I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters...
Author's Note: sorry about the wait...and this chapter might not be the last for while Remus is away...if you feel the heartbreak that Hermione and I will feel, hang in there, it will get better.
Kayleigh-FanfictionAddict-21: thanks for the review...really great to hear that eleven was your favourite chapter, i wasn't certain if that one was as good as the others...great to hear you're sticking around...please keep up the reviews.
iiXshadow13Xii: thanks for the review...although it was only for chapter one...i'm glad you think my story is deep...please keep up the reviews.
Melanie: thanks for the review...glad to hear you love the story...i'm updating asap, always...please keep up the reviews.
LK: thanks for the review...and shortening your name for me(hahaha)...glad you enjoyed the chapter and loved it...please keep up the reviews.
trpotter24: thanks for the reviews...it's nice to have another new reader...please stay with my story and keep up the reviews.
Bandgeek252: thanks for the review...i know it's sad...this part of the story is sad though, just like in the books, things will get better...it takes a lot of hurt to get to the good though, that makes the good so much better...really good to hear that although things seem to be moving fast that it's still good...i always update asap...glad you love it...please stick with my story and keep up the reviews.
TheForgottenDreamer: thanks for the review...it was sad, yeah...it's always a shame when Remus has to leave...don't worry about being so behind, the fact that you took the time to catch up means a lot...it's really helpful that you've put all your catching up in one review as well...i couldn't resist them arriving at Snape's office...it just seemed to brilliant to leave out...i'm really glad i could make Fred and George as hilarious as they are in the books and films...the Ginny and Hermione interactions were absolutely needed too...i remember having a first crush or boyfriend and sharing dirty secrets with my best friend that was a girl too so i couldn't resist, it was funny then and even funnier in the story i think...Remus is the type to stick with those he loves through Heaven or Hell, thats one of the things i love about him...as said, i update asap...nice to have you back by the way...please keep up the reviews.
Author's Secondary Note: i wish a very warm welcome to all my newest readers, i hope you can stick with this during the long haul the way my usual readers do. i hope you guys read my responses to you, i appreciate the reviews too much to not individually thank you guys.
In Love and War
Chapter 12: Separation
As Hermione sat in the Weasly's backyard with Ginny, she felt her attention slip again. Not that her friend was boring her, but she was heartbroken. He'd only been gone one week, yet it felt much longer to her. She was unable to stop thinking, missing, and most of all worrying about him. She felt lonely, especially at night. No amount of blankets could make her feel as warm and comfortable as he had. While in bed she would try to imagine his arms around her but only succeed in missing him even more. She was brought back out of her thoughts when Ginny said her name.
"Hermione."
"Yeah?" asked Hermione.
"You're not alright, are you?" asked Ginny.
"What? Oh, I'm fine." she lied. Ginny saw right through it.
"No, you're not."
"What makes you think I'm not fine?"
"Well, a few things. For one, I've never met anyone that can concentrate as well as you but recently you're zoning out. Constantly. Secondly, you are always right in the middle of a conversation but recently you barely talk. Yesterday, when Ron was wrong about a comment concerning the Room of Requirement you didn't even contradict him. Mainly though, I hear you crying every night. You're eyes are always red in the morning. Plus, when someone says their fine that means they don't want to talk about or admit what's bothering them." said Ginny.
"I just...I miss him. So much more than I even imagined I would. Plus, I worry about him. I mean, there are very few things as dangerous as what he's doing. I'm just terrified that something bad is going to happen to him." said Hermione. She felt like tears were coming to the surface again but swallowed the lump in her throat.
"How about you try to push it out of your mind for a while. Come play a game or something with me and Ron." said Ginny.
"I can't push it out of my mind." said Hermione.
"Oh, come on Granger. I just offered to spend time with Ron for you. Ron! He wouldn't want you mourning for him when he's okay." said Ginny.
"I don't know that he's okay."
