A/N - I know there is still a lot to explain, but you will get the main answers in this chapter, specifics in the next. Thanks so much for reading and continuing to review!

Chapter 65

Tension

16 April 2000

Remus sipped at the coffee he had gotten from the visitor's lounge near the mediwitch's station. There was tea there too, of course, but Remus needed more caffeine than tea would give him today. He hadn't slept well the night before, insisting once again on staying with Hermione. However, he had woken at every little noise, wand drawn, to be sure that no one was trying to sneak in to do anything to her.

He had spoken to Poppy yesterday and explained the situation. She had asked why he hadn't requested recommendations from Healer Spencer and when Remus relayed what had happened with the dosing instructions, Poppy had shaken her head, refusing to believe it.

"She wouldn't make a mistake like that, Remus. I have known Elizabeth for years. She mentored under me when she was a student here. I have never known anyone that cares as much for their patients as Elizabeth does. I understand your concern for Hermione, but if Elizabeth has suggestions for home care, take them."

Despite everything that had happened, Remus hadn't really suspected Healer Spencer of being the woman that had sent Hermione the potion. She was older than he was for one thing, although that didn't necessarily mean anything. But she had never been anything less than professional and from what Remus had seen of her personality, it seemed highly unlikely it was her. Not to mention that he had never met her before Hermione was admitted.

The sun was barely over the horizon when Harry arrived. He looked just as tired as Remus was and Remus wondered if he'd slept at all since yesterday morning.

"Have you been home?" Remus asked.

"Just to shower and change," Harry sighed, sinking down into a second chair that Remus conjured. "How is she?"

"No change," Remus said.

"What did Madame Pomfrey say?" Remus repeated the conversation to Harry.

"Honestly, I didn't really suspect Healer Spencer." Remus nodded in agreement.

"Ron told me about Charlotte when he stopped by yesterday," Remus said.

"He told me," Harry replied. He glanced at Remus. "So, you two are all right then?"

"It was never me he needed to apologize to," Remus said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well, he sort of did," Harry said. "I mean, he was a complete arse about the whole thing."

"I won't argue that," Remus replied with a slight smirk. "Progress on the books?"

"Still slow," Harry said. "We've been through about half of them. I left Ron there this morning. Neville was coming shortly."

"Where are you supposed to be?"

"Sleeping," Harry said with a sigh.

"Maybe that's what you should be doing then," Remus said.

"Can't," Harry replied. "I know I'm missing something and it's driving me barmy." Remus frowned.

"What kind of something?"

"I don't know, that's the thing," Harry said. "There's just something poking at the back of my brain, but every time I try to pull it forward, I lose it again." Remus nodded. He knew the feeling. "I don't even know if it's related to the books or the letters or something else entirely." Harry sighed again. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes, Harry resting his head against the back of his chair and staring up at the ceiling.

"There haven't been any more letters?" Remus asked.

"No," Harry said. "Well, not from her anyway. You've gotten plenty of letters asking what you've done with Hermione." Remus rolled his eyes and Harry chuckled. He frowned a moment later.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"I just think it's strange that she hasn't sent you anything else," Harry said.

"In the last letter, you said she knew Hermione was in St. Mungo's," Remus said. "Given what happened yesterday, don't you think it's likely she works here?"

"It's the most logical assumption, but it could still be Imperius or Polyjuice."

"Even if it is, that means that whoever changed the note in Hermione's chart is working here."

"If it's Imperius, yes," Harry agreed. "But someone could have used Polyjuice, come in, changed the chart and then left again."

"The Polyjuice angle doesn't seem likely," Remus said with a frown.

"Because," Harry prompted.

"It's difficult to brew and it takes a month to do it. Hermione and I just went public with our relationship a few days ago. Can you even get it from an apothecary?"

"Not a legitimate one, no," Harry said. "It's regulated by the Ministry. But even as much as Kingsley has tried to clean up Knockturn Alley, there are still plenty of black market deals going on down there."

"Still, it's got to be hard to get and expensive at that," Remus said. "Not everyone can brew it."

"True," Harry replied. "But we can't rule it out completely, although it is unlikely. Even if someone did use it to come in and change the Healer's orders, they would have had to know where to find the chart and had some knowledge of the sleeping potion to know how long it would take Hermione to wake up without another dose." Remus nodded.

"Plus, if it's Polyjuice, it's got to be someone who is close to someone else who works here. Close enough to get a bit of their hair or something."

"It still doesn't narrow it down all that much," Harry said. Remus sighed. Harry was right. There were too many possibilities.

"We've started an initial investigation into everyone that Hermione has come into contact with since she's been here."

"Did you find anything?" Harry shook his head.

"No one has ever been arrested or even suspected of a crime. The only one that has any kind of reprimand or disciplinary action against them is Bradenburg."

"What for?"

"Same thing, not reading through a chart on a new patient," Harry said. "She missed an allergy on another patient two years ago."

"So, it's not likely that she deliberately sabotaged Healer Spencer's orders." Harry shrugged.

"We're not ruling anything out and Robards has ordered a more in-depth investigation on everyone." Remus leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, looking up at Hermione.

"I want to move her, Harry," he said.

"We don't have a Healer yet," Harry said.

"Right now, she just needs someone to monitor the stasis charm and run diagnostics every few hours," Remus said. "Surely Poppy could do that."

