Disclaimer: All these beautiful characters and settings belong to the lovely J.K. Rowling, I'm just taking them out for a spin.
Hermione was a pure ball of nerves as she rushed around her bedroom at 12 Grimmauld Place in her underwear, trying desperately to get dressed. She tore through her wardrobe looking for something decent to wear, feeling her stomach churn as her anxiety took hold.
Tonight was her third real date with Ron and she was paralyzed with fear. The first two dates had been disastrous. Ron had obviously been a bit nervous, too, on their first real date and he had gotten horribly drunk by the night's end. Hermione had to hold him upright to apparate him back to his and Harry's apartment.
The second date wasn't any better with the conversation revolving completely around Quidditch and Ron's new auror training, both topics thoroughly exhausted after an hour. The rest of the awkward evening was filled with halted conversation and zero affection between the pair. She knew she had to make tonight perfect if they were going to make a real go of it as a couple. Everyone expected them to be together, even though if she were being truly honest, her heart just simply wasn't in it.
As she applied eyeliner and blush, her thoughts wandered to another man. One who was kind, warm, funny, intelligent and incredibly sexy. This man was the only one who truly understood her, she thought with a pang. But she quickly and vigorously shook the thoughts away. Pining for another, one who would never return her affections, was a waste of time and was not going to get her through this difficult night. She was going to make it work with Ron if she had to kill herself trying.
XXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, one floor below, Remus and Sirius sat drinking tea in the kitchen, quietly chatting. From the floor above, they could hear Hermione stomping around, huffing and puffing across the creaky hallways.
"Do women always sound this pissed when getting ready for a date?", said Sirius, looking confused at her huffy behavior.
"I wouldn't know," sighed Remus.
"She's been pounding about up for there for nearly an hour, she's gonna break the damn floor if she keeps it up! What in the hell is wrong with her?", Sirius asked, genuinely curious.
Remus hadn't a clue. Understanding women had never been his strong suit, as evidenced by his longheld bachelorhood. She was supposed to be getting ready for a date with Ron, which should have been a good thing, Remus thought. But from the sound of it, she was anything but pleased.
As they sipped tea and tried to ignore the noise, Hermione finally came huffing loudly down the steps, holding her shoes and jewelry in her hands, looking flustered. Although obviously upset, Remus couldn't help but notice how ravishing she looked. Her hair was a wave of soft, voluptuous curls that cascaded down her bare back, her lips were pouty and pink, her eyes bright and lovely as usual. She had on a silk black dress that hugged every curve to a devastating effect. The old wolf swallowed hard at the effect she was having on him.
"Well, don't you look nice, Kitten," said a smiling Sirius, hoping that one of his dashing smiles would temper the witch's obviously foul mood.
It didn't. Hermione only scowled back.
"Would one of you please put my necklace on for me?", she asked, a frantic edge to her voice. "I've tried and I just can't get the damn clasp."
"Ah, I didn't bring my glasses down with me," said Sirius. "I'm sure Remus could help you with whatever you need," he said throwing Remus a discrete wink and a smirk.
Remus gave him a glare at his suggestion. But he stood all the same and walked to Hermione, who had turned away from him and swept her sweet mountain of curls aside so Remus could put the necklace on. He clasped the thin gold chain with ease and paused just a second to admire the creamy, white skin of her neck. How he wanted to kiss that tender spot and taste her skin. He quickly recovered his composure and returned to his seat but not before Sirius caught his eye and quirked a questioning eyebrow. Remus studiously ignored it.
"Thank you, Remus," she said kindly, taking a seat with the two wizards as she gently leaned forward to put on her black kitten heels. Remus watched her with hunger in his eyes, appreciating the generous cut of her lovely dress. As she straightened up, Remus quickly looked away, feeling guilty about his feelings. She was twenty years old, and his roommate. A lovely woman by all means, but certainly off-limits to Remus, who was too old and too battered to have such a divine woman.
The three sat in silence as Hermione nervously smoothed her dress and eyed the front door with unease.
Taking in her nerves, Remus kindly asked, "Are you alright, Hermione? Is something wrong?"
