A/N: Whoa! I hadn't planned on updating again tonight, but I got so many good reviews, that I changed my mind! Review responses at the end of the chapter. Thanks everyone!

Disclaimer: I haven't done this in the past couple chapters, have I? So, I would like to say a few words before we all become too befuddled with our excellent feast: I wno ginonht!

All Hallows Idea

A couple weeks later found Lupin sitting at his desk, deep in thought. His 7th year Griffindor class was nearly over. Currently the students were writing notes about his lecture. Unconsciously, his eyes drifted towards Hermione. Despite his best efforts, he hadn't been able to get her off his mind lately. Normally he'd easily be able to deal with things like this. It wasn't like he never liked someone before when he knew it'd never work out. This time, however, he felt this was the feather, like in those cartoon shows, that made his big pile of problems come crashing down on him, and become quite distressing. He felt ready to crack if something didn't happen soon to relieve him of his sadness and worry. (Maybe if I think up something good for Halloween, I'll be able to forget about her. But what?)

Teachers, this year, had Halloween weekend off. He picked up his glass of water and drained it. He didn't have anywhere to go. He stared at the empty glass. It made him think of Snape's Potions class. He was glad he wasn't Hermione's age, it would have meant endless Snape torture. (There I go again, thinking of Hermione. If I was her age, this wouldn't be a problem.) Suddenly Lupin got an idea. It would be alot of fun, and probably would help prove to himself he had no chance with Hermione, or anyone else. If someone caught on, though, he might get sacked. (No one will find out) he assured himself. (How could they?)

"Class dismissed," Lupin announced. "Neville, can I talk to you please?"

Neville approached Lupin tentatively, wondering what he'd done. He hadn't caused any disasters in a long time, had he? What could Lupin possibly want? "Yes, sir."

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

The next day, Hermione arrived at breakfast early. She sat across from a boy she didn't recognize. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Hermione."

The boy seemed rather taken aback. "I'm James," he offered.

(He's rather cute) she thought. "I don't remember seeing you before. And I think I would have." She colored slightly. (Did I say that out loud!)

"Maybe because I'm a bit older than you. I've come back for more education," he said.

Hermione grinned. This sounded like her kind of guy. She wanted to continue her education, too. "Really? They let you do that? You know, I'd like to do that if I could. How do you apply for that?"

James looked a little uncomfortable. "I got in by special request."

"I see. Dumbledore's great, isn't he? Always so willing to help people out, and accommodate people's wishes."

"Yes, he's very kind." Just then, Harry and Ron sat down on either side of Hermione.

"Harry, Ron, this is James. James, Harry, and Ron," Hermione introduced them.

"Hello," they greeted each other.

(James isn't much of a conversationalist, is he? I'll just have to get him to come out of his shell.) "So James, do you have a girlfriend?" She observed his cheeks turning rather pink at this statement.

"No," he said.

Harry and Ron smirked at each other. They silently agreed to team up and get Hermione and James together. It would get her mind off Lupin, and maybe even her homework.

She tried again. "What's your favorite subject?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," he said with a smile.

"Really? That's mine too. I really like the teacher, Professor Lupin. He's nice, isn't he?"

"Yes, I guess so," James said, without much enthusiasm.

(He's looking at me like I'm crazy) Feeling irritated, Hermione began defending herself. "He's not THAT bad, is he? I mean, look at the other teachers. They have a hard time keeping the class's attention, and making sure everyone's learning what they should, but not Lupin. He's so sweet, he never ignores the struggling students, like Neville. Oh, well, I supposed if you've only just arrived, you can't know him very well," ended Hermione thoughtfully.

James looked like he was going to be sick. For some reason, the topic of the DADA class made him uncomfortable. Ron decided it was time to intervene, before he got turned off by Hermione's attitude. "Hey James, ever play Quidditch? I'm Captain of the Griffindor team," announced Ron proudly.

James's face held an expression of relief. "Yes, awhile back. I love flying on a broom. That's great that you're captain, I've heard that you're prefect too. Your parents must be really proud of you."

Ron beamed. "Thanks." (Hermione definitely needs to hook up with this fellow)

"You could borrow my broom for a bit," offered Harry. "It's a Firebolt."

"Really?" James looked really excited. "I'd love to! When could I have a go on it?"

