Another week, another update. Let's jingle some bells :)
Chapter eight: Christmas presents
The Christmas vacation had started. The first two days Alicia had taken it very slowly. She was sleeping in all morning and took long walks in the afternoon. She was discovering more and more of the castle and the castle grounds. To have so much freedom was like a breath of fresh air to her.
The school was very empty. Lots of students and teachers had gone home. She had run into Harry, Ron and Hermione on the second day. They were helping Hagrid with the terrible case against Buckbeak. Alicia shivered thinking about decapitating the poor creature. It was good these three were helping him, but she doubted it would make a great difference.
On Christmas morning, she received a couple of gifts. Her parents had send her some school supplies she had ran out of, a festive sweater and some chocolate. They also included brochures of places that were looking to hire new people. Save places of course, like Gringotts and the Ministry of Magic. She rolled her eyes at these. Michelle, Elena, Sophia and her had a running tradition of sending each other self-made gifts. This year Alicia had managed to make flower pots that were painted with memories from their years at school together. Michelle was an excellent knitter and sewer, and had send Alicia a very elegant blouse embroidered with tiny dragons. Elena had sent an origami animal that kept changing shape when you called out an animal, and Sophia had made miniature paintings of the four of them together.
Pleased with these wonderful gifts, she pulled on the blouse, in combination with a maroon skirt and black knee high socks and went down for breakfast. In the great hall the four house tables were against the walls. In the middle stood a smaller table with a couple of people present. Professor Dumbledore was sitting at the head, with Professor McGonagall on his right and Professor Snape on his left. Professor Sprout and Flitwick were also there, together with a handful of students. Even Filch, the caretaker was sitting with the rest.
'Ah, Miss Doreen! Come and join us,' Dumbledore said happily. Alicia greeted everyone and joined the table. 'What a wonderful shirt you have. Are those dragons?' Dumbledore asked, leaning forward to inspect her new piece of clothing.
She nodded, feeling all the eyes on her. 'My friend Michelle made it for me. She is wonderful at designing clothes.'
'Wonderful indeed, and very insightful. Did I hear correctly that you have been offered a job at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary?' Dumbledore continued, showing off his extended knowledge of things.
As she said that was true, she saw different reactions on the faces around the table. Two of the students who were sitting here had send her Christmas cards, hoping to get her under the mistletoe with them. They looked at her with admiration. Professor Sprout looked impressed, as did Professor Flitwick. Professor McGonagall looked concerned, probably with the same ideas as her parents had. Professor Snape didn't show anything on his face at all.
They started their breakfast as Dumbledore told them that there would also be a lunch even grander than the breakfast. Alicia wasn't really paying attention, as one question was on her mind: where is he?
But she decided it was too dangerous to ask, so she just joined the general conversation and explained more about what her future job would entail. After half an hour, someone new entered the hall and Alicia couldn't help beaming when she saw it was Professor Remus Lupin. However as he drew nearer, she could see he looked tired. She was a fool for forgetting to check when the full moon was, but something told her it was last night.
'Professor Lupin! Good to see you up. Are you feeling well?' Dumbledore asked him. Alicia inspected the headmaster as he looked at Remus. A twinkle in his eye told her that he knew. Of course he did! How can you hire a werewolf without knowing?
'I have felt better, I have felt worse. But most of all I was feeling hungry,' he joked as he sat down across from Alicia two seats over. It wasn't weird for her to look at him now, as everyone was looking at him. But she knew he couldn't glance back. This moment was dangerous, with the watchful eye of many teachers present. She simply drank her tea and waited out how things would go. She had noticed that Remus looked a bit more nicely dressed than usual. He was wearing blue-greyish robes that had less holes in them than his usual attire. His hair was less untidy too. Despite the dark circles under his eyes from a restless night he looked very fine indeed.
Professor Sprout asked Alicia to elaborate on a recent discovery she had made of plants growing on the grounds that were poisonous to some of the creatures in Hagrid's classes. So she continued a pleasant morning of talking with very diverse people. She realised that this was her last Christmas at Hogwarts, and felt another wave of nostalgia hit her.
When most people were done eating, some started leaving. Alicia threw a glance in Remus's direction and found him looking at her. He nodded slightly. Then she stood up.
