Slowly, Remus fingered the door jamb. Was this right? Perhaps he was
going too far. The heart in his chest beat in determination as he opened
the door, peering in to see Minerva's barely visible form surrounded by
water and steam. Slowly, Remus dropped his robe on the floor and gingerly
pulled back the door. Minerva jumped a bit, startled by the presence of
him. Her hair was wound haphazardly up on her head, and she blushed a bit
at the man's smile as he stepped into the shower with her. Minerva shook
as he pulled her back against his chest. Gently, he nudged her head to one
side and kissed her neck as his hands swept across her mid-section and over
her thighs. The water made touching easy, their hands gliding over each
other with fluid ease. Minerva turned in Remus' arms and kissed him, a
moan escaping him as he tightened his grip on her and deepened the kiss.
Gently, he backed Minerva against the tile walls of the shower. She gasped
as her warm, bare flesh met with the cold tile. Remus continued to kiss
her, pressing himself against her. She whimpered as his hands brushed over
her breasts and gently massaged her back.
"God, Minerva, I love you so much!" Remus cried, letting Minerva return the favor and turn them around so that he was the one against the wall. The play continued a while and the two washed and got out of the shower. Remus took one of the large bath sheets hung neatly beside the shower and wrapped Minerva in it after wrapping another around his waist. Minerva smiled as he insisted upon helping her dry off.
After getting dressed, the new lovers proceeded to breakfast. Remus held the door to the great hall for her, and the couple looked for all the world like they had simply caught up with one another in the hallway.
Between her classes that day, Minerva got to thinking about the previous night. It must have been terribly obvious, because when Rolanda Hooch caught up with her, she noticed too.
"Minerva McGonagall, you're glowing!" Rolanda gasped.
"I'm what?"
"You look completely different! It's like you changed completely over night!" said Rolanda, "Who is he?" Minerva stopped in her tracks and whirled to face her friend.
"What?"
"Who is he? I've only seen that look on your face once before, and that was when--" Rolanda stopped herself involuntarily. The look that Minerva was glaring at her with did more than the words "shut up" could possibly have done. Minerva's love life had always been a touchy subject. As the two professors proceeded down the hall, Rolanda ventured again, "Is he cute?" the two laughed like girls again as Minerva hugged her best friend tight.
That evening, Remus was sitting in the faculty lounge waiting for Minerva. He had sent word to her to meet him there, and for now, he sat back and relaxed, remembering what Minerva had looked like as he had first encountered her the previous afternoon: isolated, lonesome, upset and then remembered how she had responded to his touch and his love and smiled. Her exquisite blue eyes had shined like he had never seen before. At length, he imagined how his friends, the marauders, would have reacted to this.
"You slept with who?" James would have said.
"Are you crazy?" Peter would have chimed in.
"Only crazy in love," Remus would have replied.
"She better be a tornado between the sheets for you to have taken a risk like that!" Sirius would have said. They all would have laughed and whapped Sirius with a pillow or something else soft and laughed some more. Moony would only have shaken his head and chuckled at them.
Remus sat back in his chair and imagined the other night. He remembered her little trick with the ice and shuddered as he breathing increased. My God, what had this woman done to him?
Upstairs in Minerva's room, she was brushing out her long hair. She hummed softly with each stroke of the brush and swept the top half of her hair into a neat ponytail. She was hoping that Remus would like it this way. Rolanda had told her that it would take years off her face and as Minerva looked into the mirror, she noted that indeed it had. She smiled and yet another half a decade melted from her delicate Scottish features. She rose from the vanity and jumped as thunder cracked across the western sky. Minerva shuddered a bit before standing up. She observed her new robes in the mirror. She wore the same black dress that she wore on a daily basis, but instead of her heavy teacher's robes, she was wearing a slightly shimmering, almost sheer robe in the same shade of green. It was lovely the way it seemed to kiss the light in the room and softly shimmer back. She didn't even notice the movement in the shadows as she reached for the doorknob. A man draped completely in black swooped down on her, clutching her in his arms. A suddenly terrified Minerva fought to reach for her wand, but she was clamped too tightly to move. Her assailant forced her across the threshold into the next room with him and onto the couch in her sitting room. Overwhelmingly strong, the attacker had no problem subduing Minerva. She tried to scream, but he had cast a quieting charm on her and she couldn't even so much as whisper. The harder the attacker forced himself on her, the weaker Minerva was getting. God, where was Remus?
