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Disclaimer: all characters are owned by JK Rowling

Hermione spent the entire night in Remus's arms. At first they lay back on the bed, kissing more and more passionately. Although Remus caressed her through her clothes, he didn't try anything else and Hermione was content, for the moment. But at the back of her mind she felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that she was being unfaithful. Yet when she was in the arms of the man she truly loved, she knew she couldn't stop herself any more than she could force herself to love Ron.

After what felt like a few hours, Hermione's lips were pleasantly numb from all the kissing. Remus gently pulled away.

'You should get some sleep,' he whispered.

Hermione did feel tired, her limbs heavy, her eyes fluttering closed. 'Only if you stay here with me,' she murmured.

'Always,' he said quietly and he rolled over onto his back.

She sleepily moved over until she was lying on his chest. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was Remus's arm wrapping around her, holding her close against him.

The next day Hermione had a quick breakfast and then left Remus in her apartment with her books, and headed off to work. As soon as she got to her office, away from Remus's presence, the memory of what happened with Ron the previous day resurfaced in her mind.

The memory made her shudder, and a queasy feeling began in her stomach. How far would Ron have gone? She wondered. She couldn't bear the thought. She couldn't understand why he'd done it- it wasn't like him. What do I say to him?

She sat down at her desk but barely got any work done. Her mind kept going over and over it, reliving the horrible memory in her mind. She went to the bathroom, just for something to do, and noticed how badly bruised her thigh was from where Ron had gripped it. She brushed her fingers against it and grimaced.

She slowly walked back to her office and Maggie, one of the secretaries for her department stopped her.

'Hermione, something was delivered to the desk for you,' Maggie said with a smile. 'I put it in your office. You've got yourself a good one there!'

Hermione thanked her and when she went back into her office she saw that her desk was obscured by a massive bouquet of flowers, pansies, tulips, cosmos- all orange. There was also a huge box of chocolates with a folded note attached.

Hermione,

I'm sorry. I know what I did was wrong - this is all just a big misunderstanding. Call me.

Love, Ron

Hermione frowned, not sure what to think. The flowers and chocolates were a nice gesture to say sorry. She wondered how Ron must be feeling- awful, probably, and then her mind flashed guiltily to the previous night, when she hadn't left another man's arms.

She sat down at her desk and tried to get on with her work. She succeeded in doing some paperwork for about an hour but the flowers in the corner of the room kept catching her eye, reminding her of the dilemma she was in. What am I going to do? She thought miserably. Should I still marry Ron?

Ron was one of her oldest friends and he knew her better than anyone else. She still cared about him, even though her opinion of him had diminished slightly after yesterday. But that didn't change the fact that for the last few years, he had been a constant, solid presence in her life. After the war ended and Remus was gone, Hermione was heartbroken, mourning in secret for the lover that no one knew she had and Ron had spent years slowly healing her and giving her life a steady normality. Everyone had expected and approved of their relationship; it was only natural that they should get married.

What about Remus? How could she lie to herself, her former lover and her fiancé? Could she wed her best friend, in what would be a marriage of security and companionship but what would ultimately be the convenient, easy choice? Could she live a life with Ron when Remus would always be filling her thoughts with longing? Is that the best life for us?

She sighed and reached for a piece of scrap parchment. She dipped her quill in her ink bottle and wrote her future signature, Mrs Hermione Weasley. She couldn't imagine becoming that person- Ron's wife. She had been going through the motions of being engaged, gushing about her upcoming wedding whenever anyone mentioned it, deciding on venues and decor and flowers and guest lists- but if she was being completely honest with herself, she knew that it didn't feel right. She thought back to what had happened in Madam Malkins'. As much as she'd tried to let go of him over the last few years, Remus was still in her heart and now that he had returned her feelings were stronger than ever.

Remus is infinitely better, Hermione thought, immediately flushing with guilt for even contemplating it. Did people know when they'd met the person who was completely, utterly right for them? She was she sure she knew. She had never met anyone she could just sit and talk with for hours, who liked books and the theatre and learning as much as she did, who could make her laugh with a single glance, who could leave her breathless with the most gentle of kisses. Remus did all those things- he was perfect for her.

But I'm engaged to Ron! She tried to tell herself forcefully. She'd never felt as unsure about her marriage to Ron as she did now; she put her head in her hands, her mind in a turmoil.

Hermione spent the rest of her workday distracted, accomplishing little, and agonising constantly over the situation she found herself in. She wished she had someone to talk to- Ginny would have been ideal but she didn't even know that Remus had returned, and also even though Ginny had been open-minded about her relationship with Remus during the war, Hermione was sure that she wouldn't approve now- of course Ginny didn't want her brother getting hurt.

