The Crystal Cove

Summary: If Remus manages to get Lindi alone in a very romantic setting, will romance ensue?

A/N: When reading this, keep in mind the time frame. Lindi was born in 1960.

As Remus and Lindi entered the cave, the sound was almost deafening, and he had to shout to communicate with her. He led her through a narrow, winding passage that cut through the earth for a short time until he could see a faint glow ahead. Turning to her, he leaned down so he could talk into her ear.

"I'm going to extinguish my wand, Lindi, so your eyes can adjust to the light. I want you to get the full effect, alright?"

She reluctantly agreed, and he put out the light. For a moment, he was temporarily blinded. He knew Lindi would be also, and he felt her grip tighten on his hand. She pulled in close to him, clearly looking for his protection. He liked it. He really liked that she trusted him enough to go along with him when he knew she was frightened. He hoped she would always trust him and he tried to force aside the guilt threatening to worm its way into his mind again. He hadn't really felt guilty about snogging girls (the few he had) in the past without them knowing about his problem. Even his father had thought it was alright, but somehow, it tugged at his conscience now. Still, even though he could tell she liked him, there was no guarantee their relationship was going to progress to the point that she would need to know. He would definitely tell her if things worked out and before they went very far….

But for now, the excitement he felt when he looked into her expectant face, just visible in the pale glow coming from the end of the tunnel, was enough to push those thoughts aside. Only a fool would waste this place for use as a confessional.

He walked up to the opening, blocking her view while he glanced around to make sure they were actually alone. Then, he stepped through and turned to watch her reaction. The roaring noise softened and became the soothing sound of flowing water now that it wasn't being intensified by the tunnel which served as a giant megaphone. She leaned through the opening, glancing around, her eyes widening in wonder as her mouth fell open. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she took in the beauty of the Crystal Cove.

He grudgingly released her hand so she could walk to the edge of the glistening pool. She stared up at the water cascading over the wall from the blackness of the night above them. It sparkled like diamonds spilling from a velvet pouch as the glow of hundreds of saucer-sized luminescent blossoms shone upon it. The white blossom covered vines draped over the edges of the cove walls like flowered curtains, and glowing insects flitted from bloom to bloom, twinkling like tiny stars. Even the moss covering the rocks at the waters edge seemed to fluoresce in the silvery light. The shimmering effect gave the impression that everything had been carved from crystal or ice. Yet it was warm inside the cove, even though the autumn night was cool, for the water in the pool bubbled up from a hot spring deep in the cove floor and mixed with the cool water of the fall. James and Sirius had wanted to go skinny dipping when they discovered it, but they hadn't had time. Maybe someday he and Lindi might… You do know how to dream, Remus.

She walked slowly around the small cove, reaching up to touch a blossom and breathe in its fragrance. Finally, she turned and looked at him. "What is this place?" she said, breathless.

"I'm not sure, but we call it the Crystal Cove."

"I can see why. What kind of flowers are these? They smell wonderful."

"I don't know. They must be really rare because I can't find them in our Herbology text. Of course, I haven't really had a chance to look in all the books in the library. I thought about asking Professor Bottanie, but then he'd know we'd been out here," Remus said, shrugging.

"So you just happened upon this one day while you were out of bounds, roaming around the forest?" she asked incredulously. He smiled and shrugged again. She shook her head in awe. "I can't believe you'd walk into a roaring tunnel in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. I'm so glad you did, but you might have come across something really dangerous. Aren't you lot afraid of anything?"

He kept smiling, though he was a little afraid of the way his heart was starting to pound when she smiled back at him. The desire must have shown in his eyes because she looked away, and he felt tension building in the air. Okay, now what?

First of all, he needed to do something about the nearly ten feet between them. He took a step towards her, but when she turned and looked at him, he was reminded of the last time he had made a move towards her when they were all alone. If she took a step away from him this time, she'd fall into the pool instead of just knocking over broomsticks and mops. He hesitated at the anxious look on her face. Maybe he should wait for her to come to him? Of course, he'd probably be waiting a while. He got the feeling from all he'd learned that Lindi wasn't apt to make the first move. He was afraid she was about to suggest they should head back now. Come on, Remus, think; what would Sirius do? No doubt Sirius would already have her pinned up against the rock wall by now, leaning over her… But Remus really didn't want to think about that. He wasn't Sirius and never would be. He would definitely come off as a smarmy git if he tried to be smooth like Sirius, and Lindi would probably just laugh. No, better to be himself….

