Lupin looked up from his firewhisky when he heard a series of wolf-whistles from the entrance of The Edge of the World, a French bar so named because it was balanced on the edge of a cliff the overlooked an often stormy Atlantic Ocean. It was a popular hangout for Dark Creatures and Magical Beings who, through choice or necessity, felt more at home than in the more 'civilised' taverns of Europe.

So for a woman attractive and stylishly dressed enough to invoke the whistling meant she had probably stumbled in here by accident. Or taken it upon herself to embrace an edgier life without a clue of what she was getting herself into. The Dark Creatures of the world had seen too many of their own attacked – and worse – by so-called 'civilised' witches and wizards to resist returning the favour when it came walking through their doors.

Lupin was tempted to leave the girl to her fate – his own pack sister had been gang-raped for being both gorgeous and deemed to have less rights than a pet dog – before deciding he couldn't live with himself if he didn't at least try. These were his people, and his understood their resentment towards non-full humans, but he saw nothing accomplished by an 'eye for an eye' attitude. He got up to see if he could intercede for this misguided girl.

When he saw who it was, he was glad he had made the effort. "Good Lord, Ginny," he said, astounded at her lack of good sense... and dressed in such fine clothes that no-one could doubt she came from a quality family. Her vibrant red hair was brushed to a state of flowing fire, and she was dressed in a luxurious red robe with gold threads woven through it. No doubt what she was wearing underneath was just as fine. As the youngest, she had inherited the lion's share of her parents estate, which had included much of the forfeited Malfoy fortune. (Or, rather, Bill, Charlie, Percy and George had all been doing well enough for themselves that they saw no reason to claim any of it.) And she had grown into a stunning twenty-one-year-old. Between her affluence, youth and beauty, she was asking for trouble.

She smiled when she saw him. "Remus!" she called pleasedly. "What a surprise!"

"I spent every second summer travelling," he said. Then, "You. Are. An. Idiot. Looking like you do in a Dark Creatures bar? What, you woke up this morning and decided it was a fine day to be gang-raped?"

"Of course not." She shivered. "Really? But I haven't done anything."

"You're a beautiful young woman who reeks of fullblood. Here," he said, waving his wand over her robe so it turned dark red, almost black in this dim light.

"Remus! What are you doing?"

"Making you look not so ostentatious. Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be here, without male companionship? Everyone can tell that you're not one of us." He turned to the crowd and said something in French. "You may as well stay here now, I'm too drunk and too tired to send you home."

"You make me feel so wanted," Ginny said sarcastically. Lupin gave her a pointed look. "OK, OK, I'll stay." Although she would rather die than admit it, she was glad her former professor was here. She could tell by the way they all backed off that he was someone they all respected. "What did you say to them?" she asked.

"I told them you were my companion," he said. She blushed when she realised what he meant. "Believe me, it's much better than them thinking you're a free agent. Werewolves' women aren't people you want to mess with. We're among the most territorial creatures in the world. But don't worry, I'm not asking you to actually be my companion. Though I assure you, you'd rather spend the night with me than with them."

"Er – thanks."

"Thanks for my quick-thinking or the fact I'm not asking you to pay up for it?"

"Both."

"You're welcome."

They sat down with a decanter of firewhisky. "What possessed you to come to a place like this?" he asked. "I don't mean to chide you, Gin, but you could have gotten into a lot of trouble if I hadn't been here."

"I'm so goddamn sick of being treated like a child," she complained. "Hermione's only a year older than me and she insists that we only go to boring, safe places. She can't exactly talk – she did all that stuff in seventh year."

Lupin laughed. "I hardly think a year spent chasing Horcruxes and fighting Death Eaters was her idea of fun. But... you do sort of have a point," he conceded. "People tend to underestimate how strong you can be. You went through a lot. Everyone did. I'm seeing a toughness in my students that wasn't there when I last taught. And in my first-years who were six at the time of the war. At the very least, I think it will take until the school is entirely made up of students born after ninety-eight to see that innocence fully return."

