Even though I was glad that my first time on a broom since my accident went well, I was overjoyed when it was time to land; on a ledge overlooking the lake. I could have kissed the ground, but instead I decided to catch my breath while Lupin spread out the picnic blanket.

"This is the perfect spot," he told me, looking very proud of himself. "I doubt the Dementors will be up here; they're supposed to stick to the entrances. We should be safe."

"It's weird," I said, leaning on my broom for support. "Having a picnic at night. I've never done this before. I feel so… mysterious."

He laughed, "It's a first for me, too. What are we having?"

"I don't know," I realized suddenly. "I never asked… Ashley got it from the kitchen."

"Please, have a seat," he said, slowly sitting down himself, with that look on his face that suggested it hurt him to move. Poor Professor Lupin; he was only thirty-four.

I sat down next to him, folding my legs underneath me in a ladylike fashion. I sat the basket down, pulling the cover aside curiously. "It looks like chicken pot pie," I said, removing the two pie tins, revealing a smashed loaf of bread at the bottom of the basket.

"Oh, that's nice," Professor Lupin said, looking at the bread disappointedly.

"We have a phrase for this in the muggle world," I said, fishing out the forks and napkins. " 'The bag-boy special', or something like that. Because when you go to the grocery store, they always seem to put the bread under all the heavy stuff."

"I think I've heard that one before," he said, removing two lukewarm bottles of muggle-cola from the basket, which I was grateful for. Butterbeer, while delicious, isn't the only drink in the world.

"Here, you try it first," I said, handing him a fork. "It's your birthday."

"Don't mind if I do," he said with a broad grin. I watched him with wide eyes as the silvery metal fork pierced the flakey pie crust. He paused, looking at me inquisitively, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

I averted my gaze instantly, my face warm with embarrassment, "Sorry…"

"Oh, don't apologize," he said, finally taking that first bite. I looked back up, watching him chew. "It's kind of cute, actually."

He thinks I'm cute… I thought, smiling through my blush. "How is it, Professor?" I asked, picking up my own pie.

"It's not bad," he said. "And I thought I told you; you can call me Remus when we're alone."

"Oh, right," I said, taking my first bite. The house elves had really outdone themselves. "I'm sorry, I always forget."

"That's better than forgetting to call me 'Professor' when you're in class," he pointed out. "That would cause quite a stir."

"Yeah," I snorted. "No kidding. Anyway; I'm sorry if this isn't what you had in mind. I forgot to ask you what you wanted to eat, so I just told Ashley to get whatever she thought would taste best."

"This is fine," Remus said. It must have been, I realized, because he was already half finished. "I usually prefer red meat, but this defiantly beats my last birthday."

"What did you do last year?" I asked, opening my cola. The fizzing tickled my throat on the way down.

"It was a full moon," he said grimly. "And the only present I got was from my parents; a book explaining why it's important for elderly people to have grandchildren."

I coughed, the cola stinking my nostrils on its way out. I wiped my face with my napkin, "W-what? Seriously?"

He shook his head, quietly laughing to himself, "They're not exactly subtle; the older I get, the more they harass me about settling down."

"Do you not want to?" I asked, returning to my pie. For some reason, my heart felt heavy, and I could feel my hands start to shake. "Settle down, I mean."

Remus sighed, "It's not that I don't want to, but believe it or not, Violet, I haven't had the best luck with relationships in the past."

"I don't believe that for a second," I said, licking my fork clean. "You're so charming and handsome and-"

"And most women have a hard time picturing themselves spending the rest of their lives with… Well, with someone in my condition," he finished sullenly, tossing his empty dish aside. "You're the only one who's stayed with me for more than a month after you found out."

"Oh…" I gulped.

"I didn't date much in high school," he continued. "I couldn't tell anyone about my lycanthropy, and I felt guilty when I did go out with a girl, like I was lying to her. After I graduated, I decided to be upfront and honest with every woman I dated. Needless to say, that didn't exactly work out too well."

I sat my pie dish down on the blanket, listening to the story sadly.

"Eventually, Siri-" he paused, clearing his throat, "My friends convinced me to wait until I had been with a woman for a little while before I told her the truth. I felt terrible about it, but I decided to give it a shot."

"How'd that go?" I asked with a heavy heart. I wasn't sure if I was upset with these other women, or oddly jealous of them. Maybe it was a little of both.

"It didn't work, of course," said Remus. He leaned back, stretching out his legs and propping himself up on his elbows. "Things would go fine, until I opened my mouth. So I started waiting longer and longer… The last woman I dated didn't know for over a year," his voice was quivering more than my hands – which, by this point, was quite a bit – and I realized that he had been crying. "She was so disgusted that she vomited…"

How can people be so cruel? I thought, letting go of a few of my own tears. I crawled over to him, pressing my body tightly against his as I kissed him. He always seemed a little surprised when I initiated a kiss, but this time he was more than eager to kiss me back. I moaned loudly while his tongue played with mine, slowly coaxing it into his mouth. How could you not want to be with Remus? He's so wonderful…

Slowly, he rolled over, and I welcomed the feeling of his weight on top of me. It was nice; it made me feel safe and loved. He slowly slipped out of the kiss, gently straightening my hair while he looked down at me fondly.

"I've been longing to explore your body again," he whispered, pressing his lips against my neck.

"Y-you have?" I asked, blushing wildly. His mustache was tickling my skin; – I loved that feeling – it was all I could do not to giggle.

"Yes," he breathed, giving my earlobe a playful love-bite while he started to unbutton my sweater.

I gasped, "W-w-wait, you mean r-right n-now?"

"Well… yes," he said, looking up at me helplessly.

"But… we're outside," I said dumbly.

He blinked, "So?"

"So…" I sputtered. "There are animals outside! I don't want animals watching us… That's weird…"

He chuckled, but I could tell he was disappointed, "That's alright. I don't want to make you do something you're not comfortable with."

"I'm sorry," I said, offering him a weak smile. "It's not that I don't want you. Believe me, that is definitely not the case."

"I believe you," Remus said, his mischievous smirk returning as he rolled onto his back, pulling me with him, so I was lying at his side. He kissed my forehead, "And I don't mind; I'm happy just like this."

I wrapped my arms around him, pillowing my head on his chest. I gripped the fabric of his shirt, hoping that would help steady my shaking hand. It didn't.

"The stars are really beautiful tonight," he said, clamping his hand over mine. "It's really clear."

"Mhm…" I mumbled. "The moon's very pretty, as well. Oh…"

"Yes," he said, nodding, as if to let me know he wasn't offended in any way. "I like the moon best like this; just a tiny crescent."

"Me too," I said, staring up at the whitish sliver in the sky. "Remus?"

Remus looked at me thoughtfully, "Hmm?"

"Happy birthday," I said, kissing his lips softly. I had intended for it to be just a cute, innocent little peck, but his mouth caught mine quickly, and I had no choice but to linger. After a few moments, he tugged my lower lip into his mouth, gently sucking on it. This was new, and completely intoxicating. My breaths turned into short, quick moans and whimpers. It was too much, I couldn't take it anymore.

Who knows when you'll get another chance, I told myself while I loosened his tie. It could be ages! Besides, it's his birthday. You didn't exactly get him a nice present...

"What are you doing?" he asked innocently, grinning broadly as he rested his forehead against mine, staring deep into my eyes. "I thought you didn't want the animals to see anything."

"Let them watch," I said jokingly. It didn't sound as funny as it did in my head; my nervous voice took away from the tone I had hoped to create. "I want you so much, I don't care."