Hermione's Diary

Chapter 8

Summer Holidays After Seventh Year Part 2

Wednesday July 27

He's back, and he's safe! And the baby's a girl! I am SO happy!

I'm using a new 'Quick Quotes'TM quill to write this, it's so much faster than longhand AND it reproduces what I say word for word, not like the one that Skeeter woman has, which is obviously faulty!

Remus is sleeping in our bed, here in our rooms. Our rooms! He looks so tired and thin, his skin was grey when he first came back and he has huge black rings under his eyes, poor love. Oh, it was SO good to see him again! Such a relief! I have to say, there were times when I despaired of any of them ever coming back. It was so dangerous. Not that I ever voiced my fears to Ella...it wouldn't have helped her.

Remus and I lay down together when we got back from the hospital with his pack and all our shopping from Muggle London and he was going to go to sleep then but he started to kiss me instead, and...well, before we knew it we were naked, and we'd missed one another so much we couldn't help but try to make up for lost time!

And then he couldn't sleep because we'd promised to go back to St Mungo's because of Ella being in labour, so we did, and she's had the most adorable little girl! In a way I'm a bit cross I missed it, but then I suppose Professor Snape would have made me wait outside anyway.

And I WAS so happy to see Remus again, I really needed to spend some time with him. I can still hardly believe he's home.

They're calling the baby Persephone, and they're both overjoyed! Oh, it was lovely to see. And little Seffie's so cute! I do hope she takes after Ella, but for the moment she's definitely got Snape's hair!

So, we stayed for a while, and saw Sirius too (he's a lot better) then finally came back here.

Remus looks SO gorgeous when he's asleep. It was funny, he lay on the bed while I used the bathroom and when I came back out just now he'd nodded off! So, I'm going to get undressed in a minute, then undress him, and curl up in his arms. It's going to be wonderful, holding him all night after so long.

Thursday July 28

Ella and Snape brought Seffie home today. We all met them out on the front lawn and went back to their rooms to celebrate for a while. I got to cuddle her, but Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall were clucking around us the whole time so I had to hand her over in the end, and then we had to go. Oh well. I might go back tomorrow, on my own.

Remus came with me to the library to look for charms texts in the Restricted section, and we sat and looked through some of them together. It was nice, he pointed out some really useful ones I'll have to learn. He got quite engrossed in one of the books and I sat and watched him for a while. He scratches his head when he's thinking hard. He doesn't look quite so tired now; I let him sleep last night! (Of course, this morning was a different story...)

Friday July 29

Remus and I went to Diagon Alley today so that we could get Harry a birthday present. Luckily Remus knows far more about broomsticks and Quidditch than I've ever bothered to learn, so I let him help me choose something. It's a book of special charms that Harry can learn to help him practice different famous techniques, like the Wronski feint, by actually experiencing them as performed by the original inventors, so to speak. He had the idea after sitting in the library with me yesterday. I'm sure Harry will like it, although he'll have to put a bit of effort in...still, he was okay at Charms and it won't hurt him to practice a little now he's left school. He'll probably complain about it, tell me it's typical of me, but he'll like it really. And if he doesn't, I'll just have to blame Remus!

We bumped into Parvati and Padma outside Florian Fortescue's. Remus and I were sharing a sundae on one of the outdoor tables and they were just coming out. They caught him feeding me a spoonful of ice cream and then kissing it off my chin...their faces were indescribable! It was all I could do not to laugh. I am actually VERY surprised that Ron hadn't told Parvati about us. I must remember to thank him when I see him, for his unusual discretion! Now, I wonder how long it will be before Lavender finds out and starts banging the jungle drums?

Actually I did feel rather cross with them...we told them Ella's had her baby and they started off by making all the right noises, but then Padma made a comment about feeling sorry for Seffie, having Snape for a dad, and it really annoyed me. They have NO idea that Remus and Sirius and Snape have just risked their lives trying to get Malfoy and Voldemort. They have no clue what kind of man Snape is. I had to bite my tongue, though. There's no point contradicting people like that. They'll believe what they want to believe no matter what I say. I'm just the goody two-shoes who always sticks up for the teachers, after all.

I think I must be getting quite fond of the miserable old git after all.

Saturday July 30

I'm feeling rather annoyed today. I've tried three times since yesterday to go and see Ella and Seffie, and I simply can't get there! Every time I step on to one of the staircases, it moves and never in the right direction! I end up trying different routes, even doubling back on myself, but it doesn't make any difference! And yet, if I want to go anywhere else in the school, they behave themselves perfectly!

And just as I was getting really cross, Professor Dumbledore met me at the foot of one of them and had the nerve to tell me that the school was allowing Ella and Snape a few days' privacy to adjust! The school, my foot! I think he's done it himself, the manipulative old goat!

