A/N: This chapter was all ready to be posted before the FFnet difficulties as well so here it finally is. Sorry if it's a little short. Let me know what you think.

The Wolf and The Witch ~*~

Remus said nothing until he walked into the hospital ward with Lorien. "Do I want to know what that was all about?"

She looked at him for a long moment and then sighed. "Probably not."

Remus had a sinking feeling. He knew he was being overprotective and jealous, but he couldn't help the way he had begun to feel about Lorien. And now this. Was she going back to the dungeon tonight? And if so was it because of her professional interest in Snape's work, or some more personal fascination? He shuddered to even think of it. She couldn't possibly be.....

"Remus, are you ok?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hmm? Yeah."

"Remus, I don't think you're going to like this"

Oh no! Here it comes.

"...but I need to be honest with you."

This is going to be awful.

"I know that you don't care for Snape,"

I hate the slimy git!

"but the fact is I think we've struck up a tiny bit of a friendship."

I don't think I can hear this!

"The day he looked at my ankle we made a friendly wager"

Merlin's beard!

"on the quidditch match and I lost. So I have to give in to him"

I think I'm going to be violently ill.

"and wear Slytherin green to dinner tonight."

"What?" Remus wasn't sure he'd heard her right.

"Are you ok? I said I lost the bet and have to wear green," she said a little impatiently.

He stared at her.

"I'm sorry, Remus. I didn't tell you about the bet before and I should have. I mean it's not a big deal. It's just that I know you don't like Severus and you tend to be a little protective."

"That's it? You have to wear green?" Remus felt the panic washing away.

"Yes, can you believe it? Remind me not to bet on quidditch again."

"Gladly." Remus felt faint with relief.

Most of the student body had recovered from the Ravenclaw loss that morning and were in good spirits as they headed to the great hall.

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked along together on their way to dinner.

Hermione was bored because the boys were still discussing the quidditch match from the morning and getting themselves worked up over the Slytherin win again. She sat down at the Gryffindor table with them and shook her head as they continued to rant.

"Bloody Slytherins! I can't even believe it!" Ron exclaimed.

"I know," said Harry. "Cho flew a much better game than Malfoy, too"

"Have you talked to her?" Ron inquired.

"Just for a minute. She seemed pretty disappointed," replied Harry.

Hermione sat quietly and looked for the Ravenclaw seeker. She was seated with her teammates and looked dejected. Hermione's gaze went to the Slytherin table where spirits were obviously still high after their quidditch win. She rolled her eyes and looked away.

As Ron and Harry carried on, along with a good deal of the rest of the Gryffindor table, Hermione's eyes wandered to the head table. Professor McGonagall was leaning over, conversing with Flitwick, probably promising revenge from the Gryffindor team. Her eyes traveled across the table to where Snape sat near Lupin and Hooch. He looked somewhat smug.

She glanced at Lupin before her eyes came back to her table, and then her eyes flicked back to the head table again. Lupin was staring at something, an odd look on his face. She turned her head to where his gaze fell. He was looking at Lorien, who had just entered the hall. At first she thought the odd look was due to the fact that Lorien was wearing green, (She's a Ravenclaw!) but as her gaze once again made contact with Remus, and then Lorien, and then Remus again, she had a sneaking suspicion that she knew better.

'There is something there!' Hermione smiled to herself. She had wondered about seeing the two of them together that day outside.

"What are you looking at, Hermione?" Harry was speaking to her and turned to look himself. "You keep staring at..." He dropped off as he saw the green robes.

Ron's eyes went wide. "What's she thinking? She's wearing Slytherin colors?"

Many of the students in the hall noticed the same thing, and Lorien knew from the wave of murmurs as she passed that she was not scoring many points with at least three of the houses.

'I swear never to bet on quidditch again,' she promised herself as she reached the head table.

She hated to even look at Flitwick and McGonagall, but when she finally managed they seemed to be smiling.

Minerva leaned her way to whisper to her. "Lost a bet with Severus, didn't you?"

Lorien stared at the older woman and nodded.

McGonagall patted Lorien on the hand. "Not to worry, it's happened to all of us."

Flitwick nodded earnestly in agreement.

Snape turned to answer something that Madame Hooch had asked him, and noticed when he did that Lupin was watching something closely. He looked to see what had the werewolf's attention and followed his gaze to where Lorien was nearing the head table. The witch was wearing green. 'Huh! She went through with it.' Snape turned away, mildly amused.

Then it hit him. His head snapped back up to stare at the simple green robes Lorien wore. The green Nemorosi robes. That was it! The man he had seen her with was a Nemorosi wizard named.... Perth Taber. He contemplated the blonde witch now seated near McGonagall. She must be Nemorosi as well. Snape thought back to whether he had ever seen her carry a wand with her, and realized now that he had not.

It had been a long time since Snape had encountered a particular Nemorosi wizard he knew in the past. The memories he had of that time were not pleasant ones, and Snape frowned to himself at the thought. He found himself wondering again about what Perth Taber had been doing at Hogwarts as he turned back to his conversation with Hooch.

The Ravenclaw witch and the Gryffindor werewolf were walking back toward her rooms near the infirmary.

"They're all going to hate me now, Remus," Lorien said.

