Chapter 22
Sunday 7th November
Harry woke up, fumbling around to find his glasses until he felt them on a bedside table. He settled them on his nose and looked around in the darkness; he was in the hospital wing again. He recognised the white sheets and curtains surrounding the bed from his previous visits. He tried to remember what had happened.
How had he got here this time? He remembered playing Quidditch...did he get hit by a bludger? He noticed a lump in the chair by his bed, and upon further inspection, he found that it was Hermione, asleep in the chair. Her periwinkle blue knitwear set was draped over the back of her chair, indicating to Harry that she hadn't been back to the common room.
There were a few other students in the other beds and he recognized a few of them, Susan Bones was in the bed next to his, and there was a blond girl that Harry thought was possibly a Ravenclaw. She definitely looked like she was from the year below him, anyway.
Why were they all here? He didn't think that the others had been hurt while playing, he didn't recognise any of them as Quidditch players.
He was so useless. How could he not remember why he was here?
He probably deserved it anyway. A fitting punishment for being a freak.
A part of Harry recognised those thoughts, those thoughts that never came to him normally, only whenever he was exposed to a Dementor. Just the thought of those thoughts was enough to jerk Harry's memory, and then the images and memories of what had happened came flooding back.
The game…
The Dementors…
That memory…
' mummy loves you...mummy will always be there for you.'
"Mummy", it was barely a whisper, but that one word was all it took to shatter Harry.
His mother's last words bounced around in his head ' mummy loves you ... mummy will always be there for you', they were words he had longed to hear all his life. He felt a kind of sad happiness, hearing those words from his mother, words that he had only imagined before now. He knew that his parents had loved him dearly, everyone said so, but to hear it from his mother…his mother that was now dead.
Now he remembered another image, the image of his mother, dead on the floor, and little Harry, trying to get her to wake up. He wanted to tell his memory self to just hold her, hold his mother for the last ever time.
The sadness he'd felt at Halloween was nothing compared to the raw grief he felt as those memories flashed through his head. The pain and emptiness was so much more real, and Harry lost the fight to stop it from overwhelming him. His eyes filled with tears as he curled up in a ball and wept.
--- ϟϟϟ ---
Hermione awoke to the sound of sobbing. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around, seeing Harry curled up, trembling and crying. He was in a ball on his hospital bed, more distraught than she had ever seen him. She drew the curtains around his bed so that he wouldn't attract the attention of the other patients and become a spectacle. The last thing he would want was to become the source of gossip yet again. She knew how much he hated that.
His privacy seen to, she climbed onto the bed next to him, gently pulling him so his head was resting on her shoulder. He didn't seem to notice or care that she had done that, and only kept weeping.
"It's Ok Harry, it's Ok. I'm here now", Hermione wanted to ask questions, but she knew Harry was in no state to answer them. Instead, she sat with him, comforting him with her presence and words, making the same calming and soothing sounds her mother used to do for her when she was upset.
Dawn broke before Harry had calmed enough to notice that he was sobbing into his girlfriend's shoulder. He didn't remember when she'd come and sat next to him, "'M-mione?"
"It's Ok Harry, I'm still here", she reassured him, but her curiosity still had its say, "Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as he whispered to her, "s-she told me...she loved me."
Hermione stiffened slightly. She knew Harry was very sensitive when it came to love, "Who? Who told you that she loved you, Harry?" She tried not to sound to commanding or pressing, but she couldn't help him if she didn't know.
Harry hadn't noticed Hermione's slight change, but answered the question nevertheless, "M-my mum. She said that. ' mummy loves you...' The D-dementors, they made me remember."
Hermione was confused. That didn't sound very bad, not something a Dementor would make you remember, "I thought Dementors only made you remember bad stuff?"
"It was bad 'Mione. It was horrible . They made me remember that night. The night that Voldemort came for us. Or, more specifically, me", Hermione now understood why the Dementors had awakened a memory of his mother telling him that she loved him; it was his mother's last moments. Harry continued before Hermione could say anything, "Mum, she ran with me to my room. She tried to do something, I think it was to escape. I think she tried that apprating thing, but it didn't work. She tried a broom, but she couldn't open the window..."
