A/N: Hey, thanks to all that have been reviewing! I know I don't update as often as I should, but I am working to make these a bit more consistent and frequent, okay? Enjoy the chapter! I know I did...

Six weeks have passed, and things are getting both better and worse at the same time. On the one hand, I'm getting better at performing spells in Remus' presence. He's an absolutely brilliant tutor. Very patient, and very willing to help. It's lovely, really. He'd make an excellent teacher, should he ever wish to become one.

Artemis had decided to enjoy a chilly November afternoon outdoors. It looked like it would snow soon on the Hogwarts grounds, but she didn't mind it one bit. Artemis actually greatly enjoyed the cold weather. She loved layering her clothing, and being constantly bundled up. It was a comfort to her, knowing that while the plants around her were freezing and dying, she was warm under all of her garments.

She had actually taken her journal out with her. It was getting a bit on the late side, but Artemis didn't mind. She had decided to sit out by a tree that overlooked the Black Lake. The giant squid must have been cold as well, seeing as how the lake looked completely smoothed over. It was a beautiful sight. One that Artemis rarely enjoyed; this outdoors area was usually a hotspot amongst the more popular crowds at school, many Marauders and other assorted people that wouldn't welcome her into their ranks.

So, Artemis smiled as she wrote, her back leaning up against the worn bark. The tree seemed to lean in, almost as though it was meant to sit against.

At the same time, the Marauders are looking more and more displeased with me taking Remus away. He had to cancel this week because Black and Potter pulled him away last second. And I mean literally pulled him away. Honestly, it's not like I'm poisoning the boy. I'm seriously freaking out over here. I know what happens to people that the Marauders don't like.

And on top of that, Remus keeps asking me all of these questions. How my year has been going, what I think about this, what I feel about that, what my favorite meal is, favorite animal. I'm so confused. I get that he is probably just trying to make the tutoring sessions more comfortable, but he doesn't have to act like he likes me just because Shannon asked him to be my tutor. I understand that he and his lot despise me. It's sweet of him to try and not hurt my feelings, but if anything, I'm just getting thrown off by his kindness in contrast to his mates'.

And when you think about it, the Marauders haven't pranked me since earlier this year. That couldn't possibly be the end of it, and Remus Lupin is still very much a Marauder. He could very well be asking me these questions to get info on me for them. Ugh, boys! I'm so confused. He seems so sweet, almost like he cares about what I think, or what I have to say. Why is he doing all of this?

Artemis was startled by the loud ringing of the nightly bell, signaling that all students must return to the castle for dinner. Not expecting the bell, Artemis jumped, dropping her quill, which began to fly away in the chilly breeze.

"Bollocks!" she said quiet loudly, as she chased after it. It twirled in the evening air, twisting this way and that and staying just barely out of her reach. It continued its soft dance in the air, as it headed straight towards the lake. "No, no no no no!" Artemis said to herself, reaching for her feather but missing just by an inch. She pulled herself back, not wanting to fall into the freezing lake water, watching as her quill disturbed the surface, causing the smallest of ripples.

Sighing, resigned to the fact that she had lost, Artemis turned back around to retrieve her things. When she faced around, a yelp left her lips, and she stumbled backwards in surprise. Unbalanced, she closed her eyes preparing for her descent and fall into the lake.

Falling back, she suddenly felt two arms grip onto her, and pull her upright once more. A small familiar chuckle left the lips of her savior, the one who had startled her in the first place. Artemis almost didn't want to open her eyes to face him, but knew how ridiculous she would look. And so she opened her eyes, only to be met with the amber ones that were starting to haunt her.

"Bit clumsy, are we?" Remus teased, a keen smile on his face. He didn't even look a bit cold, regardless of the fact that he was only wearing a light cloak over his uniform. "Are you alright?"

Artemis nodded, blinking a few times in surprise. When had he gotten here? She stood there, waiting for his hands to leave her arms. When a silence came over the two, Remus realized his mistake, and finally freed her. Artemis gathered all of the Gryffindor courage that she had to look him in the eye. His eyes were glowing, with his amusement towards the situation.

"You know, I don't think I've ever heard you say something so loudly before," Remus continued to tease, in reference to her exclamation.

