Chapter Four: Somewhere Only We Know
"Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
So if you have a minute why don't we go,
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, somewhere only we know,
Somewhere only we know."
-Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
Hermione had never had a partner to read with before. She never had a friend to sit with her, and read as well. It was a different experience. She glanced over at Remus frequently waiting for him to shut his book and say he was bored, like Ron had always done when he tried to read with her. But Remus never did that. She smiled at him as she watched him. He seemed so concentrated on the words in front of him. His expression was calm, his eyes rolled over the words on the page and occasionally his lips would move as if he were saying the word aloud. It was almost as if nothing could disrupt him. But her of course.
"Are you ok?" he asked her once he realized she had been staring at him.
She blushed and looked away. "Yes," she said. "Are you ready for dinner?" she asked him.
He tilted his head a little, and nodded. "Yeah, I think I am."
She stood up. "Ok, I'll get it ready," she said.
"Need any help?" he asked standing up as well.
"No, that's all right," she said. "You just stay here and read."
"Are you sure?" he asked. "My book's getting a little boring," he told her. "I could at least keep you company."
She smiled. "Ok, I'd like that," she said and they walked back to the kitchen. It was still warm in the house, but it had cooled off a little. Remus set his book on the table and refilled their wine glasses. He took a seat at the table and watched as she bustled around the kitchen beginning to cook. He watched her smooth moves as she floated to the counter to the refrigerator and back again. It was almost as if she glided as she moved.
"Shall I put on some music?" he asked.
"That'd be nice," Hermione said. Remus moved beside her where the Wireless Wizard Network sat on a shelf above the sink. He reached up to flick it on and Hermione felt him brush lightly against her. It sent shivers down her spine. He tuned it to a station with some calming, sensual music.
"This ok?" he asked her.
"Wonderful," she replied. "It's a nice break from the strange, new music the kids are always blasting."
He chuckled and resumed his seat at the table to watch her cook some more. "So, what are we having?" he asked.
"Well," she said, turning to him as she wiped her hands on her apron, "a beef casserole would be nice. It'll have to sit in the oven a while and that'll make it really warm in here, so my apologies."
"Don't worry about," he said waving his hand. "I'll be fine. Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"
"No, it's all right. All I have left is to chop these vegetables and put the casserole in the oven."
"Ok," he said and he watched her send the knife to chopping several different vegetables. Once they were finished the put them into a steamer and closed the lid. Next she placed the casserole in the oven and set a timer for twenty minutes. She sighed as she wiped her hands again on her apron. Then she looked up at him. He was staring at her again. She felt herself flush as she took another sip of the mead.
He was admiring her flushing beauty. Her hair was swept up out of her face, but a lock fell across her forehead. Her skin seemed to glow with beauty. She looked as captivating as ever. "Would you like to dance?" he asked her suddenly as he stood up and held out his hand.
She smiled and nodded. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her close. A piano accompanied a violin sensually, filling the air in the room around them. Remus placed his hands on her waist pressing her lightly against him. He drummed his fingers playfully to the music on the hem of her shirt. The feeling of her so close to him sent his heart racing. As they slowly stepped to the music, Remus couldn't think of any where else he'd rather be.
Hermione's heart raced as well with the feeling of him so close to her. Her hand around his neck trembled lightly. She was close to him and she was now becoming very aware that she could feel his warm breath on her. She looked up at him. He was staring down at her with a glazed look in his eyes. She stared back into his feeling herself melt in his arms. She felt so good with him. He made her feel special and important. He made her feel like the beautiful woman she was.
A buzzing noise filled the kitchen as the smells from the food filled the room. Hermione took in a deep breath and stepped away from him. Her mind was clouded. What was she doing? She was married. She had a husband and two children. Why was she feeling this way about Remus Lupin?
Remus watched as she bent over to take the casserole out of the oven and set it on the stove. He took another sip from his glass thinking of the moment they had just shared together. What was he doing? She was married, married to Ron Weasley. What was he doing feeling the way he felt for her? He thought a second about leaving and going somewhere else but then he realized he didn't want to. He wanted to be with her, she was a wonderful person who cared for him. There weren't many of that kind out there.
