she was. She was about the same height as Hermione, with hair a few shades lighter than Harry's. Her eyes were pale and blue, but she wasn't perfect. She had a nasty temper that could challenge Ron's, and she was definitely a fighter you wanted on your side. But she was also one of the kindest people Hermione had ever known, and she loved Harry fiercely...but more than that, she had become very close friends with Hermione, reminding her of Harry's mother.

Hermione placed the box from Ana on the counter before glancing into the living room. It was obvious that Harry was in the middle of explaining a particularly difficult Quidditch move, so she hurried over to Ana.

She grabbed Ana's arm and leaned over. "What is it?" Ana whispered, sensing something in Hermione's actions.

"Shh. I have to tell you something. I told Remus we could wait until everyone was here but I'm about to explode to tell you," Hermione said, unable to stop smiling.

"Okay," Ana said, smiling in response. "I'll pretend I'm surprised when you tell everyone later."

Hermione giggled. "I'm pregnant," she said so quietly that Ana leaned closer to hear.

Ana gasped and covered her mouth, glancing into the living room. They hadn't taken notice of anything. She looked back at Hermione. "Are you serious?"

Hermione nodded then both girls erupted into quiet giggles.

"When did you find out?"

"This morning. There's more," she said.

"What?"

"I'm having twins!"

Ana could barely control her excitement. She hugged Hermione quickly and pulled away. "Oh my gosh! How will I ever pretend I don't know this?!"

Hermione bounced on her toes and smiled. "You can't say anything. Remus will scold me," she giggled.

"This is so great! I can't wait until Harry finds out. He'll spoil them...old Uncle Harry. You know he'll make them call him uncle, right?"

Hermione leaned her head back and laughed. She had been so preoccupied with the thought of being pregnant that she had forgotten about how wonderful it would be to see how each person in her life would react. She smiled at the thought of her children calling Harry uncle and having him in their life.

"What are you ladies up to?" Harry asked, eyeing the giggling women in the kitchen. He walked over to a bowl of fruit and plucked out a strawberry with his fingers.

"Harry, don't eat the food yet," Ana scolded. When he looked up at her and grinned, her annoyance slipped away like water through cracks in the floor.

"You didn't answer my question. What are you two up to?" Harry asked as Remus walked up behind him and eyed Hermione.

"We were talking about icky girly stuff," Hermione said convincingly. "You wouldn't be interested."

"Certainly not," Harry concluded, wrinkling up his nose. "Oh, did Ron mention to you that he was bringing someone over tonight with him?"

Hermione began counting the glasses on the counter again. She lifted a few in her hands, and Ana did the same. She answered Harry's question as she walked up the hallway that led to the back garden. She spoke over her shoulder.

"Yeah. He said something about it...didn't say who he was bringing. Do you know something I don't?"

Hermione and Ana placed the glasses down on one of the tables Remus had set up for the party. Harry and Remus held glasses in their hands as well. Ana took them from their hands and set them up near the punch bowl.

"Well..." Harry grinned again, and Hermione placed her hands on her hips like only she could do.

"What do you know, Harry Potter?"

"I don't want to spoil the surprise," he said seriously.

Hermione frowned. "Should I be worried?"

"Not at all."

"I hate when you do that!" Hermione said in mock anger. "You say only enough to get me interested and then you pull away."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates that," Ana whispered as she leaned over and straightened out the tablecloth.

Harry roughly pulled Ana into his arms. "What's that?" Ana giggled and their moment of playfulness ended when a voice yelled from inside the house.

"Anybody home?"

"Ron!" Hermione said, smiling. "He must have known we were talking about him."

Harry and Ana walked back into the house, and Harry yelled up the hallway to his old mate. Remus grabbed Hermione as she walked by and pulled her into a hug.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

Hermione sighed against him. "I love you."

"Moony, where's the old ball and chain?" Hermione heard Ron yell from inside the house. She laughed against Remus.

"I want you to know that I love these Friday afternoons with everyone," she said as she looked up at him.

He kissed her lips gently. "I know you do. And this one is even better because there is a chance we'll get some gifts." He winked at her. They pulled away from each other and walked inside.

