A/N: Again a small reminder and warning, this story has nothing to do with the 6th and 7th book it was started a long time ago and I never had the time to finish it but it has lingered in the back of my head and on my computer for years. This takes place during their 7th year so there will be in the future a battle but nothing as extensive as the 7th book I think, I haven't decided that far yet.
I hope your enjoying this story; it is a lot of fun for me to write.
Disclaimer: I don't own them; I just own this twisted plot
Not Quite Love, But Hey If It Works
: Chapter 9 :
The common area of Draco and Hermione's room as filled with more people than usual. Normally Hermione and Draco made a very large effort to steer clear of this room because it meant they would have to spend there time with one another in awkward silences refusing to ask one another if they had another dream or what they should be preparing for when it came to their Muggle Studies class. No, this time it was filled with Hermione, Ginny, and Luna. Though Hermione would always have her differences with the eccentric ideas of Luna she had grown accustom and close to her over the years.
The three girls were laughing as they drank their mugs of butter bear and snacked on the treats they bought in Hogsmeade. "I am just saying the way my bother has been acting around that Pansy girl and what I've been hearing him say is wigging me out, that's all." Ginny sipped at her drink. "I always thought he was going to end up with you Hermione, but after this weird class you all have been taking I'm staring to think he has the hots for Parkenson." Both Hermione and Luna spit out what of their drink they had in their mouth and laughed. "After the whole Lavender ordeal between you two last year, that's what I mean really."
Hermione stifled her laugh so she could answer and as she opened her mouth she had to place a hand over it as she let out a small belch. "I love Ron I do, and I will say it has taken me a while to get used, but she really isn't so bad. In fact I think being partnered with Ron rather than Draco has done her some good. She seems more down to earth now." She took a bite out of her chocolate bar and dangled her legs over the side of the large green armchair. "The 'couple' I'm more worried about is Harry and Lavender because if I was Harry I would have already tried to hex her or do something even worse." She laughed again and looked over towards Ginny. "How have you taken it? I mean you are dating Harry."
Ginny shrugged. "I mean I have said my dos, trust me. I don't like it at all, but he says it's only a class that if he had a choice he would 'Divorce?' her." She bit the head off her Chocolate Frog.
"Divorce? What is that? A hex of some sort?" asked Luna curious.
Hermione just laughed. "No it is not a hex, al though I'm sure if it was those getting them would enjoy the process more. A divorce is what happens when two Muggles who are married don't want to be married." She looked at her two friends faces and laughed. "I don't see why he couldn't try. It would be funny if he pulls it off."
Suddenly there was a rap on the painting as the hoarse voice of the Knight with the mace yelled out towards who ever it was at the portrait door. "If you do not recite the password, your entrance shall not be excepted! Now be off with you nave!"
"But, I NEED to be let in! This is an emergency! The girl who stays in this room is one of my best friends! That should be good enough! Come on! Please!" It was Harry.
"Speak of the devil." Hermione laughed soon accompanied by Ginny and Luna. She rose from the large chair and walked over to the portrait pushing it opening. "May I help you?" Hermione laughed looking at Harry's distort face.
"You have to let me in… before she finds me I am begging you!"
Off in the distance the high shrill voice of one of the most despised people by Hermione could be heard. "My wittle Harry Berry where did you go?"
Hermione was in hysterics. "Alright Harry Berry I guess I can let you in." She moved so that Harry could run into the common room. "Ginny you and Harry need to figure out something quick because it looks like she has already given him a pet name, am I right Harry Berry?" she put her hand over her mouth and snickered along with Luna.
"What? She is calling you pet names now!" groaned Ginny as she rose from her spot on the rug. "Harry Potter you had better figure out this Divorce thing or so help me!" Ginny held up her arms in frustration. "Merlin! The little git is spending more time with my boyfriend than me! Its not fair!"
"I told you, I was going to see if that would work. I can't do anything until class tomorrow anyways." He grabbed Ginny's waist looking her in the eye.
"Well you better get this fixed because for all you know the next thing you two will have to do is take care of a baby…" Ginny cringed at the thought. " …Stop looking at me like that… I can't stay mad at you when you look at me like that…"
"Would you like us to give you a moment alone," asked Hermione. "We wont be able to go off and ask Lupin anything till Ron gets here anyway."
