No sooner were they safely hidden than Remus drew out his wand.
"Lumos!"
Pale light filled the wardrobe. He muttered a few more words: a silencing charm on the doors.
"Why did you that?" Minerva snapped irritably. "Now we can't hear they're saying!"
"If we can hear what they're saying, then they might hear what we're saying."
"Well, we won't talk. Whatever that woman has called this meeting for-"
"Minerva," he interrupted calmly. "You're talking now."
He settled back against the hard wood, stretching his long legs as much as he could. Then he smiled.
"You really don't like her, do you?" he said.
It wasn't really a question. Minerva stared at him, not quite sure what he was implying.
"Don't worry. I can't stand her either. It's just nice to hear someone else feeling the same way. You know there's a lot of wizards who agree with what she did. The werewolf laws, I mean..."
Remus trailed off. For the first time since he'd arrived, Minerva saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. Suddenly she felt almost guilty. Here she was complaining because she'd had to put up with Umbridge for the last six months when Remus had lived with prejudice and ignorance throughout his life. That year he'd spent at Hogwarts had probably been the only time he'd escaped it - and even then Severus Snape hadn't missed a single opportunity to twist the knife. The lesson on werewolves he'd given the third year students was probably the lowest he'd sunk to.
Remus had told her about it one evening when they'd been sat working late. It had often been that way - just the two of them, both night owls, both preferring to work when the staffroom finally emptied and the castle lay silent and peaceful in the darkness. Sometimes she'd take her books to his office, or vice versa, and when they'd finished their allotted tasks they would share a glass of wine and talk late into the night.
Except at full moon, of course...
Several mornings she'd stumbled downstairs bleary eyed and tired. Her colleagues had immediately jumped to conclusions - the wrong conclusions as it had turned out. They'd never crossed that line from being friends to being... well, something more. There had never been even a hint of impropriety between the two of them. And then he'd gone and she'd been left alone once more. Had she wanted something more to happen? She hadn't dared think about it, knowing that even if she had it wouldn't have been appropriate.
And did you ever want that? Do you ever get lonely? Perhaps you don't. I've seen the way Nymphadora looks at you...
"Minerva, are you all right?"
In the dim light she could see him looking at her with concern.
"I'm fine," she said automatically. "Just a little tired, that's all."
"Oh." Remus paused briefly then continued. "I thought of you when I heard about Dumbledore."
"Really?"
"Of course. At least the rest of us have got each other to lean on. It must be hard for you being here by yourself."
And who have you been leaning on?
The thought shot into Minerva's mind before she could stop it and she wondered what on earth was the matter with her.
"I'm not by myself," she said aloud. "Severus is here... and Filius, and Poppy and the rest. We're all still the same. Things are just a little... tense."
"Still, you must miss your freedom."
That at least was true. Her letters were no longer private, she was forbidden from talking to her students about anything other than their homework, she had to seek permission to leave the castle and she didn't even have the consolation of being able to look forward to Gryffindor beating Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup. Most of all she missed her friends: Albus, Arabella, Emmeline, Molly and Arthur... and Remus.
I miss you...
She looked up to see him studying her intently, an almost worried expression on his face. She realised in that moment that he really did care about her, just as she did him.
As the tears started to prick her eyelids and she turned away he reached out to grasp her shoulders, using his thumbs to gently knead the knotted muscles of her back. Minerva stiffened in surprise then gave in to the welcome sensation of the massage, sighing softly as his fingers squeezed circles around her shoulder blades. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Before his arrival she'd been irritable and tense. Enduring the presence of Dolores Umbridge was enough stress without the added burden of having to chaperone one of the Order through the castle. Then a few minutes ago she'd been desperately, desperately sad. Now she wasn't sure what she was feeling. Warmth was starting to creep through her body and it wasn't just from being in the wardrobe. Suddenly she was very aware of her postion: trapped in a closet with a half naked and rather good looking man giving her a back rub.
Good looking?
She blushed, inwardly chastising herself for such an inappropriate thought. True, in her student days most of her friends would have given their wand arms to be in her present situation. But Minerva had always prided herself on being professional...
"What must Severus think of us?" she wondered aloud.
"Snape? I wouldn't worry about him. He's probably just jealous, anyway. He won't say anything."
"I hope not," Minerva said, a little more sharply than she intended. "The last thing I need right now is people gossiping about us."
"We haven't done anything for them to gossip about." Remus grinned. "Yet," he added provocatively.
"Remus!"
"Well I'd hate for people to be gossiping about me when I haven't had even so much as a kiss."
"Remus," she protested, more quietly this time. Her cheeks were burning and she was sure they stood out like a beacon even in the dimly lit closet. She couldn't tell if he was serious or not, didn't know which she wanted, didn't know what she was going to do. He'd never teased her like this before. But then he'd never been shirtless in front of her before either.
"Minerva, I swear you've blushed more in the last ten minutes than most people do in a lifetime."
She glanced over at him and saw that the grin had faded from his expression. Now there was a look in his eyes she hadn't seen before. A look she couldn't place.
"Can we change the subject please?" she protested vainly, hardly daring to look at him. His hands had left her shoulders now and rested lightly on her waist; testing, teasing.
"One kiss and I'll drop it," he said.
"Remus-"
"One kiss," he murmered softly in her ear.
The warmth of his breath against her neck set Minerva's pulse racing and she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of his aftershave. She felt powerless, unable to resist any longer.
