Chapter 16 - Halloween (Year 3)
On October thirty-first, Halloween, was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year. Unfortunately, Harry's relatives hadn't signed his permission form to let him go. Also, Luna was too young to go to the village. In addition, the Pokemon guards were an uncomfortable unknown. With all of these factors, Hermione decided it would be for the best if she didn't go to the village.
Instead of going to the village, Hermione decided to accompany Harry to visit Professor Lupin for tea. To Hermione, the invitation for tea was suspicious considering the track record of their previous Battle Class teachers. If nothing else, she would be present to help her friend, if necessary.
When they arrived at Professor Lupin's office, and were ushered inside, the professor had the tea service out, and he invited them to help themselves. Once they were all settled, Professor Lupin started talking, his focus almost entirely on Harry.
"Harry, I had hoped to tell you this one on one, but I see now that is highly unlikely to happen," Professor Lupin glanced at Hermione for a split second before returning his focus onto Harry. He took a deep breath before saying, "I knew your parents," in a rush.
All three people in the room froze after that declaration. Professor Lupin from the expected explosion from Harry, and the two teens from the shock the news caused.
"Really?" Harry eventually broke the silence in a small voice.
"Yes," Professor Lupin responded, just as quietly. "They were good friends of mine."
"Why didn't you ever come visit me?" Harry's voice showed some vulnerability, Hermione observed.
"I couldn't." The professor held up a hand to signal that he wasn't finished, yet. "The government prohibited anyone, whether they knew your parents or not, from contacting you. Your location until you came to Hogwarts and where you stay over the summer is a state secret. Only the highest government officials have access to the knowledge. After I grieved for your parents, I tried looking for you. I searched the entire region. I even started looking for you outside of the region. That is part of the reason why I haven't been around for the last two years. I was looking for you, but then I got the news that you had come to Hogwarts, so I came here to see you. I had hoped to tell you earlier, but I wanted to do it in private, so here we are. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."
Harry sat quietly for a while. Hermione, on the other hand, had to bite her tongue to stop herself from asking questions. Eventually, Harry accepted Professor Lupin's apology and explanation. Then, the professor spent the rest of the afternoon regaling the two students with stories about Harry's parents.
Later that evening, after dinner, Hermione was walking with Neville up to their dorms. They noticed that the closer they got to their dorm, the more crowded the hallways grew. There was much grumbling from the older students about it. As they neared the entrance, they heard a commotion.
"Black wasn't very happy to be denied entrance!" A voice cackled. "The Jynx got chased off and the portrait destroyed!"
As those words were being mulled over by the students, some of the teachers came running. The teachers quickly got a hold of the situation and directed the students back towards the Great Hall.
Once in the Great Hall, it was discovered by the students that the tables and benches had been pushed up against the walls and the floor was covered in enough sleeping bags for the entire student body. All four houses had to make their ways back to the Great Hall to spend the night.
