Remus walked through the outer offices of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures with heavy steps. The last thing he wanted to do was sit with Hermione and go through the alterations to the Werewolf laws he had spent the last day and a half discussing with the leading alphas of the Were community, but he knew in his heart that the changes to the laws dealing with Werewolves were far more important than his relationship, or lack of, with Hermione. That didn't stop the ache he felt whenever he thought of her, whenever he recalled the way she looked as he made love to her, and the pain of waking alone. After everything she had said and done he found it so hard to believe that she had just left. He couldn't help but wonder why she had left. Maybe she hadn't enjoyed herself as much as he'd thought and had gone to avoid awkward morning afters. It wasn't like he had the experience of women and sex that Sirius had had, or even James who'd been almost as much of a playboy before Lily. Or maybe everything she'd said about giving them a chance and feeling like he mattered was just a line and she had got what she wanted and left. As usual when his thoughts wandered down that line he shook his head. There was just no way Hermione Granger was that callous or manipulative. She was no saint, but that was beyond her.

Remus stood in front of her office door and tried to put everything not relating to the laws they were working on from his mind. Right now all that mattered was securing a better life for the people afflicted with lycanthropy.

Hermione sat behind her desk and stared unseeingly at the papers in front of her. She had managed to be productive for most of the day but as the clock ticked towards half one and her meeting with Remus she found herself doing less and less work and thinking more and more about the man coming to see her. She just didn't know what to think, it wasn't like her to behave like she had. She couldn't say she regretted it, exactly, but sometimes she wondered if she should have played things differently. So it was with sweaty palms and a racing heart that she awaited the knock on her door which heralded the arrival of the man who had been in her thoughts more than anyone else recently. When he knocked she took a deep breath before answering.

"Come in"

Remus walked in, his back straight and his expression strangely distant.

"Hello Remus," Hermione said, slightly nervously.

"Hermione," he said with a curt nod. Hermione recoiled as if he had struck her. Even when he was her teacher he had never sounded so cold and formal.

Remus frowned as he saw the look of hurt that flashed across her features before she dropped her gaze to the papers on her desk. Suddenly his sadness was replaced by anger. How dare she look hurt when she was the one who had left. What did she expect? That he would beg her to see him again? Fall at her feet? He'd felt like he had a second chance at something meaningful and she had literally walked away without any explanation. If that meant she got cold reactions from him and it hurt, well, she'd brought it on herself.

"Remus, I, can't we talk?" Hermione asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'd rather not, to be honest. Can we get on with the work please?" he said, sitting in the chair opposite her.

"No." Hermione said, the tears in her eyes being replaced with fire.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said, no. I'm not going to let you pretend nothing ever happened, okay?"

"Let me pretend? You're the one who just up and left, then had the nerve to play the victim when I walked in here." Remus retorted, his voice rising slightly.

"Up and left? Well, excuse me for not wanting to disturb you. It's not like it's that difficult to reply to a damn note, even if you..."

"It's really quite difficult," Remus interrupted, "when you don't leave a note to be replied to."

Hermione sat back in the seat she had half risen from with a thump. "Wait, what? You didn't see it?"

"See what?" Remus asked, his tone now resigned rather than angry.

"The parchment I left on your pillow?" Hermione's face was a mix of upset, confused and vaguely amused.

"No, I, well, I thought you had just left."

"Ah. That would explain the coldness on the way in then." Remus nodded sheepishly. "How about we try this from the top?" Hermione asked.

"I think that might help. I thought you had woken up in the morning and regretted what had happened so you left to avoid things being awkward." It wasn't the only reason that had occurred to him, but it was the only one he was willing to share with her.

Hermione smiled ruefully. "I had an early meeting to be at and I had a feeling that if I woke you to say goodbye we'd get, um, distracted, and I'd be late, so I wrote you a note to explain and ask you to owl me. When you didn't owl I figured you'd had a change of heart and decided you didn't want to make a go of us. I was hurt but thought it was your choice to make, I just couldn't understand why you'd be so mean today."

Remus started to laugh. "Well, we both messed this up didn't we. If you think about it, it's not like either of us to behave how we assumed the other had."

Hermione rose from her chair and walked round her desk, her steps deliberate and a lazy smile on her lips. She leant down and brushed her lips across his cheek. "I forgive you," she said before kissing him.

Remus growled deep in his chest and stood suddenly, holding her to him to avoid breaking the kiss. He walked her backwards until she was pressed against her desk, bent back slightly over it as he kissed her, his tongue exploring her mouth. Remus trailed his lips down her throat, nipping at her pulse and making her gasp.

"Remus, ooh, stop." Her voice was breathy and the way her back arched into his ministrations belied the words. He pulled away and gave her a questioning glance.

"Not really the time or place, and much as I'd like you to continue, we do have work to do."

Remus stayed pressed against her for a long moment before taking a deep breath and dropping back into his seat. He reached into his bag for the rolls of parchment containing his notes on the laws. When he looked back up Hermione hadn't moved from her position against the desk.

"Come on Miss Granger, chop chop." He smiled mischievously. "After all, the sooner we finish here the sooner I can take you to bed."

He laughed as Hermione hurried back to her seat and launched into the next stage of alterations, now focused on nothing but getting today's session done.

Remus ran his fingers softly through Hermione's curls, her head resting on his bare chest as she traced his scars with her hands and occasionally tongue. They had finished their work in record time and retreated to Remus's house.

"I am sorry you know," Hermione murmured softly. "About earlier I mean. I should've realised you wouldn't treat me like that."

Remus smiled and gently turned her head so he could look at her properly. "It's ok. I assumed the worst of you too. It makes sense, unfortunately. We're just going to have to be patient with each other until we learn to trust again. And remember that you're not Dora and I'm not Kyle."

Hermione grinned wickedly at him. "Actually, if the make-up sex is that good from a misunderstanding I might have to get the wrong end on a regular basis. Maybe even pick a proper fight."

Remus smirked at her before deftly rolling her beneath him. "You could deliberately start an argument, it's true," he said before kissing her. "Or you could just ask nicely, up to you." As he kissed his way down her neck before taking one rosy nipple into his mouth she decided it didn't make much difference how she got him to do this, as long as he did.

She moaned her approval, causing him to chuckle against her skin. She moved her hands to his hair but before she could slide her fingers into his soft locks he caught her wrists and pinned them beside her head. He continued to suck and lick at her breasts in turn, driving her mad.

"Remus, please, I need you, please." She begged him softly, the words interspersed with gasps. It didn't take long before his need for her was more powerful than the pleasure of teasing her and he slid inside her welcoming heat, groaning at the feel of her as he moved. Gradually he moved quicker, his hands still gripping hers and he thrust into her, her hips rising to meet him. They reached their peaks together, each others names tumbling from their lips.

They lay tangled in the sheets as their breathing returned to normal. Remus held her closely to him and thanked whatever deity was listening for the woman in his arms.

They were nearly asleep when the faint click of the door sounded, followed by a distinctly female voice.

"Remus? Are you here?"

Remus stared at the closed door of the bedroom in shock, not believing his ears. "Dora?" He replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. He looked from the door which hid the woman he had planned to marry to the woman in his arms. "Oh, bloody hell."

A/N I know it's been forever, I really am sorry, but RL got in the way, again. Be sure that i have no intention of leaving this unfinished! Thanks to all who have reviewed, find it in your heart to leave another? Pretty please?