"A half hour after breakfast, I think. Hermione, you're coming too, right?" Harry intoned, kicking her under the table.

"Sure," she agreed, raising her eyebrows. What in the world was Harry up to?

Harry grinned at her, not heeding her silent question. All kinds of schemes were cooking in his mind. Hopefully, by Sunday night, the two would be inseparable. The group made small talk for the rest of breakfast. Hermione soon forgot her irritation at James as they made their way to the Quidditch field. He was awfully cute, and she had the strange feeling she'd always known him. He seemed familiar in an odd sort of way. "So, James. How long do you plan on staying here?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know. I was thinking I would until I decide for sure what career I'd like," said James, sounding very unsure.

(I hope it takes him a long time to decide!) "What careers were you thinking of?"

"Oh, maybe an Auror or a teacher."

"Really? I'm thinking along the same lines. I'm leaning towards becoming a teacher. Although I didn't mind helping Harry with his problems, of course, I think that's the last of those kind of adventures I'd like for awhile." She smiled, then sighed with frustration. Getting James to talk was like pulling teeth. (He's just shy. I'm sure some patience on my part with be worth it.)

"I've heard about them. You're a really brave girl, Hermione." James smiled at her.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. What was it about those eyes? She brushed the thought off as she blushed with pleasure. "I'm not as brave as Harry, of course. Or Professor Lupin. Did you know he was in the Order of Phoenix, too?" Hermione felt determined to get James to like Professor Lupin.

"Yes, I did hear," he said shortly, looking away.

"Here we are!" interrupted Harry. "Here James, hop on my Firebolt. You know how to fly, right?"

James nodded and took off. James's spirits rocketed above the skies. What a broom! At the lightest touch, the broom lightningbolted him to wherever he wished. Whooping with joy, he started performing somersaults. He hadn't had this much fun in AGES!

Hermione observed him with amusement. He had seemed like a rather reserved fellow, but evidently this wasn't the case. Maybe he was just in an off mood today and needed cheering up. Or maybe he felt awkward in his new surroundings. "Harry, Ron, let's invite James to Hogsmeade tomorrow. You know, help him get into the swing of things here."

Harry and Ron smirked at each other. "Sure thing, Hermione," said Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I do wish you'd stop smirking at me like that. It's not like he likes me or something."

James landed beside them, thumping hard on the ground. "Wow, your Firebolt is amazing Harry! Thanks so much for letting me use it!"

"Anytime," grinned Harry.

"James, I was wondering if you'd join us on our trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow. It's a little town a short distance from here. The school gets to go there every so often. Will you come?"

James appeared quite startled. "Um, that'd be great, thanks Hermione."

"Great. Let's all meet at the Griffindor portrait hole at nine tomorrow morning." The foursome began strolling around the Quidditch field, talking about this and that. Harry and Ron exchanged glances.

"Hermione, James, sorry to leave, but Harry and I have to discuss Quidditch strategies, and we have dates to keep. Bye!" Ron said quickly before taking off. Harry strode after him.

"What's with them?" Hermione wondered out loud. She thought she caught a stricken look in James's eyes, which was quickly replaced by a game smile.

"Well, James. What do you like to do for fun?"

"I like to read books and do schoolwork. I like to dance, too," he added, and smiled faintly at an old memory. His friends had teased him to no end about those things.

"Really? That's exactly what I like to do! Have you been to many dances?"

"I used to, but I stopped going," he said, sounding upset.

Hermione could tell he didn't want to talk about it, but her curiosity got the best of her. "Why did you stop going?"

"I couldn't get any girls to go with me," he said resignedly, his eyes dull.

"I can't believe it! I don't see why they wouldn't go with you, you're perfectly nice." Hermione blushed a little as she revealed her opinion of him.

James looked like he wanted to be somewhere, anywhere, else. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Hermione apologized.

"It's okay," James sighed. "I'm used to it. Look, Hermione, no one wanted to go with me because," he paused, then continued in a lower tone "because I'm a werewolf."

"That's DISGUSTING! I can't believe anyone would reject you because of that! Why, werewolves are capable of being perfectly safe and leading a normal life. Professor Lupin, you know, is a werewolf, and no one knew it until the end of my third year, and that was only because SOMEONE, I'm guessing the nasty SNAPE, leaked it. I was SO upset. Lupin was forced to resign. Quite a shame, really, he was followed by very incompetent teachers, until of course he came back. James, you won't have to worry about me, Harry, Ron, Hagrid, or any of my other friends disliking you because of that. I'll keep it a secret, though, if you'd like," she offered.