"Hermione, come on. He's been a werewolf for I'm sure, quite a long time. He survived the first war. We saw how good he can fight while we were at the ministry. I promise you he will be fine. Now, are you going to take up my offer to make Ron less lonely or not?" asked Ginny. Hermione summoned the energy to try and make herself happy. She was surprised to see that it worked a little bit. She got up and followed a now smiling Ginny into the house.
xxxxxx
Remus sat in a dark corner in the back of one of the lesser used caves that the pack occupied. He had finally found time to sit alone and contemplate how to go about his mission fully. He had got himself into the pack and stayed unnoticed. He needed to keep that up or all Hell would break loose. He was pleased with his seat because it made him invisible. The only way others would know he was in there was if they could smell him. He wasn't the only one that slept in there so they would simply consider it the lasting smell of the cave's occupants. While he sat there he wondered what Hermione was doing. He missed her so much, so did Moony. Moony missing her meant that Remus was way more irritated then he'd ever been, which actually helped him fit in more with the pack. He was more aggressive, easily, and didn't restrain himself from letting the aggression loose. It made him more ignored than if he had been silent. They expected the aggression. As he pictured Hermione in his mind, he froze. Others were approaching the cave. He pressed back into his corner as much as he could and tried to breath very little. When the three other werewolves entered the cave he knew one of them by his smell immediately. He would never forget the smell that Fenrir Greyback carried. He felt a little bit of panic attack him, maybe they knew he was here. Perhaps they were coming up there to look through his belongings. If anyone would know him it would be Greyback. He nearly sighed in relief as they approached the belongings of another werewolf on the other side of the cave. He strained all his senses to be silent but listen in and watch. He heard the familiar, cruel voice of Greyback giving orders.
"Pick up the bag and toss everything out." he barked. The two with him did just that. They began to sort through the objects that had fallen out of the bag. Greyback began to sniff the air, vigorously. One of the others turned to him.
"What is it, sir?" asked the lower pack member.
"Something smells familiar in here." said Greyback. The other lower pack member spoke next.
"Sir, perhaps you're just smelling those that were scouting with us last night. Two that live in here went with us." he said. Greyback seemed satisfied with the answer.
"Right. You done searching?" asked Greyback in a threatening manner.
"Yes, Sir. There's nothing here but clothes and a picture of the man's family." said one.
"I'm certain there's a mole here. That bastard, Dumbledore, wouldn't be able to resist sending someone in here. He's desperate." said Greyback. One of the others stood, Remus recognized him. The man had been at school with him, he had been in Ravenclaw. The day Greyback turned him he joined the pack without hesitation. Remus remembered trying to convince him otherwise. His name was Stan Turner. He was Greyback's second in command and pet. He was to Greyback what Bellatrix was to Voldemort. He was trusted with any mission and was just as ruthless as Fenrir.
"Sir, you don't think he'd have sent that runt do you?" asked Turner.
"Which runt, Turner?" asked Greyback. Turner, knowing Fenrir was his Alpha, shrank back while he answered.
"The one that was friend's with Black and the Potters." answered Turner. Greyback began to laugh, keeling over for a moment at one point. Once he'd stopped and gotten his breath back he faced Turner.
"I highly doubt it, Turner. Don't think so much." said Fenrir.
"Are you sure, Sir? To me it seems like the thing that Dumbledore would do." answered Turner, shrinking even lower because he was questioning his maker. Greyback considered the thought for a moment.
"No. Lupin is a washout. He was always a weak wolf. I'm glad he never joined me, he is the definition of a runt. He should know that if he stepped foot near my pack that I would rip him to pieces. He's too much of a coward to come here. Let's go. Keep an eye out for whoever this may be." ordered Greyback as they left the cave. Remus sighed in relief. He'd had to fight Moony's fury when Greyback called him weak. Moony wanted to jump right out of the corner and rip Fenrir to pieces. As much as Remus agreed with it he couldn't risk it at all. He leaned back in his seat, setting the back of his head against the wall. He was worried now. Greyback didn't believe he was there, which was good. Stan Turner on the other hand, thought he might be. Which could go very badly. Stan wouldn't hesitate to turn Remus in to Greyback so the entire pack could watch Fenrir pull him apart, literally. Stan was better at watching situations than Greyback. Remus could only hope that Stan wouldn't recognize him. He didn't want to be here at all, neither did Moony. He ached to go back to the Weasley's. To go back to Hermione. Not because he was scared, but because he missed her so much. He felt like his heart had been ripped in two when he left. As he sat and thought about it he realized that his heart hadn't been ripped in two. His heart had simply stayed with her, and that it always would.
xxxxxx
"Alright, Queen to B6." said Ron. The chess piece moved to the selected spot and destroyed Hermione's bishop.
