Selene || Remus Lupin

Ch. 106 - A Gentle Place

Harry exhaled shakily, and he released his hold on Dobby, setting him gently on the ground. He rubbed his eyes wearily.

"I want to bury him properly," Harry said. "Not by magic. Have you got a spade, Dad?"

Remus nodded, and he stood up at once.

"I'll help," Draco said quietly, staring down at Harry with a sort of fierce determination. "Don't bother arguing, Potter. It's the least I can do."

Harry looked up at him with a sort of intense appraisal, but he nodded. "Fine. But no magic."

"Sure, Potter," Draco said.

Selene tore her eyes off her son to look round at Ron and Hermione. Hermione was leaning against him heavily, her breathing short and exhausted. She was covered in small cuts, and her shirt was soaked in blood. Her body was trembling violently, and at once, Selene recognized the signs.

Hermione had been tortured by means of the Cruciatus Curse, and likely amongst other things. Selene recalled that Draco said that Bellatrix had been involved.

"Ron, carry Hermione upstairs to Harry's bedroom," she ordered. "It's the bedroom on the left. I'll take care of her from there."

Ron nodded, and he hooked an arm around Hermione's back, leading her into the house. Hermione let him do so without protest, her legs shaking violently as she climbed the steps up to the front door.

Then Selene turned to Harry, frowning.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asked gently.

Harry didn't look at her, but he nodded. "Yeah, Mum. Thanks."

She sighed, and then she leaned over to press a kiss to the top of his head. "I love you. I'm glad you're home safe."

"Me too... and I love you too."

Selene stood up then, intending to head inside. Harry remained kneeling on the ground silently, his eyes still set upon Dobby's motionless figure. His shoulders began to shake.

You can't protect him...

Selene pushed down a sob and went inside to take care of Hermione.

"Thank you, Selene. I appreciate this."

Selene nodded wordlessly, pulling a quilt onto the top of Hermione.

She'd spent an hour cleaning her wounds, and with Remus' healing spells, they'd been able to stem any bleeding and close up the cuts on Hermione's arms and face. Selene had caught sight of a word carved into Hermione's left forearm – Mudblood, it said – and she'd spent most of the hour trying to contain her rage behind the tightly-pressed line of her mouth and the firm set of her jaw.

"I'm sorry that we've invaded your home like this," Hermione went on weakly. She hadn't taken the Dreamless Sleep potion that Selene had set aside for her on the bedside table, seemingly intent on sharing her gratitude with the older blonde witch. "I know it's an inconvenience."

"It's perfectly alright, Hermione," Selene said softly, smoothing out the bed covers. "We told Harry from the beginning that if you three needed a place to run to, our cottage would be open for you."

Hermione nodded. "We sent Luna, Dean, and Ollivander to Bill and Fleur's, but Harry told Dobby to take us here. I think he thought it would be the best place for us."

"I'm glad he did," Selene said, smiling weakly.

Hermione sighed, her eyes fluttering closed. Selene took it as a sign to leave her to sleep, and she began to turn around to leave the room.