Werewolf in Disguise

A/N: I must say that of all the places I've posted this story, I have had less reveiws here than anywhere :( I almost thought about just telling you where it was posted elsewhere, instead of updating. However, there are a few that review for me and I love you for it, so I'll keep giving you the chapters---and hopefully several at a time (like today). Thanks guys!

In the present, Sirius was trying to talk to Remus, albeit slightly unsuccessfully at first, but he slowly started to come around.

“Moony, I knew I’d find you up here.”

“What do you want Sirius?” he asked with a sigh.

“Well, obviously, to talk to you,” Sirius said grinning. He knew what Remus’ problem was, but he couldn’t help trying to get a rise out of him, too.

“So,” he tried again, “you and Hermione, eh? Can’t say I saw that coming.”

“Shut it, Sirius!” he growled. “Do you have any idea what this means? Have you thought past yourself for one second to think what will happen when she gets back here?”

“Down boy!” he said consolingly, “Of course I have. My guess however, is that you’ll pick up much where you left off.”

“Are you on something Sirius? We’re not going to pick up where we left off!! I’m 18 years older than her now. 18 YEARS older!”

“’Fraid she won’t want you anymore, old man?”

“Not if she’s smart,” he said quietly, “I’m not the same person I was then. Hell, I spent almost a year living with werewolves two years ago, remember?” Then he added, “I’m just not the same.”

“But you want her to want you don’t you?” Sirius asked as he cautiously moved over to his friend. “I can see it, Remus, now that you remember her, you still love her, don’t you?” he asked gently, unsure what the reaction to his blunt observation would be.

“I don’t know, I just don’t know what to do. What am I supposed to do, to feel? How am I supposed to act now that I know…well, her? She’s wasn’t the same person then that she is now. Everything has changed, everyone is different. It just could never work out.”

“The savior of the world didn’t need her help in our time, remember. She was allowed to be who she really is. And, if I remember right, when she was, um, taken from us, you promised to love her no matter what, did you not? Your exact words were something like ‘through time or distance.’ if I’m correct. You carry on like this and she’ll wind up hating you for it.”

“I’m afraid she’ll hate me soon, no matter what.”

Sirius laughed softly, “you never used to be so down on yourself, maybe she’ll be exactly what you need in your life. Besides, there’s no use worrying over it now, you still have a few more days.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “Let’s just act like nothing has changed, until everything changes.”

“For some reason, that made perfect sense to me,” Sirius said, shaking his head slightly. “Maybe we should go back. She should probably be moved here anyway. Otherwise, someone is bound to find her at Hogwarts.”

“You’re right again, but don’t let it go to your head. We‘ll go talk to Minerva tomorrow about bringing her here.”

They flooed back to Hogwarts, hoping to not have to fight anyone in order to get Hermione moved to their house. They felt better knowing they could keep a close eye on her and Sirius didn’t have to worry about being spotted by students when they visited her. Even though his name had been cleared, he still hated the looks of indecision people gave him.

Harry, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly worried with the whole situation. Not only was one of his best friends practically gone, but all the people that would have known her in the past were acting strange and secretive. Since Remus and Sirius had run off, he hadn’t seen either of them to find out if she really was ok in the past. There were also more and more people coming and going in the infirmary and he was sure someone would notice Hermione soon.

“We have to move her Headmistress,” he overheard Pomfrey say, “someone is bound to sneak around and find her, then how will we explain it?”

“You’re right Poppy, but where can we send her?”

“I don’t know, but her wound is healed and she should be moved, sooner rather than later,” Pomfrey said in a worried tone.

Move her? But if they moved her, he wouldn’t be able to come see her between classes. Neither would Ron or Ginny. It wasn’t like she knew they were there or anything, but it made them feel better seeing her there. They had also been getting a kick out of watching her clothes change, until Pomfrey covered her up and told them to leave her be.

He was getting ready to head to class, but jerked his head up at the sound of the doors opening.