Hermione could see where this story was going and she really didn't want to hear it, but Harry needed to get this out, he needed to share it with somebody, and she was glad that that person was her, "He was coming up the stairs. Then mum said, ' Harry, pumpkin, you need to remember, whatever happens, that mummy loves you. I need you to remember that. I need you to remember that.' But...I didn't. It was all she wanted from me, to remember her love for me, but I couldn't remember her saying that to me."
Hermione's heart broke as Harry told her more and more of his memory. By the time Harry finished describing how he tried to wake his mum, she was openly sobbing with him. Every detail, from his mother's nickname of "pumpkin" for him, to Voldemort's offer of sparing Harry's mother if she gave him up, they were almost like a physical blow, each and every one. The worst came after, however, "That memory is horrible, ' Mione, it hurts me to remember...but a part of me, it just wants to walk up to the Dementors, so I can see it again. Hearing her, my mother, saying she loves me, it's a dream come true. I've wished for it my entire life...and it was the last time anyone said that to me."
Hermione wanted to tell him that she loved him. She wanted him to know, she wanted everyone to know. She would gladly admit her love for Harry to anyone if they asked. Neither of them had said it to the other yet, it was a big thing to say to someone for the first time, even more so if it was your first relationship.
What held her back from saying it was that she didn't want Harry to remember the first time he heard words from her, the first time he had ever heard them from someone apart from his parents, with so much pain.
She didn't want him to think that she'd said them only to comfort him, she wanted him to know that she loved him, and when she said it to him, he would know she meant it. She tried to think of something to say that would help Harry, words that weren't those three particular words, but she couldn't think of anything that would truly comfort him. In the end, she threw her arms around him and pulled him tight against her, trying to show him with her actions what they both weren't ready to say.
--- ϟϟϟ ---
Sometime later, Madam Pomfrey stuck her head through the curtains, "Is everything Ok? Why have you closed the curtains?" She eyed the teen couple suspiciously, but her expression shifted to one of concern when she noticed the tear stains on their cheeks and the raw redness around their eyes.
Hermione spoke up, "I'm the one who closed them. The Dementors brought up a hard memory for Harry. We needed a bit of privacy while he worked through it."
Madam Pomfrey nodded, "Ok, you two get yourselves cleaned up. Breakfast will be round in a few minutes", she waved her wand and a basin of lightly steaming water and a couple of washcloths and towels appeared floating next to the bed as she left. Harry was shocked for a few seconds as Hermione began pulling off her top, only to relax when all she had underneath was a pale blue vest that was under her jumper*. Harry was relieved, but also a little disappointed at the same time.
Unbeknownst to Harry, Hermione was congratulating herself in her head. Madam Pomfrey thinking that the curtains had been closed for another reason had given Hermione an idea. She could get Harry's mind off his memory with a little teasing.
Not telling him that she was wearing a camisole under her jumper before she removed it would probably distract him. After all, she was only doing it in order to wash. Seeing his face as she started pulling the jumper over her head had been highly amusing; he was staring red-faced with shock.
His panic began to subside as he saw the camisole underneath, and it was replaced with clear disappointment.
Boys , Hermione thought as she shook her head , so easy to distract . She gave her face and arms a quick wash with the cloth. It wasn't anywhere near as good or cleansing as a real shower, but she had skipped her nightly routine last night, too worried about Harry to do much more than sit there holding his hand as he was treated.
After so long without cleaning, even a quick wash like this made her feel a lot better.
After about a minute of trying to pretend he wasn't staring at his girlfriend, Harry pulled off his shirt and joined her, though he washed his chest as well as his arms and face.
Hermione watched as the water ran over his skin. It was more than a little bit distracting, though it wasn't just the fact that her boyfriend was shirtless in front of her. She was also intrigued by the numerous scars adorning his body.
The scars from the dog bites stood out the most, they were still red and slightly angry, but they weren't the only ones. There was one inside his right elbow that Hermione presumed came from the Basilisk in their second year. There were thin lines and blotches on his hands, marks leftover from doing too many chores, some of which she thought must've been well in advance of his age. Then there were the most numerous long thin lines that crossed his torso, always in two parallel lines.
But it was the lean and surprisingly toned muscle that filled out his chest that held her most of her attention, making her slightly hot and bothered.
