Disclaimer: Nope, I own nothing.

Author's Note: Thanks those of you that reviewed. I don't know why, this is just my favourite ship. I really ships that have absolutely no chance of happening for some reason.

Chapter Five

The next day was a Saturday, and Ginny, the year's Quidditch captain, had made sure that they didn't have practice. Remus Lupin was leading them through the ministry, Hermione close at his side with Harry and Ron following at their heels. They were on the fourth level and in the Beast Division.

"Werewolf Capture Unit? Have they completely lost their minds?" Hermione asked as they passed said unit.

Remus shook his head and explained, "It's for those like Fenrir Greyback, thing doesn't do any good though, hasn't captured any truly dangerous werewolves in a while. Irony is that down the hall in the Being Division, there's Werewolf Support Services."

"Filthy hypocrites," Ron commented.

The quartet walked into a little office labeled, Werewolf Registry. The woman behind the desk smiled at Remus and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Lupin. Something happen? I know I saw you just about two months ago."

"Actually, I'm not here for me. A friend of mine has just become a werewolf, and I said I'd help her," Remus replied, motioning towards Hermione.

The woman, her nameplate read Margaret, smiled at Hermione. "Well hello and welcome to the werewolf registry. I'm Margaret; feel free to ask me any questions. Here is your form," she said as she passed Hermione a form and quill.

Remus intercepted her though and began to fill it out himself. Hermione looked towards her two mates but they didn't notice anything involving the young witch, they were too focused on making facing at Margaret while she was with Remus and Hermione. Hermione just shook her head and turned her attention back to the man beside her. Remus slid the form to her, saying, "Check to see if the information is correct and then sign at the bottom, Hermione."

Hermione took the quill and scanned the piece of paper. She had to admit, she was a bit shocked by what she saw; Remus answered everything correctly, including her full name, date of birth, and home address. She kept all comments to herself though and simply signed the bottom before handing it back. Margaret read the form quickly and then waved it away. "All right, you are all set, Miss Granger. I hope you understand the Werewolf Code of Conduct, and I wish you both the best of luck. You have got to be the cutest couple I have ever seen."

Hermione shook her head and pulled Remus away before he could argue, hoping Ron and Harry would have enough sense to realise that they were gone without being called. She commented, "See? Even she thought we were cute, and didn't say one thing about our ages."

"She's a perfect stranger, she wouldn't say something rude right to our faces," Remus stated.

"I don't know, she seemed to know you pretty well, and she seemed very genuine about it," Hermione argued.

Remus sighed, "What I want to know is why she thought we were a couple."

"Easy, you walked in together, Hermione obviously wasn't with Harry or me, and you filled out all her paperwork," Ron answered, apparently, they did notice when their mates left.

"Yeah, that's a very husband-y thing to do," Harry commented.

"You do know husband-y is not a word, right?" his mate asked him.

Harry just stuck his tongue as Remus asserted, "The information was so simple, anyone could have filled it out."

Hermione rolled her eyes as if explaining something to a three year-old and explained, "You don't understand, you see, Margaret tried to hand the paperwork to me, only you took it and only gave it to me so I could sign it. Say Harry had been standing next to me, he would have taken it, handed it to me, and then handed it back when I was finished, but he would have allowed me to do the paperwork. Ron would let Margaret give me the paperwork, and then only taken it when I was finished so he could read the answers."

Ron interrupted, "I wouldn't—no, actually, yeah, I would."

"She thought that just because I did the paperwork?"

"Yes, and you got everything right, we fit," Hermione grinned taking his arm in her own.

"Speaking of the paperwork, have you written your parents yet?" Remus inquired, desperately wanting to change the subject.

"No, I'm trying to get it just right, you know, so I can tell them without letting them know that they're being told," Hermione answered.

Remus kissed her hair and reminded, "My offer to talk to your parents with you is still good."

Hermione thought they were getting somewhere with this, Remus didn't even seem to notice that Hermione was now leaning on him like a beloved. Probably wouldn't have noticed for quite some distance if Harry hadn't suddenly announced, "All right, this is getting a little too soap-opera-y for me. Ron and I will meet you on level two; we're going to go see Mr. Weasley."

Then he set off running for the elevator, Ron closely following behind asking, "What's a soap-opera?"

Hermione only shook her head and questioned, "Are you going to keep adding –y to the end of all your nouns, Harry?"

"Yes, Hermy," was his response.

Hermione stopped just as she was about to retort something when she felt Remus slide away from her. "What's wrong, Remus?"

The older man looked at her uneasily. "Hermione, we can't do this. People will get the wrong idea if they see us…"

"What? Holding each other? What idea will they get?"

