A/N: So I wanted to see what the feedback was from the last chapter and I breathed a sigh of relief that it was good. I know there was some grumbling about how the Hogsmeade trip with Sirius wasn't going to happen but in my head it was never going to happen anyway. But don't worry...some great Hermione/Sirius plot points are coming up, don't you worry!

AS ALWAYS, READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Amore Animagi

When Hermione woke up again, she found herself lying in one of the hospital beds. She was in a hospital gown and screens were up all around her bed. Her body ached but she no longer felt the twisting burn of her internal organs. She tried to move but a wave of pain hit her and she collapsed in exhaustion against her pillow.

She heard frantic voices from beyond the screens.

"The Cruciatus Curse? But that's impossible!"

"And how could those cuts heal themselves?"

"You were supposed to protect her, Snivellus!"

"If I had known what to protect her from, Black…"

"Where is she?"

"She needs her rest, Mr. Potter…"

"You bloody well can't stop us from seeing her, you mad cow."

"Ronald Weasley!"

"Harry…" Hermione groaned as loudly as she could. "Ron…"

Hurried footsteps approached her and the screens were ripped back to reveal Harry, Ron, Sirius, Snape, Madame Pomfrey, and Mrs. Weasley all standing worriedly over her. Snape broke passed them all and hurried to her side, grasping her hand.

"Hermione, what happened?" he asked quietly.

"I…"

"Get away from her, you greasy bat!"

"Black, if you would stop acting like a petulant child for a moment…"

"Gentlemen!" Madame Pomfrey interrupted sternly. "She needs her rest."

"Yes, but…"

"Severus," Hermione said hoarsely. "What's happening to me?"

"We don't know, love," Sirius said before Snape could answer, moving quickly to her other side. "We were hoping you could tell us."

"I…I don't know…"

"Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said softly. "Severus, please. You heard Poppy. She needs to sleep."

"No, Mrs. Weasley, I'm OK," Hermione said, trying once again to sit up and flinching as her muscles screamed in protest. Harry hurried forward, unceremoniously pushing Snape out of the way and ignoring Madame Pomfrey's admonishments as he gently helped her to sit up. He sat next to her, wrapping his strong arms around her protectively, carefully readjusting as he saw her cringe.

"Everyone's at a loss, 'Mione," he said as Sirius begrudgingly moved aside for Ron to join his two best friends on the bed. "No one knows how it all happened."

"Yeah," Ron added. "Snape's only just told us…"

"Professor Snape," both Hermione and Mrs. Weasley said, and Hermione couldn't help but smile at the mutinous look Ron sent his mother.

"I don't know what's going one either," Hermione admitted before telling them of the odd feeling she got when her own image passed through her mind as she felt overwhelmed by the torturous pain.

Sirius's brow furrowed.

"I don't understand. You thought of…youself?"

"I don't think it was me," she said. "I mean, I was feeling the pain but…"

She was interrupted by the large wooden doors opening and Dumbledore strode in, closely followed by Professor McGonagall. The group parted quickly as he reached Hermione's bed.

"My dear girl," he said kindly, though his eyes showed his deep concern. "How are you feeling?"

"Achy," she said. "And a bit hoarse. But otherwise fine."

"You're very brave for this," he said admiringly. "And I must impose upon your obvious fatigue to once more explain everything that has happened to you this evening."

"Professor Dumbledore," Madame Pomfrey said pleadingly. Hermione could tell the woman was becoming increasingly-impatient with how often the rules of her infirmary had been disregarded over the past seven years, especially where Harry and his friends were concerned.

"Poppy, I can't begin to apologize at our constant intrusion upon your good intentions, but you must understand that this is of the utmost importance," Dumbledore said, apologetic yet firm.

The woman sighed in reluctant acceptance, walking back to her office, and Dumbledore turned back to Hermione.

"Now, Miss Granger," he said soothingly. "Please tell me everything, starting with your lesson with Professor Snape."

Slowly and with as much detail as she could muster, Hermione explained every sensation and how she had initially thought she had been poisoned due to the pain within her body. She retold of how her image had appeared in her mind, spurring her into a renewed energy against the pain.

Dumbledore sat in silent contemplation as she spoke, listening intently and nodding occasionally. When she had finished he sat for a moment before looking at her pensively.

"Miss Granger, am I right to assume that Remus was unable to mark you before he left?"

Hermione was caught off-guard by the question.

"I…er…yes, you're right. He didn't."

Dumbledore nodded.

"And Professor McGonagall told me that you managed to complete your animagus lessons this week, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"And you are a wolf?"

She flushed slightly.

"Yes."

He nodded again.

"Well, it is as I expected. It's very rare and I've never heard of it happening when only one of the soul mates is a full animagus, but I believe what we are witnessing is love at its most mysterious. I believe you and Remus are bonded through what we call amore animagi."

Professor McGonagall frowned.

"But Albus, that's next to impossible," she said. "Amore animagi connects the soul's animagi energy. Remus isn't an animagi. In fact, due to his condition, I don't think he is even capable of learning…"

"I know, Minerva," Dumbledore interrupted. "But we all know that both Remus and Hermione are exceptionally brilliant and powerful magical beings, and I have no doubt that if Remus was not infected with his lycanthropy and had, like his friends, learned to become an animagus, he would undoubtedly be a wolf anyway."