Damn those cat hormones!
Harry noticed Hermione looking at his scars and instinctively started to cover them as much as he could, "Sorry 'Mione, I know they're disgusting to look at. I'll cover them back up in a sec."
Hermione was quick to reassure him that that wasn't the case, "Harry, no, it's Ok, I don't mind them."
He didn't seem convinced though, "I-I know you hate them Hermione, It fine...I hate them too."
"Oh Harry, I don't hate them. I hate how you got them", she picked up one of the towels and walked around the basin so she was next to him, "They're a part of you, so I could never hate them." She ran her hand over Harry's chest, her fingers lightly tracing his scars. She felt his skin tremble and heard his breathing hitch.
It was an exhilarating feeling, touching his skin, and she enjoyed it very much. Before she could distract herself too much, she brushed the towel over his chest, leaning closer so that she could lean against him without getting her top wet. After a few moments pause, she kissed him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
She broke the kiss a few seconds later, "Now get dry and get your shirt on before Madam Pomfrey opens the curtains. She already thinks we're doing something inappropriate, and I'd rather not give her proof", she grabbed the other towel and quickly dried off her arms, neck and face, and then pulled her jumper back on. As her head went through the hold, she saw that Harry had done the same.
They waited for Madam Pomfrey to turn up with their breakfast, and they weren't disappointed. Less than 5 minutes after they'd gotten dressed, the nurse opened the curtain to hand them their plates of food. Hermione opened hers to find her usual breakfast of porridge with some sliced fruit, one blueberry muffin and a cup of hot chocolate, all steaming hot, having been preserved with some warming charms. Harry took his plate, which felt significantly heavier than Hermione's and opened it to reveal a stacked breakfast of chocolate.
Everything in sight had some chocolate, either as a sauce, hard chunks or mixed in, there was a lot of chocolate. It made Harry a little queasy, he had never been the biggest fan of chocolate. Sure, he liked having a few bits of it every now and then, but the sheer volume of it in his breakfast made his stomach turn in circles. "You seriously expect me to eat all of this!?" He looked incredulously at his girlfriend, who looked unfazed and slightly amused at his task at hand. When he still hadn't started eating, she sighed before gesturing to the plate, "Harry, you know that if you're exposed to Dementors, the most common cure for it is eating chocolate."
Harry scoffed, shaking his head, "It's a little bit of an overkill, though! There is no way I'm eating all of this. Heck Hermione, you like chocolate more than me!"
"Harry, with the amount of Dementors you were exposed to, you need to consume a lot more chocolate than the regular person. You should be happy, the other ways to cure you are a lot more painful and uncomfortable."
That made him pause for a second, "Wait...how many Dementors were there?"
"50 Dementors were there at the game. At least, that is what Dumbledore said", this came from Madam Pomfrey, who they'd both forgotten was still there, watching the two of them with unveiled amusement, "And you should listen to Miss Granger, she is correct. With the amount of Dementors there that day, you should be happy that all you have to do is eat a large meal of chocolate. Though, if you don't want that, there are other ways…"
"No, no, I'll eat the chocolate", Harry didn't want to find out these other ways. He reluctantly began to eat his meal, slowly at first, but soon increased in pace as the effects came over him. Earlier than Hermione had expected, Harry was finished and was lying back in bed, holding an arm over his stomach. "Ugh, I think I ate too much…" he groaned. Hermione and Madam Pomfrey both laughed, while he rolled over and curled up on the other side of the bed.
"Well, I think I'll leave you two to it then. You should be able to be discharged, at the very latest, by this afternoon", with that, Madam Pomfrey headed out of the hospital wing.
After the stomach ache had passed, Harry felt better almost immediately, and it seemed that Susan and the Ravenclaw girl had perked up as well, though Harry didn't know what they'd eaten for breakfast. Harry asked Hermione why she hadn't had any chocolate herself, apart from the usual amount she ate, and she replied that she had had some the previous evening. The four of them soon started talking. "So, does anyone know what happened with the Quidditch game? I was rather enjoying it, until the dementors turned up. I didn't care for the memories they showed me…" The blond Ravenclaw girl asked.
