"Remus! Oi, REMUS!" Lupin stopped when he heard his brother-in-law George yelling his name. Of course, he thought. He had almost forgotten that George owned a joke shop here in Diagon Alley. Actually, he wouldn't have been that surprised to hear that George had decided not to continue on with the venture following his twin's death – it had been a dream of theirs for years, so what did it make it now, half a dream? Nonetheless, George Weasley was in Diagon Alley and calling his name and actually sounding pleased to see him. "I had no idea you were going to be in London," George said, catching up to his brother-in-law. "I would have made plans to catch up with you if I had."

"It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision," Lupin explained. "It's a Hogsmead weekend so Ginny's off doing something with Luna, and I thought it was about time I picked her up some things, it's really not appropriate for a Professor's wife to have so many hand-me downs – especially from brothers... sorry," he added, remembering how touchy the Weasley pride was when it came to their modest finances; as touchy as his own had been, come to think.

"No offense taken," George said cheerfully. "You're about the only person Ginny would take stuff from. Harry offered for years to give Ron stuff and he refused at every turn. But she can't exactly refuse her husband – especially since, as you pointed out, it looks bad for a Professor's wife to have hand-me-downs. I actually bought her some dress robes as a belated wedding gift but it's been so hectic at the store that I haven't had time to take them to her yet. Do you mind – "

"Of course not," Lupin said, glad that George had thought of dress robes, because he hadn't.

"Care for a drink?" George asked. Lupin nodded, and the two men found themselves in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Er – sorry you didn't hear about the marriage until after it happened," he said, figuring he may as well bring up the elephant in the room first up.

"No biggie. I understand there was some sort of scandal involved," George said, entirely nonplussed that his sister had married their former – and for Ginny, her current – Professor who was old enough to be their father, and done it on the sly.

"You seem rather, well, not disapproving," Lupin said in surprise, bringing to mind how hateful Molly had been towards him over it.

George shrugged. "Ginny's an old soul. I always figure she'd marry someone at least Bill's age. I'm fond of Harry, but I don't think they were right for each other – at least not at this point in time. You I was a little more surprised at. I took you as someone who would embrace widowhood for the rest of his life."

Lupin grinned wryly at that; it was exactly how he had pegged himself. "Well, things change," he said.

"Yeah," George agreed, thinking about just how much had changed in the last year. "They do." The two men chatted amiably over a drink. "You and Gin really should come to London sometime. I understand she's not really on speaking terms with mum at the moment – " he looked hopefully at Lupin, who shook his head slightly; if he wanted the dirt of why Ginny wasn't on speaking terms with her mother, he could take that up with either Ginny or Molly, " – but I'd really love to see more of you guys. Actually, I'd really love to see anything of you guys."

"That sounds nice," Lupin said, meaning it. Ginny may have issues with her mother that would take Merlin knew how long to resolve, but she had always had a close, if somewhat tempestuous, relationship with her brothers and he wanted her to hold onto that.

"Gin, I'm back," he called when he let him and Teddy in the front door of their rooms. He followed the scent of lilacs into the kitchen. "I saw George today," he informed her, giving her a brief run-down of what had happened. "I think we should at least go see him in the Easter break."

"I'd like that," she said. It was funny how she had married Lupin so her mother wouldn't disown her, but in the interim, she hadn't actually seen any of her family. Somehow, he was taking up all her free time, and she didn't exactly mind.

Sensing her thoughts, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the top of her head. "I know how you feel about your mother, but you're still allowed to miss your family," he told her, but he didn't push it with any follow-up comments. Instead, he looked at the Potions formulas she was studying. "Ugh, that was always a weak subject for me. I could learnt them by rote easy enough, but ask me how this and that combine to create what have you and I feel like tearing my hair out. I think if it hadn't been for how much he adored Lily and her devotion to our friendship, Slughorn would have thrown me out of his class."

"Slughorn's still better than Snape," Ginny pointed out.

He chuckled softly. "True," he agreed. "But forget that for a bit, I have some things for you." He took her hand and, carrying various bags in his free hand, led her to his bedroom where there was a full-length mirror. "Close your eyes and hold out your arms at your sides," he directed her. She did so, wondering what he was up to as he draped something over her and threaded her arms through it. "OK, you can open," he said.

She opened her eyes to be met by her reflection wearing brand-new Gryffindor robes that fitted her perfectly. "Oh, good, I sort of had to guess at your size," he said, relieved.

"Remus, I can't accept these," Ginny said quietly, feeling the embarrassment as she had to explain even as she loved everything about the robes – the vibrant, freshly-dyed colours, the smooth, new feel of something that hadn't been frayed, darned or patched. "I can't afford them."

"Yeah, I sort of figured that by the fact you had secondhand everything, including – is that Percy's old robes?" he asked. Percy was the slimmest of Ginny's brother's so the easiest for Molly to adjust his old robes to Ginny's frame. She nodded. "You'd take dress robes from George."

"That's different, he's my brother."

"I'm your husband."

"In name only."

He placed his hands on Ginny's hips and rested his chin in her shoulder. "That may be, but it reflects badly on me if my wife is always wearing hand-me-downs. Besides, it makes me happy to provide for you and it's a wife's job to make her husband happy."

Ginny smiled at that; he was certainly making it difficult for her to refuse the robes. "Can you afford this?" she asked, remembering how shabbily-dressed he had once been.

