Wish I owned the HP franchise…my books would have been different, obviously. So no, I do not own it, just borrowing it while the creative juices flow. ENJOY!

Chapter 7

"How was everyone's holiday? Good, I trust." It had been two weeks since he had last seen his students. He looked out at them, a small smile evident, but not his brightest. His head sifted through the faces, most either not paying attention or engaging in small chit-chat as they caught up with their classmates. He'd allow it for now, as they did just come back from their Christmas break.

His eyes fell on the curly-haired brunette—the wonderful witch who had assisted him in his dire need—just two days before his doomed holiday had began.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated.

Remus' face was frozen, almost like a statue. He didn't know how to process that kind of information. Whenever they had discussed having children, they had always agreed that it would probably be too risky, that the child could come out different, like him.

"Dora, you—how, when?"

She smiled gently at his dumbfounded look. Shifting her weight onto her other foot, sighing, she answered her husband. "We had our date on the 8th, remember? We don't exactly see each other too terribly often these days."

The wheels in his head seemed to be turning, allowing what she was telling him to sink in. She wasn't very far along then if it was just from the beginning of the month. His face scrunched in concern, "But I thought we had agreed on no children."

She gave him a shrug of her shoulder. "I know, but here we are."

"Here we are," he said quietly, mauling around the idea. "You're most definitely certain?"

"Yes, doctor confirmed it yesterday."

He nodded, exhaling rather loudly. "I just know I won't make a good father, Dora."

"Yes you will," she said trying to sooth her husband's fears.

"No," he said sharply, "I won't!"

Her eyes burned slightly at the feel of tears that threatened to spill over, she stepped back slightly, surprised by his aggression.

"In what world does a werewolf—a killer—make a good father?"

"That's not who you are! You are so much more—"

"It is exactly who I am. I already make a lousy husband; I can't father a child," he half shouted. Trying softer, "Tell your friends that I'm sorry," he said. "I—I just have to—have to go, now," and with a small pop, he apparated, leaving her stunned and alone.

"Mine could have been better," the professor announced roughly, attempting to ease the memory of the way he left things with Dora. It had been almost two weeks since he'd seen her too. The students started to pay more attention to their professor as he spoke of his vacation. "You see, my wife and I met up with some old friends. It never fails, every time we're with them, they bicker, non-stop, it seems. But for some reason this time, we—my wife and I—did."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the couple's argument. She found it a bit odd that he would bring this up, share this intimate information with his students. It puzzled her, yet was strangely thrilling to hear at the same time. It was just a coincidence, she was sure, but it felt like he simply brought it up so that she would be aware.

His eyes traveled back to the other students. "Anyway, that's enough about my boring life; I'd very much like to hear about your holiday. Would anyone like to share?"

x x x

After the class had come to an end, Hermione told her friends that she wanted to get a jumpstart on her class work and that she had a question for Professor Lupin.

"I'll catch up with you later," she said as cheerfully as she could.

Once she was sure that they were gone, she crept up to her teacher's desk. It was then that she noticed the wolf figurine she had gotten him for Christmas was no longer there. Her childlike sadness over the toy made her a little uneasy. "Excuse me, Professor?"

His eyes were glazed over, distanced, and somewhat cold, she could plainly see that something had him troubled.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He looked at her, eyes softening at her kindness. He swallowed the lump he felt rising in his throat. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Granger. I'll be all right."

"Oh, it's not that."

His face turned into a question mark.

"You see, I know you'll be all right; you are the bravest person I know. I just wanted to see if there was something I could do for you. Is there anything you need?"

He was stumped. Never before had anyone ever told him that. "You really think so?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"That you'll be okay?" she asked.

He nodded, the expression on his face turning almost desperate. He could feel the knots in his stomach.

She walked toward him, planting herself beside his chair. Her eyes were ablaze with compassion. She smiled, spinning his chair slightly so he faced her. She placed her hands gently on either side of his shoulders, looking deep into his eyes, "Absolutely. There is not a doubt in my mind. Whatever it is, you will get through it."

Her stance was firm, her eyes certain; she believed in him so much that it made his heart ache. She was so mature, far beyond her years. This young woman fascinated him, had been pulling him under her spell for a while now; slowly captivating him with her knowledge, grace, and beauty. Up until that moment, he had been able to keep the inappropriate thoughts in his head, but he found himself unable to resist them—her—any longer. Their hearts were connected and he could feel both the man and beast fall instantly for this beautiful witch.

He didn't know if she had moved toward him or him to her, or when it had even happened, but they were somehow closer together. He could feel her shallow breath on his chin as she clung to his cloak with her dainty fingers.

Her heart might as well have been in her ears she could hear it thumping so loudly. She didn't know how she ended up here, her feelings were supposed to have subsided. Surely the love-me-not potion would have taken affect by now; it had been over eight hours since she had brewed it. Suddenly she felt his strong arms wrap around her torso, pulling her further into him, electrifying her, pulsing through every nerve ending. She felt her knees go weak, making her a little unsteady.

Before she could even process what was happening, his arms relaxed, gripping her waist unexpectedly instead with his hands, lifting her slightly into the air, and setting her down quickly onto his desk. A small squeal escaped through her lips.

