Chapter Twelve: What the Body Remembers

Hermione stood outside number twelve Grimmauld Place with a heavy heart. The end of term had come far too quickly, and now she was about to face him once more. She had no way of knowing how much he had changed as a result of her being there with him in the past. What if he had become a bitter, loveless man, she wondered.

"Come along, Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasley called to her. She thought of the house, and it soon appeared between numbers eleven and thirteen. Hermione followed along, dragging her trunk behind her.

Inside, there was a crash, followed by the screeching of an old hag. Mrs. Black was awake. Hermione dragged her trunk up the steps, laying it to rest just inside the door. She turned to watch as two men valiantly attempted to pull the curtain back over the old woman's portrait. One of the men had flaming red hair with a balding spot and horn-rimmed glasses. The other had sandy hair that was slightly graying from worry. Hermione stood, as if in a trance, watching Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin.

After many minutes of struggling, they successfully pulled the curtains closed and wiped their sweaty foreheads. Any other time, the two would look almost comical, but today Hermione's mood was anything but light-hearted. Judging from the look in Remus's eyes, his was far from it as well. He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity to Hermione. Finally, he spoke. "We should talk."

She nodded, following him through the pitch black hallways with only his lighted wand tip to guide them. Finally, he found the door to his makeshift office and pushed it open, ushering her inside. She walked past him, heading toward the desk where she took a seat in front of it. He walked around, sitting on the opposite side and staring at her. She was momentarily glad for the space between them. Things were different.

"I had wondered when we would have this conversation. I should have realized... if I would have thought... you were a fifth year when you came to us. I should have realized that it would be now. I thought I would have more time to sort things out, you see."

She regarded him cautiously. "Are you telling me that you knew what was going to happen this whole time? Even when you were my teacher, you knew that I would fall in love with you one day?"

Remus sighed, "I didn't want to tell you. I had hoped that it wouldn't happen. That the past would be rewritten, but you went all the same. I don't regret it though; please, don't think that."

"I never would have thought you would regret it... but," she took a deep breath, looking over at him, "Oh Remus... what did you do after I went away?"

Remus looked away from her, staring into the fire. She knew that he was sorting things out inside, deciding what he wanted to say to her, and what he wanted to keep private. He finally turned back to her, taking in her appearance with guarded eyes. "You're exactly as I remember you." He sighed. "I was so sure that the spell hadn't worked, but when I inspected the common room, I found that you truly were gone," his voice grew shaky, but he continued on. "They tried to console me, telling me that I would find someone new; that I would love again, but all I could see was your face as you left. You looked so full of regret, and I wanted to believe that you were.

"I finished school, but I never dated again. I stayed close to the rest of our group, but I had very little contact with outsiders. It didn't bother me though. I was certain that they were the only friends I would ever need. Then James and Lily died. It was then that I missed you the most. All I wanted was to be near you, and have you ease my pain, but you weren't there."

"Remus?"

"Yes, Hermione?" he asked. She wasn't sure whether he noticed that she didn't call him 'Professor Lupin,' but was grateful that he didn't say anything about it if he did.

"Do you still love me?"

He looked at her with wide, nervous eyes. She almost smiled as a familiar blush crept up and settled upon his cheeks. "I'm not... I can't... It's complicated."

She looked up at him, regarding him thoughtfully. "It's a simple question really," her voice grew soft, "Do you still love me?"

Remus looked away, as if ashamed by his lack of self-control. "Yes. I never stopped loving you. Every day, I wished that you would realize what a mistake you had made and come back to me. Even when the world was falling apart, I held fast to that hope, and it was what kept me alive in the darkest of my days." Remus shook his head disgustedly, "But it was a fool's hope. You were back with your family and friends, back where you belonged. Of course you wouldn't want to return when you knew what kind of future you would have faced with me. A future full of pain and heartache. Losing all those dearest to you in a single year. How could I blame you for staying when you knew what you would face? I suppose it must be easier to deal with knowing that it happened before you were born, when there was nothing you could truly do to help."

