Disclaimer: Of course it does not belong to me...but I did just get a call from JKR letting me know that I can have Remus whenever I want him – hmm, imagine the possibilities...if only that was true. As always, HP universe JKR, lyrics James Blunt.

Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I don't have much to say today, so I will just let you get to the good stuff.

Did I disappoint you
Or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty
Or let the judges frown?

--Goodbye My Lover by James Blunt

Chapter Eight

Let the judges frown...

A week later, Hermione cuddled close to Remus as she bordered on the edge of wakefulness. She was in no rush to wake up as they had stayed up to all hours of the night talking and making love. They both had a stressful week and were in dire need of some relaxation.

Hermione taught her first set of classes during the week – teaching appeared to come naturally to her, but she still spent many hours preparing and revising lesson plans as well as completing her own schoolwork. Remus had a few incidents to deal with during his fifth year classes that stressed him out a bit, as well as the monthly staff meeting and Order debriefing. All in all, it was a long week for the two of them.

They both wanted to take full advantage of a relaxing Friday night and neither wanted to spend it alone. It was only the second time that they slept together and it was the first time they spent the whole night together without being wolves. To both of them, the night was nothing short of wonderful.

When Hermione finally opened her eyes, she looked at Remus to see him still sleeping. He looked so young and relaxed in the peacefulness of sleep. She watched him for a minutes before a naughty idea struck her.

She slid down under the sheets that were spread across his waist and positioned herself right next to his left hip. She glanced up to make sure that he was still sleeping as she reached out to grasp him. He was slightly hard as she wrapped her hand around his shaft. Hmm, morning wood, Hermione thought as she recalled Lavender and Parvati mentioning that particular occurrence during one of their hen nights.

She gently stroked him as he became fully erect in her hand. She smiled to herself as she thought about what she planned to do to him. She never did this before, but she read about it and heard all the graphic details from none other than Lavender and Parvati. They practically gave the girls a how-to demonstration on bananas during one of the hen nights a few months ago.

As she leaned in, she ran her tongue along the tip of his head and down the underside of his shaft. She felt his hips buck as she did this and she smiled. She moved her lips to kiss her way up and down his shaft before she took him in her mouth. She moved him in and out of her mouth in the way that Parvati said guys like and she heard him moan sleepily.

She marveled at the textured of his skin – it was so silky soft, yet hard as a rock. He had a salty taste that she found to be more pleasant than she would have thought.

She continued for a few minutes until she heard Remus' voice. "Mmm, Mione, that feels so good."

Hermione looked up to meet his eyes, which were clouded with desire and pleasure, and continued to move her mouth over him. She felt him weave his hands into her hair as she lifted her head and stroked him with her hand.

"Come 'ere, love," he whispered and Hermione climbed up his body, kissing bits of bare skin as she went.

When she reached his neck, she gently ran her tongue up until she reached his ear. She nibbled on his ear before whispering, "Did you sleep well?"

Remus growled as he pulled her face close to his. "Yes, but the best part of sleeping was waking up to this," he whispered as he kissed her hungrily.

He flipped her over and proceeded to ravage her body. After both of them were spent, he held her tightly to him as they regained their breath.

It was still early and they had nowhere to be until near lunchtime. They were going to visit Hermione's parents today to inform them of her 'condition'. Neither one of them wanted to think about that at the moment, though.

Instead, Remus thought about what he thought Hermione said to him last night. Last week, he thought that he dreamt Hermione telling him that she loved him as she was falling asleep. He thought he dreamt it because Hermione never mentioned anything about it after that – until last night, that is. Last night, he barely heard her whisper the words 'I love you' as he entered that twilight zone of sleep, but he was still coherent enough to know that he was not dreaming.

The question was whether she was aware of what she said or was she just talking in her sleep? That was something that Remus would ponder until later that night.

"Are you ready, love?" Remus asked.

Hermione released a shaky breath as she looked from the door in front of her to the man next to her.

She was not ready, but she knew that it was now or never.

She smiled up at him and nodded before shifting her eyes back to the door, but Hermione made no move to knock on the door. Remus watched her as she stared unseeing at the door and he squeezed her hand briefly before he stepped forward and rapped his knuckles on the door.

A few moments later, a serious-looking woman with thick brown hair and hazel eyes opened the door. The woman looked at the two people standing on her landing before she realized that one of them was her daughter.

"Hermione! I was not sure what time you would be here," Mrs. Granger said as she pulled her daughter in for a hug. She ushered Hermione into the house and nearly shut the door in Remus' face, having forgot that he was standing there.

