Be Silently Drawn || Remus Lupin & Hermione Granger

Chapter 14

Hermione couldn't remember a time she'd ever been happier. The last several days with Remus had been nothing short of wonderful. Although they'd spent a lot of time together as friends over the past couple of months, the dynamic between them had changed since they'd revealed their feelings for each other. The energy between them felt different now and it seemed to spark every time their hands joined or their lips met.

Hermione really liked kissing Remus...

It was the last day of classes before Christmas break when they had the snowball fight. Hermione and Remus were out on the snowy grounds with their friends, jovially making snow angels and building snowmen that danced with a flick of a wand. James was decorating Lily's creation with his own glasses when somebody (no one saw who, but many suspected Sirius) surprised him with a snowball to the back of his head. A merry melee ensued.

Snow was flying everywhere, either hitting the mark with a slushy thud or being dodged in often times entertaining ways. Kirsten displayed her previously undiscovered dance skills when she avoided a snowball by performing a perfect pirouette. Peter evaded Lily's shot by clumsily falling face first onto the ground as he tried to get James. Then, when Sirius fired a snowball at Marcia that caused her to topple over and crush the snowman she'd so proudly built, a war was waged between the girls and boys.

At some point, Hermione and Remus separated from the group and began a private battle of their own. Near the frozen Great Lake, they each hid behind a snow-covered tree, a snowball ready in their hand, and playfully tried to bait each other out into the open. Remus pitched a snowball in Hermione's vicinity in an attempt to draw her away from her tree, but unfortunately, he did so just as she suddenly stepped away from her cover. His shot accidentally hit her hard in the stomach, and as she fell back she reflexively flung her own snowball and caught Remus, who was rushing forward with an apology, square in the jaw.

Hermione quickly apologized too, but Remus grinned. He proffered his hand to her figure sitting in the snow. "Truce?"

Hermione took his hand with a smile. "Truce."

Remus pulled her to her feet and then she was in his arms. His embrace sheltered her from the icy breeze and his lips felt surprisingly warm against her own. He was like a haven of heat in the snowy wonderland, and Hermione thought vaguely of the pleasant warmth of bluebell flames. She had no desire to move away from this fire kindling between them but was forced to break apart from their kiss when a barrage of snowballs hit them.

"Traitors!" Marcia screamed, and a second onslaught of snowballs tore through the air at them.

Hermione and Remus swiftly launched a counterattack, stooping low and rapidly scooping up handfuls of snow to send at their friends and adversaries. Although they were outnumbered, it didn't matter for long. Soon the fight became a free-for-all.

When the gang finally returned to the castle, everyone was exhausted and wet from the snow. They made their way to Gryffindor tower and settled themselves by the fireplace to warm up and dry off. They remained there for the rest of the evening, laughing and chatting and enjoying one another's company. This was the last night they would all be together before everybody went home for the holidays. Everybody but Hermione and Remus. Hermione didn't have a home to go to in this time, and Remus, upon hearing that she would be staying alone at the castle, decided to spend his Christmas break there as well. She was grateful. She couldn't imagine having to spend this time of the year without any of her family or friends.

"Smile, Jean," Lily said, and Hermione turned from her conversation with Remus to see the Head Girl had procured a camera and was focusing it on her.

"Oh no, please don't — I hate having my picture taken," Hermione told Lily hurriedly, putting her hand up to obscure her face from the view of the lens. She knew a photograph of her in this time would be hard evidence of her time travel and she should avoid that danger at all costs.