The following morning found Hermione feeling so much clearer than she had the night before. The bed in which she had slept had been comfortable and her sleep deep and untroubled. The morning sun had gently brought her back into the land of wakefulness and the scent of coffee and bacon sandwiches had done the rest. One hot shower later and she sat at the table ready to begin the day with a clear mind. Remus had presented her with fresh coffee and something to eat, which had improved her already cheerful mood.
"Morning Hermione," Tonks said as she waddled into the dining room. "Sleep alright?"
"Yes, thanks," she said as she bit into the sandwich.
"That's good, you've a long day today, going to make Hogwarts study look like a walk in the park," she said with a wink. Hermione nodded, certain that although it was going to be tough, she would be able to cope with the studies. "Physical stuff too," she added.
"Physical?" she asked with a frown.
"Yeah, basic self-defence and all that, you're not going to be able to use magic all the time, we're convinced that the Death Eaters are using Muggles for some of the more mundane work that they refuse to do themselves." She sat herself down in a chair opposite Hermione and Remus brought her a glass of fruit juice.
"Like what?" Hermione said when he had left again.
"Like transporting their goods from one place to the other, basic captures; that sort of thing." Tonks said, "There was the one job that involved muggles, they'd been using them to practice new spells on…" her words trailed off and she shuddered, "I never want to see anything like that again."
"Chances are that you'll hear about it," Moody said as he staggered into the room. He carried a sandwich of his own and although his eye roamed the room as it always did, he was focused on his food as well.
"Mores the pity," Tonks said. Silence lapsed as they each focused on the food before them; Hermione had the feeling that she was going to need her strength that day, and for the next few days as well for that matter. She was a little perturbed when Snape did not join them. She had not seen her sullen mentor since he had retired the night before and she wondered where he was.
She didn't dwell on his absence however, as her thoughts were brought back to the moment. "Hermione, you're going to need to change into some sort of training gear, and I don't mean the wizarding kind," Remus said. His voice was kindly but she understood the meaning well enough. "We'll meet you out the back in about an hour," he added before leaving the table.
"We?" Hermione frowned, a small tingle growing in the base of her spine.
"Of course, we're all going to be there to help you." Tonks said. Hermione swallowed, her throat dry. More like to watch her completely fail at any physical pursuit she tried. She forced her nerves down and left the table, she had to get ready for this great humiliation after all!
