Sirius rapped on the door lightly and shifted the small bag draped over his
shoulder. Harry tried to peer inside one of the windows, but it was too
dark to make anything out besides a large grandfather clock on the opposite
wall. He saw Hermione yawn out of the corner of his eye and it somehow
made him realize how exhausted he himself was. She wiped away the yawn-
tears from her eyes and Harry smiled.
"Come on, I know you have to stay the whole night with me, but you don't have to cry," he chided.
"I'm not crying, shut up," she laughed.
Soft footsteps approached them and the door opened. Remus Lupin's tired, aged eyes caught Sirius's and they both smiled.
"About time you showed up. I was getting worried," Remus said. He looked towards Harry and winked.
"Yes well, we've had a bit of a change in the plan." Sirius motioned toward Hermione. One of Remus's thick eyebrows rose curiously when he noticed her standing there. She pursed her lips and shrugged, as if to say it wasn't really her fault that she was there on his doorstep in the first place.
"The more the merrier," Remus said as he relieved Hermione of her bag. "Come on inside, all of you."
Harry wasn't sure why, but he loved the smell of Lupin's house. It was like the rusty old smell of a basement, without the moldiness. As the other walked away, Harry inhaled deeply, feeling as if some terrific memory should accompany the scent of the aged house, but no matter how many times he breathed it in, he couldn't quite figure out what his mind was trying to recollect.
He was so distracted, Harry wasn't watching where Lupin, Sirius and Hermione had gone. The foyer had closed doors on the left and right, a staircase leading upwards and a hallway ahead leading into the kitchen. He was then bewildered to discover that the room was lit quite well, because he was able to read the unearthly late hour on the grandfather clock. Harry almost went back outside to assure himself it was a magical charm on the windows to make them look dark despite the brightness inside, but he heard something from upstairs.
"Harry? You awake down there?" Lupin called. "Come on up!"
He pulled his trunk and Hedwig's empty cage up the stairs (he had let her loose at the beginning of their journey to hunt for whatever she pleased).
Remus bowed him into the second room to the right. There were two twin beds so close they almost touched. Hermione's bag was draped over the one furthest from the door. Harry set the cage down in the corner and pulled the trunk up to the side of his bed, sat down on the downy mattress, and opened it the trunk
"Oh, no need to unpack now," Lupin said lightly, "I've got food in the kitchen."
"Actually, they've both had a very long day," Sirius said. "It might be best if they get some rest." Harry couldn't have been more gratuitous towards his godfather for saying that. It took all of Harry's energy to keep his head from falling onto the pillow.
"Thank you so much," Hermione said to Remus as he and Sirius headed for the door.
"Of course," he answered. He nodded toward the door near Hermione. "There's a bathroom through that door there, and the closet is the other door. Oh, and don't open the windows, they have charms on them to keep muggles from seeing inside." Lupin smiled in a fatherly way at them both. "So, I suppose I'll talk to you in the morning?"
"Sure, goodnight," Harry said, and Sirius and Lupin left, closing the wooden door softly behind them.
Harry opened his trunk the rest of the way and opened the laundry bag that held his pajamas. He tugged his shirt over his head and let it drop to the floor in a heap. Then, remembering with embarrassment that Hermione was in the room, Harry pulled on his nightshirt quickly as she disappeared into the bathroom.
He didn't bother himself with anything else besides blowing out the candle, and climbed in between the soft covers of the bed. He felt as if his neck and shoulders had never been properly relaxed before, and his foot finally stopped aching from the fracture he had gotten earlier that day.
It doesn't even seem like everything happened today, Harry thought to himself. It's only been one day. . . and how many times have I nearly died?
He had almost forgotten everything in his exhaustion, everything about The Visit. It was nice to forget. Harry wished he could just fall asleep, and not wake up, to keep from facing the difficult road he knew was ahead of him.
He saw the room light up through his closed eyes as Hermione opened the bathroom door, and then it got dark again as she shut it. He felt her presence as she climbed into the adjacent bed.
"Goodnight, Harry," she said softly.
He had to shift his head so that his mouth wasn't facing the pillow. "'night 'Mione," he mumbled sleepily. The room became slightly darker as clouds blocked the moon and Harry felt himself drift into a dream.