"And you plan on seeing that?"

"Why not? I'm only forty-two and that's only twelve years away. I've no idea what my lifespan is, but it has to be at least that of a human. And I get less and less hate mail each year, so it's not like I'm going to be ousted at this point. But don't distract me. Ginny, you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't take risks like this, expose yourself to people like this."

"People like you," she pointed out.

"These are my people, yes. I might not agree with some of their ideas but I do understand them. And they've seen too many of their own abused by so-called 'civilised' humans not to do the same when one walks into their midst... especially one who looks as wealthy and gorgeous as you. You'd've been lucky to survive the night."

Ginny shivered at that, more from the look in his eyes and the tone in his voice than his words. "But why – what have I ever done to them?"

"You, personally? Nothing. Full humans on half-breeds and Dark Creatures in general? Unspoken atrocities. You know Tess has been gang-raped," Lupin said flatly.

Ginny's eyes went wide at that; she wasn't aware of the full reasons for Charlie and Tess's marriage. "But – she's so strong – I've seen her flip Charlie like he's a doll!"

"That's true, she's got a werewolf's strength. There isn't a human who can take her on. But there's only so much she can fight before she's overpowered. And because she's both beautiful and Dark Creature, she's considered by many to be owed less consideration than a family pet. Certainly less than a house-elf – you have to deal with the consequences of no help if you hurt your house-elf too badly. I'm sorry, I wish I didn't have to tell you things like this. But maybe it will help you understand. We aren't all bad people... but we've had bad things to us and that makes us inclined to take vengeance on someone who walks into our midst looking like you. I don't agree to it, but I understand it."

"Then... I'm grateful for your interference," Ginny said.

"Well, you're here now, so you may as well stay. I could do with the company. And you look terrific. Money and single life suits you."

She blushed at that. She had dated intermittently since breaking up with Harry, but no-one she was crazy about. "It wasn't meant to be," she said. "We tried for a year but we just couldn't connect with one another. It was like we were on different wavelengths. We make for better friends."

"You know, I always saw you with someone older... like, Bill's age. Maybe it was being the youngest and being around men older than you that made you more mature, but I never saw you with someone your own age... or close enough."

She smiled. "I always thought that too. I've mostly been – er – involved with older men and... I like being around them. I only wish I had a connection with any of them – a real connection. But maybe I'm asking for something that only exists in fairy tales."

He resisted the urge to take her hand. "It doesn't, I promise. I fought Dora for so long because we had that kind of connection. If I'd thought we didn't, I would have fucked her a few times until she got bored with the idea. Sorry, that sound really crass, I forgot I was in more polite company."

"It's fine," Ginny said. "It's... actually romantic. That you stayed away because you knew you had that kind of connection. To be honest, it was – er – fucking Harry a few times that made me realise we didn't. I used to lie next to him waiting for something to happen."

He laughed at that. "I used to lie next to her wishing it would go away. Now I wish I could have it back. I'm an indecisive creature if ever there was one."

"So there's been no improvement?" she asked.

He shook his head sadly. "She's the same – and there's not much hope of that changing now. It's been four-and-a-half-years. Most people come out of something like this within a few months... or not at all."

"I'm so sorry."

"I appreciate that, Ginny, I really do. But I don't want to talk about that tonight. I was enjoying myself before and I plan on enjoying myself even more now that I have an attractive young woman to share my drinks with." He smiled weakly and it was obvious that he was trying to be friendly... even flirtatious.

The night wore on and the firewhisky flowed. Lupin found himself enjoying himself more than he had in a long time. These were his people, and he understood them – and more importantly, they understood him – in a way that full-humans never would, but that didn't mean he didn't miss the company of civilised, educated people. Especially when they were as open-minded as Ginny.

In the early hours of the morning, he thought it was best if he put her to bed. "You can have my bed," he offered her. It was way too dangerous to try Appirating in their state, and besides, he didn't particularly care to have Hermione's wrath brought down on him for retuning Ginny in this condition.

