Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter related. Any terminology, places or people that you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Seven

**Beware, the story earns its rating in this chapter.**

"Remus? Wake up Remus." Remus heard the voice as if from far away and tried to do what it said. "Please wake up."

Remus blearily opened his eyes and saw his mother's worried face above him. 'I must be on the floor,' he thought randomly, he could feel himself lying on something hard. She took his hand and helped him onto a couch. Collapsing onto it, he could barely keep his eyes open. "Do I have to wake up?" He asked slurring slightly. "No honey, you don't but hold on a second while I bandage you up, okay?" Remus nodded, but stopped quickly because it made his head pound. He felt his mother wrap some soft cloth around his head and arm, then he felt a washcloth graze his neck. His mother then released her hold on him and he leaned over exhausted, laying his head upon a throw pillow. He tried smiling at his mother, but couldn't, so he closed his eyes and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

It had been a few of days since their girls day out, and Dorcas still felt relaxed and happy. She had just finished breakfast and headed upstairs to gather up her things to go to Diagon Alley for the day. She decided she had left Roxanne alone long enough and was going to help her at the Qudditch shop. She had also decided it would be better if it was a surprise. She couldn't wait to see Roxanne's face.

At Quality Qudditch Supplies, Roxanne was busy painting a sign that would hang above the quaffle display. Each aspect of Qudditch all had a separate section of the store and it didn't look as though a hurricane had blown though the store anymore. Mostly everything was put away, and now Roxanne was just making signs so it was clear where everything was. A bell rang out somewhere to alert her that someone was coming in. She put down her paintbrush so she could go help the customer and when she turned a corner and saw who it was, she couldn't help but smile. True to his word about coming back, Ryan Thompson was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking at the Golden Snitch display.

"I thought you were a chaser," Roxanne told him jokingly.

Ryan smiled. "Yes, but maybe a seeker title would be just the change I'm looking for."

"And why would you be seeking a change in the first place?"

"Ah puns," he said teasingly. "Well, I get bored easily unfortunately."

Roxanne laughed. "I noticed."

Ryan contracted his eyebrows. "Really? What do you mean?"

"Well, just by the different girl on your arm all the time, I kinda just figured."

Ryan nodded. "I guess you know everything about me then."

Roxanne was surprised. What did that mean? Was he angry? She just couldn't decipher his tone of voice. While she was lost in her thoughts, Ryan had taken a few steps toward her so they were very close. Smelling the aftershave she had come to know so well, Roxanne was shaken out of her thoughts. She looked up at the Slytherin, very confused.

"I didn't mean to offend you," she told him quietly.

"You didn't. It's laughable to think you could bother me at all."

Roxanne took a step back. "Oh? Laughable is it?"

"Yes." He said simply, taking a step forward.

Roxanne just looked at him. "Why are you here anyway?" She asked irritably.

"To see you."

Another short answer. 'That's kinda annoying,' Roxanne thought. "You don't even know me." She told him shortly.

"That's unfortunate," he said quietly. "It needs to be changed." Ryan lifted up a hand and grazed her cheek with the back of it. He cupped her face in his hand and brought her closer to him so that their bodies were practically touching.

Roxanne was freaking out. What was going on? She didn't even know this guy! Nevertheless, she allowed him to bring her closer to him, her body tingling with anticipation.

Ryan brought his other hand up and ran it though her blonde hair. "You're beautiful," he told her, bringing his lips closer to hers.

Barely breathing, Roxanne brought her hands to his neck, stroking his hairline. Her eyes then widened. It was like her body had a mind of it's own. Her mind was telling her one thing and her body was doing another. Ryan's full lips grazed hers but before he could deepen the kiss, a voice rang out.

"Roxanne?"

Roxanne gasped and jumped away from Ryan and his hands fell to his sides. Dorcas stood by the door of the store, a very confused look on her face. A few seconds later, Dorcas seemed to recognize her mistake and started stammering an apology. "I'm sorry, I'll just go," she said awkwardly.

Ryan shoved his hands in his pockets. "No, don't go. I have to anyway. It was nice seeing you both." He sounded awfully formal, his face not betraying any emotion.

Roxanne blushed deeply and waved lamely. Ryan nodded to both girls and left the store, closing the door behind him.

The two friends just looked at each other, at a total loss with what to say. Roxanne tried to disperse the tension. "Like my sign?" She asked.

Dorcas nodded. "Yeah, it's really great."