"School is still in session, Remus," Harry reminded him. "And even if Madame Pomfrey could stop by regularly, what if something happened and Hermione needed a Healer?"

"Maybe we could put Healer Spencer on call until we find someone else." Harry shook his head.

"You know St. Mungo's won't allow that." Remus growled in frustration and threw himself back into his chair.

"We'll get the list from Healer Spencer and then take it Madame Pomfrey and see if there's anyone she recommends," Harry said. "That way, we only have one person to investigate." Remus nodded.

"I trust Poppy's judgement," he said.

"We should be able to have Hermione out of here by this afternoon then, if all goes well. In the meantime, I'm going to tell Robards that the guards outside need to scan everyone going into the room for Imperius or a glamour. There's no scan for Polyjuice, but the other two are more likely anyway," Harry said. "And we don't leave her alone, not even for a second."

"Agreed," Remus said, feeling better about the new security measures. They fell silent, both looking at Hermione. Harry rubbed at the scar on his forehead absent-mindedly. Remus looked at him in concern, but Harry shook his head.

"Sorry, habit," Harry said. "I tend to do it when I'm thinking. Freaks Gin out every time."

"I'm not surprised," Remus said dryly. "Thinking about anything specific?"

"Just that feeling again," Harry said. "Something that I'm missing."

"Maybe you should-" Remus began, but never got the chance to finish as Ron burst into the room.

"We found it!" he exclaimed. Harry jumped up from his chair as Remus' mouth dropped open.

"The antidote?" Harry asked. Ron nodded, wide grin on his face.

"You're sure?" Remus asked, his voice cracking.

"Bates is showing it to Healer Spencer now, but he's confident it's what we're looking for." Bates was one of the St. Mungo's researchers that had been helping in the search.

"She's going to be all right," Harry said.

"Well, they still have to brew it," Ron said, sobering. "And it's going to take a bit of time because it's got some rare ingredients that Mungo's doesn't keep in stock usually."

"Like what?"

"Venemous Tentacula seeds for one," Ron said.

"That's a Class C Non-Tradeable," Harry replied.

"Right," Ron said. "St. Mungo's can get it because they're a hospital, but they've got to go through the Ministry. And there's a couple of other things that they'll have to pick up. Bates was a bit worried because they're expensive, given they're so rare."

"I'll give them whatever they need," Harry said immediately. "Doesn't matter how much it costs." Ron nodded. Remus stood from his chair and moved to the bed. He sat down on the edge and brushed a curl off Hermione's head.

"How long does the potion take to brew?" he asked.

"Not long," Ron replied. "Only an hour or so, but it has to simmer for eight hours after it's finished." Remus nodded. If they could get the ingredients together quickly, Hermione could be cured as early as this evening.

"I can't believe we found it," Harry said.

"It was in one of the last books we checked too," Ron said. "Remember that big red one with that dodgy looking skull on the spine?" Harry looked up sharply.

"Thing had a bunch of enchantments on it, one of the curse-breakers got a nasty burn off it. He should be fine, though, dropped him off on the fourth floor before I came down here and-" Ron trailed off. "Harry?" Harry was staring somewhere over Ron's head, looking as if he had just remembered something.

"I have to get to the Ministry," Harry said quickly. Remus and Ron looked at Harry in confusion.

"What's going on?" Ron asked.

"I have to check something out," Harry said. He rushed out the door, Ron and Remus staring after him. Remus wondered if this was the "thing" that had Harry had been trying to remember.

"Any idea what that's about?" Ron asked.

"Hopefully, a clue to figuring out this whole mess."

After Harry left, Remus and Ron discussed the antidote and who should brew it. Remus knew that Healer Spencer would likely have the St. Mungo's potions department do it, but until they found out who was behind what had happened to Hermione the day before, Remus wanted someone he could trust to do the brewing. Since it was Sunday and there were no classes, Ron agreed to ask Professor Slughorn.

Healer Spencer had agreed that the potion Ron had found was the likely antidote but had not been happy with their decision to brew the antidote outside the hospital.

"Are you insinuating that one of my staff would tamper with healing potions?" Healer Spencer had demanded, clearly taking offense.

"We have no idea who's behind the change in the dosing instructions, do we?" Ron had asked. "As far as the DMLE is concerned, everyone working in this hospital is a suspect. We trust Professor Slughorn and we can also post an Auror to be sure nothing in the brewing process is tampered with."

"I am afraid that I cannot allow a patient to receive potions from another source," she had said then, trying a different track.

"Then I suppose we will just take Hermione home and then she will no longer be a patient here," Ron had said.

"A qualified Healer needs to monitor her once you give her the antidote," Healer Spencer had argued.

"And you have given us a list," Remus replied. The two had stared at one another until Healer Spencer had grudgingly agreed. Remus had to admit that he had been rather impressed with Ron's handling of the situation.

They hadn't heard back from Harry before Ron had left to return to the Ministry. He promised to contact Remus as soon as he had spoken to Harry about whatever it was that Harry had thought of before he ran out.

Now, Remus was waiting for Ginny to arrive, so he could go and speak with Poppy about the names on Healer Spencer's list. Despite what he had led Healer Spencer to believe, Remus still wanted to move Hermione to Grimmauld Place. Knowing that they were close to being able to heal her did not change his concerns about her safety.