“Ah, Minerva, just the one we needed,” Sirius said.

“What is it boys, I’m having an issue here.”

“Hear that Remus, ‘boys’?” he barked. “Would your issue have anything to do with what we overheard on our way here? There’s a lot of rumors going around about why Gyp, er, Hermione is in the Hospital Wing.”

“What Sirius is failing to say is, we thing she should be moved to Grimmuald Place, before someone notices something they shouldn’t,” Remus added, looking away from Hermione.

“I agree!” Harry said quickly. “I’ll go and stay with her.”

“No, Harry,” Remus said gently. “Right now, she’s getting to study for NEWTS, while you on the other hand, need to get back to studying with Ron.”

Harry glared at Remus. Why did both he and Sirius keep looking at her like that? He wanted to go with her and take care of her, he’s her best friend, not them.

“They’re right, Potter. Our agreement was for weekends only. I can’t have you leaving with NEWTS so close, just to baby-sit her. They’ll take her with them and you will stay here and study,” Professor McGonagall said, picking up a glass off the table and tapping it with her wand.

“Ready boys?” she asked as she handed them the glass.

Remus took Hermione’s hand, feeling the familiar shiver down him down his spine, as both he and Sirius touched the glass. They felt a tugging at their navels and landed smoothly on top of Hermione’s bed in Grimmuald Place.

“Well, here we are,” Sirius said, getting off the bed. “Oy! Check out the shirt! Isn’t that mine?”

Remus began laughing, “I think you’re right. It appears they’ve already started crashing with us on the weekends.”

“Well, Sam always seemed to throw a party. Or maybe she was doing it on purpose. She did seem to know more then she let on,” Sirius said thoughtfully.

“True. Come on, let’s get her covered before she goes wolf on us again. Imagine if someone would have walked in and seen that!”

“Or, better yet, if she stayed starkers for longer then a few hours, they would have gotten a glimpse of that too!” Sirius said grinning as Remus looked slightly possessive again. “Well, well Moony, I haven’t seen that look on your face in a long time!” he grinned bigger as Remus scowled.

Suddenly there was a loud crash at the door and Mrs. Black woke up screaming.

“What the hell?” they asked in unison, racing out of the room.

They closed the curtains to her portrait on their way down and stopped short at the front door.

“Wands out, you reckon?” Sirius asked as Remus nodded and they both drew their wands before opening the door.

When the door opened a very bloody figure dropped in the room, barely caught in time by Remus, who gently laid him down to the floor.

“Severus, is that you?” Sirius asked, more than a little worried about his old rival.

They carried him to the sofa and laid him down as he groaned. Remus jumped up and grabbed a few vials of potions, then tipped them down Severus’ throat as Sirius held him up. Slowly he began to regain consciousness and groaned again.

“Sirius, floo Minerva, I think this is important,” Remus said, adding, “try the infirmary first, since that where she was when we left.”

“Why her? You’re in command of the Order, surely that’s what this involves.”

“But she’s second, and I think this will take us all. Remember where he must have come from. I think his secret is out and Voldemort knows.”

“Oh,” said Sirius, finally catching on, “I’ll be right back.”

Remus then started cleaning and healing the wounds on Snape’s face and arms, before moving on to the ones covered by the shredded robes. Snape would groan occasionally, but otherwise, made no attempt to awaken. He continued his work until there was a loud commotion in the next room. Sirius came in, angry, and was followed by McGonagall and Harry.

“Harry! What are you doing here? You should be in class!” Remus said, startled to see him.

“I was heading that way until I heard Sirius. If this involves Voldemort, then I want to know about it, not be left in the dark like usual. What’s going on?” Harry asked indignantly.

“We don’t know,” Sirius said, “he just stumbled through the door, covered in wounds and bleeding, then he passed out.”

They heard Snape moan again and all turned to watch as he slowly opened his eyes.

“Potter,” they heard his weak voice.

Harry walked over and leaned down next to his old Professor, “Yes sir?”