Lorien was smiling but she was only half joking. She had gotten a lot of dirty looks from students, especially at the Ravenclaw table.

"They'll be over it in a week," he reassured her.

"You think?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"I know it," Remus spoke softly.

They had reached her door and she unlocked it with a word.

"Coming in?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded. The moment she had shut the door his hand closed on her wrist and he drew her slowly back to him. His eyes traveled from her head to her feet and then back again.

"I have a confession," he whispered.

"What?" she whispered back

"I like you in green."

Lorien feigned a look of horror, and then smiled at him.

"I'm serious. It looks great on you."

"Thank you....Remus." Lorien saw the look in his soft gray eyes as they locked on hers. She started to speak but he cut her off with a quick kiss, followed by a longer one. And then a longer one still. He pulled away softly and placed gentle kisses on her cheek, on her chin, and then back along her jaw line. He placed a finger under her chin as he nuzzled just under her ear and tipped her head up slowly to gain better access to her throat.

Lorien had closed her eyes as Remus gently tipped her head back. A small gasp escaped her as his kisses went to the hollow of her neck and she could feel her pulse quicken. She moaned softly as his mouth pressed more urgently against her skin and she let her head fall back a tiny bit further.

Remus could feel the steady rhythm of her pulse below the soft skin of her throat, and he could feel the beat intensify as Lorien lifted her chin. He smiled to himself as he realized that she was enjoying this as much as he was. Another soft moan from her quickened his own heart rate, and he felt the adrenaline in his veins.

He placed his hand on the back of her neck and wound his fingers up through her blonde tresses. His grip tightened slightly on the handful of her hair as he lifted his head and pressed his mouth firmly over hers. He kissed her deeply for a long moment and as he gently broke off he embraced her and held her close. She held him tightly and rested her head against his shoulder.

He spoke her name softly. "Lorien."

She was lightheaded and rested comfortably against him for a moment. She could feel the pounding of his heart beat and realized that he must be feeling the intensity if the moment as well. She was surprised when she felt him stiffen and start to pull away.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"Nothing. I should go," he said quietly.

"Why?"

"I need to leave," he insisted.

Lorien looked up at him, concern on her face. "You don't have to."

"I do."

"Don't you...?"

"Very much. That's why I need to leave."

"Remus, I wish you wouldn't," Lorien said.

"I know, but I can't promise I can behave if I stay." He looked away a little.

"I don't care. Please don't go." She touched his face gently and reached up to kiss him. He found himself caught up in that kiss for a long moment and then he pulled away, shaking his head.

"I can't Lorien. We can't."

She studied him for a long moment. He looked tired and saddened. She remembered that the full moon was not far off.

The full moon. Suddenly she knew what was bothering him.

"I understand," she said, stepping back and turning away from him.

"Do you?" He spoke as he watched her walk across the room to stand in front of a large bookshelf with her back to him.

"Yes. It's ok if you don't want to stay." She stared at the bookshelf, absentmindedly fingering it's contents."

"Lorien, please. It's not that I don't want to, it's just..."

"No. Really, Remus," she interrupted him. "You don't have to."

Lorien pulled a magazine off the shelf and sighed. "I'll just stay here and catch up on my reading."

Lupin was in agony. Now she was being difficult. Why couldn't she understand? Of all people! With her medical knowledge, surely she could see why he wouldn't take the risk!

He spoke again. "Lorien, please don't be upset."

She turned but wouldn't look at him, and began to casually flip pages in the magazine.

"Lorien."

"Mmm?" She continued to flip pages.

"Lorien!" He walked to where she was standing.

"Remus, before you go, do me a favor? Read this." She had folded a page open.

He protested. "Really, I don't...."

"Read it," She spoke to him softly.

He sighed and took the book. "What is this?"

"JAM W2"

"Sorry?"

"Journal of the Association of Medical Wizards and Witches... JAMWW."

Remus looked confused.

"Read it." She indicated a highlighted passage. "I thought I might need to show you this at some point."

It didn't take him very long to read the conclusion of the 10 year retrospective study done at a prestigious wizard hospital. He was not well versed in medical terminology, but he understood the last passage.

In conclusion, it has been determined that the lycanthropic condition may not be transmitted to a person through contact with blood, saliva or other bodily fluid from an afflicted individual. To date, the only confirmed means of transferring the disorder is through the bite of a transformed lycanthrope.

He looked up at her slowly. "You knew this?"

"Of course." She nodded at him.

"And you let me go through that agony just now?"

"It was so sweet, Remus," she smiled.

"You are so dead."

He sprang for her. She screamed and tried to run by him but he caught her about the waist and pulled her to the floor as she laughed. She swung at him halfheartedly and he caught her wrist and pinned her down.

He growled and pretended to bite her throat. It only took him a minute to realize that her laughter had stopped and that she was clinging to him tightly. He held her close for a moment and then climbed to his feet, pulling her with him as he stood.

"Lorien," he said, holding onto her hands. "Do you want me to stay?"

She simply smiled and backed away, still holding his hands as she led him to the next room.

A/N: After reading this again myself several times, I found it ironic that Snape ends up being the catalyst that sparks the romantic encounter between L&R when he gets her to wear green. I hadn't noticed when I first wrote this. I think most of you are beginning to get the feeling that this would not have been what Severus had actually intended. (author winks)