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It didn't take long for the Hogwarts rumour mill to spread the news that the new girl My was now officially dating the quiet marauder Remus Lupin.
Hermione was not surprised at that.
After all, as one does as Harry Potter's best friends, she had often being victim of wild-fire-rumours.
What did surprise her however was the apparent interest in which their relationship took to the Hogwarts population, students and teachers alike seemingly greatly intrigued that Remus Lupin had openly declared a relationship.
At first Hermione took offence, not on her own behalf but for Remus. She didn't understand how so many people could find it unbelievable that he could have such a thing as a girlfriend.
When she vividly expressed her anger to Lily and Emily, enclosed within the girl's dormitories, the girls merely smiled serenely not at all caught in the fury that Hermione seemed to shoot like flames from around her.
Sensing that their disposition was only adding fuel to their curly haired friend's rage Lily and Emily interrupted Hermione's rampage, each girl taking a flailing arm and pulling her down to sit upon Lily's bed.
With Lily on one side and Emily the other the girls shushed the distraught girl into a manageable state of stiff irritation and implored her to listen.
Lily slowly explained to Hermione that it wasn't a slight against Remus' attractiveness or deservingness or any other such claim that she had made in her temper fit but rather a reaction to Remus' known 'bachelor' status.
Apparently, as Emily continued on to reveal, Remus, although in no way adverse to the female gender, as she could personally account for – Lily slapped her playfully, in a now-is-not-the-time type of way – Remus had never actually 'dated' girls before.
As far as Emily's gossip-knowledge extended too, being particularly friends with a couple of flirty and loquacious Ravenclaw girls, the Prefects bathroom was basically considered off limits after 10pm, under an unspoken agreement born out of quite a few awkward interruptions involving a very wet Remus and more often than not more than one girl.
Lily, being a Prefect, was astonished at this new bit of gossip, apparently under the belief that prefects were not allowed into the bathroom after 10 due to an elaborate story that James had (now obviously) invented. Lily wouldn't tell them what he had told her but both girls could tell she was bubbling with anger, either at James, or at herself for being so gullible. Either way, Hermione felt a little sorry for James, amused as she was as well at Lily's reaction.
Returning back to her own problem, Hermione thought that Emily's explanation, although answering her initial concern, seemed to then raise even more worrying points.
She rose absentmindedly from the bed, leaving the two girls to whatever the conversation had now diverged to and made her way down the spiral staircase towards the crowded common room.
She hesitated at the bottom step when she realised how crowded the room really was and how it would be virtually impossible to snag an armchair near the fire like she had vaguely planned to on her way down.
Before she could even consider wandering to the empty library (because although Severus had been out of the hospital wing for a few days he had not yet however returned to their regular nightly schedule, another concern that ate at her mind) she was pulled firmly by the wrist and tugged over an armrest to fall snugly into a warm lap.
Temporarily snapped out of her thoughts she struggled in the lap, although absurd even in her mind, thoughts of a dark shadow and a hot breath on her check, rough hands bruisingly crushing her into a wall…
The hands that were holding her steady at her waist released their grip and a voice that was so different from the one reverberating in her mind, warm and soft relaxed her struggle before she managed to squirm herself onto the stone floor.
"Shhh … My? My? I'm sorry. It's me. Remus," the voice swam softly in her ear.
She whimpered ashamedly and tucked her head into to the naturally crevice provided by his shoulder and neck, hiding the frightened tears that had sprung in the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeated like a mantra into her ear, arms wrapping around to hold her close. "I should have thought."
If the tight grip around his neck was anything to go by, he didn't think she was going to let go for so time and he certainly wasn't going to make her, so he let her rest upon his shoulder, soothing her back with gently circles by his free hand.
James and Sirius who were sitting opposite Remus, squashed onto a sofa, watched the scene with bewildered curiosity, oblivious to the attack that had triggered her reaction, however Remus wasn't about to explain and when Hermione had quietened down and seemed to be gently sleeping on Remus lap they resumed their conversation of the best quality stinkbombs.