James was at a loss for words. "Please do," he mumbled.

Hermione turned, and saw the last person she wanted to see. Draco Malfoy. "Well, if it isn't the meddlesome Mudblood! Have you finally been able to bribe someone into being your boyfriend?" he said nastily.

James opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. He looked livid.

"Draco, that's AWFULLY unoriginal. Really, after six years, you'd think you would have come up with something new!" snapped Hermione.

Draco smirked, turning to James. "I haven't seen YOU before! You're a muggle I bet, or a squib. It just would fit that this Mudblood would need to dig a boy up from the LOWEST parts of society!"

"I'm one hundred percent wizard. No need to ask who you are, Malfoy. I've heard all about your horrible temperament. If I were a teacher, I'd give you detention for such foul language."

Draco cackled. "Good thing you aren't then. You can't touch me!" He and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, sauntered off. James's face was red and his hands clenched in tight fists as he glared after them.

"Draco's quite terrible. I've learned to ignore him, you should too. Come on, have you met Hagrid? Let's go visit him."

The rest of the day found the pair chatting and visiting various parts of the school. James attempted several times to politely find a way to get a away from her, but soon ran out of excuses. Harry and Ron kept on making it so they had to be together, and Hermione didn't appear to mind. At curfew, Hermione reluctantly waved goodbye to James and entered the common room, where Ron and Harry were waiting for her.

"Well? How'd it go?" asked Harry. Ron looked expectantly at Hermione as well.

"James is really cool! He likes everything I like. He's a bit quiet, and acts strangely sometimes, but we got along great. Goodnight, you two," she called as she headed up the stairs.

Somewhere else in the castle, James was lying in his bed, his head whirling with confused emotions. (This can't be happening) he thought as he fell asleep.

Replies to Reviewers:

BrennaM: Thanks so much for yet another review! We'll just have to wait an see if they get into trouble or not. :)

Tem: Thanks for the long review! I know, I hate it when fanfictions are abandoned. Knowing how lazy I am, I've decided never to post any fanfiction unless it's already finished. (With the exception of one that I'll probably take down soon) Thanks for saying my writing is fluid, I was pretty worried about that, since to me I feel like I'm just jumping from one idea to the next, especially in chapter twenty-five (the final chapter) when I ran out of steam. Yes, I made all those references to OotP in an effort to make it real, and try to explain why Remus and Hermione are getting together. That's really what my thesis was when I started - what would it take to get them together, and especially how in the world would it work, as realistically as I could.

sporty12gd4u : Thanks for reviewing again! I personally love it when authors give chapter previews, that's why I'm doing it with my fanfiction. Glad it made you curious. :)

LupinLover99 : Yes, I love Lupin! He's up there with my other favorite characters, Harry and Hermione. (I love all the characters though, so it's hard to pick out favorite ones!) It used to be that I liked Sirius more than Lupin, but since he died, I've tried to distance myself from him. I especially started liking Lupin after I saw the Remus/Lily music video at the Return to Innocence site. I hadn't really thought about his point of view before that. He's very cool indeed!

Aljinon : Thanks! I'm glad you liked that part. I was trying to think of a way that Hermione could catch Lupin's attention. It was inspired by the part in the POA movie, when Lupin comments on how proud of how much Harry had learned that year.

Rane2920072 : I love it when stories suck me in, and I'm glad mine did for you! Thanks for the compliment, I was worried that sometimes the people were out of character. (Especially Lupin, since him going out with Hermione is realistically unlikely)

CharmedLeoLvr : Wow, thanks! And to think I was seriously considering not posting this story at all! Thanks for reviewing again!

A/N : I hope I've gotten everyone! If not, thanks a million for reviewing! Also, I'm wondering if everyone has figured out James's "secret." I'm curious, please let me know in a review!

Preview of next chapter :"Harry had been studying them closely. (This calls for an intervention) he decided. He stood up and walked over to them. "Actually, I think James was going to take Hermione out" he said quite boldly. Colin glared at James; James glared at Harry; Hermione gazed hopefully at James. "