The professor pushed his oversized chair back as he stood, hunching overtop of her, placing a large hand on the desk to either side of her. They were so close together. His hands laid against the exposed heated flesh of her thighs, brushing them lightly with just his thumbs. Their noses caressed lightly as she leaned back, gripping his shoulders again, afraid she would fall backward if she let him go.

She blushed a lovely shade of pink in their almost embrace.

"Ah, what are you doing to me, Miss Granger?" he breathed into her ear. She bit her lip as another wave of tingles surged through her body, causing her to physically shudder a little.

Her body strangely ached. She could feel her insides pulsate as the muscles tightened, contracting at the very sensual position she was in. He was being very dominant with her and she found that she liked it, a lot. She liked it a lot more than she thought she would.

His eyes fell over her body's deliciously delicate frame, as masculine hands came to rest on her lower thighs, just above her knees. Her skin was smooth to the touch as he slid them up further at an agonizingly slow pace.

She parted her legs for him, a whisper from inside telling her to, just the slightest amount, pausing, when she felt the cool metal of his wedding band. It reminded her of their situation and she wasn't sure how far she would be willing to take things with her not-so-single professor.

Even though her head told her that this was wrong, told her that she needed to stop and walk away, she couldn't. It was almost as if she were hypnotized to stay; something she knew no book would ever be able to explain.

He wanted to literally rip her clothes off, allowing the buttons to fly in every direction. Bury himself as deep inside her as he possibly could. Feel her come apart around him as they shouted each other's names. He became aware of the now throbbing sensation below his belt. It was pressing against the drawer of the desk. He'd barely touched her and his pants were already too tight for comfort.

Realizing what he was thinking, he began to see what he was doing. He exhaled, deeply from his mouth, desperately trying to regain control over his emotions. "I'm sorry," he managed to stammer. It took all the strength he had to pull his head and hands back, so he was no longer touching her.

She opened her eyes, looking at him sympathetically, "For what exactly?" she asked meekly.

"For being everything you think I am not," he gulped, collapsing into his chair. "For being—being a monster," he spoke quietly, shame evident in his voice.

She stayed on his desk, watched as he raked his hands through his hair. "You are not a monster," she said kindly, "not to me."

He moved his feet, walking them up so that his chair rolled with him. From where they both sat, she was slightly taller than him. He doubted that she even knew, but she was in a very torturing position and she was at the perfect height for a certain sexual activity. His mind shut out the, once again, unsuitable thoughts. He then began to think about why he had been so upset in the first place.

"Dora's pregnant," he confessed.

Any feeling of desire flew out the window and was smashed by the two simple words. She felt like giant waves from the ocean crashed over her, again and again. She was drowning and it was becoming harder for her to breathe properly.

"Well," she tried. "Um, wow. That's er, good?" She mentally kicked herself as it fell from her lips as a question. Of course it was good. Her professor and his wife were going to have a baby.

"To be honest, I don't really know," he said in a very serious tone. "I mean, I can be around children, but to actually have one of my own—the possibility of it being, well—like me—I just don't know."

"What does Dora think?" she asked, trying to be supportive.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I haven't exactly been home since I heard the news." The overwhelming humiliation in his voice was almost painful to hear.

"Was that the argument you guys had at Christmas?"

He nodded, sighing again.

The two had a very grown-up conversation. It was calm and rational, not like any of the conversations he and Dora had ever had on the subject. They spoke for hours about everything he feared. While she wasn't able to completely ease all his fears, she did get him to see that everything really would be all right.

"I think you are handling it pretty well," she smirked.

"Liar," he stated with a hint of sarcasm in his throat.

"I'm serious," she said. "All men go through the 'I'm not going to make a good father' phase. You just happen to have a double-whammy."

"How is it that you're so wonderful?" he asked, crossing his arms, leaning back in his chair, the springs protesting slightly under his weight.

"Just part of my charm, I suppose," she said smiling with a sigh.

That got a chuckle out of him. It was his first genuine smile in a long time. "You know, I haven't really smiled since you gave me my lovely present before Christmas. I—I can't explain it, but she seems to keep Moony calmer. So I've been keeping her in my pocket. That way, she's always with me."

Hermione blushed; he had her gift on his person. "You decided that she is a she?"

"Yes," he said, swallowing nervously.

"Is it possible that she issomeone Moony knows?"

"I'm not sure," he said, never having given it much thought before. "I just know that when she's close by, the days are good and the nights, especially transformation nights are just a little easier."

Okay, so that was a close one…they almost found themselves in a bad "situation" ;) Hope you enjoyed that little nibblet.

I am trying so hard to make this fanfic realistic from the perspective of both Hermione and Remus. JK Rowling has made these characters so rich and complex; I want to do them justice as well as have them be respectable. It's a fine line to tread when you are having them blur the line of friendship into adultery…but I hope it comes across believable (and forgivable). So hopefully you continue to "root" for the two of them together!

I didn't get my 5 reviews, but I did finish this chapter and I'm feeling a bit generous...so here! ;)

Thanks so much for the continuous reviews and building fan base. Please R&R if you want to see it continued…5 more reviews before next chapter gets posted. Thanks!