Not nearly time for bedtime, Emily and Lily made their way down to join the group not long after.
By her position on Remus, it seemed obvious that Hermione had been upset and Emily gushed her apologies at once about telling Hermione of the bathroom curfew and how she honestly hadn't thought about how it might bother her.
James and Sirius simultaneously burst into great gulping laughs at seeing the stern scowl upon their wolfish friend's face.
Emily seeing her mistakenness, and just a little bit scared of the menacing scowl, scampered quickly over towards another group of girls, conveniently on the other side of the common room.
Hermione, who had only been deeply relaxing and not really sleeping, stiffened almost imperceptibly but still enough that Remus had noticed.
Remus wasn't about to explain his bathroom fame, as really it was all due to the fact that he couldn't stand the scent of most females and had to hence wash them thoroughly before he could even think of kissing them, let her fane sleep to the others but whispered discreetly into her hair.
"Mostly rumours, and nothing for you to worry about," he breathed gently. "Promise."
It wasn't a lie. The tales were greatly exaggerated, a combination of Chinese whispers and over boasting girls. And it wasn't like he was going to continue his bathroom escapades, 'that is,' he thought 'unless it involves My.'
She tightened her grip in response, accepting his words and his promise, guilty that she could doubt him, and within moments she really was asleep, oblivious to Lily's reprimand of James and the so called 'Prefect bathroom octopus'.
Apparently Hermione had been in the past quite a while, for as she woke next morning (a snowy Saturday) it was to the excited chatter of Emily and Lily planning outfits for the Halloween Ball that was to take place the next Friday night.
She lifted her head from her pillow, only to be followed by the messy pillow of her hair that had flared out around her face during the night, a result of her forgetfulness to braid it the night before.
Rubbing her eyes and pulling the covers down, she jumped slightly on the spot when Emily let out a small scream.
Hand scrambling for a wand, it took her a moment to realise Emily's scream was directed at her.
"What?" Hermione asked shakily, not sure to be scared.
"That's it Lils, we can't put this off any longer," she said looking but not talking to Hermione. "Just look at that hair!"
Hermione huffed. Didn't they know there was nothing to be done about it? Unless she wanted to spend and hour each day and two bottles of product, her hair was going to stay resolutely the same – a mass of unruly curls.
Obviously, Hermione decided, they didn't know.
Lily and Emily pulled her out of the warm coverings pushing her dressing gown over her shoulders to stop her shivering and pulled her down to sit on the floor while the two girls circled her like dragons choosing their prey.
"I know you don't believe us, but Lils here really is a master of charms. I don't know how she does it, but she's amazing, really! Just trust us."
Hermione, being no beginner to charms either, still doubted any success but admitted that Lily at least could do no harm, being adept enough at charms.
Lily stopped at the back of Hermione, wand tapping her chin as she decided the best method, and with a few showered sparks falling around her head, Hermione felt her curls changing around her face. It took a while before Lily was satisfied and after around half an hour, Hermione was finally allowed to see the result.
She gasped at her reflection; sure that Lily had charmed the mirror instead of her hair. But when a gentle hand confirmed the sleet ringlets her hair had obliging formed she had to accept that this was really what her hair looked like.
The dark chocolate brown hair was longer, the hair no longer stacked up in tight curls, it reached halfway down her back. Still curly, but sophisticated, the ringlets were larger and fell in soft waves.
Lily and Emily stood back admiring their handiwork (Emily having provided suggestion to Lily's wand-work).
"Will it – will it stay like this?" Hermione asked, unsure of the answer.
"Yep," replied Lily a wide grin on her face. "There's a counter charm, if you want to take it off, but unless you do, it should last for around a month. It might falter a bit after that, but I can easily teach you the charms, if you would like?"
"Umm ... yeah. I mean please. I mean," Hermione flustered, "I mean thankyou."
"No problem," Lily replied with a hug.