Chapter TwoWhere Am I?
The next morning.... The light streamed through the bedroom windows, causing Hermione Granger to stir. Hermione opened her eyes, blinking at the light. She pulled the covers closer and over her head.... before realizing, these were NOT her blankets and this was NOT HER BED! She sat up. These were not her clothes, either.
"Where am I? she asked to nothing."Ah, my head hurts."
'I wonder where I am? Who's house?' she wondered internally.
She decided she'd get up and try to figure out where she was. The room she was presently occupying was non-descrepit, it has blinds, the bed spread is a dark green, a black wooden head board, wooden desk and chair and a closet, sure clothes, here and there on the floor, but nothing identifying who's room it may be, no photographs on the walls, no posters, some books on the desk's shelf, yes, but nothing which gives a sure fire answer, just who's room or house this could be. Her clothes besides her under garments, were nowhere in sight.
Hermione decided to go exploring, maybe whomever's house this was is around somewhere. A clock chimed eight times, eight o' clock.
She left the room and entered a hallway, four closed doors, and one open, leading to the bathroom. Hermione went down the stairs to a landing, to her left, stairs led to a kitchen, and to her right, towards the front door, and she didn't know what else. Hermione went down the stairs leading to the kitchen, she proceeded through the kitchen and onto the dining room, looked right through sliding doors to presumably a den or library, and to her left, another set of sliding glass door (this one closed into the walls), the living room, with someone sleeping upon the couch.
Hermione went towards the sleeping figure, whom upon closer inspection turned out to be.... "Harry?" she asked the sleeping Harry Potter.
"Wha... wha... wuz the matter?" He sat up, throwing the covers in disarray.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Hermione." He pulled the blanket from over his head,
"How's the head?"
"I've got a headache."
"Do you know why?"
"Not particular, I'm pretty fuzzy about last night, wait the drinking."
"Yeah, you drank quite a bit, it's understandable to not remember parts of the night, especially after chugging down a half a bottle of vodka... the first night I really got drunk, at least you didn't puke on the floor."
"And the Head boy dorm room floor at that."
"Thanks for reminding me, you didn't puke in my room did you?"
"Nope, no vomit."
"Good, I got you enough water before you passed out, I'm glad it worked."
"Me too, um... what did you do with my clothes?"
"There in the laundry, don't worry, I didn't look. I magiked what your wearing on under your clothes and took them off you then. I'm no peeping Tom."
"You interested?" she asked gesturing to herself.
He blushed Weasley red. "I've been alone for five years, with no contact with anyone but the old witch who brought my mail once a month, mighty lonely in the mountains."
He was still blushing. "Harry, I'm not serious."
"Oh, alright." She laughed at his manner.
"What?" He asked.
"Were you always this bashful?"
"I guess."
"You hid it well, you hide a lot of things very well, including yourself."
"Do I?" he retorted.
"You do."
"Why?"
"I'm not sure. You don't have Voldemort hanging over your head anymore, Harry, you don't have to close yourself off anymore."
"You've seen me for the first time in over five years yesterday, where did you come up with all this stuff, so quickly?"
"I know you, Harry, it's what you do, isn't it? Shut yourself off from everyone?"
A pop in the fireplace, "POTTER! HAVE YOU seen a clock today?" asked the head to the now kneeling Harry Potter.
"No, sir, I've just woken up."
"Well, Potter, it's eight thirty, your shift started an hour and a half ago, you better get your sorry arse to work in the next ten minutes or face the consequences."
"Yes, sir."
The head disappeared, and Harry turned to Hermione, "I've got to go, your clothes should be done, you can eat whatever you find, and just let yourself out. I'm sorry."
He grabbed a black robe from a coat rack and threw it over his sweatpants and t-shirt. "Good bye," and he apparated away.
"Have a good day," she said to her popping away best friend.
The front door unlocked and someone entered, Hermione went for her wand... which was not there... "Hermione? Is that you? How are you?" asked the entering man.