Another silence. Both girls wanted to talk but really didn't know how to approach the subject. The girls were saved by Roxanne's father, who walked in at that moment.

"Dorcas!" He exclaimed happily. "How have you been? How's your summer?"

Dorcas smiled. "It's been great Mr. Bennett. Thank you so much."

"Of course. Roxy tells me you guys had such a good time with your girls day out."

"Yes, it was very fun. It was so nice of Marlene to set it all up," Dorcas said nodding.

Noah nodded too. "Well, I must go to my office. I have some books to go over. It was so nice seeing you Dorcas, you must stop by for dinner sometime."

"That would be wonder Mr. Bennett, thanks."

He smiled at her then turned to Roxanne. "Any customers dear?" He asked curiously.

Roxanne half glanced at Dorcas before she answered. "No daddy. None."

Her father sighed. "Ah well. I guess it's to be expected." And with that he made his way to his office, leaving the girls to their silence. Dorcas decided it was time to break it.

"How long? When were you going to tell me?" She asked Roxanne, feeling slightly betrayed.

Roxanne looked at Dorcas, trying to decide on what to tell her, then she sighed and decided on the truth. "This is only the second time he's been in here... and never." She said flatly.

Dorcas looked surprised. "Why?"

Roxanne shook her head. "I don't know. I'm sorry Dorcas. He only came in here once and I didn't think it was anything to report."

"Well, it's fine. You don't have to tell me every little thing that's happened in your life. I guess I should have owled."

Roxanne shook her head again. "No, I should have trusted you enough to tell you. I just didn't... I really don't know. Sorry."

It was Dorcas's turn to shake her head. "It's fine. But I have to go. I'll see you at James's... maybe." Dorcas turned around and left, making Roxanne feel about 3 feet smaller.

Remus didn't want to wake up, but the sun didn't want to let him sleep as it shined brightly through his bedroom window. 'My bedroom?' He thought to himself confused. The last thing he remembered was being on the basement couch, his mother bandaging him up after the full moon. He opened his eyes slowly and deducted that he was indeed in his room. He got up gingerly, avoiding putting pressure on his left elbow. 'Must have slammed against something during the night', he mused. He walked over to a mirror above his dresser and assessed his injuries. He always had at least a couple. He scanned his body sadly, seeing that there were more than usual. 'It must be because the wolf missed the other animals.' His werewolf had just gotten used to having others around to keep it company. This is how Remus usually thought about himself as a werewolf. He was Remus and then there was the wolf. He tried to keep them separate. He left his room, making his way to the bathroom so he could get some more bandages and things to clean his injuries. He made his way back to his room and undressed, so he could see his whole body more clearly. He heaved a big sigh, trying not to be bitter. He finished up, got dressed and laid back down in his bed, still tired. He didn't even know what time it was, but he wouldn't have been surprised if he slept all day. About a minute later, he heard a timid knock on his door. "Come in," he said hoarsely. His mother edged into the room, a breakfast tray in her hands.

"Are you hungry dear?" She asked him concerned.

He smiled at her. "Yes. Thanks mum."

She smiled back at him. "Of course dear." She helped him sit up on his pillows and sat the tray in front of him. "Just give me a shout when you're done and I'll come pick it up."

Remus shook his head. "I'll take it back to the kitchen mum. Don't worry."

She smiled at him fondly. "Okay. Eat up. I'll be in the living room if you need anything."

Remus nodded, and she left the room. Remus sighed again. His whole body ached. He tried not to pay to much attention to it, but it wasn't easy. He rubbed a spot on his leg and winced. Apparently he had bitten himself last night and there was a huge gash there that he was certain would become another scar. He chuckled quietly to himself as Sirius's voice came to him. He had told Remus last year that he should be proud of all his scars because they were what men wore. Remus shook his head fondly, then stopped because it hurt too bad, then started in on his food, smiling when he saw all his favorites piled on the plate.

"Are you going to be okay alone Roxy? I can wait until you are finished," Noah told his daughter.

Roxanne was finishing up a sign to put over the bludger display, and her father was planning on going to Gringotts to put the day's profits in the bank.

Roxanne nodded. "I'll be fine dad. I have my wand in my back pocket. Besides, the bank is going to close if you don't get there soon."

"Okay, are you going to stay until you finish that sign?"

"Yeah, I only need a couple more finishing touches, then I'll lock up and floo home." She told him comfortingly.