"I love you," he heard.
His eyes opened slowly and he turned towards Hermione, but she was facing the other wall and she breathed deeply.
That was odd, he thought to himself. He shut his eyes and went to sleep.
"Come on, I know you have to stay the whole night with me, but you don't have to cry," he chided.
"I'm not crying, shut up," she laughed.
Soft footsteps approached them and the door opened. Remus Lupin's tired, aged eyes caught Sirius's and they both smiled.
"About time you showed up. I was getting worried," Remus said. He looked towards Harry and winked.
"Yes well, we've had a bit of a change in the plan." Sirius motioned toward Hermione. One of Remus's thick eyebrows rose curiously when he noticed her standing there. She pursed her lips and shrugged, as if to say it wasn't really her fault that she was there on his doorstep in the first place.
"The more the merrier," Remus said as he relieved Hermione of her bag. "Come on inside, all of you."
Harry wasn't sure why, but he loved the smell of Lupin's house. It was like the rusty old smell of a basement, without the moldiness. As the other walked away, Harry inhaled deeply, feeling as if some terrific memory should accompany the scent of the aged house, but no matter how many times he breathed it in, he couldn't quite figure out what his mind was trying to recollect.
He was so distracted, Harry wasn't watching where Lupin, Sirius and Hermione had gone. The foyer had closed doors on the left and right, a staircase leading upwards and a hallway ahead leading into the kitchen. He was then bewildered to discover that the room was lit quite well, because he was able to read the unearthly late hour on the grandfather clock. Harry almost went back outside to assure himself it was a magical charm on the windows to make them look dark despite the brightness inside, but he heard something from upstairs.
"Harry? You awake down there?" Lupin called. "Come on up!"
He pulled his trunk and Hedwig's empty cage up the stairs (he had let her loose at the beginning of their journey to hunt for whatever she pleased).
Remus bowed him into the second room to the right. There were two twin beds so close they almost touched. Hermione's bag was draped over the one furthest from the door. Harry set the cage down in the corner and pulled the trunk up to the side of his bed, sat down on the downy mattress, and opened it the trunk
"Oh, no need to unpack now," Lupin said lightly, "I've got food in the kitchen."
"Actually, they've both had a very long day," Sirius said. "It might be best if they get some rest." Harry couldn't have been more gratuitous towards his godfather for saying that. It took all of Harry's energy to keep his head from falling onto the pillow.
"Thank you so much," Hermione said to Remus as he and Sirius headed for the door.
"Of course," he answered. He nodded toward the door near Hermione. "There's a bathroom through that door there, and the closet is the other door. Oh, and don't open the windows, they have charms on them to keep muggles from seeing inside." Lupin smiled in a fatherly way at them both. "So, I suppose I'll talk to you in the morning?"
"Sure, goodnight," Harry said, and Sirius and Lupin left, closing the wooden door softly behind them.
Harry opened his trunk the rest of the way and opened the laundry bag that held his pajamas. He tugged his shirt over his head and let it drop to the floor in a heap. Then, remembering with embarrassment that Hermione was in the room, Harry pulled on his nightshirt quickly as she disappeared into the bathroom.
He didn't bother himself with anything else besides blowing out the candle, and climbed in between the soft covers of the bed. He felt as if his neck and shoulders had never been properly relaxed before, and his foot finally stopped aching from the fracture he had gotten earlier that day.
It doesn't even seem like everything happened today, Harry thought to himself. It's only been one day. . . and how many times have I nearly died?
He had almost forgotten everything in his exhaustion, everything about The Visit. It was nice to forget. Harry wished he could just fall asleep, and not wake up, to keep from facing the difficult road he knew was ahead of him.
He saw the room light up through his closed eyes as Hermione opened the bathroom door, and then it got dark again as she shut it. He felt her presence as she climbed into the adjacent bed.
"Goodnight, Harry," she said softly.
He had to shift his head so that his mouth wasn't facing the pillow. "'night 'Mione," he mumbled sleepily. The room became slightly darker as clouds blocked the moon and Harry felt himself drift into a dream.
"I love you," he heard.
His eyes opened slowly and he turned towards Hermione, but she was facing the other wall and she breathed deeply.
That was odd, he thought to himself. He shut his eyes and went to sleep.