She giggled. "It's been a while since anyone said that to me, Remus," she said.

"I didn't mean share my bed," he amended, not sure if she was making a joke or had misunderstood him. He felt an odd pang over the fact that if she had misunderstood him, she didn't seem all that revolted by the idea. He could hear Tess's voice in his head: and why should she be? Charlie's crazy about me. Should it really be that much of a surprise that another Weasley is crazy about you?

Charlie's only seven years older than you, he argued back, before he realised what he was doing. Good Lord, I'm having an imaginary conversation with my sister about an issue that doesn't even exist.

He loaned her a shirt and pants – badly resized – for her to sleep in. "Sorry, I've never been good at alteration charms."

"It's fine. I appreciate you doing this for me." She sat on the edge of the bed, thinking about what Lupin had said about Tess. "Would they really have raped me?" she asked.

"If I hadn't been there, probably," he admitted. "What they did to Tess was horrendous. I'm not saying it excuses them but it really is giving as good as they get... maybe worse, because we're stronger. But don't worry about that now. I'll keep you safe."

She grinned ruefully at him. "My knight in shining armour."

"Don't look at me like that, Ginny, or I may just reneg on the non-payment thing. And I assure you, I know how to fuck."

Ginny nearly poked her tongue out at Lupin, then decided that that might be a little too flirtatious. "Goodnight, Remus."

"Night, Ginny."

He watched her sleeping for a little bit before he felt himself nodding off. He was frightened to think what might have happened had he not been there. It could be a cruel world and Ginny was a vulnerable target. He had never been able to forget what had been done to Tess; he didn't want to see that happen to someone else he cared about.

"Ginny, I've been thinking," Lupin said the next day. "How would you like to travel with me?"

"Pardon?"

"I don't want to see you get hurt, exposing yourself to people and places like this. If you travel with me, you'll have the protection of the best DADA Professor from the finest magical school in the world. If you want to see the darker side of the magical community, then please at least let me protect you. I once promised I'd look after you. Don't make a liar of me now."

Ginny didn't have to think about it for long. Her safe, boring holiday with Hermione, or an exciting tour of Europe with a phenomenally gifted bodyguard and tutor. It was a no-brainer. "Oooh, Remus, I'd love to!" she squealed with excitement.

"There's just one condition."

"What?"

"I tell people you're my companion. People will respect that out of fear, no-one will touch you. Obviously, I don't intend on going through with it but we will have to keep up appearances from time to time. I'll understand if you can't abide by that."

"I don't mind," she said. Then, "wait – am I that repulsive?"

Lupin laughed. "Hardly. But you're young enough to be my daughter and Andy would kill me if she caught me with anyone other than a prostitute. Sorry, I shouldn't tell you stuff like that."

"It's fine. I mean, this is your world, I'll have to get used to it. So – you don't see Sarah Callahan anymore?"

"Hardly. She was furious with me. And she's not the kind of girl I'd settle down with, even if I was free to do so. It's easier for me to use prostitutes. They know the score and don't ask for anything from me other than money. And Andy gets that I have needs – if I'm going to cheat on Dora, she prefers that I keep it on a professional level. My relationship with Sarah was a mistake. And believe it or not, there are far classier and well-educated prostitutes than Sarah."

Ginny grinned. "I could believe that. She was with, like, half the boys in our year."

"I could believe that. It actually used to drive her nuts that I didn't care. Werewolves are prone to jealousy. But when I was with her – well, she could have fucked half the boys in her year and it wouldn't have bothered me. Whereas with Dora it took me a long time to give Charlie permission to visit her because I kept thinking of them in bed together and it made me want to kill him, I'd get so jealous."

"Sounds... romantic," Ginny said wistfully, half-wishing that she had someone who was so crazy about her. "You must miss her so much."

"Every day. So how about it, Gin? Do you want to come with me? I'm warning you, it's not all pub stays. I camp a lot. It'll be rougher than what you're used to."

"I can handle rough, Remus. I'm tougher than I look."

