Disclaimer – I am disclaiming the works of the Potterverse as not being of my own creation, in any which way, excluding the plot of said story that is currently in progress.

Granger Danger

"Ready to go, love?"

"Just another minu-" Hermione slammed the door shut with her foot as he turned the knob to open it, "No! Don't come in! I'm not done!"

He chuckled and held his hands up in the air, "Okay, okay. No need to get aggressive. Sorry."

He walked back into his room and gave himself a once over. This was an important dinner. And they both knew where it led their relationship. His nerves had spiked like never before. Here was this gorgeous, young, intelligent woman, on the other side of the wall, dressing herself up for him. He had never thought he'd come to this stage in his life, standing in his room, relaxed, content – giddy. He was wearing a crisp white shirt over fitted black jeans, and a slim-fit black coat to match. He wore dragonskin Oxfords that were a deep maroon in color, beautiful, but shoes he never had the chance to wear before. They had been a gift from Padfoot, and after the night in the Department of Mysteries, he had promised himself to save it for a special occasion, a night where he would need the strength his friend offered. Tonight was definitely special.

He ran a hand through his hair and walked out of his room, to wait in the hall. Leaning against the wall, he let his head rest back, closing his eyes. He had prepared for this date long and hard. He wanted to prove that he could give her what she wanted from life. He could give her more than that. She deserved it. But even then, his breath hitched, and doubt clouded him. He had never been sure of himself. He had never been confident in his ability to give a relationship everything, the way his friends did. There was a part of him that was a monster; a part that he never wanted anyone to see. He had hurt people before, and breaking the walls he had built to cage the wolf would only put his loved ones in danger. Hermione had already come too close for comfort. He had almost done exactly what he feared the most. Could he be everything she needed him to be? He didn't know. But he was going to try.

He heard the door creak open and opened his eyes to see her standing there, taking one tentative step at time towards him. Remus could smell the soft scent of apples radiating from her, and he didn't know what was more enticing, the way she looked, or the way she smelled. He stared at her, mesmerized at what the right dress and a little accentuation of her features could do. Pushing himself off the wall, he reached her, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"You look radiant."

Remus could have thought of a thousand words to describe her, and radiant did not even come close to expressing his feelings. He wanted to hold her and tell her how extraordinary she was; how lucky he was. He had never had anything in his life that he held as dear to him as he did family. The Marauders had become a part of that family, and over the past year, Hermione had too. She had an effect on him that no woman had seemed to have. She made him feel special. She made him feel like he deserved more from life than what he had resigned himself to. He was in danger of falling too hard too fast, and she would be the cause of it. After everything he had lost, he could not fuck this up. He could not let himself scare her away. He was definitely in trouble, when it came to her.

Hermione smiled shyly, hooking her arm into his extended one, and let him lead her out of the flat. They side-along apparated to a dark alley, and he stopped for a second, checking to make sure she was okay, before walking her out onto the street. It was chilly out, something she had foolishly not prepared for, and her hair whipped around her face as the wind chilled her exposed legs. She was wearing a new skirt she had bought, Monny Rose on Canvas, which reached just above her knees. It fit her waist, giving it a slim look, but fanned out as it fell. She had paired it with a fitted back top, with lace sleeves that did little to protect her from the cold. But they didn't walk too far before they arrived at their destination.

As they reached a set of wooden doors that were decorated with the most intricately carved floral patterns, a man dressed in formal attire held the door open for them, directing them to the host.

"Welcome to Wardah."

Hermione gasped as she took in the restaurant. There were tables spread across the space, and private booths lining the walls, surrounding a small stage and a dance floor. The whole place was designed to look like it was carved into a tree, as if you were sitting inside its bark. Branches and vines extended out from the ceiling and walls, covered in beautiful, plump roses. This was a place designed specifically for a romantic night out. The lighting was dim, giving the whole room an air of sensuality, the scent of roses hanging over them, thick, intoxicating, but not over-powering. All she heard was the sound of cutlery and hushed voices around her. Remus gave the host his name, and they were directed to a small booth, where their server handed them menus and a small bell that was charmed to alert him whenever they rang it if they needed him.

