One Tin Soldier
Chapter Fifteen: Dating Game
Disclaimer: I woke up one day and wasn't J.K. Rowling. I was sad, so I decided to write Fanfiction, and this is what you get!
A/N: Origional poem again, yea! Hope you all enjoy.
~~~~~
Soft wind blowing now,
Only lightly upon it-
I smell the snow, coming,
Winter on the horizon,
Yet I wait, still, on the landing...
I want this, maybe nothing.
Maybe I just want it to be over?
Fighting until forever,
Yet all we find is the same answer in the end:
I love you,
And goodbye.
~~~~~
She sighed as she read the last line of her poem. Hermione closed the book, shutting her eyes tiredly in the late-evening firelight. She felt heavy and weary, beaten and rather bruised. Groaning slightly, she rubbed her aching muscles into some semblance of relaxation and breathed deeply.
"That was beautiful, you know." Remus Lupin leaned forward from his chair, appraising her as he had when she had once been a star pupil. Still there was something etched on his face, the scars of worry that refused to fade from his young, yet terribly aged face.
She opened her eyes slightly at his voice, but hardly bothered to move. She always looked terrible after his training.
"I suppose.."
He rose and eyebrow. "But why?"
She let out her breath slowly, staring silently at the ceiling of his office. "Oh, I don't know... Why what?" She gazed at him inquiringly.
He looked away a bit, eyes rather sad, with the same drained look they had had since the previous spring. "Why do you hurt like this? Why do you believe that it will always end that way?"
"Have I seen it end any other?" She echoed emptily.
Lupin stared at her, a flicker of pain in his eyes. "You rally can't be so sure that it is going to end so tragically..." He paused, "Don't do that to yourself, it will only hurt you along the way." He fell silent for a moment, ruminating, and then lifted his eyes again. "You know, I still believe in both of you."
"Remus..."
"I do, Hermione. I really do think that if someone so young has to do it, then we really do have the best odds right now!" His lips moved into a pale ghost of a smile.
He began to pour two cups of tea and break off small bits of chocolate. He hummed softly after a short time, carefully stirring the drinks and setting them on saucers. Letting out a soft sigh, he turned to find Hermione curled in the chair, asleep, Crookshanks (A common guest to the room) slipping onto her lap soundlessly.
His hand shook softly as he looked at the girl, grown ugly, tired, and thin from what she had taken up. He set the saucers down slowly, and produced a blanket, tucking it lightly over her. Staring down at her sadly, he settled into his own chair and shut his eyes.
Moments later there was a light hop on his lap. Crookshanks looked up at him, purring softly, and nuzzled his hand with his flat, soft face. Lupin allowed a ghost of a smile.
"I know... I'm just worried..."
Crookshanks looked at him seriously and flipped his tail once. Remus sighed.
"Alright then, good night."
He flicked the light off, and in the darkness listened to his student's breaths.
"I love you and goodbye..." she murmured softly.
He stared into the darkness.
"I just hope he hears those words one day..."
Crookshanks licked his ear casually and they dozed off.
~~~~~
Harry stared at Hermione as she slipped into the breakfast hall, late, coming yet again from the direction of Lupin's office. His stomach turned slightly at the thought of her spending yet another night with him. Slowly, he stood to greet her, but she slipped past him wordlessly.
Sliding into her chair, Hemione began eating in silence. Ron and Harry looked momentarily at one another.
"So..." Ron offered.
"Ah.." Hermione looked up at Harry curiously.
"How long have you and Lupin been together?"
Ron tried to be as casual as possible.
Hermione was standing over him squealing loudly a moment later. He cowered under her glare, eyes wide.
"YOU THINK I'M WHAT???"
"bloody..." Ron whimpered.
Harry stood up. "Calm down- So we figured out your secret, you don't have to flip out!!"
She looked at him silently.
"Wait..."
Harry looked at her oddly as she spoke.
"You.." She paused, "You think... my secret is that I'm with LUPIN?" Her cheek twitched a little.
"Well yeah, I mean you never come back to the dorms anymore..."
She suddenly and inexplicably began to laugh. Harry was dumbfounded, but where he was confused, Ron seemed rather terrified.
