A Love Without Time (Remus Lupin)

Thirty-Two.

After that first week, Remus and I weren't awkward anymore. We weren't exactly friends again, but I was glad I didn't feel like I had to avoid him anymore. It was the first Full Moon of the school year, and I had class tonight. I made sure to point it out to my students so they knew. We even listened for howling werewolves in the Forbidden Forest. After class, I tried to sleep, but it was no use. I had to go see him. I knew he had been taking the Wolfsbane Potion, so he was safe to be around in my human form. I didn't have to change into a rabbit to be with him tonight if I wanted to go see him.
   
I cursed myself the entire walk to his office. He still had a damn hold on me, I had to admit it. I wanted to be there for him. When I entered his office, I expected to find him just laying in the middle of the room but he wasn't. I noticed that his chair was pulled out a bit far from his desk, so I headed that way and saw the Werewolf underneath the desk. He looked up at me, looking startled to see me.
   
"It's just me, Remus," I say, crouching down to his level. "You're not going to hurt me, right?" I ask, holding my hand out for him to sniff like he was an actual dog or something. He shook his head and then nudged my hand, telling me it was okay. I got under his desk, letting him lay his head in my lap, and I stroked his head and back. His tail wagged a little bit, and it made me laugh.
   
We stayed like this until sunrise, and he turned back into himself. He sat up under his desk, looking at me in awe. "I didn't think that you would come. I didn't think you cared anymore, " he says, his tone just as shocked as he looked right now.
   
"I never stopped caring about you," I say, reaching my hand up to tuck some of his hair behind his ear and caress his cheek. He smiles at me.
   
"Bunny," he says softly, cupping my face in his large hands. The old nickname brought back some old feelings I've been trying to fight for an entire month now. No more fighting, it was time to be honest.
   
I nod my head, "It's been a while since I've been called that."
   
The next thing I knew, his lips were on mine, and he was kissing me with such intensity that it could light the room on fire. This was 14 years in the waiting here. We had some time to make up for. He kissed me hard, like he never wanted to stop, and I didn't want him to stop. I kissed him back, matching his energy. We stayed like this for a good while.
   
I felt like I was 15 again and kissing Remus for the very first time. It felt absolutely electric to have his lips on mine again. My hands were in his hair. I would gladly have sex with him right here on his office floor underneath his desk if that's where this was going to go.
   
He pulled back from me, breathing heavily, placing his forehead on mine. "I've missed you so much. There were so many times that I wanted to reach out, I just never thought you wanted me to."
   
"I've missed you, too," I tell him, and I mean it. "I should tell you, I haven't had sex since my kids were 4, so I might be a little rusty."
   
He smiles at me, "Oh I'm sure you're just fine."
   
I make my voice as seductive and sultry as I can as I say, "Only one way to find out." And I crash my lips onto his. This time I pulled him on top of me on the floor.

-Remus-

I felt like I was on top of the world that entire day. It didn't matter that I had turned into a werewolf last night, and I was tired and not feeling well. It didn't matter. I was on cloud nine. Nothing could bring me down today.
   
Sleeping with Ellie on the floor of my office wasn't something I expected to happen, but it happened and I am so glad about it. I was expecting to reform our friendship this year but I didn't expect to reignite our romantic relationship. It felt so right, and it brought back so many teenage memories. So many great memories.
   
I saw her a few times in passing in the hallway. She smiled at me every time we passed. Eventually I had to pull her into a deserted corridor. "What are you doing?" She asked, but her tone suggested she didn't want me to stop.
   
I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her hard. She kissed me back. I pulled back after a moment. I didn't want any of the students to see. She was smiling up at me when I stepped back. "I just really wanted to do that."
   
"You should come to my room tonight," she says, that smile still on her face.
   
"I would love that," I tell her, and now I'm smiling too.
   
"I'll see you then," she says and then walks off leaving me in the deserted corridor.
   
