She awoke to the sun shinning brightly at her through curtains of a hospital bed. She sat up and was startled to discover she was a pair of her own jeans and t-shirt; they were not the same pair she had fallen asleep in. She pulled back the curtain to find Harry sitting on a chair reading the Daily Prophet.

"Harry! How did I get here? Where's Remus? Did you catch Greyback?"

Harry laughed. "Hermione, you never stop worrying do you? Relax, we got your patrounus and Kingsley thought it would be best not to wake you. Remus is here too, but in a different ward. The Healer's say he'll be alright. We caught Greyback; he's in a secured ward here as well. For some reason he's been burned pretty badly. Ginny brought over your clothes and your purse. We also got you a spare wand, yours-"

"Snapped, I know." She quickly told him about last nights events.

"So Greyback bit Remus again?"

"Yeah, the bite disappeared, but I'm certain of what I saw."

"Hmm…I don't know think that's affect him, but I could be wrong. I wouldn't bother to mention it to the Healer's though."

"I'll research it when I get out of here. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Not really. Two more Death Eater were caught trying to attack a house in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore is still fighting to have that law revoked, but attacks like those are still pretty common. The Minister is still refusing to lift it."

A motherly looking healer came bustling in.

"Oh good! You're awake! You only had a few minor cuts and bruises that's we've taken care of; you are free to leave. We were mostly afraid you'd go into shock after what you must have seen. Goodness knows what happened to that poor man who was brought it with you. It must have been some beating to witness with wounds like that!"

"Could I see him?"

"He's sleeping now and he's been through an awful lot. I'd rather you didn't disturb him."

"Please? I want to make sure he's alright. I won't disturb him."

The nurse hesitated.

"Oh, all right. But don't stay too long. He's on this same floor, room 112. I'll be up eventually to change his bandages."

Hermione grabbed her things from Harry and rushed out of the room. Lupin's room was only a few doors down. Outside of his door Harry paused and grabbed her arm.

"Hermione, don't tell the healers about his um... 'furry little problem' alright?"

She grinned slightly at the term, "They don't know?"

"They won't treat them here. I'm surprised they don't know who he is already. And I know it's not right, but please, don't turn it into another spew."

Hermione nodded angrily and opened the door, "Alright, but it's S.P.E.W. not spew!"

"Fine! I'll meet you back at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley's making dinner."

She nodded again and walked into the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Lupin was lying on the bed with his arms and head resting above the white blanket. Multiple new scars ran down his face and arms. Hermione could only assume that the rest of his body was just as bad. His chest gently rose and fell in his sleep. She stood there watching him for a few minutes and then left for the hospital gift shop.

Hermione purchased a few small children's chapter books and then headed back upstairs. Pulling a small wooden chair up to the side of his bed Hermione started reading softly to him. She felt slightly foolish reading him these little chapter books; she had finished two of them when the healer walked in.

Hermione rose to leave.

"Oh no, you can stay dear. I heard you reading to him; that's very sweet. I just need to change his bandages. I hate to wake him, but it has to be done. I'm afraid it stings a little but any pain reliever potion will interfere with the healing potions we gave him."

The nurse pulled the sheets down to his waist and took off his shirt.

"Most of the severe cuts were on his chest and shoulder. The rest left nasty scars but we were able to heal them up so he didn't get an infection. He broke a few ribs as well."

The nurse levitated his torso off the bed a few inches so she could remove the bandages. She took a bottle from her apron and poured the contents unto a cloth. The cuts were massive and angry looking, but the nurse seemed not to be bothered by this as she started to dab them with the potion soaked cloth.

Lupin opened his eyes and looked around wildly. He hissed with pain as the potion made contact with the open skin and went to grab the cloth away from the healer. Hermione grabbed his hand and when he turned to look at her he relaxed slightly.

"You're in St. Mungo's. You're safe."

The nurse resumed her job and Lupin gripped her hand painfully tight. The nurse finished and put on new bandages. When she was done she gave Hermione a small smile and then shut the door. Lupin released he hand and shifted sideways to look at her.

Hermione sat fiddling with a page of one of the books.

"What book?"

"Just a few children's ones the hospital gift shop had. I was reading them."

He looked closely at her.

"Was that the murmur I was hearing then? You were reading them out loud?"

She went slightly pink. "I read to people in muggle hospitals and nursing homes every Saturday when I was younger. My mom used to go with me. I guess I fell into that habit. I thought it might help…and I felt guilty. It's all my fault you got hurt."

Lupin tried to raise himself up to a sitting position, but lay back down quickly as pain seared through his chest.

"Do you want me to ring for a healer?"

"I'm fine," he said shortly, " and it is not your fault that I'm in this condition."

"Yes it is," she argued, " I was the reason that you attacked Greyback. If I wasn't captured then you would have been at home and safe! I should have known better than to have let the wolf snap my wand. I could have gotten us out of there quicker! And I probably didn't make things better for you holding you in a curved position with your broken ribs."

Lupin reached out and grabbed her hand that was still fiddling with the pages of the book.

"Hermione, it was not your fault you were captured and it is not your fault that Greyback attacked me. You were lucky I didn't attack you! And how could you have known my ribs were broken? You were more of a comfort than you know keeping me out the dirt. Most people would have let me lay there."

He said this so matter-of-fact that Hermione went quite and didn't argue her point further.

"I'm just so thankful I didn't harm you. All I can remember is flashes of ramming into a tree, Greyback clawing at me, and flashes of fire," he looked at Hermione curiously, "why was I hitting a tree?"

Hermione explained the night's proceedings for a second time.

"See! You wouldn't have attacked me."

Lupin frowned, "Yes, that behavior seems odd for the wolf. It's not a lupine trait to protect a human. I wonder why the wolf seemed to regard you as an ally."

Hermione look nervously at him. "Well, I know you told me not to, but after you transform I-I sit in front of the cage and read to the wolf."

He pulled his hand away from her grip. "Hermione! Are you trying to be killed? Or bitten? What if I reached through the cage and pulled you forward?"

"I sat too far back the first couple of times for the wolf to reach me. The wolf just sat and, well, almost listened to me. I moved right to the front of the cage eventually and nothing ever happened."

"That was still incredibly dangerous! Werewolves are not reputed for kindness. I could have been luring you into a sense of security so I could eventually bite you!"

"Then why didn't you bite me tonight? You freed me Remus! You didn't bite me!"

He lay there silently observing her. She felt like she was thirteen again and in his Defense classes.

"You think that I want to be bitten? You know what the boggart I vanished in your cabinet turned into when it saw me? A werewolf! They scared me to death before I was even in the wizarding world; all those muggle films about them stalking you in the night and attacking you. I was petrified when I learned they actually existed! The thought of teeth ripping through my flesh and those haunting, staring eyes… I did it because I hated listening to the tortuous howls you made as you bit and scratched yourself and this was the only simple option to keep you distracted! So if you think that I did it for some sort of adrenaline rush or something then think again!"

She grabbed her purse and left, slamming the door behind her.

A/N: Next Chapter will be up soon!

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