"We've been exploring together since first year when we were too stupid to be scared. I guess we've just gotten used to it," he said. "Some would probably argue that we're still too stupid."

"Hmm," she sighed thoughtfully. "Reckless and even foolish sometimes, maybe, but I'm sure nobody thinks any of you are stupid. What other crazy things do you get up to? No…don't tell me. I don't want to know; it would only make me worry."

Oh, he liked the sound of that. Well, sort of. He didn't want her to be worried about him; but that she cared enough to worry was good. She must have realized the implication as well, and looked around again, starting to fidget a bit awkwardly. Her foot slid on the bank and she threw her hands out to steady herself.

"Be careful, Lindi, the moss is very slippery," he said. "Why don't you come over here and sit down. I don't really feel like going swimming tonight." He took off his cloak and laid it on the ground then lowered himself on to it. It felt good to sit down after running and being on his feet so much. He was barely recovered from the full moon on Wednesday after all. But seeing her standing in the midst of the Crystal Cove made it worth it. He leaned back against the stone wall to enjoy the view.

She walked hesitantly towards him and sat down making sure to leave a good couple of feet between them. Was she trying to tell him something? If he didn't know better, he'd think she was trying to confuse the living daylights out of him. But he didn't think she really wanted to confuse him, even though she was doing a good job of it. He was realizing more and more that maybe Lindi was the one who was confused. He just didn't know exactly why. Was she confused about her feelings for him, or was she just unsure what to do about them? And what was he supposed to do until she figured it out?

Being patient and trying not to force the relationship had worked pretty well so far. They had become much closer friends. But as far as Remus was concerned, they couldn't really get that much closer unless they crossed the line to actually dating, more accurately, to the physical perks of dating. He wanted to kiss her, dammit! He couldn't help it. He really didn't know how much longer he could wait patiently.

It occurred to him that she might be waiting for him to just make the move and have it over with. He remembered how nervous he had been before his first date and the anxiety over the first kiss. It had been such a relief just to have it over with. Maybe that's what she wanted. He watched her closely as she looked around at everything but him, her brow creased with tension. The silence was weighing awkwardly between them. He made up his mind. He was going to ask her out, and if she said yes, he was going to kiss her. He might as well, because even if she said no, it couldn't be much more painful than this frustration.

"Lindi…"

"Oh, I meant to…" She started at the same time.

"Sorry, go ahead," he said, partially relieved by the delay to his question and partially irritated that he would have to work up the courage all over again.

"I just remembered that I wanted to tell you what happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts yesterday. Adamson paid you a compliment," she said.

"Really?" Remus said a bit stunned. Professor Adamson was very frugal with praise. "Why?"

"Well, technically, he was trying to insult me, but it was really flattering to you," she smiled. Remus didn't smile; he had been under the impression that the Professor wasn't harassing Lindi any longer since Professor Dumbledore had intervened. She must have seen the frown on his face. "It wasn't anything bad really. Actually, it's rather funny. I hit him with a really good Expelliarmus." She beamed up at him. "He was so shocked that he said, 'Lupin must be better than I thought. I didn't think you were capable of learning Defensive spells. Perhaps he should think of teaching when he's finished school.' It was wonderful. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself saying that you were a thousand times better than him."

A sense of pride flooded over him. "That's great, Lindi. I told you you were getting better. You'll be ready for Auror training before you know it."

She snorted self-deprecatingly. "That's likely to happen. But it might not be completely impossible to get into healer training," she said hopefully.

"You really want to do that don't you?" he asked, and she nodded wistfully.

"I have for a long time. It would have made Mum really happy."

"Is that why you want to do it…for your Mum?"

"That's not the only reason, but I'm sure Mum has something to do with it. She always talked about being a healer and I guess it sort of rubbed off. We used to daydream about starting a clinic together in some remote village somewhere."

Remus watched the look in her eyes soften as she was transported back to an obviously happy time.

"Mum liked the idea of someplace exotic, like the Brazilian Rainforest, but I couldn't imagine myself there. Too many…"

"Big snakes?" he said, grinning when she cringed.

"Yeah," she nodded. "She always rolled her eyes when I asked her if there was someplace in Ireland remote enough."

