Title: This Girl Is Half His Age
Author: panderia
Rating: G
Pairing: Hermione/Lupin
Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm just borrowing them for a little fun. It's quite entertaining. You should try it sometime.
Summary: The school year has finally ended. N.E.W.T.s are over and it's time for the Trio to go out into the real world. What does this mean for Hermione and Lupin? And do Harry and Ron finally find out who Hermione's mystery man is? How will they react to the news?

“Yeh’ll come an’ visit, righ’?”

Hagrid let out a watery sniffle and brushed at the tears running down his cheeks and into his beard. His eyes were red-rimmed and his chest was heaving from the effort to hold back a flood of tears.

“Of course we will, Hagrid,” Hermione said, her voice thick with emotion.

“We’ll floo into Hogsmeade and have some butterbeers with you,” Ron chimed in.

“We could never forget you, Hagrid.” Harry gave him a watery smile.

“Yeh three are the bes’ friends a wizard could ask fer.” Hagrid swept the trio up in his arms, burying their heads in his chest and hugging them tightly.

“Don’t suffocate them, Hagrid. I’d like to get a chance to say goodbye, too.”

He reluctantly let go of the three Gryffindors and they turned to find Remus grinning at them.

“I’ll let yeh three say yer goodbyes. I’m gonna miss yeh.” Hagrid took one last look at the trio, wiped his nose on his sleeve and headed off to make sure the other students were getting on the train. The three turned back to Lupin.

“You will keep in touch, won’t you?” Harry asked hopefully.

“Of course. I made a promise to Sirius that I’d always be there for you, Harry, and I will.” The last couple words came out choked and he quickly swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Besides, I’ll be in London all summer.”

“Why?”

“Well, there’s this new potion. It’s been tested and so far the results have all been positive. They might finally be able to cure my lycanthropy.”

“Wow . . . Remus.”

Harry threw himself at Lupin, eyes blurry with happy tears. The older man was a little taken aback at the physical contact, but after a moment’s hesitation, he wrapped his arms around the boy he now considered a son and squeezed him tightly. When it looked as if the two men weren’t going to separate, Ron coughed loudly. They pulled apart, shaking hands as if the emotional moment had never happened, eliciting a laugh from both Ron and Hermione.

He moved onto Ron who muttered, “Take care, Remus,” before shaking his hand.

“Why don’t you two find a compartment on the train? I’d like to speak to Hermione for a minute.” Harry and Ron nodded and walked off, leaving the two staring at each other awkwardly.

“Hermione . . .”

“Remus . . .” they both started at the same time. The two of them began laughing and once they had regained their breath, Hermione signaled for Remus to go first.

“If you’re up for giving this another go . . . I’d like to take you out to dinner on Saturday night. I want to do this right, Hermione.”

Hermione was speechless. She didn’t honestly think that Remus would still want to see her after all the trouble their seeing each other had caused. She watched as one of the first years hefted her trunk onto the train, her small arms shaking with the added weight. The conductor was heading to the front, his blue hat standing out in the sea of black cloaks. An owl chirped somewhere close by, probably in one of the compartments. Should she say yes?

“Hermione?” She turned her eyes back to Lupin to find his brown ones searching hers.

“I’d like that,” she replied, the corners of her mouth twisting up in a small smile.

“All aboard!” The train’s whistle sounded and the few students still milling about the platform hurried onto the train.

“I’d better go.” Hermione turned to leave when Lupin caught her hand.

“I don’t even get a hug?”

He pulled her towards him and she wrapped her arms firmly around his waist, leaning her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating wildly beneath his ribs, could feel the rise and fall of his chest. God, she wanted to stay here forever in his arms. But she knew she couldn’t, at least not yet.

“I’ll owl you with the details about Saturday.” He gave her hand a squeeze before letting go. Hermione made her way back onto the train, giving him one last wave before stepping through the open door, and found the compartment where Harry and Ron were waiting for her.

“So who’s the guy?”

“What?”

“Who’s the bloke you’ve been sneaking out to see? You promised you would tell us and why not now?” Ron insisted.

“Just tell us what house he’s in then,” Harry said.

She stared at her two best friends, their eager faces trained on her and thought why not?

“He’s a Gryffindor.”

“Guess we both lost the bet, mate,” Ron said dejectedly.

“Actually,” Hermione interjected, “he was a Gryffindor. And what do yo mean ‘we both lost the bet’?”

“Was? He already graduated?” They stared at each other expectantly.

“You first,” Hermione said, and Ron began to explain.

“Well, you see, Harry and I made a bet as to which house this mystery man is in.”

“I said Hufflepuff,” Harry put in.

“And I said Ravenclaw.”

“And what was the prize?” Hermione asked, trying hard to keep the amusement out of her voice.

“Five galleons,” Ron answered boldly.

“I see.” She stroked her chin in a mock thinking pose. “I guess you want to know his name?”

“Well, duh!” Ron exclaimed. “Come on, Mione. Fess up!”

She took a good look at them, then down at her hands in her lap. She had to tell them eventually and now was as good a time as any. She took a deep breath. “Lupin,” she said quietly. There was a deafening silence and she looked up to find two stunned faces staring at her.

“Lupin?”

“. . . so old.”

“He’s not that old, Ron. You say it like he’s ancient.”

“Well, he is! He could be your father!”

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, purposely avoiding their eyes.

“So, how did you two . . .” Harry asked.

“It was those defense lessons, wasn’t it?” Ron spat. She nodded. “Blimey, Hermione. Really, Lupin? You’re nutters. You know that? What do you think’s gonna happen when this gets out? How do you think people are gonna react? It’s not going to be pretty, Mione. Not at all. And I don’t even want to think about what your mum and dad will say.”

“Don’t you think I know this already?” She said miserably, burying her face in her hands. She wanted to take it all back, never have said anything to either of them. The seat dipped beside her as one of the boys sat down. She ignored him. She already felt bad enough. She didn’t need the two of them giving her more reasons to doubt what she was doing. An arm slipped around her shoulders and she felt a hand on her arm.

“You really like him, don’t you?” came Harry’s soft voice next to her. She nodded, head still in her hands.

“Does he make you happy?”

This time she looked up and straight into those brilliant green eyes.

“Yes.”

“Then that’s all that matters.” He gave her a hug, the kind of hug that said no matter what, I’ll always be here, and she knew that as long as Harry was there for her, it would be. They pulled away to find Ron staring at them wistfully.

“Come over here, Ron,” He plopped down on the other side of Hermione and grabbed her hand.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so mean. I still think you’re nutters, but if Lupin makes you happy–”

“– and he does.”

“– there’s nothing more I can say. Just be careful, Mione. Promise me that.”

“I promise.” She pulled Ron in for a hug. But Harry wasn’t going to be left out and the three of them shared a group hug.

“Aren’t you quite the sickening bunch?” came Malfoy’s drawling voice from the doorway. As usual, his two goons Crabbe and Goyle were flanking him. “If I knew I was walking in on a Gryffindor orgy, I would have gouged my eyes out beforeha–”

Three jets of light hit Malfoy straight in the chest before he could finish the sentence and he toppled over into the hallway. Crabbe and Goyle stared dumbly at their leader’s body before reaching for their wands. But their movements were too slow. The two boys were hit and fell over, landing half on Malfoy, covering the smaller Slytherin with their bulky frames.

“You know what I’m gonna miss more than anything?” Ron said, staring at the three downed Slytherins.

“What?” Hermione asked.

“Hexing Malfoy every year on the train. It’s been one of the highlights of my life,” Ron said and the three of them laughed as he kicked Crabbe’s arm out of the way and shut the compartment door.