A big shoutout and thanks to Jordi, Liza and Raybe who helped me massively on this. When they said the people in the competition were really supportive and didn't expect them to be that supportive! Really you guys are the best!

It Has Nothing To Do With Harry Potter or Underdone Eggs

"Professor Lupin!" Hermione exclaimed, opening her front door. She had been expecting someone to come and pick her up from her home, although she didn't know who it would be and when.

Hermione had said that she would be perfectly fine flooing over to the Burrow but after receiving a letter from Ron saying that she wasn't going to the Burrow, she agreed an escort to an unknown place was best.

Hermione couldn't stop wondering why she wasn't going to the Burrow. There might have been an emergency in the Wizarding world and it wasn't safe for her to go there, or something might have happened to the Burrow itself! Ron had said little about what was happening, which annoyed her, but he did say that someone would be there to escort her.

That explained why the always shabby-looking Lupin was standing on her porch. He wore a kind but tired expression and gave her a warm smile.

"Miss Granger, how are you?"

"Fine, and you?"

"Good."

They stood there in an awkward silence before Hermione remembered her manners and realized that Professor Lupin was waiting patiently for her to invite him inside.

"Oh, come in Professor, I think there is still some tea in the pot if you like," Hermione said, opening her front door wider.

He shook his head. "That is quite alright."

"Of course. Let me just get my stuff from the living room," she said and moved away from her door. She didn't hear Professor Lupin walk in after her and when she walked back to her front door she saw he was still there waiting on her porch.

"Professor, don't you want to come in?" Hermione asked. It seemed like her question pulled Lupin out of whatever he was thinking and he looked up.

"Aren't your parents in?" Lupin asked, looking over Hermione's shoulder.

"No, they left for Manchester this morning for The British Dental Conference and Exhibition." Hermione rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"A dental conference?"

"Yes, they said it's one of the biggest in the country."

"Well," Professor Lupin stood straighter and with more confidence. Hermione thought that it was because he knew her parents weren't around."I would never normally turn down a cup of tea, Hermione, but we really are on a tight schedule I'm afraid." He stepped inside as he said this.

Hermione wondered if Professor Lupin was nervous about meeting her parents. It was not like her parents could tell whether or not someone was a werewolf - or could they? Hermione had read a lot of books about humans having a sixth sense, but she was pretty sure that even a sixth sense couldn't detect something as complicated as that. Her train of thought came to a standstill when she entered her living room. Her very messy living room.

Now that she looking at the mess and not sitting in the midst of it, Hermione felt embarrassed. After Ron told her that she was going somewhere very different from the Burrow, Hermione thought it would be a good idea to dress for every occasion possible. But of course that made her packing more disorganised than normal.

"Wow," said a voice behind Hermione. Professor Lupin had moved more into her living room and silently observed the mess. "I always thought that your house would be one of the tidiest amongst the students."

"It's not normally like this, I swear," Hermione said, running her fingers through her knotted curls. She was Hermione Granger, always organised and prepared. Maybe that was why she was so embarrassed over someone else observing her mess.

"Don't worry Hermione, even the best of us have moments," he said and with a flick of his wand the many piles of books and clothes floated in the air and flew past them.

"Thank you, Professor."

"No problem, Hermione," Professor Lupin replied, pocketing his wand.

Hermione couldn't hold on to her curiosity and asked, "Sir, what spell was that?"

"Constituo, a tidying charm. A very genius spell and very convenient."

Hermione stared at him in awe. "That's so cool - I will have to teach myself that spell when I get to Hogwarts. Thanks, Professor."

"I am hardly your Professor now, Hermione."

"That's what you think, but you have taught me more than you could possibly imagine. And you are still teaching me things now."

Lupin stared at her for a few more seconds than he normally would have, then he walked over to her trunk. "That's nice, but we really should be heading off."

He picked up her trunk and frowned.

"I cast a feather-light charm on it while I was still at Hogwarts."

"And it still holds?"

"Well it looks like it," Hermione said, smiling. Lupin looked impressed and Hermione's smile widened. "So, we are going to this special place nobody has told me about?" she asked, following Professor Lupin to her porch.

"Yes, that place exactly. Now hold on to my arm."

Hermione blushed only slightly as she wrapped her arm around his. "I am guessing we are going to apparate now," she said, nervous.

"Yes, we are. If you do feel any sense of nausea, just squeeze tight on my arm, okay?"

Hermione nodded.

"Good, now hold on."

Apparition was just like Hermione read it would be: awful.

(***)

"Fred! George!"

Hermione was going to kill them! At first she thought that she must have misplaced her book when she went with Ginny to make some brownies with Mrs. Weasley, but it had now been an hour and there was no sign of the red leather book. Her and Ginny's room was turned over and all of the contents of her trunk had been taken out. It clicked only a few seconds ago. Mr. Weasley said something about book shredding at the Ministry and Hermione remembered that Fred was teasing her about how she spent so much time reading.

