There is almost an ominious silence in the air as Dumbledore all but drags an apparation-sick Hermione through a lamplight street. They move fast, unsaid words about the pace of their movement is clear, it is dangerous to linger. They are somewhere in London; of this she is sure. Normally she would ask for more details, more information but she remains quiet preserving the encompassing silence. Normally she almost scoffs at the word. Normal was left with her stupifed mother lying on their sitting room floor. Her poor mother she groans inwardly, her mother was going to kill her.
Her stomach is agitated and tumbles like an off-balance washing-machine, don't hurl. Hermione begs herself. Retching on the curbside in front of her headmaster, the great Albus Dumbledore is something out of a nightmare. She is quite certain, that she has had this nightmare, it ends quite spectacularly when she realizes she is in a state of undress. She glances down at her robes; today she is thankfully suitably dressed.
Dumbledore is surprisingly agile man considering his years. Hermione, despite being the younger one out of the two, struggles to keep up with him as he hurries down the sidewalk. He holds up a hand halting their movement abruptly as he faces the edge, a corner of a single floor walk-up building.
"Professor...?" Hermione breaks the silence unable to stop herself when he seems so utterly lost. Dumbledore doesn't respond but merely gestures that she waits.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hermione looks warily around them; he looks like a mad-men loudly tapping his wand on the stone.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
The earth shakes. The ground beneath their feet seems to be pulsing and the air around them turns cold. Her breath catches. She draws her wand gripping it tightly and looks skeptically at her surroundings. Dementors had a bad habit of appearing when the temperature descended, and she knew better than be caught off guard. Her heartbeat thuds in her ears in sync with Dumbledore's tapping. Her teeth chatter.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Dumbledore slams his fist against the stone, and it begins to move, a large ominous building appearing that folds itself into existence. She knew this place Twelve Grimaud Place, but the large intimating building guarded by iron cast gates never seemed to make her feel comfortable, no matter how many times she had been here.
Dumbledore knocks thrice and enters yanking Hermione by the hand through the doorway when she lingers just a moment too long. The wind seems to scream in the street behind them. He slams the door shut. Hermione sits on the steps just past the entrance needing a moment to compose herself while Dumbledore can't seem to move through to place fast enough.
"Alastor Moody?" She hears him call, almost in the distance and she lets herself take a breath. A deep breath, the first one in what seems like hours.
"I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see you" The familiar voice of Remus Lupin greets her, though his face lined with scars a result of many moons, the corners of his mouth curve upward. She hadn't seen such an occurrence in quite some time.
"You just say that because I send chocolate with my letters" Hermione replies unable to keep the grin off her face. She had kept in contact with him after his short tenure as a Hogwarts professor. It had started with a question about Animagi, but the letters had continued with back and forth book recommendations and all sorts of discussions.
"That is neither here nor there" Remus replies dismissively
"Shakespeare" she states pausing for a moment thinking; "muggle" she says at last, uncertainty layered in her voice.
"Wizard. Have you seen the amount of literature he composed, and the absurdity in some of them, Midsummer Night's Dream perhaps?" Remus replies raising an eyebrow, his eyes almost twinkling. His voice is raised, excitedly speaking about literature. For a moment he feels as though he is a professor again. He is light, young and alive.
Hermione responds by handing over package of chocolate from her robes, his award, her sacrifice for being incorrect. Remus accepts the gift without hesitation a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
They do not speak anymore; Hermione knows this is a difficult time for him but can't find the right words. Remus pops a square of chocolate in his mouth, and gestures her to follow. There was a meeting to attend, no matter the time of year, they had all lost someone, now, they were just preventing more loss. One day they would lick their wounds, grieve, hurt and continue on but now they couldn't afford the time, they had to keep fighting.
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Waiting for Maxima
FanfictionAlbus Dumbledore was tired of losing, tired of death and of blood and carnage. He had been fighting for so long, there had to be another way through, a way that would preserve the light, it was all he had left-the fight for the good. Sure, there had...
