So this is my first ever submission to the Twin Exchange monthly challenge... even if it doesn't make it, this was incredibly fun to write! Thanks to the people over at Twin Exchange for the great idea, really got my gears going and I got this written in under two hours :D so much fun to write.
Twin Exchange October Challenge
Prompt: Candy
Pairing: Hermione/Remus
Quote: "Next time."
Theme: Halloween
Trick or Treat
Hermione/Remus
The small swish of a page turned over, the gentle crackle of the fire, and a soft sigh from the girl sitting on the couch. Halloween was more or less a quiet matter at Grimmauld Place, since most of the others were busy either helping Molly to prepare the big family dinner she had organised, or going out to Diagon Alley for drinks and free sweets at the Leaky Cauldron.
Personally, Hermione didn't find that she liked Halloween very much. When she was younger, it was all very exciting, to dress up like monsters and scare each other and pretend to be a witch. Now that she actually was a witch, and she had seen monsters with her own eyes, and been more scared of the real thing, she found it was a bit tedious. To say the least.
For the magical community, it was less about supernatural like it was for muggles, and more about good food, good company and hilarious pranks. Halloween was right up there with April Fool's day in the magical community. Another reason for Hermione to remain indoors and avoid pranks of any sort. She didn't care how boring and prudish they called her – she refused to be drenched in orange jelly in the middle of Diagon Alley again, for as long as she lived.
It was quite a while before Fred and George dared to speak to her about it, for fear of losing their limbs – or worse.
Hermione flicked another page of her book. She was reading a book on the history of complex transfiguration. She had bought the book weeks ago and hadn't got around to reading it, for all of the work she'd been doing at the ministry. But it had paid off – her amendments to the legislation concerning the proper administration of wolfsbane potion to werewolves had been approved, and she finally had a few days to relax and do some light reading. And when she had been writing legislation amendments for weeks at a time, history of transfiguration was positively delightful.
Hermione was lost in the book when the gentle crackling fire erupted and burst into violent green flames, causing her to jump. It always gave her a fright whenever anybody flooed into a quiet room. It was not considered a dramatic entrance, but it always took her by surprise.
The person stepped out of the flames, and dusted himself off with long, elegant fingers, shaking the soft sand-blonde hair from his eyes. He glanced up, and when he spotted her he gave her a gentle smile. "Good afternoon, Hermione," he said, polite as always.
"Hello Remus," Hermione said, returning the smile automatically. She and Remus got along really well. It was no surprise, considering he was intellectual, hard-working and quiet. Unlike Hermione's fierceness, he had a sort of quiet determination which she admired. And apart from everything else, he was uncommonly kind, not only to her but to everybody, and expected nothing in return.
Possibly the very definition of a gentleman, thought Hermione.
"How are you?" asked Remus, taking off his jacket.
"I'm alright, thank you. How was your day?"
Remus tipped his head to the side in a nonchalant sort of way, and said, "Well, I can't complain. It was not very exciting." He glanced around the room. "Is there nobody else here?"
"Nope," said Hermione, a little too cheerfully. "Everybody else is off helping Molly or out at Diagon Alley, and I am here to bask in peace and quiet."
The corner of his lips tugged up in a smile as Remus said, "I hope I'm not disturbing that peace and quiet."
Hermione let out a small laugh. "Oh, Remus, you are always a welcome distraction." She only realised what she said after the words had left her lips, and she felt the need to instantly retract them – but Remus was already making his way out to the kitchen to get himself a cup of tea, and Hermione could only hope that he had not heard her. She had managed to spend all of Halloween in a state of total calmness and carelessness – she didn't need to ruin that with her own silliness.
She had only turned back to her book when she heard a sudden crack behind her, and two hands on her shoulders. She let out a very ungraceful squeal and her hands flew to her mouth, the book falling to the floor, and she tried to leap up but the hands held her fast, as two familiar voices chimed the same word.
"Surprise!"
Hermione felt herself sag into the couch, heart hammering away. "Fred," she managed, controlling her shaky voice, "George. Why would you scare me like that?"
They jumped over the couch to sit beside her, and Fred said with a cheeky grin on his face, "Well, it is Halloween, after all. And it's been a while since we gave you a real shock."
"I hope you remember what happened the last time you gave me a shock," said Hermione, glowering at him.
"Come on, 'Mione," George said sweetly from her other side, and she turned to face him. "We just wanted to see you."
"I highly doubt that," she said, reaching down to pick her book up off the floor, but two hands on her arms held her where she was. She looked from one twin to the other, and noticing that unnerving sparkle in their eye that said they were up to no good, she said, "What are you up to?"
When neither one replied, she crossed her arms and said, "Well? Out with it!"
George gave her what was meant to be a reassuring smile, and he said, "Come on, Hermione, we just wanted to say hello."
"We saved you some sweets from the shop," said Fred, as they both pulled out a box of wrapped lollies, decorated in bright orange and purple in the Wizarding Wheezes fashion. "Thought you'd appreciate a bit of a treat."
"You know, locked up all day by yourself…"
"Not going outside to collect goodies…"
"And not letting us cover you in jelly…"
Hermione sighed, and she said, "If I take these sweets, will you promise to not play any pranks on me this Halloween?"