"I'm perfectly fine," she said, a bit too forcefully. Remus and Sirius exchanged a dubious look. She didn't feel like explaining herself so instead she stood and said, "I just got ready a bit too early is all. Ron shouldn't be here for another twenty minutes, so I'm just going to read in the library till he arrives." And with that she turned and swept from the kitchen, the sweet smell of her lovely perfume the only evidence she had been there.
After they heard the library door close, Sirius said, "She seemed pretty worked up about something. Why don't you go check on her before Weasley gets here?"
Remus hesitated. "She seemed like she didn't want to talk about it."
"Who said anything about talking?", said Sirius with a smirk.
"Oh, cut it out!" Remus quietly hissed. "I'm twice her age and she's got a boyfriend. I don't think she'd appreciate my advances," he finished.
"Can't imagine she's too happy with Ron if she gets this upset about going on a date with him," said Sirius.
Sirius had a point. Remus reluctantly stood. "Alright, I'm just going to check on her quickly, see what's bothering her. Maybe I can help," said Remus, his face calm but his heart beating rapidly at the thought of being alone with her.
Sirius flashed a knowing smile at his friend and nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds good, old chap. You check and see if she needs anything. If ever there was a man for the job, it's you," Sirius said, mischievousness apparent in his eyes.
Remus walked to the library and knocked lightly on the outer door, and she called, "Come in."
He entered to see her, pacing across the wooden floor, her heels clicking out a furious beat, mimicking her racing heart.
"Would you like some company while you wait?", he asked quietly.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness and paused her frantic pacing to give him a warm smile and said softly, "Of course, Remus, please come in."
He crossed the room in several slow strides and took a seat across from the fireplace on the soft leather sofa. He smiled up at her and patted on the sofa for her to join him.
She reluctantly sat down, right next to him. Their thighs touching as she fell back against the couch and let out an exasperated sigh.
"What's wrong, love?", he asked tenderly.
She blushed at the question and looked torn about telling him.
"Go on then, we're friends, you can talk to me about anything," he said, his eyes so caring and kind.
She sat up and smiled sadly and said, "It's nothing, really, it's stupid." She leaned forward, putting her weary head in her hands, her hair falling forward to cover her embarrassment.
"If something's bothering you, then it's not stupid," he said, as he reached forward and gently swept her soft curls back from her face. "Tell me," he said, looking into her beautiful full brown eyes.
Remus was such a dear friend, she knew she could talk to him about anything.
"Yes, well, the thing is...tonight's our third date and the first two have been dreadful. So tonight's needs to be great. I need to make it great. We haven't even kissed yet. And honestly...I've...never actually...kissed anyone before and I'm quite worked up about how to do it properly," she said, her lovely face blushing furiously at her admission.
Remus was taken aback by the young witch's honesty. And in truth he couldn't believe that she really had never kissed anyone. She had always been so sweet and smart and the years had been kind to her, her body blossoming into a wonder. She was truly gorgeous. He really didn't know what the young men were thinking now a days. Had he been twenty years younger, he wouldn't hesitate to capture those enticing, rose-bud lips. How glorious they must feel to touch, he mused to himself. He shook the inappropriate thoughts from his head, and focused instead on the anguished witch in front of him.
"Well, that's nothing to feel bad about," he said, wanting to put her at ease. "It's like riding a bike really, once you get going it's quite easy," he said smiling and blushing at the sensitive topic.
"It's just that I don't want to clod it all up. Lavender and Parvati have told me how important the first kiss is, it needs to be passionate and fiery, I'm just not sure I'll be any good," she said rather defeatedly.
"You're too worried about nailing it, you have to get out of your head and relax a bit," he said kindly.
"I, too, was a bit of a late bloomer. I didn't have my first kiss until I was twenty. And I worried just like you," he said sympathetically.
She looked at him with open surprise at his admission. He was so strikingly handsome, she couldn't imagine why he didn't have hordes of women lining up to kiss him.
"How did it go? It turned out fine, right?", she asked hopefully.
He chuckled and flashed her a smile and said, "Actually, it wasn't anything to write home about. Like you, I expected fireworks, but it just ended up feeling a bit awkward."
At this she visibly tensed up and her face crumpled into a mask of anguish. He knew he had to back peddle fast.
