Two.


Rain pattered hard against the window and the wind whistled in the distance as September changed to October.

Remus was sat in the small study at the top of the house at his desk. Surrounding him were piles of parchment covered in scribbled notes as he was bent over another piece of parchment, quill in hand, and attempting to make his explanations on werewolf instincts make sense.

"That's not right..." he muttered, shaking his head as he scratched the last part out. He sighed heavily and dragged a hand through his hair, but stiffened as that familiar, lusciously floral scent enraptured him.

"What are you doing?"

Remus turned in his seat to see Ginny standing in the open doorway, a basket full of freshly laundered linen in her arms. She came into the small room and stood beside him, so she could look at the stacks of ink-covered parchment with a curious gleam in her eyes.

Ever since that day in the garden, where he'd caught that wondrous scent for the first time, Remus had become beholden to it. If Ginny sprang her presence on him, like now, he found himself imagining shameful thoughts in which her pretty, pink lips submitted to his kiss and, if not that, then she would be softly begging him to kiss her instead.

"Are you writing an article or something?" she asked as she peered over his shoulder.

Remus had been too preoccupied by watching the arch of her pale throat to remember she had asked him a question, but her voice forced him back to rational thought again with sharp clarity.

"Oh, no," he said hastily, trying to pretend as though he hadn't just been leering at her like some disgusting pervert. "No, I'm trying to write a book actually."

"About us?" she asked.

"Us?" he muttered, confused.

"Werewolves," she explained.

"Ah, yes," he replied with a nervous laugh. "Yes, it is about werewolves."

Ginny dumped the basket onto the floor and leaned over him more to get a look at what he was writing. "There's loads of books on werewolves already, though, isn't there?"

Remus had closed off his throat in an attempt to not breathe in her heady scent. "There are," he owned, his voice strained as he spoke. "But none about werewolf instincts and relationships."

Ginny straightened up, her arm on the back of his chair as she stood maddeningly close to him. "What is different about our relationships?"

Before Remus could answer, the bell downstairs chimed.

"We can pick this back up later," he said as he stood up to go and answer the door.

Ginny followed him out, basket back in her arms. "It's probably Ron, he said he would visit to give me updates on their investigation."

Remus frowned at this. "Investigation?"

"Into who bit me," she replied quietly.

"I see..." he muttered thoughtfully.

As expected, it was Ron Weasley standing at the threshold, bundled up in a travelling cloak, hood up against the rain and wind and rubbing his hands together.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" he said as stepped inside. "It's bloody awful out there!"

"Ron! I've just cleaned there!" Ginny huffed as her brother strode into the hallway with his muddy boots leaving a trail of wet dirt on the flagstone floor behind him. "Take your shoes off!"

Ron obeyed his sister's request and removed his boots with an apologetic smile. Ginny left the basket at the bottom of the stairs and offered tea.

"I'll do it, Ginny," Remus said. "Ron's here to see you."

"Oh, I don't mind," she said with a smile, but Remus insisted.

Once Ron had taken his muddy boots off and removed his travelling cloak, they joined Remus in the large kitchen and sat down at the oak table whilst he brewed them tea.

"Bloody nightmare, this has been..." Ron muttered as he sat down. "They won't let me and Harry work on the case because we're too close to you, so it's been left to Jenks and Miller. Now I'm not saying they're useless, but they're nearing retirement age and putting them on something like this wouldn't have been my choice."

"Have they found anything out though?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing," Ron said with a sigh. "The packs that allowed them entry shut down any kind of questioning when they found out what Jenks and Miller were there for. Many others wouldn't allow them in at all."

"Werewolves distrust the Ministry, Ginny," Remus said gently. "And for good reason. They were never going to talk to Magical Law Enforcement."

"So, that's it, then?" Ginny asked in a flat voice.

"I'm sorry," Ron said, apologetically.

Remus placed the mug of steaming tea on the table in front of Ron and sat across from him. Ginny had her arms crossed and was avoiding looking at either of them, her brows knitted in a deep frown.

"Thanks, Remus," Ron muttered, but he didn't pick up the mug. "Look, Ginny, if there was anything else I could do, then you know I would. But I can't go off and investigate this on my own. I can only pass information on or it's my job on the line."

"It's fine, Ron," she said sharply, indicating that it was anything but fine.

Remus stared at Ginny as her gaze dropped to the floor. He had always known who bit him, the beast had taken pride in it and boasted about it to all and sundry, but he had been a small boy when he was bitten and hadn't any grasp on the concept of justice and retribution. Ginny, however, did. It was quite obvious that she wanted this person to answer for his crime against her.

"I might be able to help," he said carefully.

They both looked at him.

"How?" Ron asked.

"Every month, werewolves gather from across the UK to meet one another. It's called the Half-Moon Gathering," he explained, though still uncertain about how deeply he wanted to involved himself in this. "I haven't been in a long time, but... I still receive the invite. All werewolves do."

Ginny's interest piqued at this and her eyes brightened. "What do they meet for?"

Remus gave a small smile. "Well, to party."

