Quiet sniffles had drawn him towards the library in Grimmauld Place. He stood at the door and waited for the sound to happen again. He debated with himself whether to continue down to the kitchen, as had been his original destination, or to go inside and find out who else was up at such an hour. His curiosity eventually got the best of him, and he gently nudged the door open and stepped inside.

Curled into a small ball, Hermione Granger sat on the sofa facing the fireplace. Her faced was streaked with tears and it looked as though it had been for some time. He edged closer, not wanting to startle her, but failing all the same as the floorboards beneath his bare feet creaked. She turned, hastily wiping her eyes and he winced.

'I'm sorry for scaring you. I heard a noise, thought I'd best check it out…I'll just g-' he said, trailing off as she shook her head fiercely.

'No, no! I should be in my room anyway, I'll go – you stay,' she started to rise as he started to walk towards her spot.

'Really, it's fine Hermione. I was on my way to the kitchen anyway…would you, erm, would you like a cup of tea?' he rubbed the back of his head and mentally berated himself.

Fuck. She's bloody crying, you idiot. Get out and leave her alone! He made to take back his offer, but was startled to find her suddenly by his side.

'I'd love one. If you don't mind the company, that is,' she said quietly, eyes still red-rimmed, but a tiny smile teasing the corners of her mouth. His mouth opened and closed comically before he managed a nod and led the way out of the room. He could hear her footsteps as she padded along behind him, mindful of making too much noise so as not to wake the other inhabitants of the ancient house.

Upon reaching the kitchen, he headed straight for the teapot, quickly tapping it with the tip of his wand and moving in search of two mugs. Hermione sat herself on the far side of the table and watched him navigate the cluttered kitchen. With all of the Weasleys occupying the majority of the bedrooms upstairs, the clutter and disorder was to be expected. Try as she might, Molly Weasley could only do so much, and with Kreacher still currently at Hogwarts, there was no one else to bother with cleaning.

Hermione allowed her mind to wander, thinking about trivial things like the new books she'd gotten in Diagon Alley that day, the chores she still had to do tomorrow; anything to keep her thoughts away from the two boys upstairs. She jumped as a steaming mug of tea was placed in front of her, and offered a smile in apology.

'Sorry, I'm away with the fairies,' she said, curling her fingers around the warmth. After an awkward pause simply standing opposite her, he pulled out a chair and sat down.

'D'you want to talk about it?' he asked gently, though immediately regretted it as her eyes began to water once more. 'Oh I'm sorry. Damn! Er, I can just leave you to it if you'd rather be alone or…' she reached out and placed her hand over his. He tried his best to ignore the fire that bloomed under his skin where they touched, gulping down his tea with the other hand to avoid saying something else that might upset her.

'I'm okay, really. Just being silly old Hermione as usual,' she tried to laugh it off, but he saw through it in a heartbeat.

'I promise it wouldn't go any further, Hermione.'

She looked as though she was debating the idea with herself, before seemingly giving in to his request and continuing to fiddle with her cup.

'It's not even anything serious. I really am being silly. It's just…' she paused and sighed. He scooted ever so slightly forward so as not to miss anything she might reveal. 'The boys are so wrapped up in their relationships. Don't get me wrong, no one deserves happiness like those two. They're like my brothers and I want them to be happy. But it j-just reminds me of how a-alone I am now,' her voice broke and a single tear slipped from her eye. Without thinking about it, he reached up to wipe her cheek; he stilled his hand as Hermione almost seemed to lean into the contact. Pulling himself together, he moved back and urged her on with her woes. She took a moment to compose herself, gulping down the rapidly cooling tea to have something to do other than talk.

'I'd never begrudge them - I'd never tell them how I feel, I just keep thinking that I'm going to be that weird kid for the rest of my life. I was weird because I was smart and loved to read at Hogwarts, the girls I roomed with thought I was some kind of alien life force. And now I'm still going to be the weird kid, but because I can't find anyone to love me. The one person I would want, well he doesn't know I exist outside of this know-it-all persona.'

She almost seemed shocked at how much she had willingly revealed and glanced up to check his reaction. A deep scowl had settled on his face and for a moment, she thought she had completely disgusted him with her 'adolescent whining'. A worn and calloused hand suddenly gripped hers from across the table and Hermione met his eyes in surprise.

'You should never feel like no one loves you. I'd be willing to bet every person in this house loves you in one way or another,' he said, choosing to ignore the blush that suddenly bloomed on her face. He'd already had suspicions that she might have feelings for someone living there. 'Hermione, you're so much more than just that 'weird kid'. You should embrace your intelligence, not blame it for you not having a…' It was his turn to hide a blush, as he stopped himself from uttering 'lover'. 'You're gong to find someone wonderful. Who knows, it might even be the person you're hoping for.' He smiled at her, hoping he'd at least helped cheer her up enough to get some sleep. She hesitantly returned it, though her eyes were still rather red. She made to stand, but stopped when she saw his hand still covered her own. Following her gaze, he jumped from his seat, dropping her hand like it burned to touch. She could have sworn she saw yet another blush stain his cheeks, but he had turned to place their mugs in the sink before she could be sure. She quietly crossed to his side and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist. His breath caught in his throat and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears.

'Thanks, Remus.' She lingered for just a moment longer then left the kitchen as quietly as she had entered it, climbing the stairs to her room.

Remus remained leaning against the bench, his eyes pressed tightly shut.

'You're most welcome,' he whispered to himself, cursing every inch of his being as he did so.

Lecherous old man; she'd never look twice at you!

Shaking his head at his own foolish reactions to the young Gryffindor, he dragged himself up to library and poured a large lashing of firewhiskey. There would be no more sleep for Remus Lupin with the scent of Hermione so fresh in his mind.

No rest for the wicked.

A.N: Well I hope you liked this snippet, because I'm in two minds as to whether to make it into a longer story, or just leave it here. Any feedback on the matter would be more than welcome!

Maddison x