***A New Beginning***

She got up, dressed and had a late breakfast in her quarters. She was trying to decide what to do with her day when her fireplace started hissing. She looked, and there was Remus' head in the fire. He asked if he could come to her quarters so they could talk, and she agreed. A few seconds later, he stepped out of the fireplace and into the living room.

He said "I'm so sorry about last night, that I questioned your feelings. It was just unexpected; I guess I've gotten so accustomed to thinking of myself as an unlovable monster that I didn't believe it possible for anyone to see me differently."

"Well, I don't see you as a monster, and certainly not as unlovable. You are a wonderful man who just happens to be sick. Your condition doesn't matter to me though...I love you for your human self, that's the only part of you that matters to me."

"I did a lot of thinking last night and I realized that I do love you. I've let my condition, the fear and shame that comes with it be in control of so much of my life for a long time that it kept me from recognizing what had happened. I took your actions as just signs of a strong friendship, and thought that my feelings for you were the same thing. But now that I have set that aside, and considered only the feelings of my own heart, it's obvious that I am very much in love with you...and I feel somewhat foolish for thinking otherwise."

As he had been talking, Holly had taken his hand and held it. When he stopped speaking, she dropped it and wrapped both arms around him, with her face on his chest. He embraced her as well, holding her tightly and kissing her on the top of the head. They stood there, enjoying each other's warmth and the sense of elation at knowing how they felt about each other. After several long minutes, they separated and sat down on the small couch by the fireplace.

Remus broke the silence first. "I talked to Sirius about this last night...I go to him whenever I need a different perspective or opinion. When I told him I didn't know how I felt, but I thought I love you, and he said it's obvious you're crazy about her .He pointed out that I even say your name differently than other people's and that I blush almost every time I look at you. He reminded me that's not just friendship, and if you'd stop thinking of yourself as a monster, you'd see that. He then went on to tell me that if I let you go, I was crazy. His bluntness was one of several things that helped me realize my true feelings. I haven't gone a day since I got back from my mission without thinking about you."

"It's been the same for me. At first I thought that I felt the way I did because we'd spent so much time reminiscing. But as time went by, I realized that wasn't the reason. While you were gone, I worried about you, and when you were at the Ministry I did too. I was afraid, not only of losing you, but of you dying not knowing how I feel. That's why I told you, I simply couldn't keep it to myself any longer."

"Since we are an 'official' couple now, would you like to have dinner again tonight to celebrate? We could pack a picnic and go back by the lake where we were last night. I'll bring the food."

"That sounds great. It's 1:00 p.m. now, so if we try, we can both get a nap and still be up and ready for dinner at 6:30 or 7:00 p.m."

"Yes, that sounds good. Do you want me to pick you up from here in your quarters or the school gates?"

"I think the gates would be best. Since Dumbledore doesn't care what I do on weekends, I won't bother him about it. I'm sure we'll be back at a reasonable time."

"That's alright with me. I'll see you at the gates at 6:30. Have a good nap."

"You too."

He left the way he had come, but she noticed he had a bright smile on his face. She was thrilled to know he loved her too, and she could still hear his voice in her head, saying 'I love you'. She decided she would take a nap if she could. She changed into her pajamas and curled up on her bed. Before she got too comfortable, she asked one of the school elves to wake her up at 5:00 p.m. She fell asleep in just a few minutes. It seemed as if she'd just gone to sleep when she felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder. She opened her eyes, and there was Dobby. "Miss, it's 5p.m...you asked me to wake you."

"Thanks Dobby."

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No, thank you, though. But if anyone asks about me, tell them I'll be out tonight."

"I will Miss."

She got up and walked over to the wardrobe, thinking of what she would wear. She decided that since this was a picnic, she would dress more casually than she had the previous evening. She chose a pair fo dark blue velvet pants, a short sleeve chocolate brown sweater and black ankle high boots. She wore her hair loose, but not curled this time.

By the time she was finished getting dressed she had about half an hour until she was supposed to meet Remus. She decided to leave anyway...maybe he'd be a little early. She walked slowly once she was outside, enjoying the night and the excitement she was feeling at spending an evening with Remus as his girlfriend, not just as a friend.

When she arrived at the gate, he wasn't there, but it was only about five minutes until she heard the distinct 'pop' that always accompanies apparition. It was him, looking good in a pair of blue jeans and bright blue sweater. He was carrying a large picnic basket that looked rather heavy.

He said " I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"I've only been here about five minutes. I know I'm early, but I was anxious to see you. That basket looks heavy...do you need some help?"

"No, I've got it. It's big, but not as heavy as it looks. You ready?"

"Sure, lets go"

So they set off for the spot they'd been to the previous night. In a few minutes, they arrived, and Remus set the basket on the ground. He opened it and pulled out a large blanket. "This took up most of the space in there, but we'll have enough room for everything."

Holly helped him spread it out, and as she bent over to straighten the corners, she caught a whiff of the food in the basket. "This smells delicious...what did you bring?"