"That you are. And I want you to let Hermione know that you're going. Don't tell her you're with me, just let her know you're alright."

Ginny was exhilarated. She had never had so much fun in her life. Lupin was an even better tour guide than he was a professor, which was really saying something. He took her exploring through enchanted forests, introduced her to creatures she'd only read about in books, had her mingling with vampires and banshees. And she never felt afraid for her safety; since Lupin had pointed it out, she had become more aware of how much his reputation preceded him. He was a first-class bodyguard and tutor.

And she didn't even mind the occasional keeping up of appearances to maintain the story that she was his companion. Like right now, in a bar in a forest in Slovakia, he had his hand on her thigh, casually resting in a display of ownership, telling everyone there that she was his girl and not to be touched. She could feel the heat from his hand through her tight leather pants – pants Lupin had suggested she buy in keeping up with her cover of being a werewolf's girl. She was loving this liberated imagine she was projecting – even if it was just a projection.

He was aware of the envious looks he was getting from other patrons, and was secretly pleased. The more risqué clothes – combined with her own liberated attitude – generated a certain heat that she certainly hadn't possessed at Hogwarts – or even on the evening she had walked into Edge of the World. "No man in the place could keep his eyes off you," Lupin informed her when they retired for the evening.

Ginny blushed at that. "It's just the clothes," she insisted.

"It's not just the clothes, Gin, it's you. You have something pretty unique going on. If I wasn't married..."

She giggled. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Let's just say I'm sure I know plenty more than Harry did when he was seventeen." Ginny gasped at that; there was something in the way Lupin had said it that made her wonder just how worldly he was. He had made no secret on having been an eager student of prostitutes; how much did he know about pleasuring women? "Enough that I made Dora very happy... and she didn't even like it rough," Lupin said, sensing her thoughts.

"Really? How – er – rough is rough?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Come here," he said softly, firmly, in a tone that she couldn't disobey. He wrestled her onto the bed, her body pinned between his and the mattress, his hands over hers, holding her down. He kissed her hard, applying pressure to her head, his tongue snaking into her mouth, demanding she kiss him back. She resisted his hold only to find him pressing down harder – and she didn't exactly dislike it.

She had never been kissed like this before – hard, demanding, giving. "Remus," she groaned in the split second she freed her mouth from his before he reclaimed it.

Lupin wasn't sure what had possessed him to kiss Ginny, let alone continue kissing her, but he did. It had been so long since he had kissed a woman he wasn't paying – since Sarah Callahan – and somehow that wasn't the same. Ginny, some part of his mind distantly realised, was someone he could fall in love with. He shifted on top of her so he was putting his weight on his knees. "Remus," she said again.

"Remus," Tonks said, pleading with him to stay. "I love you. Think about our child." She took his hands and placed it on her stomach. He was momentarily reminded of what he had committed to, then he recoiled in disgust with himself.

"I love you too," he admitted. "That's why I'm leaving. I made a mistake in marry you. Get an abortion and get an annulment. You'll be happier in the long run, you'll see."

Lupin jerked back at the memory of his wife, begging him to stay. It had been over four years since he had last seen her conscious, but he still loved her. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I don't know what came over me." He scrambled off the bed in a very undignified fashion. "I'm – er – going for a walk. Keep the security spells up while I'm gone, OK?" And before she knew it, he was gone.

She watched the closed door behind him, baffled by his behaviour. First, he was kissing her like there was no-one else in the world for him, and then he was beating a hasty retreat. He must have remembered Tonks, she realised, and felt oddly deflated by the knowledge. You didn't just kiss someone like that who you weren't attracted to, and yet... she remembered him talking about his affair with Sarah Callahan. He had nothing to offer a decent woman of good upbringing so his only options were prostitutes or women like Sarah.

And yet, if that's what he was like as a kisser, if he was similarly talented as a lover, then she could understand why Sarah had been so upset when he had called it off.

She sucked on her bottom lip, tasting where he'd kissed her. She was sorry now that she had goaded him into kissing her; she knew it wasn't something she was about to forget.