Sensing her thoughts again, Lupin took her hand and led her from his bedroom to the room he used for a study. "These are my financial records," he said, withdrawing a folder from a drawer in his desks. "You're welcome to go through these any time you like, but please let me know first, because I have my stuff organised in a particular way." Because there was only one chair, he sat down and pulled her into his lap, holding her securely with one arm around her waist. "It should all be pretty self-explanatory. I had quite a bit passed down to me from Tonks – about fifty thousand Galleons that was hers outright, plus her flat that I'm leasing out for another fifty Galleons a month. That's all been funnelled into a trust for Teddy. This," he said, pointing to another column, "is my income from here and this one is all my expenses – you'll see I don't have a lot. Almost everything is paid for by the school. Practically my only expense is clothing. Over ninety percent of what I make is going into my account at Gringotts. Believe me, Gin, I can afford to buy you some new robes – especially when it reflects poorly on me that you don't have any. For the first time in my life, I can be secure in the fact I can provide for my wife and child. Let me enjoy that."

"OK... but don't you dare go buying anything but the necessities," she said.

"S'long as I get to define what the necessities are," he agreed. "And speaking of Gringotts – I've set you up an account. I've been leasing out my own flat for fifteen Galleons a month and I've arranged for that to go into it. It'll be yours to do with as you like. Let me know if it's not enough."

Ginny gasped at that. Her family had never had fifteen Galleons to spare, let alone for one person to use as they wished. But then, they'd never had a property, no matter how small and shabby, that they could lease out while living for free somewhere else. The idea of having fifteen Galleons a month for her own blew her away, but also struck at her pride. "Remus, I won't take your money."

"And I won't have my wife scraping by like a poverty-stricken student."

"Well, I am – "

"Gin, stop, please," Lupin commanded her softly. "I want to do this for you. It makes me happy to be able to provide for you. I know we're not a real husband-and-wife but I'm very fond of you and I like to think I make a pretty good mentor and companion and God knows, that makes our marriage an improvement on most of them."

She leaned her head back against his shoulder. "Yeah," she agreed. Her marriage might not have the intimacy you would expect of a marriage, but they had an honesty and camaraderie that many couples didn't. She would never forget how tenderly and comfortingly he had held her when she'd had her nightmare about Fred, the way he could make her laugh and think and challenge her and even make her feel special. There were far worse men she could have been forced into marriage with. "OK, but don't go overboard," she said.

She could feel Lupin perk up, and knew he had something else in store for her. "Just one more thing," he said when she started to protest, wriggling around so he could retrieve something from his pocket. "I saw it in a store window and had to get it for you."

She gasped when she saw it. It was an exquisite ruby pendant on a gold chain – the Gryffindor colours. "Remus, I can't accept this," she just managed to choke out, wanting to grab at the pendant with a surge of longing. It was gorgeous, and she had never possessed something so beautiful – or expensive.

"Consider it a belated wedding present," he said calmly. "I can't exactly get you another ring and it just kind of called out to me and I had to get it for you. Unless you want me to find another charming young Gryffindor who would like it."

She giggled at his empty, teasing threat. "Don't you dare!" she squealed, grabbing at it. He held it out of her reach, then pulled her hair to one side and fastened it around her neck. It fell to just above the neckline of her shirt, a perfect length without needing to be adjusted. "Perfect," he said, "like you."


"What's that?" Sarah Callahan asked, her eyes swooping on the pendant like a magpie.

Ginny fingered it and smiled smugly at the obvious look of jealousy of Sarah's face. "Remus bought it for me. Saw it in a window and said he had to get it – Gryffindor colours, see," she said, holding it out, as if Sarah couldn't see for herself the ruby-and-gold pendant. "I think he'd empty his Gringotts account on me if I asked. He already set me up my own. Said he had no need for the rent he was getting from his flat and he wanted me to have money of my own."

She relished the look on Sarah's face when she said that. "So you're happy to take your husband's money?" she asked snidely.

"As opposed to my or your mums?" Ginny asked sweetly. "He says he loves being able to provide for Teddy and I and who am I to deny my husband something that makes him happy?" she asked airily, playing with her locket.

From across the room, Lupin noticed Ginny and Sarah's exchange and momentarily wondered why Ginny bothered engaging with her at all – maybe she simply couldn't resist needling the Ravenclaw after all she had done to her. He wound his way through his students, overlooking their work, generally impressed with it. He had provided them with a teacher who knew his Dark Arts and defences against them as well as being an insightful, encouraging mentor, and they responded by surpassing any effort they had given a DADA Professor to date.

He got to Ginny. Her pendant had snaked around so the clasp was sitting below her collarbone. He could have fixed that with a charm so basic that a wizard of his ability could do it wandless and wordless, but he took her hair gently in one hand and pulled the chain so the clasp was back behind her neck. He squeezed her shoulder in a show of simple but unmissable affection before moving on.

Ginny could feel the heat of Sarah's glare on her face and was in a jubilant mood for the rest of the day. She arrived at the rooms she shared with Lupin to see her oldest brother there. "Bill!" she said delightedly. "I had no idea you would be here!"

"I've noticed," he said dryly. "I was just about to go looking for you. What's with the super-security? I don't think even Snape bothered with this much protection."

She explained briefly about Jeff Adams. "But I don't want to talk about him," she said, making a face. "Come in." She opened the doors – Lupin had put a security enchantment on the door that would only respond to him or Ginny, and could only be broken by a powerful witch or wizard like McGonagall, Flitwick or Sprout. She led him through to the kitchen – "sorry, this is smaller than you're used to," she found herself apologising and thinking of the charming Shell Cottage that Bill shared with Fleur.

"Three people don't exactly need a lot of space," Bill pointed out.