"Did your mum work at St Mungo's then?" he asked.

"What?" Lindi looked slightly confused. "No, Mum was a seamstress, Remus."

"But I thought--when you said she talked about being a healer…"

"Mum always wanted to be a healer, but she never actually got the chance," she said slowly. "Not that she wasn't smart enough; it's just that she, er, had me instead." She looked at him pointedly as if she was waiting for some response. He didn't quite know what she was trying to say since he knew there were many healers who had children of their own. "Mum never finished school, Remus. She had me in November of what should have been her sixth year. She was really young," she added needlessly.

She told him this quietly, but without shame. She seemed to be watching him for some sort of response. He had a few questions, but he realized it was really none of his business. Still, he felt like she was waiting for him to say something.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Not that she had you of course, but that she didn't get to become a healer as well."

Lindi smiled. "Yeah, me too, she would have been a great healer. Mum was really smart and very gentle. She got Outstanding on three of the required O.W.L.s and Exceeds Expectations on the others, and that was when she was under a lot of stress, being pregnant and all. She hadn't even told Grandmother yet. I can't imagine the pressure she was under, what with my father leaving her on top of the stress of O.W.L.s. Mum was a Gryffindor; have I ever told you that?" She looked up at him, pride gleaming in her eyes.

"No," he said softly.

"She was. Mum was strong. I wish I could be more like her. I'm afraid I must have taken after my father."

"Why do you say that?" Remus asked. It made him very curious about her father, but mainly, he didn't like her putting herself down. "You're stronger than you think, Lindi."

She smiled sweetly. "Thanks, but I really wasn't fishing for compliments. I know I'm not nearly as brave as my mother was. I barely made it through O.W.L.s without having a breakdown, and that was under normal circumstances. I'd have been committed to the Janus Thickey Ward if I'd been under anymore pressure, much less what Mum endured." She looked at Remus and gave him a little smirk. "I know you are well aware that there are reasons why I'm not in Gryffindor. I'm just glad you don't hold it against me."

"Why on earth would I? Just because you aren't in Gryffindor doesn't mean you're weak. You don't hold it against me that I'm not in Ravenclaw, do you?"

"Well, no, but there's a difference. I could actually see you in Ravenclaw, but you can't say the same for me in Gryffindor, can you?"

No, he really couldn't see her in Gryffindor. That didn't mean she was a hopeless coward though. She laughed when he didn't answer, and he hoped he hadn't hurt her feelings. Since she was laughing, he felt that he probably hadn't.

"Well, it doesn't matter. My mum and dad were both in Ravenclaw. I could see Dad in Gryffindor, but probably not Mum. Although in some ways, she's the strongest person I know," he said.

"Really?" Lindi smiled. "I like your mum; she seems very nice."

"She said the same thing about you," Remus said. That seemed to please Lindi. Of course, he wouldn't mention that his mum also said Lindi had a very lusty look about her, or that she called Lindi a fifteen year old vixen.

"What's your father like?" Lindi asked.

"Well, Mum says I'm just like him, so I guess he's a bit like me. Of course, I don't know if that's always a good thing since she usually says it when I've done something to upset her," Remus smirked playfully. "But I consider it a great compliment."

"What do you do to upset your mum, Remus?" Lindi asked with a teasing tone.

Remus couldn't really think of anything in particular at the moment. He didn't do many things that upset his mum to be perfectly honest. The last time she had been upset with him it had been over his er, possible sex life. There was no way he was going to tell Lindi that; especially when it had been centered on Lindi herself. Besides, that surely didn't indicate a similarity with his father. Lindi watched him with raised eyebrows. Finally, he thought of something safe.

"Well, I once used her bathtub as a grindylow tank. She didn't think that was a very good idea."

"Oh my, is that the kind of thing your father might do?"

"He has brought home some fairly interesting things, but he always tells Mum where they are so she isn't startled. My mistake was letting her go to run a bath with no forewarning, but I learned my lesson."

"Good," Lindi chuckled. "You get along well with your parents, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You're very lucky, you know?"

"Yes, I know." Remus knew what an understatement lucky was. Under the circumstances, he considered himself the luckiest man alive for having parents like his. He knew some parents abandoned their children to the werewolf colonies once they had been bitten, either out of fear or unwillingness to endure the shame of having an infected, less than perfect child.