There was a knock at the door and Remus rose to answer it. It was likely the Auror stationed outside, wanting Remus to ask Ginny a security question. He and Ron had decided that they needed to question their friends and family that were coming to sit with Hermione, given they couldn't scan for Polyjuice.

"Good morning, Remus," Ginny said with a smile when Remus opened the door.

"What did you do to try and push Hermione and I together a few months ago?" Ginny smirked.

"Had Hermione come mind Teddy when I had to go back to Harpies camp early and told her no one else could do it." Remus ushered her into the room.

"Too bad it didn't work," Ginny said as she set down her bag on the chair.

"It had an effect," Remus assured her. Ginny grinned.

"So why the extra security?"

"We decided that we didn't want to take any chances," Remus said. "Especially now that we've found the antidote." Ginny's head whipped towards his and her eyes widened.

"They found it?" she whispered. Remus nodded. "Really?"

"Yes," he said. Ginny stared at him for a few moments before the tears began. Remus pulled her into his arms and she cried into his shoulder. Truthfully, he felt like doing the same thing.

"I'm sorry," she said as she pulled away from him a few minutes later, drawing her wand and casting a drying charm at his shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said.

"How long?" she asked.

"Once they've gotten all the ingredients, it takes about an hour to brew, then has to simmer for eight." She nodded, still wiping a few lingering tears on her cheeks. "Ron left to go to Hogwarts and ask Horace to do it."

"Still have no idea who changed the orders then?" Ginny asked.

"No, and until we do, Hermione isn't safe here, hence the extra security." Remus looked towards Hermione. "I'm still planning on moving her." Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Anything new I should know?" she asked.

"As I'm sure you experienced, the Auror outside is scanning for the Imperius curse and glamour charms. When I come back, you need to ask me a security question to combat against Polyjuice. Same for anyone else that might stop by. Otherwise, don't leave the room, not even to use the loo." Ginny nodded in understanding.

"I'm going to Hogwarts to speak with Poppy about the recommendations Healer Spencer gave us and then I'm going to stop at the Burrow to let Andromeda and your parents know that we found the antidote."

"They'll be so relieved," Ginny said. "Mum's been acting pretty optimistic, but I know that she's been worried."

"Andromeda too," Remus agreed.

"I should probably warn you, Teddy's been in a bit of a mood," Ginny said.

"What happened?" Remus asked in concern.

"He had an issue with his breakfast. Most of it ended up on the floor," Ginny said. "On purpose." Remus grimaced. "He threw a really good tantrum when Andromeda told him no flying this morning." Remus shook his head.

"I should be spending more time with him."

"Remus, he's two. Two year-olds throw tantrums. When I left, Dad was taking Teddy out to show him the Muggle stuff in his shed. Teddy will be fine." Remus still felt guilty. Not only had he taken Andromeda and Teddy out of their home, he had barely seen his son in the last few days.

"He told me he wanted to go home yesterday," Remus said.

"Well, there's a good reason why he can't," Ginny said. "And it's not your fault."

"Everyone keeps telling me that," Remus said.

"And we will until you believe it."

"I'll probably be gone longer than I planned then," Remus said. "I should spend some time with him this morning. Do you need anything before I go?"

"No, I'm fine. Take all the time you need," Ginny replied. She smiled at Remus and he hugged her again.

"Thank you, Ginny."

Remus appeared at the edge of the Burrow's wards. Poppy had recommended the first name on the list, which had been the Healer that used to run the Potions ward and had trained Healer Spencer. Remus had sent him an owl from Hogwarts, asking him to contact Remus through Arthur or Molly at the Burrow. Hopefully, he would hear something this afternoon.

Arthur was just coming out of his shed, holding Teddy's hand, as Remus walked towards the house.

"Daddy!" Teddy shouted and ran towards Remus as fast as his chubby little legs would carry him. Remus scooped the boy up and Teddy immediately shifted his hair color to Remus' and wrapped his arms around Remus' neck. Remus hugged his son tightly.

"I missed you," he said to the little boy and Teddy sniffed.

"Nanna mean," he mumbled into Remus' neck.

"Why is Nanna mean?" Remus asked, hiding a smile and rubbing Teddy's back.

"No fwy," Teddy said.

"Why won't Nanna let you fly?" Teddy snuggled closer to Remus and didn't respond. Remus didn't push the subject and turned to Arthur.

"Hello, Arthur."

"Good morning, Remus," Arthur said with an understanding smile. "Teddy has been helping me sort my battery collection." Teddy picked his head up off Remus' shoulder and smiled at the older man.

"Me help, Daddy."

"Did you now?" Teddy nodded enthusiastically, and Arthur chuckled.

"And a very good helper he is." He ruffled Teddy's hair and Teddy grinned.

"We go my house, Daddy?" Teddy looked up at Remus expectantly and Remus' chest tightened.

"Not today," he said. Teddy's face fell, and he wrapped his arms around Remus' neck once again.

"You stay me, Daddy." He buried his face back into Remus' neck. Remus closed his eyes and kissed Teddy's forehead, trying to keep his composure. When he opened them, Arthur was looking at him sympathetically. Remus followed the older man into the house, Teddy clinging to him like a limpet.

Molly and Andromeda sat at the kitchen table talking quietly when the men walked in. Andromeda looked up at Remus and Teddy, then gave him a sad smile. Clearly, more was going on than he knew about. Arthur pulled out a chair for Remus next to Andromeda.

"How is she?" Molly asked. Remus smiled.

