Fall From Grace

Chapter 9 - Closer Than Most To You

Hermione paced in front of the portrait exit. She was due to meet Remus in a few minutes. His owl had been brief but he had still signed it, 'Love, RJ Lupin.' 'Love...love' Hermione pondered, the voices in her head fighting. They had been arguing since this entire thing started but now the evil voice, as she had dubbed it, had a valid point. 'What if he doesn't turn up? What if you sit in that classroom for hours only to find Sirius Black hiding with a camera, taking pictures of your misery.' 'He wouldn't do that' she managed to reassure herself before the little voice kicked in with... 'But what if he did?' Hermione ran up to the boys' dormitory and knocked gently.

"Come in!" Echoed through the door as she pushed it open, praying Ron wouldn't be there. He was. Sitting cross legged on his bed and eating a packet of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. Dean was reading 'PlayWizard' with Neville peeking over his shoulder, looking faint and turning away only to look back minutes later. Seamus was writing a letter whilst being sprawled across his bed and waiting, open mouthed, for Ron to throw a bean in there.

"Oh," Hermione said, suddenly lost. "I wanted...is Harry, here?"

"'I, 'erminee," Seamus said, mouth full of Every Flavour Beans.

"We were," Dean started but a swift smack from Neville made him jump. "I was just reading...."

"Issue 176? Have you got to the bit about Naked Quidditch? Some girls!" Hermione smiled at Deans' flushed cheeks. He winked at her and smiled, continuing to read. After sharing a bottle of Vodka you find yourself knowing somebody probably better than you should. Dean knew Hermione was an avid reader of PlayWizard, because to quote the woman herself, "It gives better sex tips than the girls magazines." And Hermione now knew that Dean was once a scout and was still made to put on the uniform for pictures to be sent to his Gran. Ahh the joys of alcohol.

"Harry is in the bathroom, you could try there." Neville had fallen off the back of Deans bed and was addressing Hermione from behind it.

"Thanks...actually could you guys give us a minute when he comes back. It's just I need to speak to him." Hermione kept her eyes as far away from Ron as possible.

"Sure. Actually me and Neville were just going to see...Ginny." Seamus jumped off his bed and dragged Neville out from behind Dean.

"You were what?" Ron said dangerously.

"Going to see Ginny, you'll have to come with us if you want to find out what for!" Seamus winked at Ron and ran out of the room whispering 'run' to Neville once they got outside. Without a second thought Ron was out after them and had thundered down the stairs.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Dean said, slowly getting off his bed and walking to Hermione. "Did I help the other day? With your...boy problems?"

"Yeah. Did I help you with your girl problems?"

"You helped, but my girl problem is still here." Dean smiled sadly at her, "God! Aren't we the sad pair of losers."

"Hey, you take that back Thomas. I am a strong, intelligent and beautiful woman. Not a loser!"

"Yes, you are," he said and kissed her gently on her forehead. "Just remember that the person you should be looking after most is yourself."

"Thanks." Hermione sighed. "Dean? Just ask her. Tell her how you feel, all my stupid games are making me sick don't let yours do the same. Honesty is the best policy."

"Christ Granger!" Dean laughed at her, "You can take the girl from her prefect badge but you can't take the prefect badge from the girl."

"Shut up and go away...Dean? Who is she?" Hermione finally dared to ask the question she had been wanting to ask for ages.

"Well, I thought that would be quite obvious," Dean said smiling at her. He turned and walked out without really answering the question but luckily Hermione didn't have too much time to ponder that because Harry walked, clad only in a towel, from the bathroom.

"Jesus Hermione! Why are you here?" Harry grabbed his dirty tee shirt from the chair and held it in front of his towel, in front of his...modesty. Just in case Hermione suddenly developed the ability to see through towels. (A/N wonder how one would go about getting that ability?)

"Sorry, I just wanted to borrow your cloak."

"What cloak? My school robes are dirty and...you meant the invisibility cloak huh?" Harry looked sheepishly at her.

"Erm, yeah," Hermione said.

"I'll give it you on the condition you don't tell anybody about my idiocy." Harry's neck was turning red at the base.

"Ok. Thanks for letting me borrow it." Hermione took it off Harry and peered into his trunk, "when did you take that picture?"

Hermione held up a picture of her, Remus, Harry and Sirius. Sirius and Harry were waving at the camera furiously. Remus was looking side wards at Hermione and moving closer to her. In the thirty seconds Hermione had been looking at the picture Remus had gone from nowhere near her to their pinky fingers being entwined. Suddenly Harry and Sirius looked over at them and they sprang apart, pulling 'photograph' faces.

"Oh, that's from first day of term. Don't you remember? Colin cornered us in the Great Hall. He gave it me as a present."

"I like it." Hermione handed it back to him trying not to look at it anymore.

