Chapter Eight – Pieces moving into Place

Harry looked up from Ron's sleeping form as John stepped out of the bathroom, his face slightly flushed.

"Everything okay?" Harry questioned in genuine concern, he had been in the bathroom for almost half an hour, long enough for Madame Pomfrey's sleeping draught to take effect on Ron.

John nodded mutely and turned to look at Ron.

"How's he doing?" John asked taking a seat on the bed opposite Harry.

"Better," Harry said softly before adding, "Thank you for saving his life."

Harry could see John cheeks turn red at his words, "I didn't really do anything, it was Madame Pomfrey and besides if it weren't for me Ron wouldn't be in this position anyway," he finished in a guilty voice.

After a moments silence Harry questioned John, "The person who attacked you, what did he look like?"

Harry was keen to find out as much as possible before Ron woke up, especially since the unconscious red head didn't appreciate Harry interrogating their new friend.

"I don't know," John said slowly taking a moment to think, "It was pretty dark but he looked deranged, and he had these dark haunted eyes."

Harry noticed John shudder from the memory. Harry's eyes dropped to Ron's sleeping form before he looked back at John.

"What do you know of Sirius Black?" Harry questioned seriously.

"Not much," John replied thoughtfully, "Only that he escaped from Azkaban," John looked at him curiously before adding, "Why do you ask?"

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a crinkled piece of paper.

"The man who attacked you, did he look like this?"

John took the faded newspaper clipping from Harry. He saw a screaming man with matted and tangled hair chained up in a cell. His eyes widened before he hastily handed the picture back to Harry.

"That's him," John replied shuddering, "But why would he want to attack and potentially kill me?"

"I'm not sure it's you he was after," Harry said under his breath.

John opened his mouth to question Harry further but at that moment, McGonnagal entered the room.

Hermione stood from her seat on the bed, as did Harry, as their teacher entered the room.

"Well it's unavoidable," McGonnagal said wearily, "John you will join the rest of the students downstairs in the Great Hall, and you Mr Potter will come with me."

"What about Ron?" Hermione questioned in concern, "We can't just leave him alone, injured and unable to protect himself. What if that madman tries to attack us again?"

"Do you honestly think that I would leave an injured student unattended to?" McGonnagal questioned sternly, and Hermione let her head drop in shame, she knew better than to question her Headmistress.

McGonnagal stepped aside and watched the two students through her spectacles. Hermione waited till Harry had stepped out the door before whispering to her Professor.

"Is it really okay for me to stay with the others in the Great Hall?"

"Yes, you will go to the Great Hall immediately – there will be someone to escort there, so there is nothing to worry about."

Hermione caught the look in McGonnagal's eyes and nodded her head in understanding.

When she and Harry stepped out of the Gryffindor tower, Remus Lupin, slightly more weary looking than usual greeted them before leading Hermoine off towards the direction of the Great Hall. Hermione looked over her shoulder and caught sight of McGonnagal and Harry turning down another corridor.

"Quite a night you've had," Lupin's voice echoed through the empty halls.

Hermione didn't reply but simply nodded her head in silence.

After what seemed like at least half an hour of walking along twisting corridors, they stopped at a portrait of a young man brandishing his sword at an unseen foe. Without a word Remus stepped inside and Hermione followed noting curiously that no password was required to enter the room but certain that Lupin had done something because the knight bowed as she passed him.

The portrait swung close and darkness momentarily surrounded them before sparkles of light flickered and the room was instantly enveloped in warm light. It was a circular room, with clean wooden floors and a large worn looking rug in the centre of the room where a few sofa chairs stood surrounding a suit of armor, along the walls stood bunks beds each row with varying quilt colors, maroon, midnight blue and gold. Remus stepped forward and the suit of armor saluted him.

"It is my duty and honour to protect any fellow child of Hogwarts," The suit of armor said before letting his arm return to his side.

"This will be where you will be staying for the night," Remus explained turning around to look at her, "And don't worry only those with express permission of the Headmaster can enter this room, in fact the instant I leave this room I cannot enter it again."

"But are you sure its safe?" Hermione questioned, wary about spending the night alone.

"Quite sure, no harm will come to a child of Hogwarts, as this fellow just promised," Remus replied jerking his head towards the suit of armor.

"Thanks, Professor, I'm sorry for being so much trouble," Hermione felt awkward as she looked up into Remus stern face, she felt as though she must have done something to upset him.

"It's Dumbledore you should be thanking, not me."

Hermione thought she saw a shadow pass over Lupin's face but the next moment he had turned and walked towards the exit.

