The Cure – Chapter Six 11.16.04

By: Aelfswythe

Friday night found Harry standing at his bedroom window looking down onto the whitewashed world outside. The full white moon, nearly at its peak, seemed to give everything a strange frosted look, making every leaf, every blade of grass stand stark against the shadows. The sky was clear and cold and Harry waited.

Suddenly, a figure walked slowly into view, his figure cloaked in the shadow of the castle. Harry watched, his breath held in suspense. Lupin hesitated on the edge between darkness and light. What he was thinking, Harry could hardly guess. Then, squaring his shoulders, he stepped into the full light of the moon, facing the white orb as if daring it to change him. Harry stared in wide-eyed fascination. Nothing happened.

After a full minute with no change overcoming him, Remus Lupin started laughing hysterically. He twirled round and around in the moonlight, his face falling in and out of shadow, dancing in delight. Harry could hardly believe it. The cure had worked!

As he stood staring, fighting feelings of happiness for Lupin's sake, the man on the ground below stopped spinning, having seen someone. He threw his arms open as if to receive them.

"Remus!" a woman's voice shouted. Then, to Harry's surprise (why was he surprised?), Hermione ran into view, flinging herself into the man's arms. Harry's hand flew to the window as if to reach out and stop her. What was going on?

His jaw dropped when the realization hit him as Professor Lupin wrapped his arms around Hermione and bent down, kissing her full on the mouth! How had he missed it? Hermione was in love with Lupin? Or was Lupin in love with her? Either way, that man was down there snogging his best friend and there was nothing he could do about it!

Something boiled up inside of Harry and he pounded his fist on the windowpane. This was impossible! It was disgusting! How old was Lupin anyway? Harry shuddered. He felt so betrayed! How could they do this to him? He wouldn't let it happen.

He whirled around and was confronted with Ron who had just walked in from some late studying. Seeing Harry's expression, his face fell.

"What is it?"

"Take a look down there and you'll find out!" Harry gestured wildly to the window. "I, for one, won't stand for it!" He strode from the room, but not before he heard Ron's loud exclamation of curses, waking Seamus.

"Is that Hermione?" Ron yelled. "Oh, my gosh, that's disgusting!"

Seamus struggled to sit up. "What's going on?" he asked sleepily.

"Nothing, go back to sleep," Ron said hastily and dashed out of the room after Harry. There was no telling what that boy was going to do, and he had to stop him.

Ron had a hard time keeping up. They ran through the empty hallways, down the stairs, into the hall, and out into the cold. Ron knew exactly how crazy Harry was, because he'd forgotten a coat! Why couldn't Harry be more sensible when he was angry? Ron shivered, racing after his friend.

"Harry! Harry!" he hissed, finally catching up. He grabbed Harry's arm. "What do you think you're going to do about it? Stop!" Harry did stop.

"I'm going to knock his bloody head off, that's what!!" Harry shouted. "Why are you trying to stop me?"

"Because if you were going to try and stop it, you should have done something a long time ago! My gosh, man, didn't you see it? Ginny and I have known for weeks!"

Harry's breaths came out in thick clouds. "What? What do you mean? How did you know?"

"It's been so obvious, but only if you were paying close attention. We didn't want to say anything, because we didn't want anyone accidentally overhearing if we talked about it."

"That's never stopped us from telling each other things before!" Harry shouted.

"You seemed a little preoccupied. I thought you probably already knew and that's why you've been so touchy."

"What exactly are you saying?" Harry glared at his red-haired friend.

Ron looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, Ginny and I thought you might, you know, have a thing for Hermione. You two have been really close lately, and well… We thought you were being jealous, especially with it being Lupin and an older guy and everything."

Harry was so shocked, he was speechless for a full ten seconds. "That's hardly why – No, that's not… I do NOT have a 'thing' for Hermione!" Harry spluttered.

Ron shrugged. "How was I to know?"

"All I was doing was trying to pay a little more attention to Hermione's life. She's the one that's always telling me I never notice things. I just can't believe, with all my 'watching out for her' I completely missed the most obvious – " He pounded his forehead with his hand. "I feel so stupid! But this is still wrong! We have to stop them! What would Dumbledore say if he knew? They just can't… you know! He's our Professor!"

Ron shook his head at Harry sympathetically. "I know. It's really rather sickening thinking how much older he is than her. He could be her father!" Ron cringed at the thought.

