A/N: Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think. :::Jo:::

Chapter 9: Along for the Ride

Remus had somehow dozed off, when he woke the journal was lying open on his chest and warm sunny rays were washing over the whole room. He noticed that he had clearly slept through dinner, and through the whole night. He wiped the sleep from his eyes, the Black house was completely silent. Hermione had told him that they were leaving to go to the Burrow today; he figured they must be gone already.

Remus tucked the journal up under his arm and headed down the stairs; he hadn't eaten the night before and that made for a very hungry man.

Remus was surprise when he reached the kitchen, Arthur Weasley was rummaging through the pantry.

"Morning Arthur," Remus said cheerily.

"Remus, good morning!" Arthur spun and looked over his friend.

Arthur looked tired, but Remus shrugged it off, everyone looked tired these days.

"Have you been to St. Mungo's recently?" Arthur asked off-handedly.

"I'm sorry?" Remus asked. "Why would I go to St. Mungo's?"

Arthur swallowed the piece of bread he had been munching on awkwardly, and then he waved a hand. "Oh, no reason. I just thought maybe you'd have gone to…" Arthur thought on it for moment then shrugged, "go."

"Arthur," Remus said seriously. "I haven't bothered with all the oddities that have been going on around me and obviously about me. I haven't been oblivious to them, I see then but I have chosen not to question them; with the thought that someone would come to me…but you all are tip toeing around me like I'm going to attack. What's going on? Tell me, my friend," Remus sat at the table across from the pantry, "have I ever been anything but understanding regarding any serious situation?"

"Certainly not Remus," Arthur said nervously. "It's just that some subjects are touchy with anyone, and others are held classified under the Ministry…this subject it both."

"I see." Remus nodded.

Arthur sighed, relieved.

"What brings you here today Arthur?" Remus asked.

"I was just passing through London and decided to pop in to grab a bite to eat."

Remus nodded.

All of a sudden the portrait of Mrs. Black began to wail and shout.

Neither Remus nor Arthur paused, both darted into the foyer where the portrait hung.

"REMUS! REMUS!" Mrs. Weasley was shouting as she ran, out of breath, in the direction of the stairs. She paid no attention to the portrait shouting at her the whole while.

"Molly," Arthur called, "we're over here."

The short and bumpy witch hurried over to them. "Remus, you must come quickly!"

"What are you doing here Molly? I thought you and the children were getting ready for Hogwarts." Remus said.

"No time, you have to come!" Molly took his hand. "Quickly."

"What's happened? Is Hermione all right? Is it Harry, or Ron?" Remus asked.

"They're fine, they're packing, just come with me." Molly urged. "We'll be taking the Muggle Underground."

Remus didn't ask anymore questions, he simply went along with her to quell the constant request that he simply come along. Trailing a few steps behind Arthur and Molly, Remus didn't both to listen what they were going back and forth about. The three boarded the Underground and Remus sat back for the ride. He realized then that Bethany's journal was still under his arm. He flipped through the pages to where he had been.

"'Ello Sev," Bethany said shyly, "meeting him in the common room."

"Bethany," Severus stood when she entered, he offered the seat next to him. She took the empty spot and did not offer him the smile he was used to receiving from her.

"Bethany?" Severus asked

She sighed and looked up to him, "Severus."

"What's wrong?"

Bethany took in a huge breath and held it for a moment as if wondering where to begin. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Something's right in my life, for once."

Severus closed his book and sat it on the table across from him taking Bethany very seriously now. "I can sense your anticipation. This is serious then?"

"Yes," Bethany nodded. "I can't bare to hurt you, and before you find out from someone else I'm going to tell you."

Severus looked the other way, and Bethany was sure it was to keep her from being able to see his look of disappointment head on.

"It's no secret that you don't like James, Peter, Sirius, or Remus. And like I've told them, I'm going to tell you…I choose my friends with care and inconveniently for all of you I would call each of you a friend. It is also no secret that they have a distaste for you. I will continue to call all of you my friends until you decide otherwise." Bethany raised her chin, "So you can choose to dissolve our friendship because I am going to continue to be their friends, or you can keep it. With everything that has happed in the past two months I can't afford to have people who are only friends with me superficially."

"Bethany," Severus cut her off, "I have never questioned your friendship with any of them."

"You have, you just haven't vocalized it…only but once."

"What?" Severus asked.

"At the match. You told said that Remus and I make you sick." Bethany said placidly. "I fear that you are going to have far more distaste from what I am preparing myself to tell you."

"Don't," Severus said sharply. "Don't tell me, I don't want to hear it!"

"Sev," Bethany pleaded.

Severus stood and collected up his book.

"Sev, please," Bethany begged again.

"Bethany…" Severus looked at her, then turned without another word and swept away.

Bethany collapsed onto the Slytherin common room couch and dropped her hands into her palms and broke into tears.

"Remus," Molly poked him in the side. "We're here."

"Of course," Remus stood slapping the journal shut sadly, for he could see he only had a few more sentences to go before he had read every word Bethany had written in the little journal.