Present Day

Hermione had finished reading her book, the subject enthralling her to the point where she could not put it down. Once her gaze raised to the windows around her, she realised how late it was. Hastily placing money on the table she headed towards the front door, intending to make her way towards the apparation point. She was beginning to get a headache, as if someone was poking her brain repeatedly. She really needed to look into getting glasses, she thought, as it was only natural she would need them with how often she read by candlelight. When she reached the door she hesitated only slightly, having heard a voice she only heard in her sleep. She looked around the room, not recognising anyone before she finally left.

Hermione arrived at home, the time on her clock reading 8:00 pm. It was still early, but later than she had planned to stay at the bar. Crookshanks meowed at her as she placed her bags down, indicating it was past his dinner time. Once he was fed and she was showered she realised herself she hadn't eaten. She was hungry, but her headache had progressively gotten worse and because of this she decided she would lay down instead.

As she slept, her dreams were filled with images.

Images of a man who looked eerily similar to her bartender.

Everything was the same, he was only missing a few inches of hair and he was cleanly shaven. The images felt familiar, as if she had lived them and they were memories instead of dreams. Memories of a man she felt watching her, but she was not afraid of. Memories of laughter, conversations and daydreams of his lips on hers. Memories of his lips on hers, finally after months of wanting to kiss him.

That memory was bittersweet as it also came with his confession of a plan.

A plan!

Hermione sat up quickly, sweat dripping from her as she connected the dots. Her vision swam together as a result of moving so fast, and she rubbed her temples trying to ease the ache.

Her memory was back.

A grin broke along her lips and she resisted the urge to apparate directly to him as she needed a moment to collect her thoughts. She also needed another shower, looking down at her sweat soaked pajamas. Ick, she thought.

While she was in her shower she started to come up with a plan, wondering if she should speak to him on a day he wasn't working, or if she should try to force his hand and cause him to speak to her directly, to look at her.

She frowned.

The bartender felt like him and looked like him. She had simply never seen him with a beard… or long hair. Hermione shook her head.

'No,' she thought, 'that was him I would know him anywhere.'

After finishing her shower Hermione spelled her hair dry, and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She wasn't going to wait anymore, she was going to have to show up. She glanced at the clock, noting that the time was 12:00am. The bar would close in an hour.

"Wish me luck Crooks" she yelled behind her as she walked out of her front door, in such haste that she almost forgot to lock the door behind her. Almost.

The bar was empty as the last of the drunken patrons left for the night.

Remus sighed, this work kept him busy but he missed Hermione once he was alone.

He ran his rag across the bar top finishing the last of the clean up, his thoughts elsewhere when he heard a slam of the door.

Like that night at his cottage he hadn't heard her arrive but her scent, it was intoxicating. She smelled clean and fresh, but the smell of old books still wafted off of her as if it would forever be imprinted on her skin.

'What was she doing here? Is she drunk? Is she with someone?' The scenarios of why she would be at his bar in the dead of night was worrying, but he wouldn't look at her. Not with her attention on him so studiously, he would not give himself hope.

"We're closed" He mentioned, wincing at his harsh tone.

He heard her clear her throat before she walked towards him, sliding a bar stool out from the bar. "I'm sorry, I come here all the time but I've never introduced myself, my name is Hermione."

Remus nodded once, turning so his back was towards her, grabbing another glass to appear busy. "I recognised you."

"You did?" Her tone was a little higher than normal, as if it was laced with excitement.

That was curious, Remus thought.

"From the papers." He didn't have to be looking at her to know that his response deflated her slightly.

"Yes. Well," she cleared her throat, "I believe I left something here earlier, would it be okay if I looked for it?"

Remus nodded, waving his hand nonchalantly as she walked away.

His mind was reeling.

She left something? She left nothing, he always made sure he was the one to clean her area once she left, hoping she would leave something, anything to remember her by.

"You know, you remind me of someone." she stated from her spot across the bar.