"Professor Lupin?"
"Remus, please, I haven't been your professor in what... almost ten years?"
"Something like that, you just missed Harry and his boss or whomever it was, didn't seem too happy."
"Sounds normal, Harry seems to be one of the black sheep of the department. It seems no one they pair him to be partners with can get along with him. So, they put him on graveyard, weekend, or stints guarding Azkaban."
"So, that's why Terry Boot tried to start something with him last night?"
"Ah, yes, his first partner..."
"What happened?"
"Boot did something in the line of duty, which Harry did not agree on, and called him on it."
"What did he do?"
"That's classified. Harry isn't permitted to talk about his job."
"So, what happened after Harry called Boot on whatever it was?"
"Boot somehow manipulated their boss into getting Harry into some type of trouble. That was Harry's second month on the force, since then he's been back and forth from Azkaban and when he's home, he gets horrific hours to be on call at the ministry. It's a shock he got last night off. I'm guessing Kingsley and Tonks pulled a few strings."
"That's horrible, and with those hours it's no wonder he hasn't kept in touch, he must be exhausted much of the time."
"Oh, he is. Some weeks he works all day Sunday, like this morning, he was supposed to be there at seven and work till four, then go back in at eight, for an eight to eight shift."
"Ridicules."
"It is, but he doesn't complain, there's still a majority of pureblooded traditionalists throughout the ministry and Harry squashed their biggest advocates."
"Malfoy, Fudge and Voldemort?"
"Yeah, exactly, so enough about Harry. How have you been?"
"I just got back from Asia, studying, 'House' eleves in their natural habitat."
"How was that?"
"Fascinating. They really are independent, when able to have a free will."
"Isn't that just about everyone and everything?"
"Unless your brainwashed and oppressed from birth, I'd say."
"True, true."
"So, how have you been, Prof... Remus?"
"Pretty hopeful, there is a potions master in South America who may be close to a cure!" "Is there really? I hope he or she succeeds!"
"So do I, more then anything, well not anything... but quite a few things."
Hermione laughed, "Like what? "
"My best friends to still be alive, world peace, Harry to be happy... rights.... well if it works out, I and many others of us will have those again."
"Why is Harry so unhappy... well besides his job?"
"Well, because of said job, he hasn't been in contact with anyone besides co-workers and myself, in five years, Auror training really kills your social life."
"That's for sure, as does five plus year research fellowships."
"Who funded yours?"
"I'm not particularly sure. A whole group of people, I think.... now that I've compleated the study, I'm going to write about my findings, for my funders and for publications like Wizarding reseach monthly, and the Quibbler."
"The Quibbler?" Remus laughed.
Hermione huffed, "Yes, plus I'm planning a book about my time in the field, as well."
"Why don't you write a memoir about your years at Hogwarts?"
"Maybe...."
"You could collaborate with Harry and write about your school years. Get him out of his horrific job."
"Is it really that bad? As horrible as you say?"
"I don't know, but Harry's never really gotten over all that's happened to him, he's still the little boy who lost his parents at one year of age, he's still the shy, quiet little boy, though, now he drinks himself to sleep, or at least till he can't remember much or is very mellow."
"Why?" Hermione asked horrified.
"Nightmares, even now, he wakes up screaming, or just doesn't sleep, many a day."
"Why doesn't he just use a sleeping drought or muggle sleeping pills, if he can't sleep?"
"I don't know, you'll have to ask him."
"Oh, I will."
"I knew you would. So, how long?"
"How long what?"
"You know, I can tell. Does Harry know?"
"No, no one knows... but you."
"Is it why you got the research fellowship?"
"Yeah."
"Are you going to tell Harry?" asked Remus.
"I have to."
"Good, he'll understand. I best be off to sleep, just got back from South America, this morning."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll let you go up to sleep, I just need to get dressed and I'll be off."
"No, stay as long as you like."
"No, I better be getting home soon, before my parents have a cow."