"Lupin? What are you asking Professor Lupin." Stated Luna with curiosity. "Are you having trouble with History of Magic? I would never think you would have trouble with that class Hermione."
Hermione stared at two of her best friends and couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. After she and Krum had broken their relationship she missed the contact and attention one would get when in a relationship. She shook her head. "Oh no its not for History of Magic. We just wanted to see if he knew anything about what happened to Professor Gryffindor… Draco didn't seem to know much and he is her nephew, it was just a little odd. So I suggested we ask Lupin." Harry nodded in agreement towards Ginny and Luna.
-
After having met Ron in the great hall during supper the three made their way down the halls of the Hogwarts Castle till trio stood in before the door of the new office and bedroom of Remus Lupin. Hermione raised her hand to the wooden door to knock but turned suddenly looking at her two best friends. "It's late shouldn't we ask him tomorrow. He may want time to himself since he wasn't in the great hall for supper." Both Ron and Harry rolled their eyes at her hesitation, and stepped forward and began to both pound on the door.
"I am coming I am coming," said the raised solemn toned voice of Remus Lupin. The door's latch could be heard he began to open the door. His hair was a mess and shirt was askew and only buttoned in three places, he groaned slightly, "Oh its you three, not that I do not wish to help you but can this not wait till tomorrow before or after class?" He began to shut the door slowly.
"See I told you. I am very sorry we bothered you Remus." Hermione looked at Ron and Harry, and began to turn with them.
Suddenly a familiar female voice came from the direction of Lupin's bedchambers. "Remus, who was at the door? I thought you said it was only going to take you a minute." The voice was slightly slurred.
Harry and Ron stood gaping at Lupin. "Is that?" they both said in enthusiastic and surprised tone. "TONKS!" Hermione just stood there flabbergasted unable to speak the idea of Tonks and Lupin together just made her giggle with glee.
A silhouette began to move from the bedchamber it had spiky hair and was slender and athletic. "Remus, who is at your…" Tonks gleamed. "Would you look at that they can come to you now with out you needing to go find them. You haven't changed at all" She smiled. She was in one of Remus' long sleeved shirts her short shorts peaking out from its curved sides. "Well aren't you going to invite them in?"
Remus turned obviously to eye Tonks. "I thought we were in the middle of something…"
"Oh we can get back to that later." Remus sighed at his loss, nothing could change the woman's mind she was just too carefree. "What are you three over here for?" she asked curious sitting down in a near by chair and crossing her legs. She laid a hand on the top of the chair and rested her chin atop looking in their direction. "Well? Out with it," she smiled.
"How? What are you?" stuttered Ron as he gazed at the charismatic Tonks. He cleared his throat. "Why are you in here with Remus?"
There was a loud smack.
"OW! Hey! What did you do that for!" groaned Ron looking over at Hermione.
"We are not here to ask them about their personal life, Ronald. We are here to ask about Professor Gryffindor remember!" She put her arm back to her side. "Its nice to see you though Tonks," she smiled.
The three walked into the room moving out of the way so that Lupin could shut the door and sit down in one of the chairs that sat next to the one Tonks was occupying by the fireplace. Hermione took one of the discarded wooden chairs that must have been in use not to long ago and moved it so that it was facing Lupin and Tonks. Harry fallowed her actions with another and Ron was left standing.
Tonks nodded moving over into Lupin's lap so that Ron could have a seat before answering his question. "Well Remus was with me and my parents they are staying in Hogsmede at the moment. Aunt Soph gave mum a bit of a scare so she wants to be close till everything blows over. As for why I am with Remus, I think what I am wearing can help answer that question."
Hermione looked at the dumbfounded faces of her friends and shook her head and she let out a sigh. "Really you two amaze me sometimes. She and Remus are an item…" She paused to let it sink into Harry and Ron's minds then continued, "We had some questions for you Remus if that's alright?"
"Of course," was all that came from Lupin's mouth naturally it was true he would help them with anything at any time, but being caught in trying to commit an intimate with the woman he loved was not the time he had hoped for. "You said it was about Sophia did you not?" His hands seemed to clasp onto Tonks' thighs as he began to talk as if he was attempting to protect her from someone or something.
"Yes. Ever since she had that incident in class… we have just… I mean…" Hermione felt tongue-tied.