Remus shrugged his shoulders, continuing with his busy work. "It's my job to feel familiar to guests."

"I think it's a bit more than that" Her voice was dreamy, as it often would be when she was teasing him. What was she playing at?

"May I ask you a question, Sir?"

Sir? That was new, his cock twitched at the sound slipping from her lips. The sentiment made his mind wonder where she had picked that little quirk up.

He wasn't naive. He was fully aware that she would likely find comfort in someone else once he made the decision to keep his distance. The thought of someone else touching her drove him mad.

The idea of her calling them Sir? Exercising submission towards someone who wasn't her mate? It caused him to release a low growl.

Her laugh was all that he heard in response, causing him to look up sharply.

"Do you find something funny, kitten?" He grimaced at the use of his old nickname for her, kicking himself for letting that slip. Damnit Remus she's going to think you're some kind of pervert, going around giving pet names so easily.

"Kitten?" She laughed, her voice continuing on with the playful lift "Are you always this flirtatious with your bar guests?"

Remus cleared his throat, this game of hers was getting a bit tiresome. He was trying to keep his distance from her and here she was being so damn seductive it was tormenting him.

"What was your question?" He asked, changing the subject so he could answer her question and she would leave. Preferably soon, or else he would be locking up the bar with her in it, and she would be upstairs in his bed so he could remind her who her mate was.

Hermione's memory was fresh having just returned and the knowledge of how hard it was to get information out of him was something she was using to her advantage.

After she graduated she had gone through interrogation training before she decided to follow her true love of books and became a book conservator. She never understood why she had the urge to study inquisition back then, never having had the stomach for tourture or manipulative techniques.

With her memories back and with them, the frustration of Remus never having answered her questions also returned and she was glad she could put her skills to use. Armed with a smirk and her knowledge, she went to work.

"What do you look like without a beard?" She had walked back towards the bar and was leaning over the counter, her eyes watching him steadily as she asked her question.

"Are you always this invasive to strangers?" Remus asked her, answering her question with a question. She was up to something, he knew but he was not sure what it was. She didn't have her memory back, he was sure of it.

"Yes." She answered him, shrugging. He already knew her, there was no reason for her to hide her flaws, or in her opinion her assets.

She had planned on continuing their tit for tat she had begun, but was interrupted by the growling of her stomach.

'Oh.'

She was so hung up on needing to speak with Remus that she had forgotten she was hungry. Now that her body was reminding her, she realised she was famished. Her stomach growling was answered by Remus's laugh. He had finally decided to turn his body to face her, her eyes greedily taking in his appearance and how he had changed as he waved his wand and produced a sandwich.

Remus slid the plate down the bar to her wordlessly, having heard the sounds her stomach had made. From their history he knew that when she was enthralled with a new book, as she had been earlier that day, she usually forgot to eat. It was no surprise that her body was yelling at her.

"Thank you" she muttered as she slid up onto the barstool, wasting no time in eating the sandwich he so kindly provided to her. As she bit into the sandwich a low moan tumbled from her lips, once again the sounds she made causing his cock to twitch at the melody.

Remus took this opportunity to begin to lock up, realising she wasn't going to leave in the next few minutes and not wanting more unexpected guests to arrive.

Once the lights were down low and doors sealed shut, he walked over to where Hermione was. A small portkey was slid down the bar towards her and she raised an eyebrow towards him in question

"S'what this?" she asked, her mouth still full of sandwich.

Inwardly, Hermione was groaning at how uncouth she was behaving but fuck, this sandwich was delicious.

"A portkey, to the apparation point. I'm going upstairs for the night and I don't fancy wanting to walk back down here and unlock the doors for you to leave. It's single use, so you don't have to worry about returning it."

As he spoke her confusion never left her face, "Don't worry" he began to answer the unspoken question "I trust you're not going to rob the place."

She muttered a quiet 'Thank You' before she watched his back move away from her and up the stairs.