DISCLAIMER:
I dont own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does.

"Firs' years this way!" Hagrid called over the crowd as the students dismounted the train.

Hermione smiled as she thought that she'd at least have Hagrid to talk to this year. She stepped out of the train and onto the ground followed by the four others in the compartment. They all walked to horseless carriages almost manually and something made Hermione and Ginny stop suddenly.

"What are those creatures?" Ginny said, looking astounded.

"Uhh, I think those are Thestrals, Ginny, you know, what we rode on two years ago." Hermione replied back.

"Oh, you can see them now as well?" Luna asked in her dreamy voice.

"Uh, yeah, I think I can." Hermione said.

She wondered why she could, and then thought back to that night three months ago. She had seen one of the death eaters die, and so had Ginny.

"Quite interesting aren't they?" asked Lupin as he came up behind them all. "Now hurry up into the carriage or else they'll leave without you."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Ginny asked him.

"No, I must speak with Hagrid for a moment," he said with sigh. "But hopefully I'll speak with you all again soon." He added as he whisked away.

Ginny and Hermione boarded the carriage still in bewilderment over the Thestrals, and sat down.

The coach took them jaggedly, but nicely up to the castle. Hermione look out the window and up at Hogwarts, where she had so many memories stored away, of good and bad. She sighed and unexpectedly remembered that this was her final year here and that she needed to make it count.

She then looked around at the people sitting in the compartment with her and realized that all of them had been through things that they didn't have to go through because of their loyalty to the greater good, and Harry. She suspected that they all would be living simple lives, including herself, if they hadn't met Harry, but she figured it was worth it because Harry was her greatest friend, and they had been through quite a lot together.

Pondering all these things must have made her lose time because by the time she looked up; Neville was just leaving the carriage.

Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna made their way up to the castle and entered through the huge doors into the entrance hall. Hermione could smell the scent of crisp apple pie being baked and licked her lips in satisfying hunger. She could tell that the others were thinking the same way as well from the looks on their faces. But the look wouldn't last for very much longer, because Professor McGonnagal called their names out as they were walking into the great hall.

"Mrs. Granger, Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. Lovegood, and Mr. Longbottom, please come with me for a moment." She motioned them to follow her. "Everyone else, please take a seat in the great hall. Mr. Flitwick will be with you in a moment."

The four followed her for five minutes as she walked them up the stairs to Dumbledores old office.

"Tawny Whiskers." She said directly to the stone gargoyle, who moved aside quickly so all five of them could get onto the moving stairs.

When they got to the top of the stairs, they came into Dumbledores office, now Professor McGonnagals, to find twenty witches and wizards sitting around talking softly.

"I would like you to please sit down students and I will be with you as soon as I can. But in the meanwhile, please, listen to the meeting. You might find much of the information to be fulfilling to your needs. Please start if you may Remus." Professor McGonnagal said as she turned on her heal to leave.

"Er….ok…." Lupin muttered as he stood up. He straightened himself out, and then started to speak. "Today, I myself, as well as Minerva, have asked you here to discuss the future of our organization and the well being of Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. As you all know, a great and powerful man, Dumbledore, was taken from us three months ago. And as I hope you have learned, the man that killed him was Severus Snape."

There were a few gasps out of the twenty. Obviously some people did not know how he died yet.

"Also," he continued. "These four magnificent students are in major danger and will need extra protection this year to keep them safe from harm."

This time the gasps came from Hermione and the others. They each looked at each other in shock. "Why were we in danger?" Hermione thought to herself. Apparently the others were thinking along the same lines because Ginny then stood up and spoke.

"What do you mean we need protection? What's out to get us?" She asked, alarmingly.

"The Order has agreed that each of you will get a trained witch or wizard to give you private lessons in defense magic to protect yourself." He said calmly.

"So are we in danger or something." She retorted back.

"Yes, I must admit that you are. Voldermort and his followers know who you are now and stop at nothing to make sure that you can't stop him in his path to Harry. So you must be trained, you must. It's not a matter of extra lessons; it's a matter of life or death. So it is required this year for you to be safe. Do you all understand?" he replied back.

They all looked at each other and silently agreed by nodding their heads at Lupin.

"Good, well, here are your assigned teachers. Ginny, you will be taught by Alastor Moody." He said to Ginny

"Meet me on Thursday night at 8:00 in the unused charms classroom, and don't be late." Moody grunted at Ginny as his magical eye swizzled around madly.

Ginny nodded at him and then looked over at Hermione with a nervous look on her face.

"Luna," Lupin continued. "You will be with Kingsley Shacklebolt, at 6:00 on Tuesdays."

He indicated to the strongly built black man that sat in the corner. He nodded at her and she gave a small nod back looking pleased.

"Neville you shall be with Nymphadora Tonks. She is down at the feast now, due to her new position as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but she expects you tomorrow at 7:00 in her office. You know where that is, right?" he said to Neville.

"Uhh, yes Professor Lupin." Neville garbled.

"And that leaves Hermione Granger…..you are to be with me on Friday nights at 8:30. Meet me in the entrance hall at that time on Friday and we will discuss a place to meet. Is that alright?" Lupin said as he stared into Hermione's eyes.

"Yes. It's alright." She said, staring him right back.

"Good. Well if that is all, you four may be excused to go back to the feast." He added as a final word.

They all got up and walked out of the office back to the great hall.

"I can't believe we're in danger." Neville said in distress.

"Oh it's gonna be alright Neville. Tonks will be a great tutor. Besides, it will be like extra help in the DADA class, so you might get a better grade on your N.E.W.T. this year." Ginny said kindly to him.

"Ugh, don't remind me about those." He said as they took seats at the Gryffindor table.

Luna went off to her own table and looked back with her eyes round as ever to give one last smile before tomorrow.

"Yum! I'm starving." Ginny muttered as she stuffed food into her mouth.

But Hermione wasn't eating. She was thinking of Lupin and their lessons together. And it didn't get any better when she went to bed. Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured him for some absurd reason. She didn't have feelings for him and why wasn't she thinking of Ron?

"I just have to get to sleep." She muttered to herself. "Just snap out of it Hermione."

"Shut up and go to sleep!" Lavender Brown hollered at her.

"Oh if she only knew." Hermione thought to herself. "If she only knew about me and Ron she wouldn't be talking to me like that at all."

Then she fell gracefully to sleep.

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