Her father smiled. "Okay, I'll see you at home then. Make sure you lock up the back room as well after you put everything away."

Roxanne nodded again. "Got it." Her father smiled again and left.

Roxanne grabbed her black paint to put some marks behind the bludger so it looked like it was flying, when a bell rang out, signaling an entry into the store. She looked up confused, it was almost nightfall and practically nobody was in Diagon Alley this late. She put down her brush and grabbed her wand, making her way to the front of the store.

"Whoa, watch where you're pointing that thing crazy!" Ryan said, throwing his hands up in surrender. "I won't hurt you I swear."

Roxanne rolled her eyes, putting her wand back into her back pocket. "Duh. I would have had you knocked out far before you could even think about doing any damage to me. What?" She asked slightly aggressively, and Ryan looked confused.

"Oh really? Well you're just lucky we can't test that theory out. And what's your problem? I thought you would want me to come back seeing that we got rudely interrupted earlier."

"That's my best friend you are talking about, and we seem to remember things much differently because I don't think there was anything going on that needed to be interrupted."

"Yeah," Ryan said slowly. "I guess we do remember things a lot differently, because I remember the truth. You couldn't have forgotten already, it barely happened this morning!" He told her, sounding quite irritated.

Roxanne sighed. "I'm sorry. This," she waved her hand back and forth between them. "Is not happening. It can't. Dorcas is mad at me because of it."

"Because of me? What have I ever done to her?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Nothing. But she obviously doesn't like seeing us together." Roxanne said shrugging.

"You know what I think?" Ryan said, taking a few steps forward. "I think that this has nothing to do with Dorcas at all. So why don't you want this," he waved his hands between them in imitation, "to happen?"

"It's not me."

"Liar. Do I scare you?" He said, his eyebrows raised.

Roxanne scoffed as she noticed Ryan talking more steps toward her. She backed away a few steps. "You could never scare me. I just pick my best friend over complete strangers, that's all."

Ryan went closer. "Is it because I'm a Slytherin? Because you think I'm a Death Eater?"

Roxanne's eyebrows shot up. "I never said that."

Ryan shrugged, taking even more steps toward her, making her step back again. "There has to be a reason you're distancing yourself then, because we both know it's not Dorcas. I'm just trying to find a good reason because you seemed only too ready and willing just a couple hours ago. Or maybe your nipples just get hard without you being aroused."

Roxanne looked scandalized. "You pig. I don't have any idea what you are talking about." She stepped back again, but couldn't go any further, since she had just backed into a wall. Ryan took his chance. He walked right up to her and put his arms on either side of her, his face inches away.

"Yes you do Roxanne. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Now tell me why you are pretending you don't want me, because to me it's pretty damn obvious that you do."

Roxanne could hardly breath. His face was inches from her, he was talking in a low husky voice that was making her heart race, and for the life of her she couldn't come up with a good excuse for why she didn't want him to snog her senseless.

"My reputation will be ruined," she told him lamely.

"Like you care about your reputation," he told her with a smirk on his face. Roxanne looked surprised. "I actually have pretty good hearing. You think I really would have just shown up to Quality Quidditch Supplies randomly? You think I didn't notice you ogling me on the platform?"

Roxanne didn't know what to say. She stammered something incoherently and Ryan chuckled softly. "It's okay. I liked it." He told her suggestively.

"You needed a broom," she said trying to get out of her hole.

"Yeah, luckily," he said shrugging. He put his fingers under her chin and made her look up into his eyes. "Roxanne, I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to do, I'm not that kind of guy. Nod for yes. Shake for no."

Roxanne just looked at him, her mind blank. She was attracted to him. She was not going to deny that, but the bottom line was that she still knew nothing about this guy and she would be snogging a total stranger if she nodded. About a minute passed with the two just staring at each other. Then, surprising herself, Roxanne felt herself nod. It was all Ryan needed. He crushed his body against hers, taking her face in his hands. Roxanne grabbed his wrists bracing herself, and moaned softly. He put his lips onto hers and kissed her passionately. Roxanne closed her eyes, responding with enthusiasm. His hands started roaming her body making her heart race even faster. He grabbed her waist, pulling her up to his height. She responded immediately, wrapping her legs around him, being careful not to break the kisses that were becoming very rapid and insistent. He practically slammed her against the wall in his passion, holding her up with one hand, the other against the wall, helping him stay up. Breathing heavily, his lips made his way to her neck. He sucked lightly on her clavicle, alternating between nibbles and kisses. She moaned again, clawing his back in excitement. She had never been kissed like that before. She had never experienced such an intense make out session. She was surrendering everything to this guy that she barely knew, and she loved everything about it. It was dangerous. He was dangerous.

