Double Defense

(AN: After writing a novel in November, my priorities kind of got screwed up and I hadn´t had time to write much. I am aware that that is one of the stupidest excuses ever. I DID, however, get time over vacation last week, so Chapter two is well on its way, and I am trying to put this story ahead of all the other plot roaches besieging me right now. Everything You Are at thedarkarts.org on its way to an update soon as well, for those who are interested. A few other stories here and there. I´m sure no one cares. I´d like to say that ff.n has distorted the way this is formatted and it shouldn´t be so demented, but it´s not my fault. *blows a raspberry at ff.n) At ANY rate...I now present to you, the long awaited first full chapter of Double Defense.)

* * * * *

Albus Dumbledore, master of the second, third, and even (sometimes) fourth chance, was ecstatic to have Remus come back to Hogwarts. After only two weeks of preparation and with only two more to go before the start of term, the day came for the big switch.

Sylvia Sinistra was to take a carriage to Hogsmeade and Apparate about a mile away from Beauxbatons, where a carriage would be waiting for her. A train would bring her things later that day.

Remus had another plan. As he´d been informed that both the classroom he´d be sharing and his rooms were already taken care of, he´d decided to spend the better part of his last two weeks with Sirius in his Hogsmeade flat. After ensuring that his things for the school year were on the way to Hogwarts, he Apparated to Sirius´ doorstep with a small suitcase in hand. He rapped three times on the door, a smile appearing on his face as he heard the quick footsteps on their way to the door.

Sirius pulled the door open with a huge grin. "Moony!"

"Padfoot, it´s great to see you again!" Remus said warmly, dropping his bag to give his old friend a hug. He pulled back and looked at the man before him. "You´re looking a great deal better than you were the last time I saw you."

Sirius paused slightly, not wanting to mention the last time they´d seen each other. "As are you.It´s amazing what three years without war can change," he said, keeping his smile. He ushered his friend into the flat, taking his bag and setting it down by the door as he shut it. "So, I´m assuming you´re still a bachelor? Swinging free with no...ah... attachments over there in France?"

"Sure thing," Remus said, a small smile appearing on his face. "Last time I checked, you were too...?"

"Well, we haven´t spoken in far too long! Come sit," Sirius said, motioning for Remus to sit down. Moving further into the well decorated apartment, Remus immediately sensed a cat. Sirius smirked to himself when he noticed Remus´ features perk up. He brought the suitcase into the other room only to come back with...

"A kitten, Sirius?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you tended to be... well... a dog person."

"I would like you to meet Agamemnon. He´s very sweet," said Sirius, proudly holding up the small grey ball of fluff.

Remus blinked a few times in astonishment. "Sirius, PLEASE do not tell me that that is your attachment."

"And why not?"Sirius asked, indignantly. Or rather, in as indignant a manner as he could muster while nuzzling the nose of a kitten.

"It´s not even human! Let alone female..."

"Remus!Get your mind out of the loo!"

Remus stopped dead and started laughing. And laughing. And laughing. Being scolded by Sirius in the same tone that would be used to baby-talk to a kitten was quite amusing indeed. Once he´d recovered, he spoke again. "I can´t help it, Sirius. What happened to the grand high manwhore of Hogwarts? What do you do on Saturdays now? Break out the catnip to get a little bit wild?"

"Actually," Sirius smirked, "I have quite a nightlife."

"With whom?"Remus asked skeptically. "Don´t tell me... Agamemnon goes clubbing?"

"No, but Harry and Ron do," he said, a self-satisfied grin appearing. "They´re a blast."

Remus tutted at Sirius and grinned mischievously. "Hogwarts´ very own playboy having a midlife crisis?"

"I am NOT!"

"Sirius, you´re well into your forties and you live in a flat that could have come straight out of a muggle Pottery Barn catalogue. Your roommate is a kitten called Agamemnon. You spend weekends out clubbing with your twenty-eight year old godson. Is this under-thirty envy I smell?"

"Absolutely not," he said with a good-natured pout. "You´re jealous because I´m way too cool."

"Ok, Sirius..." Remus said, rolling his eyes with a smile.

Sirius leaned back in his chair. "So, Moony, what exactly have you been doing that gives you room to poke fun at my nightlife, eh?"

Remus paused for a moment. "I´ve been...ah... busy."

"Oh, really?"Sirius asked, interests piqued. "With what?"

