Disclaimer: This is the part where good people are honest and tell the truth…..
A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers! We appreciate everything and hope you enjoy this as much as you did the last chapters!
Blaze and Amaya
Previously…
"In the meantime, I think we need to speak to the Headmaster. Tell him what we saw." Remus added.
"I quite agree, Mr. Lupin." Came a voice from the doorway.
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Chapter Three:
The boys looked up, each startled to see the man previously mentioned standing in the doorway with an amused expression on his face.
"Professor!" James exclaimed in surprise. "Fancy seeing you here, eh?" he said, nodding to the surrounding Room of Requirement. (Dumbles found it when he needed a loo before, remember?)
"It's as much a surprise as seeing you, Mr. Potter. I expect your duties as Head Boy are going well?" the Headmaster asked, making his way over to an armchair by the fire and sitting down gracefully.
James smiled. "Couldn't be better. And could I take the time to congratulate you on your wonderful pick of a Head Girl?"
Dumbledore nodded and smiled knowingly. "Thank you, Mr. Potter. Now," he said, turning to the other boys in the room. Sirius, Remus, and Peter all smiled at him and attempted to look innocent. Unfortunately for that lot, they had lost that ability a long time ago. "Am I correct in assuming that you wanted a word with me about certain events that transpired earlier this evening?" At this, he looked pointedly at Remus. "Mr. Lupin, would you care to begin?"
Remus looked up at his Headmaster and role model. "I'm sorry, sir, but I don't really remember much of what happened…I can't help you."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very well. Do any of you remember? I know that each of you were there as well." he said, a twinkle in his eye.
The boys didn't even attempt figuring out how he knew they were animagi. Instead, Sirius launched into the story.
"Well, sir, we were with Rem, here, doing all the things that we normally do and steering him clear of any rule breakers that might be on the grounds, when Remus started acting all strange."
James picked up at this point. "Yeah, he started sniffing the air like he smelt something funny. We didn't even know what was happening before he bolted." he looked at Sirius again who took it as his cue to continue.
"Anyway, we started after him, but pretty soon he was out of sight. I tracked him…and when we got near enough we saw him lunging…at a girl who seemed to have appeared out of thin air."
"There was this lioness he was fighting. She looked pretty mean, she did." Peter piped up.
"I see. Please continue." Dumbledore nodded them on.
James nodded his compliance. "Well, the girl on the ground looked hurt, but I am pretty sure she was like that before, as Remus couldn't get past the lioness."
"It looked as if the lioness had been fighting for ages before we showed up. But it couldn't have been Remus she was fighting because he was with us all but 5 minutes. That lioness looked pretty tough and I doubt she would have worn out that fast." Sirius said, his admiration for the lioness girl showing. "Anyway, I stepped in to defend Remus, and James and Peter distracted him enough to lead him away. When they were gone, the lioness circled me before changing into a girl. She was an animagus, sir."
Dumbledore sat there in silence for a moment, seeming to absorb all the information. " I see. And what next?" he asked.
"I don't know, sir. She told me to go away and leave her friend alone. She seemed to recognize me and I left."
"Alright. Thank you, boys. That sure helps to take the mysterious edge off of some of the events of this evening. One last thing though, before I go, if you don't mind?" he said, smiling, although he did look a bit concerned.
"Yes, sir?" the boys said in unison.
"Well, for one, I suggest that Remus not worry. I know it was not him who attacked the girl. And for two, I think you should all get yourselves to bed. You do have classes in the morning, after all." he added, smiling to the boys.
"Alright, sir. And thank you." Remus said, looking visibly relaxed at the news that he wasn't an expected culprit.
"Oh, and Remus?" Dumbledore added as he took his leave.
"Yes?"
"Could I see you boys in my office shortly before breakfast in the morning? Don't worry yourself, it's just a little chat."
Remus gulped. "Yes sir. We'll be there bright and early."
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Hermione woke the next morning with a crook in her neck. Every time she attempted to move it, it would feel as if she were breaking it. Eventually, she got it to loosen up and she crawled out of her bed. She quietly peeked into Ginny's curtains to see if she had risen yet. Upon seeing that she hadn't, Hermione took it on herself to go to Madam Pomfrey's office. She needed to talk to the witch.
When a knock on the door earned her a very pleasant, 'Come in', Hermione gently pushed open the large oak door.
When she saw Hermione, Madam Pomfrey's eye's lit up. "Ah! I see you are up and at it this morning Ms…..?" Pomfrey said nicely.
Hermione smiled. "Granger. Hermione Granger. My friend out there is…." Hermione hesitated. Weasley was a well known name even in this time. If word were to get back to Molly and Arthur…it would be hard to tell what would happen. "Ginny. Ginny Wesly." She said, not changing Gin's surname too much, but not making it recognizable.
"Ah. Good morning then, Ms. Granger. What can I do for you while you are awaiting the Headmaster?"
Hermione smiled. "I would very much like some clothes and a shower, if that's at all possible. And I am sure my friend would as well."
Pomfrey smiled. " I would be happy to oblige. You just go ahead and use the guest shower, and there will be clothes waiting on you when you are finished. Your friend will have some as well."
"Thank you, ma'am." Hermione said, smiling politely. She then turned on her heel and headed back out the door. Ginny was sitting up in her bed, her curtains pushed back and inspecting the marks on her arms and legs very carefully.
