Chapter 6: New Rule

A day later, Remus sat at his desk, marking papers. Hermione, Ginny, and Mandy sat in desks, working on tests that they missed. Remus looked up to find Hermione and Mandy looking at him. When they saw him watching them watch him, they went back to look at the tests. Ginny was watching them now and smiled, while shakeing her head.

The test was almost over when dinner rolled around. "Um Professor Lupin, it is dinner time so, may we go?" Ginny was looking at him quiet sweetly as she asked.

"Ginny, you may go. I would like Mandy and Hermione to stay and finish their tests. I will call a house elf to bring some food." Ginny stood and left. Hermione adn Mandy went back to their tests. A house elf named Mipsey came over to each persn to take their food orders. About a minute after leaving, she came back with the food. The two girls moved closer to each other, while they were eating. They talked about all kinds of stuff. Remus sat at his desk, watching them. After a moment, he was just staring of into space.

"Um, Professor Lupin, are you okay?" Remus was brought out of him thoughts by Mandy asking him. Both of the girls were starting to laughing under their breathes.

"Yes, I am find. I was just thinking." A blush creaped across his face.

"Well, you were kind of staring at us." Mandy was now laughing full on. Hermione had a straight face, but when Remus looked at her, she burst out laughing. Remus joined in with them. Before to long, Hermione and Mandy were talking again.

Remus heard a few words of what they were saying, like, "They still have no clue." and "How many more clues must we give them?" Unfortuantly, they noticed that he was listening to what they were saying. Both girls looked at him. Them moved back to their original seats and they both began their tests again. Hermione finished first and left.

Mandy still had a page left, before she was done. Remus looked up and smiled. "Mandy, I have a question."

"Before you ask it, I am not the girl. I know what you were going to ask. You were waiting for one of us to tell you. Now that there are only three girls left, only one girl will tell you a week." Mandy went back to her test, leaving her Professor in complete amazement. That was the question he wanted answered.

About half an hour later, Mandy finished and left.

Remus pulled out the list and crossed her name off it.

Ginny Weasley-NO
Pansy Parkinson-NO
Luna Lovegood-NO
Hannah Abbott
Susan Bones
Lavender Brown-NO
Eleanor Branstone-NO
Mandy Brocklehurst-NO
Millicent Bulstrode-NO
Emma Dobbs-NO
Hermione Granger
Morgan MacDougal-NO
Abby Nott-NO
Adrian Pucey-NO
Yvonne Hedlas-NO

Only three girls left, but it would most likely take at lest two weeks to know which girl.

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Remus found it very hard to concentract on anything for the next two days. Hannah adn Susan would not attend any classes. They came everyday to pick up all the work they missed, but would not come. The headmaster would not do anything to stop it either. Al he would say is that it is their choice, now that they are seventh years. Four days after the next rule, Remus got a note that might help things a little, but also make it much more diffucult. It said as follows:

Dear Professor Lupin,

This is the next clue to your mystery.
Each girl can only give you one clue. A
clue can be like telling you that they are not
the girl. But there is an exception. One of
the girls did give you two or three clues,
but we let her. She can not give you any
more clues. Even though most of the girls
are crossed out, they might still be able to
give you clues. Attached is a paper of all
the girls that can give you clues. On the
other paper is the list that can not. You will
not be able to trick us because we all know
who can and can't tell. No slytherins are
involved so I would not ask any of them.

Remus was totally shocked. He looked at the other piece of paper.

Can
Ginny Weasley
Luna Lovegood
Eleanor Branstone
Emma Dobbs
Abby Nott
Yvonne Hedlas

Can Not
Lavender Brown
Mandy Brocklehurst
Hermione Granger
Morgan MacDougal
Adrian Pucey
Hannah Abbott
Susan Bones

Remus could not believe his eyes. He only had six girls to ask questions and none of them were the three left. This was going to be more difficult then he had thought.

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About a week after receiving the notes, Remus began to watch all the girls a lot closer. He would see then with each other every where. Hermione, Hannah and Susan would be found by the lake talking with Harry and Ron. Sometimes Ginny would join them. Remus found himself taking a walk just to see them. He felt very weird torwards one of the girls. Snape felt the same way.

Snape had not had quiet as many encounters with the girls as Remus did, but he still keeped a watch on them. Hannah and Susan would not go to any of their classes. Hermione would go to all of them. Hannah and Susan would be found with a straight face or a frown most of the time. Every once in a whille, you could find them with a smile on their faces. Hermione would never smile. She would always look as if she was staring of into space. Hermione would not even raise her hand in a class, to answer a question any more.

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Snape and Remus were walking through the hallway one day when they heard quiet a few voices, boys and girls. Both Professors looked at one another, before turning down the corridor towards the noise, both walking. One thought passed through their heads. Both the same. The Professors turned the corner and saw three girls and three boys together. Remus and Snape felt strange. Neither did anything, they seemed to be frozen. Susan was hiding behind a statue from the boys. Hannah was trying to run away from Goyle. Malfoy and Crabb had cornered another. They seemed to be hitting her with spells, as she was beginning to scream.

Before either Professor saw it, another boy joined in. He was going after Susan. Susan ran over towards Hannah. They were standing next to each other, trying to get away. At least it was two on two where the either girl was fighting two boys.