"Dorcas? Are you okay?"

Dorcas was shaken out of her thoughts by her mothers words. It was dinnertime at the Meadowes household and Dorcas was sitting in silence, pushing her food around on her plate, lost in what had happened in Diagon Alley.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, just thinking," she told her mother reassuringly.

Her mother nodded, not really convinced.

"I think I'll go to bed, I'm not too hungry," Dorcas told her parents, and she fake yawned to prove her intentions.

"Okay honey. You guys decide when you are going to pile into James's house and drive his parents nuts?" Her father asked jokingly.

"Actually, I may not go. I'm having fun here with you guys, and I can see all my friends at Hogwarts anyway."

Both of her parents eyebrows shot up and they exchanged a look. "Goodnight." Dorcas said, getting up to go to her room.

"Are you sure everything is okay Dorcas?" Her father asked concerned. Dorcas paused. She was teetering on telling them, but how would she explain that to her parents? She didn't even know if it even bothered her that much.

"I'm sure. Love you guys," she told them, and made her way upstairs.

When she made it upstairs, the first thing she saw was James's owl waiting patiently on her desk for her. She relieved the owl of its burden and it flew off.

Dorcas,

How's everything? Sorry about not writing back until now, I left my parents house the day you wrote and they haven't forwarded my mail until today. Great job on your O.W.L.'s, I'm really proud of you. I didn't do so terrible either, just failed History of Magic and I really don't care about that one. So I know I probably sound like a broken record, but any chance of you coming to James's? Peter came today, and Lily and Marlene are on their way tomorrow. Remus can't come for another couple days, he's still recovering from the full moon poor guy. I haven't heard from Roxanne, but I'm sure you have, you guys are inseparable. Well anyway, I'm rambling. I'll see you soon I hope.

Always,

Sirius

Dorcas sighed and put down the letter. She was being silly again. She couldn't avoid Roxanne forever, she was her best friend. She wasn't even mad that it was Ryan, who cares if Roxanne liked a Slytherin? She just couldn't understand why Roxanne didn't tell her about it. She sighed again, pulled a piece of parchment to her and started to write Sirius a reply.

"I... I.. I have to.. floooo... home..." Roxanne said breathlessly in between kisses. She was half sitting half lying on the stairs leading up to some storage rooms, clutching Ryan's shoulder, her shirt lying on the floor beneath them. Ryan was hanging onto the banister, kneeling on one knee, the other leg draped over her. He kept on kissing her, oblivious to her talking. His tongue grazed her bottom lip, and he tugged lightly on it with his teeth, then moaned. It seemed like what she had said had barely made it to his brain. He brought his mouth up to her earlobe, tugging on that lightly with his teeth as well. "Why?" He whispered in her ear, giving her goosebumps. "I.. I told my.. dad.." her explanation faded into nothingness as he enveloped her in another passionate kiss. Roxanne's senses seemed to come back to her when she glanced outside and noticed it was very dark, stars dotting the part of the sky she could see. She gave Ryan one last hard kiss and sat up. "I really have to go," she told him, still out of breath, covering her chest even though she still had her bra on. He adjusted himself then got off her, sitting on the step next to her. Roxanne got up and went down the stairs, grabbing her shirt, and threw it on. Ryan got up as well and made his way over to her. She was dusting herself off and smoothing down her hair when he stopped her and pulled her close to him. "When will I see you again?" He asked softly.

Roxanne shrugged. "I really don't know. You can come here whenever you want I suppose."

"No, I mean see you, see you. When can we do... this again?" He asked, kissing her softly.

Roxanne broke the kiss looked at him. 'What did I do?' She thought. She shrugged again, not really knowing what to say.

Ryan just nodded. "I'll just see you around. It's obvious you don't want much more than a good snog. You're welcome."

Before Roxanne could say anything, he kissed her on the cheek and left. Roxanne just stared at the door. 'Okay. Now what just happened?' She thought to herself. 'Damn that fucking nod.'

A.N. Hello everyone :) Sorry for the wait, finals were upon me, so I was studying like crazy. However, they are now over and I will probably post close to everyday. Please review. It makes me happy. :D