Friday 10 June, 1994:

Remus' eyes fluttered open. He was lying on something hard, and a little bit itchy. Grass.

The next thing he noticed – or rather, felt – was that something soft was covering him. A blanket. Which was good, because the third thing he realised was that he was naked.

Groggily, he pushed himself up so he was sitting, letting the blanket fall down to his lap. Wincing in pain, he glanced down at his arms and torso. There were numerous scratches covering them, as well as many bruises, especially down his left side.

"Rough night?"

His head snapped to his right. Sitting on a log several metres away was Lena, nonchalantly watching him.

The memories of the previous night flooded his brain. Going to the Shrieking Shack, seeing Sirius, finding out the truth of what had happened all those years ago, Lena running towards them as they came out from under the Whomping Willow, then the wave of pain as he began to transform...

"Pettigrew!" gasped Remus, trying to get to his feet. "Is he–"

"He escaped," said Lena, getting off the log and coming over to kneel beside him. "I'm sorry, Remus."

A lump formed in Remus' throat. "And Sirius? What happened–"

"He was caught," explained Lena, "but Harry and Hermione helped him escape – apparently," she half-smiled, "on the back of Buckbeak the Hippogriff. So, he's on the run again."

Remus slumped back to the ground. "Everyone still thinks–"

"He murdered all those people and Pettigrew? Yeah, the Ministry and the wider Wizarding community do. But Dumbledore knows the truth now."

'So he knows that I spent the year keeping the fact that Sirius and Peter are Animagi a secret from him when we thought Sirius was a mass-murderer trying to hunt down Harry and kill him,' thought Remus despairingly. 'And combine that with fully transforming last night in the grounds and nearly attacking my students...'

But he hadn't attacked them. The werewolf's memories were a little slower to form than his own, and slightly fuzzier, but now Remus started to recall what had happened after he transformed.

He had been fighting with Sirius, about to kill him. Then he'd been thrown off the dog, felt pain as he hit the ground. He had got up, and seen Lena. After that...

Remus looked at her now. She was in her uniform, sans robe. It didn't look like she had changed from last night. Her hair was tangled, pulled up into perhaps the messiest bun he'd ever seen. The bags under her eyes were the most pronounced he'd seen them since she'd started taking the Moramortis. There was a smudge of dirt underneath her left ear, and she was looking back at him with a mixture of concern and inquisitiveness.

He felt his cheeks go slightly pink as remembered the werewolf resting its head on her lap. It had gone to sleep there some time shortly after.

"Did you stay here all night?" he asked her.

Lena nodded. "Dumbledore found us not long after you went to sleep. Luckily, you didn't wake up, so I was able to talk to him. That's when he told me everything that had happened after we left the others at the Whomping Willow." She pointed over to the log where she'd been sitting. "He sent over some clothes for you when you woke up."

Remus saw the folded shirt and pants, and shoes. He noticed something else on top of them.

"He also found your wand," added Lena, seeing what he was looking at.

"And the blanket?" asked Remus, gesturing to it.

"I Transfigured my robe."

Now he was definitely blushing, unable to help wondering whether she had done it before he had transformed back, and if not, what exactly she might have seen. "Right. Er, thank you." He looked up. The tall trees were keeping them well in shadow, but there were cracks of sunlight coming through. "What time is it?"

Lena glanced at her watch. "A little before seven," she answered, standing up. "We should probably head up to the castle. I'm sure Dumbledore would like to talk to you, now that you're not... you know." She held her hand out to him.

Remus nodded. "Of course." Keeping one hand on the robe-blanket to cover his nether regions, he took Lena's hand with the other, and she helped pull him to his feet. Adjusting the blanket to make sure it covered his buttocks as well, he walked over to the fresh set of clothes. "So you haven't seen anyone else? Just Dumbledore?" he questioned.

"No," said Lena. "He told me that Harry, Ron and Hermione were spending the night in the hospital wing – they're fine," she added hastily, seeing Remus' look of horror. "Well, I think Ron's leg was broken, but that would have mended by now. Look," she said, turning away from him, "you get dressed, and I'll tell you everything I know."

It was a remarkable tale. A narrow escape from hundreds of Dementors, time travel, and a daring rescue on the back of a Hippogriff. 'James would be so proud,' thought Remus, his heart aching. He recalled the way Harry had refused to allow Sirius and himself execute Peter. 'And so would Lily.'

