A/N: So this is my very first fanfic, I'm so excited! I might include it in a MC story later on if you guys like it, I already have the story outlined. Please R&R and I apologize for any grammatical errors (English is not my first language).
The story is set after OotP, but is slightly AU, because the order still lives at Grimmauld Place.
OASIS
He sighed as he restlessly turned over in his bed for the umpteenth time that night. The sickle moon bathed the room in a soft silvery light from between the open curtains. He always slept that way; with the curtains open, feeling slightly more at ease when he was able to see the moon – constant companion and nemesis at the same time. Tonight however it seemed there would be no rest for him. A prickly edginess resided in his body, resulting in restless legs and a constant shifting to try to get comfortable. He sighed again. 'I give up' he thought, joints cracking lightly as he strenuously sat up. He definitely wasn't young anymore.
Putting on a bath robe over his pyjamas he softly opened the door and tiptoed over the landing and down the stairs, the thick dusty carpet muffling his steps. His feet carried him automatically towards the kitchen, knowing the best cure for sleeplessness was a mug of steaming hot chocolate and a good book in front of the family library fireplace. He gently opened the kitchen door, trying to keep the creaking to a minimum so as not to wake the sleeping portrait of Mrs. Black in the hallway and thus rouse every current inhabitant in The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Of course, the town manor no longer housed any Black family members; it belonged to Harry Potter now, ever since… He shook himself; thoughts like that definitely weren't going to help his insomnia.
He didn't need any light as he entered the kitchen; the small amount of moonlight streaming from the high-set basement windows allowed his keen wolf sight enough light to see just fine – besides; these nightly trips had become something of a routine lately and he would have easily found his way in the dark.
He found the kettle already on the stove, still warm. Perhaps someone else had trouble sleeping? That would not be unusual given their current circumstances. He magically lit the stove to reboil the water and opened the nearest cabinet, pulling out the timeworn tin can with the peeling cocoa bean motif as he had done on so many nights before, but his heart quickly sank when he opened it. It was empty. 'Just my luck', he thought irritably. Wearily, he turned off the fire again with his wand, and set the tin can on the counter; he would just have to do without tonight.
Just as he turned to walk back upstairs however, he saw that the backdoor in the far corner of the Grimmauld Place kitchen was slightly ajar. He grasped his wand a little tighter and made his way slowly towards it. He could only really see the lower part of it due to the short flight of stairs leading up to it. He crouched a little but all he could see through the crack was a large bushy cypress swaying gently in a soft wind. As the breeze hit his nostrils he relaxed however. Chocolate. Not a break-in as he had feared for a moment; instead he guessed he would find the chocolate "thief" at the end of those stairs.
Straightening his back again he climbed the worn steps and gently pushed open the door. He rarely came out back to the small town garden, but inhaling the sweetly scented air of the warm summer night he vowed to himself to do it more often. Directly in front of him stood the massive cypress with its multitude of small light green cones. Behind it a massive peony shrubbery stretched all along the high brick wall separating them from their Muggle neighbours. He could see a few lights on in some of the houses facing the backyard but mostly the night was quiet and desolate, the city noises almost completely shielded by the enclosing buildings. The only noticeable sounds were the wind ruffling the cypress branches and a small trickle of water coming from some unseen fountain or birdbath. To his left a narrow cobbled path wound around a tall patch of rosebushes to where he knew there was a small stone bench directly between two kitchen windows. This was where the delicious smell came from.
His curiosity piqued, he followed the short path. It had rained recently, and as he hadn't bothered to put on slippers his socks became damp after only a few steps, but the smell of chocolate occupied his senses at the moment so he barely noticed.
The person sitting on the bench looked up as he emerged from behind the rosebush, looking slightly startled but quickly broke into a smile when she saw who it was.
"Remus," she spoke softly, the moonlight reflecting in her eyes as she greeted him.
"Good evening, Hermione," he replied pleasantly. So she was the chocolate thief. Somehow he found that he didn't mind much, when he saw her snuggled up on the stone bench, a blanket wrapped around her small frame and the mug holding the thick precious liquid resting on her drawn-up knees.
"I didn't expect to find you here. What are you doing up so late if I might ask?" he asked politely, sitting himself down on the far corner of the bench.
"I couldn't sleep, too many thoughts in my head, I guess…" she replied, her gaze turning distant as she lightly sipped from the mug.
"Ah, I know that feeling" he chuckled softly.
"I find that fresh air and a good cup of hot chocolate is the only thing that calms me down," she smiled and turned to look at him once more.
"I definitely agree on the part about the chocolate, only someone… Someone beat me to it and took the very last of it" he spoke rather quickly and grinned a little nervously, not wanting to sound too accusatory, but chocolate has always been his weak spot.
"Oh!" her eyes widened, "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise anyone would be needing it. Here; why don't you have the rest of it?" she sat up properly with apologetic eyes and she held out the half full mug to him.
"Oh no, I couldn't possibly!" he spluttered taken aback by her offer, "First come, first served, right?" he added as a more composed afterthought.
"Please, Remus, I know you need it more than I do, especially with your…" she trailed off embarrassedly, diverting her gaze, and he thought he saw her blush but it might have been just a trick of the moonlight.
"It's quite all right Hermione", he chuckled, "I know I have an unnaturally high consumption of chocolate, but the moon is far from full so I think I'll survive without too many fits of abstinence", he said jokingly, giving her a small wink to lighten the mood. She gave a small nervous laugh but nonetheless looked discernibly more relaxed and was able to meet his eyes again.
"That may be, but I still want you to have the rest of it, it's only fair that we share, right?" she beamed still holding the mug out to him.
He laughed a little louder at her eager face, thought for a moment; and then accepted the mug with a nod of his head. "All right, I've learned not to argue with you Miss Granger, but had it been anything other than hot chocolate, know that I would have stood my ground a great deal longer!" He stated and they both laughed. Apparently pleased, she collected the blanket and scooted over on the bench, indicating for him to sit down properly.
He did so and took his first sip of the silky-smooth drink. It tasted heavenly. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind them for a moment.
When he opened his eyes again he noticed for the first time that there were unusually many stars visible in the sky. They were in the middle of London after all.
"I could get used to this" he sighed contently and stretched his legs out in front of him.
"Mhm" she echoed from beside him, mimicking his position to look up at the stars as well.
He couldn't tell how long they sat like that, completely comfortable in their mutual silence, but right then and there he realised that he didn't want to be anywhere else, or with anyone else. This moment was a perfect little oasis in the middle of all the war and chaos that surrounded them, and he didn't want it to end.