“Kill him, Harry, before he gets her,” he said, before passing out again.

“Did he just call me ‘Harry’?” Harry asked amazed.

“Well, that answers one question,” McGonagall said slowly.

“I wonder what hap..” Harry started, but was cut off by Remus who looked at Sirius with confusion and almost panic written all over his face.

“Hermione! We weren’t the only ones to remember her. Severus and Peter would have went into trances as well. Not only them, but..”

“Voldemort remembers!” Sirius said loudly, cutting him off.

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

“What does he remember?” asked Harry. “What does Hermione have to do with…she didn’t do something stupid did she?”

“Yes, and saved all our lives as well, but that’s all we’re saying until she wakes up, Harry, it’s her story to tell,” Sirius said solemnly.

“But she’s safe as long as she’s here, so let’s get him to a bed, where he can settle in. I think he’ll be here for a long while,” McGonagall broke in, changing the subject. Her face, too, had gone white with realization.

Once Severus was in bed, with many more potions being poured down him, the group left him to rest. Harry went back to class with the knowledge that Hermione’s life was now in even more danger, and even more questions about what she was doing in the past. He tried talking to Ron, but neither could even guess what had happened. They both thought it was something stupidly heroic, but since they had no information to go on, they threw themselves into their studies, concentrating mainly on Defense.

~~~~~~~~~
Another month was passing for Hermione. It seemed that NEWTS were trying to jump on them before their time. They all felt extremely prepared thus far, as they had been studying with most of their free time. Lily, Hermione, and Remus actually enjoyed studying, while James just wanted to be with Lily. When Sirius wasn’t out with one girl or another, he would also study with them, usually in the boys dorm, which is why Peter could be found there as well.

Within the last month, they had all grown much closer, but none as much as James and Lily. It was a huge shock to the school when students first saw them walking down the hall holding hands, or with James’ arm around Lily and her not hexing him into the next week. Professor McGonagall wouldn’t tell anyone, but secretly, she had thought the two would make a perfect couple for years, and now that they were, it was obvious they would be for along time to come.

The Marauders went through another full moon with no incident. Hermione still felt no pain at her transformation, and everyone was clueless as to the reason why and if there was a way that she could somehow help Remus. Lily had been researching werewolf transformations with her in the Library and had come up short. And she had even talked to Dumbledore about it, leaving out the fact that everyone else was there as well. He seemed lost for ideas, but when she described how she felt at the time of her transformations, she could swear his eyes twinkled.

Dumbledore had called her to his office on several occasions recently. At first, she was afraid he was sending her home, but he never did. They would talk about her thoughts of where she was from, but that’s as close as the subject would come. At first, their meetings were short, mainly concentrated on her transformations, but eventually they grew into long discussions almost weekly. He laughed when she told him he should pay the house elves, but said he would make the offer, which pacified her. Otherwise, they discussed her plans for the future, if she didn’t go back of course, her relationship with the Marauders (Remus in particular), and many other varied topics.

“My dear, I must tell you that it pleases me immensely to see Remus so happy,” he said as she blushed. “He’s had many female companions, but I’ve never seen him this happy and at ease before. He is usually very hard on himself and has yet to realize his true potential. He pushes others away due to his condition and doesn’t allow many to get very close to him. Perhaps you being here was as much for his good as your own. You also seem to have made quite the impression on Mssrs. Black and Potter. Who would have thought they would be showing their true capabilities. I believe they could do a great many things, and now, I believe they believe that as well,” he said seriously, but smiling.

“Thank you, sir. We’ve decided that when I go back, since I’m of age now, I’ll probably just move back here. Well, not here exactly, but possibly in with Lily for a time. I feel like they’re my family, sir, and I’d hate to think I’d never see them again. I have also come to regard you as something of a grandfather figure, sir, and I’d rather not go through life without seeing you again either,” she finished shyly.

