Waking Up

Disclaimer: dude, I didn't own it in the last chapter, I don't own it now, and I won't own it in any of the coming chapters. I don't even know why this is necessary!

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Remus woke the next morning to a dull throbbing in his neck. He opened his eyes and tried to sit, but then he noticed the girl- no, the young woman- asleep on his chest. He smiled, remembering the nights events. He fell back onto the couch, resting one arm across his face, shielding his eyes from the sun and the other stroked her hair. He sighed, simply basking in the sweet contentment he felt.

Hermione was startled awake when she felt a hand in her hair. She kept her eyes closed, the previous events coming back to her. Maybe if she just stayed like this, he wouldn't push her away again...

"I know you're awake Hermione," Remus finally said.

Hermione sighed. "I'll get up..." she said grudgingly.

"I don't think so. You're staying right here," he said, pressing his hand into her back.

"But- breakfast..."

"Can wait," Remus finished, "Just stay for a while."

Hermione smiled. "Kay..."

They stayed like that for an eternity, it seemed, before they finally rose for the day. It was the day of the full moon, so they had a lot to prepare. Remus had to take his last dose of Wolfsbane and Hermione had to prepare the basement for him. Before they knew it, the transformation was upon them. Hermione chained him to the stone wall in the basement, apologizing thoroughly. She left him there, sending him one last reassuring smile before exiting the large room.

That night, as she lie on the couch listening to Remus' screams of pain, she cried. Not for herself, but for her love, and the agony he has been forced to deal with for the majority of his life. When his screams finally subsided and the house was thrown into one of the eeriest silences Hermione had ever witnessed- second only to the silence after Voldemort was defeated- she decided to go through his library.

She selected one specific book that had no writing on the front, but was bound in Italian leather with a gold filligree tree on it. She opened it to the front and saw the title: "The Lupin Geneology". She smiled, flipping through it until she reached toward the back, where she saw a picture of Remus. And then she saw the dates underneath it- "1812- ??". There was no death date, and the picture was unmistakably Remus Lupin. It even had his biology right. "Afflicted with lycanthropy... recently aided in the defeat of Lord Voldemort..." and so on.

"What is this about?" she asked nobody in particular, "What does this mean?"

She decided to spend the rest of the night looking up everything she could find on lycanthropy. She found countless insignificant pieces of information, but one thing in particular seemed entirely too relevant. "Those affected by lycanthropy are practically immortal. Once they hit their early to late twenties they cease to age completely. Contrary to popular muggle beliefs, silver does not kill a werewolf, nor does it affect them in any negative manner. The only way to kill a werewolf is to... is to..." Hermione's head hit the desk and she drifted into slumber.

She awoke the next day when Remus stormed into the room, looking incredibly tired, and slammed her book closed. He was glaring down at her in a way that she had never seen him glare at her before. She swallowed air and prepared to defend herself in any way, shape, or form.

"What did you find?" he asked simply.

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SO? What did you think? Did that not just put the perfect little twist on things? Tee hee! You have no idea how much fun it is to write these things! If you do not already write fanfiction, then I highly recommend registering yourself and getting to it! Review as always! Merci beaucoup! Alors... a' bientot!