"We have a telephone."
"Alright, have a good sleep, Moony."
He winked, "And you have a good day, Hermione. And do something about the smell before going home, don't want your parents to know you've been drinking," he cracked.
"I'm of age!"
"I know, by quite a few years, too. When's the last time you ever drank anything before yesterday?"
"Last weekend at Hogwarts."
"LAST WEEKEND AT HOGWARTS! With who?"
"Just about every seventh year... I think... Can't remember much..."
"Where did you guys have your end of the year drunk fest?"
";Quidditich pitch."
"Tradition continues!"
"What?"
";My year did that as well.... that may be how Harry came about... but who knows...."
"Your kidding!"
";Oh, no he wasn't conceived then, they were just drunk enough to talk without fighting over Severus."
"Snape? Why?"
"Lily was acquaintances with him, James didn't like the idea of Gryfindors associating with Slytherins, or vice versa, plus they were head over heals for each other and I guess they got to talking, they seemed to that a lot seventh year, I think being Head students can do that to you, they finally admitted their feelings that night."
"Your right about... well some Head students getting closer thing."
";How so?"
"Well, Harry and I went in okay and came out better friends then ever, though it was one rocky year."
";I'd agree there, considering just how it finished. So, who did you miss more in your five plus year voluntary exile... if you don't mind me asking?"
"Harry by a landslide, all Ron and I did at school or anywhere was argue and debate, got quite boring and never went past that. I honestly think that if it hadn't been for Harry... Ron and I would have never been friends."
"Really?"
"Honestly."
"Well, you did disagree, a lot."
"Yes, we loved to disagree."
"And what about Harry?"
"Oh, it went both ways, I'd call him on things and he'd call me out as well, we argued a bit, and other times, we were the best of friends, and could chat about almost anything."
"It didn't seem much like that when I was around third, or fifth year, well I wasn't around much for the latter."
"Well, it was predominantly seventh year, that we became the best of friends."
"Ah."
";What?"
";Nothing."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, you wanted to go to sleep."
"Right, till next time, Hermione?"
"Indeed, have a good sleep."
After her chat with Remus and the departure of Harry, Hermione showered, dressed and apparated home.
That afternoon, three o' clock,"Harry?"
"What do you want, Remus?" he asked harshly, before adding, "Sorry, I only have an hour, make it quick."
"Which of your best friends did you miss more in the last five years?"
";It depends on what the activity was, talking about Quidditich, Ron, politics, defense, school, Hermione."
"How about life, your feelings?"
"Hermione."
"Why not, Ron?"
"He's just not that kind of guy, if I told him half the things I told Hermione, he'd wind up in St. Mungo's from insanity, he just can't fathom it, plus in some ways, he's superficial, don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but at some points, it was a royal pain to tiptoe around him."
"Hmm..."
"What?"
";Oh, nothing, just make your dinner and get back to work on time, before Tonks and Kingsley have to bail you out of a court martial."
"That's not sounding too bad right now."
"HARRY JAMES POTTER! YOU HAVE NOT MADE IT THIS FAR TO QUIT AFTER A BIT OF A ROUGH PATCH!"
"More like two and a half years, and you sound like Hermione did in school."
"Really, I thought I was sounding like Lily."
"Well, I wouldn't know that, Remus."
"I'm sorry Harry."
"I'm..." he choked up, "I'm fine."
"No, your not, you need to relax, take it easy for awhile."
"I... I can't, you know that... now leave me alone, I have to be ready for work."
there's chapter two, thanks for the reviews on number one, and for this one. I have over fifty pages of the fic written, though not much time to post, or a computer very often, when I can post my self I'll do that. hope you stick with this fic.... please, it get very interesting, and many hints were dropped in this chapter! sorry if the formatting is crappy I'm posting this from my cousins apple, is why....
Additional Authors note, yes I've retyped this one and am on the way to do the next, hope you all enjoy the chapter in legible form!