Ginny laughed. "Are you kidding? Remus requested these rooms specifically 'cos they're close to the DADA classrooms and he wanted the extra space for Teddy – but they were originally expanded to this side at the request of Gilderoy Lockhart. Wanted the space for his trophies and portraits, I guess."

Bill chortled. He and Charlie had long since graduated from Hogwarts when Lockhart had been the DADA teacher, but he had heard plenty from his five youngest siblings what a fraud the Professor was. Well, at least he'd heard that from his four youngest brothers – Ginny, like much of the female population, several Professors included, had had crushes on him. But he decided it was best not to say anything, given that she was married to Lockhart's successor. "You look well," he said approvingly. "New robes?" he asked.

She nodded. "Remus bought them for me. Said it looked tacky for me to be wearing Percy's taken-in robes."

Bill nodded knowingly. "I kept telling mum that – I said of all the things to scrimp and save on, your clothes weren't one of them. Charlie and I offered to buy you stuff all the time, but you know how mum is." He looked at her more closely. She did look good, and it was more than just having new robes, although admittedly, something new and whole that fitted her perfectly did a lot of emphasis her attractiveness. She hadn't been quite together since Fred's death, and Harry's infidelity had been a massive blow on top of that. Now she seemed calm and happy. Married life suited her – or maybe it was just married life to Lupin. "He treating you well?" Bill asked, eyeing off the pendant she was wearing.

"Yeah," Ginny said.

"Good. I was a bit concerned about what I was hearing, but you guys seem to have sorted things out," he said, glancing as discreetly as he could manage – which, for a Weasley, wasn't particularly discreet – at her left hand, which was indeed sporting a wedding ring. He noticed that it was a lot flashier than the pendant – but then, the flashy ring may have just been his way of apologising and giving her something to show off, whereas the pendant was something he had bought because it had made him think of her.

Ginny blushed, wondering if Bill had taken note of the fact her pendant was stylish and understated while her ring was extremely flashy; anyone who put a little thought into it would know that they weren't from the same man. "Help yourself to whatever you fancy in the fridge," she said, waving her hand towards it. "I'm just going to freshen up. Remus doesn't consider it a proper lesson until we've literally gotten our hands dirty."

She went into the bathroom and change her clothes, doing a quick cleaning spell for good measure. She was pleased Bill was here, he had always been her favourite brother. She hadn't realised how much she missed her family – maybe it was even time to be on speaking terms with her mother...

"Gin," Bill said when she returned to the kitchen, a confused – or was that concerned? – look on his face, "why do you and Remus have separate bedrooms?"

Her heart fell. She never had people over for precisely this reason, so they would pick up on the separate lives lived in these rooms. Her friends understood easily enough, their professor had a right not to have students traipsing in and out of his rooms, but she would never have been able to fob Bill off even if she'd thought of it. "I – he doesn't like me staying with him during the full moon," she lied lamely.

"Bullshit. We both know that he won't have you anywhere near him during the full moon, not just in a separate room. And your bedroom isn't just somewhere for you to crash a few nights a month. You've set yourself up there, and he's given you the money to do it. So I repeat – why do you and Remus have separate rooms? Has he done something to you, Gin? Is all this out of guilt?" he asked, gesturing to her robes to mean all the things he had bought for her in their short marriage.

"No, and it's none of your business," Ginny snapped.

"It is if my sister's husband is mistreating her," Bill countered. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Is it true that he seduced you?" he asked suspiciously. "That's it, isn't it? He seduced you and had to marry you and now he's giving you all this stuff to make up for the fact you have to spend the rest of your life with a werewolf old enough to be your father."

"He didn't seduce me!" Ginny yelled indignantly. "He never touched me – in that way – until our wedding night. I went out in the snow one night and he came and got me. I was frozen and unconscious and he took our shirts off to use his body heat to warm me up. That was all. He married me 'cos mum said I'd never see any of you again if he didn't, and he leaves me to do my own thing. He gives me this stuff because he likes being able to support me and he likes having me around – or can't you buy that someone might find your kid sister good company? Am I always going to be your dumb, immature kid sister to you?"

"Of course not!" Bill said, stunned to hear the truth of his sister's marriage. He'd never quite been able to shake the belief that Lupin had done the wrong thing by her, allowing themselves to be caught in a compromising position that meant he'd had to marry her, and learning that it was no marriage at all stunned him. "But – but – you've been intimate with him?" he asked, thinking of the Dark Laws.

"He made it pretty clear that we had to," she said, shuddering at the memory. The pain she could have taken – her husband crying out for his late wife she couldn't forget.

He eyed her suspiciously. "What did he do to you?" he demanded to know. "Did he force himself on you?" He saw Ginny flinch to remember how painful and humiliating her wedding night had been.

"He didn't do anything he didn't have to," she said.

"He did!" Bill said indignantly, fury that Lupin had treated his kid sister that way. "That son-of-a-bitch, when I get my hands on him – I'm taking you home – "

"You're not taking me anywhere!" Ginny yelled at him as he went to grab her arm.

"Hey! What the hell's going on in here?" Lupin asked, coming through the front door to see what looked like his brother-in-law manhandling his wife.

"I'm taking her home to the Burrow," Bill said.

"No, he's not," Ginny said determinedly.

"No, you're not," Lupin said with calm forcefulness. If Ginny had wanted to know, that was one thing, but it was clear that Bill was trying to force her. "She's my wife, her place is with me."

"With you? After what you did to her? She flinched when I asked her if you'd – and that was months ago – what the hell did you do to her?" Bill demanded fiercely, yanking on Ginny's arm so hard that she cried out.