"Work, actually..."

Sirius looked at him for a few moments before laughing. "Remus, you´re a teacher. You work until four or so, at which point, if I know you, you go correct papers and read philosophy all night."

"So?" questioned Remus, defensively.

"Ah, Remus," said Sirius, "we´ll have to hook you up with someone while you´re here."

"Mmm..." Remus made a non-committal noise and decided to change topics. "So, how is Harry doing?"

"Harry has been well. Being him, he´s had no trouble with the ladies and his little... excursions. Only Harry Potter can stagger drunkenly down Diagon Alley after a night in Muggle London without getting any flack for it," Sirius said mischievously.

"I don´t even want to know..." Remus murmured, shaking his head, secretly amused.

Sirius ignored the comment and continued. "Well, it was me, him, and Ron and a few people from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department were walking down the street... nearly arrested Ron and I for being as drunk as we were, but HARRY... oh no.... he had a pair of knickers on his head and he´d had about twice what we had, but HE´S Harry Potter," he laughed. "Poor Ron. They stunned him... thought her was under the influence of Dark Magic. Thankfully his father had just gone home so he didn´t see it..."

"How IS Ron?" Remus asked, interrupting.

Sirius hesitated for a moment. "He´s been... ok. After Percy died... well... he´s not been the same, you know, but I think he´s doing better now."

"That was hard on everyone..." Remus sighed. "How are the rest of the Weasleys?" he asked quietly.

"About the same," Sirius replied. "Ron took it a bit harder... you know..."

Remus nodded and paused for a moment. "And Hermione?"

Sirius let out a long sigh. "Hermione has been... well... Reclusive would be the understatement of the century, when used in reference to Hermione."

"I might have guessed that she would react that way," Remus murmured. "It´s certainly what I would do in a situation with that much..."

"You mean it´s what you always do..." Sirius said, gently. "She´s a lot like you, you know. You both bury yourselves with work and shut everyone out the instant a problem comes up."

Remus cut in. "Her situation was very different from mine. I simply... didn´t want to deal with the people who knew about what I am. The poor girl lost the man she loved. She had every right to want to back away from the world for a little while."

"It´s been three years, Remus..."

"I know, Padfoot, I know...I just think that a war like we had justifies Hermione´s behavior. Maybe she doesn´t want to get attached because she doesn´t want to lose again."

"Mmm..." Sirius took his turn to make a non-committal noise and change the topic. "So, Harry and Ron are coming to visit tomorrow..."

* * * * *

"You guys shocked me, coming in today," she said, pouring the tea. "Not that I mind at all. It´s good to see you both. What´s it been, a month? Two?"

"Almost six now, Hermione..." Ron said, working his hardest at staying calm. "We were really getting worried about..." Harry shot him a look and he quickly covered his tracks "...the house elves! Have you been taking good care of yours? Any spew activities?"

Hermione laughed at Ron´s poor attempt at a joke. It didn´t reach her eyes. "Very funny, Ron..."

"So, what have you been up to lately, Hermione?" asked Harry. He nudged her playfully with his elbow. "Any, ah... significant others?"

Ron shot him a glare. Another topic they´d agreed to steer clear of.

Hermione coughed and covered her discomfort quickly. "No, Harry, but if I didn´t know your taste in women so well, I would have taken that as an advance," she joked, winking at him.

"Aw, come on `Mione... what makes you think it wasn´t?" Ron said, nudging her as well.

"Yeah.Hermione..." Harry said, winking back at her and silently thanking Ron for his attempt to keep the mood light.

"Well," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "I´ve spent too much time with Harry to want to date him and, as far as Ron... after your brother I-" she choked on her words and cut off, biting her lip. `No tears, Hermione... come on, grow up..."

Harry and Ron both swooped down on her at the same time, each putting an arm around delicate, slightly bony shoulders. She shoved them off. "Guys, I´m fine."

"Sorry..." both said, backing up slightly. There was a long, awkward pause.

"Well... anyway... we wanted to see if you wanted to go out and have some fun with us sometime. You know... before school starts?" Ron said, running a hand through his now-dark auburn hair.

Hermione smiled weakly. "I don´t know if I can keep up with the kind of fun you boys have."

"Aw, come on! Sirius is almost fifty and he comes out..." Harry teased.

