"Shadow of the Moon" Prologue: It's just a little crush

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It's just, a little crush, it's not like everything I do depends on you…

Hermione sat down in the last remaining "empty" compartment in the Hogwart's Express with Harry and Ron. She was excitedly anticipating her third year, and turning thirteen in November, finally hitting the dreaded teenage years. In the background she could hear the voices of her two friends, chatting on about something abstract, no doubt quidditch, but all she could focus on was the pale man, bundled up in tattered robes, in front of her. His face, what she could see of it, was lined with worry, his hair a sandy brown, glittering with small specks of grey. She fought back the urge to touch, to stroke his face, his hair, or just him, to comfort the ill looking man before her.

"I wonder who the new defence against the dark arts teacher is this year, eh 'Mione?" Ron's question pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, erm, I suppose we won't know until the feast will we?" She replied hastily, embarrassed by the fact that she, Hermione the bookworm had been absorbed in a daydream like state because of a male.

"I hope Snape hasn't fi…" Harry began, as the rooms temperature dropped dramatically, the windows iceing over, and Hermione's bottle of water froze solid. Hermione could see her breath before her, coming out in rapid cloudy motions. "What, what's going on" she whispered.

Hermione saw it first, the hooded figure creeping towards the door, the skeletal hand drawing the door open. Her terrified gaze lead Harry and Ron's eyes towards the door, both gasping at the creature before them.

It happened to quickly for Hermione, she was too caught up with the feelings of desperate sadness and loss of hope engulfing her. She looked up and the creature had become dangerously close to Harry's face. "No.." She gasped, realising what the creature was, "Not the kiss". Looking around desperately, she fell apon the stranger's face, his eyes snapped open suddenly, startling her slightly. Before she knew it the man in front of her had leapt up from his buddle of tattered robes and pointed his wand at the dementor.

"Expecto Patronous!" she heard him cry before a flash of silver filled the compartment.

Hermione watched him pulling out a bar of Hunnyduke's chocolate and hand out generous pieces to Harry and Ron, making sure they were both fine. She watched his brow furrow with concern, and the hint of pride which slipped through his voice when he said Harry's name. He turned to her and offered her some. Hermione felt herself hesitate slightly, not knowing why her hand refused to make such close contact with him. She guessed her parents teaching of "don't take sweets from strangers" was kicking in.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned," his hoarse voice whispered to her," I wouldn't want to harm the greatest witch of our time, would I?" He smiled at her warmly. Hermione smiled back at him, thrilled he knew who she was. Graciously she took a piece and popped it in her mouth.

"See, I told you so," He smiled again, and winked at her.

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat, her feelings hit her hard. She was hooked, addicted to this kind hearted stranger.

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Several years later, an eighteen year old Hermione lay along her bed in the small room she shared with Ginny at the Burrow, reading her past diary entries. She wasn't the small bushed haired girl who fell for her professor anymore. She was a young woman now, pain showing through her deep brown eyes, and the title of a girl who defeated deatheaters, and bushy hair, lying on her shoulders. She twirled a long chocolate curl in her fingers. She was proud of her successful spell attempt to control her once hopeless excuse for hair. With her new soft curls, womanly curves and toned legs, she almost felt beautiful. Almost. He still hadn't noticed her. Hermione's thoughts returned to her third year diary, and her long suffering heartache for one Remus Lupin.

It had been later than evening when Hermione finally found out her stranger's name. Remus Lupin. Professor Remus Lupin in fact, their new DADA teacher.

Kind, charming, attractive AND a scholar she had thought to herself It's almost like he's too perfect Of course after time Hermione figured his secret, proving herself right, of course he was too perfect to not have a deep dark secret. The logical part of her was screaming at her to tell someone, anyone, especially Harry or Dumbledore. But her heart refused to believe he was a threat, every smile he gave her way during class made her dizzy and elated. A man like Lupin could never be evil, dangerous luna cycles or not. At the shrieking shake that night her heart was almost broken that slight moment where she doubted his alliance to Dumbledore, that slight moment where she thought she was wrong and regretted her decision to keep his secret. She honestly thought that moment he had changed that he could recognise her soft voice of worry, she could swear for a slight moment somewhere inside him, the wolf had recognised her.

She felt her heart break when she heard Professor Lupin was not to be returning the next year. For months she never saw him, until the end of her fourth year. Even then, sightings of the old werewolf were rare and sparse. The times when she actually got to speak to him were even less. But Hermione made sure she was always there during the times that it counted. When Sirius died, she was the one who stayed up all night as Lupin cried into her shoulder the emotions he dared not reveal to anyone else. When Lupin debated whether to date Tonks or not, she was the one who sat there in his room, giving advice as he paced for hours. Hermione was also the one he went to for comfort the night Tonks declared she couldn't handle it anymore and ended it. Hermione was the one who held him as Lupin said "Who needs a woman when I have a friend like you?"

Hermione tried, she tried so hard to shake off her feelings for him. She even managed to briefly move on and start a relationship with Ron. But it was only weeks until she walked away, saying they were better off friend as thoughts of her friendly werewolf plagued her mind. She had tried, she really had but this crush was sticking to her like a pot of Weasley's Wondrously Wacky Sticky Goo. She groaned loudly just as Ginny came through the doorway.

"You ok there Hermione?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yerh," Hermione replied, "Just stuck with thoughts of a certain.. You know who, and not the evil snake wannabe kind."

"Ah, the one with month hairy issues kind?" Ginny teased.

"Uhuh," was Hermione's frustrated reply.

Ginny was the only person who knew Hermione's 'little secret'. During the final battle where Harry defeated Voldemort, Hermione had been cornered by Feiner Greyback, her wand thrown out of reach as he pounced on her. Hermione, fearing for the worst, cried out for the only person she could think of in her desperation, "Lupin". She closed her eyes, expecting to feel Greyback shredding her apart, when the weight of the wolf was thrown off her. Opening her eyes she saw Moony fighting Greyback. When the wounded werewolf limped away from Greyback's body and collapsed in front of her, she knew then and there she this was more than a simple crush. When Ginny interrogated Hermione about her shy behaviour when Lupin swept her into his arms during the festivities later that week, Hermione couldn't lye to her best girlfriend.

"Don't worry," Ginny beamed at her, "He's returning this year, the ministries given McGonagall permission to hire him as the DADA teacher. Aren't you glad you missed a year now?"

Because of the war, and the fact Hogwarts had been closed, Hermione had to give up her schooling to help Harry and his quest. After the demise of Voldemort Hogwarts had been reopened, and McGonagall invited Hermione, Harry and Ron , as well as any other students, to return and finish their schooling. Ginny had thought this was amazing, after taking her sixth year at another less known wizarding school during the war, she was now a seventh year too, and would be taking lessons with her older friends. Hermione was just as delighted at the thought of sharing lessons with a friend who actually appreciated learning.

"Yes, yes I am," Hermione replied wistfully.

"And tomorrow, you'll get to see him again, and I'll, I'll get to see Harry once more."

Hermione smiled, without the worry of Voldemort lingering over their heads, this year was looking good.

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A/N: this is my first fanfiction, so please be kind with ur critcism! I hope this chapter's turned out okies, and i hope you readers can understand my writting. Please review!