So...I realized that I didn't write a Disclaimer on my first chapter. Whoops!

I do NOT own the story or characters of the Harry Potter Franchise (that would be awesome if I did). This story is for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 2

Grading seemed to go by with such ease since he had Hermione's help. Remus Lupin loved teaching, but grading tests always felt rather boring to him. Teaching them new things, reading their term papers, actually being able to get a feel of their different opinions; now that was what he enjoyed doing.

He could not believe that they finished grading almost an entire half an hour before he had predicted he'd be done. He folded his hands together, placing them in front of him on his desk, leaning forward to look at her. "Thank you for all your help today, Miss Granger. It is greatly appreciated. You have no idea, really."

"It's my pleasure. Honest." She was grinning ear to ear. She was glad to be able to spend the time with him. She lowered her eyes momentarily, biting her bottom lip. She swallowed her fear, raising her gaze once more. "May I ask you something, Professor?"

"Certainly," he smirked back.

She paused momentarily. Both of her hands were on her desk, palms down, fingers stretched out as she leaned forward slightly in her chair. "Early, you mentioned us being alike," she threw out cautiously. When he nodded in silent response, she continued. "How so?"

He leaned back, the chair's springs squeaking in protest. He perched his left elbow on the armrest, tapping his upper lip with his index finger. His lips were slightly pushed out as he thought. They were a lot alike, he had said that. Of course there were their similar characteristics on the surface:

"We both like to read, keep busy. We're both quiet and reserved. We keep mostly to ourselves, aside from a few people who mean the very most to us. We are good-natured, kind, and generous."

She smiled shyly, looking down as she felt her cheeks brighten; he was right.

"But," the word startled her. She looked up again, into his eyes now, listening intently to his soft, somewhat gruff voice.

"We also have our dark sides. I, as you know, am a Werewolf. My dark side is kept hidden—well, from most, anyway. What about you, Miss Granger? I'm sure you have a dark secret hidden you don't want anyone to know about."

Her mouth was suddenly dry. Why was he asking her this? She didn't want him to know her deepest desires; they involved him. "You—you mean the Time Turner that Professor Dumbledore gave to me?"

"Perhaps," he smirked. "Is that a secret you hold onto?"

"Yes," she answered truthfully. It may not be anywhere near her darkest secret, but it was still kept from most. "I used it once, and I'm still unsure if it was the right thing to do." The confession slipped from her lips without much thought. She bit her lip nervously, wondering if she should continue.

"We've all done things we're not proud of, Miss Granger."

She nodded, just the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile. "Yes, but I may have altered what should have been. I suppose we will never know."

He looked at her, eyes asking his unspoken question: What did you do?

The brunette teenager chuckled sheepishly under his scrutinizing gaze. "I—Harry and I made it so Sirius would not receive the dementor's kiss—and saved Buckbeak from his death sentence last year."

He removed his hand from where it rested on his chin and smiled, "I think that is a very admirable thing you did. Sirius told me that you saved him. He is forever grateful to you—and to Harry."

Thoughts of when Harry, Ron, and Hermione first met Sirius began flooding her memory. She was so angry with her professor that night.

She huffed out a small laugh, eyes filling a little with tears. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you."

"How so?" he wasn't following her train of thought.

"I trusted you with all my being. I was so furious with you; thought you had betrayed us." She rambled on about that cold night in autumn from the year before.

"I was rather impressed," he said with a smile.

"You were?"

"Of course; you had me all figured out. Knew my secret before anyone else even suspected a thing. And yet, you kept that secret to yourself—until that moment, anyway. Why? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I guess it didn't matter to me. You were who you were, Werewolf or not. That's why I was so upset with you. I am usually a pretty good judge of character and I thought I had been wrong about you." She sighed heavily, "But I'm glad I wasn't," she mumbled, cheeks blazing brighter pink in her embarrassment.

"Yes, well, me too." He cleared his throat, "This was fun." His smile was the biggest she had seen in a while. She enjoyed knowing that it was their time together—her—who put it there. "But I must go I'm afraid."

She nodded in silent agreement, suddenly remembering that she had homework that she had to work on for tomorrow.

