Hermione snuggled against the warm body behind her. She kept her eyes shut and breathed in the musky scent of Remus, content to just enjoy this moment a while longer. It was quickly becoming a morning ritual, she would wake and just lie happily against Remus before finally convincing herself to get out of bed and start the day. She didn't know if he was even aware that she did it or if he just slept through it, presuming she woke and got up straight away.

Some mornings she would stare at him, tracing old scars and noticing how much softer, calmer his face seemed when he slept. The stresses of work and his lycanthropy didn't crease his face and it made him look about ten years younger. She didn't know if she liked the smoother, younger Remus. She was so used to his harsh face; sometimes the calm one seemed foreign to her. She rolled over quickly, just catching Remus quickly closing his eyes.

"You big faker," Hermione accused, rolling over so she was straddling him on their bed.

"You're the one who spends your morning staring at me," Remus said laughing. He ran his hand up her thighs, taking her nightdress with his hands.

Hermione found a new favourite face; happy sleepy Remus. His hair was mussed and his eyes were still sleepy but his smile and his laughter filled the room and positively warmed Hermione from her head to her toes. She leaned forward to kiss him, steadying herself with her hands either side of his head while his roamed freely over her backside.

Down the hall someone started the shower and Hermione groaned, hating for the first time, living in the crowded Burrow. Given, it wasn't so crowded now that Harry had moved out into a little cottage, getting it ready for when he and Ginny married. He'd basically kidnapped Ginny in the middle of the night and taken her on a moonlit broom ride, apologising profusely and begging her to marry him. No one had said anything about the first failed proposal the next morning when Harry and Ginny had shown up at breakfast together, the large diamond shining from her finger. Harry had simply mouthed 'thank you' to Hermione over the shoulders of the Weasley's fighting to embrace the couple. She had winked at him and continued to eat her bacon.

"We better get up," Hermione said, stroking Remus' grey hair off his face. "The boys are having an early Quidditch match and everyone is going."

"We are?" Remus asked, still exploring Hermione's body with his hands, making her squirm though she tried to keep her face calm. "Where was I when this was decided?"

"I do believe you were-" Hermione gasped as Remus hit a particularly sensitive spot before continuing. "You were arguing with Sirius about something."

Remus' hands stilled as he recalled the conversation he had had with Sirius the previous night.

FLASHBACK

"No," Sirius whispered furiously. He was at the Weasley's for dinner yet again and though no one could hear their conversation over the many voices, he whispered.

"Not six months ago you were begging me to move in with you, why is it so different now?" Remus demanded. He'd asked Sirius if he could move into Grimmauld Place but Sirius had flat out refused.

"Because that was when it was just you, now you come as a package."

Remus made a face, "So, what? You don't like Hermione all of a sudden?"

Sirius turned to him and leaned close to whisper in his friend's ear.

"I don't want to have to ask her to leave when you break up with her. If you leave , I don't want to have to pick up the pieces. I don't want to see how much you hurt her."

Remus was confused as to why Sirius held the continued belief that he was going to hurt Hermione.

"I make Hermione happy, I'm not going to hurt her," Remus said. Sirius sighed and gestured out the door. Soon he and Remus were standing in the privacy of the garden.

"She deserves the world, Remus. She deserves I love you's and a house of her own. She deserves to be with a young man who can give all that to her, not an old werewolf who doesn't realise when it's time to let go and settle down. Do you know that is what she wants? She wants to settle down; she wants kids and a stable life. You can't give her those things." Sirius ranted ardently, throwing his hands around to emphasise his point.

"You mean you can't," Remus said, comprehension dawning on him. "That's it, isn't it? You want to give her all those things but don't think your…worthy. So you can't stand that someone in exactly the same situation as you has her when you can't."

Sirius scoffed, "You've lost it Moony. I care about her as a friend. I care that you can't control yourself around the full moon. I care that you might hurt her. I care that she cares too much!" Sirius took a step towards and forcibly turned Remus to face the window where they could see Hermione laughing while doing the dishes. "She wants to save the world, one poor downtrodden creature at a time. That's all she sees you as, Remus; someone who needs to be saved. She's naively fallen for the romance of being in love with a werewolf. Someday you may get your act together, buy her that cosy little home she longs for, give her a whole brood of werewolf cubs and tell her you love her but what then? Will she still want you when you no longer need saving?"

Remus didn't say anything, just continued to stare into the house.

"She needs someone she can love for who they are, not what," Sirius continued. "She needs a man, a young man who can make her see that the world isn't all about work and career and achievement. She needs someone who will take care of her, not the other way around. And while you are still a werewolf you are a walking billboard that screams 'save me!'"

"That doesn't change the fact that you want her too," Remus said, tearing his vision away from Hermione.

Sirius however continued to look at her, contemplating Remus' words and what to say in response.

"No it doesn't," he said finally. "But I know better."

END FLASHBACK

"Remus?" Hermione said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Remus!"

He shook his head and stared up at Hermione, surprised to find her still sitting on him.

"What?"

"The Quidditch match," she reminded him. "We better get ready."

"Oh, right," Remus said, following her down to the bathroom, his mind still on his conversation with Sirius. He couldn't help the creeping feeling that Sirius was right.

"Hermione," he said suddenly. They stopped outside the bathroom.

"Yeah?" she asked innocently, turning back to him.

"I – I can't do this."

"It's just a shower Remus. I know you wolves don't like to get wet but it's a necessary part of life."

"No," Remus shook his head. "I can't do this." He gestured between them. He could tell the exact moment she realised what he meant because her face suddenly fell.

Her eyes teared and she shook her head in anger and sadness.

"Sirius said you would do this," she said, her voice barely audible but Remus understood every word.

"Of course he did," Remus laughed bitterly.

Hermione just stood there, one hand on the bathroom door handle, the other hanging limply by her side.

"I'm going to go," Remus said finally when neither made a move to leave or say any more.

"Where?" Hermione asked. He hadn't said move out but Hermione knew that's what he meant.

"I don't know but I'm making okay money at the ministry. I should be able to find something."

Hermione nodded, tears flowing steadily down her cheeks though she made no move to wipe them away.

"I'll let you know I'm okay when I settle in," he said. He made to embrace her but Hermione stepped back quickly and Remus let his hands fall to his sides.

"I'm sor-"

"Don't. Just – just go," Hermione commanded, the disappointment and resignation clear in her voice. She wasn't even going to fight for him.

Remus nodded and headed back to their room. With a flick of his wand his few possessions flew into a trunk. He grabbed it and not bothering to dress practically ran from the room. He couldn't stay there a second longer, couldn't test his resolve like that. He ignored Arthur and Molly's surprised cries and determinedly marched out of the house, past the wards and apparated away.

A/N I expect lots of reviews demanding they get back together! Was Sirius' point clear or was it just a bunch of waffle? I re-wrote it a heap of times but couldn't quite get it right...