"Oh goodness! I'm sorry! Where are my manners? I am Anna Granger, you must be Remus," Anna reached out to shake Remus' hand.

"It is nice to meet you, Anna," Remus replied as he shook her hand. He took a few moments to observe the woman and he found that she had the same hair as Hermione, but her face was more stern and sharp than Hermione's.

"Hermione mentioned that you would be escorting her home for the day."

Remus nodded as he followed Anna Granger into the house. He was impressed with the Granger residence – it was well-kept, very inviting, and really quite big. He could see pictures of the family and of Hermione as a child hung on the walls as he walked down the short hallway.

They emerged into what looked like a family room with two very comfortable looking couches and one recliner in front of a big-screen television. Hermione was already sitting on one couch talking to a middle-aged man who was sitting in the recliner.

Hermione looked up as her mother entered the room followed by Remus. She could not help but smile when she saw Remus – he looked so good in her home. She felt her heart flutter when he flashed her that crooked smile of his. She tried to convey with her eyes how thankful she was that he was there with her and found herself nearly getting lost in his beautiful gray eyes. The sound of her mother's voice broke the spell, and she concentrated on the presence of her parents once again.

"Make yourself comfortable, Remus," Anna instructed as she pointed to the sofa that Hermione was sitting on. As Remus sat an appropriate distance from Hermione, Anna gestured toward her husband. "Remus, this is my husband Jack."

The two men nodded at each other as Remus stood to shake Hermione's father's hand. He sat back down and idly listened to the small talk that Hermione and her father made about her studies and her friends.

He tuned out for a few minutes as he watched the large television in front of him. He had no idea what he was watching, but he was glued to the screen nevertheless – the TV was so big that it seemed to suck you right in. Sure, he was a half-blood, but it had been years since he owned a television, and never did he have one this large, so he enjoyed it while he could.

His attention was drawn from the television when Anna Granger entered the room and announced that lunch was ready. He followed Hermione and her father into the kitchen to a polished wooden table for four set near a bay window. Remus sat to Hermione's right while Anna served everyone the soup and sandwiches that she made.

The conversation was light and friendly while they ate, mostly consisting of Hermione's life at school and a little bit about what Remus did at the school. Hermione mentioned being Remus' teachers assistant and her parents seemed to approve of that.

There was some mention of Hermione's appearance, too.

"You look thin dear. Are you eating enough at that school? You should eat more, don't want people to think you are anorexic!"

"You look tired and have bags under your eyes! Are you getting enough sleep? What did I tell you about using concealer to hide the bags under your eyes? You don't want people to think that you don't take care of yourself!"

It was almost a relief when the conversation took the turn both Hermione and Remus knew was coming when Anna asked her about the reason for the visit.

"Not that we don't love seeing you, honey, because you know we do," Jack Granger said. "It was just a surprise to see that owl arrive with a letter saying you were coming for the day when it's not a holiday or anything."

Hermione glanced at Remus and he gave her a smile and a nod of encouragement. She took a deep breath and focused on her parents as she racked her brain for the right way to put things. She thought about it everyday since Dumbledore told her she would get to see them, and in that week she was completely incapable of coming up with a decent way to break the news to her parents.

How do you tell your muggle parents that you were bitten by a werewolf and are now a magical half-breed as well as a mudblood? It will scare them to death since they have no concept of what I am trying to tell them!

I will just have to go with the same modus operandi that I have with everyone else – get straight to the point.

"Mum, Dad, I have something to tell you that I think you will have a hard time understanding," Hermione said in a shaky voice as she stared at the table in front of her. She did not notice that Remus' hand slid below the table until he squeezed her thigh, but she was grateful that he did that – she needed his strength because what she was about to say would break her parents' hearts.

"You know you can tell us anything, sweetheart," Anna tried to make her voice sound accepting, but the worry was evident in her tone.

Hermione flashed her mother a weak smile before she frowned at the table again. "Over two months ago, I was out in the forest when I should not have been. It was a full moon and I was attacked by a werewolf." Hermione rushed through her statement as quickly as possible and waited with bated breath for her parents' reaction.

She did not have to wait long, for as soon as the words left her mouth, her parents kind disposition turned cold and judgemental.

"WHAT?" Jack shouted in shocked confusion, startling Hermione. "I thought that werewolves were just myths. How is it possible that you were attacked by one?"

"Hermione, how could you let this happen? What were you thinking, going into the forest and letting yourself be attacked? I thought you were smarter than that! What will people think?" Anna berated.

So much for being able to tell you two anything, eh? That only counts for good news or things that make you look like good parents. I should have known that they would be like this, and they are only going to get worse. I should have warned Remus about what they can be like.