"They've found the antidote." Molly gasped and brought a hand to her mouth, tears immediately filling her eyes. Andromeda reached out for his free hand and squeezed it, her own eyes bright. Arthur wore a wide grin.

"Oh, thank Merlin," Molly said, taking the handkerchief her husband offered her and wiping at her eyes. Arthur put a hand on her shoulder.

"How soon will it be ready?" Andromeda asked.

"By sometime tonight, we hope. It depends how long it takes to get the ingredients together. The potion itself doesn't take long, but it's got to simmer for eight hours after it's made. Horace is going to brew it."

"Not someone from the hospital?" Molly asked.

"No, we all felt more comfortable with Horace doing it," Remus said. The other adults nodded in understanding. Teddy mumbled something and Remus looked down to see that his son was nearly asleep. He looked at Andromeda quizzically.

"It was a long night," she said. She reached over and smoothed down her grandson's hair.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

"Teddy did not sleep well," Andromeda said. "He woke a few times, once with a nightmare. After that, I brought him into bed with me, but he was still restless."

"He isn't coming down with something is he?" Remus asked.

"No," Andromeda replied. "I think he is just having a hard time with the change in circumstances." Remus immediately felt guilty.

"Don't," Andromeda said. "This is not your fault."

"I should have been here," Remus said.

"You were where you needed to be," Andromeda said. Remus sighed. He was more determined than ever to move Hermione to Grimmauld Place. Teddy and Andromeda could stay with him there if the Aurors still hadn't discovered who was behind all of this. It wouldn't be home, but at least he would be there for his son.

"What he did this morning at breakfast was just a reaction to his being tired," Molly said. "My children were all the same way." Teddy shifted and burrowed further into Remus' body. Remus tightened his grip on his son. Teddy sighed in his sleep and Remus bent down and kissed the top of his head. Both Molly and Andromeda smiled softly.

"Is there any word on the culprit, Remus?" Arthur asked, now that Teddy was truly asleep and wouldn't hear what they said.

"No, but Harry had some kind of epiphany a little while ago and left for the Ministry. I haven't heard from him."

"I just don't understand who would do something like this," Molly said.

"They're obviously disturbed," Arthur said.

"Or simply evil," Andromeda added, taking a sip of her tea.

"Well, let's hope that Arthur is right in this case," Remus said, not wanting to think that someone might have done this to Hermione simply for the fun of doing it.

"I'm just so glad she's going to be all right," Molly said, sniffling again.

"As am I," Remus said. He held on tightly to his emotions, knowing that it wouldn't take much for him to break down. He turned to Andromeda. "We should talk about Teddy." Andromeda nodded, but before Remus could get up to move somewhere more private, Molly and Arthur stood.

"We'll give you two a bit of privacy," Arthur said.

"We can go somewhere else," Remus said, not wanting to kick them out of their own kitchen.

"Nonsense," Molly replied. "That baby is sleeping; you don't want to move him now." Remus nodded.

"Thank you."

"How is he, really?" Remus asked, as soon as the Weasleys were gone. Andromeda sighed.

"He was fine yesterday until you left after supper. He whined and was out of sorts the entire evening. When it was time to put him to bed, he insisted that you read him a story. When I explained that you could not do that, he got terribly upset." Remus sighed sadly. "He did not want me to do it and refused Molly's offer as well. Arthur was the one that finally got him calmed down and he allowed Arthur to read to him and put him to bed."

"I'm sorry," Remus said.

"As I have said, this is not your fault," Andromeda replied.

"If I'd been here-"

"If you had been here, he still might have had a tantrum. He is a toddler, that is what they do. And he does not understand what is going on which makes it more difficult."

"And there is no way to explain it to him," Remus said with another sigh.

"Not really, no," Andromeda agreed. "I have told him that you are helping Hermione, but then he just insists on seeing her. The same when I told him you were helping Harry."

"He missed his day with Harry this week because of all this," Remus said. Andromeda nodded.

"Teddy has no concept of time, of course, but he realizes that it has been longer than usual since he has seen Harry."

"Well, I'm hoping that things will improve later today, at least a little bit," Remus said. Andromeda looked at him quizzically. He explained that he and Harry had agreed to move Hermione to Grimmauld Place. "I've sent an owl to the Healer that Poppy and Healer Spencer recommended. I hope to meet with him this afternoon. Once we move Hermione, you and Teddy can come to Grimmauld. It's still not home, I know, but at least I'll be there."

"Remus, I do not think that is the best idea," Andromeda said carefully.

"Why? Teddy is familiar with the house from visiting Harry there. He even has his own bedroom."

"But Hermione will need to be recovering and having a boisterous two year-old running around is not very conducive to that. And given everything you have told me about the stasis charm, how do you intend to move her without disrupting that?"

"Medical Portkey," he said. "Healers use them when moving patients between hospitals. Harry can get one through the DMLE."

"But now that the antidote has been found, would it not be better to give it to her at St. Mungo's, then move her once the stasis charm is no longer needed? She could convalesce at Grimmauld Place."

"I," Remus began, then paused. What Andromeda said did make more sense, but he couldn't help the fear he felt about keeping her in hospital. Despite the extra security measures, there were still ways around everything. Gods, he hated this.

"And don't forget that the full moon is in two days."

"Believe me, I could never forget that," Remus said, bitter edge to his voice.

