Hermione Granger sat in her room at her spacious, polished oak wood desk. Parchment lay innocently in front of her, blank and waiting to be written upon. Her quill was in hand, dipped in ink, poised, and at the ready. And yet... no words would come. None of the words and images swirling mercilessly around in her usually organized mind would come through her hand and onto paper.

And for the first time in her young life, she didn't wonder why...

She didn't want to dissect this unusual inability, she didn't want to figure out every single detail that was causing this... this block. And for once, her chocolate brown eyes held no determination in deciphering this particular matter.

Why?

Since the end of their fifth year, a little after the incident at the Ministry of Magic, Hermione and Ron Weasley had begun dating. It had been quite obvious really, what with all the mindless arguments that grew more in frequency; everyone thought it to be the alleged frustration built up between two people who liked one another a great deal

Things had been going well enough for the first few days, but then their arguments were no longer just playful banter. Soon, their words had become more harsh and cutting. Mostly, they argued about Ron's possessiveness and inferiority complex. Plainly put, he was turning out to be more of an insensitive, jealous prat than usual and Hermione wasn't about to put up with it.

Having had enough of him and his tendency to become angry with her no matter what she did, Hermione took it upon herself to go into isolation for a bit, give him and herself a chance to cool down. It was during that isolation when her mind strayed to Harry, and a sudden thought hit her like a ton of bricks... she'd been almost completely ignoring him.
Between Voldemort's abrupt rise to power, school and the problems with Ron, she hadn't even thought about the trauma and absolute anguish Harry must have been going through.

Aghast with herself for being such a horrible friend in what was so obviously Harry's time of need, she'd dashed off to find him with a desperate ache to see him.

After what seemed like hours of wandering aimlessly, she'd found him at their favorite spot by the lake. He was sitting with his back against the large tree that stood there, his legs drawn up against his chest with his arms around his knees, and his head resting in the cushion of his arms.

She just stood there, looking down at him. She watched him as he sat staring into nothingness, an aura of loneliness and deep depression surrounding him like a suffocating blanket of darkness. Her eyes brimmed with tears at the sight, yet it was only when he finally looked up at her that they began to fall.

His eyes were drawn and bloodshot from lack of sleep and recent crying, broken bottle shards and remnants of the vibrantly enchanting green she once knew them to be. She couldn't stand it any longer... as soon as his legs were untucked she dove into his arms, crying into his shoulder. Sobs shook her body as she apologized to him over and over, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.

She was suprised when his arms wound their way around her as well... surprised that he would even except her comfort and give comfort in return after the way she and Ron had been neglecting him these past weeks.

It seemed hours before they both stopped crying, but neither of them relinquished their hold on the other. They just sat there, holding one another as they stared out at the setting sun.

And that was how Ron found them...

Hermoine sighed as she thought back on the memory. Not-so-surprisingly, Ron had been livid, his face turning the shade of boiling red to rival his hair. Yet, he said nothing. He just stood there watching them for what seemed the longest time, and then he left without so much as a word between them.

Their 'relationship' had been on hold since.

Hermione sighed once more, wondering how she could've dared to think of commiting those thoughts and memories to words.

Why was it so bloody difficult to write the damned letter? Why couldn't she just tell Ron that things weren't working out?

How could she convey to him that Harry needed her, now more than ever?

Thankfully, before she could dwell on the implications that came with that particular thought, she was brought out of her musings by a knock on her door.

Her mum walked in then, not waiting for her daughter to give permission to enter as of course she didn't need it.

"Hermione, dear, there's someone here to see you." Seeing the question in her daughter's eyes she simply replied, "One of your mentors, I do believe. He said it was important."

Hermione stood from her desk, her thin, dark brow furrowed in slight confusion. Why would any of the adults from Hogwarts come to see her without an inquiring notice before-hand?

As she made her way downstairs, eager to find out what was going on, Hermione gasped at what she saw.

Standing in the living room talking to her father was Professor Lupin, or 'Moony,' as Harry sometimes liked to call him.

Although it unsettled her a bit that he would arrive at her home unannounced and uninvited, she was indeed most unsettled by the creature attached to the chain Lupin was holding.

Sitting calmly on its haunches, idly watching the conversation between the two men was the biggest cat Hermione had ever seen.

It looked to be a black panther, its fur sleek and soft-looking but unmarred by any sort of spots or stripes; still, she was unsure. This creature was about as large as a fully-grown tiger, if not larger.

