Disclaimer: I happen to have a very different type of obsession wtih the Harry Potter series than the author (say JKR) could ever possibly have.

I was woken from one of the best dreams involving Lily I had ever had (despite the fact that we hadn't even kissed) when I heard a door opening. I was kinda annoyed that I had woken, it had been a great dream. It had involved me and Lily in a hot tub and having fun like usual AND she had said yes to becoming animagus (a great ambition of mine). I sighed and gave myself a mental shake to get control of my senses.

There were several very different things than usual. I could tell immediately that I was not in my own bed at home, nor was I sleeping on cushions at Lily's place; the bed I was on now was too soft and the sheets were extraordinarily silky. The second thing to hit my senses (although you would think it would have been the first) was that there was a weight on my chest. It was obvious that the weight was a person and just as obvious that it was Lily (I had hugged her enough to know the feel of her in an instant). I realized that Lily was lying with her head on my shoulder, her left arm under my right shoulder, and her right leg tangled with my right leg. I then realized that my arms had been wrapped around her protectively in my sleep. The third thing that hit my senses, or my sixth sense in particular, was the fact that there was someone standing in the doorway to this bedroom looking at us.

It was at this point that it hit me that the dream I had enjoyed the previous night was not just a dream. Holy Cow. Wait, that person had opened the door and probably heard my sigh when I woke up. Oh, dear God, please don't let it be Mr. Potter (I am too young to die and I'm sure he wouldn't even hesitate to kill me in front of Lily).

The person standing in the doorway gave a high pitched "hem, hem." Well at least it wasn't Mr. Potter. His vocal cords, I knew, would never be able to reach that pitch. I decided that the best action to take at this point would be to observe who it was that was standing in Lily and my hotel room. Raising my head slowly, I looked over the love of my life towards the light coming from the outer room. Ginny Potter stood there, looking down right pissed.

Oh, shit.

"Good morning Remus," she said in a dangerously cheery voice. Even her smile looked like it desired nothing more than to hand out punishment.

"M – Morning," I stammered back softly.

"I would like to talk to you, if you don't mind," she continued in the same tone. "Do I need to leave so you can get decent?"

I gulped and blinked profusely. Deciding it would be better if she saw I was still wearing something, even if it meant her seeing my boxers, I said, "No ma'am."

Very slowly, so as not to wake her, I dislodged myself from Lils and rolled out of bed. I self-consciously hitched up my boxers and looked over to Mrs. Potter. She gave me a huge, nerve wracking, extremely scary smile and beckoned to the outer room. I followed her and bent down to pick up my jeans as I passed them and put them on. I really had no intention of staying so unclothed in front of the love of my life's mother (it was kind of disturbing).

Mrs. Potter sat down on the couch in the outer room and gestured for me to do the same on the other side of the couch. She looked at me long and hard before saying, "You two are in massive trouble Remus."

I gulped and let my thoughts run wild, leading me to blurt out, "We haven't been expelled have we?"

"No, you two are not in trouble with the school or the Ministry thanks to Hermione."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Of course Lily's aunt Hermione would take care of the legal troubles as only she could, by being head of the Magical Law Enforcement department.

Mrs. Potter continued in a demanding tone, "You two owe her quite a bit for turning her head at that flagrant violation of underage magic and unlicensed apparition."

"Yes ma'am," I said with a downtrodden look (I wasn't entirely sure why I was calling her ma'am, but it did seem respectful).

I glanced up briefly at Mrs. Potter's face to see what was coming and found that she had hitched her evil smile back onto her expression. She clapped her hands once in that greedy, about to get down to business fashion, and said, "I believe we will skip over the conversation concerning your misdeeds until my daughter gets up, Remus, and instead focus on the fact that I found you laying in a bed, almost naked, with my daughter."

I managed another large gulp (you'd think I would have ran out of spit) as Mrs. Potter's grin widened. I found myself blurting out another response to a phrase that wasn't a question. "It's not what it looks like" I said as my hands came up in a wait gesture.

"That's what they all say Remus," Mrs. Potter countered. "At least you could have the decency to tell me the truth if you are sleeping with my daughter."

"Really," I stammered frantically, "Sleep was all that was involved. We didn't have…" I gulped again for good measure, "You know."

Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes at me, "Can't say the word sex Remus? Guilty conscience maybe?"

This conversation is sooo not one I should be having with Lily's mother. My own maybe, but not Lily's. It is way too awkward. "No!" I said resolutely in a confident voice. I must stand up and be a Gryffindor and a man. "I do not have a guilty conscience. All that we did last night is sleep. We didn't even kiss. We're not even dating." I threw my hands up in the air dramatically. And with that display I turned and walked back into the bedroom.

