AN: It's LU's one year anniversary! You guys are all so amazing. I can't believe how far this has come. Thanks goes out to each and every one of you, but especially reviewers: lilmisadiva, Kairan1979, Tellur, ILoveGeorgeEads, Majerus, Ari989, heart chan, magitech, ultima-owner, Fibinaci, MariusDarkwolf, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, LadyKnightofCelestia, MuggleCreator, Narcissa-Weasly, Albionia, ReadPaxJoy, Venquine1990, Poetheather1, and RosettaEmeraldGreen.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.
"Professor, look at this!"
"No, Professor, come over here!"
"I don't think I did mine right…"
Andromeda let her head fall into her hands and massaged her temples. She'd had a splitting headache since six that morning, when Moody had decided to drop in. He'd delivered a thirty minute lecture on how irresponsible she was by not putting wards on her Floo, before begrudgingly admitting that Nymphadora was "adequate, for a klutz." Because of him, she'd been late to her first class, a group of Gryffindor and Slytherin fifth years whose hormones had all kicked in at once.
Her Ravenclaw/Gryffindor second year class wasn't helping matters, and even the dull flame from the candles was beginning to hurt her eyes. Casting a quick glance up at the clock, she smiled in relief.
"Well class, it looks like that's all the time we have today," She said pleasantly. Their groans of disappointment made her smile wider, until a sharp pain near her ear caused it to slip off her face. "Make sure you practice for next time, but not in the halls!"
A mob of children swiftly packed up their things and moved out of the classroom, eager for lunch. Andromeda debated with herself for a bit. She could go to the Hospital Wing and get some relief, or she could eat. Her stomach grumbled loudly. She had been unable to eat breakfast that morning, and lunch sounded lovely right about now. Andromeda quickly bustled out the door, locking it firmly behind her.
Hurrying down the hall, she allowed her mind to wander. She missed Ted and Nymphadora. Minerva had asked the teachers to stay at the castle for break, in order to protect the students from both Black and the dementors. Technically, she could have gone home. Not many staff members had anywhere they needed to be. Augusta had Neville, of course, but they were both at Hogwarts. Minerva didn't have any family that she knew of, and neither did Snape. She thought Lupin—
"Oof!"
A hand reached out and grabbed her arm before she hit the ground. "I'm so sorry," Lupin apologized profusely, making sure that she was steady on her feet before letting go.
"Oh, don't worry, it's my fault. Afraid I got lost in thought," Andromeda confessed sheepishly. "Where are you off to?"
"Just going to have some lunch." Lupin avoided her eyes, scuffing the floor with his old shoes.
Andromeda tilted her head. "Aren't you going the wrong way then?"
"Er…I'm having lunch with a friend." Lupin fiddled with a loose button on his robes. "She wanted to speak privately, I suppose."
Her eyebrows rose. "She? Alright Lupin, who's the lucky girl?"
He shook his head quickly. "No, no, we're—that is to say—" He stumbled over his words for a few seconds. "We're not involved romantically," He finally sputtered out.
She grinned slyly. "But I bet you'd like to be, wouldn't you? Anyway, that's not what I asked. Who is it?"
Lupin reddened and went silent for a moment. "Not to be rude, but I fail to see how that is any of your business," He muttered stiffly.
"It isn't. I'm just being nosy," She told him cheerfully. "If you're not going to say, then at least tell me about her. Is she smart? Pretty? Kind? Really, you must give me something to go on."
He swallowed thickly. "She…she's incredible," He breathed.
Andromeda tapped her chin with a contemplative look on her face. "Incredible, huh? I'm afraid you're going to have to elaborate. I know lots of incredible girls."
Lupin shook himself and narrowed his eyes. "You're distracting me," He declared firmly, appearing quite surprised. "I need to go. I'm already a little late."
"Mmm," Andromeda hummed, turning to watch him dash off. "Lupin!" She called, just before he was out of earshot. "Have fun with Charity!" Chuckling to herself, she turned the corner, only to run into someone else. This one wasn't nearly as nice, and she found herself sprawled on the ground. Groaning, she raised her head and jumped up.
"My apologies," She murmured.
Snape glared down his hook nose at her. "What were you saying?"
Andromeda sighed and repeated herself more clearly. "My apologies."
"No, before that," He snapped. "What did you say to Lupin?"
Andromeda crossed her arms over her chest. Something told her that Snape wasn't just curious. "Eavesdropping is very rude," She retorted.