Hermione gasped, holding onto the sides of the table to hold herself up. "Oh... oh dear... oh Harry, Ron... d'you really think I'm snogging our old Dark Art's professor?" She composed herself for a moment, still looking amusedly curious.
"Well..." Chirruped Ron, "Yeah...."
She walked out of the room laughing, grabbing a muffin on the way.
Draco chose this moment to wander past.
"Well, it's official." He drawled, looking at the other two with an unreadable expression. "You've driven Granger flat-out batty." He pondered for a moment. "Or maybe it's just that she's trying t-"
"It'd do you good to shut up occasionally, Malfoy." Moodey grunted as he lumbered past, apparently out of nowhere. "Come on Harry, let's let the ferret be for awhile."
Malfoy, shockingly enough, only glared silently at the professor for a few moments before stalking away.
"Not as big without Crebbe and Goyle next to him, d'you think?" Ron muttered as they left the room. Harry nodded vaguely, staring at the receding back of Hermione as she walked down the hall in the opposite direction.
"I'm confused." Harry offered off-handedly.
"If you are fond of the women-folk then get used to it." Moodey grunted, "Because they don't get any simpler."
"Are they all that insane?" Ron asked cautiously.
Moodey looked ponderous. "Oh... Yes, yes I'd say thereabouts."
"oh...." The redhead looked up. "And doesn't that scare you?"
"Why the devil d'you think I'm not married?"
He roared with laughter, and cautiously the two boys began to laugh with him.
"So Herm isn't dating Lupin, d'you think?" Ron asked through a chuckle.
His friend thought on this. "I don't think she'd have laughed that much if she was..." He bumped into Moodey's back.
"Sorry prof-"
"You asked her if she was dating... Lupin?" He looked even more amused then before.
"YES! Alright? It was a really stupid idea, I know, but it was bugging me."
Moodey stared, his one eye rolling wildly. "Blimey, y'two are daft aren't you?"
After careful consideration of what they had just done, Harry and Ron found themselves sadly nodding a definitive 'yes'.
Harry settled into his Occlumency lesson, feeling as though he deserved every knock on the head he received.
Chapter Fifteen: Dating Game
Disclaimer: I woke up one day and wasn't J.K. Rowling. I was sad, so I decided to write Fanfiction, and this is what you get!
A/N: Origional poem again, yea! Hope you all enjoy.
~~~~~
Soft wind blowing now,
Only lightly upon it-
I smell the snow, coming,
Winter on the horizon,
Yet I wait, still, on the landing...
I want this, maybe nothing.
Maybe I just want it to be over?
Fighting until forever,
Yet all we find is the same answer in the end:
I love you,
And goodbye.
~~~~~
She sighed as she read the last line of her poem. Hermione closed the book, shutting her eyes tiredly in the late-evening firelight. She felt heavy and weary, beaten and rather bruised. Groaning slightly, she rubbed her aching muscles into some semblance of relaxation and breathed deeply.
"That was beautiful, you know." Remus Lupin leaned forward from his chair, appraising her as he had when she had once been a star pupil. Still there was something etched on his face, the scars of worry that refused to fade from his young, yet terribly aged face.
She opened her eyes slightly at his voice, but hardly bothered to move. She always looked terrible after his training.
"I suppose.."
He rose and eyebrow. "But why?"
She let out her breath slowly, staring silently at the ceiling of his office. "Oh, I don't know... Why what?" She gazed at him inquiringly.
He looked away a bit, eyes rather sad, with the same drained look they had had since the previous spring. "Why do you hurt like this? Why do you believe that it will always end that way?"
"Have I seen it end any other?" She echoed emptily.
Lupin stared at her, a flicker of pain in his eyes. "You rally can't be so sure that it is going to end so tragically..." He paused, "Don't do that to yourself, it will only hurt you along the way." He fell silent for a moment, ruminating, and then lifted his eyes again. "You know, I still believe in both of you."
"Remus..."
"I do, Hermione. I really do think that if someone so young has to do it, then we really do have the best odds right now!" His lips moved into a pale ghost of a smile.