Now don't ask me why I went back to the bedroom, that's just where my feet carried me. It might be that I intended to get more sleep because I found myself climbing back into bed beside Lils. She was lying on her side mostly how I had left her and looked utterly peaceful and … and beautiful like a storybook princess. I would be more than content to open my eyes to that face every day of my life. Wanting to be a little closer to her I wiggled forward and wrapped her upper arm back around my waist (I had apparently forgotten that my future mother in law was only a room away).

However, I hadn't bargained for Lily's reaction to my own actions. When I placed her arm around me, it was like she automatically pulled herself into me. Her face, which I hadn't realized had looked a little tense before, relaxed and a slight smile crossed her lips. Then, to my utter embarrassment (what with her mother so close), Lily gave a little moan.

My cheeks were just done reddening when Lily's eyes started opening. She took a second to seem to get a hold on things before her eyes moved up to my face. A huge smile lit up her face. Then she did something totally unexpected: Lily kissed me! Right on the lips. It was quick, but perfect and caused a slight smile to cross my face. "Good morning Remmie," she said adoringly while looking back into my eyes. I was temporarily stunned by such gestures and didn't do anything but grin stupidly.

But something is always there to ruin my good moments. While Lils and I were getting cuddly, Mrs. Potter had moved back into the doorway and crossed her arms. I could see her out of the corner of my eye as Lily and I stared at each other, but Lily couldn't because she was looking up to me. Consequently Lily's mom gave out her high pitched 'hem hem' when it didn't look like we were going to pay her any heed. Confusion masked my Lily's features when she heard the sound and looked to the doorway. Upon spotting her mother Lily gave out a frightened little yelp and jumped back from me. I took a second to realize how cold it felt without her next to me before coming back to the situation at hand.

"Mommy," Lily squeaked when she had managed to get across the bed from me. I was very conscious of Lils being only in her undergarments and apparently so was she because she attempted to pull some covers over her. There was utter fear in the love of my life's features. It annoyed me that just the sight of her mother could do that to my Lily (not that I blamed Lily for being so frightened, her mother could be truly scary when she wants to be).

"Lillian Luna Potter what were you thinking?" Mrs. Potter sort of yelled.

"It's not what it looks like Mommy!" Lily said frantically (he he, we think exactly alike). "We didn't have sex." Now why is it that Lily can say the word so effortlessly and I can't say it at all?

Mrs. Potter shot a glance at me before making her next comment, "Could we talk in the other room daughter?"

Lily shot me a glance also before answering, "Whatever you want Mommy."

I worried about Lily being alone with her mother and wanted to be there with her but knew better than to attempt to intervene. I also wanted to know what Mrs. Potter had to say to her daughter that couldn't be said in front of me. Of course, in the end I needn't have worried because every heated word could be heard through the rather thin door.

"And how am I supposed to believe that anything you say is true, Lily?" Mrs. Potter said. "After last night?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Maybe for the same reasons you have lied to me in the past."

"Well than you should have brought some Veritaserum! Shouldn't you!" Lily huffed.

"Don't take that tone with me young lady!" Mrs. Potter snapped back.

"Well than maybe you shouldn't have come bursting in."

"You are in enough trouble already. Don't make it worse for yourself." Mrs. Potter threatened.

"What could you possibly do to me? Huh?" Lily was headed for big trouble as far as I could tell and I was sure that she was going to drag me down with her.

"You know very well how long stunts like this will get you grounded. And that means no boyfriends. What will Remus do without you for so long? Young love can be so very troublesome, can't it?"

"And what would possibly make you say he's my boyfriend?" This statement alone was enough to make me downhearted. It might be possible that she really wanted me to be her boyfriend but it was just a hope. I had let myself get too close and gain too much hope already. I shouldn't let myself acquire any more, no matter how many times a half asleep Lily kisses me.

"Maybe it's the fact that you were naked and in bed with him getting all cuddly before my eyes." Mrs. Potter sounded slightly sad while saying this. It hadn't occurred to me what getting close to Lils might do to her parents. They would be losing their little girl to some guy (even if it is little old me).

"So now we get down to it!" exclaimed Lily. "What's really troubling you."

"It does trouble me that my daughter is getting so attached to a guy at so young an age."

"Yeah because your one to talk!" snorted Lily.

"This isn't about me. It's about you," snapped Mrs. Potter.

"Well maybe you should be brought into it," snapped back Lily.

"Your father and I didn't have some kind of infatuation. We were in love. There is a huge difference."

"I am not infatuated Mommy," said Lily in a softer and calmer voice. Her statement was followed closely by a brief laugh from Mrs. Potter.

Very suddenly their voices got too soft to hear through the doorway and although I could tell that they were having a conversation, I was unable to decipher what it was. I moved close to the door and pressed my ear against it, but still nothing. I kept straining to hear a word they were saying and was rewarded with ringing ears when Mrs. Potter yelled at the top of her lungs. "Get out here Remus."

