Please read disclaimer in the first 3 chapters.

Christmas Eve came quickly. The Burrow had been packed with people, but now, silence enveloped the place as the inhabitants slept, tired from all the happenings of the night.

A peck at the window woke a sleeping Hermione. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her surroundings. There, outside the window, was an owl. She wracked her brain, thinking about who would be sending a letter so early in the morning on Christmas. Her thoughts were interrupted when the owl pecked the window again.

She groaned. She couldn't think of anyone, but decided to see whose letter it was.

She opened the window and felt the cold breeze brush through her. The owl moved past her and offered the letter attached to his leg. She immediately got the letter and the owl soon flew out the window. Whoever this sender was, he/she didn't exactly want a reply, she thought drowsily as she closed the window again.

Hermione went to sit on her bed, opened and read the roll of parchment.

Hermione,

Good morning, love. I'm sorry to have woken you. I know it's still early and I just saw you last night but I couldn't wait. I'm ecstatic to see you again. Could you meet me as soon as you've had your breakfast? You could join me for breakfast if you want, but I doubt Molly would allow you to leave without one.

I'll see you outside Hog's Head, love. I'll make it up to you for waking you up.

Remus

She reached for her wand which was sitting on top of the bedside table and casted a tempus charm. Merlin, he was right. It was only half past five and the sun was just rising, she thought but smiled. She was happy that he wanted to see her less than a day after meeting up with her. She, too, was excited to see him again - to touch him, to kiss him, to embrace him and feel his hair in between her fingers. She couldn't do that last night, not with Molly and the other Order members watching.

Instead of getting angry with her boyfriend for waking her up, she decided to take a shower and start preparing breakfast. Sleepiness was now replaced by her enthusiasm.

.

Hermione quickly apparated in front of the Three Broomsticks, deciding that she would walk to Hog's Head.

Upon arriving there, though still a few steps away, she saw Remus leaning on the wall beside the front door. She noticed that he wasn't wearing a cloak and was dressed like a muggle. He was wearing light brown trousers and a checkered, slightly darker brown button-up shirt. He looks ravishing, she thought and smiled as she went up to him.

Once he heard footsteps nearing him, he looked up and saw his witch walking towards him, smiling.

She was wearing a pair of muggle jeans and a nice, pink long-sleeved shirt that nicely complimented her bushy hair. It was simple but she still looked gorgeous to Remus, especially with her rosy cheeks due to the cold.

"Hello, love." He whispered when she was close enough to hear him. She smiled and started to say something but he cut her off saying, "Before you say anything, I'm going to apparate us to the village so no one will notice us, alright?"

She nodded in agreement and offered him her hand. He looked around and took her hand, instantly apparating them away from Hogsmeade and into the muggle village near it.

"There, much better." He said and pulled her closer to him, putting his arms around her waist.

"I missed you." Hermione said, leaning her head closer to his.

"I missed you too, love." He said as he closed the distance between them and kissed her.

After a few moments, they pulled away and Remus walked them out from behind the tree they were hiding behind.

"So I assume, Molly didn't give you a hard time then?" He started, inquiring about her leaving the Burrow.

"No. I simply told her that I was going to the Ministry to do something." She said, looking around at the stores in the village.

She was glad Molly didn't ask any further questions when she said that she was going to the Ministry this morning. Molly knew that Hermione was working on something big when she wasn't busy with her schooling. Hermione was welcome in the Ministry anytime since she had helped to end Lord Voldemort's reign. She had been eyeing a position within the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and the Ministry was all too happy to give her the highest position whenever she wanted it.

"I hate lying to her, but if I didn't, she'd just ask more questions." She added, then she turned her attention to Remus. "So, where are we going?"

He grinned. "Oh, you'll love this." He said as he pulled her with him, his eyes lighting up. Hermione smiled at his behavior and let herself be pulled away.

They went to a secondhand bookshop where outdated books were sold. Remus knew that Hermione would love it there and he wasn't disappointed. They spent hours there and had bought several books that Hermione said she couldn't find in the bookshops nowadays.

