Remus Lupin came awake slowly, stretching his arms above his head and rotating his hips to stretch his muscles. He froze as his knee bumped into a solid form, and whipped his head to the left. His eyes took in the tousled, pink hair attached to the head that was nestled into the pillow beside him and his heart stopped.
"Dora," he said tenderly. He brought his arms down and carefully shifted himself so he could back away from her without disturbing her, keeping his eyes on her face as he pulled away. She shifted in her sleep, curling herself deeper into the comfort of the bed and a small smile flitted across her lips before she settled into sleep again.
"You daft bugger, what did you do?" Remus mentally scolded himself as he looked around the study. His body ached and throbbed in places that had no business doing so the day after a transformation and he brought his hands up to scrub the sleep from his eyes. He stopped when he caught the faintest remaining scent of Dora's pleasure on his fingers and groaned softly as their early morning exertions came flooding back. He glanced at the desk and felt his face flush when he saw the mess he had swept off it onto the floor and the chair positioned at the end instead of behind. He stepped carefully away from the bed and grunted when he remembered that he had transfigured it before falling asleep cuddled with Dora.
Remus quickly closed the distance to the door, muttering the counter charms to unseal it, and stopped again when his eyes landed on a balled up lump of cotton. He bent down and scooped it up, smiling to himself as he fingered the jagged edges of the shirt Dora had been wearing to sleep in. He looked first at his own bare chest, then back to Dora, sleeping soundly in the center of the bed, and grinned.
"Merlin, what now?" he muttered to himself, as he quietly opened the door. He was still looking at Dora as he stepped into the hallway, her shirt balled in his hand and with pleasant warmth settling over him. He was so distracted he didn't notice the pale figure glowering at him from the stairwell.
Remus jumped when a cold measured voice spoke from the shadows, and banged his elbow painfully against the door frame as he pulled the door quickly shut.
"Sleeping in the study, I'm fine, I will see you later?" With a harsh grunt, Sirius Black strode down the last steps and stopped in front of his best friend. "Then you lock the door against me and stay holed up in there all bloody day, and not a peep from you? I couldn't even get Kreacher in there to tell me if you were still breathing, you arse!" Sirius' face softened as he looked into his friend's face, knowing as he did the effect the full moon had every month.
"Remus, I…" he started, and then noticed the bundle the werewolf was trying to hide behind his back, the bare chest and rumpled trousers. "Is that a love bite?" he asked, his voice incredulous. "Remus Lupin, I didn't know you had it in you! Who's the lucky girl, mate?" Sirius's face changed when he grinned mischievously and Remus smiled at the reminder of his friend's Marauder spirit.
"Erm…" Remus stuttered, not sure how to respond. Dora was Sirius's cousin after all, and Sirius seemed rather protective of her. He squeezed the torn shirt in his hand, trying to come up with a believable answer when he heard the door click open behind him.
"Remus?"
He looked once more at Sirius's face, pleased to see the surprise in his eyes, before turning to the pink-haired nymph behind him. "Dora," he said, his voice soft and warm, and far steadier than he felt. His eyes searched for and held hers, and he waited, saying nothing as she returned his gaze. Neither moved, neither acknowledged the third person on the landing. "She looks bloody amazing," Remus thought to himself, and dropped his eyes to her throat. He smiled softly as he remembered planting his lips there, where her pulse was pounding, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to do it again. He took a step towards her and stopped when he heard a grunt behind him.
"Remus," came Sirius's voice, deceptively soft, the tone low and familiar to him.
Remus met Dora's eyes once more and he gave her a short nod. He waited until she pulled her head back and closed the door before turning to face his friend again.
"Sirius." He kept his voice even, matching Sirius', and looked the man in the face. They studied each other, and memories of their friendship flashed through Remus's mind. He saw Sirius's face, bright and open with laughter at some Marauder prank, saw him again in his Padfoot form, strong and steady on the nights of the full moon, and again, a quiet joyfulness surrounding him at James and Lily's wedding. Remus stood, not moving, not speaking, only reliving his memories as he waited to see how this conversation would play out.
Dora's shirt was still in his hand, and he quickly tucked it behind his back. As he did so, he felt for his wand tucked into his back pocket, and sighed slightly when he felt its comforting presence against his fingers. Sirius hadn't spoken yet, hadn't even twitched, and Remus had a hard time reading the expression on his face in the shadows of the stairs.