Hermione didn't know why they couldn't just leave her alone. They were always disturbing her while she was reading, forever teasing her about her hair and asking her, even though she made it quite clear that she hated flying, to play Quidditch with them.

Of course this had nothing to do with how Harry was talking to her after he arrived only a couple of days ago. Even though he said he held nothing against her and Ron, she often found that his words were laced with a small amount of bitterness when they talked to him.

No, she wasn't angry at all over Harry's unreasonable behaviour, just her missing book.

Hermione heard two faint pops behind her and she whirled around so she was face to face with the Weasley twins. Their innocent faces almost made Hermione think twice about what she was going to do. But she knew they were guilty.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?" The twins asked simultaneously.

"My book, where is it?" Hermione was trying to stay as calm as possible, but some of her frustration was leaking out.

"Oh, your book...we don't know where it is," George Weasley said, folding his arms.

"Look, all I want to do is relax and read my book, okay? I know you two have it; Fred has been bugging me about it since I came here."

"Hey! I'm not as much of an idiot to take your book of you without your permission. I mean, we all know what happens to you when you get pissed off," Fred said, smiling, failing to lessen the tension.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Hermione was on the brink of whipping her wand out and zapping the smile off Fred's freckled face.

"Don't worry 'Mione-"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Hermione retorted sharply.

"I mean, don't worry Hermione, all of us lose our heads sometimes."

"Yeah, we've all been there..."

"-though not all of us storm out of class-"

"-after shouting at a Professor-"

"-and kicking a crystal ball down the trapdoor."

Hermione stared at them, angry that they'd brought it up - it hadn't been one of her proudest moments.

"But, don't worry, it's adorable really." Fred continued.

"Adorable?" Hermione repeated.

"Yeah, we love-" Fred started to say, but Hermione turned around, anger evident in her golden brown eyes, and stormed downstairs.

"Maybe I should go after her?" Fred said.

George scoffed. "Seriously, Fred? You have about as much charm as a flobberworm."

Fred gasped in fake shock. "She just needs some space to use up all of that energy," George continued.

"Fred! George! The brownies are ready!" Ginny called from the foot of the stairs.

"Or some chocolate," Fred grinned, racing downstairs.

Hermione sat at a rickety wooden table in the living room. Her brownie was left untouched on her plate. How she wished to be let out the house! Alone outside, without an escort. She needed to breathe in some fresh air, let the wind blow her hair back, let it take away any of her worry.

But no, she was stuck with the moody Harry Potter and the book thieves. It was a great relief to have Ginny in the house, but sometimes even she could be a little too loud for Hermione.

Hermione continued to stare into blank space, tapping her nails on the table. Hermione didn't even notice that Professor Lupin was towering over her, until she heard him clear his throat.

"Oh, hi, Professor," Hermione said absent-mindedly.

"Hermione, it's nice to see you. I have been so busy with the Order and everything, I haven't been able to pop in since Harry's arrival," he said, and immediately Hermione felt a surge of annoyance.

Lupin sat across from her at the table and Hermione couldn't help but let an irritated sound escape her lips. Couldn't she just have some time to herself in this house!

Lupin's gaze shifted from his tea to Hermione's eyes. They seemed darker than usual. Like there was something irking her.

"How has it been here?" he asked, but Hermione wasn't even paying attention. She was staring out the window that was situated behind Lupin. Oh, how she longed to sit outside on the crisp summer grass. To breathe in the smell of... well, summer. To be reading in front of the sunset!

Hermione's hands clenched into fists.

"Hermione-"

"What!" Hermione exclaimed sharply, taking Lupin by surprise. The shock must have transferred to his eyes, as Hermione softened her angry features and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Professor Lupin. I-I was just... thinking," Hermione answered vaguely, only slightly meaning her apology. Why can't people just leave her, and her books, alone?

"So, I see that you're angry."

"I am not," Hermione replied quickly.

"Well, is something troubling you?"

"No, nothing is troubling me, Professor."

"Hermione-" but this time Professor Lupin was cut off by the sound of joyous laughter coming from the doorway of the living room. Fred and George were trying to catch chocolate brownies in their mouths.

Lupin chuckled and looked back at Hermione. Hermione seemed to be glowering at them, her eyes narrow and her knuckles were going white. He frowned as he heard more laughter. It looked like Harry was getting in on the action and tried catching bits of brownies with his mouth too.

There was a sudden screeching sound. Hermione stood up from her chair and Lupin caught the look in her eyes. It seemed to be hurting, anger and sadness all at the same time. She walked out of the living room, pushing past the happy teenagers.

"It's okay," Lupin said to Ron, who looked like he was about to follow her, "I will talk to her."

