Chapter 10

Work for Remus that went by agonisingly slow. The bookstore was such a mess that half the inventory had to be done by Accio, and then the books were placed on a cart to be re-shelved in the correct place. Books were flying all over the store from the commands of himself and two other employees. Only two thoughts paraded around his mind for the entirety of his five-hour shift: There has got to be an easier way to do inventory...we're wizards, for Merlin's sake! and Hermione will never fall in love with a beast like me.

For that was what he wanted. To be loved. It wasn't too much; it wasn't moving mountains or raising the dead. But it seemed just as unlikely for Remus Lupin.

He sighed as a copy of Worpin's Wizarding Remedies crashed into his thigh before finding its way to his colleague on the upper level. He didn't understand the possessiveness he felt around her. Or maybe he did understand it, but he certainly couldn't explain it. It had never happened with Tonks or any other girlfriend...few that they were...he'd had over the years. And it had started even before he'd marked her, so it wasn't entirely that, though it certainly wasn't helping.

But his behaviour was completely unacceptable. If he wanted to keep her in his life, he would have to treat her with more respect. He did respect her, more than anyone else he knew other than Harry. He lauded her brilliance, her compassion, her bravery. He recognised all that about her and more. And yet... the wolf in him...

No! No more excuses, no more blaming everything on the wolf. You are in charge here, the wolf is nothing more than a facet of your personality, not an alter ego, he chided himself. He would do well to remember that.

Remus fortuitously Accioed a battered edition of Mates: Myths and Methods. He'd never read it, knowing that in werewolf culture, mates were usually nothing more than glorified boyfriends or girlfriends with none of the benefits or side effects of times past. Nonetheless, he felt a certain pride in having claimed someone for his own and wouldn't mind reading more on the process. He put the book aside on the small pile he invariably made for himself during inventory. On some days, half his paycheque went toward books, even with the generous discount employees were given.

*

Hermione was too tired to make dinner by the time she got home. She grabbed a muffin and climbed into bed. Remus was due home any minute, so she wanted to finish eating before he caught her. Most people didn't appreciate their lovers bringing crumbs into their beds, but she was starving. There were extenuating circumstances. Nonetheless, she was immaculately careful as she peeled the wrapper off over the garbage can.

Upon heading to bed, Hermione had wondered where to go. Her old room was upstairs, probably just as she'd left it. But something told her Remus would want her in his bed. There was something thrilling about waiting for him to come home from work in his bed... naked. Hermione munched faster, certain that a face full of blueberry bran would not increase her sex appeal.

But Remus knew all her tricks. He was standing in the dark hallway where she couldn't see him. He'd watched her undress and climb into bed, her lovely lithe thighs sliding beneath the sheets and her sweet breasts bouncing with the effort. She pulled the sheet to her underarms and delicately bit into a muffin.

Giving up his voyeuristic post and crossing the floor with stealth, Remus approached the bed and stalked across it toward her. Her eyes had widened when he'd entered, and she looked so deliciously guilty. The muffin was immobile, halfway to her mouth, and Remus took a bite of it, chewing thoughtfully.

"You know, I usually don't like bringing food to bed..." He ate the last bite of the forbidden muffin and swallowed, smiling at her consternation before he pulled her flat against the mattress and settled between her legs. "...But since you're already here, I'll make an exception."

Hermione squealed as he unceremoniously parted her thighs. He licked each of her hips and the juncture where they met her thighs, eliciting sweet whimpers from his mate. Moving down, he parted her lower lips with his fingers and delved into her honeyed folds. Her taste was beyond compare, and Remus lamented not having done this before.

Her moans were musical as he tongued her relentlessly, teasing her by circling but not touching her clit. He saw her hands clench the bedspread and took pity on her. Using two fingers to penetrate her depths, Remus finally licked her hidden pearl in time with the thrusts of his fingers. Hermione's body rocked with the movements, and she kept a steady stream of whimpers and whispers of his name.

