Disclaimer: here are some nifty translations for the following words:

Ma petite (French) – my little one, term of endearment

Incroyable (French) – incredible

"Sometimes we live no particular way but our own." – Grateful Dead, 1973

" … Are you even listening to me?"

Remus Lupin blinked several times, shook his head and tried to stall. He certainly hadn't been paying attention to his Potions partner as she prattled on about her ideas for their next assignment; his wolfish instincts desired the upcoming Full Moon and Marianne's sweet lips, not a boring study session in the library.

"You were voicing your thoughts on the proper brewing techniques," he said as he averted his eyes and shuffled a couple of his parchment papers, "for the Wiggenweld Potion."

"Nice try," Lizzie laughed. "You've been kilometers away this entire discussion. Whatchya thinking about, hmmm?"

Remus gulped as he pulled at the collar of his shirt. He could barely keep his feral intuitions under control and tried to mask his intense yearnings with an unreadable poker face.

"Is it an upcoming prank?" the Castle's biggest gossip asked hopefully.

"No," Remus muttered. He dipped his quill and resumed his research.

"Did you fail that Transfiguration exam two weeks ago?"

"No."

"Troubles with your family?"

"No."

"Are Sirius and Gemma breaking up?"

"What? No, of course not," Remus murmured in disbelief.

"She's been acting mental," Lizzie pounced. "Practically manic. I think Sirius tried to break up with her and now she's going bonkers trying to keep him around."

Remus cleared his throat softly and continued to let his quill fly over the parchment. He couldn't deny that the Seer was an emotional wreck; she'd been completely frantic since the attack and despite his efforts, refused to talk about any of her anxiety or stress. But he knew it had something to do with her magical ability and not Sirius' alleged unhappiness.

"You couldn't be further from the truth," the werewolf said through his teeth.

"Is it young love then?"

Remus' stern demeanor suddenly cracked. He buried his face in his Potions book to try and hide his blush.

"Is is love!" Lizzie squealed. "Marlene? Are you back together again?"

"No," he grumbled truthfully. "Now, can we please get back to our assignment?"

"I knew you two would get together again," she continued on. "Persephone owes me five galleons! So why did your romance end for a bit? Was Marlene a slag?"

"No," Remus answered. He rolled his eyes and realized he was never going to win.

"Well, what do you fancy about her then? Inquiring minds want to know!"

"Ahem."

Remus looked up to see Marianne standing next to their table with a very annoyed expression plastered across her face. He coughed slightly and directed his attention back to his notes to avoid any further questions, but secretly rejoiced at his lover's close proximity.

"Yes?" Lizzie drawled. He could tell she was peeved that he hadn't spilled anything worthwhile.

"Professor McGonagall needs to see Remus right away," the Ravenclaw Prefect stated. "It's urgent."

Remus desperately tried to control his urge to whisk Marianne to the back of the library and pin her against one of the bookshelves in a romantic embrace. Lizzie, thankfully, didn't catch on. He internally sighed with relief, but still bit the inside of his cheek as he shut his Potions book closed.

"I'll continue researching and find you after dinner tomorrow," Remus said as he rose from his chair. "I'm sure this meeting with McGonagall isn't going to take very long." He threw a quick glance at Marianne; she never let her guard down and continued to hide behind her stoic facade.

"Fair enough," Lizzie sighed dramatically. "But I'm not done with you! I still have more questions! Laters!" She gave him a small wave and started towards the door.

"Have a good night Lizzie!" he called softly, trying not to fluster the cranky librarian at the front of the room. When he turned back to Marianne, he felt a palpable tension throb between them. A few of the students studying around them leaned in to listen, for it was known that Remus and Marianne had a falling out, although no one knew the exact reason why. The werewolf kept his composure and the onlookers thankfully mistook their sexual tension for extreme irritability.

Marianne's cold demeanor masked her true feelings; she sniffed arrogantly and turned to leave. Remus gulped and looked down at his shoes as he followed her, trying his best to act like a wolf with its tail between its legs. They quickly exited the library and continued down the dark Castle corridor towards McGonagall's office.

As the pair swerved around an incoming pack of Fifth Years, Remus couldn't help but glance over at his lover's face. He wondered if she was really acting at all. Maybe she'd changed her mind about being with a werewolf. Maybe she'd finally realized that he was too much of a risk. Maybe they were just kidding themselves. Maybe they needed to end this whole silly romance before it turned into something too serious.

Yet, as they rounded the next corner, Marianne abruptly dropped her pureblood persona, jerked Remus into a library storage room, practically jumped into his arms and kissed him hungrily.

He faltered for a moment after his head smacked against the wood bookshelf behind him, but unleashed his inner animal as his inhibitions quickly disappeared. Their kisses became frenzied and powerful; their bodies melted together in the dark. After some time, Marianne adjusted her position to start kissing his neck with her lips. Her fingers toyed with the buttons of his shirt as she nipped his earlobe and it took all of Remus' inner strength to stop himself from doing the same.

