A/N: Thanks to James Milamber for agreeing to Beta this for me! How cool is that? He's the one that gets me writing again, one of my favorite authors, and NOW my beta! Whoot! Now, if you've not read his story, GO READ IT! Go read it! Go! Go…after you read this chapter that is (grin)

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"Something's going on, Headmaster." Sitting across from Dumbledore, Remus Lupin leaned forward a bit in an unconscious display of earnestness. "I don't know what, but something is going on."

"With who, Remus?"

"Hermione…Harry. I'm not quite sure. I went to visit Hermione a few days ago, and I could tell she wasn't quite telling the whole truth." At this, Dumbledore nodded and popped a lemon drop in his mouth after silently proffering the tin to his former student, and colleague.

"Mm, well, I'm afraid it's not quite as simple as meeting with her. Miss Gr—Hermione is quite proficient in occulumency." Remus blinked once, and leaned back in his chair.

"Why would Hermione need to learn occulumency?"

"If she were afraid to reveal something, obviously. We must wonder if Harry told her the prophecy…"

"…or if it's something else."

"Precisely. I do trust Hermione; otherwise I would not have let her into the Order. However, it may be prudent to check up on things, I believe." Remus nodded, a bit disconcerted simply because he wanted to be able to trust Harry's best friend, but as his own history had proved, one could not trust another simply because they seemed to be a friend. "I believe Tonks and yourself would be a good team for this particular project, while the rest of us now work on locating Severus." With that, Dumbledore nodded at Remus and got up to walk across to Fawkes, and the werewolf knew that he was dismissed.

Taking it with good grace, he got to his feet, and exited the room, his thoughts already on exactly how they would go about trying to find out what Hermione happened to be hiding. Maybe a visit to Harry was due. It was due anyways, Moony, he told himself sternly. He was the last remaining Marauder and Harry was the only Marauder child (that he knew of, at least. Sirius had got around a bit). He wasn't exactly a child anymore, but he was a man that had lost his wife, and both of them he held close to his heart.

Rubbing at his face to try and brush away the tiredness that seemed present more and more as the years went on and the war escalated, Lupin nodded at McGonagall as he headed to the Entrance Hall, and as soon as he was outside of the wards, he Disapparated with a pop. Seconds later he was on Harry's front porch, knocking at the door, and sneezing from the particular brand of magic that Harry had used. He was extremely sensitive to some spells.

No one answered immediately, so he knocked again, and after a moment, just as he was getting ready to leave, Harry came to the door, running a hand through his hair, and looking thoroughly perturbed. "Profess-Remus!" Remus could tell the smile he was favored with was a bit forced, and decided this was obviously a bad time, but before he could say anything, in an uncharacteristic move from Harry, he was grabbed by the hand and dragged into the house.

His eyes shifting around, Harry carefully closed the door, and turned to his former Professor. "Do…I…" Exhaling hard, Harry ran his fingers through his hair again, and smiled distractedly at Lupin. "I'm sorry. Welcome, Remus. Its good to see you."

"Thank you, Harry. I came to see how you were doing." A raised brow indicated what he thought the answer would be, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

"How do you think I'm doing, Professor? I lost my wife and then my best male friend? I'm just positively jumping for joy." The words were cold, and he regretted them instantly. "Sorry. I'm just a bit off…some weird things have been happening here lately."

"Its alright, Harry. Do you need to talk about it?" Just then it felt like something freezing had settled near his neck, and he felt his jacket being tugged on. Startled, Lupin whirled around only to see nothing, and Harry gave a mirthless laugh.

"Why talk about it when you've just witnessed it yourself? I've not seen anything…but I think…I think I'm being haunted, Professor."

Remus was disconcerted enough that he didn't gently rebuke Harry for calling him Professor, instead he just turned back around, and pulled his suit jacket closed around him. "Ah, yes. I do see what you mean…a spot of tea perhaps?"

"The cure-all." A bit of a grin tugged half-heartedly at Harry's lips and he led the way to the kitchen, talking as he went. "If I could see the…who ever is haunting me, it would be a bit different, but I can't. I mean, I've saw glimpses, but never enough to know for sure, and I don't know why anyone would choose this place to haunt. There's only one person that I could think of that would have an attachment to this place, and she's gone on…" He trailed off, and his eyes widened. "Professor…"

"Remus, Harry."

"Ah, sorry." Pointing his wand at the teapot, he murmured the correct incantation, and a few seconds later was pouring tea into the cups already setting on the table. It was only after both of them had been served, and were sitting at the table, that he continued. "Do you think that it could be Ginny? If so, why hasn't she shown herself to me? Why…why would she have stayed? What unfinished business could she have had?"

Sympathy filled Remus, and he had to gather his thoughts as he took a sip of his tea. Eventually, he spoke a bit more softly than usual. "Its possible that she could have stayed on, Harry. Ginny didn't…she didn't die a peaceful death. That is a big part of a spirit staying to become a ghost, I believe. As for unfinished business, I can't really answer that, Harry. That's something only she would know."

/He always was one of the smarter people./ From her position watching the both of them, still invisible, Ginny listened with a smile that was sometimes tinged with sadness as they discussed her. /Far from a peaceful death, I still can't believe Hermione…/ She took a deep, completely unnecessary breath, and sent up a prayer to whoever up there was listening about Hermione. She knew that the bushy-haired girl was interested in Harry, and she also knew that Harry had already spent a night in her arms. That much was obvious from her dear husband's habit of talking in his sleep at times. It had started in sixth year, more talking than screaming. She wasn't exactly sure if it was some type of weird spell that he'd put on himself, but she wouldn't have put it past him. She also knew how guilty he felt about it, and that was one thing she intended to change.