"You mean why did I insist on her not taking part in that lesson, and allowing me to take her place?" Harry Ron and Hermione nodded in harmony. "Well I am not the best person to ask this question. Though when I was at school when she would disappear just like I, for a while I assumed she was a werewolf, but then she had had two episodes very close to the other."
"Episodes? She has them often?" interrupted Harry.
Lupin continued ignoring Harry's impulsiveness. "From what I had been told by Sirius unlike myself during these times she would be placed in a room close to the hospital wing." He sighed obviously remembering one of the many times he had witnessed her in this state of pain. "It has no windows or mirrors, she has to be in the presence of Madame Pomfree, Professor Dumbledore, another professor, or any of us to be able to eat or drink. She is given a very potent sleeping potion that allows her to sleep through these urges and it helps her to suppress the woman you saw in the mirror."
He became quiet allowing Harry, Ron, and Hermione to soak in this new knowledge.
Suddenly Tonks chimed in. "Think of it as a wizarding version of the Muggle 'Dissociative identity disorder,'" she smiled at Ron's confusion and continued, "It is where a Muggle has multiple identities running through their mind, only she has an another person inside of her that can be seen and heard by herself and those around her when she looks into anything that shows her refection."
"So wait. Let me get this straight anything that has a refection in it will set this woman loose from her mind," ask Ron he had a look of worry cross his face.
"Who is the woman? Is it someone close to your mother's family Tonks?" Hermione paused trying to find the right words. "The woman seemed to know a lot about your mother and your aunts. Their lives and I'm guessing even you though she only lives inside Professor Gryffindor."
"I'm sorry Hermione, Ron, Harry, but that I can not answer for you," stated Remus gravely.
"Madame Pandore le mauvais…" All attention moved to Tonks she was staring into the roaring fire as if she was remembering an old story she had been told many times by her mother and grandmother since childhood. "Pandora the wicked. My Grand Mum would tell me these stories when I was a kid, about this very powerful sorceress, who was around before the time that magic was being concealed into wands. She had two sons, the youngest son whom was the start of the line of Black too whom the first Black on the pure blood register, Phineas Nigellus, appeared" she looked as if she was reciting a bedtime story of sorts. "But it was her oldest son that she despised, for he had a daughter and she married a white knight apposing all the darkness that was trained to and by her father and uncle. Yet she was still loved and praised by her father and this infuriated Pandora so on her deathbed she vowed to torment the next female of her line to ever go against the laws of their divine purity and stay within the family. She would be given a curse that would help bring forth a everlasting darkness."
The room was silent as each began to make sense of this story that had just been told. Then Tonks spoke again turning back towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "My Mum said that my Grand Mum was worried I might have had the curse because my Mum married a Muggle-Born but she was convinced by Grand Dad that it was just a silly story created to scare the Black children into keeping to the dark pureblood families. But it turns out Soph was the one who was cursed if that's what you call it. Narcissa and Mum still don't think it's a curse more of a position because of what happens." Tonks shrugged. "But enough of that, I'm sure there is something in the library. If you really want to learn anything about it, but there isn't anything you can do to help. Trust me there have been many who try to help her, but she insists on handling it alone."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all nodded together looked at one another then looked back at Tonks and Lupin. "How long have you to been um…"
Smack Harry's head flew forward and with a groan he held the back of it and turned to meet Hermione's eyes. "OW!"
"Don't be rude Harry," stated Hermione as she wiped her hand against her skirt. "Your using to much gel."
Tonks giggled at this sight and took Lupin's chin in her hand before kissing his unshaven cheek. "Oh I don't know a while now. But, we can talk about that another day I'm sure you three want to go and figure out more about what I told you." She smiled towards them. Hermione knew exactly what it was that she politely trying to do and her two best friends were too daft to get it.
Hermione rose from her seat and returned Tonks' smile. "Oh I can't wait to tell Ginny." She waited for Ron and Harry to rise and come with her to the Library but they did not budge. She rolled her eyes and grabbed them both by their collared shirts and yanked them from there seats. "Lets go to the Library," she said through gritted teeth.
TBC
A/N: I chose to use the name Pandora because this woman is supposed to be the embodiment of chaos.
I hope everyone liked this chapter.