'Thank you all for the wonderful meal. And Merry Christmas,' she said cheerfully. Most of them replied with "Merry Christmas" as she started leaving. She walked out of the Great Hall and waited by the staircases. Within a minute she heard someone coming up behind her.
She turned around to see Remus coming her way. He was lightly walking up the stairs with his hands in his pockets. He looked carefree.
'First you are ill and then you look like you could skip up the stairs,' Alicia said. 'You keep surprising me.' He chuckled and did a little skip to make her laugh. 'Follow me,' he said. Alicia complied, walking behind him to climb the stairs. As expected, they were going towards his classroom and office.
They crossed the classroom and Alicia realised this was the first time she was allowed in his personal space. As she entered the office, she looked around in awe. There were a couple of creatures in cages around the office. Some bookshelves were set up to hold many volumes, and the cabinets and his desk were littered with paper, quills and other objects. He shoved most of the things from his desk to the side.
'Sorry about the mess,' he apologized. Alicia just chuckled. She noticed the fireplace behind his desk with a comfortable armchair in front of it. However, for now he took place in the chair behind his desk. 'Have a seat Alicia,' he said. He conjured a chair out of thin air and she sat down at the other side of his desk. Suddenly, it seemed like the power dynamic between teacher and student was back.
'Am I in trouble?' she joked, hoping it wasn't true. He leaned forward with his fingers intertwined on the desk. 'Did you do anything you shouldn't have?' he asked. His voice was low and deep, and there was almost a low rumble coming from his throat. Alicia had difficulty breathing. She swallowed and stared at him, unsure what to say. Before she could respond however, he did.
'Because I did. And I think it is time to settle some things. But first, a cup of tea and presents,' he said. He made a kettle fly over to the table as it started pouring two cups of tea. Then he opened a drawer and got out a medium sized square box, wrapped in red and green wrapping paper. It had a bow on the top with a note hanging on a string. He pushed it towards her. 'Merry Christmas Alicia.'
She took the box in her lap and started unpacking. 'I didn't know we were doing gifts. I should have bought you something.'
He smiled secretly. 'You have already given me a lot.' She didn't know how to respond so she focused on the present. She pulled out two books. The first had a dark brown cover with a picture of a wizard on it, that was moving around as if to inspect his surroundings. The title read Tales of the unexpected by Ignatius Hodder. Then the second book was pale blue with golden letters spelling The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by A. Conan Doyle.
'I wasn't sure whether you have read either, but I thought it was another good example of how the muggle and wizarding world are connected. I swear, if you read both these books it feels like some of these stories are connected. I hoped you would like it,' Remus said calmly.
Alicia looked up to face him. 'I love it! Thank you so much. It's a very thoughtful gift. I really wish I had something for you.' Remus smiled. 'Don't worry. Maybe it will be easier for me now to ask you a favour.'
Alicia swallowed again, afraid of what was going to happen. She put the books aside and watched him intently, dying from anticipation. Remus seemed unsure how to start as well. He nearly started two times before he really did.
'I have been giving you a lot of thought lately. How we have progressed a bond of sorts. I feel it has grown stronger than a regular teacher-student relationship, and that worries me.' He stopped for a moment to check for her reaction, but she figured it was best to wait him out. 'It worries me because I am unsure what to do. Rationally, I shouldn't be spending any time with you alone anymore. I should tell you to call me Professor Lupin again and we should forget the moments we shared.'
He let another silence fall. Alicia really hoped this was the part where he said however…
'Also this entire situation has been unfair to you, because you don't know the full truth about me. You have asked me before to trust you with personal information, and I had declined. I had good reason to, because I didn't yet know how you would respond. I still don't know for sure, but I have decided to trust you with my biggest secret. Even if that means I lose you and you tell it to others and all the consequences that would have for me. You deserve to know.'
He was really struggling to get it out, so Alicia decided to help him. 'Is this the part where to tell me you are a werewolf?'
His eyes couldn't have grown bigger and his mouth couldn't have opened wider. 'How did you know that?' She shrugged and smiled. 'I pay attention to you. It took me some time to see the pattern, but it is actually quite clear. Also, you signed the card you gave me with Moony. That was a giveaway.'
