Disclaimer: Anything you do not recognise is mine, anything you do is hers. So what's mine is not hers and vice versa. Oakies?
Author's notes at bottom.
Chapter Three – News and Suspicions
As soon as Charlie and Remus arrived back at Headquarters, pandemonium ensued. Their patronus had already been received, and Ron and Harry pounced on the two in their desperation for news. "What's going on?" "Is Mione okay?" "Where is Mione?" "CALM DOWN! Thankyou. Now let them speak, and breathe." Remus and Charlie sent over a grateful look in Mrs Weasley's direction. Remus took a deep breath, before handing over the note to the two boys.
Frantically, they read it, and the adults watched as their expressions turned sour. Remus had begun pacing – it was killing him to know what was happening, yet not being able to do anything. Charlie had wandered outside to break the news to Ginny and Tonks, and Molly was dabbing at her eyes. They managed to get the children up to bed without too much fuss, and the adults were close behind them.
Not a single occupant of Grimmauld Place slept soundly that night. Harry was in turmoil, knowing Hermione was suffering because of her connection to him. Ron was angry at Harry, blaming him for Hermione's situation. Molly was worrying, because Hermione was like a daughter to her. Ginny was also scared for Hermione, wondering if she'd lose the only sister she'd ever had. Remus was envisioning the horrific things he'd seen done first-hand, and Hermione's body lay in place of the others. Charlie was worried for his friend, who'd often send him news of what was happening back home, and who always took an interest in his work, even if she was busy. However, Tonks wasn't sleeping for an entirely different reason. She was pondering why Remus was so concerned over her welfare. She began to wonder if Hermione had some sort of spell over him. She resolved to find out.
That morning, everybody had dark circle sunder their eyes, and coffee did little to help Harry, Ron and Ginny were talking quietly at the far end of the table, whilst Charlie and Molly were talking about the latest news. Tonks was glaring at Remus, who was absorbed in the Daily Prophet. He wasn't really reading it, but using it as a shield for Tonks' glare. The doorbell rang, and Remus, glad for a distraction, went to answer it.
O the doorstep stood Albus Dumbledore, and behind him stood a woman who appeared to be in her forties. Apart from a few extra lines, and blue eyes, she was the exact double of Hermione, and Remus had sussed that it was her mother. Dumbledore introduced the two, and left Remus a note to give to Molly. It contained the whereabouts of Hermione's mother, should Hermione wish to contact her.
"She's gone, Albus." Remus hated to be so blunt, but he couldn't muster up the energy to sweeten it for the Headmaster. Albus' expression turned dark No-one touched his students, especially that particular student. Albus had forged a firm friendship with Hermione, and often invited her to discuss the latest academic theories over a game of Wizards Chess and a cup of hot chocolate. They were very close, and held a lot of mutual respect for each other. "I'll be back in two minutes Remus. Don't let the boys know I'm here." He had to raise his voice to cover Mrs. Grangers questions, before he turned and apparated them to her safe house.
Remus sighed, and went inside to tell Molly. They immediately asked Tonks to take them on the promised shopping trip, and to be gone all day. Tonks moaned, groaned and complained as loud as she could, attracting the attention of the three teens. At a deathly glare from Molly, they all immediately had enthusiasm for going with Tonks. It was clearly false though, but Tonks agreed nonetheless. After the teens and Tonks had gone, complaining all the way, Albus appeared back in the kitchen. "Tell me what happened." It wasn't a question, rather a statement.
Remus sighed and began from the beginning. As he spoke he reached into his pocket to retrieve the note. Albus read it over, and his expression turned menacing. Molly hurriedly left the room, muttering about cleaning, and Charlie, seeing Remus glance at him, and the door, also made a hasty exit. "Albus, have you got any idea where?" Albus strode back and fort, pacing and muttering under his breath. All at once, he stopped pacing, his eyes lit up, and he proceeded to vanish with a soft pop. Remus sighed and sat down, running his hands through his hair. Angrily, he banged his fists on the table, as tears of frustration made themselves known. Blinking them back, Remus leaned back in his chair, and sighed, trying to calm him self down.