Just then, there was a tap at the window that made both of them jump. It was a large owl. Remus walked over to the open window and untied the parcel from its leg. He placed it on the counter next to Hermione, who shuddered at his footsteps behind her. After removing the vegetables from the heat and placing them in a bowl, she opened it.
"Its from Ron," she told him. "They're staying an extra day."
Remus nodded, feeling quite strange. Had that been a sign? Was that a sign for him to stop this and leave now? Leave and go somewhere else. He was sure he could find a girl for a night, and not have to see her ever again. But he didn't want that. He wanted to be with Hermione. He wanted her, every piece of her.
This was his chance. If he left now, he could spare himself of all the regret he'd feel in the end. If he left now, no one would get her. If he stayed he didn't think he could resist her much longer. If he stayed he'd fall in love with her.
"You ready for dinner?" she asked him raising her eyebrows. A brain told him to go, to leave and run away but he found his body nodding and taking a seat in the seat across from her.
-
"What would you like to do today?" Hermione asked him the next morning.
He shrugged his shoulders as he drained his orange juice. "What would you like to do today?"
She smiled and said, "I don't know."
He let out a laugh as he brought his breakfast dishes to the sink and washing them. Upon finishing he asked her suddenly, "You ready?"
"What?" she asked putting down her mug.
"You ready to go?" he asked again.
"Er – sure, just let me get my—" But he had already moved next to her, grabbed her by the upper arm and she was shoved into darkness. When light appeared she looked around. She heard falling water and looking around she realized that they were looking out a magnificent waterfall. "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. "This is amazing!"
"Yeah, I know," he said. "I found it while I was traveling." He looked out at the scenery as well. The water wasn't falling too hard; it was light enough to swim under. There were rocks leading up to the top where someone could jump down into the water, but Hermione would have never dreamed of doing anything like that.
"Wanna go for a swim?" Remus asked grinning.
"What?" Hermione asked surprised. "In there?"
"No, in the Baltic Sea. Of course in there!" he exclaimed pulling off his shirt.
"But I haven't any swimming clothes!" she said. She glanced at his bare chest, then looked down at her clothes embarrassed.
"Who cares?" he said, beginning to climb up the rocks.
"Wait! Remus!" she called after him. "You're not going to jump off there, are you?" she asked. But he ignored her question and continued to elevate. "Remus, you could hurt yourself!" she said starting to feel scared. He wasn't actually young anymore.
"If I die now, it'll be a blessing. Trust me, Hermione," he called back to her as he neared the top.
"Wait!" she cried as he hopped on some rocks to the middle of the falls.
"You ready for this?" he called down to her.
"Not hardly," she mumbled as he grinned at her.
"One… two…" he said as he lowered himself ready to pounce into the air. "Three!" He jumped off and fell feet first down to the water his limbs flailing about him. Hermione gasped and her mouth opened as he plummeted into the water. He surfaced a few moments later and she let out a sigh of relief. "Whoo!" he yelled shaking the water out of his ears. "That was amazing! Come on Hermione!"
"But I haven't any clothes!" she exclaimed again.
Remus rolled his eyes. "Come on! Live in the moment! You want me in my skivvies too to make you feel comfortable?" he asked and she blushed.
"N-no," she said. "Its ok—"
But he was already unbuttoning his pants and pulled them to the floor and stepped out of them. He tossed them to the side and held out his hands. "There. Feel better now? Will you get in the water?"
She blushed even redder as she tried to look away from him and at something else. "Well, ok," she said finally and slowly unbuttoned her shirt.
"Sheesh," he exclaimed. "You're acting like the old one I'm supposed to be." He stepped back into the lake, giving her a moment of privacy. She removed her shirt suddenly feeling very revealed. Then she slowly unbuttoned and took off her pants. She stood there, feeling quite embarrassed, in her underwear. "Well, get in the water, why don't you?" he said splashing water at her. She smiled and walked over to the water with her arms around her body trying to cover up as much as she could.