Downstairs, Remus once again looked at his father's pocket watch. It kept perfect time, and Minerva was terribly late. It wasn't like her to be so late, and Remus made up his mind to go up and find out what was going on. As he neared her room, he began to hope that everything was all right. At the bottom of the last staircase, he broke into a run. His werewolf senses were off the charts. When he approached the door, he could hear shuffling inside and the sounds of another man in the room, but he couldn't hear Minerva. Remus kicked the door in as hard as he could and stepped inside, but his heart nearly stopped at what he saw. Remus felt his protective, canine instincts raging, and it was only getting worse as he observed Minerva's fear. He couldn't see the attacker through his mask, but he certainly gave Remus a good fight.
The attacker rolled off the couch and lunged at Remus, nearly knocking over a table and easily crushing a chair. Minerva had curled up and hidden her face as soon as the man had leapt from his position and Remus growled in unchecked anger. The two tussled for an eternity before the man pinned Remus to the floor and pulled a dagger from his cloak. Remus was reaching for his wand when a voice cried out, "STUPEFY!"
Remus rolled the unconscious body of the attacker off of himself and stood, taking his own wand and adding the words, "Petrificus Totalus!" With this, the attacker was completely stunned, and Remus could turn his attention to the woman he loved, who had since crumpled to the floor in a heap of shaking and sobbing fear. Remus dropped to the floor and gathered her into his arms, holding her head to his chest and whispering that everything was going to be okay. She had charmed her own voice back just in time to save them both. She was crying so hard. Fat teardrops fell from her eyes and her narrow shoulders shook from the force of fear and anxiety leaving her soul. She took large gasps of air as she cried; trying desperately to control herself but it wasn't working. Remus was torn between unquenchable anger and unfathomable pain and sadness. My God, whoever this was, he was going to pay.
Minerva felt his tense position, and at the moment, it scared her more. She attempted to inch away from Remus, curling up into a tighter ball. He dropped his gaze back down to her, the rage quickly draining from his eyes. He softened his hold on her slightly and she flung herself at him again, tears coming anew.
"Minerva.Minerva, hush.I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever again." Alas, how simple it was to say that, but how could it be true? She said nothing; just let the onslaught of tears take over. Remus slowly moved away.
"Hold on, love. Let me figure out who this no-good, bastardly little rat is." The rage was evident in his voice again, and it scared her. She let him go, watching through her tears as he approached the still figure. He savagely ripped away the robes and Minerva could hear him suck in a breath.
"Well. If it isn't the rat himself." Minerva was startled out of tears. Peter Pettigrew!? She crawled forward on her hands and knees to get a better look at Remus, who was crouching by Wormtail's side, his hand on his wand. He glanced up and all emotion was gone from his light brown eyes.something she had never seen before.
"Minerva," he questioned softly, placing a foot on Wormtail as he rose. "Are you well enough to fetch Dumbledore?" She merely nodded, rising to her feet, still shaking violently. She grasped the edge of her desk for support, taking steadying breaths before quietly exiting the room.
"God, Minerva, I love you so much!" Remus cried, letting Minerva return the favor and turn them around so that he was the one against the wall. The play continued a while and the two washed and got out of the shower. Remus took one of the large bath sheets hung neatly beside the shower and wrapped Minerva in it after wrapping another around his waist. Minerva smiled as he insisted upon helping her dry off.
After getting dressed, the new lovers proceeded to breakfast. Remus held the door to the great hall for her, and the couple looked for all the world like they had simply caught up with one another in the hallway.
Between her classes that day, Minerva got to thinking about the previous night. It must have been terribly obvious, because when Rolanda Hooch caught up with her, she noticed too.
"Minerva McGonagall, you're glowing!" Rolanda gasped.
"I'm what?"
"You look completely different! It's like you changed completely over night!" said Rolanda, "Who is he?" Minerva stopped in her tracks and whirled to face her friend.
"What?"
"Who is he? I've only seen that look on your face once before, and that was when--" Rolanda stopped herself involuntarily. The look that Minerva was glaring at her with did more than the words "shut up" could possibly have done. Minerva's love life had always been a touchy subject. As the two professors proceeded down the hall, Rolanda ventured again, "Is he cute?" the two laughed like girls again as Minerva hugged her best friend tight.
That evening, Remus was sitting in the faculty lounge waiting for Minerva. He had sent word to her to meet him there, and for now, he sat back and relaxed, remembering what Minerva had looked like as he had first encountered her the previous afternoon: isolated, lonesome, upset and then remembered how she had responded to his touch and his love and smiled. Her exquisite blue eyes had shined like he had never seen before. At length, he imagined how his friends, the marauders, would have reacted to this.
"You slept with who?" James would have said.
"Are you crazy?" Peter would have chimed in.
"Only crazy in love," Remus would have replied.