Molly and Charlie were just walking back from the drawing room, when the front door of Grimmauld Place flew open to reveal a murderous looking Dumbledore carrying a bundle of rags. As he passed them to go to the stairs, Molly let out a shriek of "Hermione! What happened to you?" as the bundle stirred and shifted, revealing a mane of busy hair. Charlie turned around in disbelief and Remus came frantically out of the kitchen, almost knocking the Weasley matriarch over. Albus carried on up the stairs, placing Hermione in the first bedroom. Footsteps told him the others weren't far behind.
Surprisingly, Remus beat Molly to Hermione's bedside, and took in her battered form. She was wearing the shorts and vest top she'd worn at her parents' house, but they had dirt on them, and blood was splashed all over them. Her hair was knotted and tangled, and was slightly clumped in p[laces where someone might have tried pulling it out. Her face was covered in bruises and her right cheek had a handprint on it where she'd been slapped. Bruises covered her arms, and where her top rode up they could see clear bruises in the shape of handprints on her waist. Small cuts and grazes were all over her, but there was a large, deep gash on her left forearm, which hah handprints around it, as if she had to be held down.
Remus and Charlie were stood by her bedside, just gazing down at her with a sense of shame. How had they let this happen? Why did no-one notice? Molly bustled in, and began to diagnose the serious problems. Harry and Ron, returned from their shopping trip, stood at the door, fear and shock holding them in place, as they watched Molly struggle with her emotions. Finally, the diagnostic spell was complete, and it showed major internal bleeding, three fractured ribs and a shattered pelvis. Numbly, the two teens made their way over to her bedside, and they then saw the true extent of her injuries, up-close and in the harsh morning light. #
Throughout all of this, Dumbledore had stood in the corner, arms folded as if to put up s braver front, looking detached from it all. Once he saw that she was going to live, he strode over to her side, and whispered something in her ear, and turned to Harry and Ron, both of whom were in various stages of anger. Steering them outside, he cast a significant glance at the two men, before taking the teens downstairs and into the kitchen.
"I am truly sorry for what happened to Hermione. It is my fault alone that her absence was not discovered sooner. Had I not been so focused on the Order work, I would have paid more attention to her lack of correspondence." As he spoke, the boys sat down at the table, and Dumbledore gave them two butterbeers from the pantry. Harry looked up at him after he spoke, looking into the old wizard's eyes. After a while, he dropped his eyes to the table and nodded. Ron, on the other hand was fuming. "Why should you care? She was only another bloody student to you! You've got no right to feel ashamed! It's all your fault! If you'd get your head out of the bloody clouds, you might have noticed she'd gone missing! Why the bloody hell did it take so long? If we hadn't mentioned it she could be fucking dead by now!" At this point Ron was stalking the kitchen, glaring furiously at the Headmaster, who had the grace to look defeated. It was the arrival of Charlie and Remus that halted him in his tirade. After a well practised glare from Charlie, he slumped back down in his seat, and started to mutter about 'bumbling old fools'.
Dumbledore then began to speak in his defence. "Don't, for one minute Mr. Weasley, think I do not care. Each of my students is important to me, as is their well-being. It was through my doing that she got out of that place alive, not the Order's, not yours. I suggest that you think before you open your mouth in future, and do not seek to accuse those who have helped you." His eyes flashed, and Ron, dumbfounded by the Headmaster's anger, simply stared and nodded. Remus and Charlie then also sat down, and opened a bottle of butterbeer. Dumbledore exited the room, before returning a few minutes later with a guest. Immediately, the guest had four wands pointing at them, along with faces of disgust and revulsion.
Finding himself needing to remedy the situation again, Dumbledore stepped in the line of fire, and lowered the wands. "I hope that you will treat our guest better than that," his eyes swept around the room's occupant, resting briefly on Ron's, before continuing with "He shall be staying here for the foreseeable future, and I expect him to be shown nothing but kindness, no matter what past disagreements may have occurred." Dumbledore finished, and stepped aside, so that the guest could take a seat. Dumbledore and the guest pulled off their travelling cloaks, revealing the guest to be Snape.