"Mum and I had that," Lindi said quietly. "Of course, we had our little rows like all families, but we got on very well. I've always thought I was lucky for that. I know some people who don't like their parents at all and I feel really sorry for them. Of course, I don't think I'd like my father very much, but at least I had a good relationship with Mum."

"Do you mind if I ask where your father is?" he asked gently. He didn't like to pry and this whole topic was rather sensitive.

"Good question," she said with forced lightness. "I have no idea. Apparently he wasn't ready to be a father, so he left." She paused, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound bitter…but he hurt Mum."

"You don't need to apologize," Remus said. He wanted to ask her questions, but didn't know what was out of bounds. He wondered if this might be a clue into Lindi's reluctance towards relationships with men. A hurt and bitter mother would probably have influenced her. He suddenly thought he might be able to be a little more patient with her, even though the urge to grab her and kiss her soundly was so powerful he thought he might explode. Fortunately, she turned her warm sad eyes away and stared at the water.

"I take it he wasn't in her year?" he asked. That seemed like a relatively safe question and helped to tear his focus away from the incredible desire to kiss her, for a moment anyway.

"No, he was older than she was. I really don't know that much about him to be honest. She didn't talk about him much. I just know that she met him over Christmas Holiday, and they started writing to each other, and she saw him on a couple of Hogsmeade visits…" Lindi turned and looked Remus in the eye. "Don't think badly of her. She was very young and apparently he was very handsome and charming and … she thought he loved her." Her eyes had gotten watery.

"I don't think badly of her, Lindi," he said. "From what you've said, she sounds like a wonderful person."

Lindi smiled and sniffled. "She was; she just had lousy luck with men. Grandmother said they were cursed."

Remus was almost afraid to ask. "Did she have lousy luck with men, too?" he asked cautiously.

Lindi nodded. "Yeah, actually, she did. My grandfather was killed when Mum was a little girl—in a wizard's duel of all things."

"Are you serious?" he said surprised. Duels happened fairly frequently, but people didn't usually duel to the death anymore. "What happened?"

"According to Mum, it was over Grandmother, some bloke she had dated before Grandfather. It's really kind of bizarre, but grandmother was very beautiful," Lindi shrugged. "I suppose it's not unheard of for something like that to happen, you know, someone becoming obsessed with someone they can't have. It's just strange to think of it happening to someone you know."

Remus had to agree, but he thought if Lindi's grandmother was as beautiful as Lindi, he could see someone being obsessed with her. Sometimes, when he couldn't concentrate on his studies, he thought he was obsessed. Of course, he would never duel someone to the death over it…well, not unless he was the husband….

"Did he get sent to Azkaban?" asked Remus.

"You know, I'm not sure. Grandmother wouldn't talk about it. She was very paranoid about the whole thing, started thinking she was cursed and all. I think that's why we moved around so much, like we were running. She could be a bit irrational at times," Lindi said. "Well, from what I remember, and Mum always said she was."

Remus fought the smile he felt curling on his lips. This wasn't a funny situation, but it was rather amusing to hear Lindi say someone else could be a bit irrational. He couldn't help but think maybe Lindi took after her grandmother more than her father…beautiful, a bit irrational…. Then, a rather unpleasant thought crept through his mind. She thought her grandmother was paranoid about their family's lousy luck with men. But if Remus was right about Lindi, and she did like him, maybe there was something to this curse. You couldn't exactly say falling for a man who turns out to be a werewolf was good luck. The familiar weight of guilt settled in his stomach yet again.

He must have been gazing at her intently, for she blushed and looked down, pulling her knees up and hugging them protectively. "Goodness, Remus, you must think I come from a lot of nutters. I can't believe I told you all that. I don't normally hang the family laundry out like this."

"Don't be embarrassed; I don't think that at all."

"How did we get on this subject in the first place?" she asked.

"We were talking about you having the chance to be a healer after you disarmed Professor Adamson."

"Right, and it will be all thanks to you," she said smiling at him warmly. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Remus."

He felt a flood of warmth wash over him, and his heart began to pound. The way she was looking at him… their eyes locked on one another. He didn't even have to think about it. His hand reached up and smoothed a strand of hair out of her face, gently grazing the side of her cheek. Her breath caught, but she didn't pull away, and he started to lean slowly towards her. He was actually going to do it this time. He could hardly breathe. The look in her eyes was so full of…trepidation? Remus froze. That wasn't right. He might expect her to look nervous, but in a more happy way, like she was anticipating something good. Not like she was afraid the world was going to come to an end.