"That's a good question", said Harry. He avoided asking her about what her memories contained, as they were probably painful and personal. He sure knew that he wouldn't want anyone asking him about his memories, apart from Hermione, "Me and Diggory were neck and neck for the Snitch, last I remember. I was about to grab it, when...I think I blacked out..."
Hermione answered, "You passed out before you could catch it. Since you weren't conscious, you started falling from your broom. Cedric, I think his name is, he gave up on the Snitch and grabbed you, meaning that no one caught it. Madam Hooch called off the game and was going to call it a draw. Wood, however, wasn't having it."
Harry and Susan both groaned at the antics of the Quidditch-crazed Gryffindor. His obsession with the game almost rivalled McGonagall's. "I know it's Wood's last chance at the cup, but he really needs to calm down sometimes…" Harry moaned.
"Actually, Wood insisted on a Gryffindor forfeit. He insisted that Cedric deserved better than a draw for giving up on the Snitch and saving you", Hermione finished.
Susan, always a proud Hufflepuff, cheered, "Way to go Cedric!" She then remembered why Hufflepuff had won that match, "Oh...I mean...sorry Harry, I-I'm just happy-"
"That Hufflepuff won", he finished for her, "It's fine. I would be happy if it had been a Gryffindor win."
He turned to the Ravenclaw girl, "We haven't actually introduced ourselves. I'm Harry, nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you as well Harry. I am Luna. Luna Lovegood. Most people call me loony, but I don't like that very much", her voice had a faraway, almost dreamy, quality to it.
"That's horrible . We won't call you that, will we Harry?" Hermione had never been a fan of bullying, especially after being on the end of Malfoy's since first-year.
"No, we definitely won't. I know what it's like to have a name people use that I hate."
"You don't like it when people call you 'the boy who lived'", Luna said it as a statement, not a question, "You don't like being reminded what that name cost you."
Harry was taken aback by her straight-forward and bold approach, "H-how did you know that?"
"It's quite simple really", she answered, her soft voice still as calm as if they were discussing the weather, "I don't like being reminded of my mother's death either. It makes me sad. I saw that same sad look in both of your eyes-" she indicated both Harry and Susan, "-before you ate the chocolate. Did the Dementors remind you of the past as well?" She was blunt and calm, but Harry suspected that was just the way Luna was.
It was Susan who answered first, "I-I was with my aunty again. It was the day...the day w-we learned that my parents were dead. Murdered by Death-eaters. I remember my aunt breaking down, but I didn't understand what happened, I-I just thought my parents had left me and gone away. I was so angry at them."
Harry was about to tell Susan and Luna what he had seen, emboldened and saddened by Susan's story. Luna spoke first though, her voice having emotion and losing it's dreamy quality for the first time since they'd met, "I was six when I watched my mum die. She was brewing a potion, but something went wrong. The cauldron exploded, and a chunk hit mummy in the back of the head", her voice suddenly got a lot quieter, "I-I was alone in the room with her for ages before daddy got home."
Hermione got up off Harry's bed where she had been sitting, walked over and pulled Luna into a hug. The girl went stiff for a few seconds, obviously uncomfortable and unused to the affection, before she relaxed into Hermione.
"What about you Harry? What did you remember?" Susan asked.
"I was back there. That night", that got Susan and Luna's attention, "dad tried to buy time for mum and me to escape", Harry paused for a moment. He sat there in silence for a second, before he started speaking again, "I-it didn't work. There was no way out. We could hear it as Voldemort killed dad." The two girls flinched at the name, but Hermione was used to Harry saying it and wasn't jumpy at the name, "Mum...said her goodbye to me. Then he came in, and I watched as he killed her. Then, Voldemort turned his wand on me."
The two didn't flinch as much this time, but still flinched nevertheless, "I can't explain what happened after that. It's all a jumble. All I know is that by the end I was hurting, and scared, and I just wanted my mum." Harry wondered if he had said too much. Luna and Susan were both looking at him with sadness in their eyes. After a few moments he realized those were the same looks he'd had given them after each had recounted their memories.
Attention turned to Hermione, who blushed, "I didn't collapse, I'm just here for Harry. I did remember something...but I can't tell you about it. It involves someone else's secrets. I don't have the right to reveal them. All I can say is that I learned how little I had done to help someone when they really needed it."
