Guilty Innocent Pleasures

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, my patient followers…it's been a very depressing week, and it's hard to write a story about a student/teacher affair when you're suffering through a bout of depression…but I think I'm beginning to come out of it, so I will now attempt to write a chapter…thank you all for the reviews, I would list you all by name, but if I did that, it would probably distract me from the plot…which needs to be unravelled.

Ok, I know I have a heck of a lot of loose ends that are dangling in your faces, leaving questions unanswered and such, and I will TRY to answer some of them for you in the near future, the thing is, I have this addiction to letting my readers hang off of cliffs for conclusions, so perhaps if you were all to BEG for some answers I might oblige…but you've got to tell me what you want to know, so REVIEW! Thanks…

Disclaimer: JKR did not die and leave me the rights to her work…so kindly bugger off.

Chapter Eight: The Misconception

The morning creeped up on Nell without warning, sending the sun's orange warmth through her eyelids, telling her that it was day again. Yawning, Nell stretched herself out along the length of her bed and began to wearily dress herself. 'Today,' she promised herself, 'today I will try to end this thing with Lupin. I can't keep doing this to him, like Daddy did to me, it's just going to become a cycle. And I can't afford to continue this, because…because I'm starting to feel something. Not love, love is just an illusion, but more of a…a trust. And that can't be happening to me. Today I won't fall into my own trappings.'

Double Potions with the Gryffindors hit Nell like a tonne of bricks. Paired with Oliver Wood, they attempted to put together a Draught of Living Death potion, but proceeded to create something much more putrid- the Foul Bowel Smell Sensitivity Potion- causing their senses of smell to heighten dangerously (Nell could actually smell the oxygen content in the air…need I say more?) Oliver quickly asked the greasy Professor Snape if he could be excused to see if Madame Pomfrey had any quick remedies, since he didn't want to jeopardize the upcoming Quidditch game. After deducting five points from Gryffindor, Snape grunted his consent.

Without her Potions partner, Nell stood dumbly, looking around the dungeon for something to busy herself with, lest Severus Snape subtract any points from Ravenclaw.

Looking over her shoulder, Nell's eyes came across the blonde, reddening head of Penelope Clearwater, hovering over her shared cauldron with Percy Weasley, her boyfriend. Leaning in to hearing range, Nell made a covert attempt to eavesdrop on their-no doubt- personal conversation.

"But Peeeercy, why haven't you told me about her yet?" Penelope's whiney, prefect-y voice caught Nell's eardrums.

"I've told you before, Penelope, I don't know who you're talking about. But I ought to know, I am head boy, after all." Percy's hushed head-boyish words also entered hearing span.

"Yes you do, you just won't tell me." Nell could practically hear the pout in the girl's voice as she spoke.

"It's Nell, isn't it?" 'So THAT was it! Penelope thought I had been screwing around with Percy, her precious little boyfriend! As if I would let that git lay a hand on me! This is simply too funny…I hope Percy doesn't tell her, I love to keep a bimbo in agony!'

Nell shifted her attention back to her smouldering cauldron as she watched the two love-pigeons battle out the dirty details from the corner of her eye.

That evening, as dinner came to an end, Nell felt extremely proud of herself. Not once during the day had she dwelled on her activities with Professor Lupin. Until she looked over at him from across the hall. That was when Remus shot her the most intense look she had ever received. It was one of those 'I need you now' type of stares.

'Breathe, Nell, just breathe.'

As the lights in the Ravenclaw dormitories dimmed, signifying that all had gone to bed, Nell crept down to the common room, to the fireplace.

"Lupin's Office" she whispered hoarsely into the flames as she was quickly transported to Remus' room.

"I have been waiting, and waiting and waiting all day for right now. This moment. The second you arrive, because it is the sweetest instant of my day. Tonight, let's not let ourselves get too…carried away, for I fear if you do that same magic you did last night, I will never fully recover. Let's try to just…talk tonight." Lupin's restraint was clear as he spoke the words through clenched teeth. 'Keep it together, Moony, try to keep your hands off of her body for one night.'

"Actually, I would prefer it if we simply didn't say anything. Let's just sit here, look out your window at the sky and bask in the warmth of the night." Nell moved over to the sill to gaze above. As Remus moved to join her and look out at the heavens, it was as though each individual star had been placed there solely for them. For the night.

As time ticked by, Nell felt the urge to sleep. Sleep in her own bed, sleep for perhaps longer than a mere three hours as usual these days. In an innocent comment, Nell said to Remus before she went back to the dormitories, "Look at the moon, Remus, it's almost full."

A.N. SO, how was this chapter??? Dum, dum, dum…review to find out more!!!