He was frozen in that surprised expression for a minute longer before he relaxed and dropped his head in his hands. 'And here I thought I was discrete. It won't be long before more people find out then.' Alicia took his hands in hers, forcing him to look at her. 'Hey, didn't you listen? I'm paying attention to you. Quite a bit more than your average student. I think you are discrete, at least to the majority. I happen to be an exception.'
He seemed to listen this time as he calmed down. 'So, what do you think of me then? Are you scared?' Alicia couldn't help but laugh. 'Did you hear that I was offered a job at a dragon sanctuary?' He nodded. 'Well, If I can handle dragons, I can handle a werewolf. Remus, I'm not scared of you. Of course I won't go looking for you at a full moon, but I know you are a good person all those other nights of the month. You have been capable of dealing with it for so long…then I should be able to deal with it too, right?'
Remus simply stared at her. 'I can't believe you're saying that.' He looked down at their still touching hands. 'I can't believe you simply accept that.' She shrugged. 'I've known for a little while now. The night I figured it out I was shocked, sure. But I had some time to process and I think I'm cool with it now. Besides…' she lifted one of his hands to kiss it, 'If I like the man I can learn to like the wolf.'
She didn't know where that burst of courage came from, but she was loving the reaction on his face. Confusion mixed with hunger. She knew he was as hungry for more touching as she was. If this desk wasn't between them, she would already be way closer.
'So…you know what you are doing then?' he asked, clearing his throat as he looked at her with these mesmerizing green eyes. 'You have no doubts, no regret for the actions we have taken so far?'
'Do you?' she asked, holding her breath.
He stared her deep in the eyes as he frowned. 'No.'
She was out of her seat and standing in front of him at the other side of the desk in no time. Slowly, she leaned forward, placing her hands on the armrests of his chair. He was breathing hard and looked down her body. She realised that from that angle he could look down her shirt. The blouse hung loosely around her body and he could probably see the edge of her bra touching her breasts. After giving him some time to look at her, she sat sideways in his lap, like those two Gryffindors in the common room. Only if she and Remus were snogging in the middle of a common room people would be scandalized.
She leaned in to whisper in his ear. 'I know what I want.'
Her hand stroked over his arm, going towards his chest where she lightly rubbed over his shirt. His arms were still in place on the armrests, his hands clenched in fists. He turned his face slightly so his lips were tickling her ear. 'What is it you want?'
She smiled and placed a kiss in his neck. 'You.'
Alicia guessed that was the final confirmation he needed. Suddenly his hands moved to hold her body close to his. One snaked around her waist as the other grabbed her thigh and raised her further on his lap. Then he looked her in the eye, for a short moment before he leaned in and kissed her. Alicia kissed back happily, feeling light in her head as she savoured the moment. The sweet taste of his lips on hers and the pressure of his hands on her body was enough to make her go crazy. When they let go, she looked back at him, hoping to no longer see any doubt in his eyes. And she didn't. The hunger had won. He kissed her again, but this time she felt his tongue pressing against her lips. She opened her mouth and kissed him fully. His tongue swirled around hers. A moan escaped from deep in her throat. The sound was so stimulating for him that he groaned back. When he drew back she lingered on his lower lip, biting down on it.
'You are maddingly good at this,' he said. His hand came up to her face to brush some hair behind her ear. 'You've had experience, didn't you?' She giggled and kissed his neck and ear. 'I don't want to talk about that. But what I can tell you is that I have been daydreaming of this moment for a while now. Whenever you saw me spacing out in class, I was wondering what you tasted like. Just the thought of you makes me mad with thirst. I guess now that the moment is really here, I just want to enjoy you as much as possible.'
He groaned again, almost as if he was in physical pain from not being closer to her. She felt the bulge in his pants grow, as she hoped would happen. She knew what kind of effect those words would have, and she couldn't wait any longer to act on it. She kissed him again, going in with her tongue from the start. As they both started breathing faster the hand she had on his chest went down to stroke his chest, stomach…ever lower. She could feel where his cock was, and made sure to stroke every inch of him…except from the cock itself. As she circled around it, careful not to touch it, she heard more and more groans coming out of him.