"Ron, I hate this game. It's so barbaric." said Hermione, surprising herself that she wasn't lingering on missing Remus the way she had been.
"Why exactly is it barbaric?" asked Ron.
"You should have said, how. Not why." corrected Hermione, Ginny laughed.
"Whatever, answer me." said Ron.
"Because, it's violent for no apparent reason. What's so wrong with regular chess?" asked Hermione.
"Um...the fact that it's regular. There's no violence in regular chess." said Ron. Hermione sighed and shook her head.
"I really don't want to play anymore." said Hermione. Ron sighed in annoyance.
"Only because you're losing." he said, Hermione decided to get him for good.
"Ron, there's a spider on your shoulder." she said.
"What?" shrieked Ron, jumping up and brushing off his shoulders. Ginny and Hermione laughed hysterically at him. He stopped, realizing she was lying, and glared at them.
"That was a cheap shot." he said.
"You're just upset that you fell for it." said Hermione.
"I wish Harry was here to see that one." said Ginny. Ron decided to get at Ginny this time.
"How about you stop drooling over my friend. Everything with you is just 'Oh, I wish Harry was here. Ooo, Harry would love that. Aw, Harry is just sooooo cute.'" said Ron, using a high pitched voice to mock Ginny.
"I'll stop drooling over Harry when you stop brown nosing Fleur. And my voice sounds nothing like that you dunce." said Ginny. Hermione decided to get inbetween the two before it got worse.
"Guys, how about we drop this entirely? Let's find something to do." said Hermione. Ron gave Ginny a glare and she stuck her tongue out at him. Ron looked out the window then turned back to them.
"I know. Let's go hunt gnomes." said Ron.
"What?" asked Hermione, totally lost and a little concerned.
"Gnomes. There's loads in the garden. Fred, George, and me used to hunt them all the time. It's fun. Come on." said Ron, already leaving the room.
"Ron, I am not killing gnomes." said Hermione. Ginny got up.
"We don't kill them. We just wait for them to come out, chase them, and they try to fight us. It's actually a lot more fun than it sounds. Come on." said Ginny, she grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of the room.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
He had been stuck there for nearly a month now. The full moon was only a day away. He had narrowly avoided Stan Turner at all costs. It had taken a lot of work and concentration but he had done it. As he sat on his tiny cot he heard feet approaching. They were two of his roomates, so to speak. The younger one, Davis, turned to him excitedly.
"Come on." he said to Remus.
"What?" asked Remus, a little harsher than intended. He couldn't help it. Moony was pissed and heartbroken as well, plus the full moon was in less than 24 hours. He felt like his temper was about to boil over at any given time, and it scared him.
"You're coming with me." said Davis.
"What do you mean?" asked Remus, confused.
"Scouting. I was told to bring someone. I noticed you haven't gone yet and I've already taken Trevor." he said, motioning to the man behind him, laying down.
"Perhaps I'd rather stay here." said Remus, fearing interaction with many others.
"I don't mean to sound controlling but you don't really have a choice. I was ordered to bring whoever I also shared this cave with that hasn't gone yet." said Davis. Remus sighed and got up.