Ooh, score through that. I can't go thinking things like that about the Headmaster. But I'm her closest friend, surely she'd want to see me??

I'll try again tomorrow. Surely they'll have had long enough by then? Besides, it's Harry's birthday and they need to know about the party.

Sunday July 31

Harry's 18^th birthday!

He's still at The Burrow, with Ginny and Sirius and Ron and everybody, but they're all coming back to Hogwarts after lunch. We'll give him his present at the party.

I finally got to see Seffie today! At long last! Honestly, she has changed SO much in the last three days. So have her parents, too...Ella looked a fright, tired too, but she was positively glowing. Being a mum suits her, or it would if she'd remembered to brush her hair! And as for Snape...good grief. I have never seen him so...dishevelled!! All he was wearing when I got there was a loosely tied dressing gown. I couldn't help but stare, I've never seen his body before. For a second or two I was picturing him and Ella together!

Then he noticed and stormed off into the bedroom, and when he came back out he was fully dressed, which I thought was rather a shame. I think Ella was teasing him about it and he scowled at her, but she didn't mind. She never does. Either she has the most amazing patience, or he's putting it all on for everyone else's benefit. Or maybe he's just one hell of a lover. I'd ask her, but I'm too embarrassed and besides, I think I know what she'd say. A mixture of all three!

I can't wait for Harry's party tonight!

Monday August 1

What a brilliant party!

I think it'll take me days to recover, though.

I think the very best part was being able to dance with Remus all night and not worry about keeping our relationship hidden any more. Being in his arms, having him spin me around the dance floor and hold me so close...mmm, it was lovely! Stealing kisses too, little ones, and not caring!

It was a very eventful night, all things considered! Loads of people came, including Parvati and Lavender. Her eyes were almost popping out of her head when she saw Remus standing casually with his arm around my waist.

There was an 'unexpected guest' too - Snape's brother Caius! He's very attractive, tall and dark and with the Snape nose, but very friendly and dashing. Gorgeous, really, but not as gorgeous as Remus. He was really pleased I'd asked Professor Dumbledore to tell him about his brother's upcoming wedding, and he'd decided to come down a few days early to see them! Snape didn't look particularly happy to see him, but then I shouldn't think anyone would expect him to. He is a miserable old bugger. Caius hit it off with the boys, and he is SO unlike Snape I can hardly believe they're related. Except for the nose, like I said! Remus says Snape has always resented Caius but he doesn't really know why.

By the end of the party, though, they seemed to be getting along okay. We were all sitting round a table and talking. Caius really is the life and soul of the party and he had us all in stitches. Snape scowled a lot at first, but then he started to join in a bit, just commenting on things Caius said, correcting him here and there and putting a Snapeish slant on things, but it didn't sound as horrid as usual. It sounded dry, and witty. And all the time Ella was sitting beside him and hanging on to his every word, and he kept caressing her shoulder, I'm sure he didn't realise he was doing it. I don't know, they just seemed so happy that his words didn't come across as cruel at all. Far from it. I think everyone was surprised, really. I know Harry and Ron were. Honestly, I've been trying to tell them for ages now that he can't possibly be all bad! Maybe they'll start to believe me now.

Tuesday August 1

Our dresses came today! And they're gorgeous!

Remus and I just managed to make it to the Great Hall for the end of breakfast, feeling highly embarrassed because it would be pretty obvious why we'd been delayed...but luckily loads of people missed it completely because of overdoing it at the party. I don't suppose Snape was on hand with any hangover potions this morning either, too busy with his domestic duties!

Oh gods, I just imagined Snape in a pinny, changing nappies!

So anyway, an owl came just after we sat down, with a message to tell me that a witch from Madam Malkin's would be calling this morning to deliver Ella's wedding dress and my bridesmaid's dress. Sure enough, by the time we'd finished our toast she'd arrived, and I took the dresses back to our rooms at once.

Oh, they are beautiful, and I can't wait till next week! My dress is in deep wine red shot with gold, and it's gently draped at the front and back Grecian style, with a gold kirtle and gold trim. It's sleeveless. I think I'll need to wear my hair up, but I'll see what Ella says. Her dress is so beautiful, it's shot blue, green and silver, long sleeved and totally romantic!

I went down to the dungeons after lunch, hoping to find Ella on her own with Seffie. Snape was there, of course, but when I said why I was there he left us alone. Ella loves her dress but it will need altering now she's had Seffie. I tried to do a simple charm to fix it, but Madam Malkin must have protected it so that only she can alter it, because my spell wouldn't work. That means Ella's going to have to go back to Diagon Alley with it for another fitting.

I tried mine on again and Ella agreed that it was beautiful. I can't wait for Remus to see me in it.

Thursday August 3

Absolutely nightmarish day. Thank the Fates it's all over and she's okay. Ella went to Diagon Alley with Caius today and Malfoy and Skeeter took her, and she met Voldemort again!