"Nothing I didn't have to!" Lupin hissed. Insults against his integrity he could take, but he couldn't stand to witness Ginny being manhandled. "You really think I enjoyed doing it? You want to blame someone for her marriage not being what it ought to be, go yell at your mother. Love, come here," Lupin directed Ginny, holding out his hand slightly.

"Don't call her that," Bill growled in a fair impression of Lupin when he was close to the full moon and felt someone he cared about was being mistreated. "Don't you put your fucking hands on her again. I'm taking her home where she's safe from people like you." He actually began dragging Ginny towards the door. Lupin aimed his wand at him and executed a simple, if somewhat obscure, spell that caused Bill to jump away in pain as if he'd been burnt. "Shit! What the fuck was that?" Bill yelled.

"That was a simple separation spell that comes under the conjuical rights laws," Lupin said calmly. "You'd be surprised what I'm allowed to do when it comes to my wife. Love, come here," he repeated, and Ginny took advantage of the fact Bill had led her go to run into her husband's arms. He wasn't a real husband, but there was something safe about the strength of his hold, firm and yet gentle and undemanding at the same time, particularly after the possessive, condescending way Bill had handled her moments before, like she wasn't an adult who had made an informed decision and was capable of being happy in her marriage, even if it was based on convenience and then friendship, not passion or love.

Bill was surprised at the way he rubbed his hand in small circled between her shoulder blades in a very tender, very comforting – if more fatherly than loverly – way. They weren't the actions of a man who had seduced a teenager and been forced into an unwanted marriage, a man who had deflowered her without thought or compassion. Though he could just be putting on an act. And he was surprised at the way Ginny threw her arms around his neck, taking comfort in his embrace in a way that she had never done with any of her previous boyfriends. He had always thought Ginny would be better off with someone a fair bit older than her, someone who had the wisdom and experience to guide her. But Lupin had been – was still – her Professor. While it sounded in character for both Ginny and Lupin to get in the situation that Ginny had described which had forced their marriage, he still found it creepy that her Professor had done this to her.

"Gin, I want you to go to your room," Lupin said quietly. "I'll be with you in a sec." Ginny nodded and went to leave.

"No. I'm taking her home."

Lupin looked at Bill levelly, his eyes coolly determined. "This is her home. With me. Go back to your mother, Bill, and tell her that I don't care who they are, anyone who makes my wife cry is not welcome in this castle, let alone these rooms." He kissed the top of Ginny's head. "Tell him, Gin," he directed her.

She turned around to face her brother. "Bill, I want you to go. This is my home. My marriage might not be what I thought it would be, but he makes me happy and that's more than a lot of couples have. And mum made us do this, so she can't turn around and say anything now without being a filthy hypocrite."

Lupin's hand was resting lightly on her shoulder, meant as a show of support, but Bill took it as a show of possessiveness and control. "You can't keep her from us forever," he said, turning on his heel and leaving the rooms – and the castle.

"You OK?" Lupin asked her. He inspected her arm when Bill had grabbed her. There was a slight bruise there; the healing spell it required was one that he could do wandless and wordless, merely pressing his fingers gently into her skin and delivering the enchantment mentally.

Ginny nodded. "He made me feel like I was seven instead of seventeen," she said.

"In all fairness, love, seventeen's still young to be married and I'm old enough to be your father. He grab you anywhere else?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Why are you being so nice about it?" she asked.

"Because for all that it's none of his business, it does show that he cares," Lupin told her calmly. "Teddy's the only family I have. You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss yours."

"Aren't I your family?" she asked, a little flirtatiously.

He wasn't sure what to make of that tone in her voice, so he overlooked it. "You're my next of kin," he said mildly. Then he changed the subject. "Love, why don't you come to class, say, ten minutes early tomorrow? Sarah Callahan is always finding an excuse to be alone with me and I plan on making a point that she's not likely to forget."


"Mum, while you were sending me to find out about Ginny and Remus, you could have let me know what really happened," Bill complained irritably when he saw his mother that night. "I made a right fool of myself. My first thought was that he was mistreating her."

"Is he?"

"Hardly. He's as generous and solicitous as you could ask a man to be in that situation. He's bought her new robes and jewellery and set up her own Gringotts account. And I don't think he's asking anything in return but her company. It didn't look like they were sleeping together. Speaking of which – she said he didn't do anything he didn't have to. Know what that meant?" he asked, watching his mother carefully. Molly was no better at concealing her thoughts and emotions than her children; it was something they had all inherited from her. "Mum!" Bill said, shocked and a little ashamed that his mother had knowingly set her only daughter up for that. "He never wanted to sleep with her, did he? He did it because it was better than leaving her open to the Dark Laws. What did he do, drug himself? Her?" Bill remembered how badly Lupin had taken his wife's – his first wife's – death. A strong lust potions and a fantasy about Tonks might have gotten him through it – but made it a painful and humiliating experience for Ginny. "God, no wonder she flinched when I asked her about it. It must have been awful for her – why did you put her through that?"

"She would have been taken advantage of if he didn't," Molly said primly. "And she would have been disgraced if they didn't marry. I did what I had to do."

"God, mum, he's gone out of his way to treat her with respect and provide for her when he had every right to spend the rest of his life grieving for Tonks – which he can't do now because of the disrespect it shows Ginny." It made sense now why the first few weeks of their marriage had been so disastrous, until Lupin had realised just how badly his public grieving for Tonks was affecting Ginny. "The only thing you can be grateful for is the fact he doesn't mistreat her – and thanks to Ted Tonks, he knows those conjuical rights laws by heart, there's plenty of scope for him to mistreat her if he wants. She'll never have a real marriage, she'll never have children. I hope that was worth it for you not to have her disgraced."


