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 Hiya guys, thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially dreamywriter19v!
CHAPTER 4 – SET IN PRISONER OF AZKABAN, THE BOGGART (not strictly cannon)
He knew that nothing could have seemed more terrifying to his third years than facing what was in this wardrobe- a creature which literally embodied their greatest fear. But that was what he was asking them to do. Hermione made her way forward shyly but he was certain she would be able to handle herself. Hermione was a confident, well tempered young witch, with an excellent magical ability. Although Lupin had to say he was curious as to what her boggart would transform into. Some kind of disgusting creature, her parent's death...? He mulled over the possibilities, leaning forward slightly in expectation. He noticed that Hermione didn't look quite as confident as he anticipated, probably because she had already pinpointed her greatest fear and was more than reluctant to confront it. The young witch raised a trembling hand and pointed her wand at the slowly opening wardrobe doors.
Shockingly it was one of his colleagues who clambered out, dressed in her usual lavish emerald robes, carrying a scroll of parchment and frowning at the suddenly cowering Gryffindor. Lupin thought back to Neville's boggart and wondered if Hermione would follow his lead in humiliating the boggart into retreat.
"Hmmm" the Professor said sternly, clicking her tongue slightly. Hermione simply stared at her with wide-eyes, completely forgetting the spell and that Professor McGonagall wasn't really here, that it was only boggart.
"You failed Miss Granger" she continued bluntly.
Hermione managed to stutter out a reply "I f-failed t-t-transfiguration Professor?" her brown eyes had filled with tears, her hold on her wand slackened.
"No" replied McGonagall with a sardonic smirk on her face "you failed EVERYTHING!"
Hermione froze for a second, then turned and ran out of the room faster than Lupin would have believed possible. He didn't think, instead jumping his feet and following her through the classroom door, shouting to the open-mouthed students behind him that they were dismissed.
He followed the sound of her pattering footsteps and the frantic sobs which she failed to conceal. Finally the footsteps stopped and Lupin found himself outside an empty classroom, the door of which was slightly ajar. He peered into the room through the crack and saw Hermione slumped against a desk near the front, head pressed against the cool wood in a flurry of wild brown curls. He pushed the door open silently and stepped nervously into the room, he didn't really know how to deal with an upset 13 year old girl…
"Hermione?" he said, all authority lost from his voice.
She jumped slightly, having thought she was alone, and her head snapped up to glare at the intruder. When she realised it was Lupin her eyes softened immediately and she attempted to wipe the tears away from them with jerky movements.
"I'm… fine, Professor" she said unconvincingly, her voice still raw with emotion.
"Please don't lie to me Hermione." His voice wasn't hard, but tender and caring. All he wanted to do was help her, but lying would only prevent that.
"I feel so stupid, like a silly little girl." She turned slightly in her seat so she wasn't directly facing him, line of sight askew. Lupin moved towards her and sat in the seat beside her, forcing her to look at him.
"Why do you feel like that?" he asked, his brow arching with curiosity.
"My boggart was pathetic. I'm pathetic. Everyone else was afraid of terrifying monsters, and mine was finding out I'd failed all my classes. I couldn't even do the stupid spell." Hermione's voice was pouty and stubborn, her mouth tight and hard.
"It's not pathetic at all Hermione. Your schoolwork is very important to you, and it's nothing to be ashamed of."
She started to cry at this point, tears rolling down her lightly tanned cheeks.
"Hermione…" Lupin whispered, acting instinctively and pulling the young witch into a hug. She sighed into the comforting contact and rested her head against his shoulder.
"What else is wrong, why are you so upset?" he rubbed her back slowly in a circular motion, hoping the notion was soothing. He wondered what his student would do if he told her what he really was. She certainly wouldn't let him touch her, that was for sure. She would probably spring to her feet and flee in disgust…
"I have everything to be ashamed of" she mumbled bluntly.
"I…I don't understand."
"I'm a muggleborn. A mudblood. The dregs of the wizarding world. I thought that if I were smart, people wouldn't care. I was wrong."
Suddenly Lupin seemed enraged. "Who told you this Hermione?" he shouted slightly, "who called you that?"
Hermione looked up into her Professor's eyes, which were filled were fire. Her own were streaked with fear and disbelief. She had never seen her usually docile Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor so… livid. She was frightened, but she was also slightly impressed.
"Malfoy" she replied simply, he voice wavering slightly.
"When? When did he say these things to you?" Remus's fist was clenched tight and he was leaning over Hermione, casting a shadow over her quivering form.
She stayed silent, not knowing what to do. She would have expected such behavior from Professor Snape, certainly, but not sweet and kind Professor Lupin…
"Well?" Lupin questioned savagely, grabbing one of Hermione arms and pulling her to her feet. As he did this he pulled Hermione towards him, so they were now only centimeters apart. She could feel his panting breaths on her face.
She started to cry from the pain in her arm but managed to mumble out "Professor… you're hurting me".
Lupin's eyes seemed to refocus slightly and he looked confused at her words. Hurt her, what was she talking about. And then he realised, with a dawning which hit him like a ton of bricks. He was squeezing her arm, very hard, undoubtedly leaving a bruise. He released her quickly and the force caused her to fall backwards over the bench, banging her head on the desk behind. She didn't move.
"Hermione?" he quickly closed the distance between them, hesitating before kneeling beside her on the ground. He gingerly placed his hands on her shoulders and jostled her slightly, but her eyes didn't open. "Hermione" he said a little louder, not a question anymore, but a command. Nothing. He breathed deeply, panicking. What had he done? But he couldn't think about that now, he had to think about Hermione. He knew he had to take her to the hospital wing, so he scooped her up into his arms and half ran from the room.
"Professor Lupin?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, not realizing the young girl in his arms at first. Her mouth opened in shock when she finally did.
"What happened?" she asked tersely, taking on her very serious matron voice.
"She… she… fell. Banged her head on the bench."
Pomfrey indicated towards a free bed and Lupin rushed over to it, gently placing Hermione onto the pristine white sheets.
"How long has she been unconscious?"
Lupin thought, how long had it taken him to get here? Everything seemed like a blurr.
"Erm, just a few minutes I think."
"Right" said Pomfrey, who was leaning over Hermione performing several checks on her health. "She has a steady pulse, no obvious signs of brain bleeding or damage, we'll just have to wait until she wakes up…"
Lupin shifted awkwardly on his feet, "when will that be?"
Madam Pomfrey gave him a piercing look that told him she was suspicious of him, but she answered nonetheless. "When she is ready."
So Lupin pulled a chair up beside her bed and rested his head in his hands, drowning in the guilt of what he had done. He had put one of his students in the hospital wing, and not just any student- Hermione Granger.
A/N This chapter didn't come out as I expected to be honest. I always felt that this side of Remus existed, I guess you could call it his wolf side, and I think we saw it a little in Deathly Hallows. I like to think that none of the characters are perfect, and I think this shows that. I also think this will bring the pair together in the end, as Hermione has seen Lupin at his weakest. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it, please keep reviewing!
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