Chapter 6: Remus' Mission
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
A/N: Thanks to all who have left reviews so far. They've been one of the things that kept me going during my bout of writer's block and RL interference. (Trust me, I'd rather be writing.) And now, on with the story.
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'Why in the bloody hell was Remus here today? I've sent letters every three days to him like I said I would, didn't I? How could he be so thick as to risk coming here? I mean, I'm essentially 'walking death.' Anybody who is nutty enough to get close to me ends up getting hurt or killed. I thought he was supposed to be the smartest of the Marauders. Can't he see the trend? First mum and dad get killed, and then Sirius gets thrown through the veil trying to save my miserable arse. God, if I had only listened to Hermione.
'Hermione… (His body shudders as he can almost feel the dark magic in the purple curse as it hits her body.) I almost killed her because of my own pigheadedness and stupidity. I should've listened to her. I…'
"Harry, look at me."
'Huh? What's Hermione doing here? She shouldn't be here. She could get hurt. She could die. She needs to…'
(Harry feels himself being squeezed in a loving embrace)
'Oh Merlin, I missed her. I wish I could've talked to her before the end of school.
(Harry unconsciously wraps his arms around her back)
I'm surprised she doesn't hate me. I mean she has every right.
"I'm here, Harry. I'll take care of you."
'She should hate me. I'm worthless and stupid git. She almost died because of me. I can't get let her get hurt like that again. I don't know if I'd ever forgive myself.'
Harry's body stiffened as he felt the tears trying to make their presence known. 'No. I won't cry. I will not cry. I WILL…NOT…CRY!'
Hermione pulled back and looked at him. "Harry, what's wrong?"
Harry dropped his gaze to his feet so that she could not see his eyes. "You—You shouldn't be here."
She replied in soft, calm voice and stroked his arm. "Of course I should, Harry. You're not feeling well, and you need some company."
"N-No. You should leave. You shouldn't be here."
She answered in a still soothing tone, "Harry, I'm not going anywhere. You're my friend, and you're going through a rough time. I'm not going to let you go it alone."
The headmaster finally made his presence known, "Harry, Hermione owled me saying that you didn't seem to be handling your loss well and that you needed companionship; someone you could talk to. Her mother and I both eventually agreed that it would be best for both of you if she were to stay here for the summer."
Harry seemed to be at a loss for a moment as he processed what he had just been told, followed by a look of shock and disbelief as he looked up to Dumbledore. "You mean she's staying? Here? All summer!?" Harry looked at his friend as her face broke out in a smile, and she nodded her head fervently.
Harry's voice finally returned full force as he moved her hand back to her own lap. "No! I will not allow you to be hurt just because you're my friend. You were almost killed less than a month ago. I'm not going to let it happen again." His voice caught in his throat. As much as he didn't want her to go, as much as he wanted to have her here with him, he didn't want her to get hurt because she was with him. His voice came out choked as it felt like he was driving a dagger through his own heart and his head fell. "You…you need to go Hermione. If only for your own safety."
Hermione sat up sharply, "HARRY JAMES POTTER! I spent the latter half of the morning trying to convince my mother that I should come here! I then spent the next few hours packing everything I own, getting embarrassed by the school nurse during a full checkup, talking with Dumbledore about what to expect, only to find that you want to shoo me away as soon as I get here! No! I don't think so, Harry! I'm not going anywhere!"
"But, Hermione. You can't stay here! You just can't!" He looked at the head of his school hoping that he would see reason. "Professor?"
"No, Harry. Hermione is staying, and I will not take no for an answer." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled as he continued. "You will thank me later." Harry just sat there looking at him with his mouth hanging open but no sound came out.
Satisfied that the debate was over, Dumbledore now turned his attention to the young lady. "Hermione, seeing as the Dursleys are probably not coming back anytime soon, I trust that you will find one of the other beds to your liking." She nodded her head in agreement. "Good. Since you know how to contact me if you need anything, I will leave you two get reacquainted. I must be off to a meeting. Good day to the both of you." And with a soft pop, he vanished.
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Remus Lupin went upstairs to the headmaster's office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his teatime meeting with the headmaster. He knocked on the door but got no response. He entered quietly, took a seat by the fireplace and started a small fire in the grate.
A small pop to his left signified Dumbledore's arrival. "Ah, Remus. I hope I haven't kept you waiting."
"No sir. I came in just a few moments ago. How did your trip to the Grangers' go this morning?"
The professor drew a soft cushioned armchair next to the werewolf and conjured up a small tea set and began pouring tea. "Oh, let's just say that there were a few interesting revelations." Remus gave a lopsided grin, as he seemed to catch the hidden meaning of the headmaster's statement.
"I take it that Harry is now in good company. How did handle the idea?"
The elder took no effort to mask the concern in his voice, "Harry was very insistent that Hermione not stay. He's come to believe that his presence is a danger to anyone close to him. She is going to have a difficult time changing his perception."
Lupin gave a curious look, "Hermione, Albus? Since when did you begin calling your students by their first name? Other than Harry, of course."
"I felt it necessary to reveal some very personal information about Harry, his situation, and his protections in order to get Mrs. Granger to agree that Hermione was needed to go to Privet Drive. I asked that we drop the formalities in order to make Helen feel more comfortable with me. I her gave my personal assurances that her daughter would be watched over and her wellbeing would be monitored closely." The headmaster gave slight chuckle and smiled as he recalled a recent memory. "Hermione made sure to call me by my first name after she came back from the hospital wing in accordance with that. As I recall, she was quite upset with me."
Remus put down his tea before asking, "Okay, Albus? What did you do this time?"
Dumbledore attempted to sound innocent, "Oh, I only asked Poppy to make sure that Hermione knew how to perform the contraceptive charm. That's all."