"Wait," he said, regrettably pulling away. "What about McGonagall?"

Marianne's swollen lips formed a satisfied grin.

"I wouldn't worry about that."

Remus stared at her, puzzled.

"What?" she said innocently.

"Explain."

"Fine. I was watching you from across the library … you kept running your hand through your hair to push it out of your face." She took a moment to slide her fingers through his sandy locks. "I realized how much I love your long hair … and then I kept imagining you with longer hair – past your shoulders." Remus felt her physically shudder with delight after she closed her eyes relived her earlier daydreams. "I was so hot and bothered that I faked a meeting so I could get you in a private place and have my way with you."

Remus's jaw dropped in astonishment. Even though she broke a rule every now and then, Marianne never abused her Prefect position for her own personal gain. She was the logical one – the one who always used facts and reason - but here she was, risking it all to be alone with a werewolf, behaving completely irrational.

Suddenly, a loud pack of students exited the library and roamed down the corridor towards them. Remus went completely rigid as if someone had cast a Full Body-Bind Curse on him and they both held their breath. Once the group passed and their voices faded, the lovers simultaneously exhaled in relief. Marianne frowned slightly as she took his trembling hands in her own.

"Are you mad at me?" she whispered.

"No," he answered. He gave her a small smile. "I'm actually impressed … I just think we need to be more careful."

"It's not my fault Lotte and Valentine can see right through my letters."

"I'm not worried about them. But we can't afford to let anyone else catch on. If someone notices your newly found infatuation with breaking the rules …"

"Your Marauder ways may have rubbed off on me, but I still know how to act accordingly."

"I'm sorry. It's just … er, Lizzie almost read me like an open book. I'm trying my best here … but it's already difficult enough for me to control my urges before the Full Moon without anyone noticing. Adding you to the equation makes it almost impossible."

"I actually like your animalistic side," she said with a slight giggle. "You're more passionate before your monthly transformation."

"I'm sorry," he began, but she put a finger to his lips to quiet him.

"Don't be." She smiled deviously. "I told you, I like it."

Remus laughed softly in appreciation and moved to kiss her, but they snapped to attention when they heard another pack of students wander out of the library. As the group came closer, Remus recognized the voices of Snape and Lestrange and sheer terror replaced his earlier fear. He saw Marianne's green eyes flash in desperation as she urgently tugged at his robes.

"I can share you with the Moon," she whispered. "Just promise me you'll love me completely – as a man and a wolf. Don't hold anything back."

They held their breath and communicated their tremendous amounts of anxiety and nervousness purely through eye contact. When the Slytherins' voices finally faded into the darkness, Marianne's legs gave way and he quickly scooped her up and steadied her shaking frame. He held her tenderly as they locked eyes.

"I promise."

Marianne sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned against him. They stood in the dark, surrounded by hundreds of out of date books and their heartbeats finally slowed to their normal rates.

"You're right though. This is quite possibly the worst location for a tryst. What was I thinking?" she conceded with a frown. "I… well, I just needed you next to me. I couldn't help it."

Needed him …

His Marauder side roared to life and he quickly pieced together a plan to surprise her.

"Tell me ma petite, do you like puzzles?"

"Of course I do, you know that -"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the disguised Marauder's Map. Marianne eagerly snatched the piece of blank parchment out of his grasp and meticulously started to analyze every inch of it with her wand. Remus couldn't help but admire her dedication to solve his challenge and felt a faint tingle of joy nip at his fingertips.

"Aparecium! Reveal your secret!" she demanded as she tapped the paper with the end of her wand. Seconds later, words appeared.

Mr. Moony bids Miss Minot hello and encourages her to try again.

Mr. Prongs reminds her that she must use her rebellious side, if she has one, to figure out the password.

Mr. Padfoot agrees with Mr. Prongs and would like to add that Miss Minot should give the creators more credit because they are, in fact, absolutely brilliant wizards.

Mr. Wormtail bets she will never guess it.

"Now, due to our time constraints -"

"No, don't tell me the answer, I want to figure it out myself!"

"Marianne," Remus warned as they heard more footsteps, "please."

"Oh fine," she huffed. He silently led them past a couple of shelves towards a window, placed the piece of parchment in the pale moonlight and tapped it with his wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Marianne quickly placed a hand over her mouth to mask her astonishing cry; Remus grinned. She nicked the parchment out of his hand and scanned the entire map to take in its secrets. They both watched the markers for Geoffrey Wood and Rose Smythe float past them and then looked at each other with mischievous glints in their eyes. The Map showed another way out of the library storeroom.

"Now follow me," Remus whispered as he took back the Map and squeezed her hand. The couple snaked through rows of bookshelves and exited through an alternate doorway that lead to a series of spiral staircases, secret passageways and dimly lit hallways. Once they reached the Seventh Floor, Remus looked down at the Map and checked to see if the coast was clear. When they were finally alone, the couple scampered down the large Castle corridor until they reached a tapestry depicting Barnaby the Barmy's attempt to teach trolls ballet.

