AN: waggles a finger at the people who put her on author alert and do not review I assure ya'll the review button is just as satisfying as checking that box!
Disclaimer: Ich besitze nicht Remus oder Hermione, aber ich besitze dieses schreckliche storyline.
Reviews: Thanks goes out to Captain Oblivious, LaurelinElentari, arena, mysticalecho, and hand3.
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Last Chapter: Remus was too busy pondering to hear Hermione's muffled words, "But can you protect yourself from me?"
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A soft glow emitted from Remus' watch as he punched a button in order to read the time. 4:37 A.M. it flashed back at him. Dumbledore had never given him an exact time of arrival, only saying he would be over in the early morning hours. Remus hoped it would be soon; the feeling of being exposed and unprotected had him on edge. Every sound he heard, every flicker of movement was Voldemort closing in.
Scanning the room, Remus' eyes fell on a nodding Hermione at his left. She had tucked her legs under her body and her arms were crossed. He had wondered if she could fall asleep again after early. He frowned at how uncomfortable her body seemed to be in the wing backed chair. Hermione's head drooped forward somewhat and her shoulders hunched. The couch would be better for her.
Carefully and quietly, Remus gathered Hermione up in his arms and laid her down on the aged couch's still firm cushions. She only stirred a bit when he had first disturbed her by getting her out of the armchair. Hermione shivered before stretching out into her newfound space; her mass of curls standing out against her pale face. Ever watchful, Remus shrugged off his outer robe and placed it over her, tucking it in around the edges.
Satisfied that she now was snug and resting, he returned to her former chair to further await Dumbledore's arrival. Remus relit his watch. 4:46 A.M. To think under two hours ago, he somehow managed to get a shaken up Hermione down the stairs. She had been rattled all right. After a bit of Transfiguring, Remus had produced a cup of steaming tea. Hermione could not even hold it without the cup tinkering against the saucer. Her eyes had held a far off look in them as she stared.
Remus had tried to gently prod her into telling him more about the nightmare of hers. Blatantly, she refused to divulge any more information. Hermione continued telling him about how he had looked and some others at Hogwarts. He did not push her in that direction as it was obvious it pained her to speak about it. She repeatedly denied knowing how it had happened or who had done it. In the dream, she simply showed up and everyone had turned into gruesome zombie-like shells. That was that.
Resisting the urge to yet again look at the time, Remus, needing to do something other than sit, crossed the room to the bay window. He glanced back one more time at Hermione's tranquil body before peering out onto the landscape.
Towering out in front of him was the thicket of trees that separated the house from the main road. Clouds obscured what little light the half moon gave off, occasionally throwing the scene into darkness. Remus knew without any light, he could easily follow the wooded path out onto the main road and arrive to the small village. He wondered whether the inhabitants would remember him. Although he had not been around the town in quite some time, Remus feared that perhaps some of them had a good memory.
A faint whiff penetrated through the musty house smell and interrupted his moment of thought. Its weak tones carried scents of musk and spices that only an exceedingly sensitive nose could have picked it up. Immediately, Remus recognized it as Lucius Malfoy's cologne. He nearly chocked on it every time he was near the man. With little movement, Remus extracted his wand from his back pocket. How had they found them so quickly?
Judging from the smell's direction, Malfoy must be lurking in the kitchen. Remus stealthily crept toward the entry of the kitchen. He passed Hermione still on the couch and debated whether to awaken her and tell her. Deciding against it, since not arousing her gave him the element of surprise, he pushed his back against the wall. Listening intently, he could only hear nasally breathing and the light tapping of a foot. He peered into the darkness of the other room. A lone shadowy figure stood near the doorway apparently looking off in the other direction, not even toward the living room.
After standing there for a few moments, Remus decided that it was now or never. Remus with overwhelming speed and agility easily overtook the other man. He twisted the other's right arm around his back, pushing him against an open spot on the kitchen wall with Remus' wand soon jabbed into the side of his neck. The other, caught so off guard, barely put up a fight except to flay wildly until Remus had him restrained.
"Who are you?" Remus demanded into his captive's ear, even though he already had an inkling.
"Fhainph!" stated the man.
"Huh?" Malfoy's answer came muffled and incoherent. Easing his grip on the man, Remus asked the question again. "Who are you?"
The reply, laced with ice and seething with undercurrents of anger, "Snape! Severus Snape, you idiot! Now get off of me!"
Instantly, Remus withdrew his wand and released Snape's arm. Look a little more than a bit disgruntled, Snape turned around to glare at Remus and proceeded to straighten out his robes, all the while muttering darkly under his breath. Slightly mortified, Remus wondered how he could have mistaken Snape for Lucius even if the he did smell like him.
"What are you doing sneaking around like, Severus? I could have killed you!"
"You're disappointed, I'm sure," Snape sneered. "I am accompanying the Headmaster here to put this assignment of yours in order. Merlin knows we can't have you messing this one up. Remember your mission in Rome, Remus? What a complete disaster."