"It's amazing! They're almost completely gone now. I think all I will have out of this is a scare on my arm and a bad day once a month!" Ginny said, as usual trying to make light of the serious situation. Her smile was only half there, though.
Hermione attempted to be cheery. "That's great. The scar part, I mean." she said, before going to Gin's bed and perching herself on the end of it. "Pomfrey said we could take showers and change clothes, if you are feeling up to it, of course."
Ginny beamed. "Absolutely! I don't' fancy being in this bed and in this gown much longer. Mum and Dad will be worried sick. Not to mention Harry and Ron."
Hermione felt bad for not telling Gin of her thoughts she had last evening when they were attacked by the second wolf. That dog had reminded her strongly of Sirius, and that Stag and that Rat? Surely they had to be more than a mere coincidence.
"Uh…right. Well, Dumbledore will be her in a bit. He wanted talk to us about something or other. I'll hurry, ok?"
Ginny nodded and Hermione went to the shower. She was out and changed in 10 minutes flat, and Ginny was out and ready in 7. Hermione looked at her in awe.
"What? I have 6 brothers and we all share a bathroom. You learn to get in and get done." she explained.
Hermione smiled.
A few seconds later, Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office and smiled at the girls. "Now, now, girls. You'd best get off your feet. The Headmaster will be here in a minute. He just floo'd to see if you were awake. Oh, and if you had any objections to him having a guest or two with him."
Ginny looked at Hermione, clearly expecting her family or Harry and Ron. Hermione on the other hand, had no idea who would be coming. They each nodded their consent.
"Very well, he should be here in…There you are now, Albus!" she beamed at the approaching Headmaster. He was flanked by 3 boys who were well hidden behind his tall frame.
"Ah, Poppy! You look radiant this morning ,as ever. And Ms. Granger and Wesly, I presume?" he said, nodding to the girls. Hermione felt Ginny begin to protest and gently elbowed her in the side.
"Yes, sir."
"Very well. We'd best get started then, as these three need to be off to class shortly. Mr.'s Lupin, Black, and Potter, this is Ms. Granger, and Ms. Wesly. I believe you met last evening."
Hermione felt Ginny's arm go limp and she looked at her to see her jaw dropped in surprise. She looked back the three introduced only to have her throat catch when she set eyes on Sirius.
He was there, right there, and he was as alive as ever. And he was quite the looker.
"Now. I believe, Ms. Wesly, that a very dreadful inconvenience happened upon you last night. I wish to apologize for that fully and take responsibility as it was on my grounds that you were infected."
Ginny nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"Wait, what do you mean, 'infected'?" A younger version of the Remus J. Lupin they knew stepped forward and asked, a look of worry and fear on his features.
Dumbledore looked at him gravely. "I am most unhappy to report that Ms. Wesly here was infact infected with the very same disease that you have, Mr. Lupin. She has Lycanthropy."
Remus paled rather visibly. Hermione and Ginny saw Sirius and James move forward to assist their troubled friend. When they touched him, however, he flinched and jerked away.
"Did I do this? You said I didn't do anything to her! You lied to me!" he said, shocking all in the room by yelling at the Headmaster.
Dumbledore frowned. "I told you correctly, Mr. Lupin. You are not the one who bit her. She was bitten before you came upon her. However, I do not wish to discuss the girls' orientation quite yet, so if you would please lower your voice and allow me to continue what I brought you here for?"
Remus lowered his eyes. "Sorry, sir."
"Very well." Dumbledore said, turning to Hermione and Ginny. "Ms. Wesly, as you might already be aware by our conversation, Mr. Lupin here does indeed suffer from the same ailment that you were so unfortunate to extract last night."
Ginny nodded. "Yes, sir. I gathered that."
Hermione smiled at the defiant tone in her friends' voice.
"As I do not recognize you at the present moment, I simply wished to ask that if you remained here at Hogwarts for an extended amount of time, that you enlist in the help of Mr. Lupin. He has experience and I am positive that he will do his best to aid you."
Ginny seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Yes sir. If I stay, I will indeed enlist in Mr. Lupin. That is, if it is alright with him, as you did not express the need to ask his opinion." she said rather shortly.
Dumbledore looked at her, seemingly thrilled, and Remus, Sirius, and James looked at her in awe. Remus was the first to speak.
"It will be my pleasure help you all I can Ms. Wesly." he smiled sheepishly.
Ginny smiled in return. "Thank you. And please, my name is Ginny. All this formality is suffocating."
"Alright, Ginny." Remus said, smiling at her once more. James and Sirius did as well.
"How wonderful! We have only one more bit of business to attend to with the boys then. This time it's about you, Ms. Granger."
Hermione looked up, startled. "Me, sir?" she asked.
'Yes. It has come to my attentions, and the attentions of the witnesses last evening, that you are indeed an animagus. Although I trust you already know how to do the thing, I must insist that you talk to these boys. Perhaps they can assist you may you need it?"
He looked at James and Sirius who were eyeing Hermione very closely. "That is, of course, with your permission." he added with an amused expression.
James and Sirius nodded. "Sure." Sirius said.
"Love to." James quipped.
Now it was Hermione's turn. She hesitated. She didn't know how she would handle seeing Sirius at such a close proximity again. Not wanting to offend, however, she quickly said yes.
"Great. Now that that's taken care of, you boys should be off to class." he said, and James, Remus, and Sirius said a polite goodbye and turned and exited the room.
"Now," Dumbledore said to the girls, "It seem's have something further to discuss, does it not?"