Hermione stepped back a little, frightened when the huge animal rose to its feet upon sensing her arrival. She noticed then that it's large, sleek body came to stand just a few inches above Lupin's hip. And while the former professor was not a tall man, he was still much taller than her.

Lupin looked up from the conversation just as he felt the beast move it's feet at his side. His eyes settled on his once bushy-haired former student and he smiled.

"Hello there, Hermione. Hope this old boy here didn't scare you much," he said, grinning as he ruffled the fur at the top of the creature's head.

The 'old boy' in question tugged gently against the chain leash attached to the leather collar around his neck, silently asking permission to be freed.

Lupin complied, unclasping the hook so that his large companion might sniff about as he pleased. Of course, he knew what he was about to do, and he could not help the slight smirk spreading the contours of his lips.

He watched as Hermione began backing up slowly, shear fright shining in her eyes as the panther made its way toward her. That is, of course, until she suddenly had no where to go.

Bloody hell if she hadn't just backed herself into a wall, cornered by the approaching feline. Her eyes squeezed shut, she awaited the inevitable doom by way of sharp canines sinking deep into her skin. What she felt, however, was something entirely different.

There was moisture, warm and somewhat comforting, nudged repeatedly against her hand. Funny... this wasn't exactly what she expected in the way of impending doom. Slowly, cautiously she opened her eyes, only to find the oddest sight.

The panther, of which she had expected to deliver her untimely demise, was currently... nudging it's large, warm nose against her hand. Her fear lessened slightly when she recognized this to be something Crookshanks always did when he wanted to be stroked and petted.

Tentatively, she lifted a hand to the creature's head, stroking and scratching it's ears.

Amazingly, not only did he seem to be enjoying her attention, but she could almost swear he was purring. Well, as close to purring as one could get with an animal of such enormous size.

She smile slightly and her actions became more bold, her hands smoothing over the creature's massive head. She slid her hands through his thick, soft fur, laughing softly as that deep and contented growl grew louder.

"Well," Lupin started, chuckling softly as he spoke, "He seems to have taken quite a liking to you, Hermione."

She could only smile in response, completely mesmerized by the fact that simple acts of affection could tame such a powerful beast.

After a few moments though, her curiosity and confusion got the better of her.

"So it would seem, Professer, by why bring him here? Something tells me this isn't just some social call, if you would pardon my bluntness."

"Quite right you are, Hermione, perceptive as always. I brought this handsome creature here for you to take care of this summer," he said, laughing softly at the bewildered look on his former student's face.

"Now, I know what you're thinking, and I can assure you that he is definitely house-broken. But seriously, Dumbledore requested I bring him to you for safe-keeping. We found him wounded in the Forbidden Forest, not too far from Hagrid's hut. Hagrid immediately volunteered to nurse him back to health. Unfortunately, after he was healed, there was no room at the castle for a bloke this big. We were all too busy to care for him, so the ever-creative Headmaster suggested he be brought to you. Hope you don't mind. I know it's a lot of responsibility, but that's exactly why you were chosen as the most likely candidate."

Lupin was laying on thick, and he knew it. It wasn't as though he didn't mean those things about Hermione being quite the responsible and level-headed person… hell, she was the smartest witch Hogwarts had seen for more than a few decades. But that was why he'd lain it on so thick. If he even gave her so much as an inch, Hermione would figure out everything, and their cover would be blown. That was something he couldn't risk, for that would result in her being in more danger than she was already.

Hermione, however, could do little but continue to stare at her former professor in utter confusion and maybe just a little shock at the moment. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate being chosen for what was so obviously a difficult task. She was confident that she could care for the over-grown feline, after all, he seemed only a larger version of Crookshanks.

But something didn't feel right.

If taking care of the animal had been so important, she would have at least gotten an owl about it instead of being put on the spot in such short notice. Professor Dumbledore would have wanted to make sure she was fully prepared for this new arrival so as not to inconvenience her or her family.

Despite her suspicions, however, she would except this new situation with grace and maturity. But she would get to the bottom of whatever was going on, that much was for sure.

"I suppose I don't see a problem with it, Professor, as long as it's okay with my parents."

"Oh you don't have to worry, 'Mione. I've already spoken with Mr. Lupin about those matters. It's more than alright, and besides, I think it'll be wonderful for you to have something to occupy yourself other than your homework," her father said in a teasing manner, winking at her for affect.

She smirked slightly and sighed as she looked down into a pair of oddly familiar, striking green eyes.

This was definitely going to be an interesting summer…