"You wanted me in early?" Ginny asked the next day. She always arrived exactly on time, at Lupin's request, no less – while he had enjoyed having a chat with her before the class started in the past, he didn't feel it was appropriate for other students to be walking in on them alone together, even casually chatting, in the classroom. But today that was exactly what he wanted – and more.

"Yes. Come sit down," Lupin said, patting his thigh to indicate he wanted her to sit on his lap. Ginny giggled slightly. Only Lupin could look so awkward when he did that, so aware that the motion made him look like an almost-forty-year-old-man wanting a teenage girl to sit on his lap that he actually couldn't have appeared any further away from that. Ginny sat on his lap and rested her head against his shoulder. The truth was, she loved any excuse to feel the security of his arms around her. How did someone so thin manage to exude such strength, and such a non-threatening strength at that? "I told you I wanted to make a point to Sarah that she wasn't likely to forget. I want her to walk in on us kissing. If you're OK with that, I mean."

"But McGonagall said – "

"Yeah, I know what she said. She actually happens to agree with me on this one. A few PDAs and it might actually get certain students off our backs," he said. 'Certain students', of course, meant Sarah Callahan and Jeff Adams. "So I'm going to kiss you until she walks in on us and hopefully gets the point – that is, if you're OK with it," he added.

She knew she was blushing. Lupin hadn't kissed her – at least, not a proper, husbandly kiss – since their wedding night. He was an excellent kisser, and yet, thinking about that night always made her feel humiliated and unwanted. "Hey," he said softly, as if sensing her thoughts. She knew he had a passing talent with Legilimency that mainly extended to reading the thoughts of someone he was close to. "I'm not going to be thinking about her, I promise. It's just me and you in this marriage now."

She nodded, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He lowered his mouth to hers, his moustache brushing against her skin like it had on their wedding night, and she shivered with anticipation. "Remus," she whispered, parting her lips so he could slide his tongue into her mouth. She flicked her own tongue out to meet his and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck when they began kissing in earnest. His fingers were in her hair, running through it, pulling slightly at the roots to create a very pleasurable pressure. "Remus," she whispered again.

God, he loved the way she said his name – far more than he ought to. He moved his hand up to the back of her head, fisting her hair in his hand, pushing against the back of her head so he could be more forceful with his kiss. Ginny, Ginny, he thought wildly.

"Yes?" she whispered huskily.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I was thinking too loudly. You've now seen the extent of my impressive Legilimency skills," he quipped, then fastened his mouth back on hers. She felt a thrill to know that his thoughts had been running through his brain so powerfully that she had picked them up unintentionally. Given she had never picked up thoughts about Tonks on their wedding night, she wondered if he was thinking about her more strongly now than he had been his first wife on their wedding night, and if he was, did that mean he'd developed strong feelings for her in the last few months?

But her thoughts were lost as Lupin's kiss deepened, and it was unlike any kiss she had experienced before. It wasn't just that he very much knew what he was doing – there was an undeniable chemistry between them, despite the age difference, despite that this was supposed to be a marriage of convenience. She had actually been one of the few of his female students who hadn't had a bit of a crush on him because she had known the depths of grief he was in and better than to go there, but somewhere along the line, he had let go of a lot of his grief and provided an excellent mentor and companion for her that was far deeper than anything any of his other students knew of him. It was easy to develop feelings for someone when they were as attentive and insightful as Lupin could be – when he wasn't wallowing in his grief – and when he was kissing her she felt a surge of heat that she'd never felt with anyone else...

There was an indiscreet coughing sound at the door. Reluctantly pulling away, Lupin saw not only Sarah but a few of her sycophants. It was a better scenario then he could have hoped for, but he felt strangely disappointed. He hadn't meant to get so carried away but had thoroughly enjoyed kissing Ginny. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, feeling guilty for enjoying kissing her so much. "Take a seat, love," he said huskily, pushing her slightly.

She scurried to her seat, the memory of Lupin's kisses hot in her mind; she couldn't even take much pleasure out of the hateful expression on Sarah's face. She had never been kissed like that before, and it had been a vast improvement on the last time he had kissed her as a husband... this time, she knew his thought s had been entirely on her – and that he was damn attracted to her... and now everyone knew it.


Bill was sitting on the floor outside Lupin's front door. "Ginny's not here, she's studying with Luna," Lupin said shortly. He wasn't in the mood for another confrontation with his brother-in-law.

"I was actually here to see you," Bill said. "I wanted to apologise. Mum told me the truth. I wish I had known before I came barging in here. I bought you chocolate," he finished, holding up a giant slab of Honeydukes chocolate. Lupin's sweet tooth was well known.

"Come in, I suppose," Lupin said, a little ungraciously. Bill followed him into the rooms. "Do you want a drink? I have butterbeer, firewhisky and pumpkin juice."

"Firewhisky would be great," Bill said, feeling that he needed it after the way he'd had a go at Lupin on their previous meeting. "I was out of line," he admitted frankly when they sat down together. "I saw that you had separate rooms and assumed the worst. I know now that you've gone above and beyond to do the right thing by her."

"Thankyou," Lupin said. "What did Molly have to say about it?"

"She's not sorry she did it. For what it's worth, I think she was too hard on Ginny. She's forced her to give up a lot. I'm only grateful that you're treating her well. She could have done a lot worse."