Harry froze, was Hermione's worst memory when he'd appeared at her home on his birthday?
He hoped not.
--- ϟϟϟ ---
Not long after breakfast and their conversation, Madam Pomfrey let the four of them go, "So what do you want to do first Harry?" Hermione asked, putting the decision on him.
"We'll probably see Cedric at lunch, so there's little point in spending time looking for him. I also would like to see Professor McGonagall about something else as well as our homework, so, any objections to seeing if we can find her first?" Harry said as they walked along the corridor outside the hospital wing.
"Sounds like a plan, want to try her office first?" she asked as they reached the staircase.
"Sounds like a plan." They descended the stairs looking for the Transfiguration corridor.
Trying her office first had been a good plan as when they knocked on the door, their Transfiguration Professor called out, "Come on in."
Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk as she poured over paperwork. She looked up to see who had come through her door, "Miss Granger, Mr Potter, I see Madam Pomfrey has released you from her care. What can I do for you?"
Hermione fidgeted uncomfortably; she had never had to ask a teacher this before, "Professor...we were wondering if we could possibly get an extension", she said it as though it was a dirty word, " for our half term homework?"
Professor McGonagall smiled at them and Harry felt himself relax, though Hermione was still tense, "Before I grant it, I need to ask why do you need the extension?"
Harry replied, "The same reason I always have Professor. Too much time in the hospital wing led to not enough time for us to finish our transfiguration homework."
Professor McGonagall nodded, "You have until Friday's lesson to hand it in, but if you can get it to me before then, please do. What about your other classes?"
Hermione relaxed now that she realised they had the extension granted and weren't going to be told off, "We have them covered Professor, It's just your class is first thing tomorrow...sorry."
"There is no need to apologize, Miss Granger, these things happen. Granted, not nearly as often as they happen for Mr Potter, but it's nothing to apologize for. Now, while you two are here, there is something I needed to talk to you about anyway", Harry grew anxious, whenever it concerned him, it was almost never good, "Professor Dumbledore has decided, and I must say I quite agree in this case, that until Bellatrix LaStrange is caught, the two of you, and Mr Longbottom, are no longer allowed to visit the village of Hogsmeade."
"But Profes-" Harry tried to argue but Hermione interrupted him, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder, "No Harry...Professor McGonagall is right. LaStrange is in the area, and visiting Hogsmeade would be stupid, as there are no teachers about to protect you", Harry thought that was quite rich, considering that the teachers hadn't even known LaStrange was in the castle, but he offered no further complaints. Hermione was just as disappointed as him, though she didn't visibly shot it. She and Harry had planned to use those weekends in the village as dates, and now that was off the table.
Professor McGonagall tried to offer some comfort and understanding to Harry, "I know it feels like you are being punished when you haven't done anything wrong, but I assure you, this is only about keeping you safe. I'm sure you understand."
"Yes Professor", Harry was dejected but begrudgingly understood the point about his safety.
The Professor breathed out a huge sigh before starting to usher the two of them out, "Now, I don't want to be rude, but I have paperwork I have to get back to, so do you two need anything else?"
"Actually, yes. You said you were fixing my photo album Professor, I was just wondering if you were done?"
"Oh yes. I managed to repair any damage done to it. One second", she got up and went over to a welsh dresser*, pulling out Harry's photo album and handing it to him, "Here you go. The pictures were completely undamaged due to the protection charms on them, but a few of the pages were burnt partially and needed some restoration. I had to guess how some of them looked beforehand, so a few of the patterns on the pages may be a little off, but that's just cosmetic."
Harry didn't care about that; as long as the photos were safe, it was all he really cared about. He quickly flicked through the album to reassure himself that his precious photos were fine. After he'd checked, he shut the album, "Thank You Professor. Thank you, these are all the photos I have of them", he hugged the album to his chest.
Professor McGonagall smiled down at him, "I understand Harry. Now off with the two of you, I need to get some work done before I'm interrupted again."
Harry and Hermione left the Professor to her paperwork and made their way back towards the grand staircase, "Do you want to take your album back to your dorm first Harry?"
Harry looked at the album in his arms, part of him wanted to do just that; to lock away the album somewhere safe. However, he had a idea, "No, I think it may be helpful."