"I only mean, if we go to Grimmauld Place and then you have to leave Teddy again, it may be even more difficult for him. He will have had the disruption of moving again, but not back to his home, plus, trying to keep him out from underfoot of the Healer and everyone else that is likely to come to visit Hermione. And how are you going to keep him out of Hermione's room? Once he knows she is there, he will want to be in her room all of the time." Remus sighed. He hadn't thought about logistics, just that he wanted his family together.

"You're probably right," he finally said. Andromeda put a hand on his arm.

"I know that you feel torn in two directions," she said. "And I do not envy your position. But Teddy will be fine. Once everything is back to normal and Hermione is healed, he will likely not even remember all of this. You are a good father, Remus. Please do not doubt that." Remus nodded, and she squeezed his arm, giving him a smile.

"He will likely sleep for a while," she said. "Would you like to put him down?"

"No, we're fine here," Remus said, shifting in the hard, wooden chair. Andromeda pulled her wand from her pocket and waved it at the chair, putting a cushioning charm on it. Remus smiled at her gratefully, then settled back against the chair with Teddy in his arms. Ginny wasn't expecting him back for a while, Remus would stay and give Teddy the cuddling he so clearly was missing from his father.

Teddy woke up an hour later and Remus played with him until lunch. After they had eaten, and Remus was leaving, Teddy clung to his legs until Arthur was able to distract him with a promise to search for frogs at the pond. Despite everything Andromeda had said, Remus couldn't help feeling horribly guilty as he walked towards the edge of the wards of the Burrow to Disapparate. It was only because Remus knew that it wouldn't be much longer until Hermione was healed that he was able to leave at all. He wanted to get back to St. Mungo's to see if there had been word from Ron or Harry.

Just as Remus was about to turn, there was a pop and both men appeared.

"Oh, good, you're still here." Harry motioned Remus back inside the boundary of the wards. Remus looked up to make sure they were still out of sight of Teddy. Saying good-bye to him once had been bad enough, he didn't want the little boy to catch sight of him and have to do it again.

"Professor Slughorn is on the way to St. Mungo's. We've got all the ingredients."

"He's brewing at St. Mungo's?" Remus asked with a frown. He had hoped that Horace would brew the potion at Hogwarts. Remus wasn't worried about security there. But things could be tampered with at the hospital.

"Yes, he thought it would be better to do it there instead of trying to transport the finished potion from Hogwarts. It's got to be ingested within fifteen minutes after it's finished. But he's bringing all his own utensils and his own cauldron," Ron said. "Proudfoot is meeting him there and he will do a scan on the room, as well as Slughhorn. Proudfoot's got a security question to ask Slughorn too from Professor McGonagall. The potion will stay under Auror guard while it's being brewed and until it's ready to give to Hermione." Remus nodded. It was as secure as they could make it.

"Does Horace know what's going on?"

"I had to tell him once we asked him to brew the antidote," Ron said. "I made him take a wizard's oath until we find out who did this." Harry put a hand on Remus' shoulder.

"It's almost over." Remus nodded again. He wanted to be relieved, but he wouldn't be until Hermione had been given the antidote and was awake and talking to him again.

"Where did you disappear to this morning?" Remus asked Harry.

"I went back and looked at your memory again," Harry said. "It was the book that they found with the antidote that jogged my memory." Remus' brow furrowed in confusion. "When I first saw that book at Snape's, I thought it looked familiar. It was in the memory."

"What?"

"The woman is sitting in front of some bookshelves," Harry said. Remus nodded. He remembered that much. "She had the same book. I remembered that skull on the spine that Ron mentioned."

"I thought this was a rare potion," Remus said.

"It is," Harry replied. "The book is very old, and Bates had never heard of any of the potions in it."

"So, not something anyone could find in a regular bookshop," Remus mused.

"Exactly," Harry said. "You don't have any idea where Snape got his books do you?"

"No," Remus said. "I would assume used bookstores in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley. I'm sure there are some in Knockturn as well. And there are always private dealers."

"I'm going back to Hogwarts to talk to Dumbledore's portrait and see if he has any idea. If we can find out who sold Snape the book,"

"You might find out who else they sold it to," Remus finished. Harry nodded. "Well, one thing seems sure then." Harry looked at him quizzically. "She's blonde."

"I'm still not ruling anyone out," Harry said. "There are too many ways she could have disguised herself in the photograph or in person."

"I'm headed back to the hospital," Remus said. You'll keep me informed?"

"Of course," Harry said.

"Thank you," Remus said. "Both of you." Remus stepped back outside the boundaries and Disapparated.

Remus sat on the edge of Hermione's bed, cup of coffee in hand that he had once again gotten from the visitor's lounge. He had gone back to the Burrow for dinner and to put Teddy to bed. His son had happily greeted Remus and the whining, clingy toddler seemed to have disappeared. Andromeda reported they had had a much better afternoon.

Remus, however, was exhausted. He hadn't slept much the night before and the emotional ups and downs of the day had taken their toll, hence the coffee. He frowned again as he remembered the sight of the four people asleep on the various couches and chairs in the lounge. He hadn't seen anyone sleeping there before. Others must have had just as hard a day as he had.

After thinking about what Andromeda had said about moving Hermione before she was given the antidote, Remus had discussed it with Healer Spencer. The Healer, of course, had agreed that it would be better for Hermione to remain at St. Mungo's, but Remus couldn't fault her reasoning. The stasis charm was still unstable, although it had continued to hold. But even medical Portkeys did not keep the patient completely immobile and there was a chance that the charm could fail in moving Hermione.