He sneered at her. "It's hardly eavesdropping if you're shouting loud enough for the entire corridor to hear." He continued to stare at her, causing her to feel a bit uncomfortable. Andromeda was used to attracting attention; whispers followed her whenever she walked through Diagon Alley. ("That's a Black girl, that is." "Not since she ran off with that muggleborn." "Got herself blasted off the family tree for that." "What a shame.") Never in her life had she been so blatantly examined.
"If you're quite through." Andromeda struggled to look intimidating. It had been a while since she'd done that to an adult. Her days were now filled with troublesome teens, not bitter, bigoted grown man.
Snape swiftly stepped in front of her, black robes billowing slightly. "What did you say to him?" He sounded as though he were speaking through gritted teeth. She was getting to him, and she felt childishly pleased by it.
"To whom?" Andromeda asked innocently. She was sure that she was going to regret this later, but she found herself too irritated and confused to care. Snape trying her patience at all was something sure to annoy her, but he certainly picked a dreadful day to do it.
"What did you say to Lupin, just now, when you shouted at him?" He leaned in closer to her, nearly snarling in her face. His breath was rather foul, she noticed.
She stretched her chin up defiantly. "It seems that you already know, and you're just hoping I'll repeat it for whatever reason."
His nostrils flared, and he bared his teeth at her. "You're Black's cousin. You know what Lupin is!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," She replied coolly.
His black eyes narrowed at her. "Let's stop this foolish game right now. You and I both know that Lupin is a werewolf. You and I both know that he could very easily bite her or kill her."
"You stop right there." Andromeda couldn't believe what Snape was suggesting. Did he think Lupin was some sort of careless fool? "Charity is in no danger. Lupin has never gotten too close to a human during his transformation. He has always maintained a large distance."
Snape's skin went chalky. "That's what you think. Just remember, Tonks, that Lupin is not the saint you all seem to think he is. You have no idea what he's done—him and those moronic friends of his!" He spun around and stalked away, leaving Andromeda in an empty corridor with a full mind.
"How could you even think that letting him keep it was a good idea?"
"It's a Firebolt! A Firebolt!"
Penny had gotten way too good at blocking out arguments over the past few weeks, and the fact that most of them were between her boyfriend and his best friend was only mildly distressing. At the end, they'd agree to disagree, until tomorrow, when Percy would bring up safety or Oliver would bring up Quidditch. And Penny would calmly sit there, re-reading her essay and marking mistakes here and there.
"A Firebolt that could've been sent by anyone!"
"So? If Harry has a Firebolt, Slytherin doesn't stand a chance."
"Is winning all you care about? What if that broom's been jinxed?"
"What if it hasn't?"
"Well then, it's better safe than sorry. Besides, you'll get it back before the next match."
"But he won't have much time at all to practice on it!"
Taking more than three doses of Felix Felicis in a week can cause serious side effects, such as giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence.
Out of the corner of her eye, Penny saw a flash of white-blonde hair. She whipped her head up to see Luna, dancing in and out of library shelves. On her feet was a pair of bright orange flats. Penny couldn't help but smile. "You guys should be quiet, or you'll be kicked out," She reminded them, standing quickly. They barely noticed, so involved in their argument.
"Luna!" She whispered. "Luna, are you here?"
"Hello, Penelope Clearwater," A dreamy voice greeted from behind her.
Penny jumped nearly a foot in the air and spun around. "Hello, Luna," She replied, trying to slow down her heart. "How have things been going in Ravenclaw lately?"
Luna cocked her head. "I'm sure you would know just as well as me."
"Oh, er, yes, I suppose I would." Penny mentally chided herself. That was such a stupid question!
"But if you're asking about the Nargles, it seems that they've moved on."
"Really?" Penny asked, interested.
"Yes. They've given me my shoes back, so I think they've decided to find someone else. I feel sorry for that person though," Luna remarked.
Penny ran a hand through her hair. "Why is that?"
"Well, there aren't very many people that are tolerant of Nargles. I am, and so is Daddy, but I don't think that many people at Hogwarts will put up with them for long."
Penny shook her head. "You might be surprised."
Luna shrugged and ran a finger down the spines of the books. She took off at a slight jog, reaching the end of the aisle before turning and coming back, doing the same thing to the other side. She held her finger up as though inspecting, frowning.
"Is everything alright?" Penny wondered, concerned.
"I don't know," Luna confessed. "The books have quite a bit of dust on them. People at Hogwarts don't want to read them. I suspect Wrackspurts, you know. There seem to be a lot around here lately."
Penny nodded. "That must be a problem."