He began to pour two cups of tea and break off small bits of chocolate. He hummed softly after a short time, carefully stirring the drinks and setting them on saucers. Letting out a soft sigh, he turned to find Hermione curled in the chair, asleep, Crookshanks (A common guest to the room) slipping onto her lap soundlessly.
His hand shook softly as he looked at the girl, grown ugly, tired, and thin from what she had taken up. He set the saucers down slowly, and produced a blanket, tucking it lightly over her. Staring down at her sadly, he settled into his own chair and shut his eyes.
Moments later there was a light hop on his lap. Crookshanks looked up at him, purring softly, and nuzzled his hand with his flat, soft face. Lupin allowed a ghost of a smile.
"I know... I'm just worried..."
Crookshanks looked at him seriously and flipped his tail once. Remus sighed.
"Alright then, good night."
He flicked the light off, and in the darkness listened to his student's breaths.
"I love you and goodbye..." she murmured softly.
He stared into the darkness.
"I just hope he hears those words one day..."
Crookshanks licked his ear casually and they dozed off.
~~~~~
Harry stared at Hermione as she slipped into the breakfast hall, late, coming yet again from the direction of Lupin's office. His stomach turned slightly at the thought of her spending yet another night with him. Slowly, he stood to greet her, but she slipped past him wordlessly.
Sliding into her chair, Hemione began eating in silence. Ron and Harry looked momentarily at one another.
"So..." Ron offered.
"Ah.." Hermione looked up at Harry curiously.
"How long have you and Lupin been together?"
Ron tried to be as casual as possible.
Hermione was standing over him squealing loudly a moment later. He cowered under her glare, eyes wide.
"YOU THINK I'M WHAT???"
"bloody..." Ron whimpered.
Harry stood up. "Calm down- So we figured out your secret, you don't have to flip out!!"
She looked at him silently.
"Wait..."
Harry looked at her oddly as she spoke.
"You.." She paused, "You think... my secret is that I'm with LUPIN?" Her cheek twitched a little.
"Well yeah, I mean you never come back to the dorms anymore..."
She suddenly and inexplicably began to laugh. Harry was dumbfounded, but where he was confused, Ron seemed rather terrified.
Hermione gasped, holding onto the sides of the table to hold herself up. "Oh... oh dear... oh Harry, Ron... d'you really think I'm snogging our old Dark Art's professor?" She composed herself for a moment, still looking amusedly curious.
"Well..." Chirruped Ron, "Yeah...."
She walked out of the room laughing, grabbing a muffin on the way.
Draco chose this moment to wander past.
"Well, it's official." He drawled, looking at the other two with an unreadable expression. "You've driven Granger flat-out batty." He pondered for a moment. "Or maybe it's just that she's trying t-"
"It'd do you good to shut up occasionally, Malfoy." Moodey grunted as he lumbered past, apparently out of nowhere. "Come on Harry, let's let the ferret be for awhile."
Malfoy, shockingly enough, only glared silently at the professor for a few moments before stalking away.
"Not as big without Crebbe and Goyle next to him, d'you think?" Ron muttered as they left the room. Harry nodded vaguely, staring at the receding back of Hermione as she walked down the hall in the opposite direction.
"I'm confused." Harry offered off-handedly.
"If you are fond of the women-folk then get used to it." Moodey grunted, "Because they don't get any simpler."
"Are they all that insane?" Ron asked cautiously.
Moodey looked ponderous. "Oh... Yes, yes I'd say thereabouts."
"oh...." The redhead looked up. "And doesn't that scare you?"
"Why the devil d'you think I'm not married?"
He roared with laughter, and cautiously the two boys began to laugh with him.
"So Herm isn't dating Lupin, d'you think?" Ron asked through a chuckle.
His friend thought on this. "I don't think she'd have laughed that much if she was..." He bumped into Moodey's back.
"Sorry prof-"
"You asked her if she was dating... Lupin?" He looked even more amused then before.
"YES! Alright? It was a really stupid idea, I know, but it was bugging me."
Moodey stared, his one eye rolling wildly. "Blimey, y'two are daft aren't you?"
After careful consideration of what they had just done, Harry and Ron found themselves sadly nodding a definitive 'yes'.
Harry settled into his Occlumency lesson, feeling as though he deserved every knock on the head he received.