The two newcomers summoned themselves some butterbeer; something stronger would hinder the potion making Snape needed to do later. Tonks and Ginny had been in the attic, and hadn't heard the commotion. Wandering down to the kitchen, Tonks' raucous voice could be heard clearly through the self-imposed silence and the people in the kitchen winced as the sound hit their ears. Tonks and Ginny entered, and started asking questions. A single look from Dumbledore silenced them, and they sat down, Tonks beside Remus, who shifted uncomfortably, and Ginny beside Harry, who was lost in thought.
As the time ticked by, everyone began to recall their fondest memories of the battered witch that lay upstairs. Tonks didn't have many, but she did remember when Hermione and Ginny had been requesting their favourite noses at dinner, and how Harry had looked up and sprayed pumpkin juice everywhere, trying to drink and laugh at the same time. Even though she didn't know what was up, Auror training told her it was to do with Hermione, and a psychic wasn't needed to tell it wasn't good. The memory came back to her, playing over and over in her head.
Smiling slightly, Tonks looked up and caught the eyes of Charlie. He too had few memories of Hermione, as his work in Romania meant he was only home for Christmas. He remembered one Christmas, when he'd lamented to Hermione that he never knew the latest news at these reunions, and she'd offered to write to him to tell him what'd gone off. He'd accepted, but he expected the letters to trail off after a while – presumably, she'd grow bored or just forget. She hadn't though, and he'd started to become like a surrogate brother to her; perhaps even more so that to his own siblings. He and Hermione wrote every week, and they shared all their problems. More than once, Charlie would come home for Christmas wanting to hex Ron for being a complete prat. But then he'd see Hermione, and after a brotherly hug, he'd feel much better. Glancing up at Ron, he saw he was playing with the butterbeer corks, and looking miserable.
Ron was thinking about his fights with Hermione. It was one of the few things that actually kept them together, that he could depend on. He had good memories too, but they always had Harry in; those that didn't had them rowing. He felt bad for knowing his only good memories of Hermione had someone else in them, and wondered why he had no happy memories with just the two of them. Sighing, he looked across the table to Ginny, who was looking glumly at the table top.
Ginny felt terrible – Hermione was the closest thing she had to a sister, and now she was hovering precariously close to death. Sighing, Ginny recalled all the times spent in their dorms, how she'd coaxed out the girly side in Hermione. Teaching her all the charms and potions needed to make herself even more gorgeous, she'd become closer to Hermione. Although she didn't know what was going on, she knew it was to do with Hermione, and it couldn't be good. Wondering what could be up; she turned to hear a cough coming from Harry. Looking at him, she saw that he looked ill, holding his head in his hands.
Harry had so many memories of Hermione – his whole life seemed to revolve around her, and Ron. He recalled their times throughout the six years he'd known her; everyday held a memory of her. Hogwarts, lessons, Ministry of Magic, here, she was wound so tightly in his life that he wondered what would happen if she suddenly wasn't. He already felt like he'd had an arm chopped off, what would happen if she didn't make it? All her encouragement for facing Voldemort came flooding through his musings, and he then wondered; would Voldemort win because Hermione wasn't there to help? Did the Wizarding world rest on her pulling through? Tears began to form, as he thought of life without her, and he felt the comforting hand of Remus Lupin, offering support.
Remus watched the young man in front of him start to crumble, and wondered about his future. Helplessly, his thought drifted back to Hermione, and how much he respected her. Form his teaching position three years back, he had watched and recognised her potential. She was truly gifted, and he'd wanted to make the most of that. However, Harry and the Dementors had put a hold on his plans, and because of his 'furry little secret' he couldn't return. He wanted to continue teaching her though, and over the years, he'd seen her grow up into a striking young woman. He now understood why Harry and Ron drew on her strength, as he watched the occupants of the kitchen table. They were truly lost without her. Sighing, he realised he'd never be able to teach her again, as Umbridge had included a new clause in the Werewolf Legislation stating he couldn't be in a 'position of trust'. Dumbledore hadn't minded though, but now, his gaze flicked towards the Headmaster, seeing him staring into the depths of his drink.