"A party?" Ron said, confused. "But I thought werewolves stuck to their own territory for the most part?"

Remus nodded and scoffed. This is exactly what he was trying to write about earlier when Ginny had interrupted him. "They do, but this gathering allows new werewolves to find a pack, it allows males and females to find each other, and it is an excellent way to keep communicative ties with the other packs."

"Don't they just end up fighting each other?"

"No, the gathering is protected," Remus replied. "No magic is allowed and no fighting amongst male werewolves is permitted."

"Why?" Ginny asked sharply. "That seems unnecessarily specific. Women fight too."

Remus gave a mirthless laugh. "They do," he agreed, though he was placating her. She did not yet understand the intricacies of werewolf dynamics. "But males are more likely to fight especially at a gathering such as this where there will be an abundance of unmarked females."

"Unmarked?" Ginny asked. "What does that -?"

"We can speak more about that another time," he promised, wanting to press on with the issue at hand. "The point is that if someone were to know anything about who bit Ginny, they would be here."

Ron nodded. "When is the next one?"

"At Halloween," Remus replied.

"I want to go," Ginny said excitedly. "It sounds like it could be fun."

"You can't go," Ron said in a hard voice. "Mum and Dad would kill me if they found out you went to this thing."

"Well, it's a good thing they won't find out then," Ginny retorted. "And I'm an adult, which means I can go where I like, whenever I like."

"Yeah, and look where that's got you," Ron shot back curtly, but then his ears turned scarlet and his eyes widened as he realised what he said. "Gin, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that -."

"Fuck off, Ron," she snarled at him, stood up abruptly and left the room. Remus could hear her stomping up the stairs and a few moments later, her door was slammed shut for good measure.

Ron sighed heavily and threw a shamefaced look at Remus. "I didn't mean that to come out that way," he muttered. "This is hard for everyone..."

"I'm sure she knows that," Remus replied seriously. "She's just angry, which is understandable. Some of that anger may diminish if the one who did this to her is found." He paused and took in a deep breath. "I'll go to this gathering... If it helps all of you and Ginny, then I'll go."

Ron seemed to perk back up at this offer. "You don't have to, you know," he said quickly. "But it would help. We've got no leads whatsoever, apart from Ginny's vague description. And I think this would help her to, well... move on. I think my Mum and Dad would feel a whole lot better knowing that arsehole was in Azkaban as well."

"I want to help," Remus insisted. "Werewolves like him make it difficult for the rest of us to live normal lives."

Ron nodded. "Listen, don't let it slip to anyone that I agreed to this," he said quietly, glancing out of the window as if someone would be there with their ear pressed to it. "Our boss likes things done the 'right way'."

"Of course," Remus agreed with a short nod. "I'll let you know what happens."

Ron grinned, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and Remus noticed faint lines crinkled around them. He could, once again, only imagine the toll this was taking on him and the rest of the Weasley family. Bill had a lucky escape some years ago, but for another family member to come across another vicious werewolf was most likely a difficult thing to bear.

"Oh, before I forget," Ron muttered as he reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a lilac envelope with gold writing. "Hermione would have my guts for garters if I didn't pass this on... Our wedding invitation."

"Oh..." Remus smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem," Ron said, finally picking up the mug of tea and sipping it. He grimaced. "Christ, this is strong!"

"Sorry," Remus laughed. "I like it strong. I'll put more milk in it, if you prefer?"

Ron shook his head. "Nah, thanks. I need to get back to the Ministry," he replied, standing up and shaking Remus' hand. "Anyway, it should be a laugh. The wedding, I mean." He looked round the door quickly and then back at Remus, his voice lowered when he spoke again. "Look, tell her I said sorry, will you?"

"Yes, of course," Remus replied, standing up to show Ron out. "Bring Hermione around for dinner some time. I think your sister might like that."

Ron nodded as he pulled his boots back on, threw his travelling cloak on, and ran down the wood chip path against the blustering wind and rain before disappearing into the trees.

The sullen grey sky was beginning to darken and a brisk chill in the air sent his breath out in a fog, so Remus wasted no time in retreating back indoors. His eyes lingered on the stairs before he returned to the kitchen to tidy away the mugs, then he saw the smoking vials on the side and gave a deep, resentful sigh. He supposed he could not put this conversation off any longer...

Remus picked up both vials of the potion and made his way upstairs to Ginny's room. "Ginny," he called, knocking gently on the door.

"Yes?" her muffled reply came.

"The Wolfsbane potion has arrived," he answered.

He heard her footsteps on the other side of the door and she pulled it open to let him in. Remus swallowed hard as the woosh of the opening door sent a fresh wave of her scent directly up his nose. His grip on the vials threatened to break them until he calmed his blood and forced himself to ignore it altogether.

"I need to talk to you," he began as she took one of the smoking vials from him and sniffed it. She grimaced as her brother had done at the strong tea, but said nothing.

"Can I drink this first?" she asked. "I'd rather get it out of the way."