"I feel sorry for them," Luna whispered, leaning in close as though telling her some great secret.
"For who? The Wrackspurts?" Penelope asked, confused again.
"No, the books." Luna cast a furtive glance at the shelves. "It must get awfully lonely for them, to not be read very often."
"I'm sure they'll be read eventually," Penny comforted her.
"You know Hermione Granger."
It was phrased like a question, but Luna appeared to be making an observation instead. Penny didn't know how to respond to something like that, and so, just kept silent.
"I've heard she's very smart. I'd be interested in speaking with her about the books sometime."
Penny paused. "I—I'm sure she'd like that. But Luna, I'd just like you to be aware that you two might not see eye to eye on everything."
Luna blinked. "I know. That's what makes it fun, you see. Are your boyfriend and Oliver Wood still friends?"
Penelope frowned. "Yes. They've been having a few rough spots lately. But I'm sure everything will turn out for the best."
Luna smiled serenely. "You're very positive. That's a nice quality to have. I hope I'm like that someday. Do you know where Hermione Granger is? I usually see her at that table in the back corner, near the big window, but she's not there."
"She might be in the Common Room. She studies in there sometimes, but only if it's quiet. I'm not supposed to give anyone the password, though. I'm sorry," Penny apologized.
"That's alright." Luna didn't say anything more, and Penny wasn't sure what to do.
"Um, keep track of your shoes, okay Luna?"
Luna's eyes widened, and she nodded seriously. "I even sleep in them now. I find it helps with my sleep-walking."
Penny frowned. "Sleep-walking?"
Luna turned in a circle slowly. "Yes. It's very dangerous to walk somewhere without shoes on, especially if you've no idea where you're going."
"I can see how that would be a problem," Penny said faintly.
"Your boyfriend is reading your essay," Luna informed her matter-of-factly.
"What?" Penny whirled around to find Oliver missing and Percy scanning the parchment. "Thank you for telling me, Luna. I'll see you around."
"Goodbye," Luna called lightly, skipping away.
"What are you doing?" Penny hissed, storming back to the table.
Percy dropped her essay immediately, looking guilty. "I just wanted to see how it was going. There's no way Snape won't like it," He told her.
"Really?" Penny asked, blushing with pride. "Wait, no. Don't try and butter me up with compliments, Percy Weasley. What are you doing here by yourself? Where's Oliver? And I told you not to read it until I was finished!"
Percy slouched in his chair. "I know, I know. It's just, Oliver got really upset and left, probably to fly. And you were over there talking with Ginny's friend, so I got a little…a little…"
Penny gasped. "Were you lonely?"
"No," Percy denied it instantly. The tinge of red on his ears told a different story.
"You were," Penny cooed, anger forgotten. "Oh, that's so cute!"
Percy saw an out and seized it. "Well, maybe a little," He conceded.
"We could go somewhere," She suggested, already packing up her stuff. "It's kind of cold outside, so that might not be a good idea. There's always the Great Hall, I don't think anyone's there right now…"
Percy rose from the table and helped her. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea." He nodded eagerly, taking her bag from her. As they reached the double doors heading out of the library, he looked back towards a tall, shadowy figure and winked.
Thank you, Oliver.
Harry roamed the halls of Hogwarts, thinking. He'd been doing it a lot lately. His mind, occupied with thoughts of his parents, whirled with everything that he'd learned in the past few months. Briefly, he wondered if the tiny snippets of information gleaned from Lupin would ever be enough. Considering he hadn't stopped coming up with different questions since that first meeting, it probably wouldn't be. Lupin couldn't answer all of his questions, but it was mostly the ones concerning his mother that he was stumped. Harry wished he could ask Aunt Petunia.
"Hello, Harry!" Ginny seemed to pop up out of nowhere.
"Er, hi, Ginny." He fidgeted anxiously. He never was quite sure what to say to her.
"What are you doing?"
"Uh, just, uh…" His brain stalled for a second. "Going to the library!" He burst out. "I—I need to study," He lied.
She frowned at him. "But, we're on holiday."
Harry swallowed and adjusted his glasses. "Right, but I wanted to—to get some extra reading in about, er, dementors." He said the first thing that came to mind, not realizing the effect it would have on Ginny.
Her eyes (which were normally very big around him anyway) widened further as her skin paled. She gave him a grave look, and he wasn't all that sure why. "Alright. Well, if you see Luna, could you tell her we're looking for her?"
Harry nodded anxiously. "Yeah, sure. Bye Ginny!"
