Marauders - Always - Part One

CLXXXVIII: A Busy Corridor

Remus stood in the corridor outside of Dumbledore's office, leaning against the wall, staring at the stone gargoyles which stood watch over the headmaster's concealed moving staircase. He hung onto his briefcase before him with both hands, gnawing on his lower lip.

"Why am I nervous?" he whispered to himself. "This is silly... I'm not twelve and about to get a detention or anything. I've not done anything wrong, I -" Remus stopped talking, for he'd heard a sound down the hall, and he listened carefully.

His heart skipped a beat, then, for he recognized the voice talking.

"....dunno where she got even half these things she's published. I never said anything like this before in my life! 'I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it... I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament because they're watching over me'? I'm sorry, I would be quite ashamed of admitting that, thank you very much - the whole entire world doesn't need to know all of my business, do they!?" Harry Potter's voice proceeded him.

"I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of Harry," came Hermione Granger's gentle tones, "I think it's rather endearing, that bit, and honestly you shouldn't be ashamed of being sad about something!" She paused. "If you ever do need to cry and would like to have someone to talk with, you know, that's what -- oh!"

She stopped mid sentence because they'd come 'round the corner then and there, in the hall, was Remus Lupin whose heart was pounding thrice the speed it ought to be doing.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry said in surprise, seeing Remus there in the hallway.

Hermione rushed up and wrapped Remus in a hug about his torso and Remus closed his eyes. Her arms looped about him about the middle - he was quite a bit taller than her and so thin that her palms clapped onto her elbows when she gave him a good squeeze. She stepped back, eyes shining with admiration, "Oh we've missed you!"

"Yeah we have!" Harry said, but there was more anxiety in his eyes than brightness.

Harry looked so much like James - Remus could tell just by looking at him he'd been hard at thinking for several days and clearly hadn't been sleeping well. The way Harry's hair stuck up a bit suggested repeated swipes of his palm through the strands, something James had done plenty of on a normal day, but Remus had noticed all last year during exams and the dementor lessons that Harry usually did it far more frequently when he was stressed, rather than for aesthetic purposes. Harry's eyes were also marked by dark shadows beneath them, and his shirt was wrinkled, one shoe coming a bit untied, and overall just that slightly unkempt appearance of one who was just too tired to give a damn.

Remus understood all too well the unkempt appearance of one who was just too tired to give a damn. It looked him in the eye every morning when he peered into a mirror.

"How have you been?" Remus asked gently, looking between Harry and Hermione. "I - I've heard about the Tournament, Harry. A friend of mine told me you'd been entered."

"Did Snuffles tell you, then?" Harry asked, voice conspirational.

Hermione looked about the corridor nervously at the mention of Snuffles, but the three of them were quite alone.can

"A different friend," Remus said. He turned to Harry, "How are you feeling about it?"

"Great," Harry lied. Remus could see the lie in his eyes. But Harry plowed on, "Pretty confident. I - I mean it can't be so hard, yeah? It's supposed to be safer this year than ever before," he added, when Hermione looked at him with a glare. Harry shrugged, "I mean, it can't be harder than Slytherin's monster or Voldemort trying at taking the stone, can it?" he chuckled. "It's not like I'm going to be - be fighting him again or anything. So, yeah. Confident. That's what I am." He nodded resolutely, then said, "And honestly right now I'm more frustrated with that maddening Skeeter woman publishing a load of dung in the paper about me and --"