"Alright. What's the worst that could happen?" he asked, more himself than Davis. Having no idea what worst meant for him.
xxxxxx
Hermione was on a broom in the backyard with Bill, Ron, and Ginny. They were teaching her just how to play certain positions in Quidditch. They were all enjoying Bill's company. He was having his first day off in months. Fleur was sitting on a chair in the lawn watching them all. Hermione had thought about Remus every day. She had taken Ginny's advice and tried to stop worrying and grieving. Although she wasn't doing so nearly as much, she couldn't help it when she had time to stop and think about him. She was excited though, knowing that it was only within the next three weeks that he would be back. Plus, that was when Harry was to arrive there as well. She felt much more light hearted and happy. Not for a second imagining what was to come.
xxxxxx
As Remus followed Davis, his instincts were making him panic. He knew something wasn't right. The further they walked, he noticed that Davis was feeling the same way. As they rounded a corner to the edge of one of the caves, where they were to meet the others, a few things happened very quickly. A pair of huge, hairy hands grabbed Remus and tried to slam him into a wall. At the same time, another pair of hands pulled Davis out of the way. Remus, and Moony, already wanting to fight weren't going down easy. As the hands grabbed Remus he brought his knee up and hit the man square in the balls. As the man leaned over, Remus slammed his fist into the man's mouth. He even felt a few teeth go flying down the man's throat. He shoved the man away, and noticed that it was Stan who he had severly injured. He readied himself to fight another and his eyes met the glaring, menacing eyes of his maker. There were three other wolves besides Remus, Davis, and Greyback. Stan was already down and Remus figured he could last the other two, he wasn't certain about Greyback though. The other two crouched down, ready to fight.
"No. He's mine. Stay." ordered Greyback to the others.
"You sure you don't want to gang up on me, Fenrir? That seems to be how you usually do things." said Remus, figuring if they were going to fight to possible death he might as well give the bastard some shit in the meantime.
"I'm surprised you're here. Dumbledore's lap dog." said Fenrir, cracking his knuckles.
"At least I'm not used. You honestly think that Voldemort cares about you? As soon as he's finished with you he'll make sure you're dead as well. You were always too stupid, Greyback." said Remus, wanting to infuriate his enemy. He took his jacket off and tossed it to the ground. Greyback, didn't wait to retort. He dove at Remus, knocking him to the floor. While down, Greyback tried to get at his throat. Remus wrapped a strong right hand around Fenrir's throat and squeezed with all his might. The response was Greyback's big, hairy fist slamming into Remus' nose. He felt it crack, and break. He ignored it entirely. He slipped away and let his own protector, Moony, take control. Moony, now furious, gathered the strength to push Greyback over. Suddenly, the fight got dirty much faster. They were rolling around the cave, slamming each other into walls. Moony swinging punches while Greyback tried to claw at him. Just as Greyback was about to slash at Moony's throat, they heard several pops outside and another pack member came rushing into the room.
"Sir, he's here! He's not happy either!" said the panicking pack member. Moony let Remus back in control as Fenrir looked up. Remus took the chance and jacked Greyback in the jaw while he was looking the other way. Greyback lost his balance and Remus scrambled over to his coat. He grabbed the coat and yanked his wand out from it. As he disapparated he saw the shocked, confused face of Bellatrix and heard the voice of Lord Voldemort himself.
"What, is happening in here Fenrir?" asked Voldemort, in the calm tone of fury he was best at. After that everything was a swirl as Remus landed in water in the middle of a cornfield. He rolled onto his back and looked up at the stars. Letting the cool, muddy water help sooth the trobbing of his cuts. He certainly had some new scars to add to his already constantly injured body. He used his wand to fix his broken nose, and bruised ribs. All else were scratches from Greyback's claws. The monster embraced the wolf nature so much that he was damn near transformed on a daily basis. Remus knew he couldn't magically heal the scratches from the werewolf, just as you can't heal when the condition is passed to you. They had to heal in their own time, naturally, just as the injuries from transforming for the full moon did. The scratches he felt were on his left leg and one big one that began on the left side of his chest and ran to halfway down his stomach. He knew there was more, the others just didn't hurt as bad. The big ones on his leg and chest were deeper than the others. He lay there and breathed, realizing that he just narrowly escaped the three most dangerous people on the planet. Greyback, Bellatrix, and Voldemort would have loved to have gotten to end him themselves. After a few minutes he gathered the strength to get up. He slowly got to his feet, lookin over the corn he saw the house he'd thought of. The Weasley home was barely half a mile from him. He began to limp through the water, toward the house.
xxxxxx
"Hermione, you-" started Ginny. She stopped when she saw that her friend was already asleep. She quietly backed out of her room and shut the door. As she got to the bottom of the stairs, Ron was in her way.