Albus was thinking about the perpetrators, and how to punish them without getting sent to Azkaban himself. After planning many schemes, each more harebrained than the last, he found his thoughts being tugged towards Hermione, and he started to reminisce on their meetings. It had started out with him wanting some company, as Minerva was often out overseeing the students. He had requested her presence one afternoon, and they had chatted and played Wizards chess; surprisingly she was an adept player. These visits became more regular, until they were meeting nearly every night for an hour or so. He loved her mind, and the way it would jump between random subjects, much like his did. He would also train her, giving her books on high level defensive spells and have her show him the next day. It helped her to help Harry. He had been accused of showing favouritism by Lucius Malfoy, who had bought his way back on to the Board of Governors. He was deflated though, when the other members turned on him, threatening to have him fired again. Severus Snape surprisingly spoke up in Hermione's defence, though now, as he thought about it, it wasn't so surprising after all.
The wizard in question seemed to feel Dumbledore's eyes on him, looked up but saw nothing. He was the only one at the table who knew what she'd gone through, having to watch most of it. He was disgusted with himself, and hated Dumbledore for making him a spy. His heart went out to her, something he'd deny vehemently if asked. Unbeknownst to everyone, well, with the exception of the meddling fool Dumbledore, he and Hermione had become close friends. She was the one person he'd allowed access to his private research, dined in his chambers after using his private library, and even looked after him when he'd experienced some nasty side effects from his latest project. In return, all she asked for was friendship, something he'd been nervous to offer. Gryffindor stubbornness won out in the end, and he'd even begun to teach her Occlumency, to prevent the Dark Lord to see more into her mind. No doubt she'd be teaching the two idiots as well, but as long as he didn't, that was fine by him. Now the thought of her broken on a bed upstairs was enough to tug at his heartstrings, and he began wondering how to get revenge for her when he returned.
Everyone was startled out of their musings when Tonks suddenly jumped up out of her chair and headed upstairs. She'd had time to think, and had come to the conclusion that Hermione fancied her Remus. It was obvious, all the secret glances, the private jokes, the gentle touches. Tonks knew, as an Auror, that people were most co-operative when they were vulnerable, so she was off to find answers. Calling out a greeting to Molly, Tonks went over to the bed, and checked that Molly was still in the en suite bathroom, sorting out Hermione's medicine. Quietly, she shook Hermione's shoulder, and had her wand drawn. Hermione was stirring, but not quick enough. Poking her with her wand, Tonks grew frustrated. Hermione opened her eyes and gasped as she saw Tonks with a manic gleam in her eye, aiming her wand at her. The gasp was cut short, as Tonks' hand came up to cover her mouth. "Now listen to me, and listen well. Remus is mine and if I see you anywhere near him, you'll regret it. He doesn't want you, a silly little schoolgirl, and he never will. Stay away. Understand me?" Hermione's eyes were wide as Tonks finished her speech. She nodded her head, and slumped back in relief as the wand and hand were removed.
Molly chose that moment to come back out of the bathroom, and shoo Tonks outside, causing her to collide with Remus. "What in the name of Merlin was so important that it couldn't wait?" Remus' eyes narrowed as he spoke, and there was an undercurrent of anger beneath the calm exterior. "Just checking up on her. D'you fancy a drink? Take your mind off things?" She'd moved closer as she spoke, and was now touching Remus from hip to shoulder. Jerking back, he replied "No, and I don't see how you can be so inconsiderate. Some of us actually care for Hermione, and don't just forget about her. You go, I'm staying here." The frostiness was clear in his tone, as he turned to check on Hermione.
Molly heard the whole exchange, and busied herself in checking Hermione. Frowning, she noticed a hand shaped mark was on her chin, which hadn't been there before. Glancing back at Tonks, and then at Hermione again, her lips pursed as she applied the salve to her chin. Thankfully, Hermione had gone back to sleep. Molly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Remus offering to apply the salve. Nodding gratefully, she murmured her thanks before going off to find Dumbledore. Hopefully, he'd put a stop to it, otherwise she would.
AN: Phew! Long-er chappie for me, and thanks to my reviewers, especially HermioneSparta, mish-vicious, and Heidi191967 who've reviewed every chapter so far. To everyone who's reviewed, you get cookies and hot chocolate with a topping of your choice. :D
To those who haven't, REVIEW!!! …pretty please?