Sitting down on the log, he started to put on the shoes. "I'm changed," he called over to Lena, who turned back around.

"So how are you feeling?" she asked, walking over and sitting beside him. "You know, I'm beginning to rethink my whole stance on Wolfsbane."

Remus glanced up at her, frowning. "Why?"

"Well, you took six out of the seven doses, and the werewolf didn't end up attacking me," Lena pointed out. "So it must be doing something right."

"That wasn't the Wolfsbane," said Remus, finishing tying his laces. He sat up and faced Lena. "If anything, I think all the transformations under the influence of Wolfsbane actually made it worse."

"What do you mean?" asked Lena, looking confused.

"I tried to kill Sirius," said Remus. "And I've never attacked him – or James or Peter – in their Animagus forms before. Snapped at them, yes. Maybe even wrestled a little bit. But not kill." He stood up. "Come on, let's go."

Lena followed him. "So what, you think you were more violent than usual last night? But–"

"As soon as I finished transforming, I wanted to kill," explained Remus."It didn't matter what. It was just like you've been saying – the Wolfsbane didn't remove any desire for violence these past nine months, it just suppressed it. So last night, there was an excess of it." He gave Lena a sidelong glance as she fell into step with him. He could see that her mind was whirring, looking for answers.

"Then I knocked you off him," said Lena. "And you got back up–"

"And I wanted to kill you," Remus cut her off quietly. "I wanted to tear you limb from limb."

"But you didn't." Remus could tell she was almost bursting from curiosity. "Why?"

Remus halted, and turned to face her. "Because you weren't afraid," he said simply. "And that terrified the wolf."

"That's all it takes?" said Lena, in disbelief. "You just have to hold your ground, and a werewolf won't attack?"

Remus shook his head. "You don't understand. A werewolf can smell fear. You can't just bluff one." He stared at her, his expression serious. "Lena, you weren't scared. At all."

Lena shrugged. "I know."

A small exasperated noise escaped Remus. "Do you not understand," he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, "how completely insane that was?"

Lena's expression became affronted. "Why? I wasn't going to let you hurt me, or the others."

"There," said Remus quickly, holding up a finger. "There it is. That ridiculous amount of self-confidence. That's what sent the werewolf running. Because the only reason you could be that crazy to so truly believe you would have no problem taking on a werewolf and winning was if it were true. And that meant you were a threat."

Lena crossed her arms. "So what changed?"

"What do you mean?"

They began walking again."Why did the werewolf go from so frightened of me," she said, "to, well..." She trailed off.

Remus kept his eyes looking straight ahead, worried that if he met Lena's gaze he would blush again. "To being so affectionate towards you?" he suggested neutrally.

Lena cleared her throat. "Erm, yeah."

A pang of disappointment hit Remus. She sounded so uncomfortable. It didn't really surprise him, but that didn't mean it wasn't a little upsetting. Shoving the feeling away, he said, "Because you protected him. Me," he corrected himself. "You protected me, when you had no reason to. And that was incredibly confusing to a beast whose instincts go totally against that. And I suppose," he added thoughtfully, as it was only just occurring to him, "that as a werewolf, I actually have a very limited experience of interacting with humans." He shrugged. "Maybe that means I'm less set in my ways than I thought."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Lena was nodding, but clearly deep in thought. After a short while, she asked him to tell her everything he had learnt the previous night in the Shrieking Shack, in case there was anything Dumbledore had missed. Remus did so as they continued making their way to the castle, stopping by the Whomping Willow to retrieve the Invisibility Cloak.

It was nearly half-past-seven by the time they reached the doors to the Entrance Hall. Lena held them open for him, then followed him in.

"I'm going to go my office," Remus told her as they walked through the Hall. "You should go to your dormitory, have a shower."

Lena arched an eyebrow. "Are you saying I stink?"

Remus' lips twitched. "Well, you've probably smelt better."

"While, of course, you are absolutely pristine. No," Lena shook her head. "I'll see you up to your room first."

"But–"

"There you are!" It was Maggie. Upon seeing them, she jogged towards them.

