Chapter 2 – What Is She Hiding
Chapter 2 – Absurdities and Selfish Thoughts
"Remus!" Hermione was shocked at the sight of her former Defence against the Dark Arts professor.
"Hello Hermione. How are you? How was your summer?" he asked smiling at her. Hermione smiled back and paused before answering his questions.
"It was fine thank you and I'm alright thanks. How has yours been?"
"Brilliant thank you. You wanted to see me Headmaster?" Remus asked his attention now towards the Headmaster.
"Remus, as you are aware I have appointed you to the Defence position in the school and this year you shall be sharing a dorm with the Head Girl." Dumbledore explained to both Remus and Hermione.
Their expressions went from casual to shocked and tense at this new piece of information.
"Professor Dumbledore! Do you not think that this will be a bit inappropriate? When you said a teacher would assist me I thought you meant a female teacher." Hermione exclaimed angrily.
"I agree Albus. A teacher and a student sharing a dorm? Don't you think that parents might be a bit concerned about this?" Remus said trying to get the Headmaster to change his mind.
"I'm sorry my mind is set on this one and you cannot change it. Your rooms are on the third floor near the DADA classroom. They are being guarded by a portrait of Godric Gryffindor. The password can be set once you arrive there. Miss. Granger will explain everything you are doing over the year once you are settled. Good day." And with that, he got up and left to his own chambers.
Hermione was silently fuming, whilst Remus was thinking about the whole situation. He turned to face Hermione only to find that she had vanished. He looked around and then sped out the door, realising that she must have left to go and find their rooms. He eventually caught up with her.
"Hermione wait! Slow down! I know that you're upset about this but…" Remus was immediately cut off by Hermione's voice.
"You're damn right I'm upset about this! I'm furious! What is Dumbledore thinking when he's eating those bloody lemon drops? I mean, this is ludicrous! What will everyone think? Argh!" Hermione kept on muttering to herself as they reached the portrait.
The portrait was magnificent. There in the frame stood Godric Gryffindor looking very mighty with his red and gold robes. Hermione turned to Remus.
"What would you like the password to be?"
"Erm…I don't know. Why don't you choose instead?" He said uncomfortably. Hermione rolled her eyes and looked back at the portrait, thinking of a suitable password.
"Paramore. That's our new password." Hermione said to the portrait, rather than to Remus. (I know, sad but I love that band and in this story so does Hermione…so there!)
"Terrific! You may enter young lady." Godric exclaimed joyfully.
Hermione walked through the portrait, shortly followed by Remus who crashed into Hermione as she had stopped as soon as she walked through.
"Hermione what…wow." Remus realised why Hermione had stopped. The room was huge and coated in red and gold. They had a cosy fireplace which was surrounded by soft furniture and a large coffee table. At the end of the room was a small kitchen, perfect for two people.
Hermione walked ahead and up the stairs only to find two doors, one with her name on and the other with Remus'. She opened her door and gasped at the sight. In the middle of her room was a queen size four poster bed with deep wine red curtains. The room also held many muggle pieces of equipment such as a stereo, a computer, a television and a PlayStation. Her bathroom had a huge bath and a Jacuzzi in the far corner. She smiled at the thought of living her then realised that she would be sharing her living area with Remus.
Since third year, Hermione had always felt a sort of attraction towards her professor but only thought of it as a school-girl crush at the time. Yet over the years, it had managed to grow into something more. Now every time he was around her, she would turn into some sort of deranged school girl, constantly blushing and giggling. Of course, living with him was a different matter. She was terrified that she would accidentally forget to put her Glamour Charm on or spill some of her secrets that she didn't want anyone to know.
I'm being so selfish. Caring only about my looks. What about others? What about the Weasley family? They lost Fred. Poor George. He must be living like hell without his other half. Hermione thought to herself whilst wandering around her room.
During the summer, she had gone to visit George at his shop in Hogsmeade. She saw how unhappy he looked and offered to take him out to lunch. They had a picnic on the hills and he eventually broke down and told her how lonely he was without Fred. Hermione sat there and held him whilst he poured out his soul to her. After a while, he continuously apologised for crying but Hermione simply told him that if he needed to talk to anyone, she would only be a floo stop away. He was also the only other person, apart from Mrs. Winter's, who knew of her deformed face. They had grown close that day and she decided to show him her face rather than keep it from him as he had shown such emotion to her that day. He was shocked at first but told her how proud he was of her for keeping it hidden for so long.
Hermione was in such deep thought, that she didn't notice the pair of footsteps creeping up behind her.
"Hermione, I made some dinner if you wanted some." Hermione jolted out of her thoughts at the sound of Remus' voice. She turned around to see him smiling down at her.
"Thanks Remus. I'm famished." And together they went downstairs.
Hermione and Remus sat together on the sofa, after having eaten a rather large but well cooked dinner made by Remus.
"That was delicious. I never knew you could cook." Hermione said as she stretched her legs out onto the coffee table.
"Its one of my many talents that I have kept hidden over the years." He said smiling at her relaxed form.
They sat together in silence for a while before Hermione broke it.
"Remus I'm sorry." Remus looked startled by the apology.
"Sorry? What on earth for? You haven't done anything wrong." He said, now with a confused expression plastered across his features.
"I'm sorry for my mini outburst earlier. I didn't mean to sound so upset by the whole concept of sharing a room with you. You know I have no problem sharing a room with you. I think it was just the concept of sharing a room with you here at school that shook me." she explained whilst staring at the fire the entire time.
"Hermione you have no reason to be sorry. Albus should have talked to us about this before making up his mind about it. It wasn't his decision, it should have been ours." Hermione looked at him and smiled.
"Shall we just agree that this whole situation is Dumbledore's fault?" she said. Remus just laughed and nodded.
They talked in front of the fire for the rest of the evening before eventually falling asleep together.
Author's Note: I would like to say thank you to my first reviewers. I'm going to try and update this as much as possible. If you have any suggestions or ideas that you would like me to put into the story, please email me and all credit for those ideas will be acknowledged at the end of the chapter it is used in. More reviews please!