Harry had stopped by briefly and his news had made the decision easier. The DMLE kept two mediwitches on call for injuries suffered by suspects or prisoners. Harry had spoken to the woman that had mended Will's ankle the day they brought him into the Ministry for questioning. Harry wanted to bring her to St. Mungo's to be Hermione's personal mediwitch until she was given the antidote. Healer Spencer had given her permission once she realized it would mean not moving Hermione from the hospital.

The Healer Poppy had recommend had indeed contacted Remus and Remus had written the man back, explaining about leaving Hermione in St. Mungo's for a bit longer. Remus asked him if he would be willing to tend to Hermione after she was given the antidote and was waiting for a reply.

The Auror on guard was given a security question to ask Mediwitch Fernsby whenever she came and went, although she had spent most of her afternoon and evening in Hermione's room. She and Remus had chatted a bit when he had returned from the Burrow, but since then she had been reading quietly in a corner of the room and leaving Remus to his thoughts.

He took a sip of the coffee, glad that the potion would be ready soon. Healer Spencer had gone off shift at five, but planned to return at ten, a few minutes before the completion of the potion. Horace had stayed in the room where he had brewed to keep an eye on the potion and he would be escorted to Hermione's room by the two Auror guards that stood outside the brewing room.

Remus felt himself relax slightly. He wouldn't let his guard down completely, not until he knew that antidote had worked, but he was feeling much better about things.

The mediwitch closed her book, then rose and began running her diagnostics.

"How is she?" Remus asked.

"Doing well," she said. "Everything should be fine once the antidote is administered." She turned towards Remus. "If you don't mind, I am going to get a bite to eat. I will return at ten along with Healer Spencer."

"Go right ahead," Remus said. "Thank you for being here today."

"It was no trouble," the woman said. With a nod to him, she left the room.

Taking another sip of the coffee, Remus yawned widely, then shook his head. The coffee was supposed to be keeping him awake, but he felt more tired than before. He supposed that caffeine could only do so much. Deciding that he needed to move around a bit, even if only around Hermione's small room, he reached to set his coffee on the small table next to him. Another yawn had him misjudging the distance and he let go of the cup as it teetered on the edge. The cup hit the floor, spilling the coffee and shattering.

Swearing under his breath, Remus waved his wand to vanish the mess, then went to stand once more. He swayed on his feet and sat back down with a thump. Yawning again, he scrubbed his hands down his face to try and wake himself up a bit. He knew he was tired, but this was ridiculous. He closed his eyes for a moment, then snapped them open again, blinking rapidly. What the hell was going on? Then he remembered all the people sleeping in the visitor's lounge and he stood abruptly from his chair. Someone had put something in the coffee. Remus took a step towards the door before the room swam in front of him. He reached for the chair and managed to fall back into it as the room went black.

Remus heard unfamiliar movement and someone muttering. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to remember where he was. St. Mungo's, Hermione's room, right. He wanted to open his eyes and spring from his chair, but instinct kept him seated. He had no idea how long he had been asleep or who was now in Hermione's room. Surely, if it were someone that belonged there, they would have tried to revive him. He strained to listen to the quiet muttering.

"Ridiculous," he heard. "Should just be able to cancel it with a Finite." The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Remus couldn't place it. He knew it wasn't Healer Spencer or Mediwitch Fernsby, which meant it likely wasn't ten o'clock yet as they had both planned to be back by then. Unless whoever this was had taken care of them too.

Remus mentally shook his head. That was unlikely. Whoever was in here had probably seen the mediwitch leave and decided to take a chance. How they had gotten past the Auror outside was another matter, but Remus didn't dwell on it.

"Nearly ten" the person, who he had now decided was female, said. "Damn it." Remus chanced opening one eye a slit and looked across the room. Cressida Wilkes stood next to Hermione's bed, waving her wand over Hermione's injured arm. She was obviously trying to cancel the stasis spell. Remus was not about to let that happen.

"Why couldn't you have just kept dating Weasley?" Cressida hissed. "Then none of this would have happened." Remus slowly inched his hand towards his pocket where his wand was, keeping his eyes slits and his breathing even. When his hand reached his pocket, he realized that his wand was missing. Of course, she had disarmed him when she came into the room. Fuck.

"Why isn't this working?" she snapped, clearly frustrated. The wolf had begun to pace in the back of Remus' mind and he was having a hard time controlling his want to attack Wilkes to get her away from Hermione. But he knew that even if she couldn't remove the stasis spell, it was still unstable and Remus would have to get over Hermione's bed to get to Wilkes. There was a strong chance that he would disrupt it himself. He needed to get her away from Hermione first.

The wolf stopped pacing and whined. Remus knew exactly how he felt. He willed time to move faster, for someone to get there. Then Cressida spoke again.

"Ah, here we are. Sneaky, that." And Remus knew he was out of time. He did have the element of surprise on his side, however. In one fluid motion, Remus stood from the chair.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. Wilkes' head snapped up towards him as she jumped.

"You're supposed to be asleep," she said.

"Get away from Hermione."

"No," she said, bringing her wand up to point at Remus. "I just need to take care of her and then everything will be fine."

"You need to step away from the bed," Remus said. "Don't make this worse for yourself." He took a step towards her. She smirked at him.

