Blood of the Moon {Remus Lupin}

Chapter 39

MERLINS BEARD OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!! ok... :)

Song recommendation:
Unconditionally - Katy Perry

Auriga was sat in the Three Broomsticks with Nymphadora, a large tankard of butterbeer in front of her. She had somewhat reluctantly agreed to come out with her after that evening's meeting, after Draco had reassured her that he was fine, and that he was going to help clean the house with the others. He had then had to reassure her that yes, he was feeling quite well, and no, he didn't need to see a healer. And only then had Auriga agreed to leave him.

"I've got something exciting to tell you," said Nymphadora. This couldn't have been clearer to Auriga, as she hadn't stopped fidgeting since they'd sat down.

"Go on, then," said Auriga, "You're clearly dying to tell me."

"I know someone that fancies you," she said with a grin.

Auriga rolled her eyes. "Don't be so ridiculous."

"I do!" protested Nymphadora.

"Well, who is it then?" asked Auriga.

"I can't just tell you," said Nymphadora.

Auriga shrugged. "OK." She took a sip of butterbeer.

"It's Lupin," said Nymphadora. Before Auriga could boast about her tactic of getting Nymphadora to talk working, she realised what had been said, and spluttered on her butterbeer. "Easy there," said her friend, conjuring a handkerchief.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Auriga. "He hates me!"

"I'm not so sure," said Nymphadora. "I was on a mission with him last week and all he could do was say glowing things about you or defend you."

"Did he specifically say-" Auriga began.

Nymphadora interrupted her. "He said, 'If she didn't hate me and I wasn't so old I would confess my love to her everyday until I died.'," she told her triumphantly.

Auriga didn't know if she was flattered or terrified. "That's revolting," she finally said.

To her surprise, Nymphadora grinned. "You fancy him too!"

"What?" asked Auriga, "Don't be an idiot."

"That's why you get so rude and defensive whenever he's around!" Nymphadora continued. "Because you don't want to admit your feelings for him, because you're scared. This is so different from what you're used to, that you don't know how to handle it, so you just shut it down at every turn."

Auriga was slightly taken aback by how intuitive Nymphadora had been. It was very out of character for her. She just sipped her butterbeer. "So what do I do?" she finally asked. Nymphadora almost combusted with delight.

*****

Auriga had been living with the information that she was totally and completely infatuated with Remus Lupin for a week now, and she was simultaneously the happiest and most nervous she had ever been.

She had arrived back from work to hear Draco laughing - actually laughing - in the sitting room, shortly followed by Potter's voice saying, "That explains quite a lot." She smiled to herself and headed upstairs to her room, wondering whether she needed to shower and change before dinner. She had barely reached her door, when the one next to it opened and its occupant stepped out.

Auriga had been staying on the fourth floor of Grimmauld Place, and had been under the impression that she was the only one there, as she hadn't seen another soul on that floor in the month she'd been there. Only now did she realise she'd been wrong. "I didn't know that was your room," she said to Lupin, who was looking at her as though she'd appeared out of thin air.

"Yes, well," said Lupin, looking uncomfortable, "I didn't want you to know."

"I wish I had," said Auriga, before she could stop herself. And then she took a step forward. And then she did stop herself, her hand still resting gently on the door handle of her room.

But Remus Lupin didn't stop himself, and before she could so much as gasp, he was holding her face with one hand, and with the other resting on the small of her back he kissed her, kissed her like the world was ending and that was the only thing he had ever wanted to do.

And Auriga Malfoy kissed him back. She kissed him like her world had fallen apart and there was nothing left except him and her. She kissed him like her entire reality had shifted, like nothing would ever be the same again except this.

They didn't stop. Not even when they bundled into his room and shut the door heavily behind them. Not even when she had her back against his wall and he had his hands on her waist. They didn't stop when she eloquently undid his shirt, or when he unzipped the back of her dress. They didn't stop when she found herself inbetween his sheets.

It turned out that Auriga would have to shower and change before dinner. And it also turned out that she was right about werewolves. They did lack control.

*****

Auriga and Remus went downstairs just in time for dinner, being careful to arrive separately. They avoided each other's eyes, but every time one of them looked along the table, they saw the other smiling to themselves, looking down at the table. The pair of them looked like a couple of school children who had just found out that one of them liked the other.

At some point throughout the meal, both Remus and Auriga looked up at the same time, made eye contact, and quickly looked away, grinning. Auriga tried to make her face neutral again, which only made her smile even more.

Sirius noticed all of this, gasped, was kicked by Remus, and then gasped again at how hard he'd been kicked. "What?" asked Potter and Draco at the same time. They too looked at each other and smiled before looking back to Sirius, who just shook his head, eyes watering, but smiling all the same.

After dinner, everybody either went back to their separate rooms or to the sitting room. Auriga was surprised to see that Draco was playing a game of chess with Ron, and Potter was watching with a frown as he tried to track their movements. Granger and Ginny were discussing a potions essay that Ginny was doing, and Remus and Sirius were sat on the far side of the room, looking like a pair of dorks with their faces buried into a book each. They didn't looked like dorks because they were reading, though. They looked like dorks because the books were upside down. Auriga found herself blushing, and elected to watch Draco playing chess as a form of distraction.

At ten o'clock, Remus announced he was heading up to bed. At seven minutes past ten, Potter, Draco and Ron also went to bed. At nine minutes past ten, Auriga left the room quietly, ignoring Sirius's raised eyebrows.

Auriga reached the fourth floor, walked past her door, and knocked lightly on Remus's. She poked her head round, and saw that he was already sat in bed, reading his book. It was still upside down. "Mind if I come in?" she asked. He smiled at her, in the way that made her melt inside.