Remus nodded and decided to do the same. The potion truly was vile - it tasted like a demonic mixture of salty sea water, gone off milk, and tobacco. He was, however, far more used to it now that St. Mungo's sent it for a reduced fee after a Ministry law was passed requiring it. Ginny pinched her nose before downing it in one and immediately gagged and spluttered, though she managed to keep it down to her credit.

"Oh my god, that is disgusting," she choked out, dropping the vial onto her bed as if it were a dirty, great slug.

Remus scoffed. "There is nothing quite like it, yes," he agreed. "But it is the best thing for us. And recent advances, though they have made it taste even worse, have helped to reduce the pain a little."

"I want to come," she said suddenly, as though they were having a completely different conversation. "To the werewolf party or whatever it is called. I want to go as well."

"Ginny, I can't let you do that -."

"That's right," she said forcefully, "you can't let me do anything. Like I told Ron, I'm an adult. I just thought I'd show you the courtesy of telling you I'm going rather than not say anything at all. It's my life this bastard has changed."

Remus stared at her, considering her. Despite being a rather petite girl, she could look rather formidable when she chose to with her arms crossed and her lips pursed in silent anger. He sighed heavily and came to sit beside her. "You must understand, when werewolves come together, it isn't like a normal party, it isn't like what you're used to, Ginny. There are rules. Rules that may seem foreign to you having lived the life of a witch for so long in a society that has treated you as an equal."

Ginny threw him an apprehensive look, but didn't turn away. "What sort of rules?"

Remus rubbed his forehead. This is not what he came in here to speak about, after all... "Listen, I want to talk to you about the transformation. Let us get past your first one, then we can speak about this."

She looked as though she were about to argue, but seemed to decide against it. "OK," she muttered wearily. "But I know what you're going to say. We learned about this in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor."

"Learning about it and experiencing it are two entirely separate things," he said, perhaps a little more firmly than he intended because her eyes widened for a brief moment. "And you don't have to call me 'Professor' anymore," he said, his tone gentler. "I haven't been your teacher for a long time."

Ginny blinked and gave a snort of laughter as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, yes... sorry, I didn't realise. Habit, I suppose."

Remus nodded once and forced himself to press on because her tiny action of throwing her hair back had sent a soft reminder of her heady scent.

She is a virgin.

Remus gritted his teeth and suddenly realised he was sitting on her bed with her and hastened to stand up. "Fine, fine," he said airily, turning away from her. "Like I said, the improved Wolfsbane Potion helps a little with the pain, but it is still... difficult to go through. I daresay you will need time to recover the day after."

"What... what does it feel like?" she asked hesitantly.

The fear in her voice made him face her again, but he daren't go near her. Her bright brown eyes were wide as she looked up at him, her round face white.

"Have you ever broken a bone?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, it is like that, except all your bones break at once." There was no other way to put it and it would do her a disservice to try and sugar-coat any of it. She looked horrified. "The sensation is dulled now, to an extent, but I don't want you going into this thinking it is going to be easy."

Ginny visibly swallowed and looked away from him, her eyes unfocused. "Will you stay with me? When it happens, I mean?" Her cheeks reddened as she asked, her eyes flitting to his before returning to the wall.

"Oh, well, I would, Ginny, but..." he hesitated, though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"But, what?" she pressed.

Remus ran a hand through his hair without realising it as he gave a nervous laugh. "Well, generally, you would be naked for the transformation."

"Oh... I see..." she muttered after a brief, awkward pause. "That makes sense." She looked away from him, disappointment etched into her youthful face. It made him feel guilty all of a sudden. "Does it matter though?" she asked abruptly. "I don't care if you see me naked. I'm not ashamed."

Remus baulked at this. He had to actively stop himself from saying he could see why she wouldn't be ashamed of it, punishing himself for even thinking it already. "Well, I'm sure you don't want to see me naked, Ginny," he said with a laugh, though there was nothing at all funny about this conversation. "I don't think your parents would be too happy-."

"Why?" she asked sharply. "We're not doing anything inappropriate."

Remus pleaded to whatever invisible force existed to end this conversation now. "No," he replied steadily.

"And there's nothing wrong with your body either," she said carelessly.

As much as she didn't seem to care about it, Remus went to the other extreme and hated himself for the blush he felt creeping up his throat. He was almost forty years old and blushing like a damn schoolgirl...

"I don't want to be alone," she said quietly, forcing his attention back to her again. She looked wide-eyed and fearful again.

Remus sighed heavily. "You won't be," he replied wearily. "I'll... I'll stay with you." How insane that decision would turn out to be would reveal itself in due course, he had no doubt.

Ginny jumped up and closed the distance he'd forced between them and hugged him. "Thank you," she mumbled into his chest.

Remus did not move for the beast stirred immediately at this contact and found all he could do was drink in her spellbinding scent. If he did anything else, he wasn't entirely sure what he would do. He thanked the heavens when she broke away from him.

"I best start dinner then," he said throatily, and he realised his mouth was dry.

"Oh, no, I'll do it," she said hastily.

As you should.

Remus stiffened again at this voice, his voice but not quite, inside his head. She seemed not to notice as she left him standing alone in her room, surrounded by the intoxicating scent of her.