Remus and Lena exchanged a look. What exactly were they supposed to tell her? He couldn't think of a reasonable excuse for why the two of them were entering the castle at this hour in such a dishevelled state.

Maggie, however, didn't look particularly surprised by their appearance, nor the fact they were together. But as she came to a stop in front of them, it was clear from the way she was biting her lip that something was wrong.

"Um, Professor," she said. "It's probably best if you try to get to your office as quickly as possible. And, um, the less people that see you–"

"Well, obviously," interrupted Lena, rolling her eyes. "He's hardly going to swagger into the Great Hall looking like this."

"No," replied Maggie, "you don't–" She stopped, then sighed. Looking Remus in the eye, she said, "I'm sorry, sir. But Snape's told everyone."

Remus' heart skipped a beat.

"Told everyone what?" hissed Lena, narrowing her eyes.

Maggie took a deep breath. "That you're a werewolf."

Speechless, Remus stared back at her. The only word his mind could form was, 'Fuck.'

Lena, on the other hand, retained her voice. "He just announced it to the whole fucking Hall?"

Maggie grimaced. "More like," she made air quotation marks, "'let it slip' to some of the Slytherins. But that was about fifteen minutes ago, so by now–"

"Everybody know," said Remus quietly.

"I'm going to kill him." Lena's voice was very soft, but that didn't lessen its menace one bit. She started forward. "I'm actually going to fucking murder him."

"Oh no you're not," said Maggie, grabbing Lena by the shoulders and holding her back. "You are one month away from graduating, I'm not letting you blow it by murdering that dickhead in the Great Hall, right in front of everybody."

"I don't care," snarled Lena, struggling to get past Maggie. "He's had it coming for years."

"Don't be stupid," Maggie scolded her.

Lena growled, trying to shove Maggie off of her, but to no avail.

"God, you're actually really weak," remarked Maggie.

"Get out of my way!"

"Like, I'm hardly trying at all. Seriously, girl, you need some more protein in your diet."

"Lena," said Remus firmly. "Leave it."

Lena looked back over her shoulder at him. "But Remus–"

"Severus was bound to be angry after what happened last night," Remus pointed out, internally wincing as he remembered how Harry, Ron and Hermione had all simultaneously hit the Potions Master with overly-enthusiastic Disarming Charms.

Lena stepped back from Maggie and turned around. "How can you defend him?" she cried, outraged. "To out you like that!"

"I didn't say he wasn't a git," replied Remus tersely. Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But think for a second, Lena. What if you hadn't turned up when you did last night? Harry, Ron, Hermione – they could all have been bitten, or killed."

Lena looked at him with wide eyes. "What are you saying?"

Remus suspected that Dumbledore wouldn't fire him, but he still knew what he had to do. He had to resign. But there was no point in telling Lena that now. She would just argue.

"Go back to your dormitory, Lena," he told her.

She made a frustrated noise. "My cleanliness isn't as important as what Snape's done to you–"

"No," Maggie cut her off. "But you taking your next dose of Moramortis is. Come on." She put her arm around Lena's shoulder, trying to guide her away in the direction of the staircase to the dungeons.

Lena made a feeble attempt at resistance. "But I–"

"Please, Lena," said Remus earnestly. "You took care of me last night. Now please take care of yourself."

Lena slumped. "Fine," she replied. "But once I'm done–"

"You'll come find me," Remus finished, giving her a small smile. "I know."

He watched the two girls walk away. Then he squared his shoulders and took a deep breath.

'Come on, Remus,' he told himself. 'Time to do the right thing.'

"It's the wrong thing to do!"

"Lena, I endangered the lives of students last night. It's the only correct course of action."

Lena glared at Remus as he continued emptying his desk drawers. He'd already finished packing everything in his bedroom by the time she had arrived at his office.

He had resigned. It made Lena furious. Mostly at Snape, but she was also a little annoyed with Remus too.

"But you didn't hurt anyone," argued Lena, crossing her arms as she leant against the wall furthest away from his desk. "And you've spent a whole year teaching them all vital information. And it's near impossible to find anyone to fill the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, let alone someone who's actually good. What if next year they get stuck with another Lockhart? Isn't it just as dangerous for people to leave Hogwarts without a comprehensive, accurate knowledge of how to defend themselves from the Dark Arts?"