"Sorry about what happened before," Lupin said. "Sometimes when I'm around you I forget that I'm married." He twisted his wedding ring around his finger nervously. "I shouldn't drink so much when I'm with you."

"Remus, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm flattered."

"You shouldn't be. Look, can we just forget this ever happened?" he pleaded.

"If that would make you feel better," she said.

"It would," he said resolutely, and she wanted to reach out to him, tell him that it was OK to like her company, even be attracted to her... but she sensed it would only make things worse.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked, startling Lupin out of his reverie and making him drop the syringe. A fortnight had passed. They had both been determined to put their kiss behind them – Lupin, because he felt ashamed for letting it happen, and Ginny to ease his sense of shame. If nothing else, she didn't want to be sent back to London because he didn't want to be around him. She was having the time of her life with him as bodyguard and protector.

"Ah, shit, Gin, warn me next time you're going to sneak up on me," Lupin said, retrieving the syringe. At least he didn't have to worry about any germs the syringe may have picked up by being on the filthy floor; his healing ability would take care of that.

"What's the point of sneaking up on you if I warn you?" she pointed out logically. "What are you doing?" she asked again.

"Wolfsbane. I thought you were a smart girl and could follow a calendar," he grunted.

"And I thought it was a potion you drank."

"It was. There've been breakthroughs in Wolfsbane. This way it goes straight into my bloodstream, which makes it more concentrated, which means I don't actually transform. Surely Charlie mentioned something over the last four years he's been married to a werewolf?"

"Er... maybe. Sorry, I don't pay these things the attention I should," she said, recoiling at the snappishness in his voice.

"No, I'm sorry. It's better this way, but the effects hit me worse. I always get crabby for a couple of hours after I take it."

"Really?" she asked, and he couldn't help but smile. She was genuinely interested in the mechanisms of Wolfsbane without passing the least bit of judgement on his need for it.

"It's about as nutritious to the human side of me as a litre of vinegar... and the wolf in me is howling at being repressed. I prefer it this way but it's not without its consequences. Besides, surely you didn't think I was going to take you with me when I was out of action for three nights of the month?"

"I... no," she admitted. She watched, fascinated as he pushed down on the syringe and a putrid-looking off-green substance found its way into his arm. "I don't think about things like that," she admitted. But even as she said it, she was suddenly aware of how pale he looked. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Like the human part of me wants to throw my guts up and the wolf part of me wants out."

"Poor man. Here, come and lie down." She led Lupin, almost child-like, to the bed and eased him onto his back, sliding his head onto her lap.

"Ginny, you don't have to do this," Lupin mumbled.

"Let me take care of you like you've been taking care of me," she said, beginning to stroke his hair. His higher-than-average body temperature made his scalp warm to touch.

"That feels nice," he admitted.

"I used to comfort my first-years when I was Head Girl," she said. "Some of them were so traumatised."

"I heard you were good with them. Mmmm," he purred contentedly, nuzzling his head against her thigh. "Oh, yes, like that," he said when she scraped her nails across his scalp.

"Better than toughing it out on your own?" she teased.

"Much. Thankyou."

"Anytime." She felt Lupin's breath become deeper and more regular as he drifted off to sleep, and she was flattered that she could calm him like this. She felt a certain kinship with him that she hadn't felt with anyone, not even Harry.

"Remus, I don't know why we have to walk," Ginny complained. "Just because you can't fly for shit."

"Just because you were too lazy to walk anywhere and now you're paying for it," Lupin returned good-naturedly. "And I can too fly, thankyouverymuch." The fact was, werewolves had a superhuman sense of balance on two feet – and a less-than-stellar one on a broom. "The woods are too dense to try Appirating, and really, not even your brother could fly through this for the same reason. It's easier to walk. Besides, you'll be grateful when we get there."

Now they were hiking through woods in Hungary and Ginny's feet were aching. "This had better be worth it," she complained.

