Again, my most sincere thanks go out to jess moony and trevor-bruttenholm for reading and reviewing. As I've said before and will continue to say, I don't own these characters in any way, shape or form. J.K. Rowling does. I just happen to like writing about them. Here's a nice chunk of story. Enjoy!

As Hermione turned to go, Dumbledore reached inside his robes and pulled out a very familiar looking piece of parchment. "Young Harry was kind enough to loan me this for the summer, and I suspect that he would not be adverse to my loaning it to you." "Thank you professor." She replied, slightly amused by the twinkle in his eyes.

Only pausing long enough to grab her things, she opened up the map and tapped it with her wand saying, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The map appeared quickly and she saw a dot labeled "Remus Lupin." It looked like he was asleep, but from what McGonnagall had just said, she knew better.

Following the corridors into a part of the castle she had never seen before, she finally came to his door. Mustering up her courage, she knocked. "I'll come down later Minerva. I don't really want to see anybody at the moment." "What about me?" she called back.

There was a pause, then the door slowly opened. When she caught sight of his tired, wounded face, she felt like crying. "Hermione?" he asked hesitantly, as if not believing his eyes to be telling him the truth. "Yes Remus, it's me."

He starred at her for a long moment, wonder on his pale face. "I'd hoped you would come to me..." he muttered. She heard, but controlled her face carefully so as to give no indication of this. "Come in, come in. Where are my manners?" he said.

His rooms were in disarray. It was obvious he was not overly concerned about the state of his dwelling. "Sorry about the mess." His face showed a faint tinge of color in the form of a blush. "It's okay, Remus. I'm more worried about you than I am about the state of a room or floor."

The older man's face suddenly took on a guarded expression. "I'm fine..."he began to protest. Hermione was not in the mood for this, and lost it. "LIKE HELL YOU ARE!" she roared. Remus was shocked and taken aback. He never knew she possessed that kind of volume. "I can the number that was done on you, and I want to help you." She continued, slightly calmer. "Why?" he asked simply, both wanting and fearing her answer. "Because I love you, you dolt! Because I can't stand the thought of you being alone and hurting like this!"

Remus turned his head away swiftly so she could not see the tears that were threatening to overcome his tight control. An arm slid itself around his waist, and he felt a thrill at Hermione's touch. "Please Remus, let me in.," she begged.

They stayed like that for a long moment before he pulled away from her and stood in front of the window. "It was in mid-May." He said without preamble. She came to stand beside him, offering her silent support and he began his story.

I was at my cottage out in the woods near Surrey, mostly to have some peace and quiet, but also to try and get over you. However, a few days after I had arrived, I was out taking a walk one morning when I heard a strange noise. I decided it needed investigating. In a small glade, there was a woman. She looked like she had be running from something, or someone. She immediately asked me if I worked for someone named "Tony" and I said no. She told me her name was Alice Turner, and that this Tony fellow was her jealous ex-boyfriend, whom she was frightened of.

At any rate, I invited her to stay at the cottage with me until she felt that the danger to her was passed. Maybe a month or more went by. I told her about my lycanthropy, and she was not afraid of me, or even disgusted by me. She was fascinated, and wanted to know more. One night, she told me that she was falling in love with me. Desperate to forget my love for you that until now I thought was unreciprocated, I allowed myself to "fall into her arms", so to speak.

The very next morning, after I had let my barriers down, she suggested a walk in the forest, and I accepted. When we came to the glade where I had found her, I went ahead to examine a beautiful flower. Not hearing her footsteps behind me, I got to my feet and turned around. There was a gun in her hand. She said, "I'm sorry Remus." I turned away and tried to run, but something hit me in the back and I blacked out.

When I came to, I was lying face down on something cold a metal. There was a coppery taste in my mouth and I wondered where on earth I was, and why. Getting slowly to me feet, I realized I was in some kind of a box. I turned around and there were bars. I was in a cage.

Vibrations were coming through the bottom and I deduced that I was in some kind of vehicle. A crack yielded me some paltry light, and when we passed a sign, I felt my blood run cold. It said, "Lady Alyssa's Carnival and Freak Show". Lady Alyssa is one of the most feared people by anyone who possesses "Unusual Gifts". She is an awful woman, and I had heard of her. Most people who are captured by her do not live to tell the tale. I now knew why she was so interested in my lycanthropy. I was to be the newest exhibit in her little display.

I don't remember the first few times that she tried to show me off. I hid myself in a corner of my cage and would not respond, even when she prodded me with sticks or electrical shockers. Finally, she just showed me around a full moon so that I would bring in the money for her. However, a more willing werewolf was discovered, one who would perform. He decided at least it was a job, and she would pay him for it.

That night, she told some of her "security guards" to take me into the woods and "terminate me". I tried to fight them off, but I was too weak from not being fed well to get free. They dragged me deep into the trees. There, they beat me with everything they could lay their hands on, such as sticks, logs, and empty beers bottles one of them unearthed. I knew I was going to die. Somehow, I survived the attack, and a very nice man named Thomas Miller found me. Thomas is a Squib and has a very deep hatred of Lady Alyssa and the things she does to our magical creatures. He decided to hang around after the show, and I am alive today because he did.

Remus was barely conscious of the tears that were now flowing freely down his face. He tried to take deep calming breaths, but Hermione whispered, "You've held this in long enough, Remus. Let it go."

He stumbled blindly to his bed and fell down onto it. She sat beside him and gathered him into her arms. She let him weep, and once he was finally asleep, she changed into her sleeping clothes and lay down beside him. Almost on its own, her arm came around him and brought him close to her. She was asleep quickly.

Remus woke with his stomach growling. He shook his head slightly to clear the cobwebs, and realized that he was in his bed with Hermione Granger lying next to him. He had to give a small smile at the absurdity of the situation. She stirred and murmured, "Is it morning?" "Si. Abre sus ojos, mi amor." He said gently. "No quiero abrir mis ojos." came the reply. "Where did you learn to speak Spanish?" he asked, surprised and impressed. "Mi madre habla espanol. Y tu?" He smiled. "Yo vivio en Argentina por dos anos." He said.

"Trying to find a cure for the lycanthropy?" He nodded. "You guessed correctly. I enjoyed learning a new language, and the people were very friendly to me." She gazed into his eyes. "How did you sleep?" she asked seriously. With a jolt, Remus realized that for the first time in weeks, he had slept through the night with no nightmares.

Translations: "Si" is yes, "Abre sus ojos, mi amor" means "Open your eyes, my love." "No quiero abrir mis ojos" is "I don't want to open my eyes." "Mi madre habla espanol" is "My mother speaks Spanish" (Which mine really does), "Y tu?" is "And You?" "Yo vivio in Argentina por dos anos" means "I lived in Argentina for 2 years." There's your language lesson for the day!