Hermione shook his head. "I bet Sirius still acts like he´s seventeen years old," she murmured, before pausing and adding, "Not that he couldn´t get away with it. It´s a good thing witches and wizards age so slowly on the outside. It must be some way of comforting u s when we feel so...old within."

She looked as though she was about a million miles away and Harry and Ron shared a glance. "Well," Ron started, "maybe you´d like to come out for coffee with us instead? I know Sirius wants to see you and we´d definitely like to spend more time with you sometime soon."

Hermione nodded. "That would be good. I could use some time out of here... though I have had quite a few tea invites of late..."

"Oh REALLY?From whom?" Harry asked, acting like a teenaged girl asking about her love life at a slumber party.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "The headmaster, actually. He seems to have gotten it into his mind that I am `becoming as reclusive as Severus´ and can be saved." She imitated Dumbledore to a tee, forcing the others to laugh uncontrollably for a few moments. She shrugged when they were done. "I don´t think the way Severus lives is all that bad, mind you. I kind of like my personal space. He´s good company because he doesn´t pry..."

Harry and Ron both nodded and looked at each other, slightly concerned. "You´ve been spending time with Snape, then?"

"Not much... I mean being alone is better than being surrounded by people or bombarded by questions, but I feel... safer when I´m with someone... not that I´d admit that to anyone but the two of you..."

Ron put a hand on her shoulder. "You know that we won´t hit you with too many questions if you want to spend some time with us."

"Right, Hermione. We promise. We´re only a little ways away, after all."

"Thanks guys," she said. "I´ll remember that."

"So, what else have you been doing to bide your time?"

She shrugged. "Oh, the usual... reading, writing, researching..."

* * * * *

"We NEED to get her out more," Ron said to Harry, as they made their way to Sirius´ Hogsmeade apartment via the Honeyduke´s passage, which was, by far, the fastest route.

"Don´t I know it," Harry sighed, crawling up through the basement passage of the candy shop. After a quick hello to the bewildered clerk, they made their entrance at Sirius´ flat.

"Remus went to pick up food," Sirius said, as they walked in. "He wanted to get some air and explore a bit. Reminisce," he shrugged. "Seems Rosmerta has added a take-out service down at the pub..."

"How is he?"

"He´s healthy... if not dreadfully lonesome. He spends his life buried in books so that he doesn´t have to deal with people."

"Sounds like someone else I know," said Ron, glancing at Harry, who, in turn, looked to Sirius.

"We´ve just been to see Hermione."

Sirius paused. "How is she? Remus had asked after her?"

The word "Miserable" fell from Ron´s lips without a second thought.

Harry sighed and hit him on the arm, rolling his eyes. "She´s not miserable, per-se..."

"No, she´s just reduced to spending time with Snape," Ron said, snorting indignantly.

Sirius´ eyes bulged slightly. "My, that IS miserable..."

"She´s not interested in interacting with people at all. I guess it makes sense that she´d spend time with Snape. Not that I like it, mind you, but I think she likes her space."

"Then why spend time with anyone at all?" Ron asked, arching an eyebrow.

"She doesn´t want to be alone. She´s scared, Ron, and you know it," Harry said.

"Well, what´s she got to be scared about?" Sirius asked, slightly incredulous. "Unless I´m sadly mistaken, she formulated the plan AND the incantations that got rid of Voldemort. She single-handedly apprehended four Death Eaters from the inner circle. She shouldn´t be worried about defending herself."

"She couldn´t defend him, Sirius," Harry said gently. "In that one moment... I don´t blame her, of course. I just wish we could find a way to help her socialize. Maybe a book discussion group?"

"Too many people asking too any personal questions," Ron mumbled dryly.

"Remus is like that too," Sirius said, shaking his head. Then he paused. "Perhaps we should... put them together?"

The two younger men´s faces lit up.

"We could do a blind date sort of thing!" Harry said. When met with questioning glances from the two muggle-culture impaired wizards, he explained the concept.

"I´m not so sure they´d go for that..." Ron said.

"Well, not if we told them who the other person was. Remus probably wouldn´t date anyone that much younger if he knew..." Sirius agreed. "But if he doesn´t know that it´s going to be her and vice versa, do you really think either of them will leave a date?"

"No, of course not," Harry said, cheerfully. "We´ll tell them they´ve got to meet someone somewhere. We´ll arrange it with Rosmerta. I bet she´d help us..."

Sirius grinned. "We´ll make sure they have no way out."