As the minutes passed, Remus heard a soft shuffling sound behind him. Dora was still close, probably leaning against the door trying to hear- the connection he felt to her tugged at his soul, and his fingers ached to touch her again. Knowing Nymphadora was part Black and did indeed share the traits of temper with her cousin, he did the prudent thing instead. He waved his fingers at the door and heard a satisfying thunk as the lock slid into place. It was a struggle to keep a straight face as his ears picked up Dora's muttered insults and curses.
Sirius's hearing appeared to be just as fine as it had always been; his lips twitched and then a wide grin broke over his face. Remus breathed a sigh of relief as he dropped his empty hand to his side. "Sirius may approve," he thought to himself, "but this is Dora's mangled shirt." He thought the safer course was definitely to keep that information to himself, and tucked it behind his back again.
Sirius stepped closer and slapped a hand on Remus's bare shoulder, a happy laugh cascading over both of them. "It's about damn time, Moony," he said, drawing Remus into for a quick, one-armed hug. He stepped back, his eyes shining, and Remus realized that his friend was truly happy for him. He stood, mildly embarrassed, and returned Sirius's smile before dipping his head towards the door behind him.
"I, erm…. I should, uh…" his voice trailed off as Sirius's grin widened. Remus waved his fingers at the door again to lift the charm, and grasped the knob. With a last glance and smile at his friend, he ducked back into the study, closing the door firmly behind him. He leaned back against it and sighed loudly as he tipped his head back and closed his eyes, and tried to calm his racing pulse.
Remus had only a moment's peace before he felt eyes boring into him from across the room. He drew in a deep, steadying breath, tipped his head forward and opened his eyes, spying Nymphadora across the room, leaning against the mantle. She was still wearing his shirt, but she had found a pair of pants somewhere and slipped them on. His eyes swept over her body and his body tensed as he noticed the wand held loosely at her side. A grin threatened his lips, so he shifted his gaze upwards. He gulped when he saw the expression on her face, and reevaluated his position when he saw that her hair had darkened to an alarming shade of red.
"Remus John Lupin," she said, her voice steady. "I ought to hex you into next week, you great prat!" Dora stalked towards him, her wand held loosely at her side, and Remus couldn't help but stare in awe as she came closer. His heart thumped in his chest and he felt his blood heat as she advanced on him, a furious look on her face.
"She looks bloody terrifying," he thought, keeping the sentiment to himself. When she stopped a few feet from him, he had to fight the urge to grin. Dora's face was white, her lips pinched tight, and her nose had morphed. Instead of the cute, up-turned button from early that morning, it had lengthened to a point, and she looked startlingly like her cousin had a few moments ago. Her eyes, a deep glittering blue, narrowed as she watched him battle for control of his face. He saw the moment she realized he was amused- her wand came up and Remus's reflexes had him diving to the ground with no time to spare as green sparks crashed into the door where he had been standing.
A loud laugh came from the other side as Remus picked himself up and risked a glance at her. Dora's wand was still raised, so he lifted his hands in surrender, palms out, and muttered "bugger off, Sirius," out the side of his mouth. Another laugh answered him, followed by footsteps moving away, and Remus returned his focus to the Auror a few feet away.
"Dora," he said softly, struggling to contain his amusement. He took a step towards her, keeping his eyes on her wand, tensing his muscles just in case.
"Nymphadora Tonks," he said, taking a risk by using her full name. He took a step closer and said "You are the most" (a step towards her), "beautiful," (another step), "talented" (another step), "gorgeous" (another step), "marvelous woman I have ever met." He stopped in front of her, his hands still raised, and met her eyes with his.
"Dora," he whispered gently, "you are absolutely perfect, and I am crazy for you, love," he finished, his voice still soft, still warm. He lowered his hands, settling them at her waist. He took one more small step forward, whispering her name again as he did so.
Remus watched as her facial expression softened, the lines fading away, her eyes clearing, and smiled down at her when he felt her hand drift away. She set her wand on the table by her knee and gripped his hands with hers. Her face tipped up, the expression she wore one that Remus found himself powerless to refuse.
He dipped his head, capturing her lips with his in a gentle kiss, moaning softly as their mouths met. Dora sighed, the sound disappearing into Remus's mouth, and he smiled against her lips. He brought his hands up to cradle her face and tipped his head to deepen the kiss. Their lips moved together for several moments, reacquainting themselves to their early morning familiarity. Remus was careful to keep his hands gentle and his body still, not wanting to push too far, too fast.