To her surprise, his eyes became much brighter then usual. He shifted in his chair and said, “I believe we’ll see each other again, possibly soon after you leave, my child. And thank you for the sentiment, it is most definitely returned.”

“Sir, with the rising threat of Voldemort in the immediate area, are you concerned?”

He looked shocked for a moment at the sudden change in direction and at hearing her say the name, then looked thoughtful, “Yes, Hermione, I am. Not about him as much as for the students. I’m worried a few may take his mark, and there’s no way for me to know. At the risk of sounding like a braggart, the man doesn’t scare me in the least. Only the destruction he could cause for others, but rest assured, I’m doing all I can to stop him.”

“I’m sure you are, sir, and if there’s anything I can do, please let me know.”

“Very brave and courageous of the newest trouble maker. Please, stay out of his way and I’ll be happy,” he said, grinning. “He’s after muggleborns as you well know.”

“Does blood really make that much difference? I mean, my blood, or lack thereof, doesn’t make me who I am.”

“Voldemort holds the significance of blood as an idea. A wrong idea, mind, but still an idea. I think we would be correct in stating, it’s his illusion. Don’t get me wrong, blood can be very important for matters such as bonding two people or protecting someone, much the same as love, but the level of magic a person possesses, or their ‘worth’ as he believes, does not come from what ones parents are. Take you for instance, you don’t show how smart you are in class, because I asked you not to make too much of an impression, but I feel that you very easily could become the brightest witch of your age, and the only magic in your blood is your own.”

She got ready to leave an hour later to head back to the common room, when she ran around his desk and flung her arms around his neck. “Thank you, sir, for everything!” She then turned and left, without seeing the tear slide down his cheek as he smiled heartily.

“Are you ok, love? You’re acting a bit, I don’t know, off,” Remus asked when she entered the common room.

“I’m fine,” she said, greeting him with a kiss, “I’m just very in love and happy right now. And Professor Dumbledore and I had a wonderful conversation today.”

“That’s great! Just don’t spill our secrets,” he said grinning. “Well, if you’re not busy in an hour, would you like to go to dinner with me?”

“I’d love to,” she responded immediately.

“Alone,” he added, “I have a surprise for you.”

An hour later she was more than ready to go. She was used to Remus surprising her with dates, Chocolate Frogs, and such, and really loved to return the favor. She took his arm and he led her through the portrait hole and to the seventh floor corridor. He took the familiar back and forth path, allowing a door to open in the wall. When she walked through, she was amazed, yet again, at what he could come up with. The room was set with a romantic dinner for two in front of a huge fireplace. There were small candles floating around the room that would form the shape of a heart, then float around again.

“Remus, this is so wonderful! Thank you so much,” she said as she kissed him.

“Mmmm, later doll. Right now, we eat.”

They began eating their dinner and she relayed her conversation with Dumbledore to him. He was a bit speechless when she told him what was said about him, but happy nonetheless.

“Hermione, I agree. You need to be careful, love,” he said as he laid his hand on hers. “Especially with the Slytherins. I know you and Severus get along ok, but you can’t trust a Death Eater, no matter who it is. Come on, let’s dance,” and he gently pulled her to her feet.

“But there’s no…” then she smiled as the music began soft and slow and he pulled her close as they began to dance.

She leaned up, still smiling, to look at him. He kissed her softly and she snuggled closer.

“Thank you for tonight, Remus. This is amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” he said huskily.

She looked back up at him and he pulled her in for another kiss. She always felt tremors in her body when they kissed, but tonight they were intensified. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him deeper, opening her mouth to his as he moaned.

“Hermione?” he asked, as her hands began moving down his shoulders and to the buttons on his shirt.

“Shh, Remus. I want this, with you, if you do.”

He kissed her again and whispered, “every day for the rest of my life.”

