I am so eager to see the story developing. I know some of you are wondering where the Law is. But the Law is merely one of the many cards that life deals Hermione and Remus. So hold your breath, and keep reading!

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Hermione Granger lay in bed, thinking. She was dreaming quite a lot these days. It had been a week since she and Remus made up in the library. Made out was more like it, she thought, amused. She'd come up from the common room to get something, but then fallen back on the bed thinking about that wonderful week.

She and Remus hadn't been able to talk freely. Whenever they had a conversation, it always seemed to be in the presence of someone else. But they shared secret smiles, and exchanged glances that no one else caught. He'd asked her however, to come by his office tomorrow, so that they could talk. He suggested, even a tad shyly, that maybe they could have dinner together. She'd laughed to see him blush so hard,and had agreed.

I can't wait till evening, she thought. We have so much to talk about.

Hermione was curious about the turn-around he had had between their first kiss and the second. Wondering what made him change his mind about liking her, she headed back down to her homework.

At that very moment, Harry was with Lupin. Lupin had explained that he was drowning under paperwork. He'd always been able to manage the corrections and homeowork, but just barely. And this year, as there were more students, he was feeling the stress. He'd been guiding Harry in correcting the first-years home works and assignments the past week.

"Just trust your instinct, Harry."

"But what if I give them a grade less than they deserve? Or even more?"

"You won't.", Remus said convincingly.

Harry snorted. "Never thought the day would come when I'd be correcting first-year answer sheets."

Lupin looked worried, "It's not too much work, is it? Are you neglecting your homework, Harry?"

"No."

Harry then have him a sly grin, and said, "Hermione does most of my homework anyway. This just gives me a proper reason to ask her."

Remus tried to give him an admonishing glare, and failed. "I used to do most of Sirius' homework too. But he stilled passed his tests with flying colours."

The two of them smiled at each other, and Remus said, "You know, I've got a photo of that somewhere.", and he walked up to the closet Harry had been cleaning the other day. He didn't catch the guilty look that crossed Harry's face, as his back was turned. He emerged from the closet with a scrapbook, and opening it to a particular page, showed a photo to Harry.

There, sprawled on the floor in the common room in front of the fire, was, Sirius and James. Peter was on the couch, fiddling with his wand. Sirius and James were shoving each other around. And with a chuckle, Lupin pointed at the background. There was a table piled with books and parchment, and behind it all, you could just make out Remus Lupin, writing feverishly.

Harry looked simultaneously both horrified and amused. Finally, his amusement won out and he burst into laughter, holding his stomach.

Then his laughter faded to a gentle smile, and he fingered the photo gently.

"How did you guys sneak in the camera?"

"We bought one at Hogsmeade. Sirius was all for talking photos of us in Animagi form, but James wouldn't allow it"

There was a comfortable silence.

"Who's that?"

Harry was pointing at a photo of Sirius with a pretty girl. She had shoulder length brown hair. It looked a little messy, but she carried it off well. Sirius had his hands around her, but the girl kept looking around, as if she were slightly uncomfortable having her photo taken.

Remus said, "Nobody you know. A- an old girlfriend of Sirius'. Look at the photo before that, that's Hagrid in the suit...for James' and Lily's wedding."

Harry laughed, "I don't have that one in my scrapbook."

Remus said thoughtfully, "Say, Harry, how's Hermione these days?"

Harry set down the book and turned to him. "You mean because of the Australia thing?"

Remus nodded.

"Since you took her to the Ministry, she seems a bit more hopeful when she talks about them, yet a bit more worried at the same time."

"Makes sense."

"But the last week... she's been different. I catch her sometimes staring off into space, and she isn't around all the time. But I'm not very worried. I think she's just spending more time with Ginny, and sometimes Hagrid. She seems happier than she did at the start of the term."

Remus tried to keep his face blank, and looked at his watch. "Oh, look at the time. You can leave, now, Harry. See you on Tuesday."

"Bye, Remus."

"And Harry, thank you for helping me."

Hermione Granger was walking quickly down the corridor, trying to hide her shoes. They weren't the ones she wore to class, and she hoped nobody would notice. She had on her robe just in case.

Hermione wondered how the evening would be. He'd just said they would be having dinner. She had gone ahead and assumed it was meant to be a date, and she had worn a dress, and brushed her hair. She ducked into the alcove Remus and she had been in earlier, and took of her robe. She folded it and left it there to retrieve later, and stepped out and walked to his door. She knocked.