She put a toe in and extracted it quickly. "But it's so cold," she said.
Remus rolled his eyes and swam over to her. Then without warning he stood up, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into the water. She let out a shriek as she hit the water and began to pant. Remus laughed and Hermione began to too. Soon they were both laughing hysterically at nothing and began to find themselves in a splashing contest.
"Do you want to jump off with me?" he asked her suddenly.
Her eyes widened. "Off there?" she asked.
"No, off the Eiffel Tower," he said sarcastically. "What's with you and your dumb questions today?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Well what's with you and your sarcasm?" she retorted.
He smiled. "C'mon," he said grabbing her hand.
"Wait, Remus," she said standing her ground and not moving. "Wait!" He stopped and looked at her. "I can't!" she told him.
"Why not?" he asked. "You'll be fine." He walked over to her and lifted her out of the water over his shoulder and stepped out. She was surprised at how easily he had picked her up. His strength and figure didn't quite measure up to the typical 60-year-old frame.
"No, Remus!" she shouted kicking her legs. "NO!" He set her down at the base of the rocks.
"Its ok, Hermione! You'll be fine! I promise," he told her. "I'll even let you hold my hand the whole time." He stuck out his hand toward her.
She bit her lip and looked up at the top and then bottom of the cliff. She closed her eyes and took his time. "I can't believe I'm going to do this," she said as he helped her up the rocks. She stood with him before jumping.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Not hardly," she said, looking down. "But I'm going to." She took in a deep breath.
"One," he said slowly. She looked over at him and he looked back at her. "Two." She held his hand tight in hers. He smiled at her. "Three!" They jumped off and flew into air falling for what seemed like, to Hermione, hours. She screamed and she could hear Remus give unsteady laughter next to her. She hit the water with a smack and the water sent shivers up her spine. She emerged for the surface gasping for breath and clinging on to him. He was laughing hard, so she started to too.
"Merlin!" she cried. "I can't believe I did that! I've never done anything like that before in my life!"
He laughed. "Its kind of fun isn't it?" he asked.
She smiled at him. She was suddenly aware of how close they were. He was still holding her and she felt his hands on her legs, and hers around his neck. She cleared her throat suddenly and pushed gently away from him. She looked around for something to change the subject. "Er – what's behind the waterfall?" she asked.
He smiled and ran a hand through his wet hair. "Dunno," he said looking over at it. "Never been. Want to see?" he asked. She nodded and they waded over ducking beneath the surface and popping up where the water wasn't crashing anymore. Hermione emerged at what seemed to be a shelf of rock. She pulled herself up it and Remus did the same.
"Wow," she said looking around. The shelf extended into what seemed to be a cave. Her voice bounced off the rock walls. "It's cool over here."
"Yeah," Remus agreed looking out through the water. The other side was slightly visible through the falling water. He sat down and stared out at it. She took a seat next to him and they sat in silence for a while. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't know why she did that, but she felt like it was the right thing to do at the time. True, it was a bit forward for a married woman, but Hermione felt comfortable with Remus. She felt different when she was with him.
He moved his arm to put it around her shoulder and he moved closer to her. Now her head was resting on his chest. It felt good to her there. For some reason this felt right to her. She nuzzled her head into his chest as she smiled feeling the warmth from his body. Keeping her head close to him, she looked up at him. He was staring out, tranquilly through the water. He looked calm and collected, nothing like the way she was feeling inside. For at that moment, Hermione fell in love with Remus Lupin.
Remus looked down at her. She smiled as he did. She looked beautiful then. She looked like a siren, or even an angel that had come to him from some distant world. And at the same moment that Hermione had, Remus fell in love with her too.
Then, without knowing why, she began to move her head up to him and he moved his down to her. Their lips met, sending warmth down her spine and shivers throughout his body. She knew she should have stopped it but she couldn't. And he couldn't help but feel how right his lips felt on hers.