Their hands began roaming over each others bodies, before clothing started to disappear. Suddenly a bed appeared ten feet away from them. Remus looked at her and grinned as she led him to it. He gently laid her down and kissed her softly. Soon, they were wrapped up in each others arms, kissing passionately, and moaning in turn, until they were both completely sated and grinning from ear to ear.

“Wow,” Hermione sighed.

“Um, Hermione, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” he slowly broke off.

“Realize what? What are you sorry for?” she asked, worried he was sorry for making love to her.

“I didn’t know, I mean, I just assumed with you being 18 and all. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what, Remus?”

“That you were a virgin, of course.”

“Oh, well if you must know, I didn’t know. I can’t remember past boyfriends for Merlin’s sake, how was I going to remember anything like this?”

“I didn’t think about that.”

“Well,” she said, as she grinned up at him, “I’m glad you were my first, and my next,” she finished as she started trailing her hands up his bare chest, making him moan softly.

Several hours later, they reappeared through the portrait hole, ten minutes before curfew.

“Where have you two been?” James asked, not looking up from his game of wizards chess he was playing with Peter.

“The Room, having a date. You?”

“Waiting on Lily to get back from rounds. You have rounds tomorrow, right?” he asked Remus.

“Unfortunately, yes. I’m starting to dislike the whole Prefect thing more and more.”

“Aw, come on mate,” Sirius said, clapping him on the back, and stepping between him and Hermione, “You know Dumbledore thought you could help control us, you should feel privileged!”

“Is that the reason?” Hermione asked as she walk to the game.

She leaned over James and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, “So, you’re losing, again?”

“He always loses when we play, it’s the only thing I can beat him at,” Peter said happily.

“Peter, you’re just that good,” she said, grinning, then whispering a move in James ear.

“If you think I’m going to listen to you, you’re crazy! You’re worse than I am!”

She stood up and crossed her arms, faking anger, “Fine, you just be that way then!”

Remus walked over to her and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her close, “Aw, don’t hurt her feelings, Prongs. I’ll have to kiss her and make it better,” he said, grinning wickedly as he started to kiss her.

“ENOUGH!” James and Sirius yelled. “Two feet between you two at all times, you know the rules,” Sirius added.

“But, Sirius, you’ve said yourself that rules are made to be broken,” Hermione reminded him as she kissed Remus again.

“Yea, but not where you’re concerned, Gyps,” he grumbled as he stepped beside her.

She kissed him on the check, then turned back and kissed Remus. “Goodnight my boys, I’ll see you in the morning. Send Lily up when she gets in, would you?”

They nodded their heads in agreement as she walked up the stairs.

The next morning, much like every morning, the group sat off for the Great Hall. The whole of Hogwarts were getting used to seeing the group of six walking together, and usually tried to stay out of the way. Occasionally, Sirius’ girl of the week would walk with them, but, as he had already went through the Gryffindor girls, he usually met whoever it was that morning after breakfast.

Hermione was slightly nervous about how to react the morning after making love to Remus, but he walked over to her and kissed her like always. She found it a relief that they weren’t acting any differently towards one another. She fell even more in love with him last night and if felt like her heart were bursting with it. He kept his hand on her leg through most of breakfast and grinned at her for no reason. She would just smile back and rub his leg every now and then, getting a small jerk of surprise from him.

“Oh no!” Lily said as they were leaving the Great Hall, “I forgot my book!’

“Come on, Lils, I’ll go back with you. Will you tell Professor Combord where we went?” she asked Remus.

“Of course, love, hurry back.”

They ran a short way up the corridor before Lily stopped short, “Hermione, I let Sirius borrow my book remember?!”

“Well, where is he?”

“I don’t know, pick a broom cupboard!” she laughed. “Oh well, he’ll meet us in class. Let’s go before we’re late!”

They ran back around the corner and Hermione suddenly ran into Lily’s back. She had skidded to a stop and was gasping. As Hermione looked around her shoulder, both her jaw and her heart fell to the floor. There was Remus, with Dessy. She was leaned against the wall smiling and he had his hands on her hips, with her trapped between them. Hermione turned and ran back the way they had came, tears pouring down her face. Her entire world had just come to a screeching halt, and now she was lost and heartbroken.