I gave my ears a quick rub and then opened the door and walked into the outer room. Apparently whatever had gone on in the near silent conversation had drastically improved matters. Mrs. Potter still looked mad, but not pissed as she had before. I looked towards where my Lils was standing and found she had dressed in her clothes from the night before. She shot me a quick smile that helped to ease my nerves (she probably knew I would need the smile. She is so courteous, my Lily is).

Feeling slightly self-conscious again from my lack of clothing, I grabbed my shirt from off the floor and put it on. Feeling slightly better with my shirt on I dared to approach the subject that the two women had evidentially just closed. "So are we good with the whole sleeping together but not sleeping together thing?" I gave a hopeful glance to Lily before focusing on her mom.

Mrs. Potter frowned but gave me good news, "I will look over your sleeping arrangements from last night under the condition that it doesn't happen again." The next look I got thrown was a very obvious 'or else'.

"And now we are going to go to St. Mungo's where my husband is currently staying after his … fall." Mrs. Potter gave me an evil glare when she said the word fall. It was clear she was angry with me for injuring her husband. "He will help dole out Lily's punishment and then I will take you home Remus where your own parents can deal with you."

I felt really downtrodden. Lily and I had broken away from our parents early this morning only to come back under their control mere hours later. I briefly thought about refusing again, but the phrase 'resistance is futile' comes to mind when looking at Ginny Potter. Due to this, all I managed was a weak, "okay."

Every time I enter the visitor's entrance to St. Mungo's I can't help smiling and giggling to myself. It's just some weird natural reaction I have. Not without good reason mind you. I mean, you walk up and ask this butt ugly mannequin if you're allowed in. Then the butt ugly thing nods and winks at you. And then after all that, you get to walk through the mannequin which feels like walking through a waterfall without getting wet. Call me immature, but I find that funny.

Today caused no different a reaction from me, but definitely a muted one. Lily also gets a kick out of this particular entrance and managed to give me a quick smile when we stepped into the waiting room. The waiting room wasn't busy today, but there was still one old geezer hiccupping bubbles that I found entertaining. Mrs. Potter didn't stop to ask what room her husband was in, but strode purposefully forward to his room. I was inclined to get sulkier the closer we got towards Lily's demise. On the other hand, Lily seemed to gain courage or poise or something because she was standing up straighter and had a determined look on her face when we reached the room.

The thing you realize early about Lils is that she has (how I'm not sure) almost complete control over the men in her life. This means that if she had to face down her father (as she did yesterday after the rain incident) she can usually wheedle her way out of serious punishment or any punishment at all. However, Mrs. Potter caught on to this uncanny ability of her daughter's relatively early in Lily's life and has tried her best to be a presence in all punishment dealing. Why Ginny tries to get her husband involved in the dealing of their daughter's punishment at all is a mystery to me. But, back to the point. Maybe it was because she was going to see her daddy that Lily had gained her sudden confidence.

When we reached Mr. Potter's room I had resigned myself to the fact that I would have to wait in the hall while the Potters shared words and then Mrs. Potter came to take me back to my doom (I didn't even want to think what my parents were going to do to me. I was too busy worrying about Lily anyway). However, when Ginny and Lily entered the room Ginny gestured for me to follow. This could not be good.

Apparently Mr. Potter hadn't broken anything in his tumble or if he had it had been healed very quickly. From what it looks like, the only reason he was still in the hospital was so the healers could watch his minor concussion. He was, for all points and purposes, being treated like royalty and something of a regular at the hospital (which I will state is practically true: the Potters are pretty much wizarding royalty and Mr. Potter was a frequenter of the hospital – what with his job and all).

Mr. Potter sat up when we entered the room and looked slightly relieved to see us. "Princess," he said opening his arms so Lily could give him a hug which she did.

"I'm so sorry daddy," Lily said softly in his embrace (out of nowhere I got a twinge of jealousy, wanting to hug Lils also). "I didn't want you to get injured or to get into a fight, but I just wanted to make things up with Remus."

"What's done is done Honey. There is nothing, well almost nothing, we can do to take it back," Mr. Potter came back. "Just know that you have to deal with the consequences of such hasty actions." Mr. Potter spoke all of this calmly and with love. There was no trace of anger or sternness to his voice. I glanced over to Mrs. Potter to find a frown on her face as if she would rather her husband was yelling.

"Dear," Ginny said urging her husband onward. I was really wondering why I was here.

"Right. Now Princess, the things you and Remus did last night were wrong as you very well know," Mr. Potter started to get that stern tone to his voice but his face showed he would rather not be the one to issue the sentence. "Although your aunt managed to get you out of the legal troubles, that doesn't mean you have escaped punishment. Your mother and I decided this morning that you are to be grounded for a week and no allowance for a month."