Eventually they arrived at a spring. "Oh, good, I wasn't sure it was here," he said, relieved.

"What – you dragged me all the way out here not even knowing it was here?" Ginny asked indignantly. "What would you have done if it hadn't been?"

Lupin shrugged. "Dealt with that if it happened. Besides, naiad springs are notoriously difficult to find."

"Naiad?"

"Water nymphs. They're very secretive. You need serious knowledge of magical creatures to find a naiad spring. I thought it would be a nice change from dragging you around the place looking for dark creatures and poisonous plants."

"You haven't dragged me anywhere, Remus. I've enjoyed it."

"Nonetheless, I think you'll enjoy this. Look, can you see?"

Ginny gasped in delight when she saw one of the magical creatures shoot out of the water and dive back in gracefully. "It's beautiful," she breathed. There was something so serene and beautiful about this place.

"They like to show off. Glad you came now?" She nodded vigorously, too enthralled by the beauty in front of her to be capable of speech. "I brought lunch," he said. "And dinner, if we stay too late to make it worth going back until the morning. I'm warning you, I'm not too good at reheating food, so it's better off cold, but there's plenty of it."

"How come I never see you eating red meat?" she asked as she tore into a cold roast chicken leg. "Mmmm, this is delicious."

"Because I like it raw – like, actual raw, not rare or anything like that – and it's pretty gross if you aren't a werewolf. I don't eat around you. And thankyou – I'm not a bad cook, especially given I don't have the best of facilities to work with. How's your feet?" he asked solicitously, feeling a little bad for making fun of her now. Just because she had the Weasley knack for flying that he never would...

"A little sore," she said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to whinge before. You're right, I'm lazy. I'd rather fly than walk."

He chuckled. "I'm just jealous because I wish I could fly like you," he admitted. "Here, do you mind?" he asked, reaching for her hiking-booted foot. He undid the laces with speed and grace; she was always enthralled to watch him work with his hands. He pushed his fingers into the sole of her bare foot. "Wow, you really are sore," he marvelled. "Sorry, I forget that not everyone does as much walking as I do."

"It's OK. It's worth it. There's a spell for that," she said, a little weakly, because what Lupin was doing to her foot was wonderful, much nicer than any healing spell.

"I know. But I've done a little research into the therapeutic powers of touch. There's so much we can learn from muggle medicine. Even Andy's started getting into it. When Teddy first started teething, there was no spell or potion I dared try in him with enough power that wouldn't endanger someone that small. The only thing that would soothe him was holding him." He tickled the sole of her foot experimentally.

With a shriek, she pulled her foot back out of his reach. "Remus, no!" she squealed.

Laughing, he reached for her foot again. "Come back, I promise to stop tickling you," he said seriously. Reluctantly, because she didn't quite trust him but liked what he had been doing before he'd started tickling her, she inched her foot forward to him, and as promised, he only continued with her massage. She closed her eyes and murmured her appreciation. "Lie back, if you want," he offered her, which she did.

He felt the tense muscles in her feet ease up under his ministrations, but it was clear that she was enjoying herself, so he didn't stop. He also knew that he was walking a very fine line, but he couldn't help himself. There was something enthralling about being with Ginny. Not only was she intelligent with a thirst for knowledge that rivalled his own, but she truly didn't care that he was a werewolf.

They ended up camping out. Lupin lit a fire and they sat by it, talking easy over steaming cups of tea. "I'm really glad you're here," Lupin said. "It gets a little lonely, travelling on my own."

She found herself blushing at the compliment. "I haven't exactly done badly out of this myself," she said, smiling flirtatiously. "I think you've spoilt me for dating again. Who wants boys after being with you?"

"I could say the same about you," he said. "I doubt I'm going to be happy with the company of prostitutes after I've been with you. Er – I didn't mean that how it came out," he amended. "I wasn't comparing you."

"I doubt I could compare to someone with that kind of experience," she said flippantly, torn between her feelings. On the one hand, she was highly complimented that he enjoyed her company so much that, like her, others paled in comparison, but on the other, well, no girl liked being compared to a prostitute.