"That we're…well…that…"

"That we're dating? That's the wrong idea for you? Because for me, it sounds like a pretty good idea," she retorted.

"Hermione, we've been over this. It wouldn't work out."

The girl studied Remus, and he dared not look into her eyes for fear that she would see everything. "If I remember correctly, Remus, I had a hundred and two reasons for why we could work; you can't possibly have more than ten. One hundred and two wins automatically over ten."

"This isn't a card game, Hermione."

"No, it's something much more important. It's our hearts. Remus, you try and push everyone away from you. You'll die one day."

"Of course I'll die, Hermione, we all will. The part I don't like is where I would die so much earlier than you," Remus commented with a rueful smile.

Hermione let out a deep sigh. "Remus, just listen to me for once. You're strong, powerful, and young. You won't die from old age, or in the war, you'll survive the battles, but someday, you'll kill yourself. You push everyone away, saying that sooner or later you'll hurt them, and you will, but not in the way you think. Remus, you need people, the more you push people away, the more you tear into yourself, then you'll go too far, and you won't be able to look back. It'll kill us, Remus, your death. You think no one cares about you," Hermione stated. "You're just too pigheaded to see that everyone loves you. Harry loves you, but you won't give him a proper hug, so does Ron, along with every other student and teacher in this school, even some of the Slytherins. Mrs. Weasley treats you like her son, and the Order cares deeply about you. Then, of course, I care about you, yet you won't give me a proper hug either. Why are you so afraid?"

"Hermione, you don't understand…" Remus started.

"Yes, I do, I do understand. After your friends died, you felt lost, they were practically your brothers, and that was important to you after being shunned for so long. Just remember, Harry and I are still here," Hermione said. "Now, let's go say hello to Mr. Weasley before we head back to Hogwarts."

Hermione led the way to the elevators, Remus silently trailing behind her. The elevator ride down was awkward and silent. Hermione fumed at Remus, while he thought about all that she had said. It didn't take him long to realize that the girl was right; while he had their best interests at heart, to continue as he had, would help no one. Just as Remus opened his mouth to say something, the elevator doors sprung apart, and Hermione marched out and down to Arthur's office.

When Remus entered the office, Arthur greeted him with a smile and a, "Hello, Remus." Then Arthur asked, "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company? Don't tell me that the kids have done something horrible, and if they did, please say that it was all George's doing."

"Something horrible happened, but we didn't do it," Ron answered.

"Ron, you prat, don't say anything," Harry ordered, obviously wanting to hit his mate, but not willing to risk it in front of Mr. Weasley.

"Remus, what's happened? Someone said that they saw you in the Beast Division a few minutes ago," Mr. Weasley related.

"Mr. Weasley, over a week ago, I was bitten by a werewolf. Professor Lupin was just taking me to the Werewolf Registry," Hermione replied.

Remus winced at the formality of the statement, she must be really angry with him if she was calling him Professor Lupin, usually it was just Remus, even when she was talking with other teachers and students. Arthur responded, "You're a werewolf? What happened? Are you all right? How are things at Hogwarts? What did your parents say?"

Hermione shook her head and sat on the edge of his desk. "Yes, I'm a werewolf, Mr. Weasley, just like Professor Lupin. Your son, George, put an entire bottle of truth serum in my drink as payback for stopping one of his tricks, and that forced me to tell the entire truth for the entire day. Well, at the end of the day, I was angry and embarrassed, and decided to go for a walk, completely forgetting that it was a full moon. The werewolf attacked me by the lake, but I don't know who it was. Things at Hogwarts are horrible, the Slytherins know about my condition, and the whole school will probably know by Tuesday."

Mr. Weasley looked at her sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. Have you talked to Dumbledore?"

"Yes, he was with us in the hospital wing the morning afterwards, along with Harry, Ron, and me. He said he would try to protect her, but I don't know how much good that will do. Some people change their minds, but others continue to feel the same way as their parents and grandparents," Remus answered.

"You know you'll always have the Weasleys on your side, Hermione, no matter what, along with all the Order. We won't let anyone hurt you," Mr. Weasley replied.

"I think that before Hermione tells anyone else about her little problem though, she should have a chat with her parents," Remus suggested.

"You haven't spoken with your parents? Hermione, you have to tell them about this. Waiting isn't going to change the fact that you're a werewolf," Mr. Weasley assented.

Hermione glared at Remus as she said, "I plan to write them a letter explaining everything as soon as we return to school. Would you mind telling Mrs. Weasley and everyone at the Burrow about it though? I don't think I could have the heart to tell them myself, writing my parents is going to be hard enough."