The door opened an inch, and Remus looked out. "Hermione?", he said. He sounded surprised not to see her, but rather on seeing her. He stepped back, and she entered.

He looked at her closely. She was wearing a blue knee-length dress. It was very simple, with a huge white flower on her hip whose petals splashed across the dress. She had her hair pinned back, they fell loose. And she was wearing white slippers that laced up till her ankles.

He looked up at her again, and saw she looked a little embarassed. He said, at once, "You're looking beautiful"

She blushed, but said, "Hello to you too, Remus."

He chuckled, and some of the tension fell.

He led her to his room, and then went to the far end, where she saw another door she hadn't noticed before. She said, "Wow, how big is your suite?"

He smiled, and said, "Not very. With this, you've seen it all." Then they entered the other room, and she tried not to gasp.

The room had been sparsely but tastefully decorated. One wall had a painting of the Golden Gate bridge, but it was so life-like, and real, they might have been in America for all she knew. Set to one side of the room was a table for two, and it was piled with platters. Though they were covered, she could guess that it was the dinner. In the opposite corner of the room, stood a gramophone so old she didn't know if it would even play.

He took her to the table, and after they were seated, he said, "Well? It's..." He looked a little nervous. "It's not too much is it?"

She glanced up at him. "Ofcourse not. I just...I don't know where to begin. It's wonderful, Lupin."

Then she began to laugh. "What is it?", he asked her curiously.

She said, "When I came here, I wondered if the dress was too much. I can see that we are worried about similar things."

Then he looked serious, and said, "Hermione...I- I would like to get to know you. I think...I think I like you, and I want to know for sure."

He stopped, looking a little self-conscious. She was blushing slightly, and nodded. "I feel the same way."

He said, "I was afraid you'd find the decorations...", he waved at the room, "...to resemble a...ahem, date."

At the last word, he shot her a weird look she couldn't decipher.

She looked surprised. "You mean... that's not what this is?" She looked down at her lap, unable to meet his eyes, and trying to figure out how he could have meant this dinner to be, if not as a date.

He said softly, "Hermione."

She didn't look up. "Look at me." She reluctantly met his eyes.

"I want this to be a date. And if you want it too, then that's what it shall be."

She gave him a tentative smile again, and he got them two plates, and spooned food onto them. They conversed back and forth as they ate, she telling him the tiny things that happen in all classrooms in a boarding-school, and he about the students he taught, and what happened in them.

There was a comfortable silence as she was fighting with the shell of a crab with her knife, and he watched her carefully, amused.

She had her tongue between her teeth, lips pouting, and her hair had come undone from the pin and fell over her eyes. She brushed it back with the back of her fist impatiently, still battling with the shell. He felt a heat shoot through him, and he realised he wanted to stay watching her like this.

She looked up suddenly, and found his eyes on her. He made no attempt to divert his glance, and she said, "You've changed."

"I have?"

"Yes. One day you're all, 'I'll go get us some drinks.'" She said the line in a low grunt, in a good imitation of his voice. "And then you don't turn up for an hour. And another day, you corner me in the library and tell me you want to get to know me better."

His eyes gleamed at the mention of him cornering her in the library. She caught the look, and gave him a sly grin, but then waited for him to speak.

He cleared his throat, and looked more self-conscious than she had ever seen. He said, "I liked you the moment I saw you step out of the telephone booth in London."

Her eyes widened and she looked at him, astonished.

"And at the concert, that was amazing." Though he didn't say the word, she knew he meant the kiss. She smiled at how embarassed he still sounded.

"But I thought it was wrong, and I couldn't get my mind off it. I felt guilty, and ashamed for taking advantage of the situation because I had a crush on you."

"However, that weekend, I couldn't get you off my mind. I was supposed to move on, and forget the kiss, or feel bad about it forever. But every time I ran into you...I found something new to like, and wanted to be your friend."

"One thing led to the other, and here we are."

She smiled at him. "So you won't back off the next time I try to kiss you?", she asked.

"Did I back off the last time?", he asked.

She looked down to her lap again, unable to meet his darkened eyes.

They finished the rest of the dinner in silence.