Ron caught Hermione halfway down the hall and hugged her tightly. He reached over her shoulder and shook Remus' outstretched hand. "Afternoon, Moony. Hey, Hermione, Harry said you had even more food than last time. Can I eat early?" He winked at Remus.

"Absolutely not!" she said, preparing to admonish Ron for lack of manners.

"I'm only teasing, Hermione!" He laughed, and she loved the sound of it.

"Oh, Ron, I almost forgot...where is your date?"

He instantly blushed and motioned with his head that his date was somewhere behind him. Hermione pushed by him and walked into the living room. She stopped immediately when she saw who Harry and Ana were talking with--Cho Chang.

"Cho?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

Cho turned around slowly and smiled shyly. Her long sleek hair shined in the afternoon light. Of all the people Hermione thought Ron would bring over, Cho wasn't even on the list of possibilities. The only thing in common she could gather they shared was their love of Quidditch.

"Hello, Hermione. Thank you for having me over."

"Oh, of course, you're welcome over here anytime. I haven't seen you in forever," Hermione said. Cho crossed to her and hugged her, taking Hermione completely off guard.

"It's good to see some friendly faces again," Cho said, and there was an honesty in her voice that warmed Hermione's heart immediately.

"Make yourself at home," Hermione said as the doorbell chimed loudly, and she turned to see Remus opening the front door.

Ginny walked in, followed closely by Neville. Hermione smiled when she saw Ginny rubbing her hand over her lavender shirt which was pulled tightly against her growing belly. Neville had a gentle hand resting on her lower back.

"Excuse me," Hermione said to Cho as she turned and walked over to the new arrivals.

She waited while Ginny and Neville exchanged hellos with Remus. Ginny turned to her, her face glowing with the shine of pregnancy, and smiled at Hermione.

"Hey, old lady," she said sweetly.

"Hey yourself," Hermione said, smiling and hugging Ginny. She leaned over and hugged Neville, who quickly excused himself to talk with the guys.

"Is that Cho Chang?" Ginny asked, glancing over Hermione's shoulder into the living room.

"She's your brother's date."

"Really? I haven't seen her in ages. How is she? Still a sobbing mental?" Ginny giggled.

"Be nice," Hermione whispered. "I think she's different now. You know your brother wouldn't be caught dead with a girly girl. All that sobbing and flowers and frufru would turn him green."

"You're right," Ginny smiled. She waved Cho over and Ana followed. "Hey Cho, it's so great to see you...and Ana, you're almost one of us...you know, the old ball and chains."

Ana grinned. "I don't mind."

"How could you? There are women who would kill to marry Harry Potter. You know that right?"

"Of course. That's all part of the challenge," Ana grinned mischievously.

"How far along are you, Ginny?" Cho asked.

"Let's see," Ginny began, holding her fingers out and counting, "far enough to know I may cause a chocolate and cheeseburger famine. I can't get enough, and it drives Neville crazy. But seriously, it will be six months this Sunday."

"That's wonderful," Cho said honestly. "Do you know if it's a girl or boy yet?"

"It's a girl. I'm sure she'll be a little daddy's girl. Neville is so cute about it. Just the other day he brought home this little tea set..."

The conversation then consisted of babies and such for the next half hour. Hermione wanted to tell all of the girls the truth about her. She and Ana kept exchanging glances and giggling.

When the doorbell rang again, Hermione opened the door to find Seamus, Dean and the Patil twins standing on her front porch. The once quiet house for two soon became a laughing, smiling crowd of friends, and Hermione couldn't have felt happier.

* * * *

"Let's make a toast to Remus and Hermione!" Ron yelled over the laughter and voices. He held up a wine glass. "Everyone get a glass. There's plenty of wine to go around." He leaned over toward Hermione. "I brought your favorite kind." He winked.

Hermione tried to smile and knew she wouldn't be able to drink a drop of it. She looked over a Remus and he seemed to read her mind. He walked across the room and slipped his arms around her waist.

"We're going to have to tell them at some point tonight. You know they will become suspicious when you don't drink any of the wine Ron brought specifically for you. We all know how much you love it," he said, kissing her cheek and grinning playfully.

"I know," she whispered.

"Everyone get a glass. Somebody get this woman a glass!" he said, slipping his arm around Hermione's shoulders and tugging her closer. "Why doesn't Hermione have any wine?"