"Promise?"
"Cross our hearts!"
"Swear upon our mother's grave!"
Hermione laughed. "Molly's not dead!"
"She might be after we set off the firecrackers at dessert tonight," said Fred with that ever cheeky grin.
"Or it'll be us in the grave," said George with an equally wide smile, and then they both swiftly ducked in and kissed her cheeks, before disappearing with another loud crack.
Hermione picked up the two boxes of sweets, and she was genuinely surprised at how nice the twins were being this year. Usually it was all jokes, no time for being nice on Halloween – but maybe they had changed. And besides, Hermione hadn't had a thing since lunch. She deserved a lolly or two.
"Well, that was surprisingly tame."
Hermione turned and saw Remus coming back into the room, with a cup of tea in each hand, only further confirming Hermione's theory that he was indeed the perfect gentleman as he placed one in front of her. She smiled her thanks, and said, "From the twins, definitely. I was expecting – a sherbet bomb or – or some other hellish thing."
Remus chuckled softly. "And all you got was lollies. You must be disappointed."
"No," Hermione said. "Ecstatic, actually. First time in years they haven't tried to mortify me in front of everybody." She opened one of the boxes of sweets, examining them carefully as she did so – they were wrapped in their company's paper, but the sweets were apparently rather plain, just plain toffees wrapped in shiny bits of paper. Hermione opened one and smelled it, prodded it with her finger, and she spotted Remus out of the corner of her eye smiling at her as she inspected the treats.
"What?" she asked. "Just because they're being nice doesn't mean I'm going to automatically trust them."
Remus rolled his eyes, and he picked one out of the box, unwrapped it with his elegant fingers – Hermione couldn't get over how graceful his hands were! – and popped it into his mouth. She watched him chew it for a moment or two, and he gave her a smile as he swallowed the soft toffee. "See?" he said. "No harm done. They're just sweets."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "I'm genuinely surprised. Trick or treat usually ends in a trick."
She placed the one she had unwrapped at her lips, and tentatively bit into it. It was slightly soft, but not in an awfully sticky way. It didn't stick to her teeth, it just seemed to melt in her mouth. And it tasted like caramel. She made a small mumble of approval, and ate the rest of the lolly.
"They're delicious," she said, licking the end of her finger. "That's such a lovely surprise." She let out a small laugh, and reached for another.
"Do you mind if I -?" Remus' sentence fell short as he reached for another lolly from the box on the coffee table, and Hermione paused as his hand touched hers. It was the smallest brush of skin, his fingertips on her knuckle, and it seemed to linger a little longer than was necessary – but the tingle that followed from his touch was quiet electric.
"Sorry," he said.
"Not at all," Hermione replied with a smile, as they both took another sweet.
They sat there for a few minutes, drinking tea and eating the heavenly lollies, and Hermione found herself staring at Remus. She had never noticed how very lovely his skin was. She hardly ever stared at his face, because of the scars there – she always felt rude. But at this moment, she was looking past the large scar on his cheek, and she could see the soft, if somewhat weathered, skin beneath. It was a soft ochre tone, and she longed to reach out and touch his skin.
A moment later, his silver-flecked eyes glanced up and caught her staring, and she blushed instantly. "Sorry," she said, a little too quickly. "I – I didn't mean to stare."
She felt relieved as Remus gave her a small smile, and he said, "That's quite alright, Hermione. Of all the people who stare at my scars, you are possibly the most polite about it."
"I wasn't – staring at the scars," said Hermione as she swallowed another lolly. They were addicting. She licked her lips and said with a nervous smile. "I was staring at your skin."
She saw a small frown tug his eyebrows together, and then Remus said, "But – my scars are a part of my skin."
"I mean, the skin under your scars."
Something flashed in his eyes that she didn't recognise – whether it was confusion or annoyance, she wasn't sure. "But Hermione," he said, "It's all scars."
"No," she said, quite determined to prove her point. She opened her mouth to speak but then moved, and she reached out gently and her fingertips brushed a line of smooth, unscarred skin on his cheek. "There," she said, voice softer. "That's not a scar."
She had been staring at her fingers, and when her eyes moved back to his she saw him staring at her in a strange way. It wasn't unwelcome, it was just – different. She had never seen him look at her that way before. Misinterpreting, Hermione felt suddenly quite flustered as she blushed and pulled her hand away, and stammered, "I – I'm sorry, Remus, I didn't mean to –"
Her words were left hanging when his hand moved and caught her wrist, holding it gently, and he said quietly, "Don't apologise."
She felt his soft exhalation on her skin and she realised how close they were, and she could feel that tingling of skin on skin, and his fingertips traced down her wrist. She felt the lines like fire on her skin, and goosebumps raised all along her arm and neck.
Letting out a shaky breath, Hermione said, "Why does that feel so – strange?"
Remus shook his head. "I don't know."
Their movements were slow, and Hermione felt shivers race across her skin and down her spine with every small touch of Remus' hand on her arm. She knew that this was probably very wrong, but for some reason she didn't care – it felt lovely. His hand traced to her elbow, and danced along the skin of her upper arm, across her collarbone – making her breath hiss slightly – and as he traced a line up and his hand came to rest at her neck, his fingertips reaching up to touch her hair.
