Author's Note: It's been something like four days since I last posted… sorry! I'm trying to fit in more writing time, but it's not working out so well. I've already figured out how this particularly unhappy part of the story is going to play out, but I have yet to finish fleshing it all out. So again, sorry about that!

But anyway, today would be the first day of school at Hogwarts! So I figured I should post another chapter to mark the occasion (: Wish I had a happier chapter to post, though…

Chapter 64

I don't understand why he's being so cold to me. He even said that he understood! I suppose he could be hurt because I was leading him on, and he has every right to be.

But then he shouldn't have said that he understood and acted like everything was fine with him. If he'd said that he didn't want to see me again, then I wouldn't have bothered to ask to speak to him alone. I don't understand that boy.

Lupin grunts, and I immediately reach a hand out to help steady him—he insisted on walking without my help, but it's clear that he's in a lot of pain. I gave him a spare wand and tried to help him numb some of the pain, but he's clearly been put through too much. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will know what to do to help him.

Then there's a loud shout, and I look up to see Ginny running toward us from the great front doors of the castle. Neville's running close behind her, but he doesn't look half as excited—before the pair of them can reach me and Lupin, Neville's grabbed her arm, yanking her to a halt.

"Neville, let go of me!"

Neville points his wand at me.

"I'm not a Death Eater," I say with a sigh. "No one with a Mark can get in, remember?"

"Still," Neville says. "What's your middle name?"

Ginny lets out a frustrated groan.

"Jean. Wendell and Monica Wilkins, Australia," I say tiredly.

"Now can I give her a hug?" Ginny says, tugging her arm out of Neville's grasp.

She runs the last few paces over and throws her arms around me enthusiastically.

"I'm happy to see you too, Ginny," I say with a smile.

"When you see Harry, give him that for me," she says, backing off.

Lupin's eyes are fixed on the entrance, and I follow his line of sight to see Tonks standing at the top of the steps, staring. She seems to be speechless, and the expression on her face sends a twinge of pain through my chest. I myself was shocked enough by Lupin's appearance—I can't imagine how Tonks feels.

"Come on," I say gently, taking Lupin's arm and leading him forward.

He doesn't seem to want to move, but he takes a few steps with me. When Neville moves to his other side to help support his weight, he doesn't protest.

As we reach the entrance, Tonks steps over and takes Neville's place, reaching out to support her husband. Her eyes are sorrowful but grateful at once, and the conflicting emotions somehow make her seem more tragically beautiful than she ordinarily is.

"McGonagall will want to hear what happened," she says.

"Yes, I know," I say.

The small crowd that had been gathering around the entrance parts for us as we move into the castle, flanked on either side by Neville and Ginny.

"Bloody hell, Lupin," George says, stepping out of the crowd as we start going upstairs toward the hospital wing.

Fred follows. "Did you see Lee or Alicia?"

"I… I…" Lupin's voice fades.

"What happened?" Tonks asks her husband softly.

"I bit Alicia."

George stops moving instantly, and I glance back to see disbelief written all over his face. "No," he breathes.

Fred grabs his twin's elbow and drags him up the stairs behind us. "Come on."

Then we stop moving, and I look up to see that Angelina's standing at the top of the steps, blocking our way.

"You did what?" she murmurs.

"Oh Remus, don't—" Tonks begins.

"I bit Alicia," Lupin repeats miserably, all of the fight in his body leaving him.

His legs give out, and Tonks and I struggle to keep him upright. Neville steps forward to take Lupin's weight from me, and I back up to let him—four or five years ago, I would have told him that I could handle it because I really was stronger than him, but he's filled out during these hard times, and I'm sure his strength rivals at least Ron's, if not Harry's.

"Angelina, move," Fred says.

I note that he's standing at the top of the steps now, having somehow maneuvered past the group of us. George offers to help Tonks, but she shakes her head firmly in response.

Angelina's eyes have filled with tears for her best friend, and she bites her lip. "I…" she shakes her head and turns away, heading toward Gryffindor Tower. "I have to find Katie."

"Let—let me go with you," Fred says, following her away.

"Remus, it's all right," Tonks says in a soothing voice. "Come, let's get you some help."

Lupin doesn't look like he wants help, but Neville and Tonks half-drag him to the hospital wing. Ginny, George and I follow close behind, and when we reach the double doors leading to the familiar room, Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall are already there, waiting for us.

"Dear Merlin, Remus, you look a fright," Madam Pomfrey murmurs. "Come, come."

She gestures for all of us to enter the room, and Ginny and I shut the doors behind the group.

"Hello Minerva, Poppy," Lupin says as he's eased gently onto a cot.

"What can you tell us?" McGonagall asks, moving toward him.

"Please, Minerva, don't you see his state?" Madam Pomfrey says. "Any questions should wait until tomorrow, at the very earliest."

McGonagall nods. "Of course," she says. Then she turns toward me. "Miss Granger, I'd like to have a word with you in my office."

I nod.

"Can we come?" Ginny asks.

McGonagall hesitates before nodding. "Well, I suppose everyone already knows that Remus has returned, and we should have an explanation for them by tomorrow. You three might as well find out now."

George casts an almost angry glance in Lupin's direction as we leave the room, and I'm a bit surprised. I knew that he and Alicia had been getting close, but it was always very playful between them. He seems to be extremely serious about her now, though.

Soon, we're standing in the Headmaster's office. When McGonagall fixes her gaze on me, I realize just how little I know about what happened to Lupin—I hadn't even bothered to ask Draco when I had the chance. What was I thinking?

McGonagall prompts me to begin speaking. "Miss Granger?"

I sigh. "I'm sorry, Professor. I… don't know very much. Malfoy summoned me to Professor Snape's home, and when I got there, Lupin was with him."