Hermione and Remus laughed. "I'm okay, Ron. Really, some punch would be excellent."

"Are you crazy?" he asked. "This is your favorite!"

"I know," she replied. Harry stepped up beside her and eyed her carefully. He held a full wine glass in his hands and he placed it in her hands.

"You feeling all right, Hermione?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered, looking down at her glass and then back up at Remus. He shrugged his shoulders and mouthed the words, you're going to have to tell them. Hermione rolled her eyes in response.

"Does everyone have a glass? Hey, Padma, no drinking before the toast! Seamus, Pavarti, quit making out in the corner; we're trying to have a toast here. Dean, refill Padma's glass. Ginny, are you drinking punch? Good. Neville, there's no reason for you to drink punch, too," he laughed playfully. "Okay, everyone hold your glasses up. Let's drink to two of our best friends. To four years of marriage! To spending time with family and friends. I hope this never changes! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" the room repeated with great gusto. Hermione laughed as she looked around and saw all of their smiling faces. Ron was right; she hoped it never changed. She hoped they would all be old, sitting around and still talking and laughing while their children ran around together.

"Hermione, why aren't you drinking?" Ron asked, pulling her out of her thoughts of the future.

"Oh, I was thinking," she said still smiling.

"Drink up, love," he said sweetly as Cho walked over to him and placed her head on his shoulder.

"I-I can't," she said finally.

Remus looked up and caught her eye. She took a slow breath. Harry was near enough to hear her words.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well..." she looked again at Remus. He gave her an encouraging look, and she chewed on her bottom lip.

"What's up, Hermione?" Ron asked, passing his empty glass to Cho.

"Okay, everyone. Listen up," Hermione said loudly. The noisy room slowly quieted down, and Hermione felt suddenly nervous when all their faces were turned up to hers. "First I want to thank everyone for sharing this special day with Remus and me. We are very thankful for your friendship and this weekly get together is very important to us." At this point, she reached out for Remus' hand. "So, I think it's only natural that we continue to share special moments with all of you. With that said...I'm pregnant."

There was a simultaneously gasp among the group and then complete silence before anyone spoke again.

"What? I'm going to be an uncle again?" Ron asked, completely dumbfounded.

Hermione giggled immediately. She loved the fact that she and Ron weren't even related and he considered himself an uncle to her unborn children. "We're having twins!"

Ron's mouth dropped open, and Harry laughed. The room seemed to stand up and surround Hermione and Remus immediately. Congratulatory words were exchanged and Hermione felt like she was being hugged for the next ten minutes.

"Oh, Hermione, I can't believe it," Harry said as he pulled her into a warm embrace. "You deserve so much happiness, and I'm looking forward to being Uncle Harry."

Hermione smiled up at him and hugged him tighter before pulling away. "I can't wait for them to call you Uncle Harry. Thank you so much for being here and sharing this with us."

"There's no where else I'd rather be," he said as Ana slipped under his arm and smiled at Hermione.

Ginny walked up and rubbed her belly. "Are you ready for this?" she asked Hermione as she smiled. "You'll be craving the most absurd things in the world, but you'll be so beautiful. Our babies will grow up together, just like all of us did."

Remus came around behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.

"What do you think about all of this, old man?" Harry asked teasingly.

Hermione turned her face to Remus', and they shared a look that only two people in love can exchange. She blushed and he kissed her cheek.

"I never thought that I could have a life where I would have everything I wanted and continue to get more. Every day I'm amazed that I get to share my life with such an amazing woman, and now I get to be a father."

"Remus," Hermione said shyly.

"It's all true. I'm so unbelievably blessed. You should all be jealous of me. I've got a beautiful wife, two children on the way and a house full of friends. What more could a man want?"

"I'll drink to that!" Ron shouted and once again, glasses where lifted into the air, followed by happy voices and laughter.

Remus turned Hermione around and held her close. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. She let the voices of her friends and the warmth she felt from Remus fill her with complete peace. Life had been hard and full of so many twists and turns; she would never have imagined things would work out so beautifully, and she knew she would be eternally grateful. Remus' words filled her head--she had an amazing husband, two children on the way that she would love fiercely, and the best friends anyone could ever hope to have sharing unforgettable moments with her. What more could a woman want? Nothing--she had it all.

THE END