"I'm the one with the wand," she replied. "And now that I've figured out how that stupid Healer cast this stasis, I can remove it. Then, everything will be fine." Remus took another step.

"Don't come any closer," she warned. Remus stopped and held his hands out to the side to show he wasn't a threat.

"You don't want to do this," he said. "She hasn't done anything."

"She stole you from me!" Cressida shrieked. Remus kept his mouth from dropping open by the slimmest of margins. She was completely insane. Remus hadn't laid eyes on her since he left Hogwarts. He stared at her for a few seconds before deciding on a different tactic.

"How could she steal me when I didn't know you were interested?" Remus asked. Wilkes opened her mouth, then closed it again. She looked at Remus suspiciously. He chanced another step towards her. "You don't have to hurt Hermione to get what you want."

"You're lying!" she insisted. "You said you loved her. I heard you!" Remus fleetingly wondered when she had heard him say that, as there had never been a mediwitch in the room when he did. He turned his attention back to Cressida.

"That was before I knew about you," he said, the lie making his stomach churn. Still, he would do whatever it took to get her away from Hermione. "Things are different now."

"You tried to keep me away," Wilkes accused. "The Auror wouldn't let me in."

"How did you get past him?" Remus asked. He hoped the man was still alive. She shrugged.

"I know a lot of spells," she said. "I stunned him, but made it look like he was still standing guard."

"Clever," Remus replied. She smiled shyly at him.

"My cousin left a lot of books." Wilkes, Remus thought. She had gotten the Potions book from the Death Eater's possessions. "They were hidden in the cottage." Remus had no idea what she was talking about, but that didn't really matter right now.

"Leave Hermione be," Remus said. "Come with me and we'll leave here, right now."

"Will we get Teddy?" she asked. Remus' gut clenched. She knew about Teddy? "He's so sweet."

"When did you see Teddy?" Remus asked, trying to keep his voice light.

"A few weeks ago, when you took him to the park," Cressida said. "He loved the swings." Remus swallowed. She'd been following him. How could he not have known?

"Teddy is with his grandmother right now," Remus said. "And he's asleep. Perhaps in the morning after you and I have had a chance to get to know one another." She smiled and Remus almost shuddered at the madness in her eyes.

"I'm sure he needs a mother." Remus simply smiled, unable to respond. The wolf had sat up in his head and roared when Wilkes asked about Teddy. Remus was having a hard time keeping him under control.

Remus had continued to take a step here and there as they were talking, and he was now only feet from Cressida.

"Come with me," he said holding out a hand. Cressida stared at his outstretched hand and then looked back at Hermione. "Forget her, she doesn't mean anything." Cressida shook her head stubbornly.

"She'll try to get you back," she said.

"She won't," Remus said, as Wilkes refocused her attention back on Hermione. Where the fuck was Healer Spencer and the mediwitch?

"She will," Wilkes insisted. "I remember how stubborn she was at school." Remus' brow furrowed. Cressida was four years older than Hermione. How would she have even come into contact with her enough to know that? Wilkes turned back to Hermione.

"Wait," Remus said. "If you do this and you're caught, we can't be together. They'll take you to Azkaban."

"I won't get caught," she said with an evil grin. She raised her wand and opened her mouth to cast the spell. Remus rushed at her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her away from Hermione. He bumped the bed in the process and it skidded to the side.

Cressida shrieked and Remus hit her arm, sending her wand flying. He wrestled her as far away from the bed as he could. She was kicking and screaming and for fuck's sake, they should have attracted some kind of attention by now! Just as he thought it, the door burst open and Harry ran in, wand held high.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled, and Wilkes slumped in Remus' arms. He immediately dropped her to the floor, wanting to get as far away from her as possible. Harry ran towards Wilkes and Remus hurried to Hermione. She was still asleep, but he could see something happening with her arm. Hermione's hand had gotten a darker red and it twitched as a bit of skin fell off her index finger. The stasis charm was failing.

"Harry!" Remus called. "Get the Healer. Now!" Harry finished binding Wilkes, tossed Remus' wand to him, and ran out the door. Remus vaguely heard some commotion in the corridor, but he was too focused on Hermione to concentrate much on it.

Seconds later, Healer Spencer and Mediwitch Fernsby rushed into the room. The Healer gave Wilkes a cursory glance and then came to Hermione's side, moving Remus out of the way. She cast a series of diagnostics, then confirmed what Remus already knew.

"The stasis charm has weakened. The potion is active again, albeit much slower than it was. How long until the antidote is ready?" Healer Spencer asked as Harry came back into the room.

"Slughorn says five minutes," Harry said. The Healer's face was grim, and Remus knew that once the charm failed completely, things would change quickly.

"Will the stasis last five minutes?" Remus asked as he moved around to the other side of the bed.

"Let's hope so, Mr. Lupin, let's hope so."

"What about a block?" the mediwitch asked.

"That's what I was thinking," Healer Spencer said with a nod.

"A block?" Harry questioned.

"If we can cast a blocking charm, even if the potion becomes active again, we should be able to save her arm above the elbow." Remus felt his breath leave him and sat down heavily in the chair next to Hermione's bed. He hung his head. After everything they had been through, she could still lose her arm.

"The thing is," Mediwitch Fernsby was saying, "casting the block can disrupt the stasis charm. It might fail sooner." The two Healers looked at Remus and Harry. Harry glanced at Remus and he looked up at the younger man helplessly.