"Of course, dear, of course. Just remember you're not alone, there's Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, me, Molly, Bill, Charlie, Tonks, Fred, George, Ginny, and Remus," Mr. Weasley stated.

"Yes, I've received a lot of help from Mr. Lupin, along with everyone else. I've managed to control my senses, but now I have a little presence in the back of my head telling me very odd things," Hermione spat, knocking on her head for effect.

"Hermione, what does Harry smell like?" Ron questioned suspiciously.

Harry turned to his mate, silently begging him to help him. Hermione shook her head but made a great deal of sniffing Harry before answering, "Like Harry always does. It's like a mixture of blood, spice, sweat, and a bit of broom polish."

"That's what I smell like?" Harry inquired, now smelling his arm to see if what Hermione said was true.

Remus laughed, "Harry, what Hermione smells, no one else can. That's your natural scent, since Hermione is familiar with it; we could use her knowledge to track you if you were lost."

"Oh, what do I smell like then?" Ron asked.

Hermione shook her head. "And we're back to the stupid questions. All right, Ron, if you really want to know, you smell like food, brooms, grass, and a bit of sweat, only not as much as Harry. Then your father smells like dust, candy, and ink. Mr. Lupin smells like chocolate, trees, and books. Anyone else?"

Ron and Harry's eyes widened at that and began a heated conversation between them. Hermione thought about tuning in, curious to hear what they were saying, but decided against it. She only heard "Couldn't be…last year…exactly the same…potion," before Remus turned her attention back to him. He asked, "You said you have a presence in your head? What is it telling you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It tells me shove Ginny and Harry in a broom closet, push Ron off a cliff, kill Malfoy, Zabini, Parkinson, Snape, permanently shut Lavender's mouth, and to—ah, that's about it."

Remus nodded in understanding, saying, "That, Hermione, is your werewolf mind, it's always there, and will often interact with your human mind. It can be quite difficult at times, but it is best to suppress it. The thoughts aren't that violent while a werewolf is in his or her human form, but they can still be a nuisance."

"Yes, and we both know what a nuisance some thoughts can be, Mr. Lupin. They often have to be suppressed, otherwise, something horrible might happen," Hermione retorted.

"Remus, my name is Remus, Hermione, not Mr. Lupin and not Professor Lupin. You of all people should know that," Remus replied through gritted teeth.

Hermione feigned innocence and stated, "I didn't know if it would be appropriate in front of other people. Someone might get the wrong idea."

"Hermione Jane Granger!" Ron called, effectively distracting the two.

"Yes, Ron?" Hermione sighed. "What's your stupid question this time?"

Hermione didn't even have to look at Ron to know that his face was beet red, as he demanded, "How long have you been in love with him?"

That question made her spin around to look at the younger male. "What?"

"Ron, calm down. There's no need for anger," Mr. Weasley interjected.

"Ronald Weasley, what are you talking about?" Hermione asked, trying her best to sound calm.

Harry offered her a supportive look, while Ron pointed at Remus and continued, "I'm talking about the fact that last year, you smelled him."

"Ron, maybe it's just a coincidence, it could be what's attracting her to him," Harry suggested.

"Hermione, why is Ron saying that you smelled me?" Remus inquired.

"Last year, we had to make some strong love potion in Potions with Snape. Each of us smelled what we loved most in the stuff, and guess what Hermione smelled," Ron spat.

"Werewolf?"

"No, chocolate and trees and books," Hermione corrected. "Ron, how do you remember that? You can barely recall when my birthday is."

"Some things I remember," Ron answered, "like when I find out that one of my best mates is falling for a man twice her age. I have yet to hear you deny that you love him."

"Ron, quit it. This is Remus we're talking about, he's not going to attack her," Harry said, grabbing Ron's arm to prevent him from harming the other man.

"Yes, Ronald, Professor Lupin hardly likes me. Besides, last year I wasn't a werewolf, I wouldn't have been able to recognize the different smells on him," Hermione replied. "And why did you have to bring this up in front of your father? You couldn't save me one little shred of dignity?"

"Can someone please tell me what is going on?" Mr. Weasley questioned.

"Easy, your son, Ronald, is determined to ruin my life. I don't know what is worse, his stupid over-protective nature, annoyingness, his ability to humiliate me at every occasion, or the fact that he seems to believe that he can control my life. At this point, I don't really care what he has to say about anything, and I don't even want his friendship anymore. So why don't you take that ruddy brain of yours, Ron, and shove it up your arse, because it obviously isn't doing anything in that head of yours."