After spending months in each other's company, and the past few days in each other's arms, it should not have been this difficult for them to find something to say to each other, but here and now, neither could find the words. Remus stared at her, hair pinned behind an ear, pushed to one side, as she played with the strands, twirling them around her finger, while she read the menu.

"Oh! It's a Lebanese place!"

"Yes. I don't know if you've had Lebanese food before, so I thought you might want to try it."

Hermione smiled, "I have always wanted to try it."

Silence fell again, and they broke eye contact, both looking back down at their menus. They took their time, making small talk about the food, until they finally decided, and placed their orders.

Why is it so difficult to talk to her?

You talk to her at home all the damn time!

Remus cleared his throat, "Uhh – you know… Wardah means 'Rose' in Arabic," and from there they delved into Lebanese culture, hopping from topic to topic, relaxing and falling into their easy habits. And they didn't stop even after their food had come and gone. He marveled at how easy it was to just sit and talk to her. They didn't have to be doing anything special; all they needed was each other's company and that was enough to keep them busy. But he wanted to make this night special. He didn't want it to be like any ordinary night; which is exactly why he stood up, and extended his hand to her, requesting a dance. Hermione smiled nervously, and walked over to the dance floor, where he wrapped one arm around her waist, the other interlacing his fingers with hers.

The cool melody of Amr Diab's 'Osad Einy' echoed around them as they swayed slowly from side to side.

"I don't know what the song means, but it sounds so beautiful."

Hermione looked up at him, to find his eyes piercing into her, "It is beautiful. It is one of my favourite Arabic songs."

She rested her head against his chest, listening to the foreign words make her feel things she didn't understand.

"There is something between us… even if we are far away from each other."

Remus dipped his head low, whispering in her ear.

"I can't give you up, no matter what… I can't handle the days alone. And every night, even when I sleep, you're in front of my eyes, you're everywhere."

"You're in front of my eyes…" Hermione sighed deeply, realizing what he was saying – telling her the meaning of the song, of each word, and the emotions it held, "You're everywhere."

She lifted her head to look up at him again, only to be met with petals that had begun to fall from the roses that hung above them. And in that moment, dancing under a rain of rose petals, he kissed her, softly at first, and then more urgently. She clutched the lapels of his coat, pulling him down to her, and it took every fiber in his being to break away from her. Letting go of her waist, still holding onto her hand, he guided her out of the restaurant and into the alley they had apparated into. Pulling her into a hug, he apparated them back home, and Hermione unlocked the door, shutting it behind them, before he lifted her into his arms, and carried her into the living room. He laid her down onto the couch, never letting his lips break from hers, and pressed his chest into hers, the urgency of their passion driving them to the point of no return.

"But – Remus…"

He stopped immediately, moving back, looking down at her, questioning and worried.

"W-what about the check?"

Remus dropped his head in relief, planting a heavy kiss on her lips, and grinning, "You scared me for a moment! You pick the worst times to think of the silliest things. Do I look like a dine and dash kind of a man to you? You wound me Mrs. Lupin."

Hermione laughed, but despite the humor in his tone, she felt a shiver run up her spine when he called her Mrs. Lupin. She kissed him again, and all other thoughts left their minds, the only remaining ones commanding them to touch, to feel, to push against each other fervently, trying to get closer, but never being close enough. He shrugged off his coat, letting his arms roam freely. Remus weaved his fingers through her hair, undoing her pins, letting her hair frame her face, loose curls covering a neck he so dearly wanted to run his tongue all over. He ran his hands over her body, caressing her, creating heat wherever he touched, singeing her skin. He pulled her shirt up, untucking it, and let his hands slide under it, fingers grazing the lace of her bra, teasing, but not touching. She arched her back up, silently wanting, trying to push him to go further, touch her like she hadn't been touched for far too long, and he obeyed. His palms pressed against her breasts through the thin lace, squeezing, kneading, pinching, making her moan.

