The End of Sixth Year, 2006 - Remus
From that day on he no longer watched her from afar.
Although situations with the dark and the light were getting more tense, and it was obvious that they would soon have to fight he had to be grateful that by the grace of Merlin she had only turned seventeen in September. He knew she belonged to him, thanks to his wolfy other half but he knew that she was safe until she was nineteen. He needed her safe.
Their bond had grown stronger, there was no doubt about that.
Their bond began over books, and homework. She tried to trick him into admitting little facts about himself, which she soon learned was made easier when she bribed him with cookies. He would listen to her rant about how obtuse Ron was sometimes and he listened to her concerns over the effect on whatever was happening might be having on the Malfoy kid.
It was as if she was instantly comfortable around him, allowed to show the sides of her that she often felt were annoying around her other friends. She had no trouble being snotty, or bossy or vulnerable with him. She would often jump on his back while they walked the grounds, complaining of her feet hurting; he knew she just wanted to see how far she could push her limits with him.
After awhile they would meet at Hogsmeade, before the students were unable to venture off of the Hogwarts ground. He longed to sit down and have dinner with her, discuss their days, be unburdened with each other. He wanted to go to the beaches and have a bonfire with their friends, travel with her, watching her hair in the wind.
The more time he spent with her the more he wanted to be near her always. His wolf seemed to understand that he had to wait until she was of age for the soulmate bond, but he still made his wants known. His wolf wanted his mate.
These thoughts were on Remus's mind as he paced back and forth in his cabin. The full moon was close and it always caused him to become more anxious around her. He had tried to separate himself from her knowing she was going to leave soon, and the thought was making him mad. He was so deep into his thoughts he hadn't heard anyone walk up nor had he smelled them.
"Hello?" Her voice was quiet and soft but just as enchanting as the first day he heard it in Snape's office, and the library. His entire body went still- she was here.
He couldn't speak and involuntarily took a step back as the door pushed open slowly, as if she was unsure what she would be behind the door. "Remus?"
She was speaking to him, how did she know he was here?
He always met her, and he never left before she did.
Remus stood in place, unaware of what to do. There was no way in hell he was running away, but he had the urge to hide. He never imagined that she would be here, in his space, in the front room of his cottage; his very small, very run down cottage.
The building had been abandoned and as he spent little time there he had no interest in sprucing it up. Now he wished he had, what an awful first impression this was going to make. His insecurities and anxieties were starting to go into overdrive. He didn't know how to react, where to stand, where to put his hands. Bloody Hell he was behaving like a virgin teen. He had very little time to tell himself to grow a pair before she was here, in his home, in front of his face.
Fuck, she smelled delicious.
"Remus?"
Words, Remus. Use your words.
"Are you lost?" wow, way to come off as a jerk first thing, Lupin.
She laughed "One could ask you the same thing."
They stood there staring at each other both unwilling to move.
He finally decided to wolf up and he cleared his throat, making a wide gesture with his hands. "Welcome to my humble abode"
She laughed, as she often did while in his presence. Her gaze absorbed the details of the room around her. It was livable, but not well kept. It was obvious that whoever lived here long before didn't believe in cleaning. "I got tired of waiting for you to invite me."
Now it was his turn to laugh, "How did you know I stayed here?"
"I'm obviously better with stealth than you are."
"Obviously."
He had been so caught up in his instant worry that he hadn't noticed the basket in her hand. "Did you crash my home to invite me for a ...picnic?"
She became nervous, her eyes downcast and a pretty blush adorning her cheeks. Well now, this was a turn of events. He never witnessed his Gryffindor blush before.
"'Mione?"
Still looking down she answered, "I-I'm leaving soon, you know. I'll be at the burrow in the summer and from then.." she trailed off, both of them knowing how dangerous things were getting, how quickly plans can change. "I just wanted…" She trailed off, before gathering her courage and looking at him.
