Catching Up

"Well, I guess he is gone for the day," Ron said, watching Draco's retreating figure. When Ron looked over at Hermione, she was looking down at her lap again, and he saw something on her cheek.

"Hermione? Are you crying?" He asked, alarmed. The last time he saw her cry was when they were kids.

Harry stood up at Ron's words. "Hermione!" He exclaimed, rushing over to her desk and embracing her in a hug.

Ron ran over to her, too, adding to the hug. She sighed.

"I'm alright, you two," she told them, pulling out of the hug. "Really, I am," she repeated when they raised their eyebrows. "I just haven't had a good cry in a while." She brushed herself off and wiped the tears off her face, trying her best to act professional again.

"So, Harry, how's Teddy?" Hermione asked, attempting to change the subject. "Did you watch a movie?"

Harry and Ron walked back to their seats.

"It was nice. We watched A Nightmare on Elm Street. You would have loved it," Harry told her sarcastically. Hermione hated horror movies of any kind.

"Hey!" She retorted, feigning offence.

"I can't believe you still haven't seen that movie!" Ron shook his head. "It's a classic! Freddie Krueger is one of the best villains of all time!"

"I have seen plenty of horrific things to last me a lifetime," she scolded him. "And I think Voldemort was scary enough for me." She looked back at Harry. "And how is Andromeda? Is she still at St Mungo's?" She asked, worry in her voice.

Harry frowned. "Yeah, the cancer has spread faster than the Healers thought it would. The potions they've used haven't been working as well as they had hoped."

"Well, cancer is technically a Muggle illness, which can't be suitably treated with anything magical," Hermione replied, once again sounding as if she swallowed a textbook. "Potions can only do so much, and much like a Muggle with cancer, it'll keep spreading no matter what. Even if she were to go into remission, who knows how long it would last."

Ron looked bewildered throughout Harry and Hermione's entire conversation, never having known anyone with cancer and only knowing about the illness from studying it when he was training to become an Auror.

"Teddy must be devastated," Hermione shook her head. Even though Teddy Lupin lived with his nana, he often stayed with the Potters. As soon as Andromeda passed away, Harry would take over.

"He is, though I think he has come to accept it," Harry answered. "He's at St Mungo's as often as he can with her. I believe she will be able to check out soon if she wants to, though."

Hermione nodded, then turned to Ron who was now making a paper airplane with a copy of The Daily Prophet.

"So, Ron, how are the kids?" Hermione asked.

He looked up at her. "Oh, they're fine. Serenity is driving Lavender nuts, though. She keeps destroying our kitchen and getting into everything. The other day she dumped out the flour on the floor, danced in it, and ran around the house. There were footprints everywhere."

"She's a funny girl," Hermione chuckled.