"Of course education is important," replied Remus, shutting the desk drawers. "But it doesn't take priority over their safety."

Lena uncrossed her arms and walked over to the desk. "What if you're not as dangerous as you think?" she tried to reason with him. "Surely you proved last night that there's more to the werewolf than just violence."

Pausing from his packing, Remus glanced up at her. "I think what was proved," he said lightly, "was that you are, once again, an exception to a rule."

Lena fought back a blush as there was a swooping feeling in her stomach. Of course she knew she was extraordinary, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it when Remus remarked upon it.

"Anyway," continued Remus, returning to his packing, "why are you so bothered by this if you're not going to be here next year either?"

"Because it's discrimination!" said Lena. "Because you deserve this job! Because..." She swallowed. "Because you love it," she finished softly.

Remus paused for a moment, then put the last items away in his trunk. The only things left in the office were the furniture that came with it, and a piece of parchment spread out on the desk. The Marauder's Map, Remus had explained to Lena. A tool he, Sirius and James – and Pettigrew, to a much lesser extent – had created while students.

She looked down at it now, tracing a finger over where her and Remus' names were situated.

'As if I thought he couldn't be any more attractive,' thought Lena irritably. 'Then he has to go and reveal he helped create something as impressive as this when he was a teenager.'

"I'm touched that you care so much."

Lena started, her eyes widening imperceptibly as she turned around to face Remus, who was standing a little behind her. 'Bloody hell,' she internally panicked, 'I didn't say that out loud, did I?'

"I've loved teaching more than I ever expected to," Remus went on, and Lena realised he was talking about the Defence teaching position. 'Oh, thank fuck.'

"I accepted the position mostly because of the wage and the Wolfsbane," he continued. "Although the prospect of seeing Harry again after all this time was also something of an incentive. But then I found–"

"That you're good at it," said Lena quietly, taking a step closer to him. "And that it's what you want to do." She smiled at him sadly. "That's the main reason I don't want you to resign, Remus. This," she gestured around the room and to the door that led down to the classroom, "makes you happy. And," she took a deep breath, "that's what I want for you. To be happy."

To her surprise, Remus gave her an odd look. "That's..." He appeared to be choosing his words carefully. "That's very sweet of you to say," he finally replied.

Lena frowned. He sounded almost... insincere.

Moving slightly closer, she suspiciously asked, "What are you holding back?"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "I'm not–"

"Remus."

He flinched slightly at the severity in her tone. He spread his hands exasperatedly. "Fine. It's sweet of you to say, but... but you're not very good at showing it."

Lena tensed. "I beg your pardon?"

Remus ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I just..." He sighed. "I just feel that between the two of us, one of us cares more about the other."

Stung, Lena took a step back. "You think I don't care about you?"

"No," said Remus. "I know you do, in your own way. But–"

"In my own way?" interrupted Lena. "What the hell does–"

"Just listen to me," Remus cut her off. "Remember when you came to see me before you left Hogwarts, when you were dying? I told you that–

"I had sucked you in. Yes, I remember that charming description of how you felt."

"Well, that's what it's like, Lena!" retorted Remus, raising his voice. "You come swanning in, all aloof and mysterious and clever and frankly astonishing, then someone piques your interest, and you give them just a taste of who you are, just enough to prove that you are sublime, and then you're just so fucking magnetic, and they give you everything, but bloody hell, is it hard work to get anything out of you!"

"Seriously?" snapped Lena. "You think that after everything I've told you?"

"I'm not just talking about you telling me your history," Remus shot back. "I'm talking about letting me know what you feel!"

"You mean what I feel towards you?"

"Exactly!" cried Remus. "You repeatedly tell me you care about me, that you consider me a friend, spend hours every week in my company, but somehow, you still manage to be so fucking vague about what you feel!"

"Are you kidding me?" Lena stared at him disbelievingly. "Last night I chased you – as a fully transformed werewolf, who had just been intending to kill me – into the Forbidden Forest and killed four Acromantulas for you! What else do I have to do to show you I love you?!"

"Well, you could just say it!"

"Fine!" shouted Lena, throwing up her hands. "I love you!"

Remus stared at her, looking more shocked than she'd ever seen him, and she nearly seized up in terror. She had said the words aloud, so now it was real, and it was terrifying. But it was too late to turn back now.

