A/N An update! yay for me. They're dat and some...almost fluff. Haha. The snogging will come soon.


"Are we going?" Hermione demanded. She stood in front of Remus on Thursday evening in a pair of jeans, a floaty top and ridiculously high pair of high heels. She hadn't spoken to Remus since the incident, choosing to eat out after work and then going straight to bed when she got home. She needn't have bothered though as Remus had been spending his evenings with Sirius at Grimmauld Place.

"What?" Remus asked dumbly, looking up from his game of chess he was playing with Ron. Ron tried to hide his grin as he watched the pair converse.

"You promised me dinner on Thursday night, it is now Thursday and I've come to collect," Hermione stated, tapping her foot slightly.

"I'll get my cloak." Remus jumped up, nearly knocking down the chess set, and returned a moment later, ready to go.

"We'll have to go out, I didn't plan anything because I thought…" he trailed off.

"That's fine. The Leaky Cauldron?" Hermione suggested.

Ten minutes later found them seated at an intimate table for two at the Leaky Cauldron, Remus a lot more composed.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's alright," Hermione said, interrupting him before he got any further. "I over reacted."

They were quiet for a moment as a waiter brought them their drinks and took their orders.

"I tried making your milk last night," Remus confessed.

"Oh?" Hermione said, trying to hide her smile. "How did that go?"

"Well," Remus leaned back into his chair, relaxing, "first I burnt my tongue because I didn't let it cool. Really the smell of the stuff should have put me off before it even reached my mouth."

Hermione giggled, "And then?"

"And then when the burning stopped the taste set it."

"Bad?"

"It tasted like socks. Old socks. Old Quidditch socks that had never been washed."

A few people looked over as Hermione's peal of laughing filled the room.

Remus' deep chuckles joined with hers and an elderly pair of witches smiled at the couple before turning back to their dinners.

"I've missed you," Remus said when their laughter had died down. Hermione blushed and smiled shyly.

"It's only been a couple of days," she said, concentrating on the salt shaker sitting on the table.

"Yes, a couple of long days," Remus said. Hermione was saved from answering by their meals appearing on the table in front of them.

Over dinner they filled each other in on the last few days and chatted happily about Ron and Harry's upcoming Quidditch game. The two boys may have been internationally known Quidditch stars but they still lived at home to have their clothes washed and their meals cooked.

"What about you? Do you think you will get your own place soon?" Remus asked, offering her a bite of his chicken. Hermione titled her head from side to side while she finished her bite.

"Maybe. I don't know. Probably." Hermione laughed.

"So you maybe probably don't know if you are moving out soon?" he chuckled. Hermione laughed again. "Leave me alone. I'm only nineteen. What's your excuse?"

Remus blushed and Hermione thought it was adorable.

"It makes me feel safer knowing that there are people who know how to stop me if something ever goes wrong."

"You don't worry that if something went wrong you might attack them?" Hermione asked. The room around them was mostly empty now and they lowered their voices to keep their conversation private.

"Molly and Arthur know what to do," Remus said mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. She glanced over at the bar as a stumbling young wizard dropped a glass and Tom help him over to the floo and sent him on his way.

She turned back to Remus to find him watching her intensely. She didn't know why but she felt her body flush under his gaze.

"I know it seems like Sirius and me have a grand old time together but I'm dangerous, I could hurt someone."

"I'm not unaware of the fact," Hermione said, her voice just above a whisper. "I've seen you change Remus, I'm not stupid."

"No, no you're not." He smiled at her and grazed his hand across hers, which was lying on the table top.

"So what do they know that I don't? How would they stop you?" Hermione asked, turning her hand so Remus could run his fingers over her palm, sending shivers down her spine.

"They know to kill me."

Hermione snatched her hand away and stared at him in shock.

"You're joking," It was a statement not a fact. "It's still murder."

Remus sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He didn't want to go there but she deserved to know before whatever this was went any further.

"Do you remember my sister?" Hermione nodded, a worried expression gracing her features. "Not long after I first go bitten I got free of me chains and I …bit her too."

"She died?" Hermione asked shocked. He'd killed his sister?

"No," Remus laughed bitterly. "No. The next month we both changed and while my chains held, she broke free of hers. She wandered into a nearby forest and killed a group of boys who were camping there. The Ministry had her arrested and Dementors performed the Kiss on her. She died in Azkaban not long after. She was so young, she couldn't handle being there."

"The ministry did that? How old was she?" Hermione was horrified and now understood better why Remus fought so hard for his rights.

"It was a different time back then; You-Know-Who was on the rise, werewolves had next to no rights."

"That doesn't excuse the actions of the Ministry taken against a girl who could have been no more then eleven, a girl who had no control over what she was doing." Hermione was getting worked up and while Remus was touched she was so upset for a long forgotten wrong she was making a scene amongst the few remaining patrons. He threw some money down on the table and led the still fuming Hermione out the back, into Diagon Alley.

"Calm yourself," he demanded when she continued, drawing the attention of the people lingering on the streets.

She took a deep breath and released it, wiping angry tears from her eyes.

"How dare they?" she whispered furiously. "She was only a child."

She could not stop the sob that escaped and gratefully wrapped her arms around Remus when he drew her to him. It was one of her faults; she cared too much. She hated to see injustices performed by the government she now worked for.

Remus sighed and rubbed her back, one hand in her hair.

"It happened many years ago, Hermione. You must not let it upset you. There is nothing you can do."

A little while later Hermione composed herself and after drying her tears she looked up at Remus, tears shimmering in her eyes making them seem as big as saucers.

"I'll fight them for you. For you and your sister."

He smiled gratefully at her. In just one year, she had been made deputy Head of Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She could do anything.

"Thanks for the offer love, but this is my battle." Remus wiped a stray tear off her cheek with his thumb and kissed her forehead fondly. "Come on, we didn't have dessert. Let's get some ice cream."

She's perfect, Remus thought as they made their way to the ice cream parlour. If I'm not careful I'm going to find myself in love. And that just won't do.