"She better be a tornado between the sheets for you to have taken a risk like that!" Sirius would have said. They all would have laughed and whapped Sirius with a pillow or something else soft and laughed some more. Moony would only have shaken his head and chuckled at them.
Remus sat back in his chair and imagined the other night. He remembered her little trick with the ice and shuddered as he breathing increased. My God, what had this woman done to him?
Upstairs in Minerva's room, she was brushing out her long hair. She hummed softly with each stroke of the brush and swept the top half of her hair into a neat ponytail. She was hoping that Remus would like it this way. Rolanda had told her that it would take years off her face and as Minerva looked into the mirror, she noted that indeed it had. She smiled and yet another half a decade melted from her delicate Scottish features. She rose from the vanity and jumped as thunder cracked across the western sky. Minerva shuddered a bit before standing up. She observed her new robes in the mirror. She wore the same black dress that she wore on a daily basis, but instead of her heavy teacher's robes, she was wearing a slightly shimmering, almost sheer robe in the same shade of green. It was lovely the way it seemed to kiss the light in the room and softly shimmer back. She didn't even notice the movement in the shadows as she reached for the doorknob. A man draped completely in black swooped down on her, clutching her in his arms. A suddenly terrified Minerva fought to reach for her wand, but she was clamped too tightly to move. Her assailant forced her across the threshold into the next room with him and onto the couch in her sitting room. Overwhelmingly strong, the attacker had no problem subduing Minerva. She tried to scream, but he had cast a quieting charm on her and she couldn't even so much as whisper. The harder the attacker forced himself on her, the weaker Minerva was getting. God, where was Remus?
Downstairs, Remus once again looked at his father's pocket watch. It kept perfect time, and Minerva was terribly late. It wasn't like her to be so late, and Remus made up his mind to go up and find out what was going on. As he neared her room, he began to hope that everything was all right. At the bottom of the last staircase, he broke into a run. His werewolf senses were off the charts. When he approached the door, he could hear shuffling inside and the sounds of another man in the room, but he couldn't hear Minerva. Remus kicked the door in as hard as he could and stepped inside, but his heart nearly stopped at what he saw. Remus felt his protective, canine instincts raging, and it was only getting worse as he observed Minerva's fear. He couldn't see the attacker through his mask, but he certainly gave Remus a good fight.
The attacker rolled off the couch and lunged at Remus, nearly knocking over a table and easily crushing a chair. Minerva had curled up and hidden her face as soon as the man had leapt from his position and Remus growled in unchecked anger. The two tussled for an eternity before the man pinned Remus to the floor and pulled a dagger from his cloak. Remus was reaching for his wand when a voice cried out, "STUPEFY!"
Remus rolled the unconscious body of the attacker off of himself and stood, taking his own wand and adding the words, "Petrificus Totalus!" With this, the attacker was completely stunned, and Remus could turn his attention to the woman he loved, who had since crumpled to the floor in a heap of shaking and sobbing fear. Remus dropped to the floor and gathered her into his arms, holding her head to his chest and whispering that everything was going to be okay. She had charmed her own voice back just in time to save them both. She was crying so hard. Fat teardrops fell from her eyes and her narrow shoulders shook from the force of fear and anxiety leaving her soul. She took large gasps of air as she cried; trying desperately to control herself but it wasn't working. Remus was torn between unquenchable anger and unfathomable pain and sadness. My God, whoever this was, he was going to pay.
Minerva felt his tense position, and at the moment, it scared her more. She attempted to inch away from Remus, curling up into a tighter ball. He dropped his gaze back down to her, the rage quickly draining from his eyes. He softened his hold on her slightly and she flung herself at him again, tears coming anew.
"Minerva.Minerva, hush.I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever again." Alas, how simple it was to say that, but how could it be true? She said nothing; just let the onslaught of tears take over. Remus slowly moved away.
"Hold on, love. Let me figure out who this no-good, bastardly little rat is." The rage was evident in his voice again, and it scared her. She let him go, watching through her tears as he approached the still figure. He savagely ripped away the robes and Minerva could hear him suck in a breath.
"Well. If it isn't the rat himself." Minerva was startled out of tears. Peter Pettigrew!? She crawled forward on her hands and knees to get a better look at Remus, who was crouching by Wormtail's side, his hand on his wand. He glanced up and all emotion was gone from his light brown eyes.something she had never seen before.
"Minerva," he questioned softly, placing a foot on Wormtail as he rose. "Are you well enough to fetch Dumbledore?" She merely nodded, rising to her feet, still shaking violently. She grasped the edge of her desk for support, taking steadying breaths before quietly exiting the room.