After a silence that felt as though it had stretched on for an eternity – while in reality was less than five seconds – Remus whispered hoarsely, "Lena."

And that was all he needed to say. They threw themselves at each other, Lena curling her fists into his shirtfront, Remus' hands firmly gripping her waist. And they kissed.

Remus' lips were dry and a little rough, but Lena found she didn't care. They were his, and the ardour with which they were kissing her more than made up for any shortcomings of their texture.

But as much as Lena was enjoying the friction of their lips, she knew that it wasn't just the kiss – which was definitely good, but not mind-blowingly amazing – that was causing the warm sensation spreading through her chest that was so wonderful, yet making her heart feel like it was going to burst.

It was that for the second time in her life, Lena Lestrange felt truly happy.

Remus loved her.

Uncurling her fists, she pressed her hands against his chest. She felt his slightly protruding ribs, and his heart racing underneath them. Lena was sure hers was beating at the same rate.

They had been kissing for roughly twenty seconds when Remus reluctantly pulled his lips back from Lena's – inducing a small noise of protestation from her – and looked down at her with a face wracked by guilt.

"I am much too old for you," he told her.

"I don't care," said Lena, smiling.

But Remus shook his head, stepping back from her."I'm – I'm impoverished. I have no money, and I have no job again now, and probably won't be able to find one–"

"I don't care."

Clutching his hair, he made a frustrated sound. "I'm a werewolf, a pariah to Wizarding society. I am reviled, Lena."

"And I'm an emotionally unstable narcissist with a proclivity for the Dark Arts who murdered my own grandmother when I was eleven." She cocked her head. "Do you care?"

Dropping his hands back to his sides, Remus gazed at Lena. Then he answered her question by reaching out and pulling her to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her once again, but more fiercely than before.

Matching him in enthusiasm, Lena grabbed the sides of his face and practically attacked his mouth with her own. As their mouths parted further and the tongues became involved, her hands gradually found their way into Remus' hair. Remus' hands, meanwhile, were wandering all over her back and sides.

Then Remus' lips began to move down from the corner of her lips to her jaw, then further down to her neck. Lena let him continue his ministrations there for a while, as she did quite like the sensation; but missing the feeling of them caressing her lips, grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back up. She caught a brief glimpse of his surprise before she reclaimed his mouth for her own.

Apparently, Remus didn't mind the force she had used, because he emitted a low groan of pleasure, which in turn made Lena feel a pulsing in her lower regions.

Without breaking the kiss, Remus moved forward, pushing Lena back until she hit his desk. His hands found her hips, then moved lower down her sides until they reached the back of her stocking-clad thighs. Then, with a grunt, he hoisted her up so she was sitting on the desk. Instinctively, Lena wrapped her legs around his, pulling him as close as she could. Remus' hands, still on her thighs, began to slowly move up underneath her skirt.

'Fucking hell,' thought Lena. 'He actually is going to have me on his desk.'

And she was going to let him.

Remus' tongue was practically down her throat, and his hands almost at her underwear, when the door to his office was flung open.

"Professor Lupin– Oh!"

Remus reared his head back from Lena and practically jumped away from the desk. Lena hastily smoothed down her skirt to make sure everything was covered, and looked to the doorway.

Standing there was Harry, and his expression was a perfect mixture of embarrassment, amusement, and delight.

"Sorry, shall I come back later?" he asked, evidently trying to hold back a smirk.

"No, no," said Remus quickly, although Lena privately wished that he hadn't. "Come in, Harry. I'm glad to see you're all right."

"As am I," Lena chimed in. "Although your timing is less–" She shut her mouth as Remus sent her a warning look. 'Less than desirable,' she finished silently.

"I just saw Hagrid," said Harry to Remus. "And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?"

"I'm afraid it is," said Remus.

"Why?" said Harry. "The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?"

"No," Lena cut in as Remus opened his mouth to reply. "It's because he's a ridiculous Gryffindor like you, and thinks he's being noble."

Remus sent her another dirty look, before turning back to Harry. "Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives." He sighed. "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he – er – accidentally let it slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."

"Twat," muttered Lena, moving the Marauder's Map to the side of the desk so she could sit further back.

"You're not leaving just because of that!" said Harry.

Remus smiled wryly. "This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents – they will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Harry. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you."

