"It's not all so bad you know," Remus said to the new werewolf patient who shared a ward with Arthur. The man had refused to respond to him no matter the many attempts he had made to try to comfort him. This time was no different. He glared up at Remus, his face ridgid. He had the look of someone who had only recently lost a lot of weight and his skin was ashen.

Remus smiled at him. "I'm not doing so bad. You'll be okay." The look the man gave him was a sneer. Remus gestured across the room at Tonks who was standing a few steps away from the foot of Arthur's bed, watching on as the Twins tried to cheer Arthur with some of their joke shop wands. "See her? She's dating me. Doesn't care at all about the werewolf thing."

Remus felt a twinge of jealousy and a surge of pride as the man looked Tonks up and down. "No way," he said flatly. His voice was hoarse from disuse. "Pretty little thing like that? With you?" The man shook his head.

Remus pursed his lips, trying to think of a response when he turned back to see Tonks heading their way. "Hey love," she said, taking his hand. She nodded to the man in the bed, before turning back to Remus. "They are going to be a while," she tilted her head to the side to indicate she was talking about the Weasleys, Harry and Hermoine. "So I'm going to go out to the hall for a while. It's a bit crowded in here." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before heading out to the hall.

The man in the bed looked bewildered. "I don't believe it!"

"I told you it's not all as bad as you think. Some people don't care at all," Remus replied with a grin. Tonks' timing had never been better.

The barest of smiles lit the man's face and he shook his head. "Well what in the hell are you still doing here talking to me? She wants you out in the hall with her." Remus nodded. As he made his way out the door the man added, "Thanks for taking the time."

"It was my pleasure," Remus replied.

He found Tonks leaning against the wall a few yards down from the door. Her hair was black today and long framing her face and accentuating the paleness of her skin. She had made herself just a few inches taller than usual and Remus couldn't help but notice that her figure was a little more curvy as well. The rest of her features were unaltered. When she looked up at him, she smiled.

"I miss you," she said, reaching out and pulling him closer by his hand.

He wrapped an arm around her, breathing in her scent. There were faint traces of Sirius there too and he wondered if the two of them had spent the night together. The thought had him envious and stirred. "I miss you too."

There was a devious hint to her smile as she leaned in closer. He felt a strong urge to push her into the wall and shag her relentlessly, public decency be damned, but he had no desire to end up in the Ministry holding tank for indecent exposure so he bit his lip and sank his finger nails deep in his palms instead.

She pouted, expecting a kiss that hadn't come. "Well? Aren't you going to snog me?" she chirped.

Remus broke eye contact, looking down the empty corridor. He had spent long periods of time completely sexless, years even at some points, but between her and Sirius he hadn't gone much more than a day without release in months. It had only been a week but somehow it felt longer than all the empty years combined. "Full moon isn't too far off," he replied softly. "I haven't seen you awake in more than a week. I'm trying very hard to remember we are in public."

She rested her face against his chest, he felt her hot breath on his collar bone. "Did you watch me sleep?" she asked in mock innocence. She knew very well what she was doing.

He pulled her tightly against himself, resting his lips on the brow of her head. If she wanted to tease him, he would let her. He felt fortunate to be holding at least one of his lovers for the first time in a week. Outside of a rather uncomfortably squished and quick encounter with Sirius in a broom cupboard a few days past, he'd lacked for any sort of affection. Order work was hard and he had become more essential in the days since the attack on Arthur. But he was used to hardships like lack of sleep and lack of food. It had been odd this past week to discover that he was no longer use to lack of sex and affection.

Tonks wiggled impatiently, trying to maneuver into a position that would allow her to kiss him. Remus didn't loosen his grip. "Anyone could walk by you know," he replied. "What if someone from the Ministry comes by to visit their dear old mum and find one of the Aurors shagging in the hall?"

She sighed loudly, giving up trying to make him budge. "I'd tell them to mind their own damn business. Besides, I can change my face. How will they even know it was me?"

Remus was trying to think of a witty response when he realized she hadn't given up, but rather changed tactics. "Oh," was all he could manage as he felt her hand inside his pants, her warm palm working its way up and down his now elongated shaft.

"Oh indeed," she echoed. He could hear the satisfaction in her voice.

His grip on her loosened. He kept one arm around her and dropped the other to give her room to use as she saw fit. Her extra height meant she could reach his lips without removing her hand from his pants.

"But what - about - you.." he panted between kisses.

"You can take care of me next," she reassured him, quickening the pace of her hand on his cock, making him moan.

His eyes were closed and he was leaning heavily on the wall for support when a shriek cut through the hazy of his ecstacy. In a swift movement he had managed to roll Tonks behind him with one hand and draw his wand with the other. There was only a second or two in delay as she drew her own and they stood back to back, wands focused on either end of the hall.

"P-p-professor Lupin?" a small but familiar voice squeaked.

Remus felt the blood rush to his face and he quickly lowered his wand realizing he was pointing it at one of his former students. Hermoine was standing in the middle of the hall, her face a red sheet of embarrassment and shock. He heard Tonks mutter "shite" under her breath.

Remus was desperately trying to think of something to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation. Hermione was his brightest and most observant student. There was no way she had missed Tonks hand down his pants or the currently unbuttoned state of said pants. The best thing he could do is come up with some sort of change of subject to avoid mentioning anything that may have been seen or heard in the past sixty seconds.

Brilliant as always, Hermione beat him to it. She gulped, took a deep breath and then asked "Er professor Lupin would you happen to know where the toilet is?"

"Oh yes, of course," Remus stammered, trying to pretend that Hermoine was asking this question under entirely different circumstances. "Right down that way, end of the hall, third to the left."

"Thank you," she replied, face still blazing red. She gave Tonks a sharp look before heading off in the direction Remus had indicated.

He buttoned up his pants and turned to Tonks once Hermoine was out of earshot. "Well that was probably the most awkward thing that has ever happened to me and I grew up with Sirius."

Tonks cringed, "Oh it gets more awkward." She hid her face in her hands. "She caught me and Sirius last night. Or well rather we stupidly didn't check a room before we started to- er well you know."

"Oh," was all Remus could manage.

"Should I talk to her about it? She must think I'm some kind of tramp. What if she tells Harry?"

Remus hung his head. "Perhaps we should both talk to her?"

"Oh Merlin no! That would only make it even more awkward!" Tonks exclaimed.

Remus let out a little sigh. He hadn't really wanted to be a part of that conversation anyways. "Well if you think it's best."

"I don't bloody know well what is best. But I wouldn't want rumors to get out of hand and Harry deserves to know the truth from us, someday." Tonks replied.

Remus nodded in agreement.

Tonks took his hand, leading him back toward the ward. "Let's just not be in this hallway when she gets back." He couldn't agree more.