Summary: Hermione had tried for so long to hide the feelings she felt for Professor Lupin, but all secrets come out eventually

Disclaimer: I'm still not J.K Rowling, in case you were wondering…..

A/N I'm really sorry for the delay guys, had my few exams this week and I've had a lot on my plate. I might update chapter 3 straight away, as I have it ready. What do you think? I hope you enjoy this one, and thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 1!

CHAPTER 2- Set in Prisoner of Azkaban

Hermione sat in her defence against the dark arts classroom, waiting for their teacher to arrive. She had already met him once, and the memory of their first encounter was poignant in her mind. She had never seen anything as beautiful as the creature which had burst out of his wand, a wolf, made solely out of a silvery light that seemed to warm the room. The wolf had been quite large, and seemed almost human, with long limbs and a curved back.

The wolf had charged at the dementors courageously, dispelling the cloaked figures and the sadness which had followed them into the compartment.

So when she had entered the classroom today, for the first time, she had made her way straight to the table nearest to the teacher's desk, automatically drawn to the spot which would be closest to him. She heard Ron grumble behind her as she made her way up the aisle. He and Harry were at perfect liberty to sit where they wanted, but they always sat near Hermione for her 'help', or as she frequently accused, to cheat from her. As much as they hated sitting near the front, they hated doing their own work more.

Lupin entered the classroom just as Hermione finished getting her quill, parchment and books out of her bag, and she looked up at him with a glorious smile on her face. He was wearing shabby robes, like he had been on the train, but he didn't look as tired, or hungry, as he had that night. Staying at Hogwarts was obviously agreeing with him, she thought.

He took out his wand and pointed it at the blackboard at the front of the room, which immediately began to fill with elegant handwriting, titled Magical Beasts.

Having already read the text book set for this year, Hermione quickly went over the creatures they would be studying this term in her head. Redcaps, boggarts, hinkypunks, grindylows…

"Good morning third years", Lupin started with a voice that oozed experience and hard work. He had a smile on his face that told them he was genuinely happy to see them, which contrasted to the one Hermione expected to receive in potions next. Snape would, no doubt, have a look of disappointment on his face that they hadn't all died over the summer.

The class chanted "good morning Professor Lupin" back to him politely, and he picked up the text book from the front of his desk.

"I'm not going to start any actual teaching today, instead I will be outlining the topics we will cover throughout this term, and some of the objectives I hope you will complete. I would like for you to take notes, so I don't have to keep repeating myself every lesson."

There was a shuffling of equipment as the students readied themselves for an onslaught of note-taking.

"We'll start with Grindylows. Can anybody tell me what a Grindylow is?"

He asked this absently and clearly wasn't optimistic that anyone would be able to answer this. He evidently hadn't heard about Hermione Granger yet.

Her hand immediately flew into the air and she hoped desperately that hers had been the quickest, so she could make a good first impression. Looking around quickly she realised it was in fact the only hand raised from a desk. No-one looked surprised that Hermione knew the answer, but she did see Ron roll his eyes.

"And what is your name dear?" Professor Lupin asked, with a look of amusement on his face.

"Hermione Granger, sir. Grindylows are water demons that live in the bottom of lakes. They can be found in Britain and Ireland and are known to use their long fingers to strangle their prey."

She said this very fast, and he seemed dazed by the speed at which she had hurled her answer at him. He stood still for a moment before nodding and saying, "very well done, 5 points to Gryffindor."

Lupin went through the rest of the creatures, and each time asked the class if they knew what they were. And each time, predictably, the only hand that shot into the air was Hermione's. By the end Lupin directed the questions to Hermione herself, seeming to give up on the rest of the class. After she correctly identified the last creature, a Red Cap, Lupin blurted out, "Have you read the whole text book Miss Granger?"

She bit her lip, and her cheeks reddened into a hot scarlet colour. She nodded slightly and he grinned at her.

"Well I have to say that I'm impressed. I think the rest of you ought to take a leaf out of Miss Granger's book."

Hermione's heart soared as Remus' praise washed over her, and she barely heard the sniggers of her classmates as happiness filled her every pore.

A/N Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and let me know what you thought.

Jess xX

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