"There's some potion vials on the bedside table, make sure to take one before leaving here tomorrow morning."

Again Hermione nodded and Remus attempted to smile which looked more like a grimace before exiting the room.

"Well, Hogwarts sure does have its secrets huh? Guess I fit right in," Hermione sighed as she slumped down into one of the numerous beds.

"Harry, are you alright?" Fred questioned the instant Harry entered the room of requirement, "We all thought for sure it was you that was -"

Ginny elbowed Fred in the ribs and he fell to the floor in obvious pain but none of the other members present said a word of reprimand. Ginny smiled weakly at him and he smiled back at her.

"So what's going on?" He asked looking at the various faces around him.

"It was my fault," a young witch standing beside Ginny replied. It took a moment for Harry to realize that the woman was Tonks, her usual violet hair was currently a brown mousy color - Harry once again marveled at her powers as a Metamorphmagus, "It was my turn to guard the tower but I became side-tracked when…"

Tonks trailed off and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt when the doors of the room opened and Remus entered.

"This is no time for blaming each other," McGonnagal snapped when she saw Remus open his mouth, "What's important is that we find out how on earth Black got into Hogwarts in the first place."

"How did he get into the Gryffindor tower? He shouldn't have even got past the Fat Lady since he doesn't have the password?" Harry noted looking around at the faces around him.

"You don't think that there's someone on the inside helping him do you?" Tonks spoke once more her hair changing to a light blond color.

Harry was careful not to voice his concerns with respect to this comment as he did not want the older members of the Order knowing that Neville was regularly listening in on their private conversations.

"That - is what I have been saying from the very beginning."

All eyes turned to see Snape and Dumbledore enter the room.

"I am of the opinion that perhaps there is someone who is too blinded by sentiment to see the truth."

"That's rich coming from you!" Tonks retorted her hair turning an instant shade of fierce red.

Harry's eyes widened at Tonk's sudden outburst and he wondered whether she was placing too much pressure on herself. After all it was clearly not her fault that Black had found a way past her – if he could do it to dementers than he could do it to anyone – a thought which did not comfort Harry in the slightest.

"Before we continue this discussion further shall we all take a seat?" Dumbledore said before waving his arms.

Chairs immediately appeared surrounding a large circular table. Harry took the nearest seat and rested his arms on the marble table before focusing his attention on Dumbledore who sat across from him.

While the other members of the Order were questioning Dumbledore, Neville passed Harry a note under the table.

'John not in the Great Hall.'

Harry narrowed his eyes before folding the note and placing it inside his pocket. While the Order informed Dumbledore of the details of what had happened, Harry felt the all too familiar nagging suspicion that John was not to be trusted. Despite what he had told Ron earlier Harry felt that perhaps just this once he would uncover another Hogwarts mystery without his best friend, after all what harm could it do? If John was really who he said he was than Ron would be none the wiser and Harry could put his fears and suspicions to rest.

'Yes,' Harry thought to himself, 'I think we definitely need to keep a close eye on our new friend.'

As his thoughts remained on the problem of how he would investigate John without anyone else knowing his eyes landed on Ginny who was at that moment staring straight ahead of her with a glazed expression on her face. Harry's brow furrowed in concern and he waited till she had snapped herself out of her daze and finally rested her eyes on him that he gave her a concerned look that caused her to blush and drop her eyes to her lap.

As the members of the Order were leaving Harry felt someone grab his shirt, he turned to see a flushed looking Ginny smiling at him.

"How's Ron?" she questioned slowly releasing her grip on his shirt.

"Better, though I was scared as hell," Harry tried to laugh and he saw Ginny attempt a smile.

"You're a good friend Harry," She said looking down at her feet.

"Ginny, we best be off," Tonks said as she walked towards them.

"Well…" Ginny began reluctantly.

"Ginny could you do me a favor?" Harry whispered in a rushed voice watching Tonks walk towards the door, "Find out as much as you can about Hermione Granger."

Harry squeezed her arm before turning and exiting the room – not realizing that Ginny continued to stare after him her arm left tingling from where he had touched her and her ears and face red from the close contact when he had leaned forwards to whisper to her.

Ginny gulped before walking towards Tonks.

Ron awoke to complete darkness. He blinked his eyes a few times and waited till his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He pushed himself slowly from the bed his hand held tightly to his chest where he still felt the physical pain from the attack.

A dark figure was standing near the window half their body covered in the dim moonlight.

"Remus? What are you doing here?" Ron said groggily his voice raspy from sleep.

Ron reached for the glass of water beside the bed and drank large gulps all the while his eyes remained on Remus.