Hermione was relieved when it was five o'clock, glad to leave her stifling office. She ignored the flowers and chocolates that Ron had sent her- she couldn't bear taking them home. She apparated straight to her apartment and was immediately greeted with the delicious smell of cooking. She found Remus in the kitchen, smiling when she saw that he was wearing an apron. She raised her eyebrow at him questioningly.

'Crispy aromatic duck with Chinese pancakes and stir fried vegetables,' he explained, and indicated a book that was lying open on the counter. 'I found your Chinese cookery book and I thought I'd give it a go.'

'I love Chinese food,' Hermione said eagerly and then felt her face fall. 'But you've gone to all this effort for me- you won't even be able to enjoy it.'

He shook his head. 'No but I enjoy making you happy,' he said with a small smile.

Hermione went over and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest. 'You're amazing, you know that,' she whispered. He hugged her a little more tightly.

She pulled away slightly and studied his face. 'How did you manage to do all this?' She noticed that there was more colour in his cheeks and that he felt more solid.

He inclined his head slightly as he looked at her. 'I've been feeling... energised all day... I don't know how else to describe it. But I'm definitely getting stronger.'

She felt a spark of hope inside her. Is he coming back to me? She thought.

'Anyway, your dinner's done,' he said, turning back to the stove.

She sat at the table and he served up her food and then put in front of her the most delicious-looking meal she had ever seen. He sat opposite her at the table. While she ate he asked about her day; she didn't mention the apology gifts that Ron had sent her.

For the first time in a long time, Hermione finished the meal. She sat back in her seat, completely satisfied.

'That was delicious,' she said, giving him a smile.

She had been tired when she'd gotten home from work but now that she'd eaten such a large meal she began to feel drowsy.

'You should relax for the evening now,' Remus said, always trying to look after her. 'Don't stress, don't think about work or anything else.'

'You're right; I think I'm going to have a bath,' she said.

He nodded. 'I'll tidy up a bit in here.'

Hermione went into the bathroom and turned on the hot and cold taps, knowing precisely how to get the water to the perfect temperature. She poured in a generous amount of bubble bath and sighed as she felt the steam already rising around her. As the bath tub filled, she slowly began to take off her clothes.

'Hermione,' Remus called after a few minutes.

'Yes?' She replied. She could hear him in the kitchen. After a few moments she heard footsteps and Remus stepped into the room.

He stopped as soon as he saw her, surprised, as though he didn't realise she'd be naked. He gazed down at her body, his eyes half closed, desire clear on his face. He took a deep breath and met her eyes.

'You are resplendent,' he said softly.

Hermione gazed back at him, his scrutiny of her igniting her own desire. 'You can join me in the bath if you like,' she murmured. She turned to shut off the water.

'What's that?' Remus asked suddenly, his voice sharp. He didn't wait for her to reply and moved over to her quickly. He gently but quickly moved her around to face him, but he was looking down at her thigh, where a bruise in the shape of a hand print was still clearly visible.

Hermione swallowed, at a loss for how to explain it.

'Who did this to you?' Remus said, his voice low and unusually menacing. She gazed up at him, tears stinging in her eyes. When she didn't reply, Remus's expression hardened. 'Who did it, Hermione?'

'Ron,' she whispered. 'When I had dinner with him yesterday.'

'Do you usually let him treat you so roughly?'

'No,' Hermione said. 'He wanted to... but I didn't, not anymore and he tried to f-force...' Her voice caught as she spoke the word.

'He tried to force himself on you!?' Remus's voice was like a steel blade. All Hermione could do was nod. 'I'll...'

'You'll what Remus?' She asked quietly. 'You can't do anything to him. You're not at your full strength, I don't want you to get hurt- not that I think you're weak but- I don't want anything to happen to you.'

'Well someone needs to-'

'Hurting Ron is not the answer,' Hermione said firmly, feeling a twinge of guilt at the irony.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Hermione feared what Remus would do to Ron. Then he nodded almost imperceptibly, reluctantly accepting her words.

'If he ever hurts you again...' Remus said darkly, letting the implication of his words hang in the air.

Hermione nodded. 'I'll talk to him,' she said wearily.

Remus closed his eyes and inhaled slowly before kissing the top of her head. 'Have a nice bath, sweetheart,' he said quietly. 'And make sure to apply some salve to that bruise when you get out.'

She agreed and climbed into the bath tub. Remus started to walk away but turned when he reached the bathroom door.

'He is unworthy of you,' Remus whispered, 'You and he should not marry.'

Hermione looked Remus in the eye before he left the room. 'I'm not sure anymore,' she said murmured, voicing aloud her doubts for the first time. She sunk further into the bath, hoping that the hot water would sear away her worries.

Sorry about all the angst in this chapter. While I was editing this chapter even I was getting a bit frustrated with Hermione! Oh well, only a few more chapters before the situation comes to a head

I hope you enjoyed this chapter

Gryffindork11