"It's funny, I put this picture in my spectograph," Harry said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. And would you believe that the minute I got in there I could hear really clearly what everybody was saying..."

"...I told you Harry that's what a spectograph does..."

"...and if I touched a person I could hear what they were thinking."

"Oh," Hermione said, blushing. "I didn't know it would do that."

"I touched you." Harry put the photograph back in his truck and stared at her, "Dumbledore is amazing huh? The only person in the world who would give a werewolf a job. Sucks that he lost it in third year, I would hate for anything to make him loose it again."

"Harry-"

"Have fun tonight Herm. I trust you. Now go on, I have to get changed." Harry showed her to the door and squeezed her hand as she went out.

Right, Hermione told herself, this is it! Put on the cloak, then go and see Remus. It'll be fine.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs just out of everybody's view she slipped the cloak around her shoulders and set off around the common room. She saw Ron holding Seamus by the neck as Neville and Dean laughed at him. Feeling slightly light headed Hermione changed course and wandered over to where the boys were arguing about Ginny's location and pinched Dean on the bum. He turned quickly around and looked straight through Hermione at the girl sitting on the sofa. She gave him a little smile that he quickly returned and Hermione had to rush out of the way as he marched over to where she was sitting. Grinning to herself Hermione made her way to the portrait exit. With a deep breath she pushed it open and crept out.

A small giggled nearly escaped her lips as she heard voices around the corner and she recognised them immediately, Remus and Sirius. Gently she pulled the portrait door to, but left it open in case she needed a speedy exit, and paused to listen to what they were saying.

"Oh yeah go down a treat that. Hermione, love." Remus started and Hermione beamed, he had called her love! "Thanks for a lovely shag but I'm bored now so bugger off and leave me alone!"

Hermione's face fell and a silent tear dripped down her nose, turning back to the portrait she didn't want to hear whatever else he was saying but his voice carried clear down the hall, "oh and be a love and close the door on your way out!"

Stepping through the portrait hole she dropped the invisibility cloak and let the door slam. The students turned round to see the girl that always shouted at them for not being careful enough with the portrait was the culprit of not shutting it gently. In ordinary circumstances they would have teased her mercilessly but the tears that streamed down Hermione's face stopped them.

The sudden quietness of the younger years caused Harry and Ron to look up from their game of chess. After the Weasley twins left there were very rarely times when the entire common room were shocked into silence. Hermione standing in the doorway, crying her heart out and looking utterly lost was one of them.

The boys jumped up from their table and ran over to her. Not needing to say a word they led her away from the prying eyes, Ron grabbing the invisibility cloak where it lay at her feet, and they angled her towards the boys dormatory. When she was settled onto Harry's bed, tears still streaming down her face did they start to talk. Dean, Seamus and Neville came in shortly afterwards, as much as Hermione was a bossy boots, she was a crucial part of all of their lives. Ron was ready to shoo the boys out when Hermione started talking and they were forgotten.

"It's...it's...p-p-professor...L-lupin." Hermione managed to gasp out as her body was racked wth sobs.

"Remus?" Harry asked, already guessing what had happened.

"What happened with Professor Lupin?" Dean asked, already knowing the truth. He wasn't sure who the mystery boy Hermione had told him about was but seeing her like this over a teacher he placed a safe bet. Ron, Neville and Seamus were all as oblivious as ever.

"He can't give you a detention that's worse than Snape," Neville said trying to re-assure her but failing.

"It's...I...I love him and...he...said...said..." Hermione burst into a fresh set of tears and only Harry and Dean comforted her. The other boys were in a state of shock.

Seamus always suspected that Hermione fancied him as she would come up with any number of reasons to talk to him in the common room. Who honestly believed that she would tell him to take his boxer shorts up stairs if she didn't fancy him?

Neville was shocked that Hermione would break one of the silliest rules in the history of education but Ron was...shocked, angry, hurt and over analysing the way Harry didn't seem to be bothered. It took him long enough but realisation dawned on him and the anger won out.

"You knew," he said very quietly.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You knew that she...she liked Remus. All this time, after everything I said to you about...you knew that she...she...how could you?" Ron said each word with precision. His calmness scared Harry more than if Ron had been shouting.

"I guessed but...Ron, she's still here," Harry nodded to where Hermione was still crying into Dean's shoulder. The sight seemed to knock Ron out of his trance and he knelt on the floor next to Hermione.

"What did he do?" Ron asked softly.

"He...we meant to meet in...in the room...down the corridor and he...he...broke up with me," Hermione said, not looking Ron in the eye. She just couldn't bring herself to tell him what truly happened.

"He upset you?"

"He...after we...had...had...and he...he just...broke my heart." Hermione sniffed in the tears that were trying to escape and watched as Ron left the room. Puzzled by the tall red-haired boy's response they followed him and he walked calmly away. They were a good minute behind him and if it wasn't for all the people staring at the exit when they got into the common room they would not have known what was happening.

