My Hero, My Friend, My Love

Branmuffinpower- There's a part in here just for you. Can you spot it?

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the plot.

Chapter Eight: Farewells and Accusations

A very tired looking Hermione Weasley opened the door of her flat to find her sister-in-law standing before her. Ginny laughed out loud at the sight of her friend. Hermione's hair was pulled into a very messy ponytail and her clothes were wrinkled and askew.

"Um, rough morning?" Ginny asked with a smile. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You could say that. Ugh, morning sickness," the older girl replied opening the door all the way and letting Ginny in. Unlike it's resident, the flat was impeccably neat and orderly, very much like Hermione usually was.

"Herimone, however do you keep this place so neat when you're married to Fred?" she asked.

"Well, it's a little trick called 'Wait for Fred to go to work before cleaning up,'" Hermione said with a smile. The two sat down in the kitchen for tea. Hermione immediately went off on Ginny, with regard to her love life. "So what's new Gin? Met anyone this summer?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

Ginny sighed. It never failed. Now that Hermione was happily married, she felt it was her duty to marry everyone else off. George had even stopped coming over for fear that Hermione would auction him off to the highest bidder!

"No, Hermione," I haven't," she said patiently. "But it's okay. I'm going back to school soon."

"Well, perhaps there then. What about Colin?" she asked excitedly.

"He's with Luna. They're annoyingly happy...quite like you and Fred," she teased. Hermione blushed.

Ginny was silent for a while and played absently with the spoon in her teacup.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine." Ginny forced a smile. "Sirius is on my case about...something." Her voice trailed off and she looked away from Hermione's gaze.

Her friend sighed. "Spill," she said insistently.

"Well, it's nothing really. He just overreacted about something." Hermione didn't look convinced with that assessment, so Ginny continued. "See, Remus and I were having lunch last week and Sirius happened upon us and completely jumped to the wrong conclusion," she explained.

Herimone furrowed her brow. "Having lunch? With Remus?" she inquired. When Ginny nodded, she asked, "So was it lunch between friends or a lunch date?"

"Hermione! Not you too!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. "It was just lunch. There's nothing going on between me and Remus."

Hermione laughed and patted her friend's hand. "Okay, okay. I believe you...but if there was something going on between you two, it would be all right."

Ginny snapped her eyes at her friend. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you can't help who you fall for, you know. Look and me and Fred. I never would have thought we'd end up together. I would have thought Ron before Fred. I mean, we're so different." She smiled wistfully, glancing down at her wedding ring. "But the bottom line is, he makes me laugh and I thinks he's wonderful and somehow, I fell in love with him. I'll never be able to explain why or how to our children," she said as she patted her belly.

Ginny smiled warmly at her sister-in-law and quickly changed the topic to the addition on the way to the Weasley family.

:o) :o) :o) :o)

Dear Remus,

I don't know if you've heard that Sirius is going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts this year. He's so excited about it. I am too, I guess. At least I'll have some company this year. I was beginning to think I would be alone again.

He finally had "the talk" with me about you. It was rather amusing, actually. But I think everything is okay now. He didn't seem upset about it or anything. He was just worried about your reputation at work.

My brothers and Hermione and Draco are coming over for dinner sort of as a farewell next week, and I would love it if you'd be here. Plus, I think you and Sirius need to clear the air, if I may be so bold as to say that. Anyway, it's next Thursday evening at 7 p.m.

See you then,

Ginny

Remus snorted with laughter at the thought of Sirius worried about his reputation. "Right, it's me he's worried about. Surely he isn't that daft," he thought to himself.

He quickly added the dinner to his calendar before allowing his thoughts to wander to a certain redhead. He could hardly believe she was about to enter her final year in school. It didn't seem too long ago that he had her as a student in her second year. Back then, she was a short, scrawny, shy little girl. "And now...now she is a breathtaking young woman," he thought. He blushed at this thought, even though he was alone. "And you're a thirty-eight year old werewolf, Remus. Get a hold of yourself, man!"

The next Thursday evening, Ginny was running around like a madwoman, trying to make everything perfect for their dinner guests. Sirius stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched her, amused.

"My dear," Sirius said- he'd begun to call her that quite frequently- "I believe you need to go get ready before they start arriving."

Ginny looked down at her blue jeans and t-shirt. "Yes, I guess you have a point." She looked up at him. "Well, don't you look dashing this evening."

Sirius looked at her smugly. He was dressed in khaki pants and a navy blue button down shirt. "Ginny, I always look dashing. This is nothing new."

She rolled her eyes and hurried upstairs.

She returned, half an hour later, dressed in a denim skirt that fell just above her knees and a light green sleeveless top. Sirius looked up as she entered the room. He'd been talking with George, who'd already arrived.

"Speaking of dashing..." he said as he stood. She grinned at him before hugging her brother.

"He's right, Ginny. You've never looked better," said George.