He leaned back a bit and pulled his hand away from her face. "Is something wrong, Lindi?" he asked quietly, knowing that something was wrong.

She looked away and finally breathed again. "No, I…" she didn't finish.

He waited several awkward moments. Arghh, why couldn't this be easy? He wished he could try his Legilimency out on her, so he might know what she wanted or expected from him. Of course, that was out of the question. Blast it!

"Lindi," he said, deciding to just bite the bullet. He couldn't stand this any longer. He took a deep breath. "I really like you." He paused as she looked up anxiously.

"I like you too, Remus," she said in a very small voice. "You have turned out to be one of my best friends."

Ugh! There was that word. "Friends?" he asked dully.

She nodded slowly. "I wouldn't have believed it a few months ago, but now you really are. I really like spending time with you. I even look forward to Dueling Club, because of you. Look at what you've done for me. I reallydon't know what I'd do without you." Her cheeks were magenta. Was that what she thought of him? Could her feelings just be gratitude? He just didn't believe that was all there was. "Don't you think we're good friends?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, of course I do, but…"

"I couldn't stand it if anything messed that up," she said quickly. "I wouldn't do anything that might cost me friends."

"What would mess it up?" he asked. He thought he might be cottoning on. "Does this have anything to do with Darlene?"

"Well, I don't think Darlene likes that we are friends so much," she said awkwardly. "She really wanted to go out with you, but I think she's getting over it. She's just a very proud person and you…well, you embarrassed her."

"That was never my intention," he said. "Had I known how things were going to end up, well, I never would have…"

"I know. At first I thought you were a bit of a…" she paused and looked apologetic, "but after I started Dueling Club, I realized that Darlene was probably exaggerating things a bit. I don't think it's your fault, but that's what happens sometimes when you get romantically involved. One person realizes they don't really like the other so much, or they like someone else better, and then things get awkward and…you aren't friends anymore."

Ding ding ding…bells went off in his head. Maybe this wasn't just about not going out with him because he had snogged her friend. Could Lindi possibly think that he would snog her and then decide he didn't really like her? It was absurd, but Lindi was a bit irrational. And after what he had learned about her mother and father…Crap!

"Well, Darlene and I were never really friends, Lindi. We were more like acquaintances." And obviously not nearly well acquainted enough! "I don't think we'd ever be what you would call good friends, even if we hadn't, er, been romantically involved."

"But if you had been friends, wouldn't it bother you that you weren't friends anymore? You would have ruined it just for a chance to, you know, snog."

Remus thought for a moment. How was he going to word this so he didn't come off as an uncaring, randy cad? He couldn't just say 'I didn't know if I liked Darlene or not. It didn't matter since I just wanted to snog her so I wouldn't have to think about O.W.L.s for a while. But I want to snog you because I do know you. And I know I really like you.' Just thinking about it made him sound like an uncaring randy cad. He certainly hoped he could think of something better to say.

"If Darlene and I had been friends, we would have known each other well enough to realize that we didn't want to be involved with each other—er--romantically. If we had known each other better and then decided that we wanted to, we might still be dating now." Assuming she didn't mind my 'furry little problem', which Darlene obviously would have.

"Yes, but you might not, and then you would have lost a friend for nothing but a bit of..." she waved her hand as a way of finishing her thought rather than saying it.

Gahh! Remus was getting very frustrated here. He had been patient and allowed their friendship to flourish, and now he was going to miss the opportunity to date her because she liked him too much? Remus was a logical person. He knew Lindi was very intelligent but sometimes illogical. It didn't bother him. He actually found her irrationality cute most of the time, but this wasn't one of those times. This was just stupid! He wanted to grab hold and shake her, tell her he was going to kiss her soundly and that she was going to like it, and they were going to be more than friends and be happy together, for a while anyway. Of course, he didn't do any of that.

"So you only want to snog people you don't really like?" he asked as inoffensively as he could.

"Well, no, of course not," she stammered. "But friends aren't easy to come by, and I don't think it's a good idea to risk them just because you might have the urge to, well, you know..." she stopped and waved her hand again.