Harry slumped his shoulders in defeat. "It's not going to be the same, Defense Against the Dark Arts class," he mumbled, allowing himself to be led back inside by Ron. "Every time I look at him, all I'll be able to picture is him kissing Hermione. Ron, I think I'm going to be sick."

Ron caught Harry's arm as he tripped. "Oh, no, you don't! You'll be fine. Why don't we wait up in the common room for Hermione and we can confront her then, all right? We can stop by the kitchen for a butterbeer to settle your stomach. Everything's going to be just fine."

They made the detour for the butterbeer and then trudged slowly up to the tower. Luckily they didn't run into Filch or any professors, or even Peeves, for that matter. The whole castle was asleep… well almost the whole castle.

Harry and Ron made themselves comfortable in front of the fireplace, warming their chilly toes by the fire and waiting in silence. Harry would have preferred if he didn't have to think at all, but there was nothing he could do to stop the scene running over and over in his mind of Hermione jumping into Lupin's arms and him smacking her right on the lips. Harry shut his eyes, feeling a wave of nausea overtake him. He took a gulp of butterbeer to battle it down.

A few minutes after the clock had struck one, Hermione quietly hurried into the room. Ron cleared his throat and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Hi!" Ron waved at her cheerfully. "It's a beautiful night out there, huh? Perfect for a moonlight walk." Harry shot him a deadly look, which Ron happily ignored.

"Uh…" Hermione stood staring at them for a second and then dashed to her room. Harry made to get up, but Ron stopped him.

"Oh, she'll be back. Don't worry." Harry settled into his seat again, wondering how Ron could know so much. Since when did he pay attention to anything?

True to his word, Hermione came downstairs, a hastily packed suitcase in one hand and a few books in the other.

"What are you doing?" Harry leapt to his feet, unable to be restrained this time.

"I'm leaving," Hermione said, defiance in her eyes.

"Are you coming back?"

"No."

"You're crazy!" Harry exclaimed. "The Hermione I know would never leave school, especially right before graduation!"

"You don't understand, Harry. None of that matters anymore."

"What are you talking about?!"

"I've found the cure for werewolf bite, Harry! Doesn't that mean anything to you? I could be curing dozens of people right now! That's far more important than some stupid certificate stating that I've finished Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm going where I'm needed, and Remus is coming with me."

The words washed over Harry, beating him down. He was losing her. "You can't do that!" he shouted. "You are needed, Hermione. I need you! I'm not going to let you run off this easily. Not after all we've been through together!"

At his words, Hemrione melted and she sank to the floor, her books falling around her. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh, Harry." She shook her head at him as he knelt down beside her. "Didn't you know this day would come eventually? Didn't it occur to you that we would have to go our separate ways? That we'd marry, have our own families, have children and our own lives?"

Harry struggled with what she was saying. "But it's not time yet," he protested. "We have four months left!" Hermione and Ron laughed at him and he knew how pathetic he sounded.

Hermione reached out and put her arms around him. He let her hug him as he fought the feelings of despair inside. It never really had occurred to him this life at Hogwarts would end. It had been his entire life – the best part of his life and it was almost over. What was he going to do with himself when all was said and done, graduation behind him and his entire life lying in wait before him?

"Why can't you stay, Hermione?" he whispered. "At least stay and graduate. We started this together, and we should finish it together." Hermione was silent for a long time.

Finally, with a sigh, she released him. "I don't know, Harry."

He took one final shot. "If you don't graduate you'll regret it the rest of your life, and you know it." He watched her face in the firelight. He could almost hear her brain digesting the thought.

At last, she moaned, covering her face with her hands. "Ooooh! Harry, you're right! I wouldn't be able to live with myself." She paused looking at her friends, missing them terribly already. "All right," she finally said. "I'll make you a deal. I promise to stay until the end of term and graduate, if the both of you promise to never ask me or tell anyone about what happened out there tonight with Remus."

Harry and Ron opened their mouths to protest, but the look on her face told them she was dead serious and would hold them to it. "One word and I leave," she threatened.

"How did you know we saw?" Ron asked.

Hermione smirked at him. "We could hear Harry hollering across the lawn about knocking someone's 'bloody head off'."

Harry blushed. "So, about Professor Lupin, or should I say Remus…"

"No!" Hermione jumped to her feet and gathered up her books and suitcase. "Not one question! I'm going to bed, boys. I'll see you in the morning." With that she swept up to her room.

Harry and Ron sat in silence for a few very long moments.

"Oh, Remus," Ron breathed in a high-pitched, girly voice.

At this Harry snapped. "Shut up!"