"Albus! You didn't?" The headmaster gave a single nod in response as Remus covered his mouth his hand to stifle a laugh, "I can't believe you did that! No wonder she was upset."
The headmaster still feigned innocence; "I told her mother that she would be capable of protecting herself in all situations. I was merely fulfilling my obligation." The elder then give a wiggle of his eyebrows as he looked over his spectacles.
"You dirty old bat," Lupin replied as he looked at the old man. He took another sip of tea before continuing. "So should I take any action if I find them in a… uh… compromising position?"
The old man's tone turned more serious. "No Remus. I trust both of them to make good decisions. He needs her company, whatever form it may take. I only ask that you give counsel to Harry in such areas if he asks. She may be the key to our very survival."
"Understood."
"Very good. Now, I'm sure you are very curious as to why I requested this meeting."
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Hermione spent the next hour shoving Harry into the bathroom to get a shower, cleaning up his room, and getting her things settled in the master bedroom. When Harry hadn't come out of the bath in forty-five minutes' time, she knocked on the door. "Harry, are you okay?" No response. "Harry, answer me, or I'm coming in." When she got no answer, she pushed the door open hard and saw a glimpse of Harry lying in the tub asleep before he awoke at the sound of the door slamming against the wall. Harry's eyes shot to the figure in the doorway and immediately made to cover himself, although the water and thin layer of soap bubbles were masking his figure enough to be considered decent.
"Bloody hell, Hermione! I know I'm going to die one of these days, but do you have to scare me to death?"
The girl had the good sense to look embarrassed but took a second to assess the situation. 'This is a perfect opportunity to get some straight answers.' To Harry's obvious chagrin, she sat down on top of the chamber pot and made herself comfortable. "Harry, why are you so afraid of me staying?"
Harry's voice carried a hint of annoyance, "I don't want to talk about it."
Hermione reached over and pulled the drain lever, "Wrong answer."
Harry was now in an obvious panic, "Hermione! Stop it!" She just glared at him but didn't move. "Okay! Okay! I'll talk already!"
Hermione closed the drain and sat up again, "Good. But if I don't believe your answers, I open the drain again."
"Fine." Harry took in a deep breath in relief knowing that the drain was closed. "I guess I'm not dealing well with… with what happened at the ministry." Hermione's face showed her skepticism of his statement, and she pulled the lever again. "Hermione, knock it off!" She didn't budge, and Harry sank down in the water as far as he could, "Hermione, it's the truth!" She still didn't move. "Okay! You win! I'll tell you!" The lever again closed, and the girl didn't move her hand as she waited expectantly for an answer. He lowered his gaze to stare at two sets of toes at the far end of the tub, "I guess I'm just afraid that you'll get hurt if you're around me."
Hermione put her hands on her knees and spoke in a soft but serious voice. "Harry, I'm probably already near the top of Voldemort's hit list already. My being here isn't going to change that."
Harry eyes flashed as he looked directly at her, "But Hermione, innocent are dying because of me! Don't you understand?"
"I do understand Harry. A war is starting and good people are going to die. They will die either because Voldemort wants them dead or because they choose to fight him. You didn't cause their deaths."
The water sloshed a little as Harry sat up in tub to counter, "People who have been close to me are dying or in constant danger! Hermione, my parents died when I was just over a year old. A basilisk almost killed you and Ginny Weasley almost died in the Chamber of Secrets in our second year. Then Cedric Diggory died just because he was in the Tri-Wizard Tournament with me. And just this past year, Sirius got killed because I was too stupid to listen to you and because Dumbledore didn't tell me everything he should've! And if that weren't bad enough, you were almost taken from me! I can't risk anyone else dying because of me." Harry had continued leaning forward as he spoke, but then realized that he had almost pulled himself out of the water during the discussion. His cheeks reddened as he lowered himself back into the tub.
"Alright, I can accept that for now, but we'll talk about it again later. Now, why did you say earlier that you were going to die one of these days? And before you answer, it wasn't the first reference you've made to your own death since we went to the ministry. Why?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Harry said tersely. Hermione started to reach for the drain handle again, but Harry stopped her—his voice not frantic but angry. "Hermione, I'm not talking about it right now! And I swear to God that if you pull that handle one more time, I'm going to get up and walk right on out of here. We're done."
Hermione looked slightly flustered at this statement and the thought said event actually happening. "Fine. But were not done," she intoned with a dignified indifference that didn't reach her eyes. "Not by a long shot. Now, get dressed," she ordered as she got up, walked to the door, and closed it behind her.
Harry let go a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. 'Whew, I'm glad she didn't call my bluff,' he thought as he pulled the drain and got out.
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"Very good. Now, I'm sure you are very curious as to why I requested this meeting," the headmaster said as he decided to cut to the chase.
"Quite."
"I need to make a trip to Greece for me, Remus."
"Greece, Professor," he responded as he grabbed parchment and quill.
"Yes, Delphi, Greece in particular. You will take an international floo connection to the White Stallion Inn in Athens. You will then proceed to a muggle lodge called the Vouzas Hotel in Delphi. Go then to the Archaeological Museum of Delphi and seek out the Assistant Curator, Augustus Koutsouris. He will expect to see you outside the front door just before the opening of business in two days' time. Tell him that you are there to pickup a package for me. You shouldn't encounter any difficulties but please return to Hogwarts without delay, as we do not want to invite trouble."
"Okay. Anything else?"
"One last item. Give the package to no one but myself. As an added security measure, only show it to me once we get inside this office, and you can see Fawkes. His reaction to my presence will verify my identity."
"Alright, sir. I'll see you in a few days."
"Good luck, Remus."
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A/N: Please read and review. Let me know if you have any ideas. I'm not running short on them, but I'm always open to suggestion.