"But that's mainly because I wasn't with the right girl," he admitted quickly. "It didn't feel special because she didn't love me and I didn't love her. That's what makes a kiss amazing; a real, deep connection, true love. And you and Ron have that in spades. It's gonna go great," he said trying desperately to reassure her for he hated to see her so forlorn.
She didn't have the heart to tell him that she wasn't so sure about her feelings for Ron anymore. She had thought it was love, but lately she just didn't feel much of anything for the young red-head. Had her feelings cooled or had they always been this tepid? She didn't know for sure.
Panic rising in her chest like a hot-air balloon, she said, "You know, I think I'm just going to cancel with him. He'll be here in ten minutes, could you just tell him I'm ill or lost a limb or something?", she asked looking desperate, as she bolted for the library door.
He stood and crossed the room to capture her in his warm arms as he gently guiding her back to the couch.
"I will do no such thing. Now sit down here and we're going to take a nice breather and by the time Ron gets here, I'll have you good and relaxed."
She looked at him dubiously, but relented and followed him back to the couch. She seated herself on the couch's edge while Remus sat next to her.
"So, I'm going to try some relaxation techniques I learned a long time ago. Whenever I've dreaded something, I've found that picturing the thing itself helps me to calm and handle my fear. So that's what we're going to do for you," he said knowingly.
"So sit down and I'm going to talk to you while you visualize...what exactly it is you fear. It's going to help you get ahold of that fear, I promise," he said with such ease, as if he were going to teach her a simple levitation charm.
"Alright," he said, kneeling before her, his hands holding hers with such tenderness. Her breath seemed to catch at the contact, his body before hers, his tight stomach resting against her knees. She suddenly felt anything but calm.
"The trick is, you have to completely let go. Shut your rational mind off, if only for a few minutes and just feel my words. This isn't an arithmancy problem, you can't just follow the steps, you have to feel your way through this. Kissing isn't about mechanics, it's about passion and enjoyment. It should feel incredible," he said confidently, as if he himself had ever had such pleasure.
"Now, close your eyes," he gently ordered.
She hesitated for only a fraction of a second before complying.
"Take a deep breath in, letting the air fill you up and then slowly release it," he said, his soft melodic voice like warm caramel pouring over her.
She did as he said.
"Again," he said softly, as his thumbs began to gently massage her tight palms. "Again."
She complied and breathed over and over again as her body melted into his touch, the tension gradually ebbing away.
Once relaxed, he pressed on.
"Now I want you to try picture your perfect date. Where you'd go, what you'd do. Would you sip wine in the park and listen to a classical concert or would go bowling and swill beer?" This image elicited a smile and giggle from the young witch, whose eyes were still closed. He loved seeing her smile, he secretly lived for it, in fact.
"It can be anything you want. This is your fantasy, so the sky's the limit. Think of whatever would make you happiest. Picture it down to the very last detail," he said.
She brought her deepest wish forward. She pictured having a picnic on a beautiful hillside, rolling fields of windflowers surrounding her. She felt the warm sun on her skin, the cool breeze blowing through her hair. She pictured holding his hand, and leaning against him, his body warm and strong and enticing. She could smell his scent, woodsy and sweet like a maple tree and freshly cut grass. She saw his face light up with laughter, his smile send shivers of delight through her body. She saw his lovely gray eyes lock onto hers and feel that tight, delicious pang of pleasure build deep within. She realized with a small sense of surprise that this perfect date wasn't with Ron at all, but with Remus. She smiled at the lovely fantasy. For after all, it was just that, something nice to think about that would never come true.
"Do you have it in mind?", he quietly inquired.
She swallowed at the pleasure filling her and smiled and nodded.
"Good," he said. His voice quiet yet redolent with passion, he continued on.
"Now imagine, he's looking at you and he sees only you. Nothing else on earth could compare to your singular beauty and he is spellbound," he said, openly watching this beautiful witch with longing. Her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling with relaxed ease, she was the one who was spellbound; by his words, his voice, his hands. His words reverberated through her body like a penny dropped in a wishing well, sending waves of happiness and pleasure rippling through her. Remus was her fantasy and everything he was doing to her was beyond pleasurable.