" I hope it is as good as it smells. I won't tell you what it is, but I did cook this myself. I don't cook as often since Molly is around so much, but I do enjoy it when I get the chance."

"Well, I'm ready...I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Me either. I slept for about three hours, and then I got up and prepared this." As he's talking, he's pulling things out of the basket....a bottle of red wine, two glasses, plates, silverware, then the food. There was a large covered plate with a steak big enough for them to share, some roasted small potatoes, a salad, dinner rolls, and for dessert, chocolate dipped strawberries.

Holly's eyes widened "This is your idea of a picnic? That's a restaurant dinner for two...the only thing you didn't bring is candles. But I'm not complaining, it looks wonderful."

"I actually thought about candles, but guessed that the stars would be better anyway. As for the food, I just cooked what sounded good to me."

He uncorked the wine and poured them each a glass. Then he lifted the covers off the dishes and put food on both plates, handing Holly hers first. They both ate fairly quietly, just commenting on the food here and there. Holly was amazed...if this was a fair example of his cooking, he could outdo Mrs. Weasley. Everything about the meal was perfect, and sharing it under a starlit sky with the man she loved just made it even better.

Once they had finished, he cleaned the dishes with a spell, then put them in a bag that was in the basket. They moved the picnic basket out of the way so they could stretch out on the blanket. Then they laid down on their backs, and Holly put her head on his chest. They lay there in the quiet, listening to the crickets and looking at the stars.

Holly broke the silence "I'm so glad we've got a little time to relax. Umbridge is gone, summer will be here soon, and Dumbledore thinks it will be a few weeks before Voldemort does anything overt again. He figures that not retrieving the prophecy will cause him to need to change his plans a little. It will give us some time to be together."

"Yes it will and I hope we can take advantage of this break."

"I think we will. I've got a lot of things I want to do with you."

"So do I. I could make a fairly long list...pretty much anything sounds good as long as your with me. It doesn't need to be going anywhere or doing anything special, just spending time together is fine with me."

"I'm the same way. I could lay here and name dozens of things I'd like to do, but we'll just take it one day at a time. For now, though, I just want to enjoy this evening with you."

"Me too. Tonight is a perfect night."

They laid there like that, just enjoying the quiet and the feel of really being together, for about an hour. Remus remembered the dessert and asked if she wanted any. She did, and so did he, so they both sat up. He pulled the bowl out of the basket and they fed each other strawberries until they were all gone. As they ate, he looked out over the lake and said if it were a little later in the year, she'd love to go swimming. They decided to add that to their list of things they wanted to do that summer.

Holly laughed, for no apparent reason, and said "The last 48 hours sure have been a ride. We've gone from wondering if we'd see each other alive again to planning our summer holidays together."

"From do I love you to yes I'm crazy about you." He looked at her, taking in every detail of her face. He pulled her close to him and kissed her full on the lips. It was a good thing she was sitting down because her knees would likely have turned to jelly if she'd been standing.

He pulled away for a moment, but kept his arms around her. Rather than try to say anything, she leaned forward and kissed him again. They lingered in each other's arms, not wanting the moment to end.

An owl hooted loudly overhead, breaking the silence and reminding them of the world around them. They looked up at the sky and guessed that it was rather late.

She said "I don't want to, but I really should go. I've got an early class tomorrow."

"I'll walk to the castle with you."

Then they got up, folded the blanket and put it in the basket. He flicked his wand and the basket went sailing off into the night, headed for Grimmauld Place.

They set off for the castle, their arms around each other's waists. When they reached the steps, they embraced and kissed one last time. As he pulled away, Remus whispered "Goodnight sweetheart".

"Goodnight, my love."

After she said this, she smiled at him, then reluctantly went inside. She was so lost in the feel of the night that she practically floated to her quarters. She laughed at herself for getting so caught up in her feelings, but she was so happy she didn't care. As she dressed for bed, she could still feel the warmth of his parting embrace. She had no doubt she would sleep well that night.

Remus walked up the castle driveway, his mind was still on her; her smell lingered in his mind. She smelled wonderful, her perfume was something flowery and delicate. Of course, her kiss was very fresh in his memory, it was so sweet. And she'd said his was perfect, that really surprised him. He was thrilled at the thought that he'd given her a pleasant surprise.

He apparated home, and was taking off his cloak when Sirius came downstairs.

"So, your date must have gone well tonight, you were humming. And you're smiling."

"Well is an understatement. Tonight was absolutely perfect. The best night I've ever had in my life. We had a wonderful meal under a beautiful starlit sky, we talked for a while, and cuddled a bit. Then I kissed her. And she said it was perfect."

"Sounds like you really made up for last night. And you worked up the nerve to kiss her, that's great."

"Not once, but three times. Twice at the lake, and a goodnight kiss at the steps of the castle."

Sirius whistled "Not bad for a guy who less than twenty-four hours ago couldn't admit someone could love him, or that he was in love."

"I'd like to think she was satisfied with my progress. Love has to be the most wonderful feeling in the world, now that I've quit suppressing it."