George narrows his eyes. "Are you even certain that this is the real Lupin?" he asks me.

"I…"

Oh, Merlin. I didn't even ask Draco if he'd checked that! Of course, I know that he would have—he's very thorough, and I'd trust him with my life. But still, I should have asked. None of the others here trust him as I do.

"Hermione, are you all right?" Ginny asks.

"I guess I just… I'm sorry. I forgot to ask Malfoy. When I saw Lupin, I just… I didn't think about anything else. He was in such a state—you all saw him yourselves."

"It's quite all right," McGonagall says, and I look up at her, surprised. "I'm sure Nymphadora will test him privately before trusting that he is indeed her husband. After all, she is an Auror."

"Was that it, then?" Neville asks. "Malfoy called you to Spinner's End and just… handed him over to you? Did he say anything about how Lupin got there?"

I shake my head, feeling more and more useless by the minute. How could I have forgotten so many important details? I don't even have an excuse for myself.

"That was it. I didn't think to ask," I say.

"We'll ask Remus tomorrow morning, as soon as Poppy gives us leave," McGonagall says softly. "Miss Granger, it's unlike you to be so careless. I hope you'll be more prudent in the future."

"I will," I say. "Again, I'm sorry."

"You should return now," she says. "I will contact you through the Floo Network when I know more about Remus—I'm sure that the boys will be anxious to hear about him."

"Is the Floo Network… safe?" I ask her. "I know that Ron was able to come and go, but…"

She nods. "I've only kept the link to this fireplace—" she gestures to her right "—in working condition. I've disabled all other fireplaces, and I generally have this connection closed. I rarely open it."

"Yeah. Last time, I contacted you through this fireplace," Ginny says.

"All right, then," I say, satisfied. "I think I'll still Apparate back, though. It's probably best to keep the connection closed as much as possible."

McGonagall nods her agreement. "Go on, then."

The four of us leave her office together, and I start back toward the hospital wing—I want to speak to Tonks again, to see if she knows whether or not it's really Lupin. I feel so guilty about not checking first, and it's the least I can do.

A hand rests on my shoulder, and I turn my head to see George walking beside me.

"Did… did Malfoy happen to say anything about what might have happened to Alicia?" he asks.

"He didn't," I reply. "I'm so sorry, George."

He shakes his head. "It's all right. I'll find Fred and Angelina, see if they… if I can do anything."

George leaves us, and I continue on toward the hospital wing. Ginny and Neville continue to follow me, and I wonder if there's something going on that I don't know about.

"Where are you going?" Neville asks.

"I want to talk to Tonks," I reply. "Why are you two following me?"

"I erm… Ginny, you can go first," Neville says.

"Actually, my problem is going to take a while," Ginny says. "Neville, you go ahead."

I stop walking and turn around to face them so that we can have a proper conversation—my talk with Tonks can wait, if Neville and Ginny need something from me.

"Erm… never mind," Neville mumbles, walking past me.

I reach out and grab his arm, stopping him. "Wait, Neville," I say. "What's wrong?"

He slowly turns back around to face Ginny and me, a sad expression on his face.

"It's… my gran," he says. "I haven't heard anything from her in ages, and I'm just… worried. I was wondering if… maybe…"

I nod, understanding. "I'll ask Malfoy the next time I see him, I promise."

He smiles gratefully. "Thanks, Hermione. I'd hate to hear that she's been captured—sighted would be best, really—but I just… I don't want to keep waiting and not knowing."

I pat his shoulder gently. "I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible," I say.

Neville gives me another brief smile before turning and walking down the hall. I shift my attention to Ginny, but she's watching Neville. I suppose she wants to wait until we're really alone.

"What did you need, Ginny?" I ask her.

She looks around and then pulls me into an empty classroom. "Harry told me through the Floo that you and Ron are back together," she informs me.

"I thought you could only use the one in McGonagall's office."

"Yes well, she's not always up there, so I just—"

"Ginny, that's dangerous! A Death Eater could slip into the castle using that connection!"

"Not while it's actively connecting to another location. I closed it right after," Ginny protests.

"But in the time it takes for you to close it, someone could still get in," I say.

"It's not like they're watching every Floo connection to the castle, Hermione. Calm down."

I sigh. "Ginny, you have to take the security here seriously."

"Yes, yes, I know. Now will you stop trying to change the subject? I wanted to talk about you and Ron. How—"

"Can you please not bring this up?" I interrupt her. "I already got into a near-argument with Blaise and Harry over this."

"Well, I… I'd love for you to be my sister," she says. "I don't disapprove, necessarily. But the thing is, you told me that you didn't feel that way about him. And what was all that with Malfoy?"

"I don't know what to say. My feelings changed, I guess."

"But Hermione, you and I both know that feelings don't just change like that, like flipping a switch. Did Malfoy reject you? Is this some—"

"Rebound?" I say, finishing her sentence. "Are you going to accuse me of using your brother to rebound?"

I actually feel genuinely hurt that she would believe something like that of me.

"I just… you were so sure that it was all over, Hermione. And it's been years. And I saw how you were looking at Malfoy that morning," she says.

"I really don't know what to tell you," I say. "What happens now, then? Are you going to tell me to stay away from him?"

Ginny shakes her head. "No. I just want you to be sure, is all."

"Well… I am sure," I say.

"All right, then," Ginny says. "That's all I needed to know."

Without another word, she exits the room, and I'm left frowning at the door. It seems rather clear to me that she doesn't approve of my choice to get back together with Ron.

Why is everyone so opposed to it? I thought that they'd always wanted the two of us to be together…

Author's Note: Silly Hermione, it's because this is a Dramione story! :P

Yeah I know, not funny. My brain is a bit fried, so excuse the lame attempt at humor xD