Friday night's dinner found Remus and Hermione sat next to each other in the dining room of Hermione's little house in north London. Remus wasn't sure whether they had ended up sat together by accident or design, but he wasn't complaining. While they were a nice group of people he still felt very much like the former teacher he was with some of them, but Hermione had a way of making him feel accepted and at ease instantly. Eventually the conversation turned to the Werewolf legislation that he was going to be working on.

"I'm heading up that project, my head of department told me today." Hermione said.

"Thank goodness for that." Remus said. Hermione blushed and various eyebrows round the table rose. "It's just I know some of the others in that department, I could've been landed with Michael Woods or someone, nothing would happen apart from me going slowly insane."

"Nah, everyone knows that Woods in incompetent and hates werewolves, even Macintyre isn't that stupid." Ron said. "Besides, it's about time our Mione had a project to head, she's brilliant, everyone knows that." He smiled at Hermione, who had gone bright pink at the complement.

"So you guys will be working closely together then?" Ginny asked, a twinkle to rival Dumbledore in her eyes. The others could practically hear the thoughts forming at the possibilities that could arise from the two working together.

Remus rolled his eyes good naturedly. "I'm beginning to see why Severus always complained about Gryffindors having no subtlety."

"It's not Gryffindors that have no subtlety, it's Weasleys." Angelina said with a grin.

"Yeah, but there's so many of them that it becomes easy to make generalizations. One doesn't necessarily mean the other though." Demelza added, making everyone laugh.

"And yet you're still willing to add to the numbers?" Neville asked.

"I'm just balancing the numbers, since Gin will be a Potter before I'm a Weasley." Demelza retorted.

"Actually, speaking of Potters, Harry negates the theory. He's a Gryffindor, not a Weasley and has no concept of subtle in the slightest." Luna pointed out, her devastating candour tempered by the sweet, airy delivery.

"Harry has to be the exception that proves the rule." Neville said.

"Oh?" asked Remus. "Why is that?"

"Because if we accept that Harry's lack of subtlety represents all Gryffindors Snape will have been right. And we can't have that." Neville's statement was greeted by chuckles, and the subject dropped.

*****

Monday morning Remus headed into the Ministry for his first meeting with Hermione on the new Werewolf laws. He had spent his weekend re-reading the existing laws and speaking to various acquaintances in the Were community. He had a fair idea of what needed to go completely, what needed altering and what could be negotiated, and he was looking forward to the challenge of working their wishes into what the Ministry wanted, which was bound to be more restrictive.

He was also looking forward to working with Hermione. Apart from his attraction to her, (which he was doing his best, and failing, to ignore), she was brilliant; her mind made connections unlike anyone else he had ever met. She was also passionate and fundamentally fair-minded, which was likely to benefit the Werewolves in the long run, as she was unlikely to let the Ministry discriminate too much.

He arrived at the DCRMC and was directed to Hermione's office. He walked in and all his resolutions of seeing her as a friend flew out of the window. She was frowning at a parchment in front of her, chewing the end of a quill. Her lilac blouse followed the curves of her body, the neckline dipping low enough to show a hint of cleavage, enough to tantalise without looking cheap. As he entered she looked up and smiled, coming round the desk to greet him, revealing toned legs in a black skirt and heels. She looked completely professional and incredibly sexy to Remus, who froze on the spot. He was torn between kissing her and running out of the door. Just friends, just friends, just friends he chanted to himself. Taking a deep breath he smiled at Hermione, not trusting himself to form a coherent sentence.

She returned the smile and gestured to the seat in front of her desk, returning to her chair behind it.

"How are you?" She asked. "I'm really looking forward to working with you on this." Her sweet smile nearly made him melt. "I have the old regulations here, and a list of clauses which the Ministry is unwilling to remove or alter too much. Some will have more room for manoeuvring than others, but we're going to have to pick our battles with this I'm afraid."

Remus nodded, having been expecting most of what she said. They settled into the business of discussing the points they wanted to alter. Over the course of the next hour they were drawn deeper into their work, eventually Remus moved his chair round so that he was next to Hermione, making it easier for them to look over the parchments they were working from. Occasionally their arms or legs would brush gently against one another, sending a shiver through Hermione and sparks down Remus' spine. Hermione's cheeks flushed pink as Remus shifted in his seat and reached across her for a quill, his arm lightly touching the curve of her breast as he did. Being in such close proximity to him was driving her mad, and driving all her well meant reasoning out of the window. There was something about this man which made her question her self-imposed solitude, solitude that she had happily maintained for well over a year. She had sworn that love wasn't worth the pain, but in the presence of this man, who knew the pain of love as well as she did, she was tempted to take the leap of faith necessary.

It was these thoughts running through her head that she looked up as Remus began to speak. She met his eyes and gasped at the smouldering heat there, which she had never noticed before. The words he had been going to say about the phrasing of a subsection died in his throat as he was drawn into her hazel gaze, a gaze which held something he couldn't place his finger on, but which he was sure hadn't been there before. They looked at each other for a long moment, both aware that somehow, almost imperceptibly, things had changed. Remus was about to speak when the door to Hermione's office opened.

"Hermione, I need the case file for, oh." The speaker stopped as she entered the room fully and saw the way Hermione and Remus were sat so close together. Her business-like tone and expression changed, a sneer forming on her face. "Clearly I'm interrupting." Tonks said, her eyebrows raised towards her violet hair. "Didn't realise you two were so close. Have to say, didn't think you'd be the type to behave inappropriately in the office Hermione." The older woman drawled, her relationship to the Malfoys suddenly obvious.

Hermione felt Remus tense next to her, his grip on the quill he was holding so tight his knuckles had gone white. Her voice was cold as she replied. "There's nothing inappropriate about it, we're working together. Besides, I don't need to explain or justify anything to you." Tonks had the grace to shift slightly, the sneer fading. "Was it the Chatham file you wanted?" Tonks merely nodded curtly. Hermione crossed to her filing cabinet, never more grateful that she was so precise about filing. She found the right folder quickly and handed it to Tonks without a word. She left without a backwards glance.

As soon as the door swung shut behind the other witch Hermione let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding and turned to Remus, who was staring at the door, his fist still clenched on the quill. Softly Hermione crossed to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" Hermione asked softly, sitting back down next to him.

He started at the sound of her voice, and looked round slowly, as if rousing from a deep sleep. He chuckled ruefully, a sound completely devoid of any mirth. "Ridiculous isn't it?" He asked. Hermione just sat, her hand still on his shoulder. "I know it's over, that it always will be, but to see her there, just stood there." He trailed off, and then shook his head, as if to clear it. "That's the first time I've seen her up close since she left. I saw her at the ball, but only from a distance. I never thought it would be so hard." Hermione wrapped her arms round him, holding him close and trying to ease the pain that she could see in his eyes.

"It's ok, Remus. It'll get easier, trust me. I know it hurts, but it fades." Remus looked at her, shocked by the grief in her voice as she spoke. In her eyes he saw his own pain reflected, and suddenly seemingly random comments from her friends began to make a little more sense.

"You do know don't you?" He asked. She nodded. "Oh, Hermione." He tightened his arms around her, returning the hug she had given him. Who could have hurt this girl so much?

She pulled back a touch and looked at him, recognising the heartbreak she could read in his gaze, because she had seen it so often in her own. And suddenly she decided to tell him what only three other people in the world knew, feeling that maybe, somehow, it would help him to know that he wasn't the only one hurting.

"His name was Kyle..."

A/N Sorry this took a little while, I'll try and be quick with the next update but I make no promises! Reviews are lovely.