At that, Artemis smiled, and lightly chuckled. It was true, she usually didn't yell out like that. Remus walked with her as she returned to the tree where she began to pick up her things and tuck them away into her bag. As she turned around to face him again, he was happy to see that her smile hadn't gone away. In the past few weeks, he had been priding himself on being able to make her smile, talk, or chuckle. It was like a project of his to work on this girl until he felt like he really knew her. And that started off with getting her to like him. Sirius had made it sound like this girl was going to be hell on earth, but to be honest, Remus hadn't minded any of the time he had spent with her.

"Thank you, by the way," Artemis softly replied as she wrapped her cloak around herself tighter. "You seem to be helping me out quite a bit, lately."

"Nah, just right place right time," Remus replied, as the two of them began to trek back to the castle. "Anyone would have done the same."

Artemis' smile fell as she silently thought to herself how wrong he was. Remus didn't notice though, and continued.

"What are you doing out so late, this time of year. Bit cold, yeah?"

Artemis shrugged, but decided to reply verbally as well.

"Could ask you the same thing," she said, give him the once over. His cloak was looking a bit gray, and particularly thin. It wasn't usually one used at this time of year. "You're not even bundled up like me."

"The cold never really bothers me. I usually only break out the heavier cloaks and coats when the snow starts falling," Remus said, as they approached the castle doors. A breeze swept over the two of them, and Artemis pulled her cloak a little tighter around herself. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were a bit red from the weather, and her hair was a little tousled due to the wind; James would have killed to have that happen naturally to him, rather than having to constantly run his fingers through his hair. Artemis' hair had just done it because of the wind. It made her look adorable, like someone who had been playing outside all afternoon. "So, what were you doing out so late?"

Artemis, pulling her cloak a bit tighter looked over at his eager face as they passed into the front entrance.

"I love the outdoors, I suppose," she mumbled simply. "I don't get outside as often as I'd like, but since no one was on the grounds I figured I'd—"

"Go out and explore yourself?" Remus finished, smiling now. He didn't know what it was about her, but he was beginning to love all of these conversations he had with her. It was like meeting someone completely new. He had gotten to know all of his classmates so well that getting to know Artemis was a breath of fresh air. This girl was unfamiliar, undiscovered, and he liked that about her.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The two of them continued walking, left to their own thoughts until they passed the doors to the Great Hall. Remus instinctively turned to head in, but halted as soon as he noticed that Artemis was no longer beside him. Turning his head, he noticed her heading towards the stairs, in the direction of the dormitories.

"Aren't you going to come to dinner?" Remus called after her, seeing her look over her shoulder at the sound of his voice.

"No," Artemis replied simply, turning back around and beginning to ascend the stairs. Remus now flew to the bottom of the stairs, and grabbed her hand before she got too far.

"Wait, why not?"

Artemis looked down at Remus' hand, which was lightly holding her wrist. It looked small in comparison to his large hands. She noticed he had some scratches on his knuckles, and that his skin was much tanner than her own. She also felt its warmth, as if it were comforting her. Gazing up, she had braced herself for what she knew would be there waiting for her. His eyes. Those orbs were looking at her waiting for her to reply, waiting on the first word to roll off of her tongue.

He wanted to know why. She didn't want to tell him. Instead, Artemis gave Remus the slightest hint of a shrug, and pulled away from him, continuing to climb the many staircases that would lead back to the Gryffindor tower, leaving Remus to wonder about their encounter once more.

"You are bloody losing it, mate."

Remus has been joined by the other Marauders not long after he had taken a spot at the Gryffindor table. He rolled his eyes at his friend once again finding the situation at hand to be unbelievable.

"You swear you didn't drink anything she gave you?" Sirius asked, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice before he continued. "Something that made your brain go all wonky?"

"Honestly, Sirius, she's not that bad," Remus stated for about the fiftieth time that week. He once again had shared with the others how his afternoon had gone, and mentioned his encounter with Artemis. Naturally, the others weren't too pleased. He was beginning to get frustrated with their lack of trust in his judgment. It wasn't like they knew her any better than he did.

"What was she even doing outside, all on her own?" James pondered with sincere curiosity. His voice wasn't nearly as malicious as Sirius'. He had taken everything that Remus had told them with a grain of salt; he trusted Remus wholeheartedly, and just figured that his friend was blind to Titus' tricks.

"Yeah! Bloody weird, if you ask me," Sirius added on, stuffing his face with a chicken leg once he finished his sentence. Remus rolled his eyes.

"I was outside alone, too, you know. Going for a walk, or just enjoying the outdoors isn't all that weird."

"Speak for yourself, mate," Sirius spat out in between bites. "Only good use for the outdoors is during Quidditch season."