Before I could leave the corridor, I heard the sound of footsteps. I turned to look at who it was, it was one of the Weasley twins and Ellie's daughter. "What are you doing George?" She asked him.
   
"I want to show you something that I found the other day," he told her. "The old Quidditch team photos. Your parents are on there."
   
"Really?" She asked and then they passed me.
   
"Hi Professor Lupin," said George as they passed me.
   
"Hi," I said, "Don't be late for your next class."
   
"We won't!" George called as they began to run. 
   
I smiled and then started to walk out of the corridor. But what George said had intrigued me. I decided that I would make my way back here and check these team photos put for myself. I did later, when I had a free period.
   
The trophy room of the school was always dimly lit. I made my way to the part of the wall that held the Quidditch House Team Cups. I found the 1975-1976 school year first. Our fifth year. The day they won the cup, was the day Ellie and I started dating. It was also the first time I ever kissed her. The entire team was surrounded by Ellie in the middle. She was the smallest on the team. Marlene and Matt were on either side of her, smiling proud. James was next to Marlene. It made me realize how much I missed them all.
   
Yes, even Matt. Yes I always had my adverse feelings about Matt but seeing how well he treated Ellie when they were together gave me a newfound respect for him that I never had before. He really did grow up when he left Hogwarts.
   
These photos weren't like the portraits in the school, they weren't going to talk to me. They only interacted with each other in the photo, like I wasn't even there. I blinked back some tears. They didn't deserve what happened to them, and what made me so special that I didn't get the same fate? I didn't know. But I knew that I was lucky to still be here.
   
That night, I went to Ellie's room like she told me to do. Lyanna was leaving the room when I arrived. "Remus, hello," Ellie greeted me like she was surprised to see me.
   
I came up with an on the fly lie, but it wasn't very good. "Hi, Eloise, I'm here for that extra roll of parchment you said you'd lend me."
   
She smiled, "Oh of course, come in, Lyanna was just heading back up to Gryffindor Tower."
   
"Bye mum," she says as she gives Ellie a quick hug.
   
"Goodnight, sweetheart," she said and kissed her daughter on the temple and she left us. "A roll of parchment?" Ellie asked as the door closed and we were alone. "Was that seriously the best thing you could do?"
   
"I'm not as quick as I used to be. Sirius was always the one who was good at coming up with on the fly alibis to get us out of trouble."
   
She went white at the mention of Sirius. "Yeah, he was good at a lot of things," she scoffed. "I can't wait until they catch him again and he goes back to rotting in that prison cell."
   
"It will be what he deserves," I agreed.
   
"It will," she said, nodding.
   
"Your daughter is beautiful, Ellie." I said, with hope of changing the subject. 
   
"She is," Ellie beamed, "I think she looks exactly like Marlene."
   
"She does," I agreed.
   
"Bradley looks just like Matt, it's scary." 
   
"I knew who he was as soon as he entered my classroom," I told her. "What was Lyanna doing here?"
   
"Oh, um, George took her to see the old Quidditch team photos. She started to ask questions about Matt."
   
We sat next to each other on her bed, "Like what?"
   
"What he was like and stuff like that."
   
"And what did you tell her?"
   
"That he was annoying as hell while we were in school." We both laughed at how easy it was for her to say that.
   
"He was pretty annoying," I agreed, "But he really grew up once he got a little older."
   
"Yeah," she agreed, nodding her head.
   
I wasn't exactly in the mood anymore. This conversation had killed it. "I think maybe we should reschedule this little meeting. Forgive me, but I'm not exactly in the mood anymore."
   
"I'm not really either," she admits. "Tomorrow, possibly?"
   
"Yeah," I say, nodding and smiling. "I'll come by tomorrow night." I kissed her on the forehead and then left after saying goodnight.

____________________
Here's part 32!

They're getting close again!

I can imagine James and Marlene in heaven watching them being all excited about everything happening.

I love writing cute moments. It's my favorite.

-Emily Winchester.