Hermione was quickly becoming exasperated with her parents – them being upset and worried was one thing, but they are getting upset and worried over the wrong things!

Who the bloody hell cares what people think? And it's not like I knew what was going to happen! I did not set out with the intention of getting bit and ruining my life as I know it! They always do that – they are more concerned about what other people will think of them than they are about my well being. And they knew damn well that werewolves actually exist! I told them all about Remus a few years ago!

Remus could tell that Hermione was disappointed in her parents reactions, so he decided now would be a good time to assist.

"Anna, Jack, werewolves truly exist in the wizarding world, and Hermione knew that it was dangerous to go into the forest during the full moon because of them, but she needed to obtain certain ingredients that can only be collected during the full moon. It was truly unfortunate that she was attacked, but that cannot be changed now. The only thing that she needs now is your love and support," Remus said as he unconsciously stroked Hermione's thigh with his fingers.

It was only when Hermione's hand squeezed his that he realized he never removed his hand from earlier. He glanced at Hermione to see her give him a grateful smile before he turned his attention back to her parents.

Anna and Jack had many questions which Remus tried to answer as honestly as he could. Their questions were warranted of course, but they seemed too concerned with the way other people would view Hermione, or them as her parents, instead of how Hermione would view herself or how she was dealing with everything. This concerned him, but a stern look from Hermione told him that it was best not to comment.

When Jack questioned him on why he knew so much about werewolves, Remus was left with no option but to tell them that he was one. He could have lied, but he did not feel right about lying to them. Perhaps he should have, because once he told them he knew right away what they were thinking and he tried to explain, with a lot of help from Hermione, that he was not, in fact, the one to attack her that fateful night. Even after that explanation, he still lost the respect of both her parents, which he was convinced was not a big concern. He did not need the respect of, nor could he have respect for, people who would treat their only child as if she was a burden to them.

When it became apparent that Hermione had enough of her parents, Remus stood up to say that it was time to go.

"Lunch was delicious, but it is time for me to get Hermione back to Hogwarts. Thank you and it was nice meeting you both," Remus' tone was cordial, but he was about ready to knock Anna's and Jack's heads together and he could not wait to get out of there. If he felt that way, he could only imagine how Hermione felt right now.

Jack and Anna stood and nodded. He knew that was as cordial as they were likely to get now, so he made no effort to shake either person's hand.

He watched as Hermione loosely hugged her parents before all four of them turned and headed for the front door. When they were all reached in the front hall, Anna stopped them and stood close to Jack. Remus did not like the look they both gave Hermione and he suspected that he would like what they were about to say even less, but there was nothing he could do about it. Poor Hermione. As if she doesn't have enough to deal with, now she has to deal with judgmental and selfish parents.

"Hermione, dear, we think it would be best if you did not come home for the Easter holiday," Anna said and Hermione's face dropped at the realization of what they were saying. "We need sometime to get used to the fact that our only daughter is now a monster once a month. It's not something that we can take lightly, you understand, right?"

No, I don't bloody well understand! Hermione thought. You are my parents! You are supposed to love me unconditionally!

She knew that she could never say that to her parents – the arguments that would result would be the verbal equivalent of a battle with Voldemort. Instead, she forced down any tears that pricked the back of her eyes and faced her parents with a coldness that would make Snape proud.

"If that is how you want it. Should I bother coming back after graduation?"

When she saw no feeling in either of her parent's eyes, she knew that they would never understand. She could accept that they were scared of what they didn't know or understand, but their complete disregard for her feelings over the whole situation made her realize that her parents were prejudice in the worst way – they would never forgive their daughter for being not only a witch (that alone they could handle at a distance), but also a 'monster', as they put it, regardless of the fact that both things were beyond her control.

Without waiting for their answer to her cold question, Hermione fled from the house with barely contained tears flooding her eyes. There was no way she was going to let her loving parents see that they made her cry.

Remus watched in abject horror as Hermione's parents literally cut her off from their lives and he felt anger well up in him as saw the tears in Hermione's eyes as she fled the house.

Fools! They will end up regretting pushing their only daughter away for being something that she has no control over! All that level-headed explaining that I went through an hour ago and they still did not get the fact that their daughter is already cursed for life against her will, why make it worse?

He wanted so badly to put these people in their place for hurting the woman he loved, but he truly believed that it would not make a difference, so he refrained. Instead, he merely narrowed his eyes at the Grangers before he stormed out of the house after Hermione.

Outside, he found no sign of the young woman and he began to worry. He looked around to see if any muggles were around before he surreptitiously cast a spell to detect whether or not Hermione apparated recently. The spell indicated that she did, so Remus immediately disapparated for the only place he could think of that she would go to be completely alone.