"Fine," she whispered, eyes still closed. "One kiss."
"Lumos!"
Pale light filled the wardrobe. He muttered a few more words: a silencing charm on the doors.
"Why did you that?" Minerva snapped irritably. "Now we can't hear they're saying!"
"If we can hear what they're saying, then they might hear what we're saying."
"Well, we won't talk. Whatever that woman has called this meeting for-"
"Minerva," he interrupted calmly. "You're talking now."
He settled back against the hard wood, stretching his long legs as much as he could. Then he smiled.
"You really don't like her, do you?" he said.
It wasn't really a question. Minerva stared at him, not quite sure what he was implying.
"Don't worry. I can't stand her either. It's just nice to hear someone else feeling the same way. You know there's a lot of wizards who agree with what she did. The werewolf laws, I mean..."
Remus trailed off. For the first time since he'd arrived, Minerva saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. Suddenly she felt almost guilty. Here she was complaining because she'd had to put up with Umbridge for the last six months when Remus had lived with prejudice and ignorance throughout his life. That year he'd spent at Hogwarts had probably been the only time he'd escaped it - and even then Severus Snape hadn't missed a single opportunity to twist the knife. The lesson on werewolves he'd given the third year students was probably the lowest he'd sunk to.
Remus had told her about it one evening when they'd been sat working late. It had often been that way - just the two of them, both night owls, both preferring to work when the staffroom finally emptied and the castle lay silent and peaceful in the darkness. Sometimes she'd take her books to his office, or vice versa, and when they'd finished their allotted tasks they would share a glass of wine and talk late into the night.
Except at full moon, of course...
Several mornings she'd stumbled downstairs bleary eyed and tired. Her colleagues had immediately jumped to conclusions - the wrong conclusions as it had turned out. They'd never crossed that line from being friends to being... well, something more. There had never been even a hint of impropriety between the two of them. And then he'd gone and she'd been left alone once more. Had she wanted something more to happen? She hadn't dared think about it, knowing that even if she had it wouldn't have been appropriate.
And did you ever want that? Do you ever get lonely? Perhaps you don't. I've seen the way Nymphadora looks at you...
"Minerva, are you all right?"
In the dim light she could see him looking at her with concern.
"I'm fine," she said automatically. "Just a little tired, that's all."
"Oh." Remus paused briefly then continued. "I thought of you when I heard about Dumbledore."
"Really?"
"Of course. At least the rest of us have got each other to lean on. It must be hard for you being here by yourself."
And who have you been leaning on?
The thought shot into Minerva's mind before she could stop it and she wondered what on earth was the matter with her.
"I'm not by myself," she said aloud. "Severus is here... and Filius, and Poppy and the rest. We're all still the same. Things are just a little... tense."
"Still, you must miss your freedom."
That at least was true. Her letters were no longer private, she was forbidden from talking to her students about anything other than their homework, she had to seek permission to leave the castle and she didn't even have the consolation of being able to look forward to Gryffindor beating Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup. Most of all she missed her friends: Albus, Arabella, Emmeline, Molly and Arthur... and Remus.
I miss you...
She looked up to see him studying her intently, an almost worried expression on his face. She realised in that moment that he really did care about her, just as she did him.
As the tears started to prick her eyelids and she turned away he reached out to grasp her shoulders, using his thumbs to gently knead the knotted muscles of her back. Minerva stiffened in surprise then gave in to the welcome sensation of the massage, sighing softly as his fingers squeezed circles around her shoulder blades. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Before his arrival she'd been irritable and tense. Enduring the presence of Dolores Umbridge was enough stress without the added burden of having to chaperone one of the Order through the castle. Then a few minutes ago she'd been desperately, desperately sad. Now she wasn't sure what she was feeling. Warmth was starting to creep through her body and it wasn't just from being in the wardrobe. Suddenly she was very aware of her postion: trapped in a closet with a half naked and rather good looking man giving her a back rub.
Good looking?
She blushed, inwardly chastising herself for such an inappropriate thought. True, in her student days most of her friends would have given their wand arms to be in her present situation. But Minerva had always prided herself on being professional...
"What must Severus think of us?" she wondered aloud.
"Snape? I wouldn't worry about him. He's probably just jealous, anyway. He won't say anything."
"I hope not," Minerva said, a little more sharply than she intended. "The last thing I need right now is people gossiping about us."
"We haven't done anything for them to gossip about." Remus grinned. "Yet," he added provocatively.
"Remus!"
"Well I'd hate for people to be gossiping about me when I haven't had even so much as a kiss."
"Remus," she protested, more quietly this time. Her cheeks were burning and she was sure they stood out like a beacon even in the dimly lit closet. She couldn't tell if he was serious or not, didn't know which she wanted, didn't know what she was going to do. He'd never teased her like this before. But then he'd never been shirtless in front of her before either.
"Minerva, I swear you've blushed more in the last ten minutes than most people do in a lifetime."
She glanced over at him and saw that the grin had faded from his expression. Now there was a look in his eyes she hadn't seen before. A look she couldn't place.
"Can we change the subject please?" she protested vainly, hardly daring to look at him. His hands had left her shoulders now and rested lightly on her waist; testing, teasing.
"One kiss and I'll drop it," he said.
"Remus-"
"One kiss," he murmered softly in her ear.
The warmth of his breath against her neck set Minerva's pulse racing and she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of his aftershave. She felt powerless, unable to resist any longer.
"Fine," she whispered, eyes still closed. "One kiss."