"It's not hard to learn if you want to," Lupin said huskily, knowing that this wasn't something they should be discussing but not being able to help himself. "A talent at something is maybe twenty percent ability, forty percent desire to learn and forty percent a decent tutor. If Neville can find the motivation to become enough of a student and mentor to become a teacher himself, then you can certainly learn – er – if you wanted to. Most of it's here," he said, impulsively placing his hand over her heart.

She felt her breath become very shallow at such an intimate touch – and such intimate words. And all her repressed attraction to him came to the fore. He was so much older than her, but his very age gave him a maturity and sophistication that she had never known in a man before – at least, not well. At least, not when they weren't Bill or Charlie. He was intelligent and had a deep sense of honour and she felt safe around him. Safe... but stimulated.

She kissed him. It was as good as their impromptu kiss a few weeks ago – better, even, because she knew what was coming and even so, it was better than the anticipation. The feel of his mouth on hers, the smell of him... she shifted into his lap, and he instinctively assisted her so she was effortlessly in his arms.

He breathed in heavily, taking in the smell of her. She was heavenly – and earthly at the same time, sensuously earthly in a way that no other woman he had been with was. She had an eagerness to learn coupled with an enchanting integrity. He had never doubted that she liked him for himself – not because he was something exotic and a bit dangerous, not because he had the galleons to pay for her services. He had loved being around her longer than he cared to remember, given her age. And now she was in his lap and they were kissing and it was the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced.

She felt the cold metal of his wedding ring on the back of her neck and she squirmed a little. She had never quite forgotten that he was married, but she still didn't like being confronted with the physical proof. She tugged at the offending jewellery, certain that he hardly bedded prostitutes or tramps wearing it...

... Lupin felt Ginny's small fingers pulling at his wedding ring...

He spooned his wife, the most comfortable position for her given her pregnancy. He buried his face in her shoulder – it was one of the places on her body that her unique scent was the strongest, and coupled with the sweaty, musky smell of sex could almost make him forget that there was a war going on.

She laced her fingers through his, splayed across her swollen belly. She murmured contentedly, beyond grateful to have her husband back and in her bed – he hadn't touched her since he had found out about the pregnancy – and whispering words of love to her as he made love to her. She was so happy she could cry.

She stopped when the tips of her fingers trailed across his ring finger. She suddenly felt very deflated.

He received her message loud and clear, although she would never berate him for not wearing his ring. He knew how grateful she was that he had come back, and it was one more thing to feel guilty about. "Give me a sec, love," he said huskily. He wriggled into a sitting position and reached for his pants, pulling the plain gold band out of his pocket. "I always had it on me, if it's worth anything," he told her. He placed his hand flat on the bed, fingers splayed, and handed her the ring with his right hand.

She slid it onto his finger and he could feel her relax to see his wedding ring where it belonged – on his finger. "I'll never take it off again," he whispered in her ear. "I promise." And he could feel her tremble as she started to cry with relief...

The feel of Ginny's small fingers pulling at his wedding ring jolted him rudely back to reality. Reality? They were camping out at a beautiful, remote river populated by water nymphs. Reality? It was a romantic fantasy. What in Merlin's name had he been thinking to bring her here – especially after their kiss a few weeks ago?

He pushed her away. "What are you doing?" he asked, breathing heavily because despite himself – and his supernatural physiology that allowed things like healing, let alone catching his breath, to happen in a much speedier fashion than a human – he couldn't help but be distracting by how damn distracting she was.

"Kissing you," she stated matter-of-factly.

He could taste her, and wanted to kiss her. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand – and obvious and insulting gesture that was out of character for him. Ginny felt her heart fall. "I gathered that. Why?"

There was something so penetrating in that look, so interrogating in his tone. "Because I wanted to," she said, almost pleadingly, because it was clear that he was already regretting it. The second she had touched his wedding ring – her heart plummeted. So that was it. He had kissed her like there was no-one else in the world for her, but the second he had been reminded of his wife...