Snape was the first to realise something was wrong. It was because of the emerald she wears and the connection they have. Apparently Voldemort sucked her into an amphora and while she was in it, Snape felt her absence and he knew something was wrong. He was frantic, shouting at the top of his voice for help. I think he had the presence of mind to use Sonorus because Remus and I almost jumped out of our skins, his voice reverberated through the whole school!

Professor Dumbledore alerted the Ministry and Snape went to Diagon Alley to try and find her. Madam Pomfrey and I stayed in the dungeons with Persephone. There was nothing we could do except wait. It was awful, I was so scared for her because really, we had no idea at that time what had happened to her, and no idea of how long we would have to wait for news.

I'd been wishing I'd get a chance to baby-sit, but I hadn't wanted it to be under those circumstances. Madam Pomfrey was brilliant, I could tell she was fretting but she told me she'd been in that situation so many times, usually with Professor Snape, that she knew how to cope with it. I asked her if he'd ever told her about Voldemort, but she pursed her lips and looked upset. I didn't press her to answer. So of course then I started to remember when I was on the plateau with Ella and I got upset. Completely useless.

It was such a relief when she burst in with Snape. She looked frantic, grabbed Persephone from me, crying her eyes out, then she and Snape disappeared into the nursery for ages.

I went all limp with relief then and when Remus came in I just burst into tears. I hadn't known where he was either, but he'd followed Snape and had been searching for Ella. Everyone was waiting with us for Snape and Ella to come out so that she could tell the Headmaster what had happened. I listened, but I hardly heard what they all said. I couldn't take it in, it's been too traumatic, and I know that sounds really weak and pathetic and I should be stronger than that, but coming so soon after last time, and Remus' going away, and everything...all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and shut it all out.

Remus understands me so well. Better than anyone ever has. As soon as was decently possible he made our excuses and took me back to our rooms, made me sit in front of the fire with a mug of hot chocolate and a huge bar of it too, 'for dunking', he said. And then he got the counterpane off the bed, the patchwork one, and we sat together with it round our shoulders and he just let me talk. We sat there until the chocolate was all gone and the fire had died down to embers, and then he took me to bed and held me for hours, until I felt better and he'd fallen asleep.

Saturday August 5

What a dreamy day! I feel like I'm floating, on a fluffy pink cloud of sweet loveliness!

Heehee! Too much of Fizzyternal's champers, I think! Wheee! I really really hope our wedding day is as lovely as Ella's was. I wonder if he'll ask me one day? Ooh, maybe I should ask him now! What a brilliant idea! I wonder where he's gone?

Sunday August 6

I was a little tipsy last night. By the time I realised where Remus had gone - to get me a combined Sobering/Hangover potion from Madam Pomfrey's stores - I'd started to feel a little bit queasy and I'd gone into the bathroom, just in case. Which was quite lucky, really...I would have been mortified if I'd proposed to him while I was so drunk, especially if he'd said no!

Ugh. I've had time to think about the whole thing now, in the cold light of day, and a proposal would definitely be A Bad Idea at this point in our relationship, no matter which one of us it came from. I mean, I hope he DOES propose one day, and I shall be sorely upset if he doesn't; but not just yet. We haven't been together long enough to know each other's ins and outs...and I don't mean sexual compatibility, because that isn't in question at all. That's one area where I KNOW we're made for one another!

The wedding was lovely, though. I mean, I know I was drunk last night, but it's true. Even Snape couldn't wipe the smile from his face, except when he was looking at Ella as if she was the most heavenly creature he had ever laid eyes on. Gods, the intensity in his eyes. I felt quite weak at the knees myself! And then I'd turn to look at Remus and I'd see the same look on his face, but it was all for me!! I don't know how I got through the day. I don't know how Ella did! She looked fantastic, and she'd made me look better than I've ever seen myself before. I reckon Remus thought so too.

I'm glad I got to know Ella. She's the big sister I never had, and she's my best friend too.

***

Professor Dumbledore just flooed us. I'd almost forgotten, with all the excitement and the champagne and everything, that Ella was going to try Gruber's incantations and poultice last night. It worked! It actually worked! Apparently the Dark Mark's gone, Snape's in a state of shock, Ella's deliriously happy and oh! So am I! I know what this will mean for them both. He'll be free of the summons, the itching and the constant reminder of his past. He might actually be truly happy! Now there's a scary thought! And it means so much to Ella too. I feel like going straight down there and hugging them both but I imagine the staircases would conspire against me again so I won't bother just yet!

And besides, Remus has been sitting here for the last half hour with his arm around my shoulders, stroking my neck. I don't think I can take much more of it!

I am so lucky. I hope this lasts. Me and Remus, I mean. I want us to be like Ella and Snape someday. Not just yet, but someday.

THE END

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE; Please review!