"But you didn't," said Harry quickly. He indicated to Lena. "You listened to Lena."

"I ran away from Lena," Remus corrected him.

"Which I'm still a little bit offended by," interjected Lena.

Remus rolled his eyes. "You'll get over it." He addressed Harry again. "The point is, if Lena hadn't been there, I would have attacked you and the others. And as Lena won't be here next year, neither can I."

"But you're the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" said Harry. "Don't go!"

"He's made up his mind, Harry," said Lena quietly. "And he won't change it. Believe me, I tried."

Harry gave Lena a suggestive look which seemed to say, 'Yes, I'm sure you did.'

'You cheeky little sod,' thought Lena.

"From what the Headmaster told me this morning," said Remus, interrupting Lena and Harry's silent exchange, "you saved a lot of lives last night, Harry. If I'm proud of anything, it's how much you've learned. Tell me about your Patronus."

"Ooh, yes," said Lena excitedly. "What form does it take?"

Harry looked between them, confused. "How'd you know about that?"

"Dumbledore told me about the Dementors converging on you, Hermione and Sirius, and that they were driven away," explained Lena.

"So who else could it have been who cast it but you?" finished Remus, moving back to the desk and leaning against it next to where Lena was standing. They both gazed at Harry keenly.

"Oh. Well, it's a stag."

Remus grinned. "Like father, like son, then. James' Animagus was a stag. That's why we called him Prongs."

"Yeah, I kind of figured," said Harry, half-smiling.

Remus appeared to remember something. "Speaking of your father," he said, going over to his trunk and pulling something off the top of it, "here – I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night," he said. "And–" he went back to the desk and picked up the Map, holding it out to Harry, "–as I am no longer your teacher, I don't feel guilty about giving you this back as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you, Ron and Hermione will find uses for it."

Harry took the map and grinned. "You told me Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school... you said they'd have thought it was funny."

"And so we would have done," said Remus. "I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle."

"Wow, you all sound like you were such rebels," said Lena teasingly. Then, smirking, she added, "Teenage-Remus sounds like he was pretty hot."

"Lena!" said Remus, embarrassed – but also, Lena could have sworn, pleased.

Before she could tease him any further, there was a knock at the door. Harry hastily stuffed the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket, and Dumbledore entered, not looking at all surprised to see either Lena or Harry there.

"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he said.

"Thank you, Headmaster." Remus folded the one robe he'd left out over his arm and picked up the handle on his trunk.

"Well – goodbye, Harry," he said smiling. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again some time."

Getting off the desk, Lena said, "I'll walk you down to the gates."

Remus nodded.

"Goodbye, then, Remus," said Dumbledore soberly. Remus shifted his robe slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod and a swift smile, Remus left the office, followed closely behind by Lena.

Remus watched Lena out of the corner of his eye as they exited the Entrance Hall. They hadn't said much to each other since leaving his office, but now he noticed that there was a small, pleased smile playing on her lips. It gave him a very pleasant feeling to know that he was the cause of it.

She loved him. It hadn't really registered with him the first time she had said it, but the second time – it had felt as though time was standing still. He had almost dared not believe it. But then he had seen the way she was looking at him. And then they had kissed, and Remus honestly couldn't ever remember feeling the way he had then ever before in his life. A moment of true euphoria.

Of course, then his doubts had crept back into his mind. But it hadn't taken long for Lena to dissuade him of those. She had reminded him of his absolute truth. He loved her.

Now, he cleared his throat. "Lena?"

"Hmm?"

"I think we should probably talk about what happened back there."

She glanced at him, quirking an eyebrow. "Do you mean when you were going to shag me on your desk?"

Remus returned her gaze. "Is that what you wanted?" He wasn't being flirtatious, but genuinely curious.

"Was my behaviour not indicative of that?"

Personally, Remus was trying his best not to think too much of Lena's ardent behaviour. He was worried that if he did, he might diverge from his path to the gates and take her off to the Forest to have another go at shagging her.

"I certainly found it encouraging," he finally responded.

"I'm glad." There was a pause, then Lena said, "Remus, I'm really sorry about Sirius. I know how much he means to you, and," her expression became upset, "if I had been paying more attention last night, I could have stopped Pettigrew from escaping, and Sirius would be a free man."