"What, like being married to a werewolf old enough to be her father who insists on his conjuical rights?" Lupin asked with a wry grin.

"Something like that. Speaking of which – I hear you had quite the snogging session the other day."

Lupin felt himself going red, both at the memory of kissing Ginny and the fact her brother was calling him on it. "How in God's name did you hear about that?" he asked.

"Luna talks to Neville, Neville talks to Ron," Bill said. "Seems you guys were really going at it."

"It's Sarah Callahan," Lupin said. "She's a thoroughly nasty piece of work. I take it you heard about how she came onto me?" Bill nodded. "She's been pulling that kind of crap all year and we can't do anything about it unless she assaults of drugs one of us. I just wanted to make a point... and I think I did. I won't have Ginny having to put up with that."

"You really care about her," Bill said, surprised by the vehemence in Lupin's voice.

"You can't exactly live with someone and not care about them – or want to murder them," he said softly. "She's a very intelligent woman, and I like having her around. I was really lonely before she started living here – and I think she was, too. I know she's missing out on a lot for having been married to me, but I think she's getting something out of it, too."

There was something in the way he said that which made Bill think that he cared about Ginny more than just because she was pleasant company that he shared so much of his free time with.


"Are you here to attack my husband again?" Ginny asked coolly when she saw her brother.

"I come in peace. I just wanted to apologise for flying off the handle. I had no idea what had happened – and if it's worth anything to you, I think it was a lousy thing for mum to do. I wish you'd have come to me and Fleur. We would have taken care of her."

"It doesn't matter now," she said philosophically. "And I meant what I said – he does make me happy."

"How so? I'm not attacking you, Gin, I'm just curious. What are you getting out of it if not physical intimacy?"

He seemed genuinely interested in understanding his sister's marriage – all the more so given that he was married to a part-Veela so the idea of a passionless marriage must be completely unfathomable to her. "He treats me like an adult," she started. "You guys never did – I was always your kid sister, even to Ron. It's funny – I think growing up with all these older brothers made me a lot more mature but you guys treated me like the opposite, like I was always your baby sister in the literal sense. Sometimes I think you were the worst because you actually remember when I was your baby sister."

"I'll admit to that," Bill said dryly. He had been eleven years old when Ginny had been born, plenty old enough to remember when she had literally been a baby.

"He gets me – he's so easy to talk to. At first it was just about Fred and school stuff but after a while we could talk about anything. I like having someone like that to have a discussion with at the end of the day. It beats a bunch of teenage girls talking about clothes and boys. Though I miss having a decent discussion about Quidditch. You can see Remus's eyes start to glaze over if you so much as mention a snitch." Bill laughed at that; from everything he had seen of the bookish Lupin, the man was as unathletic as you got. "And he's so thoughtful. He's always got hot chocolate and a massage ready after a game." Actually, if she really needed it, it was firewhisky, but she wasn't going to tell Bill that. "I like being around him. He makes me appreciated and special in a way that no-one else has, and even if it's not a real marriage, it's more than anything else I've had, and I have a feeling it's more than a lot of people have."

"And that's the limit to it?" he asked.

"You mean is it still non-sexual?" Ginny asked baldly. "Yeah. I don't think he sees me that way."

"You make it sound like you're disappointed by that."

Ginny found herself blushing. "When he kissed me – it was amazing. And I could feel him projecting his thoughts onto me. He must feel something – even if he doesn't want to."

"Why wouldn't he want to?" he asked.

"It's the way he thinks. He can be so damn honourable at times. He'll marry me, but to him I'm still young enough to be his daughter and therefor not old enough to be his wife. It's like he's shut his mind to the idea. I swear sometimes he looks at me and still sees his student." Albeit a student that he had in his lap with his tongue down her throat, but a student nonetheless.

Oddly enough, it was this piece of information more than anything that impressed Bill. Lupin had a legal right to consummate his marriage, but instead, he had gone in the other direction and refused to see her as a wife. Which seemed like such a waste, because for all the misgivings he had had a few days ago about their marriage, it seemed to be one based on deep fondness and respect, which was more than many married couples had, and always an excellent foundation for a happy union. "Tell you what, I'll have a talk to Fleur," he offered. "She might have some ideas."


"What," Lupin asked, partly scandalised and partly turned on by the scrap of fabric Ginny was wearing, "is that?"

"It's a nightie," Ginny said. "Why, what does it look like?"

"Looks like half a nightie," Lupin said. The dark blue half-a-nightie clung to her body like a second skin and ended at her thighs. Tonks had never worn anything like it so as far as Lupin was concerned, it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. And he didn't like it. He was having enough trouble trying to forget about the kiss he had shared with her without her parading around in – well, not much.

"You don't like it?" she asked.

"I think you're going to be cold," he said, the first handy lie that came to mind. "You know I don't like to turn the heat up." He buried his face in his book so he wouldn't have to look at her svelte body that was poorly disguised by the skimpy nightie. He caught a glimpse of how well-defined her thighs were, the result of so much flying, no doubt. He gritted his teeth, determined not to take so much pleasure out of what was surely an innocent mistake on her behalf. Fleur had probably been putting ideas in her head about how a married woman should dress. It wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind when he'd wanted her to dress a little more maturely.

Bravely hiding her crushing disappointment, Ginny went to her room to get her robe. "Good girl," he said absently, and she felt the urge to burst into tears at his complete lack of interest in her sexually.