"Be careful who you place you're trust in Ron," Remus finally spoke taking a step backwards engulfing him in complete darkness, "Trust is so easily taken for granted."

"Wha?...look Remus, what's going on? Has something – "

"Get some rest."

The next moment Ron heard footsteps and then the creaking of the door before it was locked.

Ron slumped back on the cushions.

'Does Remus know about Hermione?' Ron wondered in concern, 'And if so why would he think I shouldn't trust her?'

The next morning when Ron awoke he wasn't sure if his fevered mind had created the strange conversation with Remus or if the event had actually occurred – either way he decided that for the moment he would keep it to himself.

Ron rubbed his arm and yawned as he made down the stairs to the Great Hall. He was starving and some eggs and sausages sounded like heaven right about now.

"Ron!" An excited voice called.

"John," Ron greeted and waited for Hermione to make her way towards him, he smiled but quickly hid it when she tripped slightly on the stairs and gave a very girlish cry of alarm before she realized that she was perfectly fine.

'This girl sure will be fun to tease,' Ron realized, 'I didn't think she would be such a klutz.'

Hermione quickly picked up her bag and rubbed her face in annoyance in an attempt to rid herself of her blush.

'What is it about Ron that makes me act like I'm ten years old? Yes, I'm sure squealing like a girl didn't seem at all weird.'

Hermione sighed before making her way – slowly towards Ron.

"You're all better," she said genuinely happy.

Ron ruffled up her hair and smiled back at her.

"Sure am," He said before they continued on their way to the Great Hall.

Hermione sat down beside Neville and began to munch on some toast.

'What's the matter with me? I shouldn't be afraid of what he thinks of me,' Hermione told herself swallowing the piece of toast and glancing across the table to Ron who had just shoved an entire sausage into his mouth – Hermione swallowed her desire to throw-up and instead felt her confidence rising, 'He doesn't know who I really am so even if he doesn't like Brainy-John he may still like Brainy-Hermione…right?'

Hermione sighed and drank some coffee before she final saw McGonnagal heading towards her an annoyed and frustrated expression on her face.

Hermione stood up instantly and followed McGonnagal out of the Great Hall.

Once they had reached a fair distance from the Great Hall McGonngal turned and fixed her with a stern expression.

"We have a serious dilemma."

Harry noticed the way John stood up before McGonnagal had even said a word to him and watched them leave the Great Hall.

Ron beside him however was more interested in his breakfast but he did manage to ask a question between mouthfuls.

"Whas tha abaw?," he said before shoveling another sausage into his mouth.

"McGonnagal's probably just telling John that you two are sharing a room together," Harry answered having learnt to decipher Ron's muffled speech after almost three years.

Harry wasn't entirely sure what happened next but there was a strange gargling and choking sound before Ron was standing up from his seat, his face slowly turning blue.

Harry instantly stood up and slapped Ron a few times on the back and the next moment a half eaten sausage landed on Seamus face.

"Oi! Weasley!" The infuriated Irishman yelled wiping his face while the students around them laughed.

Ron meanwhile was grabbing onto the table for dear life and wheezing.

"Deep breathes Ron," Neville said in concern.

"Ha- Harry you were joking right?!"

Hermione felt the blood instantly drain from her face.

'This can't be happening!'

She stared dumbfounded as McGonnagal hastily informed her that Dumbledore decided last night that she needed constant protection and that the best way to do that without raising suspicion or involving more dementors would be to have someone that he had trained himself in Defensive magic to essentially be her bodyguard.

"But, surely that's not necessary," Hermione finally said recovering somewhat from her initial shock.

"I'm afraid not, I was overruled emphatically and despite your situation, it was decided that you, especially being muggle-born, should receive special protection."

"But," Hermione paused and lowered her voice before continuing, "Ronald Weasley? Living together with Ronald Weasley?"

McGonnagal pursed her lips together in a tight line.

"The living arrangements will be taken care of," McGonnagal replied in an unconvincing voice.

"Has Dumbledore forgotten that I'm a girl? Even when Hogwarts used to be a co-education school, the students living quarters were divided by gender."

"I am aware of Hogwarts History Miss Granger," McGonnagal said in a stern voice, "Despite my obvious disapproval I must concede that you do need protection and Mr Weasley is more than a competent…"

Here McGonnagal paused and she instead fixed Hermione with an appraising look.

"I suppose you do not know the status of Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom, do you Miss Granger?"

Hermione shook her head, her curiosity now piqued.

"They are Hogwarts Knights."

A/N: Sorry for the late update - and thanks to those that review it encourages me to continue writing.