If he could bring Hermione back, then the two of them would probably be quite good together. /The mutual pity-parties and all./ She gasped out loud just then. /Oh Merlin! I'm channeling Snape!/ Her mischievous laughter filled the air, but it quieted quickly as she noticed that Remus and Harry were now looking in her direction. /Well, I do gather that's my cue to 'come out'/ Brushing her fingers through her hair, and laughing quietly at herself as she realized the unnecessary vanity, Ginny drew on the magic around her, and allowed herself to materialize as she glided slowly over to Harry. "Hello, Harry."

He closed his eyes quickly, face paling, and Lupin immediately stood, coming around the table to lay a hand on the young man's shoulder before turning his attention back to Ginny. "Hello Ginny."

"Professor Lupin." She gave him a kind smile, and he groaned.

"Not you, too."

"Sorry, Pro…Remus." She continued over until she was standing near Harry, and then she spoke softly to her 'former' husband. "Harry? Look at me." Within the minute, Harry opened his eyes, and the sheer pain she saw radiating from them made her wish that she'd not materialized. Not let him known that she hadn't yet moved on.

"Ginny?" He swallowed hard.

"Yes, Harry." Tears trickled down his cheeks, and he reach out a hand to her, trying to grasp her own, and it clenched when as expected, he was unable to make contact with solid flesh. "Oh, Harry…" She knelt down so that she was eye level with him. "I love you."

"I'll…ah…just go in the other room for a bit, shall I?" The graying Order member said, and when it was obvious neither of his former students were paying attention to him, immediately went into the living room, and made a production of turning on the WWN and turning it up a bit to drown out all other sounds from the other rooms in the house.

"Ginny…" He whispered again, and she smiled at him. "I…why are you…why did you…?"

"Why am I here? Why did I stay?" He nodded mutely, and she put a bit of energy into brushing his hair back from his brow, which was as much magic as it was will. Ghosts normally couldn't just move and touch things, unless they were extremely determined, and had been magical when they were alive.

"Because I needed to know you'd be okay, and because I had some things to finish up."

When he started to ask what, she shook her head. "That's something you don't need to worry about, Harry." It was so hard not to call him love, or sweetheart, or any of the other names she'd loved to call him when she was alive. She knew it would do no good to follow even a more than remote semblance of their former relationship. Harry needed to accept that she was gone from his life in the most important ways. /Plus, when he remarries, I don't think Hermione would take too kindly to a ghostly ex-wife, even if it was Ginny, hanging around./ "Some things are meant to be kept private."

He swallowed hard again, and murmured "I wish I could touch you." And tears came to her own eyes, something that surprised her until she remembered Moaning Myrtle.

"Harry, I'm worried about you. I know what you've been up to, and it scares me."

"How do you –"

"You still talk in your sleep, love." The endearment slipped out from between her lips before she could stop it, but she was reassured that no "light" came to his eyes from it. Instead they darkened, as he thought about what exactly she had heard.

"I'm not really…" His eyes darted around, looking for Remus, but then he registered the music coming in from the other room, but still mouthed the rest of it. "…a traitor, Gin." His voice went up to a normal level. "I'm just intent on destroying that bastard who did this to you."

"Voldemort?"

"Who else?" He gave her a strange look of confusion, and she hid a sigh of relief. That particular bridge between Harry and Hermione would have to be crossed solely between the two of them.

He didn't notice that she had dismissed his traitor remark; instead he moved on to another subject that was on his mind. "Have I talked about Hermione?"

"About the fact that she's…" It was Ginny's turn to mouth something, " a Death Eater, or the fact that you've slept with her?" He paled even further, dropping his eyes, and started breathing hard. A giggle came to her lips and she started to try and rub his back, but then stopped, realizing it would exhaust her too soon. "Harry, I don't mind that you've been intimate with her," she said truthfully, and when his eyes latched onto hers, she continued. "We aren't married anymore. I'm dead, Harry. Hermione is one of your best friends, there's no one else's hands I'd prefer to have you in. I know, given the chance, she'd love you and take good care of you." /If she doesn't love you already./ "About the other thing? People do that for various reasons," she gave him a look that spoke volumes, "as you well know." Then she changed the subject to a safer ground, one that was fairly acceptable when there were other ears around, especially werewolf ears. "Anyways, Harry, I'm not going to be around forever, as soon as I make sure some things are on the way like I hope, I'm going to move on."

"You can do that?" He asked, making a conscious effort to be normal sounding.

She gave him a look that would have made the Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher proud, and drifted into the living room to get Remus' attention. When he noticed her, she smiled and went over to him. "How are you?"

"I've been better." He said with a smile.

"Mm," Her eyes raked over him. "I can see that. Are you still taking the Wolfsbane?"

"I was, but…Severus has gone missing, and he was one of the only Potion Masters skilled enough to make the potion, not to mention the only one that I could afford to get it from, besides you…and obviously I can no longer get it from you?"

She raised a brow. "Are you so sure of that?"

The former professor found himself at a loss for words as she asked him to turn off the radio, and then when he had done so, called for Harry to come join them. "Harry, if I guided you through a potion, do you think you could do it? It's a bit hard, but I have faith in you."

"Er...yeah."

"Good! Then lets go see if you have enough fresh ingredients to make the Wolfsbane potion, eh?"

"WOLFSBANE?" He shouted, and she grinned at him.

"I told you it was a bit hard."

"Mental," he muttered, and she would have thwacked him on the head if it wouldn't have wasted energy. Instead she settled for telling him to stop channeling Ron, before she realized the pain it would bring to his eyes. Luckily, Lupin saved the moment, by asking if they should go ahead then. Mentally shaking himself, Harry nodded and led the way to the cabinet where he kept his potion supplies.

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TBC… (review, please? beg)