Author's Notes: Many thanks to krazyredhead0317 and kyriecolors for being my wonderful, last minute betas. I hope everyone enjoys this fic that was originally written for the HP Kinkfest 2016 on LJ. xx
Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, Time-Travel, Mentions of Character Death, Some Alcohol Use, Intentional Pregnancy, Angst.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
One Last Chance
Hermione looked at the name on her list and decided that he would be the one. Regulus Black would be the father of her child.
With a happy smile, she decided that out of everyone considered, he was the best choice. He was incredibly gifted magic-wise, and she knew that there was no way anyone would suspect that Regulus was the father. Her plan was failsafe. She had procured a Time Turner from Minerva earlier in the evening and was ready to use it. No one would suspect a thing.
Hermione had thought long and hard about who she wanted to father her child. The urge to become a mother appeared out of nowhere, and although Ron and his family had tried to explain to her that being a single mother was frowned upon in the wizarding world, she couldn't bring herself to care. She was nearly thirty years old and was more than eager to become a mother. She knew that she would do just fine without a husband, much to Molly's dismay.
At first, she had considered friends that she knew. Ron, Harry, even Neville… But none of them had even captured her interest. She wanted someone who was on level with her academically, but also possessed other qualifications. That's when the idea of a Time Turner had popped into her mind. She couldn't place where the idea had come from, but she had written up a list of possible male wizards that she could go back in time to sleep with. Through the process of elimination, she had crossed off every name but one: Regulus Black.
Regulus had it all. Dark hair, soft complexion, bravery… He did the right thing, even though he knew that it would cost him in life. He was incredibly clever too, in that he left a fake locket in the place of the real one. Hermione just couldn't let such amazing magical talent disappear from the wizarding world.
Reaching into her pocket, Hermione pulled out the Time Turner and held it carefully in her hands. She knew that she was making a large decision, but she felt she was ready. She wanted to be a mother, and she wanted Regulus to be the father. Hermione would do whatever possible to make that happen.
With some careful calculations, she figured out how many turns would be needed for her to end up in Regulus's later timeline, before he discovered the Horcrux. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to calm her nervous heart. "It's now or never," she murmured aloud, gaining some confidence in what she was doing.
Standing, Hermione turned the Time Turner, holding her breath as her body became to shimmer. When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing in what she hoped was 1978.
She shivered, pulling her cloak around herself tighter. In the distance, she saw a small pub and headed there. Hopefully someone there would be able to tell her how to get to Islington in London.
Hermione stepped into the pub and made her way to the bar. She ordered a drink quietly, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. I can't mess up the timeline, she reminded herself, knowing that the consequences could be horrific.
The man next to her was quiet, not looking at her until she was halfway through her first drink. Hermione nearly gasped when she realised that it was Regulus sitting right next to her!
"Hello," she greeted him, her heart racing in a mixture of excitement and nerves. She adjusted the way she was sitting on the chair, crossing her legs and sitting up a little straighter. Remember, Hermione, you're to seduce him, her conscience reminded her.
"Hello," he grumbled in response and, at once, Hermione realised that he was drunk. She could smell the booze on him.
"What's your name?" she inquired politely, unbelieving that she had found him so easily. Fate was truly on her side.
"Regulus," he replied. "And what's yours?" he asked, looking her up and down. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Hermione," she responded. Hermione quickly wracked her mind, trying to think of something to say. "Do you come here often?" she asked, mentally groaning as soon as she did so. I'm so stupid. 'Do you come here often?' Could I have asked anything lamer?
Regulus chuckled at her question. "No, and I don't think I'll be coming here again in the future. One last hurrah as they say."
His words were so full of melancholy, Hermione's stomach turned to lead. "What year is it?" she asked, her voice low. "A bit too much to drink," she answered when he gave her a questioning look.
"1979," Regulus replied.
Hermione felt the air leave her lungs. She had been misguided in her calculations and came too late. It was 1979 and with how he was acting, Hermione suspected that Regulus had already decided that he was going to switch out the locket.
"Why is this your one last hurrah?" Hermione inquired innocently.
He chuckled. "Nosy little thing, aren't you? Well, if you must know, I'm making a career change tomorrow and it will likely result in me relocating."
Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. There were a million things she wanted to say: leave, come with me, don't do it… But she couldn't. To do so would be to change the future and she just couldn't do that. She couldn't save him. "So, one last hurrah?" When he nodded, Hermione stared at him. Her tongue darted out and wet her lips as she tried to control her nerves. "Do you want to go out with a bang?" she asked.
Regulus burst out laughing. "I knew you were too friendly to be true. How much do you charge? It's been awhile since I've enjoyed a woman's company." He arched his brows at her.
"No charge," Hermione quickly said. She flushed. "It's just that… you looked lonely and I feel lonely, so I thought I'd ask."
"No strings attached? Sounds good to me." He stood, motioning for the barkeep to come over. Hermione watched as words were spoken and a key to one of the upstairs' rooms was handed over. He came back over to her, giving her a smile. "Protection?"
"I'm on the potion," she said, smiling at him. Various fertility potions… She had taken a few precautions to ensure that she would be get pregnant from their one encounter: a few potions and ensuring that she was in the fertile time of her cycle. She would definitely get pregnant.
"You're a witch?" he whispered softly, taking her hand and helping her to her feet.
"I am, but we agreed no strings attached," Hermione teased, hating the look of curiosity in his eyes. Don't get too attached, her conscience reminded her. I can't change what happens.
"Shall we?" Regulus asked, a hunger appearing in his eyes. When Hermione nodded, he smiled before leading her up the stairs to their room. He gripped her hand tightly, almost as if he was afraid to let her go.
Hermione felt a pain in her chest. Regulus was going to switch out the lockets tomorrow… He was going to die. She could feel tears prick at the corner of her eyes but quickly pushed them away. She could cry later when she was home.
Regulus opened the door and pulled her inside, warding and silencing the room with a spell. Almost immediately his lips were upon hers, and he was kissing her passionately.
The kiss made her toes curl. Hermione happily returned the kiss, her heart beating wildly in excitement. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, pressing her body against his. She could feel his erection through his trousers, causing herself to become even more aroused.
His hands rubbed her arms before coming to cup her breasts. He gave them a light squeeze, causing Hermione to moan.
Hermione was overcome with desire. She dropped her hands to his shirt where she made quick work of unbuttoning it and removing it from him. Her hands undid his trousers, pulling them and his pants down in one motion. The sight of his cock caused her to grow even wetter between her legs.
Regulus then made quick work of undressing her. He removed her cloak before unzipping her dress. He groaned at the sight of her creamy lace bra and knickers. "Beautiful," he murmured, his hand caressing her soft skin. He unclasped her bra and removed it before sliding her knickers down. "Absolutely exquisite," he breathed.
Regulus picked her up, causing Hermione to squeak loudly in protest. He dropped her onto the bed before quickly covering her body with his own. He kissed her eagerly as one hand slid between them and settled between her legs. "So eager," he murmured in her ear.
"Gods, yes," Hermione panted, arching her body and his fingers found her clit. They circled the small nub teasingly, causing her to gasp in delight. "Regulus."
"Mmmm, my name has never sound so sexy," Regulus quipped, a smile on his face.
"Don't make me wait," Hermione whispered softly, peering into Regulus's grey eyes. "I want you now."
"You certainly are eager," Regulus commented. "Very well, who am I to deny a beautiful witch?" Grasping his cock, he aligned himself with her entrance and pushed in. "Gods, you're tight," he gasped.
Hermione's body tingled in pleasure as she adjusted to his size. "Regulus," she gasped when he started to move. "Oh!" she cried out. It had been quite some time since Hermione had felt the touch of a man, and her body was more than eager for him. She wriggled her hips before moving upwards, meeting his thrusts.
"Fuck," he groaned. "I'm not going to last." A light blush dusted his cheeks.
Hermione smiled warmly at him. "I'm not either." Truth be told, she wasn't. The way Regulus's thumb was brushing against her nipple sent jolts of pleasure throughout her body. "Take me, Regulus. Roughly, slowly, however you want."
Regulus let out an animalistic growl. He began to pound into her, thrusting into her with an eager passion. Hermione gasped, her hands gripped the sheets tightly as her body moved from his motions. One of his hands reached down, pressing against her clit as he fucked her. The small motion was all she needed and Hermione felt the force of her orgasm slam into her. She cried out, her inner walls gripping his cock tightly. "Regulus!" she cried out.