"I'm married," he reminded her flatly.

"That hasn't stopped you before," she reminded him.

"That was different."

"How?" she challenged. "You were quite happy to have an affair with someone I shared classes with."

"That was different," he repeated.

"How?"

"Because Sarah was – is – a tramp and you're a lady from a good family."

"I love you," she blurted out. She had never thought of it like that before, but... she did. In fact, she had for a long time. First as a mentor, both as a Professor and filling some of the void left by her father's death, then as a friend as her adulthood made her more of an equal than a charge, and lately as the kind of friend and protector that every girl dreamt of having in love.

"I'm married," he repeated, too shocked by her declaration of love to say anything else.

"I don't care!" she cried.

"Well you should! I'm twenty-one years older than you, Ginny. I'm too old for you, too dangerous – "

"Charlie doesn't care!"

"Tess is only seven years younger than Charlie... and she wasn't married. Merlin, Ginny, what's gotten into you? You always knew I can't offer a woman anything more than an illicit affair."

"I DON'T CARE!" Ginny screamed at him. "I don't care if all you have to offer me is – is – all you had to offer Sarah Callahan," she said, spitting out the name even as she resigned herself to the fact that any relationship with Lupin would put her on the same footing as the woman she had so detested in school. But he would care about me more than he did her, Ginny took solace in reminding herself.

"Well, I do."

"You don't want me, then," she said flatly, despite the fact he had been kissing her passionately moments before.

He had never been good at lying. "Don't be ridiculous, Gin. You know perfectly well that I want you. And I care about you. More than I should. If I didn't, I'd rip your clothes off and take you in the dirt."

"Then if you feel that way – and you don't – then you don't really care."

He sighed heavily and sadly. "You just don't get it," he told her. "I can't offer you anything, Ginny. If you didn't mean anything to you then I could treat you like a whore. But I can't because I do. I won't do that to you."

She suddenly saw how much it was costing him to restrain himself and she threw herself into his arms, kissing him before he had the chance to dodge her. Groaning, he found himself kissing her back for a second. Little minx, he thought, and it took supreme effort to push her away – much more effort than it did to keep her at arm's length in the first place.

He shoved her back violently and she landed on her ass in the dirt. "You come onto me again and I'll tie you to your bed," he snapped. "I'm going to bed. I'll take you back to Paris tomorrow." And he headed towards the deceptively small tent.

He had promised her the summer. "But – "

He spun around, his green eyes flashing. "I won't keep you with me and I won't have you this far from civilised folks." It occurring to him that Ginny was just the type to go charging off in a huff, he did a re-enforcing spell around the campsite's security perimeter. Ginny was a talented witch, but she wasn't as talented as he was. "And don't think about charging off. It hurts to run into a security spell. Like a brick wall that you can't see."

Ginny seethed at the way he had blown her off. She sort of understood why he had rejected her, but that didn't take the sting out of it. And beyond that – beyond the usual sting of rejection – was something deeper. She cared about him more than she had any other man, she realised – at least in a romantic sense. It had sort of crept up on her until she had realised that she loved him and was attracted to him in a way that she had never been before.

And what made it worse was knowing that he cared deeply about her, that he was attracted to her. That it was because of that that he had pushed her away. It was because of that that tomorrow, he would take her back to Paris and after that, go out of his way to avoid her. If he was particularly smart about it – and he wasn't someone whose intelligence you questioned – she could very well never see him again after tomorrow.

She made her way into the tent, to her bed. Lupin had erected an opaque shield around him so she couldn't even see him, let alone go to him. She sank into bed, feeling a deeper loss than she could remember feeling – maybe because this was her first great loss as an adult, which someone made it all the more harder to bear.

She wasn't to know that in his shielded-off area of the tent, Lupin was shaking violently in an attempt to repress his emotions. It took every bit of restraint not to go to her. He could no longer deny that he was crazy about her, and if he loved her any less, he wouldn't care about the consequences of being involved with her.