Letting out a breath of relief, Hermione lowered her wand and then, after a moment, smiled almost brightly. She was a sucker for people complimenting her clever ideas. "Thank you, Professor," she said and then nodded, "oh, yes. I have a tendency to do that as time moves forward," she joked, sure that Remus would appreciate the corny humor more than Harry or Ron would.
"I need your advice, Professor," she said, then, stepping toward him. "I don't know what to do and I never intended for my actions to hurt innocent people. And it's probably selfish to feel even worse that I've lost a friend forever." Her expression fell and she frowned as she dropped her gaze to the floor. "I don't know what to do anymore. I feel like we never make any progress."