"Be quiet on the stairs, Hermione is already asleep." said Ginny. He nodded, rubbed his eyes, yawned, and quietly made his way toward his room. Ginny went into the kitchen and sat with her parents. Her father looked half asleep already.
"Ginny, dear." said Molly.
"Huh?" asked Ginny.
"Your father is really tired. We're going to head off to bed. Don't be up all night." said Molly as Arthur made his way toward their bedroom.
"Don't worry, I won't. I'm lonely." said Ginny. Molly smiled at her and followed Arthur.
"You don't have to be." said Bill, walking in the back door. He left it open for a breeze.
"I thought you would be sleeping already." said Ginny, as one of her favourite big brothers sat across from her.
"No. I'm enjoying the peace. I don't have to do anything right now. It's nice to just listen to the night. You know what I mean?" asked Bill.
"Yeah, in a way. Want to play some one on one night Quidditch?" asked Ginny, Bill was the one that had taught her how to play, the same time he'd taught Ron. He raised his eyebrows at her.
"You think you can take me alone?" asked Bill.
"Easy." said Ginny, in a cocky tone.
"Alright. Go get the stuff out, I'll get a jug of water to bring out with us." said Bill. Ginny jumped up and charged outside. As she reached the tiny shed, she heard something in the field. She stopped and moved over to get a slight look at who or what was out there, while pulling out her wand. As she got closer she could tell that it was a person, she could also tell that that person seemed to be limping. Bill came out just then and ran in front of her.
"Go in the house." he said.
"No. If you need help, I'll call for help but-" Ginny began to protest until they saw who it was. Bill charged forward to help him.
"Remus! What the bloody Hell happened to you?" asked Bill, putting Remus' arm over his to help support him.
"I'll tell...later." breathed Remus. Ginny ran over to his other side to try and help there. Between the two of them they got Remus safely, and quietly inside the house. They took him into the living room and Ginny ran into her parents' room to get her mum. Molly came out into the living room within two minutes. Bill was unbuttoning Remus' shirt to try and see how bad the wounds were. Remus pushed his hands away.
"Don't. You can't do anything for them." said Remus. Molly knelt next to Bill.
"What do you mean? We've got-" began Molly.
"They're from Greyback. There's nothing you can do for them." said Remus. Bill and Molly looked at each other.
"There's nothing I can do?" asked Molly, not liking that she couldn't help him in some way.
"Not for the wounds, no. I'm sorry I've gotten your couch all wet." said Remus. Bill and Ginny had been so concerned they hadn't even noticed he was soaked.
"Don't apologize for that dear. Is there anything I can do for you then?" asked Molly.
"A glass of water would be nice, actually." said Remus. Ginny jumped up and charged into the kitchen. Molly followed after her.
"Ginny, go get some towels. I'll get the drink." said Molly.
"Should I wake Hermione?" asked Ginny.
"No. She doesn't need to panic right now. Let her sleep, she will see him in the morning when he's in better shape." said Molly. Ginny ran and got towels. As she got back into the living room she tossed some to Bill. Bill finished opening up Remus' shirt and lay a towel on his chest to soak up some of the blood. Remus felt sleep trying to claim him. He was scared to close his eyes though. He heard them talking to each other but they sounded far off in the distance. He recognized Arthur's voice but it all grew faint. The room became black as his eyes closed. He couldn't hear them anymore. He felt hands on his chest and leg, trying to clean him up and see just how badly he was hurt. He knew he wasn't dying. The fight had exhausted him and he lost lots of blood, that was all. He wanted to see her, though. He came back for her above all else. He wanted more than anything to stay and try to finish off Greyback but he knew if he was going to make it back he had to go then. Soon, he didn't even feel the hands on him anymore. Everything faded out entirely as he fell into a deep sleep.
**(i think i'm right in saying that i'm as happy as you are that that is the last of separation for a while...for certain it will be a while if again at all...please leave me reviews...)**