Chapter 17: Drive Me Wild
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any part, the characters and the HP universe all still belong to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Last I checked. * sighs in disappointment *
A/N: Okay folks, I know I should really be getting on with the story, but I couldn't resist writing a bit of Remus/Hermione fluff for you all in honour of my nine-year anniversary/ recent engagement to my dude. First slightly (VERY SLIGHTLY) lemony scene in this chapter. These will be appearing occasionally from now on, you have been warned.
A/N2: Holy Hippogriffs! I just noticed that this story recently hit 300 followers! That's so crazy to me, thanks guys :)
Hogwarts, Scotland, March 10th 1975
"So, in the future, when I was your professor... did you fancy me at all?" Hermione tossed her hair over her shoulder and let out a hearty laugh, making his pulse stutter a few beats. She looked beautiful like this, with her hair windswept and wild, cheeks flushed a fetching red from the biting March winds. They had been walking around the grounds for over an hour, having head out straight after class. They had only intended to take a turn around the lake but had gotten caught up, as they so often did, discussing anything and everything, from elf rights and magical theory, to his childhood and her experiences from the first war.
"No, I certainly did not! That would have been highly inappropriate!" She denied, although the impish grin on her face told a different story.
"Are you sure? Not even a teeny, tiny one?" He flashed her a teasing smile, stopping to take a seat underneath their favourite sallow tree, tucked away at the furthest end of the lake from the castle just shy of the forbidden forest.
She plonked herself down beside him with zero grace, throwing her backpack to the ground with a heavy thud. She crossed her arms, sticking her nose in the air, her tone falsely imperious.
"Such impertinent questions. I'd expect better from you Professor Lupin."
He felt his cheeks redden even as the giggles took hold. Professor Lupin. He couldn't stop the secret flush of pleasure that ran through him every time he heard the phrase. It sounded right somehow, and he couldn't help but harbour the clandestine fantasy that one day someone would call him that for real.
Eventually, the pair trailed off into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. It was a peaceful, companionable quiet that seemed to settle comfortably into the air around them. He revelled in the feel of the gentle breeze as it moved through his hair and the weight of Hermione's head as it rested on his shoulder, the two of them staring off into the distance where the lowering sun painted the sky a breathtaking abstract of swirling pinks and soft oranges. He smiled as he heard the girl beside him sigh happily. She was always so expressive – how she had managed to keep such a massive secret from the group for so long was beyond comprehension. Hermione was talented at many things, but the girl could not lie to save her life, and despite her impressive skills as an Occlumens, her emotions were always broadcast across her face for anyone to see.
"Remus, are you sure you don't want to do anything else for your birthday? Surely dinner in the kitchens isn't all you want? It's not too late for me to gather the gang together and organise a little party." She picked at the sleeve of his old woollen jumper, clearly anxious, worried as she always was that she wasn't doing enough.
He lifted his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders to offer a reassuring squeeze. "I could think of worse ways to spend an evening than watching the sun set with my extremely lovely girlfriend."
He froze as he felt her stiffen beside him. Shit. He felt the panic start to rise, his mouth growing dry as he tried to find the words to take back what he'd just said. Girlfriend. Was she his girlfriend? He wasn't sure. Of course, they hand exchanged a few small kisses since the summer, and they spent most of their free time together, but they hadn't actually broached the topic of official titles. He cursed himself internally. What if he had ruined things between them? What a fine birthday gift that would make. He opened his mouth, hoping to say something, anything that might rectify the situation. Instead, he was mortified when all that came out amounted to little more than incoherent babbling.
"I- I meant. Not that you're my- What I meant to say was-"
"Girlfriend... Yes I think I like the sound of that." She relaxed back into his arms once again, eyes soft and twinkling with amusement.
He felt his heartbeat start to quicken again, not from panic now, but from something infinitely more pleasing. He turned his head towards her, awestruck.
"You do?"
She tilted her head up towards him, eyes filled with something he couldn't name. "Yes, Quite."
Before he had a chance to react she had grabbed him by the front of his jumper, pulling him towards her and kissing him breathless. This was unlike anything they'd done before. Her hands clawed and clutched at him desperately, making him moan in appreciation as his hands grasped her hips firmly. Their tongues battled fiercely, each swirling and sliding against the other, sending waves of pleasure crashing through him. Somehow, without any conscious thought on either of their parts, he had ended up with Hermione sitting in his lap, writhing and moaning as her hips moved over the extremely apparent erection straining against his trousers. He growled as she bit his lip hard, pulling back her hair as he kissed his way down the column of her throat. Months worth of built-up tension tried to break its way free, leaving them lost in a haze of lust.
She sighed and shivered as he nipped and sucked at her pulse point, running her hands through his soft, sandy hair. She closed her eyes, all senses firmly fixed on the delicious nibbling when without warning, she felt him grow rigid below her as he let out a strangled cry. It was not like any sound she'd ever heard him make before, and it had taken several confused seconds and a long look at Remus' horrified expression for her to realise what had happened.
She buried her head in his shoulder, trying to hide her laughter from him. A teenage boy's ego was a fragile thing after all, and she didn't want to embarrass him further.
"Oh Merlin Hermione I'm sorry!"
She drew her head back and patted down his fringe, trying to plaster a reassuring smile on her face. "Remus it's alright, we both got a bit carried away." His eyebrows furrowed, concern evident from his expression. "Not that I didn't enjoy it," she clarified quickly, terrified that any doubts he had as to her enjoyment would dampen the prospect of any repeats in the future.
He breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to meet her eyes. He was still fifty percent sure that he would die of embarrassment if anyone found out he'd made a mess of himself after only a few minutes of heavy snogging, but the other fifty percent of him was too ecstatic to care. Hermione was his girlfriend! Officially! It was the best birthday present he could have asked for.
She stood up, smoothing down her hair and clothes before offering a hand to help him up. He accepted gratefully, suddenly finding he had an urgent need to get back to the castle and find a bathroom where he could get himself cleaned up. Not to mention that now the sun had fully set, and they might very well find themselves in detention if they didn't head back soon. They gathered their things and started the ten minute walk back to the main doors, holding hands and exchanging small, secretive smiles as they went, neither caring that they'd ended up without time for dinner.
They arrived back at the Gryffindor common room with only minutes to spare until curfew, having stopped several times along the way to indulge in yet another exhilarating round of kissing. She smiled at the gentlemanly way Remus helped her climb down from the portrait hole, unaware of the audience eagerly awaiting their return.
"Oh my God Hermione, is that a hickey?!"
Her hand flew to the tender spot on her neck at Lily's shocked yell, ignoring James and Sirius' matching expressions of glee to fix Remus with a murderous glare. He gulped, deciding that on this occasion, discretion might be the better part of valour as he hastily retreated towards the boys' staircase.
"Oh my, look at the time. I really should be heading to bed. Night Hermione!" He was already half way up the stairs when he heard her call after him.
"You're lucky it's your birthday Remus John Lupin!"
Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory, Hogwarts, Scotland, March 10th 1975
"So, someone had an eventful evening."
Remus fought to keep his breathing deep and even, hoping that if he ignored the boys and kept his drapes closed that they might leave him alone.
"Come on Moony, we know you're not asleep, it's only eight o'clock." He sighed heavily as James threw back the rich, heavy curtain, clearly unconcerned by such a trifling thing as his dorm-mate's privacy.
"I dunno Prongs, maybe he really is asleep. Maybe he's all worn out from getting hot and heavy with our very own Miss Snape. I mean, she did look well and truly sha-"
"Oi!" He sat up, scowling. He should've known he would never have been allowed to get away with keeping the events of that evening to himself. His two best friends were too bloody nosy for that, worse than a couple of gossiping old dears really.
"Ah Moony, so good of you to join us!" Remus fought back the urge to smack the smug smile from his annoyingly handsome face.
"Yeah, now we can hear all about your wonderful, magical evening with the future Mrs. Lupin. Go on mate, we want to know everything."
James plopped down on Remus' bed beside him, making himself comfortable, as was his wont. He kicked his shoes off onto the floor as he waved his hand to indicate that the boy should start talking. Never one to be left out, Sirius shucked his own shoes before climbing onto the bed himself, sitting cross legged at the foot. Despite himself, Remus smiled at the casual ease of their friendship. No matter how very, very annoying they could be, he never failed to appreciate the almost cavalier way they had accepted him into the fold of their confidence. He supposed if there were anyone he could trust with the details it would be them. And besides, he was dying to talk about it all with someone. After a few moments of contemplation, he decided to tell them everything.
Well, almost everything. No need to mention any embarrassing trouser-related incidents.
The boys listened intently, looking shocked and intrigued in equal measure as he told his tale. They were so enraptured they didn't notice the door to the dormitory open, or the soft footsteps as they moved across the floor.
"So that's it then? Hermione's your girlfriend?" James asked, sounding genuinely thrilled for his best friend.
"Of course she is! Why else would she be grinding on him like a Kneazle in heat?" Sirius scoffed, shoving his bespectacled friend in the shoulder. In response, the boy grabbed the nearest pillow and whacked him over the head with it. Sensing an impending pillow fight, Remus decided to divert their attention by answering the question instead.
"Yes, she's my girlfriend." He grinned as Padfoot whooped loudly in celebration as he jumped on top of him, closely followed by James, creating a joyfully undignified dog-pile of giggling teenage boys.
Two beds over, a boy sat stewing. He simmered and fizzed as he listened to them carry on as if they hadn't a care in the world. He was sick of being left out, sick and more than tired of being told he wasn't good enough to join their special little friendship club. Everyone treated him as though he were little more than a particularly annoying fly buzzing around their ears, barely worth their notice. Well, he would make sure that they all regretted it. Especially that stuck up swot Hermione Snape, who'd laughed in his face when he'd tried to ask her to Hogsmeade last week.
"You can't be serious? You do nothing but skulk around like a sneaky little rat, spreading vicious rumours like they're the plague. You gossip and snipe and snivel like it's your full time job, and you've not a loyal bone in your body! What reason could I possibly have to say yes!"
He cringed at the memory. Everyone thought she was so smart, so perfect, so kind, but he had seen the way her face flushed with pleasure as she cut him down to the quick. She had revelled in his humiliation, and for what? Because he had told a few people that Marlene and Sirius had messed around a bit. It was the truth. At least it could be true. Why else would her bra be hanging over his bed? It wasn't his fault that people had taken to calling the girl a slag. Even if he privately agreed.
No, Peter was certain he hadn't earned either her derision or her obvious disgust. Well, he was far cleverer than people gave him credit for, with a vindictive streak running through his very veins, and he was determined to make them all regret ever pushing him aside.
A/N: I know this one is little shorter, but this just felt like a natural stopping point for the chapter. As always, let me know what you guys think!