Hermione nodded, she had explained that Professor Lupin had used the same spell he had in the train to get rid of the Dementors that had attacked the Quidditch pitch. With the Dementors having gone after Harry twice now, Hermione thought it was a good idea to ask the Professor if there was anything they could do to protect themselves if it happened again.
--- ϟϟϟ ---
They found the Professor in his office as well. He welcomed them both warmly as he opened the door, "Harry, Hermione! Come on in. I was just going to put the kettle on, would either of you like a cup?"
They both accepted as they went into the Professor's office. Harry had seen this same office last year when Lockhart had been using it. Back then it had been filled with self-obsessed pictures of Lockhart himself, beaming and smiling from every surface in the room. Lupin had thankfully took a less egotistical approach to decorating.
Under his care, the office had a more comfortable atmosphere, and it seemed that Lupin himself liked to live in a place full of books. Books on shelves, books in open trunks, even books stacked in columns on his coffee table.
Harry had a feeling that his DADA Professor and Hermione would get on very well. On a table against the wall that was shared with the DADA classroom was a glass tank. In that tank was one of the weirdest creatures Harry and Hermione had ever seen.
The small one-legged thing seemed to be made up of wisps of smoke. It was carrying a small lantern, that glowed surprisingly bright for its size. It had no visible eyes, but Harry had the distinct impression that it was watching them.
"Oh! It's a will-o'-the-wisp!" Hermione got excited as her knowledge returned after a moment of staring, "A..um, oh , what was the name wizards use? Hunkypink? No...Hinkypunk, that's it. They live in bogs and lure people off the paths."
"Very good Hermione. Ten points to Gryffindor. I have it ready for our lesson tomorrow", Lupin praised Hermione as he busied himself making tea, "So I see Madam Pomfrey has let you out of the hospital wing Harry. Are you here to ask for an extension on your Red Cap essay?"
"No, we actually finished it a few days ago. We got as much done before the Quidditch game as possible" Harry answered
"We need a bit more time for transfiguration", Hermione continued, "Professor McGonagall has already said that was fine. We actually wanted to ask about-"
"This", Harry cut her off and held up his photo album, "Hagrid gave me this at the end of my first year. It's a photo album. Hermione and I were looking through it on Halloween and...well", Harry flipped the album open and placed it on the coffee table next to where Professor Lupin had just placed a tray with three cups of tea. While Lupin looked at the photos on the page, Hermione shot Harry an angry look. She hadn't liked that Harry had talked over her. Harry gave her a quick apologetic look, silently saying that he would explain later.
Lupin handed the album back to Harry and started pouring the tea, "I guess you want to know why I never told you I was a friend of your parents?" He handed each of them a mug of tea, "Help yourselves to milk and sugar."
They busied themselves for a few moments as they each adjusted their drinks to their liking. Hermione didn't add any sugar to hers even though Harry knew she preferred it sweeter. At home the Granger's used artificial sweeteners, but obviously those weren't available in the wizarding world. Harry also left his tea unsweetened.
--- ϟϟϟ ---
Harry and Hermione walked out of Professor Lupin's office almost two hours later. They had talked a lot about why Lupin hadn't told Harry about being friends with his parents. It had been a confusing jumble of his role as a teacher, advice from the Headmaster that Harry might not trust the DADA Professor and guilt over something Professor Lupin refused to elaborate on.
After that, the talk had moved to Lupin reminiscing over his time running around Hogwarts with Harry's father. He had told them about pranks they had pulled, such as the time Harry's father had set up Rune Arrays all around the castle, so that for the next twenty-four hours, everyone in the school, students teachers, even the ghosts, all spoke with a really thick french accent. Lupin swore he heard a cat meow in a french accent, though Hermione doubted that was possible.
After a while, Hermione managed to bring the conversation around to the topic of Dementors, and more specifically, how to fight against them. It was quite a feat, considering that Harry and Lupin were in fits of giggles half the time from the stories the Professor was telling. Hermione thought that the pranks were slightly immature, especially since some of them were done in their 6th, and even 7th, years, but she kept quiet.
Professor Lupin had been reluctant at first. The spell to repel Dementors was a post N.E.W.T. spell, but Harry argued that he just needed something that would buy him enough time to land if he was attacked during his next Quidditch game, or when there weren't any teachers around to protect them. After that, Professor Lupin had agreed that he would give them a lesson to try and learn the Patronus charm.