Hermione sighed. "I wanted to go back, but I didn't know how. You didn't exactly tell me the basics of time travel as you were setting up for the incantation. If I remember right, you barely spoke to me."

Remus's eyes narrowed. "If I remember correctly, you kissed me and then announced you were leaving. What was I supposed to do, Hermione? Wish you a safe journey and a happy future?" His voice was dangerously low, his breathing getting more shallow by the minute. She could tell she was upsetting him, and that was honestly the last thing she had intended to do.

"Please, can we think about this rationally for just one moment. There's an even bigger situation that requires discussing, one that has nothing to do with my reasons for not returning. I'm here now, and I still love you. What are we going to do about this?" she asked.

He didn't speak. Instead, he stood and walked over to her side of the desk. Reaching out to her, he pulled her into his arms, bringing his lips down to hers. Hermione tensed for just a moment before melting into his arms. This kiss held things that the ones in the past had not. This kiss held a longing that had lasted through two decades of pain and regret. This kiss held hope and a promise of what was to come.

When he finally pulled back, Hermione moaned. She wanted his lips against hers again. She wanted to do things with him that she had never felt the urge to do before. "It's amazing what the body remembers," Hermione commented softly.

He looked at her, a curious sparkle dancing in his once dull eyes. "What do you mean?"

She smiled, reaching out to touch his lips. "It's been months, yet my lips seem to remember yours fairly nicely."

"How do you think mine feel? For me, it's been over twenty years."

She looked away, sucking in a breath. She hoped this wasn't going somewhere dangerous to her sanity. If he started having regrets now... if she had to live without him... to her, life wouldn't be worth it anymore. "Remus..."

"Hermione," he interrupted, "do you really want to be with an old man?"

Hermione turned her face toward his, staring into his eyes as lovingly as she had the ability to do. "To me, it's like you haven't aged a day. Your body may feel older to you, but to me, you're still the same boy that I fell in love with then."

He smiled at her. "Good answer, Miss Granger."

She rolled her eyes, but pulled him in for another kiss. Hermione pulled back just long enough to say, "Thank you, Professor."

Hermione pushed him back and stood up, reaching out for his hand. He cocked an eyebrow at her, but allowed her to lead him to the door. "What exactly are you up to?" he asked suspiciously. She looked at him, wondering if she was making a mistake, but the twinkling in his eyes contradicted the suspicion in his voice. He knew what was coming, and he was just as ready for it as she was.

She opened the door, leading him out into the hallway. "Well, it has been twenty years. I just thought I'd jog your body's memory a bit," she whispered as she pulled him toward the open door of his bedroom.

The door clicked shut behind them, and the hall was silent once more.

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Author's Note: I imagine you all know what happened at the end of this chapter, but in case you couldn't tell, let me simply say that I cannot write sex scenes well. Therefore, I made it opened ended. Perhaps they just went in there and talked... or something. As of this moment, I anticipate another three chapters after this, and then an epilogue.

Just an extra note: I'm graduating tomorrow and have parties to attend on Saturday, so if there are no updates until Sunday, that is why.

Thanks for the reviews guys!

Lonelyfairy - Thanks! I try to be fast because I know how frustrating it can get waiting for new chapters if you're really into a story.

Angelic delirium - This story is going to be strictly Hermione's point of view, but I was thinking about adding an extra chapter at the end (after the epilogue and afterword) that has Remus's point of view in regards to her leaving. A lot of his feelings were explained in this chapter though, so hopefully that gives you some insight into his character as per this story.

Crimson 3 - I know! I'm sorry it was so short, but I really just wanted to get something new out. Besides, it was just a filler to get her from returning to Remus.

Anyway, please review if you have the time. Also, I would really like to know whether anyone is interested in that extra, Remus point of view chapter. If I have enough interest, I may take the time to write it.