"I've always wanted to have dinner with you. Spend time together, without worry."
It was as if she read his mind, his desires. Merlin, he hoped she couldn't read his other desires as it would've been his turn to blush.
"You're cooking me dinner?"
"Ah, no I'm a terrible cook. I went to the kitchens and brought us dinner."
"You had the house elves cook?"
She gasped in mock horror "Absolutely not."
"So you stole food from the elves?"
Hermione frowned as realisation dawned on her, gently worrying her bottom lip between her teeth
"Well, no. It's not stealing as they were preparing food for the students dinner. I was simply taking my portion and yours to enjoy elsewhere."
He laughed at her logic, reaching over to take the basket and bring it into his kitchen "Whatever you say, Hermione."
The night moved smoothly, he had found some candles, casted a quick scourgify on his kitchen table and the surrounding surfaces and laid out some plates. They enjoyed their meal in peace, light banter filling the space between them. This was easy, enjoying each other's company. Hermione was convinced that there was something more than friendship between them, but was hesitant to speak up, not wanting to break this spell between them.
"Let's play a game."
They had moved to his bed, as he did not have a couch. His back was against the wall, and hers was at the head of his bed. Her feet were in his lap and Remus was currently counting to ten with the need to fight the urge to touch her failing miserably. "What kind of game?" His eyes were closed but he could tell by the sound of her voice that she was wearing a smirk.
"I'll tell you a secret if you tell me yours."
"That's not a game, kitten."
"Come on Remus, I'm serious. I know a lot of things about you but I can tell you keep a lot to yourself. You disappear randomly and you look like you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders"
"I could say the same for you."
Hermione huffed stubbornly having decided she wasn't going to get anywhere. Pausing for a moment she tried again, "How about we guess each other's secret?"
He peaked one eye opened and looked her way, "You're going to guess mine?"
"Yes. Well, no. It's not a guess truly if I know my answer is correct."
He laughed at her confidence. "Go ahead kitten, guess."
Hermione took a deep breath as if gathering courage but then sat up straight, leaning towards him. The movement of her legs from his caused him to open both eyes and focus his attention on her.
"When did you become infected with lycanthropy?"
He snapped up, his eyes narrowing as he listened to her question, his instincts telling him to get defensive. This is Hermione, he reminded himself. Her face was sincere, nothing but curiosity and worry etched onto her features. There was no malice in her voice and her body language still indicated that she felt safe. He couldn't will himself to speak however, taking a moment to quiet his thoughts.
"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone." Her voice was low and her fingertips had started twisting the lock of hair between them, a nervous habit he noticed she had developed.
"I figured it out a couple of months ago, the first time I jumped on your back. Your shirt dipped a little bit and I noticed the scar on your shoulder blade. At first I thought it was a childhood scrape but then I noticed it looked similar to a bite. I swore I saw a bite similar to that in a text, so I went to the library and researched it."
Remus frowned, he hadn't seen her research anything with information on werewolves.
"I placed a charm on the text so you wouldn't see" she stated, answering his unspoken question.
"I was six." He didn't bother arguing with her, or try to convince her that he was something he wasn't. He was planning on spending his life with her, so she would know eventually. He just wasn't planning on telling her this soon, he was afraid that she would reject him. He should've realised, he thought, that this kind hearted girl who fought to right the injustices of those viewed beneath her would never mistreat him for who he was.
She didn't say anything, instead opting to scoot closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Now you guess mine." She wasn't going to push for more information, she had already decided she would spend a lifetime hearing his stories, soulmate be damned.
A laugh escaped him and he placed a quick kiss on the top of her forehead. He would never get enough of this, how easy it was to be with her.
"You're actually descendant of a pureblood family and your secretly Sirius's cousin?" He meant it as a joke, not really holding any weight in his words but she remained quiet. So quiet he was nervous he had actually guessed correctly. "Um, I was just kidd-"
"I'm in love with you."