"But sometimes when you really like someone, you can't help it. It's just a natural progression and you can't stop it…especially if both friends feel it," he said softly.

She stared at the water churning under the fall, her eyes getting a little misty. She didn't have a response. Remus knew he had won the argument, and that she knew it too. But he also knew he wasn't going to be snogging Lindi right now. And he could live with that. He didn't like it, but he felt sure that it was only a matter of time, because for them, it was the natural progression. It was just progressing really slowly. They'd come so close so many times already, that one of these days soon, he felt sure that she'd realize it was senseless to keep fighting it, just as he had. But if it made her feel better to tell herself (and Darlene) that they were just friends a while longer, he could probably handle it. Still, his patience was being stretched to the breaking point, and he stuffed his hands deep into his robe pockets to be on the safe side.

His hand brushed the small package he had forgotten was there, and he wrapped his fingers around it. He was thankful he had remembered it. This was just what he needed to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them. He didn't want their time at the cove to end on such a sour note.

"Oh, I brought you something," he said handing the tiny parcel to her. "Some of Mum's chocolate."

Lindi smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Remus," she said timorously. He got the feeling she wasn't thanking him for the chocolate, but rather for letting the argument go. She slowly took the wrapped candy from him. "I thought Lily would have eaten it all."

"Well, Lily can be rather scary when it comes to these, but she knew they were for you so she mustered some self control."

Lindi untied the package and looked down at the contents. Her smile was replaced with a look of uncertainty.

"They don't look like much, but they really are rather spectacular when you eat them," he said encouragingly.

"What are they?" she asked, looking down at the little chocolate pellets in her hand.

"Mum calls them chocolate blossoms, but they are really just seeds until you put them in your mouth. When they get wet, they bloom. It's really quite nice, a wonderful bit of charm work. Only, you can't see it. Mum hadn't really thought of that, but it feels, er, very nice," he started to tell her what Sirius called them, but didn't want to embarrass her. He would just let her experience the sensation for herself. "Just be careful. The first time is a little strange. Peter nearly choked on his."

She looked at him as if he were a bit barmy. "Here, you go first and let me see," she said offering him a seed.

He felt a little embarrassed with her staring at him as he hung his mouth open so she could watch him eat, but he popped the little chocolate in his mouth and watched her eyes pop, and she started smiling. It really was a shame that you couldn't witness the charm work of the flowers blossoming in your own mouth. These were definitely treats to be shared. When the chocolate had bloomed and then melted over his tongue, he shut his mouth again and swallowed.

"How wonderful," she cried.

"It tastes really good, too," he assured her. "Try one."

Lindi placed a seed on her tongue. Remus could tell by her reaction that she enjoyed the feel of the flower petals lightly brushing the inside of her cheeks and tongue. She let out a small groan of pleasure and he found himself very turned on. He knew the candy had a slightly erotic effect. His mum hadn't meant to create something quite so tantalizing, but there was no getting around the fact that they not only tasted fabulous, but felt good too. From the flush on Lindi's cheeks, she had noticed.

"Oooh, wow, that's so, really…" she sighed, and took another.

"Yeah, they're really good," he smiled as she closed her eyes and let out another little groan. He thought she better stop doing that or he wasn't going to be able to control himself any longer.

"Ummm," she swallowed. "And your mum invented these?"

"Yes, though it was a bit of a happy accident, I think. I don't think she realized they would be quite so er…" he didn't quite know how to say it. "Well, sometimes she threatens to never make them again when Sirius teases her about them."

"I'm afraid to ask," she said, but he could tell she was terribly curious.

"He says they feel like French kisses." Remus saw Lindi's blush intensify, but she grinned bashfully. "The last time he was at my house, she made some for us, and he told her he was going to tell everyone that she gave him the best French kisses he'd ever had."

"What did she do?"

"She turned almost as red as you and chased him out of the kitchen with a wooden spoon," Remus smiled at Lindi as she giggled sweetly going even redder.

"He is awful! Tell him to leave your poor mum alone. It would be awful if she stopped making them. I don't suppose she gives out the recipe?" she asked hopefully. "I'd love to learn how to make them."