He waved his wand over the table once he was satisfied that she was done eating. He stood up, and came over to her, and stuck out his hand. She wondered for a moment if he wanted to shake hands, but he said, "Dance?"

She looked surprised, and stood. "Does that even play?", she said, shooting a weird look at the gramophone.

He pretended to be offended. "Hey. That was a gift from my parents. Ofcourse it still works."

She laughed, and she put her hands on his shoulder. He put her hands on his waist, and his eyes seemed to mist. There was a long pause, then Hermione's voice said, meekly, "Remus?"

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "Huh?"

She nodded subtly to the gramophone. "The music? You..um..haven't switched it on."

She tried to hide a grin. He shook his head exasperatedly, and went over to it and fiddled with the knobs.

He dashed back to her, and they began to dance. She looked surprised. "Bryan Adams?"

He nodded. She was thinking, Whatever I expected, I did NOT expect a slow dance with Remus Lupin. To All For Love.

Wisps of the song floated around them, and she marveled at how smoothly they moved together. Trying to keep her thoughts off what they had been doing when last they had been so close, she said, "When was the last time you danced?"

His face was blank, but she noticed how his hands tightened on her hips. He said in an emotionless voice, "At my wedding."

She froze for a moment, then forced her feet to move. Stupid, Stupid, me!, she told herself.

She continued softly, "And before that?"

He relaxed visibly, and a wistful look came over his face. "James' and Lily's wedding."

She smiled up at him. "Who did you dance with?"

He grinned at her. "Lily, ofcourse. Sirius and I were the ones who danced with her the most after James. Everybody was complaining that we three 'monopolised' the bride."

She giggled. "Figures."

"And Mrs. Potter. She and I had a way of hitting it off on the dance floor. " Hermione gave him an amused look."Really?"

"Yes. It was like we had had a lot of practice, though we didn't. Kind of like you and me now, really." And he leaned forward so that her head rested on his shoulders.

She stepped back, and looked mockingly at him. "Is that your idea of a romantic line? I dance like Harry Potter's grandmother?"

He chuckled. "I guess not."

There was a silence and words from the gramophone wafted around them...

Let the one you hold be the one you wa-ant...the one you nee-eed...

They danced in the half-light, Hermione still trying to believe she was here, dancing with Remus Lupin.

And he was trying to enjoy the moment, pushing the worries he had to the back of his mind to deal with later.

He said, in a low voice, "I really like you, Hermione."

She smiled up at him, unable to make out his eyes in the darkness. She was going to say, "I like you too", when there was a muffled sound, far away.

Remus immediately pulled back, and listened intently. Hermione listened too, but she could hear nothing. Then there was another small sound, and Remus said, "Somebody's knocking on my office door."

Hermione looked panicked. He stepped away from her, saying, "Don't worry. I can shut the bedroom door and no-one will know you are here."

She nodded. He led her to the next room, and then stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

Settling herself on the edge of his bed, she looked around at his room. She noticed there were a lot of books, and wood figurines. On the mantelpiece were a photo. It was of a middle-aged couple. Looking closely, she noticed that the lady had Remus' eyes. His parents!, she thought. Then she chided herself for being so surprised. Ofcourse Remus had parents.

Then she wandered over to the shelves, wondering how long whoever it was would occupy Lupin.

He shut the bedroom door behind him and entered his office. He called, "Come in!", and the door opened and Minerva stepped in, looking flustered and a few hairs coming out of her bun on top of her head.

"Minerva," he said. "What's wrong?"

She clasped her hands together as she often did, and said, in a worried tone, "Remus. The Wizengamot meeting. It is tomorrow."

"What? It cannot be...unless..."

"They moved it up. So that we shall have no time to find our feet. Flitwick is leaving tonight. I am needed here, but there is work to be done."

Remus nodded, understanding. "How can I help?"

Minerva said, "I need to get word to Kingsley. He already knows about the change of date, no doubt, but it is crucial that this not fall into the wrong hands. Also find out who will be the attorney of defense tomorrow." And she handed Remus an Envelope. He recognised the blue cover at once.

"I shall leave at once," he said, shooting a glance to his bedroom door that Minerva did not catch.

She said, "I have sent word to Miss Granger to be ready for tomorrow."

She left the room, and Remus sighed. Then he headed back to Hermione.

Review!

What do you think of their first date!?