Breakfast
the next morning seemed to be business as usual but under the surface some
people were having difficulties not to loose their straight faces.
Hermione
had had a sleepless night. The memories of what had happened had surfaced in
more and more detail and with the details came the emotions and sensations.
They seemed almost too real for a memory. It took all her strength and
self-control not to blush when Professor Lupin walked past her on his way to the teacher's table in the Great Hall. She
noticed that he looked as if he hadn't slept much last night, too.
Twisting on
her seat she watched Malfoy and his ever-present companions Crabbe and Goyle.
When he finally noticed her watching him he shot her a sneering grin and then
turned his attention back to the conversation at the Slytherin table.
Lost in
thought she didn't notice that her friends were unusually silent, too. Harry
pushed his scrambled eggs from one side of the plate to the other. Ginny looked
paler then usual and left the table after only a few bites of her sandwich. Ron
had tried to involve Hermione in a conversation but gave up after he got only
one-syllable answers. After he found out that Harry wasn't in the mood to talk
either, he ignored them, offended by their antisocial behaviour.
After the
breakfast Lupin stopped Hermione, who was on her way back to the Gryffindor
Tower to get her books for Potions.
"Are you
alright?", he asked.
"Yeah. Any
signs that Malfoy is the culprit?"
"No. He
didn't look at me once. Have you found out something?"
"No. He
sneered at me when he caught me watching him, but that's usual behaviour for
him."
"Ah, there
you are, Remus!", a cheerful voice interrupted. Both Hermione and Lupin turned
around to Professor Dumbledore, who approached them with wide strides. "Please,
I have to talk to you. Join me in my office, will you?"
Lupin and
Hermione paled. Did he know? Before any of them could answer, Dumbledore had
vanished around the next corner.
"What
now?", Hermione asked, her voice shaking.
"We… tell
him. He will understand… I hope…", Lupin answered and straightened up. "Let's
get this over with."
Fawkes
greeted them with a condescending blink of the eye before turning his back to
them and hiding his head underneath his wing again. Dumbledore was humming and
bustling around in search for something hidden beneath some piles of books and
parchments which he picked up and then set down right into thin air to have
them out of the way. He stopped shortly when he noticed Hermione standing next
to Lupin, then turned back to his task.
After what
seemed an eternity Dumbledore had found what he was searching for and the books
piled themselves onto their boards again. But instead of sitting down behind
his desk and lecture them for their behaviour the headmaster started making
tea.
Hermione
could take it no more.
"It wasn't
Remus's fault!", she said. "I wasn't thinking straight when I came to him and
seduced him! Only after… my mind came back! We think that I have been hexed by
somebody, but we don't know why or by whom. Believe me, it was not Remus's
fault! Expel me from school, but forgive him! He had no chance to react and
stop me! Please!"
She had
moved in front of Lupin as if to protect him, tears in her eyes and fists
clenched.
Lupin stood
behind her, his eyes wide in amazement that she defended him. Placing his hands
on her shoulders he moved her out of the way, straightened up and prepared for
the worst.
"Headmaster,
you can't expel her! She has been hexed! She was as shocked as I was when she
realized what had happened! I am the one to blame, I should have stopped her,
when I had the chance!"
"You never
had a chance, Remus!", interrupted Hermione. "Professor Dumbledore…"
The
headmaster turned around to watch them for some seconds that seemed like an
eternity.
Finally, he
spoke.
"You have
been hexed, you say. And you have no idea, by whom or why. Ah, yes. And you
both try to protect the other. Very interesting, indeed. So what do I do with
you, hm?"
He turned
around to his chair and motioned Lupin and Hermione to sit down, too. Then he
waved his hand and three steaming cups of tea floated through the air to land
with a small clatter on his desk in front of them.
"Let me get
this straight. You", he pointed at Hermione, "came to Remus's room and, uhm,
seduced him. Remus, why didn't you stop her?"
"I
couldn't. I was asleep and only woke up when… uhm… it was too late…", Lupin
answered, his face turning red.
"Ah, yes.
So you were the victim. Miss Granger, you said you were hexed. How did you come
to this conclusion?"
"I remember
leaving the Gryffindor Tower to ask Rem… Professor Lupin if he would help me
with a paper about werewolves. The next thing I know is that I woke up sitting
on his lap after…" her voice died and now it was her turn to flush.
"So you
have been a victim, too. I know you both well enough to know you are not lying
to me." Dumbledore rested his elbows on the desk, his cup in both hands and
took small sips as he thoughtfully watched the two people who were sitting on
the edge of their seats in front of him.
After long
minutes of uncomfortable silence he spoke again.
"I will
keep this a secret and so will you. But I order you two to find the culprit and
send him or her to me. I trust you that this will not happen again or both of
you will have to bear the consequences you expected."
Lupin and
Hermione exchanged a relieved look and stood up.
"We will
find the culprit. And I promise not to seduce Remus again", Hermione promised.
Turning red again she added: "Nor any other teacher!"
Dumbledore
chuckled.
"I promise
the same, headmaster. Uhm… you know what I mean…"
Lupin knew
he talked nonsense but he was too relieved that Dumbledore trusted him and
Hermione to get his mind to think straight.
He turned
to the door to follow Hermione out of the office when Dumbledore called him
back.
"Remus,
about the thing I actually wanted to discuss with you: I have news from Sirius.
He wrote to me that he has found traces of Voldemort's actions in Transsylvania
that involve werewolves and asked me to give you this letter."
He gave Lupin
the piece of parchment he had rummaged for earlier.
"You…
didn't know about… Hermione and me?"
"No. I was
quite puzzled about her coming up here with you. But I thought you would tell
me if I let you wait long enough… and I have been right, haven't I?"
Lupin was
speechless.
After some
seconds he simply turned around and left the office.
Tbc…