Only Time Will Tell

Chapter 5: By the Light of the Moon

Hermione sat quietly that evening on her bed. The full moon shown through the castle window and she couldn't help but choke back tears. He would be all alone tonight. How lonely he must be. She laid the parchment and quill on her bed and leaned back against the wall. She always knew when the full moon was, she didn't have to look outside. Since she had spent the summer with Remus, her body shifted and began to cycle with his. At first she hadn't noticed how two days before the full moon her period would begin. Those were the days that the moon started pulling at him, more so than the rest of the month. The day of the full moon, and especially that night, the night of his transformation, she would have severe cramps and the pain would keep her awake. The next day, inevitably, she would be exhausted, as would he. In the days it took him to recover, her cycle would come to an end. How ironic, she thought to herself, trying to ignore the painful twinges coursing through her abdomen.

She was also a bit worried. She hadn't received a letter from him in almost two weeks. She knew he wasn't able to write to her as often as she wrote him because he was often busy doing work for the Order. She tried hard not to think about just how dangerous his job was. However, due to the nature of his work, and more importantly, the nature of their letters, they had come up with a few intriguing ways of handling them. First, the owls were instructed only to deliver the letters to the intended recipient. If the letter could not be delivered, the owl was to return it to the sender. Second, all letters were charmed. Only a flick of a wand and a password would reveal the secret writings of two people deeply in love, sharing their most intimate thoughts and feelings with one another. Lastly, letters were to be wiped clean after reading, just in case they fell into the wrong hands.

***

It was the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas and everyone was buzzing around the castle. Snow was falling outside in huge, glorious flakes. As Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny bundled themselves against the cold, they embarked on their journey. While Hermione had always loved Christmas, this year was going to be extra special. She knew exactly what she was going to get Remus, and with the pretense of Christmas shopping, she could easily do so without anyone tagging along. She highly doubted there would be too many students going where she was going anyway. Ginny had asked her repeatedly what she was planning to give Remus, but the only thing Hermione would admit to was an enchanted photograph which she would need Ginny's help with.

Meanwhile, much to Hermione's relief, Ron had taken an interest in a sixth year Hufflepuff named Emily Brochton. And Emily seemed to like him too. No one had forgotten the seventh year Spring Ball that was approaching. Hermione wasn't sure what she was going to do about that. She'd really like to go, but obviously Remus couldn't join her, and she surely didn't want to go with anyone who might be romantically interested in her. She wondered who might be in the same boat as her.