"I'm confused," Ron said. "What's amore animagi?"

"It's a very old magic, almost going back to Morgan le Fay. It's a bond that develops between the souls of two people who share a common animagus. Those who are lucky enough to find their soul mates can be connected through this bond and can share emotions, feel each other's pain, and connect to each other," Dumbledore explained. "As I said, it is a mysterious bond but nothing is more mysterious than the ways of the heart."

"But," Sirius said, frowning. "Remus hates his lycanthropy. And in order to fully accept the animagi energy, one needs to accept the animal itself."

Snape cleared his throat.

"I think I can explain that, but it would mean revealing some indiscreet information of Miss Granger's relationship with Lupin."

Hermione's brow furrowed.

"What information?"

He sighed.

"When you became…intimate…with Lupin, did he reveal his canine side?"

Sirius's nostrils flared.

"That's none of your business, you dirty old…"

"Sirius!" Hermione snapped and the glowering man said nothing as he silently seethed.

She turned back to Snape.

"Yes. He did," she answered.

"And did you…er…enjoy it?"

Sirius growled angrily but Hermione put her hand on his chest to stop him from lunging at her increasingly uncomfortable-looking professor.

"I accepted Remus and Mooney and I told him so. And when I encountered Mooney…intimately…I accepted and loved him equally then, too."

Snape nodded.

"I believe at that moment, Lupin unconsciously became more comfortable with his condition. As his mate loved and accepted him, he started to love and accept himself through her. I also believe that – due to what his mission entails – he is letting his wolf side out more to protect himself and his partners. That is the only explanation, and pardon me for saying so, Miss Granger but it is the only explanation for their prolonged safety. But tonight was the night after the full moon and Lupin his both weak and vulnerable."

"So…" Hermione said, a new fear starting to grip her. "What I felt…that was Remus?"

"I believe so. I started to suspect it when Kingsley failed to check in with me tonight," Dumbledore said softly. "I do not believe, however, that Remus is aware of this connection as yet, otherwise he would have found a way to let you know where he was."

"Oh my God," Mrs. Weasley gasped and Hermione could see her pale as she thought of her two eldest sons.

Suddenly, as if fate had heard the Weasley matriarch's silent pleas, the doors of the infirmary burst open and a blood-soaked Bill Weasley stumbled in, carrying an equally bloody and unconscious Charlie on his back. With a speed uncommon for his age, Dumbledore was at Bill's side, levitating Charlie from Bill's sagging shoulders and placing him on the bed as McGonagall ran to get Madame Pomfrey. Bill collapsed in the closest chair, his skin pale as more recent scars marred his handsome face.

Dumbledore shook his shoulder urgently.

"Bill," he commanded and the young man looked up, still slightly dazed. "Bill, where are Kingsley and Remus?"

Bill shook his head.

"I don't know. We were ambushed. Bellatrix and Dolohov and their army of vampires…we were no match. We split up and…and Charlie got bit and…I just…I didn't know what else to do…I apparated to Hogsmeade."

Hermione's eyes widened. It took an exceptionally powerful wizard to adequately apparate himself over such a great distance. The fact that Bill was able to apparate with Charlie was nothing short of amazing.

"They must have been captured," Snape said to Dumbledore, who was pacing now. "I should go and see what I can learn."

Dumbledore nodded silently and with a quick look to Hermione, Snape exited.

McGonagall reentered with Madame Pomfrey and they went over to Charlie's unconscious figure. They all held their breath as Madame Pomfrey did a quick sweep with her wand before turning to Bill.

"He's lost a lot of blood. He's going to need a transfusion," she said.

Bill shook his head.

"I have werewolf blood in me. I don't think I could risk mixing it if he's now part-vampire."

"I'll do it," Ron said without hesitation, and Hermione felt her heart warm for her friend as he went to sit by his brother.

"Bill," Dumbledore finally said, bringing their attention back. "Did the four of you ever find out where Bellatrix and Dolohov were hiding?"

Bill shook his head again, accepting a glass of firewhiskey from Madame Pomfrey to settle his nerves.

"Kingsley had some limited information he had collected from the Ministry before he left but he and Lupin were the only two who knew anything about our location. I mean…obviously Charlie knew because he lived there but in terms of where they were in relation of us…Kingsley kept that pretty private. I think he was trying to keep our minds on what we were there for primarily, which was to help Charlie calm the dragons."

Dumbledore nodded and continued his pacing. Mrs. Weasley, content that Sirius and Harry were giving Hermione adequate attention, had gone over to her second-eldest son. She pushed his long hair out of his face and held his hand as Madame Pomfrey set Ron up with a transfusion.

"You said Kingsley collected information from the Ministry…were there papers or anything that suggested he had any idea as to where they might have taken them?"

Bill scrunched up his face in thought.

"All I remember was walking into the tent one night and seeing them pouring over maps. The maps had runes on them and a couple of places were circled, but they stuffed everything back into an envelope before I could see."

Hermione looked up sharply.

"An envelope?" she asked and everyone turned to look at her. They had all been so distracted by Bill and Charlie's sudden appearance that they seemed to have forgotten her. Bill seemed surprised that she was there at all and he had missed her.

"Yes," Bill said. "A large white one."

"Is that important?" Harry asked her.

"Kingsley gave me an envelope before he left," she said softly. "I think it's time I opened it."