"He smiles at you and slowly leans forward and caresses your soft cheek, relishing your supple skin and sweet scent," he said softly, his mouth dangerously close to her own as he leaned closer.
"He runs his hands through your luscious curls and gently pulls you to him and his lips touch yours. It's gentle and timid at first, but soon he deepens it, pouring all his desire and love into it. His lips are gentle yet demanding and as your lips meet his, you feel passion and heat course through you like a wild fire. It feels amazing and beautiful and right."
He stopped to watch her, her mouth slightly open, her face so close to his and he watched with elation at the pure pleasure that was etched across her face. He imagined what an sinful indulgence it would be to have her, to know her body and lips, to possess every part of her for himself. But he knew that simply wasn't possible.
"You were meant for each other," he said rather sadly, not knowing who she was really picturing.
She felt his words wash over her like a warm ocean tide and just like the sand, she too felt herself being swept away by the the touching, sensuous words he was saying.
"Now, open your eyes," he said softly.
She did and when she took in the lovely sight of him, kneeling before her, his beautiful body achingly close to her own she felt her walls of reserve burst wide apart. He was too close to let slip away.
"Do you feel any better?", he softly asked, looking deeply into her cinnamon eyes.
At this, she closed the small gap between them and took his lips with a hunger she didn't know she possessed. He was momentarily shocked by her soft lips but soon he grabbed her and held tight, his body rejoicing at the sudden turn of events. For her part, she drank him in and luxuriated in his taste, she dug her hands deep into his hair and pulled him flush against her scorching hot body. If his words and lips could turn her on this much, she couldn't imagine what his body would feel like. The contact made her skin burn with desire and she felt like she might burst into flames. She leaned into him and he settled back onto his legs, wrapping his strong arms around her as she slipped down from the sofa, her legs strattling his as she settled into his lap.
He couldn't have been more surprised if Hagrid had kissed him. His body was quaking at the delight and yearning that spread through him. He had to slow down and make sure this was truly what she wanted.
As he slowly pulled back from the amazing witch seated firmly in his lap, his lips swollen from kissing and his heart about to burst from his chest, he said disbelieving, "Are you sure about this?"
She answered by pulling him in again for a deep and mind-numbing kiss that left him truly speechless.
"Does that answer your question, Remus?", she said playfully.
He gulped and nodded, not able to articulate actual words.
"You're my fantasy, Remus. It's you I've wanted all along. That is, if you'll have me?", she asked.
He smiled at his incredible luck and said, "I've never wanted anything more in my whole life."
She smiled at him and said, "You were right, you know."
"About what?", he asked, leaning his forehead against hers, relishing the freedom to hold her so close, to finally have her.
"Kissing really is amazing when you're in love," she said, cupping his face with such tenderness.
He smiled at her beautiful words and pulled her in for another taste, feeling such immense gratitude and joy for the incredible witch who loved him back.
He grabbed his wand and threw a silencing and locking charm at the library door. Dropping is wand, he once again buried his hands deep in her hair and took Hermione in for another searing kiss, the rest of the world falling away as a passion, deep, raw and sweet, swept them away in a tide of incredible pleasure.
XXXXXX
Outside of the library door, Sirius smirked at the impenetrable charms that now fettered any access to the love birds.
"It's about damn time, you old wolf," Sirius said to himself.
As Sirius turned away from the library door, Ron came through the front door and said, "Hey, Sirius. I'm here to pick up 'Mione, is she ready?"
"Ah, I'm so sorry, mate, she, uh...came down with something not too long ago. Remus' got it too. Quite a nasty case, I'm afraid, they'll both be tied up all evening."
Ron's face soured at the news. "Does she need anything? Should I go check on her?", his face wrinkling at the thought of catching some nasty bug.
"Oh, no need," said Sirius, letting the young man off the hook. "She's in good hands," he said with a smirk.
"Well, alright," said Ron, obviously relieved. "I guess I'll just pop out with Harry and Neville then and see what they're getting up to tonight. You'll tell her I stopped by?"
"Of course," nodded Sirius.
As the front door closed shut, Sirius said, "I'll tell her just as soon as she comes up for air."
With a smirk, he headed up the stairs to leave the bookworms in peace.