"Fuck," he groaned, his orgasm being spurred on by her own. He came, thrusting into her as her inner walls milked his cock for all it was worth. He moaned in pleasure before he felt himself come down from the high. He slipped out of her and collapsed onto the bed next to her. Grasping his wand, she quickly cast a cleansing spell so they wouldn't be sweaty or sticky from fluids.
Hermione felt as if her bones had turned to jelly. The post-orgasmic bliss had turned her into a pile of mush, and she was unable to do anything but pull Regulus tightly against her body. "Thank you," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his temple.
"Sorry I didn't last," Regulus apologised as he pulled the covers up over them. "I'm out of practice."
"Regulus, this was incredibly satisfying, so don't even worry about how long it lasted," Hermione told him honestly. "Besides, I'm out of practice too."
He laughed, before pulled her even closer. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Sleep well, Hermione, and thank you."
Hermione smiled softly. "No, Regulus, thank you."
Hermione couldn't sleep that night. Instead, she lay next to Regulus in bed, watching him sleep. She was glad to see the content on his face as he sleep, which made her feel a little less guilty about what was going to transpire that day.
All night long she had considered what would happen if she intervened. Could she stay and help him with his mission? Could she ensure that he wouldn't die? Could she bring him back to the future with her?
Those questions had haunted Hermione's thoughts all night, and she always came to the same answer. It was just too risky. Changing such a serious event in that timeline could have disastrous effects. There was no way to tell what would happen if she kept Regulus alive. As much as it killed her to think it, Hermione knew she just couldn't intervene. There were too many unknown variables. She couldn't change anything other than what she had just done.
Regulus opened his eyes, immediately searching for her. He smiled briefly when he saw her. "You're still here," he murmured.
Hermione returned his smile although her heart ached. "I couldn't leave without saying good-bye." She willed herself not to cry. "Do you want to get breakfast?"
"No," Regulus said, sitting up. The sheets fell away and revealed his bare chest. Hermione drank in the sight of him eagerly, committing him to memory. "There's something I need to do today, and I can't risk waiting any longer."
No! She wanted to cry out. She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood in order to keep from protesting. "Thank you," she whispered after a few moments.
Regulus smiled at her. "No, thank you. You've given me a good memory… something to hold onto when things get bad."
Hermione drew in a shaky breath. "Regulus," she murmured, gaining his attention. "I'm never going to forget you."
"And I won't forget you," he promised. Regulus swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. He summoned his clothing and began to dress.
"Be careful with whatever it is you're doing today," Hermione said, standing as well. She got dressed, although her mind wasn't quite focused on the task. She secured her cloak around herself tightly before she felt herself be pulled into Regulus's arms.
Regulus kissed the top of her head, burying his face into her curls. "I love your hair," he murmured into it. Pulling back slightly, he gently cupped her cheek. "Thank you, again." There was a weariness in his voice that made her tremble. Lowering his head, he kissed her gently before stepping away. "Take care, Hermione."
Without another look back, Regulus left the room. Hermione, feeling as if her heart was breaking, quickly pulled her Time Turner from her bag. She turned it the appropriate amount of times to return to her timeline.
When she opened her eyes, she was standing in her flat. At once, she fell to her knees, overcome with grief. She cried and cried until she felt like she couldn't cry any more. The tears just kept coming. She couldn't stop.
Three weeks later, Hermione stared at the positive Muggle pregnancy test in her hand. She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby.
She smiled at the thought, but knew the moment was bittersweet. A large part of her wished she had stayed with Regulus and that he could have been with her at this moment. She wondered if he would have been happy to be a father.
There's no use dwelling on things that can't be changed, she reminded herself. She thought about Regulus's bravery, and how he had helped them in their search for the Horcruxes. Both Regulus's work and Kreacher's loyalty had played a large role in them defeating Voldemort. Without it, they may have failed.
Sniffing, Hermione reached up and brushed away her tears. She would never forget Regulus, and would honour him in every way possible. She would cherish the sacrifice that he made and the bravery that he displayed.
Roughly eight months later, Regulus Richard Granger was born.