Hermione let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and she opened her eyes to see how close Remus was – so close he was nearly blurred, but not quite. She could still see the warm amber eyes with those specks of silvery-grey, and the way he was looking at her made her chest feel tight and suddenly the room felt far too warm.
Remus inched closer, and Hermione barely moved as he did so. The smallest brush of his lips against hers made her draw a quick breath, and he hesitated – but only for a moment, because Hermione moved forward, closing the distance and pressing her lips to his.
She felt a sudden rush inside her as her stomach dropped and her heart began to flutter as if it didn't know whether to relax or to pound madly, and Remus' hand tipped her chin up as he opened his lips against hers, and they kissed softly, gently, maddeningly slowly.
Hermione let out a small moan, and she reached her hands up to grasp at his collar, pulling him closer, and she moved her lips against his determinedly. She could feel him smile through the kiss, and he pulled back slightly, and left tiny butterfly kisses on her lips which drove her mad.
"Remus," she whispered, breathless. "Kiss me properly."
"Be patient," he whispered back, before kissing her again, and this time Hermione locked her hands around his neck, and she pulled him to her, and a moment later he fell over her on the couch, and they were pressed together and Hermione felt like she was about to faint. She felt so dizzy as his lips danced across her skin, kissing her neck and brushing against her collar bone. She let out a small whimper, and she felt him chuckle more than she heard it – his hot breath travelled over her skin and sent her brain into an even dizzier state.
"Hermione," Remus murmured against her skin, "You are – you're beautiful."
"I don't care," she managed, "Kiss me, Remus."
She saw him smile as he raised his lips back to hers, and she found herself wishing she'd inhaled more air when she had the chance as his lips devoured hers, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip and his tongue darting out teasingly to brush against her lips, only to retreat a few seconds later.
He shifted his body against hers, her soft curves against his hard torso as a strong arm wrapped around her and moulding her body to his, and he was pressed against her as he began to kiss her properly, his movements more urgent than before, and Hermione was finally getting what she wanted, none of this teasing and taunting business –
A loud crack sent both Remus and Hermione into the air, and a momentary lack of balance and lack of concentration, they both tumbled to the floor, a tangle of arms and legs as Hermione found herself trapped beneath Remus, both of them breathing heavily as though they'd just run a marathon.
Hermione's eyes were wide as she stared up at Remus, and she realised what she had been doing – what they had just been caught doing. Her moment of mortified silence was broken, when she heard voices.
"Now, what have we here?"
"Looks like somebody ate too many of our special treats."
"I'd call that a prank well played, George."
"As would I, Fred."
Hermione's hands flew to her face to cover her burning cheeks as she heard the twins laughing, and a moment later she heard a close, low chuckle and she felt hands taking hers and helping her to her feet.
She stood, and unable to look Remus in the eye, she turned and gave her best death glare in her moment of disgruntled embarrassment, but it did not deter the twins.
"Sorry, Hermione," said George, "Thought you'd be smart enough to know who to trust on Halloween."
"Or at least, know the difference between a trick and a treat," said Fred, and Hermione couldn't decide which one of them she wanted to hex first – but she wasn't given the opportunity, because a moment later they cried in unison, "Maybe you'll know next time!"
"Next time?" she nearly screeched, reaching for her wand on the table, but a second later they disapparated from the room, leaving only the echoing sound of their laughter.
Hermione exhaled shakily, and she brushed her hair behind her ears and tugged her shirt so it wasn't quite so askew. She swallowed nervously, and moved to turn and walk away from Remus, but she felt his gentle hand on her arm and he said, "Hermione, wait."
Hermione didn't look up at him as she shook her head, and said as she felt the sting of embarrassed tears behind her eyes, "N-no, I'm sorry, Remus, I didn't – I wasn't –"
"Hermione."
His hand beneath her chin tipped her face up towards his, and she found his eyes locked to hers. "Don't be embarrassed, Hermione," he said firmly, as he gently caressed her cheek. "I don't think any less of you."
"You – you don't?" she asked, frowning. "But – but I just –"
"Reacted the same way any other person would after having eaten a few enchanted sweets," said Remus, and Hermione then saw a twinkle in his eyes that reflected that same cheekiness she saw so often in the twins.
She opened her mouth, snapped it shut again, and then shoved Remus in the chest. "You knew!" she cried out, and Remus began to laugh as she tried her best to pummel him. "You – cheeky – bastard!" she said with each punch, but then cried out as he picked her up and collapsed on the couch, with Hermione locked in his arms.
Hermione felt a blush on her cheeks as he stared at her, and he then chuckled and said, "Of course I knew." He reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I – I've wanted to kiss you for a while. But never had the chance, until now." His eyes returned from her hair to her eyes, and he smiled. "I thought it would be a nice change to all your other Halloweens."
Hermione felt the desire to hex Remus, and to kiss him. The latter desire won out, and she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, and only when she pulled away and rested her forehead against his did she say something.
"So," she said. "Was that a trick, or a treat?"