Chapter 5

Remus looked at her, shaking his head to clear it, "Did you just say."

"Yes, Remus, I said kiss me," she told him, leaning closer. She leaned too far, her chair slid out from under her and she fell to the floor.

"Tonks are you alright?" he asked, jumping up and helping her to her feet.

She looked up into his hazel eyes, then reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm fine," she said. She leaned forward and touched her lips gently to his.

His head was spinning she was kissing him. He put one hand on her waist and brought the other hand up to caress her cheek.

'Oh my god!' she thought, 'this is better that I ever imagined.'

Remus pulled away first, "I think that we should stop," he told her, running his thumb across her bottom lip.

She took his hand and entwined their fingers. "Walk me to my quarters?" she asked, running the fingers of her free hand through his hair.

"Yes, that would be the wisest thing to do," he said, turning toward the door. "I will deliver you to the safety of your rooms." He turned to the closest house elf. "Could you bring up some hot chocolate to my sitting room, please?"

When they arrived in front of her quarters, she turned toward him. "I think that we should try that again," she said, as she quickly pressed her lips against his. Her one hand tangled in his hair, the other rested lightly on his chest.

Merlin help him, she was driving him crazy, the way her lips felt, the way she seemed made to fit into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, his hands rubbing small circles on her back. He could hear her heart pounding, and the small sounds that she was making as he stroked her back.

They broke apart, their breathing labored. "Goodnight, Nymphadora," he said, touching her swollen mouth.

"Goodnight, Remus," she told him, turning to go into her room. She shut the door behind her, and stumbled over to her desk. Pulling a piece of parchment toward her, she sat down, grabbed a quill and began to write.

Dear Ginny, Hermione, and all who have helped,

He kissed me!! Well, I kissed him, but he was a willing participant. (Even more so the second time) I'm floating; I'll floo you tomorrow with the details. Kiss Fred and George for me, their stuff works!!

Tonks

She quickly folded the parchment and tied it to her owl's leg. "Take this to Ginny," she told the beautiful tawny owl. She turned away from the window, and threw herself onto her bed. "Remus kissed me back, I think I'm in heaven." And with that, she waved her wand to extinguish the candles, and went to bed.

Remus walked down the halls in a daze. She had kissed him, twice. Was it at all possible that she had feelings for him? He got to his quarters, gave the password, and went inside and straight to his bedroom. He sat down on his bed, his mind still trying to process what had happened. He got up and went to his desk, and sat to write a short note.

Dear Harry,

I find myself in a position that I don't quite understand. I went to the kitchens tonight to get some hot chocolate, and Tonks was there. Harry, she kissed me. After that, I walked her to her rooms, and she kissed me again. I kissed her back, and couldn't help noticing how nicely she fits into my arms. Am I going insane?

Remus

He folded the parchment and went up to the Owlery to send it off. When he got back to his room, he crawled into his bed and fell quickly to sleep.

Ginny read the short note and laughed. She turned to Harry, who was reading a note of his own, a smile on his face. "Well, who was it from?" she asked. He handed the note to her, she read it quickly and clapped her hands together. "Let's hope that he doesn't believe that it's insanity," she told him, grinning.

"No chance," he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I'm going to see him tomorrow."

The next month passed quickly, with Remus spending every free moment with the woman that he couldn't get out off of his mind. It had been hard enough to keep her out of his thoughts before he had come to Hogwarts, but now she was on his mind constantly.

Hermione and Ginny had asked him to meet them in Hogsmead they had something to tell him. He rushed to arrive on time, and found the two women sitting in the three broomsticks, drinking pumpkin juice.

"You both look wonderful," he told them, sitting down at the table and ordering his own juice.

"You don't need to drink juice because of us," Hermione told him.

"If Tonks smells butterbeer on me, and I didn't invite her, I might never live it down," he said, laughing. "So what can I do for you two lovely ladies today?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well, it's actually what we can do for you, Remus," Ginny said, placing a sealed vial on the table. "This vial contains a potion to prevent the transformations," she told him, holding up her hand when he went to speak. "It's not permanent, but taken once a month, it will prevent the transformation completely. It has been tested for months, it's just a step up from the Wolfsbane potion, but you will stay a man, free to do what you want during the full moon."

He sat staring at the two women, his mouth open in shock. "If I take it, I won't transform?" he asked, picking up the vial and staring at it.

Hermione smiled and patted his arm, "A permanent solution is being tested, and when it's ready, we'll bring it to you."

He jumped up from the table, "If I take it now, will I be safe tonight?" he asked quickly.

"Yes Remus, taken anytime before complete moonrise tonight, and you can safely do what ever you want during tonight's full moon," Hermione assured him.

"I have to go, ladies. Thank you for all of your help, and your wonderful work. Right now I need flowers and a picnic," he told them.

"Make sure that they're roses, Remus," Ginny shouted to him as he ran out the door.

He spent hours in Hogsmead, trying to find what he needed. He headed back to the castle smiling, and went straight to the kitchens. He ordered a picnic basket for after moonrise and went up to his rooms.

After he had showered, he picked up the vial form his desk. He stood there, staring at the potion for a few minutes, then un-capped it and drank it down quickly.

Right before moonrise, he locked himself in his special room. But as the moon came up, he felt no change from his human form, silently thanking the two wonderful women that had made it possible, he opened the door and scribbled a quick note to Tonks.

My Darling Tonks,

Please meet me by the lake, half an hour after you receive this note. I will be waiting for you.

Love, Remus

He ran up to the Owlery and tied the note to one of the owl's legs, then sprinted to the kitchens to pick up his picnic. He walked out to the lake, staring up at the sky. He laid a blanket down, unpacked the basket and placed the roses all over the blanket.

He heard a twig snap, and quickly turned his head toward the sound.

She walked toward him, a disbelieving look on her face. "How are you here like this?" she asked, looking up at the full moon.

"Hermione and Ginny found a way to prevent the transformations. So I wanted to share my first full moon with you," he told her, reaching for her hand. He pulled her down to the blanket, and pulled a small box out of his robes. "I want to spend all of my full moons with you. Nymphadora, will you marry me?" he asked, pulling a beautiful ring out of the box and offering it to her.

"Of course I will, Remus," she leaned over and kissed him.