Chapter 1
The sound of sneezing and coughing filled the quiet space that the Gryffindor common room made, the warm light from the fire casting shaking shadows on the wall from the flickering of the fire but then again that might just be the imagination of the only occupant in the room.
On the sofa nearest to the fire sat a young woman who's usually warm brown eyes were rimmed with a tinge of red as she tried to rid the feeling of scratchiness in her throat. Her skin was paler than usual apart from her nose which was as red as the blanket which was draped over the back of the chair. Every movement that she made seemed to sap every ounce of strength out of her and she found herself laying miserably against the head of the sofa, her slightly bushy hair was pulled into a ponytail as to keep it out of her face.
The rest of the student body were still in their classes which was kind of a nice change, she loved her friends dearly but sometimes she just needed to be alone and not being doted on by two rather charming but clumsy mother hens. It was nice just to be able to relax and read her book while occasionally sneezing into one of the many tissues which made up the mound beside her on the sofa.
There was one person however along with Hermione who was not in class and it wasn't because of the illness that plagued our young Gryffindor. His name was Remus J Lupin and he had taken up his old post as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor after the war, he did not have any classes for the rest of the afternoon so he decided to take a walk around his old home when he heard the most peculiar sound when he passed the portrait of the fat lady. A gentle frown appeared on his face as he listened to the sound before going to investigate, he whispered the password to the fat lady before stepping inside the portrait hole, he may not be a student anymore and not have any business with the Gryffindor's but one a Marauder always a Marauder and he still had a few tricks up his sleeve, mainly knowing the Gryffindor password.
Hermione looked up in confusion at the sound of the portrait hole opening, classes would not be over for another forty-five minutes so it couldn't be a student. A small smile appeared on her pale face when she spotted her friend and professor, they had grown close throughout all of her visits to Grimmauld Place and she had even started making his monthly Wolfsbane potion as their Potions professor, Professor Snape sadly perished during the final battle, so the young Gryffindor had taken it upon herself to help out her friend.
Remus entered the common room and glanced around before his eyes found the most enchanting sight, huddled into the corner of the sofa with a blanket and book along with a rather large mound of soiled tissues sitting beside sat the woman who had been haunting his dreams for quite a while. Even with her eyes bloodshot and red nose, Hermione still managed to look breathtaking.
During the time they had spent together the DADA professor found himself having more feelings for her than he felt should be appropriate, due to the circumstances. He was a werewolf who had spent so long in the dark that he was still struggling to see the light, while she was nothing other than perfection in itself and was way out of his league and he knew that very well, but that didn't stop him from loving her. She had helped him during one of the darkest parts of his life and to this day had not even complained once about the situation they were both in. She was one of a kind and the young Gryffindor had stolen this werewolf's heart without even knowing it.
He was just a old jaded werewolf with a two year old son...what witch would want that?
Hermione could not help the slight blush that tinged her cheeks as those blue eyes stared at her, over time she too had experienced the fluttering butterflies in her stomach whenever he would glance her way, she knew that what she felt for him was more than a schoolgirl crush and for once she did not know what to with that knowledge. Their age gap did not matter to her, because age was nothing but a number, it didn't mean that two people could not find love in one another.
Her smile grew as Remus moved so that he was kneeling in front of her and brought his hand up to brush away a few curls which had begun to fall in her eyes.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" he questioned as he stared into her honey brown eyes, he had never known anyone with eyes like Hermione's. It was if they could see into his very soul.
Hermione let out a soft chuckle, forgetting for a moment her predicament which caused a wince to appear on her face as pain ran through her chest.
"Never been better."
They both smiled at one another warmly for a moment before Remus rose to his feet, for a second Hermione was confused until she saw that he was motioning that he wanted to sit behind her. Obediently she shuffled forward enough so Remus could slide his body behind hers, the warmth of his chest against her back caused shivers to run down her spine and goosebumps appeared on her skin. After a moment Remus got an idea and began to gently massaging her shoulders, for a second Hermione's body seemed to freeze before relaxing back into those talented fingers which were currently working a knot out of her neck.
Time passed quietly for the two, neither of them wanted to move but they also knew it wouldn't be long until the other students began to come back.
Remus moved forward in a motion that would move him from his current spot behind Hermione, what he wasn't counting on was Hermione turning her head and shoulders in a way that caused their lips to brush together.
For a moment neither of them said anything, all they could do was stare at the other, both wanting to feel to lean in once again for another kiss but unsure if a second attempt would receive such a happy reception. Remus tried to move away but Hermione grabbed his arm, stopping him in his attempt to move off of the sofa.
"Please Remus...don't go. I know you probably think that what just happened was a mistake and I don't blame you, I'm just a simple young girl and you are the most amazing man I have met and I can't let you walk out of here without letting you know how much I love you. I know that this will probably ruin everything but...I just needed you to know that I love you Remus Lupin and not just you but Theo as well." With that Hermione released his arm, expecting him to walk away.
What she was not expecting was to feel Remus pressing his lips against hers once again in a loving kiss, for a second she froze before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back. After a few moments the pair pulled away and stared into each others eyes.
"I love you too Hermione Grange, more than you could ever know."