He acted quickly, as he took hold of her hand doing the torturing and as he stopped kissing her abruptly. 'You have to stop. You are driving me insane!' he gasped out. He looked down his own body to see how obviously aroused he was. Alicia just giggled again. 'Make me stop,' she whispered. When she winked, she knew she had driven him insane. It was like his wolf had taken over for a moment, purely working on a feeling of hunger. He made her stand up and pushed her against his desk as he stood in front of her. She looked up at him with big eyes, playing innocent. He cupped her face in his hands and crushed his lips back on hers. While they were kissing, his hands grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her on the desk. He pressed his body against hers between her legs. She felt his cock against her wet pussy as he started grinding. He was in control now and it was her time to be overwhelmed.
He let go of her mouth, out of breath. His hands went down to her shirt to start undoing the buttons. Soon the blouse was gone and she was left in her white bra. Remus looked down at her like he wanted to memorize every bit of her.
'Don't stare, you make me uncomfortable,' Alicia said, feeling too exposed. He mumbled a quick 'sorry' before bringing his hands to her breasts. He started massaging them through her bra. He found were her nipples were and rubbed against them. Alicia threw her head back and moaned in pleasure. She didn't see his head going down, but felt his tongue running over the edge of her bra a moment later. Her wet skin felt extra sensitive and he left her with goose bumps.
It was unfair, really. So she pushed him back a little so she could even it out. She pulled the sweater he was wearing over his head, and after that the shirt underneath. She had nearly gasped when she saw his naked torso, but was quick enough to stop herself. Remus was covered in scars. Most looked to be self-inflicted. Now he was uncomfortable as she was staring. She reached forward and started running her hands over his chest, back and hips. She started kissing him all over, and even bit him lightly. 'You are beautiful Remus,' she said in a seductive voice.
He groaned happily, before pulling her head away from his chest. He claimed her mouth once more. Alicia expected him to touch her breasts but Remus had other ideas. His free hand grabbed the inner side of her thigh and started rubbing her skin. She was so surprised by the sudden closeness to her pussy, that she yelped out. He seemed to like the sound and continued touching her. After a moment she realised he was doing what she did; coming very close to the area where the touch was needed the most. He didn't actually touch her knickers and that started to enrage her.
'Touch me Remus,' she said between gasps of air. She bit down on his earlobe and tugged on it.
'No,' he said back. She could see him smirk that annoyingly sexy smirk, and she knew that she was never going to see that again without becoming wet straight away. He was really doing his best to be the alpha male. However, she was not going to play Little Miss subordinate.
'Fine,' she said with a dangerous glimmer in her eyes. She tugged on the band of his trousers and got him closer to her. With a couple of quick motions she had the remainder of his clothes on the floor. He was surprised to find himself completely naked. He looked down and back up at her. 'You sneaky-oh!'
She already held his cock in her hand. It was fun to look him in the eye as she played with him. First, she stroked around with the tips of her fingers, running them over his tip. Then she held onto him firmly and started pumping. Remus placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward, resting his head on her shoulder. He became rather quiet apart from the small gasps and dirty words coming out of him.
'Remus,' she started, 'You're not the only one in control. I'm not your bottom. Do you get that?'
It had the opposite effect. Instead of listening, he got his head back up, removed her hand from his cock and had pushed her lightly backwards on the desk. As she rested on her elbows, he removed her knickers, leaving her in her skirt and bra. She wanted to protest as she sat back up, but was too late as he had done the same power move. His fingers were slightly stroking her pussy under her skirt and suddenly she couldn't talk anymore.
'You are so wet already. Did I turn you on Nessie?' he purred in her ear. It was the first time he had called her that, and suddenly it felt like an sexy nickname. She nodded quickly, still unable to speak as his fingers stroked from her clit to her vagina. 'Did I turn you on?' he asked again. She couldn't hold it any longer. 'Fuck yes Remus. You turn me on so badly. I really need you to fuck me soon.'
He chuckled. 'You do need it badly then. I better comply.' His thumb found the exact spot on her clit where she was most sensitive. Hot fire spread through her body as he lazily flicked his thumb over it. She started squirming at his touch. He looked at her, savouring the way she looked as she was completely in his control again.