At his James and Sirius bumped fists, both understanding each other on that topic. Remus just shook his head and smiled. Maybe it was time to stop bringing Artemis up with his mates. He knew that they didn't like her, but he couldn't help but enjoy her company. It seemed to bother them so much to hear about her spending time with him. He decided that he would just keep their budding friendship—or at least, what he hoped was a friendship—to himself.

She was waiting in the Charms classroom like normal, wondering why Remus was late. Staring at the clock on the stone wall, she hummed a tune to herself, sitting atop one of the many desks that had been pushed aside for their use of the room. He was already ten minutes late, which was highly unlike it. For some reason though, Artemis wasn't bothered by his lateness. She lay back on the desk, her legs dangling off the edge of it. As she rested her head against the hard wood, she turned and looked out the window.

It was beginning to snow. A smile came upon her lips, as she jumped up and rushed over to the window. Indeed, white flurries were making their way down onto the campus grounds, which were already beginning to be spotted with white. Artemis marveled at the beauty of it, planning out when she would go and play in it later on.

"How beautiful," said a husky voice, dangerously close to her ear. Artemis twirled around on the spot, only to be faced with her tutor. Remus had been in the hospital wing yet again earlier that week, and because of it, hadn't had the time to properly shave. Artemis took in the sight of his mildly stubbled face. He looked good with facial hair. It made him look wilier, more mysterious.

"Yeah, that snow is gorgeous," Artemis mumbled, although at this point she wasn't looking out the window any longer. She was noticing the distance between herself and Remus, or better yet, the lack thereof. He was standing unbelievably close to her, his scent filling her nose. Artemis blinked a few times, wondering what had possessed him to be so close to her. She also pondered why she was incredibly comfortable with it.

"No, I'm not talking about that," Remus said, that deep chuckle coming over him. His eyes were upon her, making her sink deeper and deeper. He lifted a hand to brush a strand of her long blonde hair out of her face so he could see it clearly. Her blue eyes were locked onto his, gazing up at him curiously. "I'm talking about your smile."

Artemis' eyes widened, and her face suddenly felt warm. She found the will to look down and away. Where did that come from? He had to be joking…

"I'm not joking," Remus replied, as though he could read her thoughts. He brought his hand up under her chin, and lifted her face so she was looking at him again. "You are so beautiful when you smile."

And with that his lips were upon her. Artemis nearly jumped out of her skin with shock, but as soon as she felt his arms wrap around her, she felt her eyes close. She had never been kissed before, and most certainly not like this. His kiss was strong, and supportive, as though his embrace was keeping her safe from everything. One hand cradled her cheek while the other was secure around her waist, pulling her ever closer to him.

Artemis was drowning in delight. His lips were so soft against her own, and his stubble tickled her face. She brought her arms up and around his neck, allowing her fingers to become tangled in his hair. Running his tongue across her bottom lip, Artemis understood his request. She granted him access, and suddenly their tongues were massaging one another, putting Artemis into a daze. This was amazing. This was beyond amazing. She felt a certain pull around her groin section at his every touch.

Remus turned Artemis around, still kissing her passionately, and led her over to the desks. Laying her back down as she was before he arrived, he crawled on top of her, and began moving his lips down Artemis' jawline and neck. He reached a certain tender spot on her neck that make Artemis moan loudly, and lightly buck her hips, which grinded against Remus' excitement. This elicited a deep groan from Remus, almost a low growl from the bottom of his throat. Artemis bit her lip in excitement, and repeated the motion, now knowing the response she would get.

"Artemis," Remus moaned her name into her ear, as their passion only grew. His breath in her eye nearly drove her over the edge, and hearing him say her name like that was mindblowingly attractive. She could just lie with him and do this forever, kiss him forever, have him look at her like that forever…

SLAM.

That's when Artemis heard the dormitory door shut as Lily returned from her prefect patrol duties. Artemis' eyes jolted open, and looked at her surroundings in confusion. Disappointment settled in as she realized that the entire thing had been just a fantasy, and could never actually happen. How stupid of her, to dream such a thing. Artemis shuffled around in her bed, now incredibly turned on and unable to satisfy herself. She closed her eyes again in disdain. She couldn't believe she just had what was beginning to look like a sex dream about Remus Lupin. But then she smiled to herself.

Hey, if she couldn't have the real thing, there was no harm in dreaming about it…

A/N: ...that was fun to write.