"What?" Marianne said before heaving to catch her breath. "Your Map doesn't show anything special around here."

"Nevermind that," the werewolf laughed as he quickly folded up the parchment and stuffed it in his trouser pocket. "Now, you said earlier that you needed to be with me. I want you to think of a place where no one threatening would ever find us – somewhere we need to be. Somewhere free. Think about it as you pace back and forth three times and be as detailed as possible."

Marianne closed her eyes, scrunched her brows together and began to mull over his request. He melted with happiness as he watched her walk back and forth; he couldn't wait to surprise her. Her eyes flew open after she heard a soft grumbling sound and Remus chuckled as she ran towards a newly visible door. In one swift movement, she grabbed his hand, opened the small portal and pushed them inside.

"Merlin's beard," she gasped as the door slammed shut behind them. Once she recognized the scenery, she uncharacteristically yelped with joy and began to laugh delightfully. Remus put a hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight and once he adjusted to the tropical temperament, panned the coastline and watched a ship cross the horizon line.

"You imagined all of this?" he asked.

"No," she sighed happily as she watched the waves crash onto the shore. "This is a real place."

"Really? Where are we then?"

"Technically, we're nowhere," she smirked as she intertwined their fingers. "But officially, we're on Laurent Plantation property."

"Nowhere? Laurent?" he asked delicately. He felt his hand start to shake. He didn't like where this was going.

"Geographically speaking, we're about a hundred kilometers away from Martinique in the Caribbean," Marianne answered, "but in order to protect our business, we made the island unplottable and set up defensive spells to attack anyone we deemed threatening." She pulled his trembling hand up to her lips and kissed it gently. "It's the safest place I could think of. As for Laurent … It's my mum's maiden name. Her family has owned this place since the seventeen hundreds and made their fortune growing sugar cane – but they didn't use slaves like the Muggles, they magically automated the process."

Everything came into focus. His stomach dropped.

"You – you, " Remus stuttered, "own this entire island?"

"Yes. My mum's father ran the operations until he passed the duty onto my father, which ruffled everyone's feathers because he wasn't fully French," she said, rolling her eyes. "Sure, he had the last name from some French ancestor long ago, but he was based in London. He was different. But they finally forgave his English roots and relinquished control because they knew the business wasn't going to last much longer. He turned it around, though. Proved them all wrong."

She smiled wistfully and turned back to the scenery, but he didn't share her happiness. As the werewolf watched her walk towards the brilliantly shining blue water, he felt a familiar pain in his chest. Although he loved Marianne deeply and had finally let her into his circle of complete trust, he knew their relationship was now doomed, for their fantasy journey to the Caribbean had raised the stakes even higher. No matter how much they needed each other - no matter how much they sacrificed - they would never be allowed to be together in public.

Werewolves weren't supposed to be with pureblood plantation heiresses - he was meant for a life of solitude and she was meant for a member of the aristocracy.

If someone figured everything out and spilled their secret, she would be silenced and kept under lock and key for her disobedience – no more trips to the Caribbean and certainly no more career opportunities at the Wizengamot - and he would probably be expelled from school and unable to get a job. Their life trajectories would completely nosedive and skew in the wrong direction.

Marianne returned to his side and snuggled against him, seemingly unaware of his inner turmoil. He resumed his self-torment in silence and still questioned their choices because in his mind, they were throwing all logic and reason out the window … but Remus knew that if they were caught, the worst consequence would be that they would never be able to see each other again. He would never be able to hold her in his arms and kiss the top of her head, like he did now.

He would be truly and utterly alone. But perhaps, he wondered, that's what he deserved for tempting fate.

"What is this place?" she asked, looking up at him.

"It's called the Room of Requirement," Remus answered as he tried to mask his gloom. "It only appears when a person truly needs something."

"Incroyable," she muttered in astonishment. "And why isn't it on your Map?"

"Because we couldn't figure out how to do it," he replied solemnly. "It blocks magic out. Of course, it isn't fool proof – if the person isn't careful with their loopholes, unwanted outsiders can come in."

"Well thankfully I was detailed enough to include the island defense systems," Marianne teased. "Now stop worrying and kiss me."

"I wasn't worrying -"

"I can see it in your face," she said plainly as she placed as hand on his cheek. "I'm worried too – in fact I lose sleep over what will happen to us … but right now, we're safe. So kiss me."

Remus sighed with desperation, admitted defeat and finally obliged her. Yet, he couldn't help but still hate himself as he unleashed his inner animal to love her as a man and a wolf, just like he had promised. But instead of pulling away, she kissed him back enthusiastically as if her life depended on it and the couple lost themselves in their secret romance and escaped their harsh reality for a couple of hours.