Heat flared up in Remus' face and he fought hard to keep what he really thought about Snape from pouring out of his mouth. Thankfully, a voice from the living room saved him from having to answer.
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A muffled thud jarred Hermione from the light sleep she had been drifting into. Peering around, she found someone, obviously Remus, had moved her to the couch and covered her. Hermione pushed herself to a sitting position, yawning a bit. She pulled the robe, which she at once noticed to be Remus', closer to her. The moon, now shining lower in the sky, illuminated the empty room. Fear raising her heart at such realization, Hermione reasoned with herself, Maybe he's just in another room. He hasn't left me…he's not dead…
The last thought chilled her more than the frosty air in the room. Keeping calm, she pulled Remus' robe over the white gown Pomfrey had dressed her in and moved toward the stairs. Remus was carrying his wand, she found out relieved, since it was not in his robe's pockets. Placing a hand on the banister, she looked back suddenly from the stairs at the sound of another noise. This one from the kitchen. Hermione leaned over to peek into the dim room. She rolled her eyes at her own foolishness. There stood Remus, outlined against the light from a window.
"Remus," Hermione began as she passed through the threshold into the kitchen, "what—"
She stopped short when she spotted another person in the room. Upon closer inspection, that person turned out to be an irritated-looking Potions Master. His mouth set in a mean line while he looked her over before returning to glower at Remus. Her former DADA professor appeared just as thrilled to see the other.
"What are you doing here, Professor? I thought the Headmaster was the one coming," Hermione said, standing in front of them both.
"As I was telling Lupin after he manhandled me, I am helping with the Order business here. Albus should be along soon," Snape checked his watch. "He said he might be a little late. There's been some disturbances in London needing a look into."
"I thought you were Malfoy," Remus said, quick to defend his actions. "I smelled his cologne and assumed he somehow found our whereabouts. I wasn't going to stand there and wait for him to attack."
"You smelled Lucius' cologne on me from another room? I've only been around the man for a few hours today. Complete waste of my time, the man is clueless about any prophecy or just putting on an act." Snape smirked, "Perhaps I could get your expert opinion on where my essence of menthol has went to. You could simply sniff it out for me."
Remus' jaw worked up and down. Both men stood on strained terms ever since the death of Sirius. Not that Snape's words helped the situation. Looking to avoid an explosion from Remus, Hermione placed a hand on his arm to calm him. He looked down at her face. "He's not worth it and you know it," she whispered, "He just wants a rise out of you; don't give it to him."
She felt him relax a bit and she gave him a reassuring smile. Turning her attention back to the dark-haired man, Hermione bit back a few choice words. Why did he have to torment Remus so? Did he not see that Remus did that enough to himself? She hoped she could keep these two off each other long enough for the Headmaster to get here.
"Wise beyond your years aren't you, Miss Granger."
Remus prickled again. Needing to get out of this disaster waiting to happen, Hermione tugged him toward the living room. "Let's go sit down to wait. I think it's a bit warmer in here."
"Are you cold?" asked Remus as the trio moved into the front room.
"How could she be, Lupin? I'm sure you provided her with the least tattered robe you owned. Less than seven patches on this one, I see. Must be a sort of treasured item for you," muttered Snape.
"What was that?" retorted Remus.
Snape stared mockingly at the sandy-haired man from his chair. "I'm sure you heard me correctly."
"Severus," Remus said in a deadly tone, "I have never been anything other than courteous to you. I don't know why you persist –"
Hermione noticed Remus had buttoned his shirtsleeves and began to roll them up. Both held their wands in death grips and trained in the general direction of each other. All of this was becoming ridiculous and immature.
"Always playing a pity party, aren't you –"
"- you were always the one who was aloof. It wasn't me –"
"Oh, don't start on being standoffish, Lupin. You and you're friends –"
"Stop! Stop it this instant, both of you!" Hermione shouted. "Just like a bunch of first years, pointing fingers. I don't want to hear it. Both of you have equal blame. Do grow up!"
Remus looked away from Snape and down at his hands, a little ashamed. The black-eye wizard shut up to Hermione's satisfaction, but a smug expression hung on his lips, giving him the look of a winner. After her outburst, the room fell into a waiting silence, only broken by a few "yes" or "no" questions by Snape. "Had everything gone all right?" Hermione quickly answered "yes" to that one in order to avoid explaining about the dream; she caught Remus eye and he understood. "Anything unusual, other than him?" No. "Is there any tea worth drinking around to be made?" No, unless you decided to Transfigure something.
At the mention of tea, Hermione's stomach involuntarily growled loudly, causing some stares. She had not realized how hunger she had become, and suddenly wondered if she was going to be like that for the next seven months. Butterflies fluttered across her empty stomach as she recalled that fact. All the excitement of Snape's abrupt appearance had shoved that from her muddled mind. A sharp crash from upstairs brought Hermione out of her thoughts and her seat. All three jumped to their feet to see who or what made mincemeat out of the upper rooms.