You Haven't Seen the Last of
Remus Lupin
A/N: You know, it's surprising how many reviews a person gets when one states that they were going to take a story down. ^_^ No, I didn't do it purposely. But, since people actually took the time to review, I have decided to re-write the story. The older one will be kept up until I catch up with the chapters. Anyway, I couldn't let down all those other people who are Remus/Hermione fans. Now, WARNING! While the other story focused mainly on admiration, this one will delve a bit deeper than that. Takes place after Remus and Harry say good-bye at the end of the third book.
Disclaimer: I own everyone in…! **a gang of Rowling-worshippers gang up on Laureen, threatening her with baseball bats*…Eh…Everything you see here belongs to J.K. Rowlings…
Thunder crashed and rain pounded brutally against the castle walls, as if the school was suddenly being attacked by a mob of angry parents. A fitting evening to turn away from the best job he had managed to land in a while, Remus thought even as he smiled bitterly out at the storm.
He sighed and allowed himself to fall back against the statue of Boris the Bewildered, his suitcase dropped, abandoned, at his feet.
Come on… an annoying little voice in the back of his head taunted. Did you really think you could keep as great a job at this? You? A horrible, vicious creature like yourself? Please…
Remus thought he heard a swish of robes behind him, but he only gritted his teeth and tried to block out the voice in his head.
He was mildly surprised. He hadn't heard the voices in his head since before the term started. Must come with the stress, he mused to himself with some humor. Two-for-one deal… Accumulate anxiety and gain voices in your head all for the price of one!
Shaking his head, he picked up his bag and walked toward the doors of the Great Hall, out to where he assumed the carriage Dumbledore was providing awaited.
It hurt, yes.
Lord, how it hurt him to have to leave. Because it wasn't only a great job he was leaving behind; he was leaving behind security, sanctuary, a home, friends…
He swallowed the knot rising in his throat and forced himself to walk faster toward the doors away from the new life he had somehow managed to scrape up for himself.
Walk faster, Lupin, he heard the voice telling him. The sooner you get out the sooner you can forget all…
"You're leaving," he heard suddenly and the voice died abruptly, fading away…
He stopped dead in his tracks and closed his eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard the light, battered suitcase in his hand drop to the ground with a low "thud."
He took a few calming breaths and flexed his fingers a bit to steady himself.
He heard a small choking sound and immediately whirled around to face his speaker, a mixture of concern and carefully concealed sorrow in his still-amber, now-greying eyes.
He picked up his suitcase and slowly walked over to a very sad-looking Hermione Granger.
He stopped when he was about a foot in front of the girl and studied her, dropping his belongings. As he looked at her, he suddenly thought she looked a bit too small for the school robes she was wearing.
He bent down on one-knee so he was looking up at her and with a startled blink, he realized that two crystal tears were sliding down each of her cheeks.
He gave her a small, gloomy smile and straightened up, gently placing a hand under her chin to tilt her head up at him.
"I'm not leaving forever, you know," he said softly, taking a midnight blue handkerchief from his robe pocket and using it to wipe the tears off her face gently, almost painstakingly, with his free hand.
He withdrew the handkerchief when she stiffled a short sob and shook his head, putting it away.
He removed his remaining hand from under her chin and let it linger only long enough to tap the tip of her nose affectionately.
"You'll see me again."
He smiled at her, suddenly very grateful that he was able to keep a tremor from his voice. Hermione, however, wasn't that talented.
"I don't want you to go," her voice broke off, fresh tears raining in behind the old puddle. "You shouldn't have to go."
An odd look flashed in his eyes and she could have sworn that the amber in them suddenly pushed back the grey. But it was gone in a moment and she briefly wondered if she had imagined it.
Remus sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair.
"It doesn't matter, Ms. Granger," he started, ignoring her wince as he addressed her so formally.
He smiled wryly.
"I'm sure your parents wouldn't want you to have an old, smelly werewolf as a professor."
"You're not old and you're not smelly, Remus!" Hermione snapped, surprising him both by the use of her tone and his name.
"And you're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!"
He leaned back from her a bit. Is that a knife I felt stab my insides?
"You've been deprived, child," he said closedly, surprising even himself with his tone.
She winced at his cold remark and she couldn't help two more tears running down her face.
Tears that weren't lost on him.
He widened his eyes at her reaction and a pang of guilt wrenched his heart.
He suddenly took her by the shoulders, bending down so he was at eye level with her.
"Oh, gods, Hermione, I didn't mean that," he said, his guilt flashing in his eyes.
She looked away from him, but he gently turned her face back toward him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
For more than you could possibly imagine.
She turned her cinnaminy eyes back to him and he withdrew slightly from the raw passions he saw in them.
She let out a small cry and flung her arms around his shoulders.
Remus flinched and kept himself from wrapping his arms around her tightly, instead only embracing her in a loose hug.
He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears beginning to well up in his eyes to go away.
Oh, no, no, no! he thought wildly. Don't do this to her! Don't do this to yourself! You had already gotten way too comfortable with her calling her by her first name in the Shrieking Shack! You're lucky no one started to catch on!
He let go of her at that moment and stood up abruptly, bringing his suitcase up with him with his left hand.
Just go, Lupin. Turn around and just walk out that door!
The voice had returned.
But something about her eyes left him standing there dumbly.
"…Please don't go…" she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
Oh, God…the knife just twisted itself deeper…he mused.
He shut his eyes and prepared himself to turn and run when he was suddenly aware of a weight in his pocket.
Slipping his hand in, he was suddenly struck with a stroke of brilliance.
He took out a fine platinum chain out of his pocket and held it out.
The chain flowed through his fingers until it dangled from his hand.
At the end hung a small crystal pendant and when Hermione looked closely, she thought she could see a pair of amber eyes staring at her from the depths of the tear-shaped drop.
She looked up at him questioningly and he smiled weakly at her.
He set his suitcase down and, with trembling hands, lifted up her hair and clipped it around her neck.
He picked up his suitcase as she was studying it carefully and when she looked up, she was looking into his amber eyes.
He turned, and she felt a rise of panic in her throat.
She blinked when he suddenly paused and turned around again to face her.
He saw a ray of hope in her eyes and he allowed himself to gently brush her cheek with his hand.
"I'll be back for this," he whispered, gesturing toward the pendant.
Then he turned and walked out of the Great Hall into the storm.
Into the storm and out of her life.
As soon as he was out the door, Hermione collapsed into a fit of sobs and sunk down on her knees to the floor.
But as the doors closed on Remus, she heard a swish of robes and, looking down, she saw a pair of black shoes stop next to her.
Choking back her sobs, Hermione raised her gaze to her companion and took his hand as he offered it to her.
Pulling her up, Percy looked at Hermione, gazing at her with obvious compassion behind his lenses.
She started opening her mouth to question how long he had been standing there, but her emotions betrayed her and instead of an inquisition, a sob erupted from her mouth and she didn't fight when Percy gently wrapped her in a comforting embrace and held her as she let forth all the tears she had been restraining.
A/N: Okay, how's that for a revised chapter? Yea or nay? Excuse the mistakes, I have no beta reader and I'm too eager to post this up to wait a while before editing. (Bad form, I know.)