A second later he appeared in front of the Shrieking Shack.

Hermione sat in the same room where she first met the 'convict' Sirius Black and accused Remus of helping the wrongly-convicted wizard. It was ironic that she screamed out Remus' secret of being a werewolf that day only to become one herself four years later. Life really was a bitch.

It seemed only fitting that she come here to think and she was surprised when she arrived to find that the old shack had been repaired and cleaned up since the last time she was here. It was by no means a suitable residence, but it was definitely a great place for a hangout or for some peaceful solitude. She sat on the bed and let her mind replay the events of the past couple of hours.

She could not believe her parents behavior...or maybe she could. They had been steadily growing apart since they first received her letter from Hogwarts and discovered that their precious daughter was a (gasp) witch. Her parents did not know what to make of her after that and it only seemed to get worse as she became more involved in the wizarding world.

She should have known that, sooner or later, things would come to this. Unfortunately, it happened to be sooner than Hermione would have liked. That did not stop it from hurting, though. They were her parents, for Merlin's sake!

Hermione flopped back on the bed she was sitting on and let the tears flow.

Hermione was so involved in releasing her emotions that she did not hear the creak on the stairs or the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. It was not until the bed sagged beside her that Hermione noticed someone else was in the room. She felt a calm wash over her as the person's arms wrapped around her to pull her close and she knew instantly who it was.

"Are you alright, love?"

Hermione nuzzled his neck and breathed in his earthy scent before she answered. "I am much better now that you are here," she whispered into Remus' neck.

She sat up a little so that she could look into his caring gray eyes. "I'm sorry that you had to witness my parents at their best. Things used to be a lot better between us, but over the past several years, they seemed to be having a harder time dealing with what I am, and now this only made things exponentially worse in their eyes."

Remus tightened his hold on her and tilted his head down to kiss her lips. He tasted the salty evidence of her emotions on her lips and he moved his lips across her face to gently kiss away her tears. "I am just sorry that your parents would treat you that way. I was so angry with them when you stormed out of the house, but I thought it would be best not to say anything. I would not want to make things any worse for you."

Tears sprung to Hermione's eyes again as she kissed him. "I just had to get out of there. I do not think that you could make things any worse than they already are. I mean, my two best friends are not talking to me, my parents want nothing more to do with me, I'm doomed to be a werewolf for the rest of my life...you are the only good thing to come out of this whole situation."

The tears were poring out of her eyes as Remus held her and murmured comforting words. He hated to see her this way and he would do whatever was in his power to make things better for her.

They stayed like that for hours, moving only to kiss each other occasionally. When the sun set, Hermione sat up slightly to give Remus a lingering kiss. "Will you stay here with me tonight? I do not feel like going back to the castle tonight."

"Of course, love. I'll transfigure my cloak into a blanket and yours into fresh sheets, then we can cuddle up together right here. How does that sound?"

Hermione answered by taking off her shoes and outer clothing and Remus transfigured her cloak into soft cotton sheets. Leaving only her bra and panties on, she climbed back into bed. Remus stripped off all his clothes except for his boxers and transfigured his cloak into a large, thick blanket. He draped the blanket over the bed before he settled beneath the covers next to Hermione.

Hermione curled up against his warm body and laid her head on his chest as he wrapped one arm around her and used the other to caress her hand that she placed right over his heart. They each closed their eyes and took advantage of the silence to think. Without realizing how much time passed since they climbed into bed, Remus finally decided to speak the three words that had been haunting his thoughts all day.

"I love you."

Hermione lifted her head to see if he was talking in his sleep and met his gray eyes, which were filled with complete honesty and...love.

For a moment, Remus was terrified that she would push him away, but then he saw the warmth in her eyes, and he knew that she truly did mean the words she whispered in her sleep a week ago and again last night.

As she stared at his eyes, she felt like he was looking right into her soul and she knew there was no way she could hide the fact that she loved him right back. Not that she would want to anyway.

"I love you back, Remus."

They made love that night and it was the most amazing thing for each of them because they both knew that it was actual love that they were making this time. And when they were both sated and on the brink of sleep, Hermione knew that, somehow, everything would be alright.

Hope you all liked it! I hope to have the next chapter up by Tuesday...I started writing it today, but I was having trouble with it so I did not get very far – hopefully it will start cooperating with me.

Anyone watching the Superbowl? I have it on, but I'm not really paying attention – I did see one of the funniest commercials I've ever seen though – the Fedex one with the cavemen? It was bloody hilarious!