As Professor Lupin was showing them out of his office a thought occurred to Harry, "Professor, you said you saw me a lot when I was young", Professor Lupin nodded, so Harry continued, "Then, I must have known you rather well. Um...what did I used to call you? I doubt I called you Professor Lupin."
Lupin got a far away look in his eye and smiled at Harry. It seemed his question brought back fond memories for the professor, "You used to call me Uncle Moony."
An image of a rather large stuffed animal jumped into Harry's mind when he heard the name 'uncle moony', "Moony? Why Moony? And why am I remembering a giant stuffed dog?"
"Well, Moony was the nickname your dad and our friends gave me when we were students here. I was Moony, your father was Prongs. There was also Wormtail and...well, there was another called Padfoot, but he turned out to be not a very good friend. He's in prison now, after he joined you-know-who.
As for the giant stuffed dog. It was something I gave you your first birthday, only it was a wolf, not a dog, and it was only this big." He held his hands apart enough to indicate something about the size of an average house cat, "But you where a lot smaller then. I'm surprised you remembered it", He was happy that Harry remembered though, if the look on his face was anything to judge by.
"Sorry Professor, but we need to get to lunch. Harry still needs to talk to Cedric about something, and lunch is our best chance to catch him", Hermione hurried Harry along, reminding him that they still needed to speak with the Hufflepuff. He turned and waved to Lupin as they hurried down the corridor to the Great Hall, "See you later Professor...it was nice getting to know my Uncle Moony again."
A big grin spread over Lupin's face. Though he clearly enjoyed Harry calling him by his nickname, he told him, "Remember, it's just Professor while we are around the school."
Harry and Hermione made their way towards the Great Hall. Hermione turned to Harry, her voice a little cold, "Don't think I've forgotten about you talking over me in Professor Lupin's office. I would like an explanation."
It wasn't the first time Harry had done something Hermione didn't like. He had occasionally stuck his foot in his mouth, for as long as they had been friends, and that hadn't changed after they had become a couple.
Only, now she made him feel a lot more guilty, "I'm sorry Mione. I just thought that if Professor Lupin was talking about my parents first, he would be more likely to help with the Dementors."
"Why didn't you say something before we went to see him instead of talking over me like that?"
"I forgot. I'm sorry."
Hermione pulled his arm around her and she leaned into his side, "Just try not to do it again", she lightly scolded him.
--- ϟϟϟ ---
A few moments earlier
"Oh brother mine!"
The Weasley twins were waiting, hidden outside Professor Lupin's office to prank the DADA teacher, so that they could attempt to catch the Professor in their latest scheme.
"Yes George?"
"Do we really think this will work?"
"Of course. We have pranked every Professor this school has..."
"All of them except Professor Lupin."
"Something we are here to remedy, are we not?"
"But, it's just that this prank, it's so simple, and we haven't been able to prank him yet." They had tried a few tricks on the man, but so far he had seen them all and avoided them. He somehow managed to spot every plan and trap the twins had, undoing them with little to no effort.
" But , the simplicity is why this will work. He won't expect anything this simple."
"Quiet, I think I hear them coming. Remember, wait until Harry and Hermione are clear. The last thing I want is an angry Hermione Granger in the same common room as me."
"Professor, you said you saw me a lot when I was young...Then, I must have known you rather well. Um...what did I used to call you? I doubt I called you Professor Lupin."
"You used to call me Uncle Moony."
"Moony? Why Moony? And why am I remembering a giant stuffed dog?"
"Well, Moony was the nickname your dad and our friends gave me when we were students here. I was Moony, your father was Prongs. There was also Wormtail and...well, there was another called Padfoot...
The Weasley twins looked at each other, then at the blank piece of parchment that Fred had taken out of his pocket.
"Abort!"
"You're damn right about that! No wonder we couldn't prank him...Our Professor Lupin is a living legend."
"He's a marauder !"
"You know what this means brother?"
"That we need a much better prank if we are going to keep our streak?"
"That as well, but not what I mean."
"Then what brother dearest?"
"Harry is the son of a marauder!"