He was grateful the following night when she had returned to the girlish pyjamas she had been wearing until the previous night. They were exactly fitting for a Professor's wife to wear, but he infinitely preferred them to her flaunting her body – even unknowingly – in a nothing silk nightie.


"Gin, have you given any thought to spending Easter at The Burrow?"

Ginny made a face. "Do I have to?"

"You don't have to do anything, love, you know that. I just think you ought to. I know you miss your brothers. And I think you even miss your mum."

"I do not."

"C'mon, Gin, I know you better than you think. You miss your family. It's perfectly natural. Besides, I figured I'd write your mum a little note, threaten to insist on having you with me. It's my legal right to do that, you know."

She giggled. "You would keep a daughter from her mother?" she asked, the irony that he had been trying to reconcile her with her mother these past few months not being lost on her.

"I would keep my wife from anyone who upsets her," Lupin said. "You can be a real surly bitch when you're upset, you know that," he teased.

"I am not! I'm perfectly angelic all the time."

He snorted derisively. "Yeah, right. You're a Weasley. The lot of you have tempers to match your hair. Not that I'm complaining. You have a lot of passion, and I like that in a person."

She squirmed. "Really?" It was an odd sort of compliment, but somehow it worked coming from her husband.

"Yeah, really. Gin, that's why I think it's important for you to spend Easter at the Burrow. You and your mum love each other, but you're missing out on so much by holding this grudge against her. You haven't done too badly out of this, have you?" he asked quietly.

"Of course not."

"Then please at least try? For me? I hate seeing parents and children on the outs like this, especially after everything we've all been through. If she upsets you, you can come back to school and I won't push you again."

"You won't be coming with me?"

He shook his head. "Fraid not, love. I agreed to stay on over Easter to look after the orphans. But you can come back if she upsets you."

"And you won't make me go back again?"

"I won't make you go back again."

"Well... OK then," Ginny said, secretly looking forward to see her family again.

"Wow, you look terrific," George said approvingly. "Remus treating you well?" he asked, taking in her new robes and the pendant around her neck.

"Yeah," Ginny said. "He likes taking care of me."

"I can see that. I can hardly call you my kid sister anymore."

She blushed. "Oh, George. I'll always be your kid sister. Is mum around?"

"Kitchen, as usual," George said.

Ginny went through the house to see her mother cooking up a storm. Molly looked up, tears of joy in her eyes when she saw her only daughter. "Ginny," she said. "Oh, it's so good to see you..."

She went to embrace her daughter. Ginny accepted the embrace awkwardly. "I have a note from my husband," she said, withdrawing it from her robe pocket and handing it over to her mother.

Molly,

I won't tolerate any interference in my marriage. If you upset Ginny again, I'll insist that she stay with me and I certainly won't lift a finger to help you reconcile your relationship. You wanted this marriage; you can live with the consequences of my being her next of kin.

Remus.

Molly folded up the note and put it in her apron pocket. "You've read this?" she asked her daughter. Ginny nodded. "And you agree with what he said?" Ginny nodded again. "How could you take his side over your own mother's?" she demanded shrilly.

"Careful, mother, or I'll go back to school. I'm old enough to be wedded and bedded, I'm old enough to be treated like an adult."

"I did what I had to do to save you from disgrace!" Molly said.

"You forced me into a position where my husband practically raped me!" Ginny cried. "Do you have any idea how disgusting I felt?"

"He should have been more considerate," Molly said indignantly, aghast to hear Ginny put her wedding-night treatment so baldly.

"He has been considerate, mum," Ginny said. "He's so – he makes me feel special. He makes me feel like an adult. I really like being around him. I like how he makes me feel. And he lets me talk about Fred," she added, a little defiantly.

"You could have talked about Fred to me," Molly said indignantly.

"No, I couldn't. Look, maybe being glad to have survived is your way – but it's not mine, and it's not Remus's. We're actually very compatible. "

"You care about him a lot."

"Yeah, I do, and I'm surprised that you're surprised. He's a good man, mum. I couldn't ask for a better husband, given the circumstances."

"Charlie didn't say anything about separate rooms," Molly said disapprovingly.

"He took the couch," Ginny lied, knowing that her mother wouldn't understand how much she loved cuddling up to him. "Would you rather we explained the need for separate rooms? Because that went down so well with Bill," she reminded her mother, the hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Molly looked like she was about to say something, but then Bill came in. "Did I hear my name?" he asked.

"Just reminding mum how well it went down when you found out about our separate rooms and how we weren't going to try explaining to Charlie the need for them," Ginny said airily.

"Yeah, and I actually know Remus to know he's a decent guy after I got over the shock. How did they get on?" Bill asked.

"Brilliantly. Between the two of them I think they know everything there is to know about all things Dark and Dangerous."

Bill laughed at that. "Yeah, I can see the two of them getting along. You look great, by the way. Remus treating you well?"

"Why does everyone say that?"

"Because you're the only person I know who's come out of the war looking better for it. Other than maybe your husband," Bill teased.

He waited until he got Ginny alone. "How'd Fleur's fashion advice go?" he asked.

"It didn't," she admitted. "He told me I'd be cold without hardly even looking up from his book."

"Ah, Gin. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. Bill – I don't understand it. The way he kissed me – I know he was thinking about me – and just me. He was projecting his thoughts onto me. I knew what he was thinking as if he was saying it out loud."

"Gin, I don't know what to say. Maybe he feels like he shouldn't be attracted to you? You are young enough – "

"To be his daughter, yes, I know," Ginny said grumpily. Why did everyone have to remind her of that – no-one more than her own husband, so it seemed.