Lily's parents seemed to be prepared for some kind of outcry or tantrum from their daughter, but it didn't come. Lils looked very resigned to the sentence and seemed to actually agree with it. She nodded sadly in her spot on her dad's bed. "Okay daddy." Lily looked at her mom, "Can we go home so I can get started?"

Ginny seemed genuinely surprised by the attitude her daughter was taking (as was I. Although maybe she did feel like she was getting just rewards for her actions). "Umm. Sure Lily," she said. "There's just one more thing we need to discuss with your father. Harry we need to talk about Remus." Ah, so this was what I was brought in for – because they needed to talk about me (what did they need to say in regards to me though?). "When I went to get these two this morning, I found …"

That was the farthest Mrs. Potter got though, because at that moment Lily had bolted up, hands stretched out and yelled, "Mommy No!" I, needless to say, was kind of shocked by this reaction. Then it hit me. Ginny wanted to talk about our 'compromising position' in the bed. My legs just about gave out when I realized this and Mr. Potter's warning words from the night before came clearly to my mind: 'Oh and another thing. If your eyes come close to seeing Lily naked again, I would watch your back because I will be there and it won't be pretty.'

I was dead. I was so very dead. Mr. Potter was looking confused, glancing from his daughter to his wife. Then his eyes traveled the distance to me and saw the fear that had to be apparent on my face. It only seemed to take him a second to process before he was sitting up very straight and grabbing his wand from the bedside table. Lily jumped in front of her father yelling again, "Daddy No! It's not what you think!"

"Than what is it?" Mr. Potter's face was in a very frighteningly angry scowl.

"It's my fault. Not Remmie's. Take it out on me."

"Ginny take Remus home. I'm about to have a serious talk with my daughter."

Mrs. Potter nodded and then strode out of the room. I couldn't follow her fast enough. I hated to leave Lily alone in there but I was perfectly aware that she could handle her father. In fact she could probably handle him better without me there.

My mother and father seemed to be waiting for me when Mrs. Potter and I arrived at my house. They were trying to pull off scary angry faces, but only partially succeeding because, let's admit it, my parents can't get that scary (not like those Potters at any rate). Nonetheless I was still kind of frightened as to what my sentence would be (Lily's was a week and that was bad enough).

"Ginny," my mother said courteously, nodding at Mrs. Potter.

"Ginny," said my dad, throwing her a quick grin.

Then my parents turned their full attention on me. My father beckoned for me to come forward while my mother led Mrs. Potter back to the fireplace making small talk and thanking her for bringing me back home. My dad led me into the living room with a firm grasp on my shoulder. He sat me down on the center of the couch and crossed his arms. When my mom entered the living room and came to stand by my dad in front of me I knew I was going to get a Talk.

I decided to cut the head off this particular snake before it could bite me (in other words: I was sick of getting told what I did wrong when I perfectly well knew). "Mom," I said. "Dad. I am sorry about what went down, but I had to be loyal to Lily. She's my best friend and frankly I don't even know what we were thinking. Still I know what we did was wrong and I'm willing to take whatever I have coming." I bowed my head and threw out my arms (always a dramatic persona). "Give it to me."

I glanced up quick to see that my parent's frowns had only grown. Apparently they had wanted very much to give me the Talk and I had stolen that chance from them. "This is a very serious matter, son," said my dad sternly.

"I know dad."

"Well than take it like it is!"

"I am taking it seriously, but I know what I did wrong and I just want to skip to the punishment part of the Talk."

"Fine, as you wish," said my mom (who is really just too much of a softy, too much of a Hufflepuff, to be argumentative).

My dad took over, "You are grounded for ten days. That means no leaving your room, none of your muggle things, no talking to your friends, nothing. Also if you pull this stunt again, you will be kicked out of the DA. This is not the behavior we expect from you. All you pranks at school and the things you do there are one thing, but this time you broke the law!"

"We are very disappointed in you," added my mother.

I wasn't surprised with what I got, but it still irritated me that my dad would make that threat about the DA. Dumbledore's Army was a huge and very important part of my life. He couldn't take it away from me. But then again, he probably could. I guess I'll have to behave (or at least keep my wrongdoing secret) in the future. Ten days though! No Lils for ten days. It's gonna kill me. She only got grounded for a week, but then again she got her considerable allowance taken away (that really isn't an option for me 'cause I don't get an allowance to begin with).

Taking my parent's silence as my cue to leave, I stood up and hung my head. I walked out of the living room and to my room to begin my punishment.

A/N: So this chapter was just kind of a filler chapter and the next one might be too (I'll have to wait and see where it ends up). But after that I'm pretty sure I'll hit a major plot point (I'll let you stir over that one). Reviews are to a writer as a high price cognac is to an alchoholic. Please give this writer his bottle!
--Chris