After going to the bookshop, he showed her every store that he, James, and Sirius had gone to when they were too bored to stay in Hogsmeade during the Hogsmeade weekends. Remus explained grimly that Peter didn't want to come with them because he was afraid that the muggles would recognize him. But he also told her stories about how they acted like idiots when they mingled with muggles. There even was a time when they would play with the muggle children that lived there.

Hermione noticed that while he was telling her these stories, his face lit up in a way that made him look years younger, like a child. His eyes would twinkle and his smile was contagious.

She wished that he didn't have such a hard time in life. His lycanthropy took his childhood away from him, but James, Sirius, and sometimes Peter made him experience it again, even though most of that time was spent in detention.

Hermione spent most of the morning walking around the village with Remus who was telling stories and asking about her holidays. They were idly walking along when Remus heard Hermione's stomach growl.

He stopped midsentence and said, "Merlin." He glanced at his watch. "Sorry, love. I didn't notice it was lunchtime already. Come, the restaurant I'm talking about is over here."

He pulled her away to a cozy restaurant that sold delicious looking food. Hermione sat at the table just outside the restaurant, enjoying the cool breeze and the warmth the sun brought while Remus quickly gave the server their orders.

Being on the run with Harry and Ron for so long, she immediately looked around after sensing someone eyeing her. She scanned the crowds who walked by her. Finding nothing, she still continued to be on guard until Remus came back with their orders. No. I'm just being paranoid, she thought.

Dismissing her paranoia, her stomach grumbled at the scent of the food and she blushed. He chuckled and said, "I'll remember not to forget to feed you the time next time we go out."

They ate their lunch while they talked about books they'd bought and how Harry and Ron took the news of their relationship.

"Beware; when they meet you, they said that they're going to have a talk with you." She said, smiling at the memory of her boys being so protective.

Remus laughed at this. "I can't wait 'til I see them then. Do you reckon they'll visit me while I'm teaching?"

"Oh I hope not. They know how I feel about classes getting interrupted." She shook her head.

"You might not know. That may be the only good time that they could talk to me without you interfering." He said, jokingly. She frowned at him.

"Hush. I know they wouldn't do that. Fred and George might, but those two? Not in a million years." She said firmly, shaking her head at him.

He chuckled at her behavior. He loved teasing her. Her reactions looked cute to him. How she frowned, how she pouted, how she furrowed her brows when she was thinking. Merlin, even how she smiled. He knew that he was definitely whipped.

"I'll just go to the loo and then we'll go to the shops we haven't gone to yet." He leaned and kissed her forehead as he stood.

It had slipped her mind because of Remus and the food, but she anxiously looked around when she felt the nagging feeling again.

As she looked around, she saw a boy with blonde hair looking her way. She had seen him a few times when they were going in and out of the shops and she couldn't help feeling that this boy was following them. The said boy started to walk in her direction, but kept his head low.

He stopped beside her and looked in her eyes. This boy had blue eyes and a handsome face. He looks familiar, she thought.

"Hello." She greeted the boy with a smile.

"This is for you." The boy softly said without acknowledging her greeting.

She took the parchment the boy was handing her and unfolded it. Her eyes narrowed. She turned to look up at the boy, but didn't find him there. She looked around carefully to see if he had run away without her noticing, but her eyes found nothing.

She then saw Remus about to return to her, and she quickly pocketed the parchment. She made herself smile though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Come on, love. We still have – " He stopped. He inhaled and looked at her. "What do you have there, Hermione?"

She was surprised. She forgot his senses were heightened near the time of the full moon.

"Um, I, uh," she started but Remus cut her off.

"What's in your pocket?" He asked again this time, looking at her intently. She didn't want to have a fight with him so she dejectedly handed him the parchment.

Remus' eyes narrowed too when he read the piece of paper.

You shouldn't wander around recklessly. I'll get you, one of these days.

A/N: I only realised this just now but dining outside when it's freaking cold isn't ideal for those in the North (take note, Hogwarts is in Scotland together with Hogsmeade. And the muggle village they're in is near the wizarding village. But for the sake of the situation, the ray of the sunlight will act as their source of heat.