Feeling the telltale flutter of her pussy around his fingers, Remus redoubled his efforts. In moments she was crying out, her hips surging forward, hands buried in his hair. When the clenching around his fingers subsided, he withdrew them. He refrained from savouring the flavour on his fingers as he came up to lie beside her, opting instead to offer it to Hermione. Her eyes were doubtful as they met his, but he smiled softly at her, and she opened her mouth.

He tried to withhold the grumble in his chest, but his approval was made known. He brought the fingers to her waiting lips, and she tentatively tasted her essence. Watching his face carefully, Hermione took his fingers into her mouth and swirled her tongue around them, cleaning him of any lasting evidence.

"Good girl," he murmured.

He removed his fingers and replaced them with his tongue, kissing her brutally. She excited him beyond reason with her simultaneous innocence and lust.

But the day wore heavily upon them and soon the kisses became languid and lazy. Her arms were loose around his neck as he explored her mouth with practised precision. Eventually, when she pulled back to catch her breath, he saw her eyes drift closed and he smiled.

Kissing her lightly on her slightly parted lips, he whispered, "Goodnight, love."

Her groggy answer barely reached his ears as he curled his body around hers.

"Sweet dreams."

*

Hermione worked again the next day, a longer shift than she was used to these days. By the time she got home it was nearly dinner. Remus had owled the owner of the bookstore and asked if he could come in during the day to tend to the inventory. His request was granted as long as he didn't endanger the customers with errant Accios. It would make the job harder and longer, but would free up his evening with Hermione. It was a more than fair trade.

He was waiting for her when she walked in the front door. Within seconds she was against the foyer wall being kissed breathless. Remus loved that she was so willing, even if she was surprised.

She was breathless when she moaned his name. "Remus... take me upstairs. I've missed you."

He only moved his kissed to her neck, coaxing her thighs apart with his knee and filling the gap with a muscled thigh of his own. He gently licked the healing wound on her neck and, whimpering, she reflexively ground her hips against his intrusive thigh, delighting in the friction. Remus unbuttoned her robes and let them fall to the floor, her shirt quickly following. The heat from her body scorched him as he tore off her trousers and undergarments, stepping back slightly to take in her naked and blushing form.

"This is hardly fair..." she whispered, indicating his fully clothed body.

"Life so rarely is," he reminded her. She unzipped his pants and pulled out his throbbing cock, stroking it with an eager hand. He thrust into the fist she made around him, and suddenly he could stand it no longer.

Hitching her legs around his waist and pressing her into the wall, Remus held her thighs and bottom and delved upward into her moist heat. Hermione threw her hands around his neck and used her legs to lever herself onto his cock.

Remus kissed her wildly, not taking the time for accuracy as he thrust into her like a madman, his roughness tempered only by the restrictions of the position. Hermione was calling out his name like a prayer only he could answer, her head tossed back against the obliging wall, her thighs gripped vicelike around his waist.

Again and again he pummelled into her, and as she cried out that final time, he scraped his teeth over the claim mark on her neck. The slight pain made her gasp as her slicked sleeve grasped him, and the satisfaction of tasting his claim brought Remus to a dizzying climax. He filled her waiting body as the pleasure rolled through him like waves. They were both gasping for air as Remus sunk to his knees, Hermione still impaled on him with her back to the wall. He rested his head against her shoulder as his heart slowed and their breathing evened out together.

Hermione tenderly touched his cheek, and he met her whiskey eyes. "That was the best homecoming."

He laughed. "I'll make sure we have many to compare it to."

*

Remus made dinner for them that night. He enjoyed cooking, though he wasn't particularly good at it. The nuances escaped him, and he found himself measuring each and every ingredient in order to achieve the desired outcome, and yet the food was never as advertised.

But Hermione didn't seem to mind and ate his dry, bland chicken and lumpy potatoes with gusto. She didn't go so far as to compliment the meal, but she smiled heartily at him, grateful for his effort.