Gone was their playfulness, and it was replaced by a desire so hot that it made her body thrum. Remus tugged at her shirt, and she lifted her arms, letting him pull it off her, tossing it aside, forgotten somewhere. His tongue ran down her neck, tracing her collarbone. He spread kisses between her chest, licking up the mounds, biting at her nipples one at a time, through the material. She arched her back up again and he slid his arm under her, finding the hooks of her bra and undoing them. He pulled the article off her roughly, and for a moment she reverted back, becoming conscious of how bare she lay in front of him. He kissed her as deeply as he could, easing her mouth open, easing her shoulders down, allowing her to release her tension, and become comfortable with him. It didn't take Hermione long to let go of her stiffness, and once she was open to him again, he pinched her nipple, rolling it between his fingers.

Remus moved down her body again, taking a breast in his mouth, sucking at the skin, biting her taut buds one after the other. He let his hands wander down her body, and under her skirt, rubbing the inside of her thighs. He repeated his torture, inching teasingly close before backing away. Hermione unzipped her skirt, and he pulled it down her legs, letting it drop to the floor. She lay under him, clad only in black lace panties, and heels, and he had never seen anything more erotic. She felt his bulge through his jeans and the need to feel his skin against hers threatened to overwhelm her. Feeling a little more confident, she pushed her hips up against his, rubbing him in all the right places, and he moaned in response. She didn't know what felt faster, their movements, or her heartbeat, but she was swept up by the inferno what they were feeling, and the rush was achingly amazing. Wrapping her legs around his hips, hands streaming through his hair, she pulled him down with all her force, and he let her. He grabbed onto her back, bringing himself to stand, and carried her into his room, dropping her onto his bed, only to climb on top of her. He attacked her lips again, hands running up and down her body restlessly, and she groaned in protest, making him slow down.

It was all she could do to spit word after word through breathy moans, "You… are wearing too much."

Her complaint was all it took for Remus to unbutton his shirt, while she removed his belt, unzipping his jeans. She used her heels to push his jeans off him, and he let out a sigh, one part relief, one part arousal. She could see the bulge in through his boxer briefs, pushing against the material, and it excited her to know that she had caused it.

I turn him on. I do.

He thinks I'm a turn on…

Her boost in self-confidence gave her a different kind of excitement, one she channeled into boldness. Hermione slipped a hand between them, and rubbed the outside of his boxers, feeling the hardness grow with every touch, and pulled his waistband, letting it snap back onto his hips. He broke their kiss for a moment, looking at her, surprised to find a spritely look in her eyes. She bit her lips as she began to slide her hand under his waistband, and didn't know whether it was the biting or her hand that made him let out the low growl that he did. He could smell the wetness between her legs, and the sweat on her forehead, interlaced with the fruity scent of apples, and it made her seem the most tantalizing mix of innocent and feisty.

She heard him let out an almost inaudible gasp as her hand reached his hardness, and he crashed his lips down on hers, stiffening his hips in anticipation. Hermione let her fingers run down the length of him, stroking him gently. She shifted his boxer briefs off his waist and let him kick them off, and freed him from its constraints. She stroked his shaft as it sprung up once it was set loose, her fingers grazing the smooth skin of the tip, making him shake. Remus did not know how this gorgeous vixen had ended up in his bed, touching him in amazing ways, but he didn't really want to question it, so he let himself go, and let himself feel.

He shifted his weight on his knees, creating distance between them. Looking down at her almost naked body made him quiver in anticipation, and he smirked, when he caught her staring at him.