'Do you like this?' he asked, looking down her body.
She nodded.
'Sorry I didn't hear you.'
She threw her head back and groaned. 'Yes! Yes I love it! Never stop touching me like that!'
He chuckled again and started rubbing a bit faster. Multiple dirty words came out of her mouth as she clutched desperately to his desk. She started grinding herself to his touch, getting more and more desperate the closer she came to an orgasm.
But he stopped. She looked back at him, ready to commit murder. 'I said don't stop!'
He took her hands and pulled her away from the desk. 'Yes, but you also said I had to fuck you. Do you still want that, Nessie?' he said as he kissed her neck. She nodded and he walked her in the next room. A curtain had separated the office space from his personal space. There was a fireplace in here too, and next to it in the corner stood a modest bed that looked very comfortable for sleeping. Not that she wanted to sleep now.
Now that she was standing, naked apart from her short skirt and bra, she felt exposed again. She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at the bed. She felt Remus come up behind her as he placed his hands on her arms. He kissed her neck from behind. 'Second thoughts?' he asked simply. Like he could stop any time if he wanted.
'No,' she told him as she turned around in his arms and kissed him passionately. He kissed her back and their fires were awake again. His hands ran down over her ass and cupped her. It made her push her body closer to his, were his hard cock was still waiting to go into action. Then his hands travelled up to her back and as he stepped back from her he had her bra in his hands. He was showing it like he had done a magic trick. Alicia giggled.
He pushed her kindly backwards until she was lying in the bed. He jumped on top of her and started licking her nipples. She moaned in pleasure as he left her wet, cold and wanting.
'Remus,' she moaned.
'Yes dear?' he said as he continued to flick her nipple with his finger. The warmth down in her body couldn't get any more excited.
'I really need you right now. Please,' she said desperately.
Remus didn't need any more encouragement. He spit in his hand and rubbed it over his cock as lube. Alicia spread her legs out and lifted her skirt. First he seemed concentrated in finding the right spot but soon he was kissing her again, distracting both of them. As her mouth was occupied with his tongue, she suddenly felt him thrust inside her. She yelped out in pain and pleasure. He continued thrusting in her, and after the third time the pain was gone and it was just pleasure. She started to relax as he kept pounding in her. She started moaning loudly as she looked him in the eye. Remus was breathing hard, clearly enjoying it as much as she did.
The pace picked up and Alicia tried holding her legs in different places. Suddenly she had found an angle that when he hit her, she had the same wave of pleasure as when he rubbed her clit. She yelled out in delight and it urged him to go faster. Remus was thrusting hard into her, making her beg for him. They were both talking dirty and begging for each other and kissing in-between.
'Fuck…Alicia…I'm going to….' He tried to say. She held him tighter. 'Come into me Remus.'
He started thrusting even harder and quicker and it drove both of them over the edge. Alicia screamed in extasy as she felt both their orgasms inside her. They were panting heavily. After the shock was gone Remus raised onto his elbows and looked down at her. He smiled softly and pushed a strand of hair out of her face.
'That was amazing,' he said. 'Thank you.' He kissed her once more before moving himself out of her. He found his wand quickly and cleaned both of them up. Then he got back in the bed and threw the covers over their naked bodies.
'Thank you,' she responded. Then she giggled as reality came back to her. She looked around the room and realised it was somewhere around noon, in Hogwarts, where she just had sex with her professor. And she was so happy about it.
She rolled on her side and looked at him. He had propped himself on one elbow and was looking at her. It was a cold December day and it was snowing outside, but they were perfectly warm under the covers.
'How do you feel?' he asked, a bit of that concern coming back to him.
'Absolutely amazing,' she replied quickly, a big grin on her face. 'You?'
Remus smiled and started tracing patterns on her arm with his fingers. 'Like I'm finally alive again. I haven't felt so good in…well at least twelve years.'
Alicia giggled. 'It's been twelve years since you had sex?'
He laughed too. 'That is not what I mean! I mean that, my life kind of stopped twelve years ago. When I lost everything. All that time, I didn't know what I was living for.'