"What if you wait until the stasis charm fails?" Harry said.

"We may not have time to cast the block before the potion moves too far up her arm," Healer Spencer said. Harry looked back down at Remus who gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Do it," Harry said. The Healers went to work. Remus turned to look at Wilkes lying on the floor and an immense wave of rage washed over him.

"Get her out of here, Harry," he said through gritted teeth.

"I can't move her yet."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because that's not Cressida Wilkes." Remus looked up sharply at Harry. "Polyjuice." Remus stared at Harry for a few moments.

"Who is it?" Remus demanded, his voice low.

"I don't know for sure, but I have a pretty good guess." Before Remus could ask Harry who he thought it was, the woman's features began to shift. Harry trained his wand on her and Remus rose to do the same. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Healer Spencer and the mediwitch working quickly over Hermione.

Three minutes.

"Delia Wilkes," Harry said, as he tightened the bindings around her slightly smaller frame. Her blonde hair spilled over her face. It was her, the woman from the photograph.

"Cressida's sister," Remus said grimly. Harry nodded. And suddenly, things made a lot more sense. Harry levitated Delia's stunned form into the corridor and Remus returned his attention to Hermione. Both women were still working over her.

Remus wanted to sit next to her and hold her hand. He wanted to smooth the hair back from her forehead and tell her that everything was going to be all right. He wanted to pull her into his arms and never let her go. But he did none of those things because any of them would move her and could cause the stasis charm to fail completely. And so, he sat in the chair and watched the two healers work and hoped to Merlin and whoever else might be listening that the charm would hold until Horace brought the potion.

Two minutes.

Harry came back into the room. He looked nearly as terrified as Remus felt. Still, he stepped up next to Remus and put a hand on his shoulder. The two men stared at Hermione's still form on the bed, watching as Healer Spencer and Mediwitch Fernsby attempted to cast the blocking charm without disrupting the stasis charm.

One minute.

"Damn," Healer Spencer said under her breath.

"What is it?" Remus asked immediately. Harry's hand tightened on his shoulder.

"The stasis charm failed."

"Can you recast it?" Harry asked fearfully.

"I can attempt it, but with as much trouble as we had the first time, I am not optimistic. Fernsby, take the blocking charm." The older woman nodded and concentrated on Hermione's upper arm while Healer Spencer began to move her wand in a complicated movement trying to reset the stasis spell.

Thirty seconds.

"Where is Horace?" Remus asked, his voice hoarse.

"Almost time," Harry said. "He'll be here." Remus watched in horror as a larger piece of skin slid off Hermione's palm. Healer Spencer continued her work, but Remus knew it wouldn't be enough as he watched the skin above her wrist redden and blister.

"Damn it, Harry," Remus said, his voice shaking. Harry's grip was almost painful on Remus' shoulder, but he found he didn't really care. He could feel the tears sliding down his cheeks as the redness crept higher and higher up Hermione's arm.

"Done," Mediwitch Fernsby said as she blew out a breath and stepped back. The block had worked, at least.

The door to Hermione's room opened and both Harry and Remus whipped around, wands drawn, Remus standing from his chair. Remus almost collapsed in relief when he saw it was Horace.

"Password," Harry said immediately.

"Society for the promotion of elfish welfare," one of the Aurors flanking Horace said. Remus snorted despite everything that was going on. Few people knew about S.P.E.W. and those that did simply called it 'spew' anyway. Harry winked at him.

"Now, Professor," Healer Spencer ordered. Horace hurried forward and passed her the vial of the antidote. Healer Spencer uncorked it and carefully began to pour it over Hermione's skin. Horace stepped back until he was beside Harry, watching avidly as the antidote the Healer poured onto Hermione's skin immediately stopped the original potion from spreading. Remus breathed a sigh of relief.

"She has to ingest the rest to repair the damage," Healer Spencer explained. The mediwitch propped Hermione up slightly and Healer Spencer poured the potion into Hermione's mouth, massaging her throat to get her to swallow it.

"It will take a few hours," she said. "But she should be all right." She finally smiled, and Remus stifled a sob.

"Thank you," he managed somehow. He looked around the room. "All of you." Harry pulled him into a back-slapping embrace. Remus shook Horace's hand, thanking him profusely for his work on the antidote.

"No trouble at all, Remus. Miss Granger was always one of my favorites," Horace said with a smile. Remus thanked Healer Spencer and Mediwitch Fernsby, both brushing off his thanks as just doing their jobs. Harry raised his wand and sent off a Patronus.

"The Burrow?" Remus asked. Harry nodded.

"I'm sure Ginny will be here in a few minutes." Remus looked back at Hermione and then at Healer Spencer.

"May I?"

"Of course, Mr. Lupin," the Healer said with a smile. She had cast a shield charm and levitated Hermione's injured arm once again until the antidote could finish its work. "I'll be back to check on her in a few minutes." She and the mediwitch both left the room. Harry, sensing that Remus wanted some privacy, turned to Horace.

"I'll walk you out, Professor." Horace and the two Aurors followed Harry from the room.

Remus sat down on Hermione's bed and took her good hand in his. He kissed her palm and pressed it to his cheek. The tears that he shed earlier returned, although they were now tears of relief. She was going to be all right.

"Harry arrested her," Remus said. "She won't hurt you again." He leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. "It's over."