He sped off in the direction of the library, fleeing as quickly as possible. Ever since Ron had mentioned her forming a fan club, he'd felt uncomfortable around her. He almost wished that she still hated him. That would be so much more convenient.
Reaching the doors to the library, he checked back over his shoulder for a ginger, only to look ahead and find a blonde. Luna stood directly in front of him, large blue eyes gazing at him pensively. He struggled not to squirm.
"Luna. Um, Ginny's looking for you."
Luna didn't smile. "Are you looking for your friend, too?"
Harry didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Which friend?"
She frowned at him. "Hermione."
He frowned back at her. "Why would I be looking for Hermione?"
"She's very upset," Luna said, as though it should've been obvious.
"Why?"
Luna shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Though she does spend a lot of time in the library, and I have been noticing an increasing number of Wrackspurts in the area."
Harry nodded slowly. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Luna."
He headed directly for Hermione's table in the back corner, but no one was there. He checked the aisles, which took him forever. She had to be around here somewhere. Luna, for all of her quirks, was rarely wrong about anything. Then again, had she actually said that Hermione was in the library? He didn't think so. Ready to give up, he turned around and heard a soft sniffle.
Sniff…sniff…
A scuffling noise came from a small cranny in the library. He slowly headed towards it, curious. All thoughts of Black and dementors flew out of his mind as he cautiously approached a curled up figure. As he got closer, an outline began to form, and he saw bushy mane silhouetted against the candlelight.
"Hermione?" He whispered.
Her head shot up. "Harry!" She swiped the back of her hand across her face and attempted a shaky smile his way. He was hardly fooled. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her voice sounded choked.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" He asked, sitting next to her. Harry wished he had a handkerchief, but the only thing in his pocket was his wand.
"Nothing, I'm fine." She forced another smile at him, carefully pushing her hair away from her face.
"Hermione…" He wasn't sure what to say, but luckily, her name seemed to be enough.
"I've just been really busy lately," She admitted, avoiding his eyes.
"Is this because you've been taking so many classes?"
She sniffed and didn't reply.
"Hermione, Seamus and Parvati said that you're in their Muggle Studies class, but you're also in Ancient Runes with Dean. How can you take all these classes when they're at the same time?" He pressed on.
She crossed her arms. "I can't tell you."
He sighed. "Okay. What can you tell me?"
She shrugged and wiped away a stray tear.
Harry tried not to get frustrated. She was obviously upset, and he needed to help her. "How far ahead are you?"
This got her to look at him, if only for a second. "What?"
"C'mon Hermione, I know you. How far ahead in your classes are you?"
She chewed on her bottom lip. "Well, except for Potions, since Snape won't give me any of the future work, about three weeks."
Harry nodded. "Alright. So, why don't you just take a break?"
She stared at him. It was clear that the idea had never occurred to her. "What?" She asked again.
"Just think, Hermione. Tomorrow is the New Year, right? What if, you just took a few days off here and there? You could relax today and tomorrow, and then get back to work. And then, you can have day off every once in a while."
She furrowed her brow. "I don't know, Harry. I don't want to fall behind."
"You won't," He promised. "But it's not right for you to do this much work without a break. You're overworking yourself, Hermione."
She looked back at him. "And I won't fall behind?" She double-checked.
Harry shook his head adamantly.
She relaxed. "Okay, Harry. I'll take a tiny break. But I need to get back to work soon."
Harry grinned at her. "Great. So now you can take the rest of the day to go do something fun, right?"
"Right…"
He groaned. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Have you been to see Hagrid lately?" She asked.
"No, why?"
She stood and moved to a stack of books. "The Board of Governors is trying to have Buckbeak executed because of what happened to Malfoy. I told Hagrid that I'd help with proving Buckbeak innocent. It's proving to be a little harder than I thought."
"Did any of the others know about this?" He wondered.
She shrugged. "I thought they did. But if you didn't, then probably not."
"Didn't you ever wonder why they weren't helping you?" He asked.
Hermione waved him off, digging through the pile of books. "Not really. I'm used to it."
"Hermione, wait." He stopped her. "Why don't we go get some of the others and tell them about this? They'll want to help."
Hermione adjusted her robes. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. We're all Hagrid's friends, and we want to help him. We're your friends too, Hermione," He added more gently.
Her cheeks turned pink.
"You don't have to go alone anymore," Harry vowed.
AN: I was re-reading PoA again, and it turns out that the full moon was on Christmas. Oops. I hope you can forgive that minor slip-up. Thanks for reading!