Ron looked stricken at Hermione's outburst, and no one else said a word. She was just about to Apparate back to Hogsmeade when she felt an arm snake around her waist while a hand covered her mouth. She tried fight back and screaming, but the man held strong. He whispered, "Calm down, Hermione, just breathe. Ron didn't mean it, he was just concerned, and you know that males have trouble communicating their feelings. Never plan anything, just spit out the first thing that comes to mind. Settle down."

Hermione made to kick him, but he moved quickly, avoiding any injury. He chuckled, "Please, Hermione, you don't think this is the first time I've done this, do you? Sirius was always getting angry, and someone had to keep him calm, which meant either James or me. Course, we just shoved an old sock in his mouth and bound his hands. Now can I talk to you without covering your mouth, or are we going to stay as we are?"

Hermione bit his hand hard, causing Remus to yelp and draw back. "You little witch," Remus barked.

"Yes, Lupin, I'm a witch, you're only figuring that out after four years? And I thought Ron was slow. Let me go," Hermione ordered.

"No, at least this way, you're going to have a harder time at running away. If I keep your mouth uncovered though, will you let me speak?"

"I can't guarantee anything."

"That'll have to do," Remus commented. Still holding her, Remus continued in a low voice, "Listen, Hermione, you're trying to make me out to be the bad guy, and I want to say that I never meant to hurt you. I happen to like you, a lot. I thought about what you said, and I think you're right, but I'm not going to change overnight. You can't expect people to change instantaneously. Ron may be an over-protective, obnoxious prat, but he's your over-protective, obnoxious prat. I know that if James had been 38 and Lily was my mate, I would refuse the pair, they're just looking out for your best wishes."

"I'm not a little kid anymore; I can make up my own mind."

"I know you can, Hermione, I know. You're very ardent about that. You have to realize that you're like their little defenseless sister—I said like, not you are—they feel the need to protect you from everything. That's one of the advantages of coming from a large family; you know you always have someone looking out for you."

"Are you telling the truth, or are you just trying to make me happy?" Hermione asked unconvinced.

Remus switched arms so that his left held Hermione while he raised his right and said, "I swear a wizard's oath that all I have said is true. If I have said one thing false, may I be stripped of all my magic and be forced to live like a Muggle." Then he took out his wand from his pocket and with a switch of the wand a bouquet of flowers appeared for Hermione. "Apparently, I don't lie."

Hermione smelled the beautiful lilies and replied, "You can let me go, Remus, I'm not going anywhere."

Remus released her hold on her, prompting Ron to take a step back and ask, "Are you mental? Hermione's got a legendary temper and you're just going to set her free to kill us?"

"Us? Are you mental? I was on her side, if anyone's going to die, it's going to be you," Harry replied.

"Can someone please, without yelling, explain what in the name of Merlin is happening?" Mr. Weasley intervened.

"Mr. Weasley, it has always been known by Harry and Ron that I fancy Remus, though I don't love him, I assume that Ron feels threatened by him since we dated over the summer, he may feel that I was just toying with him, which I wasn't. He is also upset over the fact that Remus is twenty years older than me, and worries about what people might say. Ron says that last year when we made the Amortentiapotion in Potions, I smelled chocolate, trees, and books, which I did, making him believe that I love Remus," Hermione answered. Turning on her mate, she supposed, "Ron, let's say we had to make the Sucouios Potion, do you know what that does?"

"Yes, it creates a strong feeling of hate."

"Very good, now just like the Amortentia potion, it makes you smell something, only in this case what you hate most. And what do I hate most? I hate brooms, blood, and sweat. Ron, what did I say you and Harry smelled like?"

Ron looked down at his shuffling feet, and replied, "Blood, sweat, and brooms."

"Do you think I hate you?"

"At the moment? Yes. All the time? No. I'm sorry, Mione," Ron surrendered.

Hermione put her hands on her hips, and asked, "Why are you sorry, Ron? What have you learned?"

Ron sighed, "I'm sorry I embarrassed you in front of my father and Remus."

"And?"

"And for suggesting that you loved Remus."

"And?"

"And for yelling at you."

"And?"

"And I'm sorry for being an over-protective, obnoxious, jealous prat," the boy relented.

"Good, just for that, I'll postpone your punishment for a while. Now, I think you owe someone else an apology."

Ron nodded. "Dad, I'm sorry for yelling while in your office."

"How about Remus?"

"I'm sorry for any embarrassment I've caused you, Professor Lupin."

"And?" Hermione demanded.

"And I'm sorry for yelling at you and insinuating that anything was going on between Hermione and you."

Remus laughed, "All right, Ron, everything is forgiven. Just please don't do that again, I don't know whether or not I'll be able to get her calm again. A trick only works so many times."