Ron raised an eyebrow, but allowed him to pass. Harry gave him a curious look, but Lupin ignored him and ventured up the stairs.

He found her on the second flight. She was covering her face with her hands which were tangled in her bushy hair. She looked so vulnerable and lost, Lupin realised. He sat next to her on the small step, making their shoulders and knees touch.

"What did Fred and George do?" he asked, looking at Hermione out of the corner of his eye. She had grown up quite a bit. She was taller, her face was no longer baby faced, and she had a look of maturity about her.

"They took my book," Hermione sighed out and she immediately laughed, sadly, afterwards. "It sounds stupid, I know."

"It's not stupid. I remember when Sirius and James used to hide all of my books before an exam. They thought it was a right laugh, but I still managed to get them back."

"How?"

"You've heard of the summoning spell, right?

"Oh," was all Hermione said, her voice still lacking spirit.

"What else is it?"

Hermione sighed deeply before answering. "Harry told Fred and George something. Something about me, which I wished he would forget already."

Lupin chuckled slightly. "People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn't."

Hermione raised her eyebrow, wanting to know his embarrassing memory, but Lupin shook his head.

"Maybe another day, but you are going to tell me why you looked like you wanted to strangle Harry."

Hermione sighed, as she seemed to be doing a lot. "He has been angsty with me since he got back. He has been doing the same with Ron, but Ron has all of his family to keep him company. Don't get me wrong, I am friends with all of the Weasleys, Ginny has been a saviour to me for the past few weeks, but I still feel left out here," she said very quickly, wanting to get everything off her chest as soon as possible.

"What should I do?"

Lupin took a minute to absorb all of the information before speaking up.

"Hermione I think you should simply have some fun."

Hermione looked dissatisfied with his answer so he added, "Do you see Harry being depressed about everything? He might have been a little upset with how things were sprung on him, but he is trying to have fun and you should be too. And trust me, I know what it feels like to be an outsider and I regret not putting myself into situations more often. Keeping yourself stuffed up in a book will just isolate yourself more. Trust me, there is only so much you can get with a book."

Lupin waved his wand and from the top of the stairs Hermione's red leather book zoomed into his hand. He handed it to Hermione with a small smile.

Hermione stared at her book for a moment. Professor Lupin was right, of course. She was isolating herself, she was dwelling on Harry's angst, she was making herself upset. Hermione felt something heavy lift from her shoulders and suddenly she wanted to join in the games they were playing downstairs. But at the same time, she wanted to fall asleep. Being angry was very tiring.

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, turning to face her professor. She was so close to his face that she could see the exact colour of his eyes; a lovely sienna with gold flecks in. She didn't realise how long she had been looking into his eyes, until he cleared his throat. His cheeks looked a bit pink.

"Oh, sorry, Professor. Just a little bit day dreamy, but I'm not day dreaming about you of course, but... I should really just get some sleep," Hermione said, standing up. When she reached the top of the stairs, she turned around and saw he was still sitting on the step.

"Night, Professor," she said, a new feeling swelling up inside of her.

"Night, Hermione," he answered, and even with the distance and the darkness, Hermione could still see the small smile that played on her Professor's lips.

(***)

Hermione ran around Grimmauld Place, her laughter filling the air. They were playing a good old-fashioned game of tig and tag. Hermione didn't know how running around and saying one three-letter word was so fun.

She saw that the front door was ajar and decided that hiding in the weed and vine ridden front garden was best so she ran outside. What she didn't consider was a member of the Order could be apparating in at the same time as she ran out into the sunshine.

"Steady on," the person said, holding on to Hermione as she collided with him. They wobbled a bit, but then they came to a standstill.

"Professor!" Hermione panted, her cheeks rosy.

"Hello, Hermione," Professor Lupin said, smiling kindly like always. They stood like that, basically in each other's arms, Hermione breathless and Lupin smiling, until they heard a cough.

"Professor Lupin isn't time out, Hermione!" Ginny called grinning.

Hermione's blush deepened.

"Hi Ginny, is your mother around?" Lupin asked.

"In the kitchen," Ginny said, stepping sideways, so he would be able to squeeze through.

"It's nice seeing you smile again, Hermione," Lupin said to her, before giving a quick nod to Ginny and disappearing in the house.

Hermione could feel her head start spinning and her stomach churning, and it wasn't because her eggs and bacon had been cooked a little underdone that morning. No, it was for a completely different reason, one that Hermione dismissed straight away. Because, it couldn't be...right?

Team: Montrose Magpies

Position: Beater (2)

Round 1: Write about your Seeker's OTP (Remus/Hermione)

Prompts: "You have about as much charm as a Flobberworm.", "People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn't."- Christopher Paolini, Eragon

Word Count: 2,961 words (without the Author's Notes)

Thoughts?