"She would," he said. "But they're very complicated. She tried writing it down for Lily once, but it didn't work. She'd really have to show you." Then, before he could stop himself, "She always makes a huge batch for Christmas. I could ask her to wait until term is over and you could take the train home with me. You could stay a couple of days and help her. I'm sure she'd love the help." Crikey, Remus, what have you done? He couldn't believe he had just invited Lindi to go home with him…without asking his parents first. What was he thinking? He knew then that Lindi Dellington had truly made him insane.

From the look on Lindi's face, she could hardly believe it either.

"What, me come to your house—overnight—over Christmas Holiday--with you?"

"Yeah, why not?" he said, deciding the damage had been done. Of course, there were a number of reasons, not the least of which was his mum would probably throw a nutter when she found out he had invited the fifteen year old vixen to their home. Of course Lindi would be sixteen by then, as if that would make it better. Not to mention that if he was wrong about their relationship progressing, Lindi would be going to the ball the night before with some other bloke and Remus would probably be in no mood to spend all day on the train with her while thinking about that. But it was too late to worry about that now.

"Well, I don't know," she said uncomfortably. "Don't you think your parents might not like it, you inviting someone home to--to spend the night?"

"No, they don't mind if I invite friends to visit" he said, feeling rather Machiavellian. He wasn't sure what to make of the look on her face, but it made him feel good somehow.

"But Christmas time is sort of for family, they might not want an intruder," she said.

"I know they wouldn't consider one of my friends an intruder," he said, enjoying the chance to use her insistence that they were just friends against her. He did have a bit of a devious streak after all. "Besides, there's a chance that James and Sirius will be spending a few days with us too. It would be like a party. Mum and Dad would love it. We don't get a lot of visitors way out there and the more friends the merrier." He just hoped Mum and Dad would at least allow it.

"James and Sirius?" she asked. Maybe he shouldn't have told her that part. There did seem to be a slight tension between Lindi and Sirius. But if she and Remus were getting along well, he thought Sirius would probably get along with her too. Then he thought about having to tell his friends that Lindi wouldn't go out with him because they were too good of friends. Sirius was probably going to go berserk and call her a tease again. Remus wondered if there was anyway to avoid telling them… "Remus…" Lindi jarred him back from his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, they might come if James' parents go out of town. Mr and Mrs Potter may be taking a cruise and don't want James and Sirius at their house alone. I don't know why, but they don't seem to trust them on their own," he said jokingly.

"I can't imagine why," she agreed. "Has Lily been to your house to make them?"

"No, but she's always said she wanted to learn. I should invite her as well," he said. He knew Lindi would be more comfortable with another girl. His mum and dad probably would be too. "So, do you think you might like to?"

He could see in her eyes that she would. "I don't know, Remus, it sounds like fun, but Rosmerta was expecting me to work over the holiday. But it does sound like fun. I might be…"

A whispering voice made them both jump. "Remus!"

He looked around but no one was there. "Remus, can you hear me?"

It was coming from his pocket. He pulled the small mirror out and saw Lily and Peter squeezed together looking frantically out of it. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Where are you? Are you still at the cove?" hissed Peter incredulously.

"You have to get back to the castle, Remus," said Lily urgently. "McGonagall is looking for you."

"It's past curfew, Moony," said Peter.

"Why is McGonagall looking for me?" he asked, feeling something akin to panic.

"Snivellus started…" said Peter, but Lily cut him off.

"No time to explain. You just need to get back in the castle, now!" she said. "I don't know how you'll manage it without getting caught. They'll be watching the main entrance. I'll try to leave a broomstick in the Owlery for you. You can summon it and maybe get in through a window somewhere. Just hurry!"

"Where are James and Sirius?"

"Remus, just hurry and be careful! We'll explain when we see you!" Lily vanished from the mirror.

Remus and Lindi scrambled to get up and he threw on his cloak, stuffing the mirror in his pocket. They rushed out through the tunnel and broke into a run. How had time gotten away from him? (As if he didn't know.) He wondered how this would impact his relationship with Lindi. She looked slightly hysterical. Detention wasn't exactly the way he would have chosen to end their first real social outing. He just hoped they got to serve it together….

A/N: Ducks thrown objects! No snogging! Now before you think I'm just toying with you, there is a reason. Actually, I just discovered that I can't write kissing, so there won't be any. Kidding! Well, I probably can't write kissing...but that isn't why there wasn't any here. Plus, you learned some information, whether you wanted to or not. Hey, the anticipation is the best part…isn't it?