Caught Amongst the Damned

Disclaimer: These aren’t my characters u.u; all the characters and places and
everything else belong to JKR...I’m just borrowing them fer my own sick and twisted
pleasure u.u;;

Author’s Note: I changed the description fer the story x.x; it seems to me with over a
thousand hits people are looking fer a smut fic...so I figured I’d specify that this
isn’t one...I’m sorry this wasn’t out sooner...I’ll have more time in about five days
[my daughter’s going up north for four months, so I’ll have A LOT of time on my hands
v.v] so...with more time there will be more writing x.x anyway, enjoy

Chapter Four:

      Hermione sat on her bed, staring at the floor. Crookshanks meowed at her feet,
twining around her ankles for attention, but the most she did in response was lean
down to idly scratch behind his ears.

      How was she going to find out if number twelve, Grimmauld Place was still safe
without going there? As far as she was aware, no one had been there in a year, which
suggests the Order had thought it was no longer safe, because Sirius has died...did
that mean that even though Professor Dumbledore had still been secret-keeper
that...that would suggest that Sirius had cast the spell...which would mean, if that
were true, that Number Twelve would indeed be unsafe...unless...no...

      Hermione shook her head and pulled her legs up onto the bed. Even if someone
else had cast the spell, it only made Professor Dumbledore secret-keeper of the
hideout for the Order...when Sirius had died...the Order seemed to have abandoned
Number Twelve... But still...Sirius had said Number Twelve had many protective
measures put up on it...maybe if they were lucky, but luck was very rarely on their
side...how was she going to find out without going there herself?! She stood up and
began pacing the room, chewing on her thumb nail. Of course, she could always try to
find a map, that would tell her if it was still Unplottable or not...and if it
was...then it would safe to assume that the other protective measures around it still
existed... What she needed to do was to go somewhere where access to the wizarding
world would be easy...or at least easier than it was in her room.

      The Burrow. She had to go get Ron anyway and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were both part
of the Order. She nodded to herself and hurriedly went downstairs to explain to her
parents that she’d be out for a bit and not too worry, then (after making sure her
wand was in her pocket), she Apparated to the front of the Burrow.

      The first face Hermione saw was not one she had expected. Peering out the
kitchen window with wide eyes of shock was her former Defense Against the Dark Arts
teacher, Remus Lupin. Even as she watched, a frown was etching across his face and he
held up a hand telling her to wait where she was. Having barely taken a step forward
anyway, Hermione froze as she was and waited almost patiently.

      She hadn’t even thought of Professor Lupin, but now that she was thinking about
him, she realized she was rather lucky he was there. If anyone would be great help to
her it would be him...Not that the Weasleys wouldn’t have been a help, but they were
prone to worrying. Hermione began to chew on her lip as she waited. It was taking
Professor...no, not Professor, she corrected herself mentally. He hadn’t been her
professor for several years. But regardless of his title, it was taking him an
unusually long time to walk from the kitchen to the door... Though, Hermione told
herself, he was probably doing more than that, after all, she had arrived without
warning.

      When he walked out some five minutes later, Remus Lupin looked incredibly tired
and was sporting a very deep frown. Hermione also noted that he was carrying his wand
in very clear view.

      “Hermione?” he asked, stopping several feet in front of her.

      “Yes, sir?” Hermione asked, careful not to make any sudden movements in case he
thought her under the Imperius Curse or else an imposter.

      “What are you doing here?” Remus asked.

      Hermione frowned at the question. “Shouldn’t you be checking that I’m not a
Death Eater or some other supporter of Voldemort’s?”

      To Hermione’s surprise, Remus’ expression lightened to a smile and he stowed his
wand inside his robes. “You just have, Hermione. Now, to what do we owe this
unexpected visit?”

      “Actually I...” Hermione paused, slightly taken aback by this sudden change in
attitude. She started chewing on her lip again, not sure exactly how she was going to
voice the situation. “I need help with something...” She paused again and looked up at
the sky. “Would it be safe to take a walk?”

      Remus raised a brow and said, “no, I hardly think it would be, but if you care
to take that risk...”

      “If...if you don’t mind,” Hermione said, not looking to meet his gaze, “I’d
really like it if we could walk.”

      “Very well,” Remus said. He put his hands in the pockets of his shabby robes and
took the few steps left between them. “Shall we?”

      Hermione nodded and turned so that they were walking side by side from the
Burrow. “How have things been going?”

      “As would be expected,” Remus said, “very busy.”

      “How’s Bill...?”

      Remus looked down at Hermione, frowning again. “You and I both know that you did
not come down here this late at night to hold casual conversation.”

      “No...” Hermione agreed. “But I hadn’t expected...I was just going to sort
of...I...well...I’m not entirely sure how I should even begin...”

      “The beginning is always a good place to start.”

      Hermione nodded, “yes, but that’s complicated too...there’s a lot I can’t...I
can’t....I need help with something...but I can’t tell you very much...”

      “Then I suppose,” Remus said, stopping a putting a hand on Hermione’s shoulder
as he looked down at her. Hermione looked back up at him, meeting his eyes for the
first time that night. Something very strange went through her, almost like a shock.
She tried to ignore it as he continued. “That you tell me what you can.”

      “I...” Hermione paused again and looked way, continuing to walk. She chewed on
her thumbnail for a moment before saying, “I need to find out if number twelve,
Grimmauld Place is still vacant or not...”

      Even though he made not a sound, Hermione could tell that Remus was frowning at
this statement. Even more so, she could tell he was less than pleased to hear it.

      “I assume that you cannot tell me why?” he asked after a moments silence.

      “No...” Hermione said in a near whisper, watching the ground as she walked.

      “Well, the last time that I noted it, Number Twelve was still vacant, however I
cannot know for sure...I don’t believe there would be a sure way to know without going
there yourself.”

      Hermione nodded, swallowing back her disappointment. “So...I’d have to go there
to know...and even then...they could just be Apparating in and out, so I’d have to go
inside, where if they were there, I’d be noticed...”

      Quite suddenly, as if it flew through the air at her, Hermione was struck with
an idea.

      “Professor?” she asked without thinking.

      “I am no longer your professor, Hermione, but yes?” Remus replied.

      “Erm, right, sorry. Anyway...with Professor Dumbledore...I mean...since
he’s...well...does that mean that to find Number Twelve he’d have to...”

      “No...not anymore...though they do still have to know what they are looking for,
it doesn’t have to be Dumbledore that tells them.”

      “That...thank you, pro...Remus,” Hermione said, still not looking at him, but
wringing her hands as her mind worked full speed to sort out her very sudden thoughts.

      “Is there...anything else?” Remus asked, sounding slightly taken aback.

      “No,” Hermione shook her head. She stood on tiptoe, and for a reason that was
lost to even herself, wrapped her arms around Remus’ neck to hug him. “I’ll be back
later on, sometime before tomorrow night, just so you know. Thank you again.”

      And just as she let go of him, she gave him a very brief smile, then left him
standing there as she Apparated, appearing in front of Honeydukes in Hogsmeade.