"What would you like to do tonight?" Hermione asked. She wasn't used to doing nothing. At the Burrow, there was always work to be done, whether it was general housework, babysitting, errands, or any other number of chores. She had been kept busy at all times, and she'd had the unkind thought that the busyness was meant to ward off idle thoughts which might lead to attempted escape. It certainly explained why she had remained in that stifling household as long as she had.

Despite how glad she was to be out of there, she missed the productivity of it. It felt good to contribute, and at Grimmauld Place there really was nothing to do.

"Actually, I have to go pick up the Wolfsbane for this month. I usually go during the first week after the full moon. The man who makes it is very busy and makes a special trip to London just to meet werewolves."

"Do you mind if I come? I'd like to get out of the house for a bit."

Remus shook his head and began to tidy up the dishes. Hermione instantly rose to give him a hand, but he unceremoniously plunked her back into her chair.

"I'd love your company. Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course." She felt silly just sitting at the table watching him clean, so she got up to make tea.

"I need you to lock me into my cell in three weeks at the next full moon," he stated nonchalantly.

Hermione was surprised. It was obvious Remus didn't actually need the cage locked; even without the Wolfsbane he'd been unable to open the latch on his cell. Thumbs were handy things.

"You don't need me to do that, you know. You won't unlock it, and even if you do manage to, with the Wolfsbane, you're harmless."

Remus scoffed. "I'm never harmless; the wolf is always there, ready to destroy and demolish. After you lock the cage, I want you to go to a hotel. I won't have you stay here while I'm not myself."

"I won't leave you, so you might as well drop it right now," she declared stubbornly. She didn't like being told what to do, and she liked it even less when it meant the man she cared about doubted his own humanity. "Don't you think that, as your mate, the wolf would recognise me and keep me safe?"

Remus didn't know. But he would never risk her life on an uncertainty. He knew he felt an overwhelming sense of protectiveness and possessiveness toward her in his human state; he imagined it would only be heightened in wolf-form. But not worth the risk to find out.

"We'll discuss this again later. I don't want you in danger, least of all from me. What if..." Remus couldn't finish. The truth was that if the wolf did recognise his mate, it would not have cuddly and gentle feelings. The wolf would most likely want to mate, and the need to mate was even stronger than the need for freedom or destruction. He could kill her just trying to get close to her. He closed his eyes against the barrage of images that flooded him. He would never, ever risk her like that.

Deciding the subject was closed for now, Remus grabbed his cloak and Hermione's coat. She seemed to prefer Muggle dress for simple errands, and he certainly loved seeing her in her foreign-looking clothing. The clothes were much more snug and form-fitting than witches' robes, especially those jeans... but she wasn't wearing them today. She was wearing a black skirt with a pretty red cardigan set. He loved her in red.

They Apparated to Diagon Alley. Walking to the shady alleyway where his contact liked to meet, Hermione apparently wanted to take up the earlier discussion.

"I just don't see how you can expect me to leave you alone. Didn't Tonks always stay?" He frowned at her name. Hermione must be serious about this if she was willing to pull precedence.

"Well, yes. But it wasn't the same. The pull I have for you is much more intense." Deciding to tell her the honest truth, Remus continued, "Hermione, if I get out in wolf form, even with the Wolfsbane, I'm going to want to mate with you."

Hermione looked a little shocked. She met his eyes, and he tried to project the seriousness of what he was trying to say.

"I see. Okay, I'll lock you in the cell, but I'm not leaving." She nodded her head decisively.

But Remus couldn't allow that. "I'll be able to scent you, Hermione. It'll drive me insane, trying to get to you. I might actually get out. And you'd be in real danger. I can't know for sure, but I think the need to mate with you might override even the Wolfsbane. I can't risk it."

"And I won't leave you alone just because you have a hunch. If you begin to act out of control, then I'll leave. Not before."

Remus figured that was the most he was going to be able to negotiate her down to. "I want you to promise me you'll leave if you get scared, even just a little."

"I promise, Remus," she whispered.