"Thanks, George," she said as she blushed. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Sirius got up to answer it, and returned with Ron and Draco trailing behind him.

Everyone greeted one another excitedly. Ginny hadn't seen the two of them since they'd begun Auror training. She was surprised to see how handsome Draco still was. She was also inwardly glad that his girlfriend wasn't with him. She liked Rebecca, the few times she'd met her, but she couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy towards her.

The men were talking animatedly when the doorbell chimed again and Fred and a pregnant Hermione came in. Ginny had to laugh at her sister-in-law. She was just starting to show, and she also had the pregnancy glow about her. She was just about to tell her this when the doorbell rang for the third time.

"Who in the devil can that be? We're all here," Fred said, laughing. Ginny giggled at him. She knew who it was.

"I'll get it," she cried as she ran towards the entryway. She threw the door open and immediately felt her breath hitch. If she thought Draco had looked handsome, Remus was absolutely stunning. Having just come from work, he still had his robes on, but underneath wore navy blue pinstripe slacks and a white button down shirt. His greyish brown hair hung slightly in his eyes, which danced with merriment when he saw her.

"Ginny," he breathed, "you look lovely." She instantly blushed.

"Thanks, Remus. You look very handsome yourself." Now was his turn to be embarrassed. He bent down to kiss her cheek has he entered the house.

Ginny led him down the hall to the sitting room where everyone else was.

"Remus!" chorused the Weasley men and Draco as the two entered the room. Sirius didn't say anything, as he was surprised to see him there. He knew Ginny had invited his friend, but never thought he would actually come. He ignored the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach and crossed the room to shake hands with his fellow Maurader.

"Good to see you, Moony," he said. "Wasn't sure you'd come, but apparently, Ginny can be very convincing." He tried not to sound accusatory when he spoke. He, apparently, didn't because Remus just grinned at him.

They all went into the dining room and say down to eat. There was so much chatter going on at the table that Ginny didn't get to talk to Remus very much. But they stole glances at each other during the meal, which didn't go unnoticed by one Sirius Black.

After dinner, Draco called to Ginny. "Do you think I could talk to you privately for a minute?" he asked her. He motioned for her to join him outside the back door.

"Sure, I'd love to catch up," she replied. He took her hand and let her outside. Remus noticed them leaving and watched them out of the window.

Once they got outside, Ginny noticed that Draco looked rather nervous. He finally broke the silence. "Ginny, I wanted you to be the first to know. Rebecca and I, well, we're going to get married." He looked up to see her reaction. Her eyes were wide, and her face slowly spread into a large smile.

"Draco! That's wonderful!" She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy for you." She released him and he smiled down at her.

He said cheekily. "Don't say anything just, though. We haven't even told our parents yet."

"Of course, I won't say anything. I'm honored that I'm the first to know. That makes me feel special," she said to him.

"Ginny, you will always be special to me. Always," he said softly. They hugged again and made their way back towards the house.

Remus watched their exchange and their hugs and couldn't help feeling a small feeling of jealousy at their closeness. "Of course," he rationalized to himself, "who could blame Malfoy. Ginny's wonderful. He would be lucky to get her back." He turned away from the supposed couple and came face to face with Sirius. Remus couldn't read the expression of his friend's face.

"God, Moony, you look almost jealous," he said, hoping that he was wrong.

"Don't start Sirius," Remus replied harshly before brushing past the other man. He didn't get far because Sirius grabbed his arm and pulled him back to face him again.

"Start what?" he questioned accusingly.

Before he could stop himself, Remus let loose. "You know very well what," he growled. "Don't start in on what you think might be going on between Ginny and me. It's not what you think." He watched as all the blood drained from Sirius' face.

"What is it then?" he asked, trying to keep his temper in check. Remus wrenched his arm away from the man.

"I'm just worried about her. I don't want Malfoy to try and get her to question her feelings for him again. I don't want her to get hurt," Remus replied, innocently.

Sirius had never seen his friend look so frazzled. "No, I don't think that's all this is. Why do you care so much about what happens to her?" He paused and sighed. "Moony, be honest with yourself. Nothing can happen with her. Nothing. No matter how innocent it may seem now, she is still a student, and I will not allow anything or anyone to be a blemish upon her reputation. For Merlin's sake, she's the only daughter of a former Minister of Magic."

Remus looked at his friend and forced a smile. "I know. That's why I care about her. I want only the best for her...as a friend, Sirius. Nothing more. I gave you my word. I suggest you remember that." Sirius nodded and left his friend alone in the kitchen.

Remus looked back outside to see Draco and Ginny hugging again before starting back towards the house. As they entered the room, Ginny was beaming at Draco, who seemed flushed. Remus' heart sank. He waited for the announcement that they were back together. He sighed again.

"I must be going. I have an early start tomorrow morning," he said.

