Keeping Secrets

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ron called after Hermione. She had trotted ahead of them and was making her way down the crowded corridor towards the Grand Staircase.

She jerked and spun around, her brown hair flying whipping into her face. "Uh... I've got...Herbology."

"That's not 'til tomorrow. It's Transfiguration next."

"No, it's Herbology. I've got to go. I'll see you later." She whirled around and hurried off, vanishing into the crowd. Harry and Ron stared after her, perplexed. "She's been acting really weird lately."

"I know," Harry said, as they continued up the corridor towards the Transfiguration room. "Sometimes she skips classes, and sometimes she shows up in ones she's not even supposed to be taking..."

"Exactly! She was in Divinations yesterday. How can she possibly be doing so many subjects at once?"

"That's Hermione for you." Harry smiled wryly, gave a shrug, and pushed his way past a group of Slytherins, following Ron towards Professor McGongall's class.

Hermione stumbled out of the crowded corridor, fled across the landing and up the Grand Staircase towards her dormitory. She snapped a password at the Fat Lady, who swung open grumpily, allowing her access to the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione felt a surge of relief as she ran red-faced across the room and up the last staircase, finally emerging into her own small, comfortable dormitory. Faded afternoon sunlight filtered in through the red-curtained arched windows. Light-headed, she staggered over to her bed and crawled onto it, dragged the hangings around it for privacy, and flopped face down onto the bed. She pressed her face into the blankets and tried to muffle a sob of desperation.

Why did she feel like this all of a sudden? What had happened in the past few weeks to make her attraction grow so strong? It was like a fever, it burned inside her, and no matter how hard she tried she could not escape or control it. Her heart leaped into her throat whenever she saw him. She had begun to feel nervous and sweaty whenever he looked at her, and when she looked into his eyes she felt like she was drowning.

As her heartbeat drummed against her chest, her face buried in the bedcovers, her eyes began to sting with helpless tears. She knew her schoolwork was suffering because of this obsession. It was only a matter of time before someone noticed... and to make matters worse, she was taking twice as many classes as she should be, since Professor McGonagall had given her the Time Turner. Mentally she counted the days she had Defence Against the Dark Arts that week. She had it Wednesday, and Friday, in the morning just before lunch and last thing on Friday.

I can't do it, her head screamed. I can't go into that classroom and just sit there like everything's normal! I can't go on feeling like this!

But the truth was undeniable. She was in love with a teacher. And if today was anything to go by, another lesson with Professor Lupin might kill her.

Finally she didn't have the strength to resist the flow of tears, and she lay silently sobbing into her bedcovers.