"Mrs. Lupin, we were wondering when we would see you," Pamela Honeyduke, owner of Honeydukes, greeted the young woman with a friendly smile.

"Pardon?" Ginny asked.

"Your husband is one of our biggest patrons. It being Easter, I figured you'd make an appearance eventually. Is there anything you were after specifically?"

"Choc mint and honeycomb," Ginny said promptly.

Pamela laughed at that. "I see you know his tastes."

"Why wouldn't I?" Ginny asked coolly, her heart still sore over the realisation that her husband failed to see her as anything more than a daughter – however attractive he might find her. It seemed no-one took her marriage seriously, least of all her husband.

"Oh, please don't take offense," Pamela pleaded. "It's just that he's quite a solitary man, he doesn't share his life well, and given the nature of your marriage – not that you don't seem very happy. Hardly anyone came out of the war looking better for it."

"That's what my brother said," Ginny said ruefully. "The same brother who said he always figured I'd end up with someone much older."

"Well, whatever it is, it suits you. I remember when I first met you – you were so shy. Having all those high-achieving brothers can't have been easy for you."

Ginny found that she quite liked the older woman's company, and left with enough chocolate to tide even her husband over for a decent period of time. She thought she would surprise him when an assortment of his favourite chocolate. Though how he could eat so much and not gain an ounce was beyond her.


"What do you think?" Molly asked her oldest son after Ginny had left to return to Hogwarts via Hogsmead village – specifically, Honeydukes.

"I think she has feelings for him," Bill said frankly. "I think they're very close and attracted to one another – though I don't think he cares to admit it, let alone act on it." Bill conveniently left out the fact he had encouraged Fleur to give Ginny fashion advice in the form of lingerie; that would only reflect poorly on him and his wife. "It wouldn't surprise me if they end up together – properly, I mean."

"He's old enough to be her father," Molly protested.

"And she's old enough to be his wife," Bill countered.

"He mistreated her."

"Once – and if he hadn't, Merlin knows what would have happened to her if it was found out that she was still a virgin. And honestly, mum, I think they're more compatible than most couples out there. I think they're more compatible than she and Harry were. Hell, I think they're more compatible than he and Tonks were." Ginny was such an old soul and Tonks had been quite youthful even for her relatively young age. "He's good for her, mum. Surely you can see that. It's not just the clothes – though I think having new things has done wonders for her confidence. They seem to really groove well together. And I think eventually they're going to look at each other in a new light. And when that happens – well, you know how much she looks to him for guidance as it is. If you don't come to accept him as a huge part of her life, you're only going to make it harder to reconcile with her in the future."


"Professor, are you OK?"

Lupin looked up distractedly. Dennis Creavey was addressing him. "Fine," he said.

"You miss Ginny?"

Lupin smiled sheepishly at that. "More than I thought I would," he admitted. It was only for a few days, but he was floored by just how much he missed her. He'd gotten so used to having her around since their marriage that he actually missed her – and deeply. He missed the way she would stroke his hair when he couldn't sleep, he missed the way she fit into his arms like her body had been built for his. He missed the way she smelled and the way she traced his scars without any disgust.

"I think it's nice," Dennis offered wistfully. "I don't know why you agreed to take this job."

"Because someone had to do it and I got Christmas off," Lupin said. Because so many Hogwarts students had been orphaned by the war, the school now offered all-year-round supervision and Lupin had offered to stay at the school over Easter. It had seemed only fair since he'd gotten Christmas off. "And my mother-in-law doesn't like me much so I figure it's best that Ginny goes on her own."

"How come? I thought she insisted you get married."

"Doesn't mean she likes me for it. I'm kind of used to it. My first wife's parents didn't like me, either. It's somewhat of a hazard, given my condition. Least I'm ahead on this count, I'm on good terms with most of my brothers-in-law... and Percy was a bit of a git anyway, so no big loss there."

"It must be nice, having such a big family," Dennis said.

"It has its drawbacks. I'm not looking forward to next Christmas. I got away with it last year 'cos the marriage was so recent but I won't be able to pull the same stunt this year."

"Yes, but it means that you get eight presents," came a voice from the door. "Merry Christmas, Remus," Ginny said cheerfully.

"I'll get out of your hair," Dennis said obligingly. He scooted out of the room.

"Didn't mean to scare him off," Ginny said.

"I admitted to missing you," Lupin said huskily. He reached for her and pulled her down into his lap. "You smell nice."

"I missed you, too," she admitted. She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed him in as he nuzzled her neck. It was something he did as a werewolf, she knew, and she tried not to get worked up over it but it was difficult when his facial hair rubbed against her bare skin.

"How did it go?" he asked. He took the fact she hadn't returned until the end of the Easter weekend to be a good thing.

"OK, I think. I think mum's beginning to accept how much you mean to me. I think she's giving up on the idea that I would be a good little daughter and return home at her command. I got you something." She pulled out the brightly wrapped package from her bag.

He opened it. "Ginny, this is – thankyou," he said huskily. "It's my favourite, too."

"I know, it's practically all you have in the fridge, apart from raw meat. Hey, it's hardly worth crying over," she said, slightly alarmed to feel his tears drip onto her shoulder.

"No-one's bothered to learn my favourite chocolate before," he said. "This means a lot to me. Gin?" he asked shakily.

"Yeah?"

"I love you. Not as a husband – but not like a father, either. Like a companion, I guess. You don't have to say it back. I just wanted you to know."

She slid her hand along the back of his head and pushed it into her shoulder. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but it was better than nothing. "I love you, too."