Ginny looked at him, disappointed. "Please don't go yet. We've barely had time to talk," she pleaded with him. "Please stay, just a little while longer." He nodded and she smiled.

"Well, I actually do have to be going. Can't keep the girlfriend waiting all night, can I?" Draco said, smiling. He kissed Ginny on the cheek and shook hands with his former professor before exiting.

Ginny looked at Remus, who was wearing a confused expression on his face. "Yes?" she questioned him.

Her voice alerted him from his thoughts. "Oh, nothing. So he's got a girlfriend, eh?" he probed.

"Yes, they're quite serious actually. I'm happy for him. He deserves happiness," she said longingly. Remus took her hand. He led her back out the door onto the porch, where she'd just been with Draco.

"And what about you? Don't you deserve happiness too?" he asked softly.

She looked up into his eyes and suddenly had the overwhelming urge to kiss him. She caught herself, however, before she did something stupid. Instead, she smiled at him. "I'm happy enough, in particular, right now."

Remus blushed at her statement and let her hand drop from his before he did something he would regret. He looked away as an effort to distract himself. "Are you excited about school this year?" he asked.

"Actually, yes. I will be glad for it all to be over with, of course, and I'll miss Hogwarts. But I'll be glad to have my life in front of me," she said wistfully.

Remus was again reminded how young she was. He felt like his life was half over. He laughed sardonically at his thoughts. When he saw her inquisitive gaze, he told her what he'd been thinking. She rolled her eyes.

"Merlin, Remus! You're not even forty yet. You have so much more life ahead of you. You should marry some nice girl and get her pregnant," she teased him.

"Don't think that will ever happen, but it's a nice thought anyway," he said and looked at her ruefully. The subject matter was making him uncomfortable, so he quickly moved onto something else. "Have you given any thought to what you want to do after school?"

"Yes, I have," she answered. He waited, but she didn't elaborate.

"Well? Are you going to tell me?" he asked poking her with his elbow.

"Oh, you actually wanted to know what I was going to do. I thought you were just asking if I'd thought about what to do," she said playfully.

"Brat."

"Wanker." At that remark, Remus burst out laughing.

"Don't think I've ever been called that before."

"Well, Mr. Lupin, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" she said to him.

He smiled at her and asked his question again. "So what is this great plan of yours for after school?"

"Ah, yes, didn't let that drop did you?" she raised an eyebrow at him. He shook his head stubbornly. She sighed and told him. "Well, I want to write. I want to write about a lot of things, my school years, the war, biographies on those who fought in the war." She paused. "Go ahead, laugh. I know you want to." She turned away from him.

"I wasn't going to laugh, Ginny," he said softly. "I think that's wonderful. It's a very fitting tribute. You're the perfect person to do it, too."

She turned back to face him again. "Thanks. Your confidence in me is one of the things I cherish about our friendship. With you, I feel like I can do anything. And for that I'm grateful."

Whenever she poured her heart out to him, it always gave him a warm feeling in his soul. And it was at this moment that he realized how much he was going to miss her when she left for school. He suddenly remembered something.

"I almost forgot. I have a gift for you," he said.

"For what?" she asked.

"Think of it as a going away gift or a good luck in your Seventh Year gift," he replied, pulling a small box from his pocket. "It's not much, so don't get too excited." He handed her the box and watched as she opened it slowly.

When she saw what was inside, her eyes lit up. "Remus, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed as she pulled the bracelet from the box. It was a silver bracelet with a single charm on it. The charm was a miniature quill.

"I saw that charm and thought of our letters. So I thought you might like it," he said bashfully.

"I love it," she said before reaching up and hugging him, pausing to kiss his cheek.

He suddenly wanted to do things with the young woman in front of him that would have made his mother blush. He quickly backed away, clearing his throat repeatedly.

"Well, I do need to be going. Like I said, early start tomorrow," he said with a slight catch in his voice.

Ginny was disappointed, but tried not to show it. She nodded. "Thank you again for the bracelet. I'll wear it always and think of you."

He smiled into her brown eyes. "I'll write to you in a few days...let you get settled in at school." She nodded enthusiastically at him, and his smile grew larger.

He went back inside to say good-bye to the others. Sirius walked him to the door. "Moony, I mean what I said earlier. Be careful with her. I don't want her to get hurt. And if she does, I'll not regret my actions."

Remus gripped Sirius' shoulder. "Don't worry, old man. She can't get hurt from friendship. Besides, I'd never do anything to compromise her." He then turned and exited the house.

Ginny danced all the way up to her room for bed later that evening. She took the bracelet off and looked at it for the thousandth time since he'd given it to her. It was beautiful and delicate. He stomach gave a lurch as she thought about her lips on his cheek. She'd felt such a rush just being around him. She quickly pushed the thought from her mind as she gently put the bracelet in her jewel box. She got into bed and fell asleep with a smile on her face, replaying their interaction in her dreams.