They gathered their belongings and headed to the door together. Both awkwardly exchanged glances, neither knowing where to take the ending conversation. His attention was focused on his left forearm, fumbling nervously with his cufflink. "Will I see you tomorrow, Miss Granger?"

Yes! Her mind shrieked the answer. Today was Wednesday and she did not have Professor Lupin's class again until Friday. She felt her heart accelerate at the thought of returning again the next day per his request. She composed herself, hoping to sound more mature than she currently felt. "Of course," she said with a gentle, closed mouth smile.

"Good." Looking up to meet her gaze now, he seemed to be mauling the idea around in his head. "Have a wonderful evening, then. See you tomorrow." He shifted his brief case in the other hand, full of the now graded papers and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, bidding her farewell.

"You too...Professor," she said softly, almost to herself.

She sighed heavily musing over the afternoon's pleasantries. It could not have gone better if she had dreamt it herself, aside from the rough patch at the start. As soon as she made it back to the girls' dormitory, she collapsed onto her bed, a muffled squeak protesting from the springs as her weight came into contact with it. She hugged herself as she laid there, a large smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she thought of him. She wondered what the next day's delightful encounter could possibly bring. The childish grin on her face felt permanent, as if it were molded in clay. She felt so peaceful that when she closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.

Remus briefly pondered apparating to The Leaky Cauldron, but quickly decided against it. After all his years of practice, the method of transportation still made his stomach a little queasy and thanks to Hermione's help, he found himself with enough time to walk.

"So, how's school? Anything exciting been going on?"

Her husband looked up from his plate of food. He had barely touched his, while she had practically already finished. "Fine," he said plainly. "Nothing too terribly exciting—just more of the same."

"Well, is something bothering you then?" She draped her hand over his outstretched fingers on the table, softly rubbing circles into his skin with her thumb. "You seem distracted."

He shrugged his shoulders, "It's nothing."

She knew Remus well enough to know when he was lying, but she also knew him well enough to know when he didn't want to talk. "All right," she sighed, taking her hand back.

The two ate the rest of their meal in silence, only exchanging awkward glances here and there.

He looked up toward her, her face twisting into a look of worry. But then she smiled genuinely, a questioning look held in her soft eyes. After nearly two years of marriage, this woman was still a complete puzzle to him.

The older man paid for their dinner and the couple went up stairs.

Once in the privacy of their hotel room, she finally broke the silence. "You sure you're okay?" She cocked her head to one side, letting him see her concern.

"Yes, Darling, I'm fine," he said simply. "Really—I promise."

She shook her head; it was evident that she didn't believe him, but she remained silent. He was thankful for that.

"I'm glad we had the chance to do this," she tried a different approach. "I've missed you."

He smiled a bit at that, he had missed her too; missed being with her. She slipped out of her black work pumps and stood before him. She was quite a bit shorter than him without heels, as he stood nearly a foot taller than her. Her pupils slightly dilated under his gaze as she scrunched her nose, giggling. She shook her head, hair instantly turning a deep, passionate red, pairing it with a seductive pout.

"Take me, Remus," she said seductively. "I'm yours."

Since he was bitten by Fenir Greyback as a child, he had only ever once taken a woman, as his wife was wanting him to. He became a dangerous creature of the night every full moon. Slow was the only way he could make this work between them—he had to keep it gentle, caring, kind. He needed to keep himself from going too fast, make sure that he didn't enjoy it too much. Otherwise, he knew he would forget—forget that small part within him that was still human. He would not allow himself to become an animal without any feelings.

"Yes, Darling, all in good time," he whispered as he kissed her tenderly.

Nymphadora nearly rolled her eyes at the kind words that came from her husband. She liked things a little rougher, to say the least. But she knew he would never do that. She would have to be willing to take what she could get.

He noticed her hair reduce in its intensity as it became a paler shade of red, turning into a cherry brunette—a lovely shade, he thought.

Remus made love to his wife that night; slow and tender with no sign of his internal beast.

A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed so far. So...what do the rest of you guys think so far? Love it, hate it? Just so you know...this will be a very slow burn. I want it to be credible! ;)