"You… are wearing too much." He used her own words on her, grinning devilishly as he lowered himself down, sliding her panties off her painfully slowly, leaving kisses down her leg, and then back up her body, until he reached her face again. His hands remained low, one caressing her breast while the other pulled her knee up, spreading her legs open for him. He let his fingers wander down between them, and finally touched her. She was wet, and his fingers gently rubbing the soft lips of her opening only made her body ache more than it already did. She pressed her hips down, into his fingers, and he ran a thumb across her clit, flicking it, and watching her whole body pulse when he did. He flicked it again, harder this time, rubbing it in circles as her hands clenched the sheets on the bed in ecstasy. Stroking her folds up and down, letting his fingers drench themselves, he eased her open, sliding a finger in at first, and then another. He pumped them slowly, in and out, hearing her moan and writhe under him, her breathing growing heavy. Her reactions only made him pump faster, pushing her clit with his thumb, bringing her closer and closer to the edge, only to back away.

Hermione groaned in protest, shaking with need, "Remus… don't stop," she pulled his hand away from her legs, but kept them spread, arching her hips up so that his tip stroked her wet heat, teasing him, tempting him, "Don't you want to be inside me?"

She looked at him with lusty eyes and it was all the permission he needed. He muttered a spell and positioned himself above her, giving her a soft, sensual kiss as he eased himself into her waiting body. The slick heat that enveloped his shaft drove him near insane.

"Ohhh, you are so tight, love."

Remus shut his eyes, bringing his hips back, and then pounding deep into her, slow but hard. Her head pushed back into the bed, lips parting in hot, husky sighs. He pulled back again, thrusting into her with force, and she let her hands grab his butt, trying to bring him deeper inside her.

He gave her a few more slow thrusts, taking his time, before she began to squirm, "Faster…" He obeyed her command, picking up speed, but trying to keep control.

"Remus…" his name on her lips, escaping as moans, while he plunged into her, made him more and more aroused, "Faster!" Her fingers dug into his skin and he was more than happy to oblige.

He picked up his pace, pounding into her faster and harder, her noises getting louder, as their skin slapped against each other in a sexy, smoldering frenzy.

"So close… Remus…" As his movements grew faster, so did her breathing, and she wrapped her legs around him, trying to bring them together, her insides squeezing his length.

"I'm coming, baby. Come with me," Remus brought his hand down to her clit, flicking it again and again in rhythm with his thrusts, "Come with me, Hermione."

He gave her one last, hard pound and came into her, the force and warmth sending her over the edge with him. For a moment they remained that way, letting their juices spill out, releasing their bodies from the high they had been in, until Remus' body came down on hers. Hermione stroked his back, and allowed him to release his weight onto her completely, as he tried to regulate his breathing. She let her body relax under his, feeling his cock throbbing inside her still, beginning its own descent. After regaining a bit of her composure, Hermione silently summoned her wand, and cast a cleaning spell on them.

Remus lifted his head up from the crook of her neck. He pulled himself out of her, leaning to the side, propping himself up on his elbow. Stroking her face, he couldn't resist the urge to kiss her again.

"You're wonderful."

He saw her shyness returning, and began to kiss her across her face, starting from her nose, to her cheeks, tracing her jawline.

"Are you okay? I didn't want to be too hard on you."

Hermione knew he was concerned; he was always concerned, and she placed a reassuring hand on his chest, patting it gently.

"I'm perfectly fine. And you were perfect."

He sighed in relief, turning to lie on his back. He stretched his arm out, and she rest her head on it, letting her body drape across his chest.

Giggling, she turned her head to him, "Can you bring me in on what's funny?"

Hermione nodded, "Do I have your permission to take my shoes off now?"

A grin broke out on his face as he looked to her feet, "I'm not sure about that Mrs. Lupin. You look like quite the minx wearing just your little heels," Remus gave her a peck and got up, moving to her feet. He undid the straps, and slid the shoes off, kissing her ankles. Setting the shoes aside, he returned to his spot, and she rested on his strong chest again, their naked bodies sharing warmth, as the two tired souls passed out in each other's embrace.