The group of five followed Ron's footsteps down the corridor and into the little side room. What they saw made them all gasp in shock.

Ron was sneering at Lupin who was on his knees and clutching his face. There seemed to be an unusual amount of blood pouring from between his fingers. Ron turned to face all the people in the doorway.

"Hi guys," he said calmly before turning back to Lupin, "you will stay the fuck away from Hermione."

%%%

Harry was very, very confused. Ron had just walked back to the common room as if nothing had happened, bid everybody a good night and gone to bed. Hermione was sitting on the sofa crying to Dean, and Seamus and Neville were both not discussing anything. More than that Harry wanted to sit with Hermione and comfort her but knew he couldn't. Remus would never get a real job and now, because of her own selfish reasons, Hermione was going to lose him the best job he ever had. She had done something very silly but every time he saw her body shake with sobs Harry just wanted to hug her and tell her that the man who did this too her was just a git who didn't deserve her.

However, the other half of him wanted to check that Remus was ok. This was the man who had looked after him over the summer, who had helped him learn a patronus in third year and most recently had cried when he told Harry about the first time Lily let him hold her new baby. He was not a bad person, Harry knew this for fact, but his conscience debated that no 'good' person would willingly seduce an 18 year old girl for a one-night stand.

Sighing he heaved himself out of the chair and left the common room. Perhaps some air would do him good. Luckily it was the turn of the Slytherin and Ravenclaw perfects to patrol so Harry could wander around the castle without chastising the people he found in any place they shouldn't have been. One especially amorous couple had not even looked up when he open the door to their classroom and Harry had managed to stifle a giggle. If they were that preoccupied with each other they would be caught very, very quickly. He was still giggling when he walked into something solid.

"Malfoy," he said shortly.

"Potter." The other boy smirked as Harry tried to push past him, "actually Potter I need to talk to you. If you could spare me a minute?"

"I couldn't spare you anything," Harry said ignoring the arm Draco held out indicating the classroom he wished to speak in.

"Then I shall have to force you," Draco said muttering and pointing his wand at Harry. All of a sudden Harry felt his feet bang together and his arms hold themselves behind his back. He began to levitate and only stopped when he was inside the classroom.

"Take of the restraints Malfoy!" Harry wriggled a little on the desk.

"Are you going to stay and talk to me?"

"No."

"Are you going to stay and talk to me?"

"No."

"Are you going to stay and talk to me?"

"No."

"Are you going to stay and talk to me?"

"Fine! Yes, I'll bloody talk to you," Harry said, rubbing his wrists where the invisible ropes had left red burns on his skin. "You are the most dispicable, ugly, revolting, arrogant little pri..."

"Don't finish that thought Potter, unless you liked the ropes?" Draco raised one eyebrow and smiled at Harry.

"I always knew you were a kinky pervert," Harry said bitterly.

"Well Ginny likes it!"

Draco knew that he shouldn't have said that from the moment the words spilt from his mouth. Harry launched himself towards Draco and landed a punch square on his jaw before Draco could back off. A quick flick of the wand was all it took for Harry to be under restraint again so Draco could rub his aching jaw in peace.

"I'm sorry Potter, I shouldn't have said that about Ginny." Draco cracked the bones in his neck, "you pack quite the punch."

"Do you want to see how good I am at breaking necks?" Harry glared.

"No. We're here to talk about the lovely Miss Weasley." Draco smiled a little, "she's very upset because nobody in her house is talking to her."

"That's not true, her best friends are talking to her. I've getting reports from Colin Creevey about how she is in lessons. She was late for Divination the other day, not for the first time."

"It's ok, Trelawney saw it coming." Draco laughed at his feeble joke.

"Colin said it was because she had to get an anti-pregnancy potion from Pomfrey."

"Well if Colin said it, it must be true!" Draco rolled his eyes.

"I'm asking you if it's true." Harry struggled against the invisible barriers and without answering Draco flicked his wand to free them. "Is it true, Malfoy?"

"No. No, Ginny's still...Ginny. I would appreciate it if you don't tell everybody, I have a reputation to maintain."

"What about Ginny's reputation? You have no problem soiling that?" Harry stood and walked over to Draco, "so if it's not for sex, why are you two still together?"

"Ever consider I might be in love with her, Potter?"

"You're not," Harry said with certainty.

"Really?" Draco asked with a smirk, "you're upsetting her. I know you probably won't be able to influence her oaf of a brother but if you and the Mudb- Granger would talk to her she would appreciate it."

"She's still got a 'Property of Draco Malfoy' stamp on her forehead," Harry said bitterly.

"Yeah well she may still have a 'Property of Harry Potter' stamp on her heart, I've not got close enough to check." Draco turned on his heel and stormed out of the room before Harry could see the truth behind his eyes.