"Professors!" Remus and Snape was brought out of their thoughts by Crabb shouting, as he must have been warning them. All the boys stopped and ran for it. But Malfoy stayed an extra second.

"I will be back Granger!" Then he took of running. The girl in the corner collapsed. Hannah and Susan fell against the wall, sliding to the ground.

"I will take Hannah and Susan." Snape said, already walking towards the two girls. Remus went over to the other girl and crouched down to be face to face with her.

Remus put his hand her face and slowly stroaked her cheek. It was to dark to see much of it. She had dark hair and was about normal hight. As soon as he touched her, she jumped a little, but did looked up. Tears were flowing down Hermione's face. Her face was bruised once again Her eyes were blood shoot and swollen. She had a black eye and quiet a few cuts on her face. "Hermione, what happened?" Hermione did not answer. She looked down at her hands. "Okay, can you stand?"

Remus stood and looked down at her. He stuck his hand out and she took it. He pulled her up, and let go. She stood for a few seconds before falling to the ground. Remus pulled her up once again, but his time, he picked her up. Hermione laid her head against him. He was warm and she felt safe in his arms. Remus walked over to were Snape was and stood by them. Snape looked up and saw them standing. Snape stood up and helped Hannah and Susan to their feet.

Hermione turned away from everyone and buried her face into Remus' shoulder. The vision of Malfoy and Crabb stayed in her mine. She began to cry. Remus looked down as soon as he felt her body shake.

Remus looked up at Snape. " I am going to take her to my rooms. I will see if she is alright. Tell the headmaster for me?" Snape shook his head and took the other two girls up the stairs. Remus went down a level and turned into his rooms. Hermione was still crying.

Remus slowly set Hermione on his bed. But she would not let go of him. Remus final had to sit on the bed with Hermione in his lap. Her body began to shake more fearsome. "Hermione, everything is going to be alright. You can calm down. I won't let anyone hurt you." Remus began to rock her back and forth.

Hermione finally stopped crying and looked him in the eyes. "Your eyes, they seem so fimilar. I have seen them many times before, just not in class. Like a long time ago." Once Remus was done, Hermione gave a small smile towards him.

"Yes, you have and I have seen yours." It was not even a whisper but Remus could hear it. He began to stroke her cheek. Hermione could feel tears running down her cheek again. She ment to move over, but as soon as she tried, an grand amount of pain rushed through her body. Making her her shudder and shriek.

Remus looked back at her. More tears were rushing down her face. Remus slowly stood up and laid Hermione down. He sat next to her.

"Hermione, will you please tell me what they did to you." Remus needed to know, if anything was to be done about it.

"Hannah, Susan and I were walking to the library. We turned a corner and Malfoy, Crabb, and Goyle were there. They said they need us to corroperate or else. We took of running. But we found our selfs in the dead end. Goyle went over to Hannah and knocked her to the ground. Susan went and hid behind the statue. Malfoy asked Crabb to hold me down. They came near me and I kicked them. The hit me with a few spells. I ran over to the corner to try to get away, but they followed. Before anyone knew it another boy came to join them. Then the next thing was Crabb shouting Professors and all the boys running off." Hermione's voice was beginning to go out.

Remus looked down at her arm and noticed that blood was bleeding through. "Hermione, you need to rest. I will have to make sure you are okay, so..." Remus touched her robes and when he looked at his finger, it was covered in blood. He rolled up her sleeve and healed the cut. "Where are you hurting the most?"

"My stomach." Hermione touched her stomach and flinched. She removed her hand and set it on her now healed arm. Remus could tell that her hand was covered in blood.

"Hermione, I will need to see your stomach to heal it." Remus felt a little aquword about that, but Hermione just smiled. Hermione understood, so she buttoned her robes. She then unbottned the bottom four buttons of her shirt. Remus gasped at the sight. Covered in blood, everything. Blood had soaked part of her shirt and her robes. Hermione had a very deep gash on her stomach. It was probably three inches long.

Remus pulled out his wand and muttered a healing spell, but it didn't work. All it did was make it worse. "Oh Hermione, what did they do to you." It was not a question, but a statement. Or his thought out loud. Remus walked over to his fireplace and called Madam Pomfrey. She came right away. One look at Hermione and she went back to the Hospital wing. She returned moments later with a few muggle items. She sat on the bed and let them fall onto it also. All they were, were some badges, soap, and a few wraps.

Madam Pomfrey helped Hermione sit up and she wrapped the badges around her after wipping it somewhat clean. Hermione laid back down, as madam Pomfrey called Remus over to sitting room.

"Remus, is it alright if she stays here for a little while?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Yes, but what is wrong with her?"

"She was hit with a slicing spell. Not just any kind, but one that just grows worse witht the use of magick. I would take her to the hospital wing, but if we move her, we could do more damage to her. I will leave all the supplies with you. If you need anything, just floo me." WIth that, Madam Pomfrey left.

When Remus walked back to Hermione, she had her eyes closed as she cried. "Hermione, I am so sorry about all of this." Remus sat next to her. Hermione made to sit up, but Remus pushed her back down. "You must rest." Remus made to stand, but she grabbed his arm.

"Please, don't leave me." Hermione's voice was week and shaky.

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