"It suits you well. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Sirius"

Like a schoolgirl with spring fever, Holly spent much of her free time looking forward to the weekend. However, she was disciplined enough to prevent her giddiness from interfering with her work.

On Friday morning Remus asked her by floo network if she'd like to go out for dinner and dancing. She accepted and they agreed she would meet him at the gates of the school at 5 p.m.

Her classes that day went quickly. As soon as she was done, she went upstairs and changed clothes. She chose a white lace over pink satin top and a dark blue denim skirt with light tan pumps. At a quarter to five, she was at the gates, waiting for him. Within a couple of minutes, he arrived, wearing dark grey pants and light blue silky shirt.

"Hello, beautiful. Looks like you're ready."

" Thanks, and yes, I'm ready. I've been ready since this morning. You look quite handsome yourself."

"Thanks. Let's go then."

He took her hand and they apparated to Diagon Alley. They found the club that they were going to and went in. The place was what you'd expect from a nightclub- dark and noisy. There was a band playing on a small stage in the far end of the room. Remus spotted a table near the dance floor, so they sat down and had a couple of drinks.

Then, the band played a slow song, so they got up and danced. Holly loved the way it felt when he held her in his arms. After the slow song ended, they danced to a couple of faster tunes. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed dancing until New Year's Eve, and was really quite excited when Remus suggested coming here.

About four songs later, they decided to sit out a few and see if the food was any good. They ordered a light meal, which turned out better than they expected, then sat and talked for a while. They danced to several more songs, then decided to leave.

It was still early, only 9 p.m., so they strolled through Diagon Alley. Several of the shops were still open, so they went into some of them and browsed. Around 10:30, they decided to head back to Hogwarts. They apparated as far as they could, then holding hands, walked the rest of the way.

They took their time walking up the castle driveway, enjoying each other's company. At the steps, Remus asked " Have you got plans for tomorrow?"

"Actually, I've got a small mountain of work to do. I've got essays and homework to grade, and final exams to make. I really should spend the rest of the weekend on them."

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"You could grade the homework. But you know that can be tedious work. Do you really want to spend the day doing that if you don't need to?"

"I would like to, just to be able to spend the day with you. Who knows, if we finish early, we could go for a walk by the lake."

"If you really want to do it, I'd like the help. And if we finish early, I'm sure we'll enjoy the time."

"Great, What time do you want to start?"

"Not before about 1 p.m. I plan to sleep late, and I'll need to be awake a little while before I start."

"I'll see you around 1:30 then."

"Okay, sounds good."

"Goodnight, then sweetheart."

"Goodnight"

They shared a warm, tender kiss, then he released her, and she went inside.

Saturday is a warm beautiful day. Holly slept until 10 a.m, then got up and got ready for her day's work. She hated the thought of being cooped up inside on a day like this, but knew if she went outside to work, especially with Remus, she'd be too distracted to accomplish anything. She contented herself with the idea that if they finished, or at least got mostly done tonight, they could do something fun together.

True to his word, at 1:30, Remus appeared in her fireplace. She told him she was ready, and he stepped out onto the carpet.

They spent the day working, he graded the homework by the answer keys she provided, she worked on the essays. The time was made more enjoyable by sharing some of the silly mistakes the students made.

Every hour or so, they took a break, putting aside the papers and talking, usually while one or both walked around the room to stretch.

About 6:30, they decided to stop for dinner. He had finished all of the homework, and she only had a few essays left. They summoned one of the elves from the kitchen and asked for dinner. Holly decided that to compensate for not going outside, she would open the windows not far from the table and move the table closer to it. This provided a nice breeze and a decent view of the grounds.

After dinner, she finished the essays while Remus watched her work. He'd offered to help, but there was really nothing he could do. By about 8:30, she'd finished the last one, so they decided to go for a walk on the grounds.

They went outside to the near side of the lake, found a good spot for stargazing, and sat down to relax. They spent an hour and a half looking at the sky and making plans for the summer.

At 10, she decided she needed to get to bed. This time, when they arrived at the steps, she said

"Why don't you come upstairs with me and use the fireplace?"

"I appreciate that, I will."

They went back to her quarters, and as he prepared to leave, she thanked him for his time.

"Having your help made the work go so much faster than I could have done alone. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I enjoyed spending the time with you."

"I always enjoy spending time with you too. I wish I could say we'd get together again tomorrow, but I've got to put together final exams. That will be at least a full days' work, and unfortunately I need to do that myself."

"Then I guess I will see you another day. Don't work too hard, though."

"I won't. I love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

He stepped into the fireplace, threw in the glittery green powder and left for Grimmauld Place.

There were only five weeks of the school year left, so Holly was very busy. Like most teachers, she assigned homework until about a week before exams began. The assignments were intended to prepare the students for the exams, but the all had to be graded and returned. She also had a few students who wanted some additional help preparing for the exams. This caused most of her paperwork to fall on weekends, so she didn't see much of Remus until school was actually over. She did talk to him most evenings by floo network for a little while, but that was all she had time for.

This end of year craziness made her grateful he'd been a teacher too and understood what was going on.