His face turned dark. She placed a hand on his cheek and stroked him gently. 'I hope you have now. I'm not going anywhere.' He smiled back. She could see he was almost on the brink of tears. She kissed him quickly, confirming what she had said. 'I didn't come to you for a one-night-stand. Or well, one-Christmas-morning-stand. I came to you because I like you a lot and feel very strongly for you. I hope you understand that.'
He nodded. 'I do. Believe me, before I invited you into my office today I had a couple of mental debates about what to do. But in the end I concluded that you make me so happy, and that pushing you away was only going to make us both very sad. I simply didn't want that. I want you close to me, all the time. I don't want to pressure you into anything, but if we figure out a way to keep all of this a secret, I want to continue it. I want to have a relationship with you.'
Her heart stopped. 'That's all I want too.' He smiled and kissed her again. He rolled her back on her back as he leaned over her. She groaned and he stopped quickly. 'What is it?' She narrowed her eyes at him. 'I told you I wasn't a bottom but I still ended up being the bottom.'
It took him a moment to understand, but then the smirk returned. 'Did you really think you could be dominant over an alpha wolf? My instinct is to dominate you and claim you, not to wait for you to pleasure me.'
She raised an eyebrow. 'So you don't want me to pleasure you?'
He seemed to realise his mistake. 'No, no I loved that. But I just-,'
She didn't allow him to finish. Under the sheets she had found his member, now smaller and soft, and started running her fingers along the shaft. She could feel him respond to her touch. Remus moaned, surprised by her cheeky move. 'You don't like that, then?'
He looked back at her, with that hunger back in his eyes. 'Bold move Alicia.' She bit her lip seductively as she continued stroking him. He was technically still on top, but she had the power. His cock was getting harder and harder again, throbbing against her hand. He just sort of laid there, too distracted to do anything except enjoy her touch. He started panting and groaning.
She pushed him next to her, his back on the soft mattress. She hovered over him and raised a finger to her lips in a sign to stay silent. Then she disappeared under the sheets. Remus tried to protest but was soon rendered helpless as he felt her lips and tongue around his cock. He grabbed the back of her head under the sheets and lightly pulled on her hair. She continued taking all of him in her mouth, and the part she couldn't reach she wrapped her hand around. Every once in a while she pulled her mouth back to lick across the tip of his cock, forcing more wetness out of him. She had continued to take him in her mouth fully, when Remus's hands reached out and pulled her back to him. Seconds later she saw pleasure cross his face as he came again. He was panting heavily as he laid there. Alicia took her wand and cleaned up for him and then laid back next to him.
'Just so we are clear, if your alpha wolf can't handle that, I won't do it again. No worries,' she said while inspecting her nails.
'You little-,' he started as he attacked her. They ended up entangled in each other's arms, still laughing.
They were silent for a little while, just staring at the ceiling and recalling everything that had happened. Alicia still wanted to ask him so much, but didn't know where to start.
'Can I ask rapid fire questions? If I want elaboration I'll ask,' she said.
'Go ahead,' he said. He had closed his eyes and was relaxing.
'Have you been married before?'
'Nope. Not even been in a serious relationship before.'
'Huh interesting. Where do you go when you have to transform?'
'The Shrieking Shack. It actually got its name because of me. But having people believe it were ghosts is actually a lot better.'
'What have you done those twelve years you keep referring to?'
'Very little. I kept switching jobs. If I stay in a place for too long they notice my absence every full moon. I have a secluded house near a forest, where I have built a cage for myself in a cave.'
'Did you have any friends over in that time?'
'I think I told you. Everyone that I considered my friend is dead.'
'No, you said two of them died. But there was a third. What happened to him?'
He didn't answer. When she looked over at him, he had a pained expression on his face. Then he sat up in the bed. 'We forgot our tea,' he stated.
'I'm sorry if I upset you,' Alicia said uncertainly.
Remus smiled softly and rubbed her arm. 'You didn't. But if we are discussing this we better do it with our clothes on and a nice cup of tea.'
'Why?' she asked.
'Because this is yet another reason you might not like me. And you should be capable of leaving soon when I tell you.' She didn't have time to reply as he was already out of bed and getting dressed. In the end she followed him into the study, where they sat down for Remus's last big secret.