The Kitchens

*She hides her grin behind her teacup and decides not to tell Remus about Tam's attempts to leave Hashbee with them on a more permanent basis.*

He looks half ready to kidnap the baby as it is!

*Sneaking glances at them every few seconds, she manages to finish her breakfast much more quickly now and pats her tummy in satisfaction. Getting some food into her system seems to have helped stave off that lethargy that had taken over her body the previous evening. She pours another cup of tea and vaguely wonders if her parents had received her letter yet, and if a reply was flying towards her at that very moment. She leans forward and starts to fiddle with the sugar bowl, thinking about it.*

He leaned closer and continued to tickle Hashbee smiling at the baby's giggles. One of Hashbee's hands flew up almost poking him in the eye and he laughed. "Watch it there silly!" He sat back up and laughing and looked over at Hermione. "What are you thinking about?"

*Resting her head on her hand, elbow braced on the table, Hermione smiles over at him, rolling her eyes at her own stupid ability to obsess over things she cannot control anyway.*

I was wondering if the post was coming soon, actually.

Remus smiled at her in understanding. "Yeah...I wonder too." He was anxious to see how his parents would respond to his latest letter. He looked back down at Hashbee then off to the side biting his lower lip.

*She watches Remus biting his lip and sighs. She hadn't meant to worry him.*

It's stupid - I know there's no use worrying over it, but I still can't help -

*She's cut off by the screech of a barn owl and hears the fluttering of wings and freezes. Sure enough, right on cue, two owls swoop in and land in front of each of them. Hermione locks eyes with Remus a moment before spurring herself into action. She pulls her letter from the owl's clawed foot and pours some water into a dish for the animal. She looks back at Remus, being a total coward and waiting for him because she doesn't want to go first.*

He bit his lip as the owls flew in. He looked at Hermione then took the letter from the owl giving it water afterward. "Guess we better read them..." There was a brief moment where he couldn't bring himself to open the letter but he told himself to just get it over with. He opened it and started to read silently.

Remus,
Well well well! We barely hear from you all year and then this? We're shocked. It's hard to believe... Obviously we're happy for you both and going to be supportive. But we just want to make sure you're sure about your decisions. She knows about your condition right? You know it's going to affect everything you do in the future...well of course you know. You know better than anyone, but we're just trying to look out for you. We don't want you to get hurt. We're sorry to hear about the past full moon. You know you can always come back home for those nights like you used to your first year. We worry about you.
Anyways, please be careful! And how is Dean doing??? We never hear from him!

Keep us updated!
~Mum & Dad

He bit his lip after finishing the letter. "Well...it's not bad. Protective as always."

*Hermione let's out the breath she didn't realise she's been holding and tries to smile, but it's difficult because she's chewing her lip.*

Not too bad? Well, that's good, isn't it? I mean, they're not threatening to drag you out of school to get you away from me or anything, so they don't hate me automatically, right?

He looks up at her. "I guess so. They seem like they're a bit in disbelief but oh well." He bit his lip again. "Telling me to come home for the full moon if I want too...I haven't done that since first year. It's always worse when I go home anyways...I don't have the guys there then. I'm glad they didn't say anything bad about you. They'll love you I know they will."

*Finally manages a proper smile, She doesn't think she could live with it if they had had a problem with her.*

Well, can't put it off any longer I guess....

*She unfolds her own letter and begins to read*

Dear Hermione,
We’re glad you’re well and keeping up with your studies. We’re also very glad you’ve made some new friends and met a nice boy. We expect to meet him over the summer, naturally. But sweetheart, we’re concerned about this so-called engagement. I’m sure Remus is lovely and you think you’re very much in love right now, but you’re both so young. Have you really thought it through? How well do you really know this boy? You’ve never mentioned him, you can’t have known him all that long. It takes time to get to know people properly, and this is not a decision to be taken lightly. Also, why do you not see Harry and Ron anymore? You three used to be inseparable. We do hope you’re not abandoning the people who have stood by you for years for these new friends .
Of course we will support you in your decisions and we will always love you, but we do hope you’ll consider our advice. Maybe you two should focus on your studies – your final year is a big year at any school and we know you’ll regret it if you don’t give your studies the attention they deserve.
All our love, darling. And do write home more often.
Love,
Mum and Dad

*Her face goes pale as she reads, and she feels a little nauseous. She can't decide if she's sad or angry, she just knows she's really upset by their words. She grimaces.*

Well.... that could've gone better....

*She hands the letter over so Remus can read for himself.*

Remus reads it silently. When he's finished he sets it down in front of him and doesn't know what to say. It's upsetting but he figures it's probably more so for her. Remus looks up and sees she's gone pale and looks a little ill. He can sense how upset she is. "I'm sorry..."

*Hermione stares at him. She wants to reach for Hashbee for a cuddle, but thinks better of it. She's far too agitated right now. She shakes her head, the scales tipping heavily towards anger - she'll be damned if she lets her parents cause Remus to feel the blame for yet another thing that isn't his fault.*

No, don't be sorry. I'm sorry. Merlin, do they not know me at all!? How can they even think those things about me, let alone say them?

*She gets up and starts pacing in her irritation.*

I'm so angry right now!

Remus watches her pace, biting his lip. He could feel her irritation and wished there was something he could do to help make it go away. "I'm sure they're just worried about you Hermione. I mean...this is rather big and all...gosh I'm not really helping at all are I..." He didn't like seeing her like this and wished he could think of something better he could say.

[REMUS. Where are you meeting Sirius for our plan to start?]

[OMR OMR *squeals* WHERE DO YOU WANT TO MEET?! COMMON ROOM??? THEN WE CAN LEAVE FOR A WALK.]

[OKAY.]

*Whirls angrily and continues pacing*

Don't be like that - it's not your fault. I mean, really! I'm half tempted to send a Howler! The way they go on just makes me sick to my stomach! Like I would abandon all my old friends and run off to get married over a case of puppy love! Honestly!? For goodness sake, Harry and Ron had just disappeared! What was I to do? Sit in my dorm waiting and not talking to anyone until they came back? Ugh. All my life they've been going on about how I should get my nose out of a book and go meet people, and now I've done just that and they're STILL not satisfied! Merlin, if they think I'm going to just put everything on hold because it doesn't fit with their timeline of what my life should be like... Gah! What am I meant to do - apologise for falling in love? For making a life I'm really happy with? This is ridiculous!

What do I have to do to make them happy? I've never given them trouble! I've always been a good daughter. Hell, I'm still top of the year, does that not count for anything? Do they think I'm going to sacrifice my eduction and my career prospects? -

*She breaks off, still thoroughly incensed, but suddenly lacking the energy to continue. That vague, drained feeling has crept back in and she thinks maybe she should stop being so emotional - clearly it's not good for her health. She snatches the letter up and shoves it in her pocket. She doesn't even want to look at it right now. Taking a few deep breaths, she looks at Remus, colour still high in her cheeks.*

I think I need some air.

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