Nymphadora seemed to have the same idea- her hands came up and her fingers wrapped around his wrists, holding him gently, and she kept her body from swaying forward against his as their lips continued to caress each other's.
Finally, Remus drew away from her and opened his eyes. Dora's opened as well, and he was pleased to see that she looked like Dora again- her hair was pink and her face had softened. Her nose had returned to its normal shape and her eyes were her natural, deep brown. Her cheeks were flushed and she smiled softly when he leaned forward to bump his nose against hers.
"I thought you were running again, Remus," she said softly, dropping her eyes. Her hands slipped down to his waist, and she pulled herself closer to him before wrapping her arms around him and laying her head against his chest. She sighed when she felt his arms close around her and shifted so her head tucked in more comfortably.
"I love you Remus," she murmured.
"I know." Remus couldn't say the words he felt; he was too afraid to even after the morning they had shared. Instead, he squeezed her closer and planted a kiss on her forehead before resting his cheek on the soft, pink hair. They stood together, just holding each other, content in their closeness, and Remus sighed softly. Then, his stomach growled.
"Remus, the full moon was last night," Dora said with a snicker, pulling her head back and smiling up at him.
He returned her smile, pleased that she could joke about his affliction so easily, then cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her tenderly. When he drew back, Dora's eyes had drifted closed and her head leaned forward to follow his lips, her own moving slightly as she tried to make contact again. Remus kissed her again, softly, then slipped his arms away from her and backed up a few steps.
Remus's head was swimming and his pulse was throbbing heavily. Watching her, he said "I need to find a shirt, love, and then, how about I make us both dinner?" He tried to keep his tone light and friendly, but he could see the confusion flitting across her face. He felt it too; his arms felt empty without her in them, and his skin felt cold as ice without her touch. He was still reeling from the events of that morning, and the confrontation with Sirius, though, and knew he needed a moment. He watched her, and could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she came to a similar conclusion.
"Ok, Remus," she said softly, taking a step towards him. "You can cook me dinner," she murmured, pressing a quick kiss to his chin. "But you don't need to go find a shirt." Her fingers deftly slipped the few buttons she had done up earlier that day, and Remus felt his mouth go dry as she shrugged out of it. "This one is yours, after all," she said with a wink.
Dora draped the shirt over his shoulder, patted his cheek and sauntered to the door. She opened it, peaked out to make sure Sirius wasn't lurking, sent a smoldering look over her shoulder, and then darted up the stairs towards her room.
Remus stood where he was, feeling the blood pounding through his veins, the spot on his chin tingling where her lips had touched him, and groaned as his arousal strained against his trousers again.
"Merde," he muttered to himself, before shaking his head sharply and gaining control of the emotions coursing through his body. He looked around the study and memories came flooding back, causing his erection to throb painfully again.
Remus stumbled towards the desk, shrugging into his shirt as he went. "It smells like her," he thought to himself, grinning stupidly and breathing her scent in deep. He settled into the chair then flicked his wand lazily. The bed transfigured back into a sofa and the blanket folded itself over the back as the mess on the floor sorted itself into its rightful place on the desk. In only a few moments, the room had returned to its former, studious, gloomy glory.
"Merde," he said again, his shoulders slumping. Remus sat in the chair, trying not to remember how perfect everything had felt that morning, how sweet Dora's body had tasted, how erotic her moans sounded in his ears, how hungry he was for her touch. He scrubbed his hands over his face before running one through his hair in a distinctly Potter-like manner, and waited for his blood to cool. He had finally gotten himself under control when a shadow darkened the doorway.
"I believe you promised me dinner, Professor," came a saucy voice. Remus looked up, his eyes meeting Dora's, and he smiled.
"I did, didn't I?" he replied. Remus stood, a smile on his face, and strode from the room. Dora was waiting by the stairs, a small smile playing across her lips, and she reached a hand out to him. Remus took it, laced his fingers with hers, and led her down the stairs to the kitchen, feeling happier than he had in years.
A.N. I originally planned on only one chapter for After the Full Moon. But I had so much fun writing it, and then I wanted to see how Remus would handle things after he woke up. And I wanted to see how Sirius would handle it when his friend finally sealed the deal, so chapter 2 was born. It's not nearly as long, nor as juicy, but was just as much fun to write.