If she was expecting Remus to be mad at her, she was mistaken. He shook his head, smiling. "You really have quite the god complex, don't you?"

Lena looked at him, confused. "God complex?"

"You have such an unshakeable belief in your own abilities and intelligence that when you see something go wrong, you always think you could have prevented it," explained Remus. "You think you should be infallible." He gave her a soft smile. "But you're not. You're only human, Lena. A very clever, very talented, very ambitious human. But not a god."

Lena stared down at her feet as they descended a hill. The gates were at its foot. "And this god complex," she eventually said. "You don't think it's a good thing I have one?"

"I probably shouldn't," admitted Remus. "But I suspect it's one of the many reasons I'm in love with you."

Lena's head snapped up to look at him. She flashed him a smile, then looked ahead. But her hand reached out to take his, squeezing it gently.

Remus squeezed it back, and they walked down the rest of hill in silence, but holding hands. At last, they reached the gates, and Remus reluctantly let go.

"Where will you go?" asked Lena.

"Back to where I was living before I came here," answered Remus, shrugging. "Trusting it's still inhabitable, of course."

Lena bit her lip. "You know I could–"

"Don't offer me any money," said Remus sharply. He softened when he saw how this affronted Lena. "Don't get me wrong, it's not matter of 'manly pride,' or anything like that." He put down his trunk and took both her hands in his. "Listen, you have another month before you leave Hogwarts. And I'm not going insult your intelligence by suggesting that you don't know your own mind. We love each other, that much is clear to both of us. But tell me honestly: how long has it been since you properly realised and admitted it to yourself?"

Looking slightly embarrassed, Lena replied, "Since last night."

Remus nodded. He'd been wondering if that were the case. "So you haven't really had much time to think about what you would want our life together to be. Love is all well and good, but I know you well enough to understand that a life where that love dictates all other choices wouldn't be for you. So, take this month where we're apart to consider what it is you want. From me, and for yourself."

"I can't have children," Lena blurted out.

Remus froze, his mind temporarily going blank. He had not be expecting her to bring up anything like that right now.

"It's the Moramortis," she continued. She was watching Remus closely, no doubt looking for his reaction to this news. "One of the side-effects is that it causes infertility. So if children are something you want–"

"No," said Remus quickly, and probably a little too loudly. He had decided long ago that he would never risk the possibility of lycanthropy being genetically passed on to any child. Perhaps if he wasn't a werewolf–

'But there's no point imagining something I know could never happen,' Remus told himself sternly. No good came of dwelling on the impossible.

"I don't want children," said Remus firmly.

For a moment, Lena continued to scrutinise him, and Remus thought he saw something in her eyes that said she didn't quite believe him. But then the look was gone, and she was smiling. "Well, isn't it good we cleared that up now?"

"Yes," said Remus, "but I still want you to take this month to think about everything. Now, as the night after you leave Hogwarts is a full moon, we can meet again the day after."

Lena looked like she wanted to argue about this, but eventually nodded. "All right. If it's important to you that we do this," she took a deep breath, "then I suppose I can wait thirty days to see you again."

"I'll think about you every day," murmured Remus.

"Good. I'll be very cross if you don't." She glanced over at the Thestral-drawn carriage. "You have to go now."

"I know."

But neither of them moved, staring at each other. Then Lena leant in and kissed him, much more gently than she had in his office. Remus kissed her back, but just as he started to wonder if he could somehow delay his departure further so he could give her another proper snogging, she drew back.

"I love you," she whispered.

Remus smiled. "I love you more."

Lena snorted. "No you don't." She picked up his trunk and thrust it into his arms. "Now," she gave him a push out of the gates, "fuck off."

Laughing, Remus looked back at her as she shut the gates behind him. "Such a hopeless romantic," he teased.

"Oh, Merlin forbid I ever become as sappy as you," she retorted, her eyes sparkling. Walking backwards, she called out to him, "See you in a month–" she grinned, "Moony." And with one final wink, she turned around and started making her way back up to the castle.

Remus gazed after her retreating back, well aware of the puppy-like expression on his face.

'Now, Remus,' said a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Sirius, 'that is what I call a hell of a woman.'

Remus smiled to himself. 'Yes,' he thought. 'Yes she is.'

And she loved him.